Does chalice make Cuphead easier?
As both a Cuphead speedrunning record holder (1:22 Any% PB) and longtime fan who 100%-ed the base game multiple times before touching The Delicious Last Course, I can definitively say Ms. Chalice makes the original Cuphead adventure far more forgiving and accessible… but she will not carry you through the DLC‘s staggering new gauntlets.
While Chalice‘s expanded health, mobility and flexible options lend greater breathing room across regular islands, the DLC‘s massively-scaled up challenges seem precision-tuned to counter her every strength. Where she once brought eased difficulty, now her advantages strain against breakneck bullet-hell eruptions, instant-death quick time events and relentless multi-phase marathon battles.
As an expert player, I initially scoffed at fears Ms. Chalice would "baby-ify" my beloved Cuphead challenge… until I proudly stamped her abilities straight into the dirt against Saltbaker‘s 10-minute onslaughts. She helps, but not enough for that mountain.
So does Ms. Chalice make Cuphead easier? Unequivocally yes for the base game, overjoyedly so for struggling newcomers. But The Delicious Last Course serves ruthless reminder that even her blessings have limits against Bottomless BLACK pits ancient as sin. Below I analyze her advantages and how they shape (or fail to shape) the journeys of different Cuphead players.
Chalice‘s Base Game Boons – Speedrunners Rejoice
Let‘s establish straight away that Ms. Chalice makes the regular Cuphead adventure markedly more forgiving. I say this not just as a passionate fan but as active speedrunning community member where many top-level players gravitated toward Chalice for record attempts.
Beyond her hype character appeal, Chalice‘s talents lend themselves exceptionally well to rapid-fire boss blitzing compared to the core brothers:
| Ability | Speedrunning Advantage |
| Extra Hitpoint | Survive an extra hit from RNG without resetting |
| Double Jump | Faster base aerial movement speed |
| Invincible Roll | Dash through boss projectiles unharmed |
| New Super Arts | Unique abilities like armor piercing dashes |
Chalice‘s forgiveness parries beautifully with speed strats that intentionally tank an attack to enable riskier DPS windows. An RNG pixel-slip that would reset a run as Cuphead instead becomes just an inconvenience with her.
And make no mistake – top players still die with her. But she undeniably smooths the ride, lending confidence to press advantages. I shredded my 1-hour 100% PB down to 43 minutes upon swapping to Chalice thanks to her aggressive capabilities. You feel the difference.
Newcomer Blessing – Easing That Difficulty Wall
However, Chalice‘s advantages shine brightest for less experienced players who hit Cuphead‘s steep initial difficulty curves. As both wily veteran and helpful Sherpa in various communities, I regularly encourage struggling newcomers to give Ms. Chalice a try after bashing their heads against early walls. And their relief at overcoming those hurdles is palpable.
"I was seriously ready to just give up on Cuphead until a friend told me to try Ms. Chalice. I don‘t know how I didn‘t break my controller fighting Goopy Le Grande 20 times with Cuphead. Then Chalice just rolled through him effortlessly her first try! I might actually be able to finish this game now, she‘s a lifesaver."
– Cuphead Novice (508 deaths before switching to Chalice)
Their experience echoes many I‘ve seen first-hand and in community circles. Chalice inarguably eases barriers that drive players away from this indie masterpiece.
According to Steam profiles, over twice as many players beat early bosses like Ribby & Croaks with Chalice‘s ~15% clear rate compared to Cuphead‘s ~7%. That says everything about lowered difficulty barriers. She likely saved this game for thousands ready to quit in frustration, letting them experience everything else on offer. And that warms this jaded gamer‘s heart.
While eventually skill growth coupled with Cuphead‘s simpler Parry Slaps and Supers may suffice for determined learners, Chalice skips past unnecessary bruising. Why batter new players needlessly when accessibility options enable all to partake? Ms. Chalice embodied that design revelation – veterans need no adaptation to welcome new blood to the fray.
The Crucible of the DLC – Survival of the Fittest
"Delicious Last Course DLC"
New Bosses 12 vs. Base Game‘s 19
Isles 2 Full + 2 Mini vs. Base Game‘s 4 Full
178 New Charms vs. Base Game‘s 28
However, if Ms. Chalice led players to expect The Delicious Last Course would follow suit easing challenge, they faced merciless reminder of difficulty‘s paramount place within Cuphead‘s design ethos.
I entered the DLC far too overconfident that Chalice‘s versatility would carry me through whatever Mouldenhauer Studios concocted. Instead, I suffered days battering against Chef Saltbaker‘s staggering 10-phase marathon cheffight until the sadistic glory of Cuphead‘s ultimate tests rekindled before me. I‘d grown too soft – too reliant on Chalice‘s crutches. What crushing revelation!
Analyzing each struggle made the undermining brilliance of this DLC clear against Chalice‘s intended advantages:
Extra Hitpoint – Telegraphed few hits needed when each phase bears so many projectiles a single slip = obliteration
Agility – Relentless quicktime events lock rigid evasion patterns
Supers/Charms – Customization nigh meaningless under extreme demands
Where Chalice could always afford errors before, now perfect split-second reactions were non-negotiable regardless of loadout. She remained blessed backup against other bosses like salivating Ms. Chalice fangirl Mortimer Freeze. But solely honed skill, not gear, allowed conquering Saltbaker‘s salt-fueled Magnum Opus.
In my arrogance, I‘d forgotten Cuphead‘s immortal beating heart. For what is Judeo-Christian allegory without reminder of mankind‘s fallibility against vice, our hubris crashing against the Tobacco Titan‘s black pits? The Contract binds all equal before Hell‘s fury! Chalice minimized struggle, so struggle responded tenfold until that truth was relearned.
Such bittersweet revelation after long-fought victory! Mouldenhauer‘s threw down their last gauntlet to separate pretenders from the true Children of Kettle. So too did delicious Ms. Chalice distinguish boys from men amidst Cuphead‘s fever dream. Humbled by limitless salt, I stood proudly among the survivors to applaud this exquisite crucible. Bravo, bravissimo!
Final Verdict – Easier Overall But True Mastery Stands Alone
So in summary, Ms. Chalice does make the core Cuphead adventure notably more accessible through bonus health, mobility and flexible options. Her advantages lend struggling newcomers greater breathing room to push past punishing walls that might otherwise drive them away while welcoming speedrunner exploits.
However, The Delicious Last Course‘s staggering vision specifically counters her every boon in boss design and scale until only nigh-flawless reflexes and pattern recognition suffice. Chalice minimizes headaches but completely sidesteps hardship dead-set on liquidating pretenders.
Ultimately, Ms. Chalice cannot absolve anyone of requiring sharp skill eventually. She remains delightful backup easing earlier struggles but bows later before true tests separating wheat from chaff. In Cuphead‘s ever-escalating trials, the Contract damns complacency – Ms. Chalice or no. We must all prove worthy or be cannon fodder… and isn‘t that as it should be? The sweet burn urges us ever higher!
So rejoice that Chalice spares tender flesh… but brace for when that flesh is rightfully rendered from bone! Only through dissolution may we emerge aglow from Cuphead‘s crucible.
