# Talk:Game stages
I feel like this could be much expanded, so I began a list of common threats to early characters. I'll eventually add lists for the other stages as well; feel free to point out or just add any obvious monsters that I didn't think of. We should also add some links to here from relevant pages; only two pages on the entire wiki link to here. --Dustylou 2 09:29, 1 January 2012 (UTC)

Maybe it's time to combine Standard_strategy with this page? Blackcustard 16:45, 1 January 2012 (UTC)
Sounds like a good idea. We should merge them once all the threat lists are up and running. --Dustylou 2 00:29, 2 January 2012 (UTC)
Other pages to consider Ascension_run, Mazes_of_Menace. That's not to say we should merge those in, we shouldn't, but they needed to be linked to in a "see also" section I think. Though perhaps "ascension run" should be a redirect to a more thorough breakdown of the ascension run on this page, then we move all this threat stuff to standard strategy? Maybe we break down the other phases a bit more too, though they are far less rigid than the asc run. At the very least Top-&gt;soko+mines in some order-&gt;lower dungeon-&gt;Quest/Castle-&gt;Castle/Quest-&gt;Gehennom is standard. Then the demon lairs have some order to them, plus the tower and vlads. Blackcustard 21:38, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
why prayer before permafood?
It seems to me like this strategy is even worse for n00bs who might need to rely on prayer more regularly for help in a bad situation.  I would think it would always make sense to use permafood first (since it can only be used to fill your stomach) and prayer as a backup plan (since it can also be used to cure that terminal sickness from the n00b eating the tainted meat, or the lycanthropy from the n00b engaging the werejackal in melee, or ...) Derekt75 22:20, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

It depends on how they are dying; if they starve to death a lot it's a good idea. If they don't, it's a terrible idea. Personally I had a lot of trouble with food when I first started playing NetHack, and I followed this strategy sometimes. The prayer is renewable, the permafood isn't. A new player might not be diving fast enough to keep finding food. Blackcustard 00:00, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
Also, a lot more is under your control when you're low on HP.  You can rely on a pet to kill the monster, engrave Elbereth with your fingers, run away, etc.  Prayer is usually a total last resort in those situations.  As for terminal sickness, I think new players quickly figure that one out.  Lycanthropy is annoying but blockable with Elbereth, and curable in a couple other ways.  On the other hand, very little is under your control with starvation - if you're starving, you need to either find food or pray.  I find it's nice to have the prayer option open when the RNG decides to throw me 3 tripe rations and an apple on the first six levels.  A *very* new player might prefer to pray while in trouble, but once you've learned a few tricks for staying alive in sticky situations, it's often preferable to use prayers for food. -Ion frigate 04:37, 5 January 2012 (UTC)
I agree that it's great to be able to pray when you're out of permafood.  If I were to run out of permafood, I could then start using prayer to fill my stomach.  but if I had two food rations in my inventory, I wouldn't hesitate to use one of them before asking my god for help.  I always think of prayer as a last resort, and yet I nearly always find myself wanting to pray at least once in the early game.  Derekt75 18:52, 6 January 2012 (UTC)