I'm in the desert after ascending once and I keep thinking to myself, surely this next monster will be the gatekeeper. I am such a sucker cause I have been thinking that for the last 10 monsters...
Don't super scheme to pass a level if you fail it the first time. All of the chests on that level get nerfed after the first run. So its best to grind on levels you fail until you will win several in a row. That way each chest you win will have a chance at keys, spins, and artifacts. Play too strategically and you will make your grind worse.
I really want to love this game, but the grind is still too steep. Maybe, if you stick it out and get a bunch of skill ups, you can start to earn properly. But after an hour of trying I just can't see the horizon.
I got fooled by the lazy shifter. I thought it would just keep me at the highest level I could one shot. But it doesn't go above your previous max level. I discovered this fact when I could default over 30 levels higher...
So I combined 5 items to make goggles and used them... a prestige and a half later items 1-3 have never dropped again. Was it meant to be a one time thing?
Combinables can be found again, but there's some nuance as to finding the pieces. Also, no dupes, so if you have a piece in another character's backpack, it won't drop again.
 "NGU IDLE"){kind=icon}
 "Idle Skilling"){kind=icon}
 "The Woman Who Can't Jump"){kind=icon}
 "Brave Shorties 2"){kind=icon}
 "Colorius"){kind=icon}
 "Cards Keeper"){kind=icon}
 "World of Talesworth"){kind=icon}
 "GOST. The Game."){kind=icon}
 "Artist Idle"){kind=icon}
 "Neon Wars"){kind=icon}
 "Grow Defense"){kind=icon}
Okay, maybe I’ll change that in the upcoming update.