ROUTE NOTES
Let bad drops pay for the next good choice.
Jenny can turn unwanted offers into progress, but only after one weapon and one bomb option are doing real work. Scrap is useful when it improves the next decision.
ROUTE NOTES
WHEN THIS ROUTE IS WORTH IT
Pick Jenny when shops are giving you several bad drops, you enjoy making economy decisions, or bombs already cover the room your weapon cannot.
Keep one weapon that clears the next room. Take Simple Modification, then one bomb effect; add dismantle value only after combat is stable.
When coins are tight, give up rerolls and luxury economy pieces before giving up the weapon or first bomb that keeps the room manageable.
Stop forcing Jenny when the weapon is failing and dismantling is the only plan left. A bigger scrap counter does not clear the next room.
A REAL RUN
What this decision looks like in play
The shop offers two unwanted relics, but your Lightning Gun is the only thing clearing the current room.
Keep the gun, dismantle one spare item only if it buys the next bomb or combat upgrade, and leave the rest of the shop alone.
Jenny's advantage is turning surplus into a better next choice; it is not permission to remove the current answer.
Do not dismantle the weapon just to complete the economy loop one shop earlier.
CLEAR ALTERNATIVE
If this is not your run
Stella — Stella's single-weapon Tarot route
Switch when Use it when you have a stable main weapon but no useful dismantle payoff and want to deepen one line instead.
WEAPON CHOICES
Start here, then change only for a reason
The starter is shown as a transition. The first non-starter pick is the route candidate; the others are for the run you actually rolled.
Why it fits. Reliable fallback when Lightning support is missing and the run needs a stable gun.
Tradeoff. The direct weapon loop may offer less crowd control than the bomb route.
Why it fits. Fire is a clean alternative when the bomb package already has room coverage.
Tradeoff. Switching element is expensive once relics reference Lightning.
Why it fits. A clear area-control anchor for the bomb and Disruption route.
Tradeoff. Its pause rhythm needs deliberate timing and may not suit every room.
REAL-DATA LAYER
Separate the starter, the quality range, and the community signal
Player reports and official facts are labelled separately. Where a Hunter-level sample is missing, this page does not invent a single certain answer.
Steam player report: projectile count is the real ceiling signal
A launch review describes successful runs around extra projectiles, Fire Rate, and Reload Speed, including an Acid setup reported at 6–8 projectiles and 0% condensed spread. The review uses the names “Skorpian” and “Leaf Cutter”; those names are not present in the current official catalog, so the site keeps the mechanic signal and does not hard-map them to a current weapon ID.
Read the Steam player review ↗Steam demo feedback: keep a working gun, dismantle misses
A player report says dismantling guns and parts returns upgrade tokens, and that they usually keep a gun that already works instead of switching just because a new drop is rarer. That is a useful rule for the in-run decision layer, not proof that the starter weapon is the best weapon.
Read the Steam discussion ↗Official 1.0.487: Training Room and Item Encyclopedia
The 1.0.487 Steam update added a Training Room for freely testing builds and an Item Encyclopedia. The site points players to the exact in-game verification step instead of presenting an untested weapon family as a measured tier-list winner.
Read the official Steam update ↗Current conclusion: the public data supports a projectile / fire-rate / reload direction, but not a reliable seven-Hunter weapon ranking yet. A family name also does not mean the drop is Legendary or Mythic; check the quality range and the current affixes on the item page.
COMMUNITY FIELD SIGNALS
Use player discussion as route evidence, not a fake tier list
Routes, decisions, and pain points stay separate. Each card shows its source, version status, and how the site uses it. A single player's result does not directly change Planner rankings.
Steam report: projectile count, Fire Rate, and Reload Speed
A high-rated Steam review describes a successful Acid run around extra projectiles, Fire Rate, and Reload Speed, reporting 6–8 projectiles and 0% condensed spread. The weapon names in that review do not map cleanly to this site's current 45-family catalog, so we retain the event pattern, not the item ranking.
How the site uses it: Use this as a projectile/reload hypothesis. Check the current family, quality, and room coverage in the Training Room before calling any weapon a best pick.
Steam decision signal: keep the gun that already works
A demo discussion describes dismantling guns and parts for upgrade resources, while advising players to keep a working gun instead of switching only because a new drop is rarer. It is a useful decision heuristic, not proof that the starter copy is the best weapon.
How the site uses it: Treat rarity as a tie-breaker. Switch when the new drop fixes reload downtime, room coverage, or a broken element—not when its color is simply brighter.
Official Update 8.20: current pet, co-op, and Lightning interaction fixes
This is the current bug-fix layer. It does not replace the V1.0.499 Frost balance baseline from the previous day.
How the site uses it: Use the current item data, then retest only the three fixed interactions when they appear in co-op, inventory, or Lightning routes.
Official Update 8.19: Pet system and Frost Relic rework
Old Frost descriptions and any recommendation built around the former Ice Pillar, Heart of the Storm, or Flash-Freeze Round behavior are obsolete.
How the site uses it: Prepare Armor before combat, use the refreshed official item text, and keep route ranking claims behind repeatable run tests.
Official Update 8.7: Arrow Rain, resolution, and Steam Deck fixes
The official 1.0.491 announcement is a bug-fix hotfix. It supports carrying forward current Build routes while keeping the three fixes visible on the patch page.
How the site uses it: Keep the current Build recommendations and Planner logic unchanged, then retest Arrow Rain, affected resolutions, and Steam Deck presentation after the update.
Official Update 8.6: three bugs fixed, no Build rebalance listed
The official Steam Update 8.6 announcement lists fixes for Auto Dismantle, controller Item Encyclopedia navigation, and an occasional backwards weapon on the results screen. It does not list Build balance changes.
How the site uses it: Keep the 1.0.487 Build recommendations and Planner logic unchanged. Use the 1.0.488 patch page for the three system, quality-of-life, and presentation fixes.
TapTap player route: Physical / Bleed one-shot claims
A TapTap post presents a Physical/Bleed route as a fast-kill direction and claims that, after an update, most bosses can be one-shot in a lucky or completed run. It is an anecdotal outcome, not a measured sample or a promise for every Hunter.
How the site uses it: Keep the route as a community experiment: build Physical/Bleed when the early triggers arrive, but retain a room-clear fallback and downgrade the claim after a patch changes Bleed or Final Shot.
Chinese guide candidate: Lightning / Disruption package
A Chinese guide ranks Thunder Bow and Railgun as Lightning anchors, then names Battery and several Lightning weapon parts as the package to try. It frames frequent hits and Disruption as the beginner-readable loop, but the tier labels are the author's judgment and the article does not establish a current public test sample.
How the site uses it: Use the named package as a candidate route in the Planner, then verify element coherence, Disruption uptime, and boss damage in the current Training Room. Do not import its tier labels into the site ranking.
RUN PLAN
What to fix first, and what can wait
Early picks make the weapon usable. Later picks raise the ceiling only after the room is safe.
Secure a weapon you can keep.
Look for: A stable element, Simple Modification, and one bomb effect before greedier economy pieces.
Checkpoint: If the gun cannot clear a room, dismantling more drops only delays the failure.
Make bombs cover the weak moments.
Look for: Twin Bombs, Cluster Bomb, Battle Skill Damage, and a relic that rewards dismantling.
Checkpoint: The economy should now improve the next offer, not just create a larger counter.
Turn the loop into a finishing engine.
Look for: Dismantle value, element scaling, and a safe damage window for elites and bosses.
Checkpoint: Keep the weapon that works; only dismantle it when the replacement fixes a measured problem.
FIVE-LEVEL TALENT PATH
The first five upgrades to look for
One choice is available at each level. The route picks below keep the main job visible; use the fallback when the offer solves a real weakness sooner.
MATCHUP TEST
The next fight may ask for a different answer
Prioritize bomb uptime and a stable single-target element. The economy matters only if it produces a damage or survival upgrade before the next boss check.
This is Jenny's natural matchup: Twin Bombs, Cluster Bomb, and an element that spreads through the room. Use the bomb to buy time for a weaker weapon.
BAD OFFER RECOVERY
If the core item never shows up
Dismantle support never appears or the shop loop is not paying back.
Run the direct bomb route: keep the best stable weapon, stack Battle Skill Damage, and treat every dismantle as optional value.
Do not dismantle a weapon that is carrying the room just to preserve an economy fantasy.
NEXT PICK
Use this on the offer in front of you
Check the item you actually see, compare what it triggers, then load the route into Planner if it still fits. A working next pick matters more than a perfect shopping list.
This route is a decision blueprint built from current mechanics and trigger conditions, not a measured DPS ranking. The game currently ships no public damage-testing dummy, so retest it by checking whether the events repeat, rooms clear, and the boss window stays reliable.