The Passage of Persistence features a unique mechanic called a trailing backstop that prevents your win count from dropping below a certain point, even when you experience losses.
Understanding the Trailing Backstop
Unlike passages that reset completely upon a loss, the Passage of Persistence provides a safety net. This safety net ensures that your progress is partially preserved, allowing you to recover more easily from setbacks.
Based on the provided reference, the core principle is:
- Even though losses remove wins, your passage will never drop below your furthest progress minus one.
This means as you accumulate wins and reach new milestones, the minimum number of wins you can fall back to increases.
How the Backstop Functions
Here's a breakdown of how the trailing backstop protects your progress:
- Initial State: You start at 0 wins.
- First Win: Reach 1 win. Your furthest progress is now 1. Your backstop is 1 minus one = 0. You can't drop below 0 (which is the starting point).
- Reaching 2 Wins: Your furthest progress is 2. Your backstop is 2 minus one = 1. According to the reference, this means you can't drop below 1.
- Reaching 3 Wins: Your furthest progress is 3. Your backstop is 3 minus one = 2. According to the reference, this means you can't drop below 2.
- And so on: Each time you reach a new highest win count, your backstop is set to that highest count minus one.
This system makes the Passage of Persistence more forgiving than standard passages, as a series of losses won't completely erase all your accumulated wins. You're always guaranteed to retain at least your highest win count minus one.
Example (from the reference):
- Get to 2 wins and you can't drop below 1.
- Get to 3 wins and you can't drop below 2.
This mechanic allows players to make incremental progress without the fear of a complete reset after a single loss.
