Relics and Trinkets Guide

Relics and Trinkets are the two most powerful customization systems in How Many Dudes?. Together they can transform a basic Dude squad into an unstoppable synergy machine. This guide covers how Relics work, how to manipulate the Relic Pool, how Trinkets are earned and chosen, and the interaction patterns that create the most powerful builds.

How Relics Work

Relics are collectibles that permanently alter how combat functions. A Relic can change how a specific Dude type moves, attacks, gains advantages, or interacts with other Dudes. There are over 100 Relics in the game, each adding a unique wrinkle to team strategy.

Relics drop during battles and from Wandering Dude events. You cannot choose which Relic you receive — the game draws from the available pool. However, you can influence which Relics are likely to appear through Relic Pool manipulation.

Understanding the Relic Pool

The Relic Pool is the set of Relics the game draws from when offering you a new Relic. Two key factors determine which Relics appear in your pool:

Dude Families — Each Dude Family has eight Family Relics. Each Dude Type adds seven Type Relics. Posting a Flyer adds both sets to the pool once. A single-family squad skews toward Type Relics; five families create 40 Family + 35 Type entries, diluting specific drops.

Pre-Posted Flyers — These come from Daily Dude, Rematch Mode, and Ensemble Mode. A Pre-Posted Flyer locks families before the run starts. Five pre-posted Flyers open the entire pool on wave one — great for variety, poor for hunting one Relic. Ensemble players often pre-post 1–2 Flyers to shrink the early pool (see Newbie Tips and Ensemble Mode).

The Most Powerful Relics

Bloody Talisman (Universal)

Whenever a Dude receives healing, they gain 1% Attack Speed for the rest of the battle. This effect stacks up to 20 times.

Why it is S-Tier: Every healer in the game (Cleric, Medic) triggers this Relic constantly. In a long battle with a Cleric, you can reach 20 stacks (20% attack speed boost) before the fight even reaches its midpoint. This multiplies the damage of every Dude on your team simultaneously.

Best with: Cleric Dude (most frequent healing triggers) + Medic Dude (secondary healing) + any damage dealer.

Clerical Error (Fantasy/Cleric)

The Cleric Dude’s Divine Pulse now also deals damage to an enemy equal to 50% of the Cleric’s DPS.

Why it is S-Tier: It converts the Cleric from a pure healer into a hybrid healer/damage dealer. With a high-DPS Cleric, Clerical Error essentially doubles the Cleric’s combat contribution.

Best with: Wizard Dude (high base DPS Cleric build) + Warlock Dude (crit storage amplifies the damage conversion).

Bat Wings (Vampire Dude)

Grants a second chance when the Vampire Dude would be Knocked Out. If lethal damage is dealt, the Vampire survives with a portion of HP and gains a temporary escape ability.

Why it is S-Tier: It eliminates the Vampire’s primary weakness (fragility) while preserving its strengths (life drain). In extended runs, Bat Wings can save a run by preventing a key damage dealer from being eliminated.

Best with: Vampire Dude + Necromancer Dude (resurrection loops amplify the escape mechanic).

Relic Synergy Patterns

The Healing Feedback Loop

Bloody Talisman + Cleric Dude + Medic Dude creates a self-reinforcing loop:

1. Medic heals the squad → Bloody Talisman triggers → attack speed increases
2. Faster attacks deal more damage → faster enemy kills
3. Enemies die faster → Medic has more healing to do
4. Loop repeats, compounding throughout the battle

The Death Star

Necromancer Dude (resurrects) + Zombie Dude (scales on ally death) + Bat Wings (Vampire survival) creates a team that:

1. Loses Dudes in battle
2. Necromancer resurrects fallen Dudes
3. Zombie Dude gains attack stacks per fallen Dude
4. Vampire survives lethal hits to keep contributing
5. Enemy damage output is absorbed by continuous resurrection while Zombie damage scales infinitely

The Crit Explosion

Hacker Dude (crit stacking) + Warlock Dude (stores crit damage) + Bloody Talisman (attack speed on heal) creates:

1. Hacker stacks Crit Chance to near-100%
2. Every hit is a crit for Warlock
3. Warlock stores massive damage pools
4. Crits trigger AoE explosions of stored damage
5. Bloody Talisman keeps attack speed maxed through Medic healing

Trinkets: Boss Rewards That Reshape Builds

Trinkets are earned after defeating Act Bosses. Unlike Relics, Trinkets are chosen from a small selection — you pick the one that best fits your current build. Trinkets are permanently assigned to a Dude Type.

How Trinket Selection Works

After each Act Boss, you are presented with 3–4 Trinket options. Each is assigned to a specific Dude type from your current squad. You choose the Trinket that best complements your strategy.

S-Tier Trinkets

ADHD Trinket (Wizard Dude) Increases spell casting frequency dramatically. On a high-spell-power Wizard, this alone can triple damage output. Essential for Fantasy Wizard builds.

Taser Trinket (Samurai Dude) Adds stun chance to Samurai attacks. Stun interrupts enemy actions, providing both damage and crowd control. Particularly valuable against bosses and dangerous enemy types.

Life Insurance Trinket (Finance Dude) Amplifies the life insurance income mechanic dramatically. On a team with Finance Dudes, this can generate Gold income that outpaces the entire economy of non-economy builds.

Manipulating Your Relic Pool

Strategic Relic Pool manipulation separates good players from great ones:

Step 1: Before recruiting, decide on your core 1–2 families based on available Dudes Step 2: Commit to those families early so their associated Relics appear more frequently Step 3: Use Pre-Posted Flyers in Daily Dude to lock in favorable pool probabilities before a run Step 4: Do not chase Relics — accept what the pool offers and build synergies around available Relics

Common Relic Mistakes to Avoid

1. Forcing a specific Relic build — the pool is random; adapt to what appears
2. Ignoring Bloody Talisman — it is universally powerful regardless of build
3. Picking Trinkets for Dudes you will replace — Trinkets stick with their assigned Dude; choose accordingly
4. Underestimating Cheat Death Relics — keeping a key Dude alive is worth more than marginal damage boosts