In Dicevaders, the dice-based roguelike deckbuilder from developer Pengonauts and publisher Playstack, success hinges on minimizing random chance. While "Budge" lets you nudge individual dice values up or down by one, Chrono acts as your primary reroll currency. Originating from the lore of the StarVaders universe, Chrono allows commanders to reroll active dice on the board, restock the shop for crucial units and artifacts, and trigger game-winning scaling combos.
Managing your Chrono supply is one of the most critical skills needed to defeat planetary defenses and conquer StarVader pilots. This guide breaks down how Chrono works, how to replenish it, and how to build high-scoring synergies around reroll mechanics.
Core Functions: What Does Chrono Do in Dicevaders?
Official game documentation and Steam store data define Chrono as a flexible tactical tool designed to turn bad rolls into controlled combo chains. Unlike basic turn actions, spending Chrono is an active choice that influences two distinct phases of each turn:
1. Rerolling Dice in Combat
During the scoring phase, you roll your base dice set to determine which columns trigger on your grid. If your dice land on dead columns or fail to line up for pairs and triples, you can spend a Chrono token to reroll your dice pool.
- Selective Freezing: You can freeze specific dice you want to keep (such as a high-value unit alignment or an existing pair) and spend Chrono to reroll only the unfrozen dice.
- Repairing Cracked Dice: In standard play, budging a die causes it to "crack," preventing it from being budged a second time. Gameplay testing shows that rerolling your dice resets cracked dice back into usable condition, unlocking further budge manipulation.
2. Restocking the In-Between Shops
Between combat rolls, players visit the shop with a turn budget to draft invaders, buy artifacts, purchase additional tile slots, or level up existing items. If the shop offers items that do not match your current build, you can spend Chrono to reroll the shop inventory. This lets you dig for vital units, rare upgrades, or extra copies of high-performing cards.
How to Acquire and Sustain Chrono
Because Chrono is consumed rapidly when hunting for exact numbers or drafting key pieces, running out of rerolls can stall your run. Players can generate and sustain Chrono through several in-game methods:
| Method | Source Type | In-Game Effect / Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Shop Purchase | General Shop | Buy Chrono bundles (often +1 to +3 Chrono) directly with shop dollars. |
| Sacrifice Units | Unit Ability | Units like Time Angel grant +2 Chrono upon death when eaten or sacrificed. |
| Column Pairs | Artifact | Artifacts like Proto Ship grant +1 Chrono when scoring a base dice pair in their column. |
| Scoring Triples | Artifact | Artifacts like Triple Rainbow grant +1 Chrono, +1 Budge, and mult after scoring any triple. |
| Commander Perks | Commander | The Riftmaker gains +1 Chrono and gives +10 XP to all artifacts whenever launching a Rift face. |
| Supply Drops | Token Unit | Supply Drop tokens award +3 Chrono, +3 Budge, and $3 when scored during a triple. |
| Astral Artifacts | Artifact | Special astral items grant large bursts (e.g., +3 Chrono) on level-up or specific triple triggers. |
Sacrificing Units for Tempo
One reliable method observed in early-game runs is drafting temporary units with death triggers. Placing a Time Angel on your grid and sacrificing it with unit-eating abilities (such as a sacrifice tool or predatory units like the Leviathan) immediately credits Chrono to your pool while consolidating unit strength upward on your board.
Column-Specific Farming
Positioning is crucial in Dicevaders. Artifacts that award Chrono for pairs or triples in a specific column should be placed where your dice roll most frequently—typically toward the center columns (such as columns 3 and 4) where budging dice from either adjacent lane is mathematically easier.
Synergies and Artifact Combos Built Around Chrono
Chrono is not just an emergency reset button; several artifacts and unit traits convert the act of gaining or spending Chrono into massive attack scores and scaling multipliers.
"First Spend" Mini Dice Engines
Artifacts like the Ocarina reward you the first time you spend Chrono each turn by spawning bonus mini dice. Because mini dice bounce onto random columns to trigger unit hits, artifact XP, and secondary combos, spending a single Chrono token early in a turn can cascade into dozens of extra scoring calculations.
Scaling Strength and Multipliers
- Martian Units: Certain units feature the trait: "For each budge or Chrono you gain, gain +15 strength." In builds generating consistent Chrono returns, these units grow passively without requiring direct level-up investments.
- Eon Moss: As revealed in official developer logs for The Riftmaker, the uncommon artifact Eon Moss grants +0.5 multiplier and +10% shop rarity until the next turn whenever you spend Chrono.
- Over-Limit Conversions: Certain artifacts convert excess resources into raw multiplier. If you have an artifact that reads "When you would get budge or Chrono over the limit, get +2 mult," filling your resource meter turns passive Chrono generation into pure scaling power.
The Cuckoo Clock Multiplier Spike
For late-game scaling, the astral artifact Cuckoo Clock functions as a high-investment win condition. At the end of each turn, it grants 2 Chrono. Once your banked Chrono reaches 10 or more, it consumes all of them to multiply your entire round multiplier by 5x (or higher depending on artifact tier and upgrades). Managing your reroll restraint until reaching that 10-token threshold can single-handedly clear high-tier defense quotas.
Managing Chrono Against StarVader Boss Pilots
At the end of each act, your invasion is contested by defensive pilots from the StarVaders universe. These boss encounters introduce special rules that directly challenge how you use your Chrono:
Roxy: The Cracked Dice Pilot
Roxy causes all base dice to start the round cracked, completely disabling your ability to budge them immediately.
- The Counter: Because cracked dice cannot be nudged until they are rerolled, Chrono is mandatory during the Roxy fight. Spending Chrono immediately un-cracks the dice pool, restoring your ability to budge dice into pairs and triples. If you enter Roxy with zero Chrono, you are entirely at the mercy of raw dice landing values.
Noel: The Frozen Dice Pilot
Noel represents the exact opposite challenge: your dice start frozen and cannot unfreeze, completely preventing dice rerolls.
- The Counter: During Noel's encounter, spending Chrono on your combat dice does nothing. Instead, pivot your Chrono usage entirely toward the shop phase to fish for unit upgrades, shields, and passive multiplier scaling before launching your locked dice.
Best Practices for Chrono Economy
- Never Waste Shop Dollars When Chrono Is on Offer: Because shop money does not carry over between rounds (unless specifically modified by perks like Lunar Beam), buying available Chrono tokens with remaining spare cash is one of the most efficient ways to bank value for future turns.
- Check Pilot Modifiers Before Rerolling: Always look ahead at the active boss mechanics on the galactic map. If a pilot disables rerolling, spend your Chrono in earlier shops to build board strength rather than hoarding it into an encounter where combat rerolls are blocked.
- Synergize with Mini Dice Commanders: Commanders like Blob Girl or Juno, who scale heavily through mini dice triggers, benefit immensely from Chrono artifacts that trigger on rerolls, creating self-sustaining loops that blast past target defenses into the millions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chrono carry over between turns and rounds?
Yes. Unlike your standard shop dollars, which convert into temporary mini dice or reset at the end of a turn, banked Chrono tokens remain in your resource pool until you spend them or an artifact effect consumes them.
Can I reroll only one die using Chrono?
Chrono rerolls all unfrozen dice simultaneously. To target a single die for a reroll, click to freeze the dice you want to keep, then spend your Chrono token. Only the unfrozen die will roll a new value.
What happens if I use Chrono when my dice are cracked?
Rerolling cracked dice with Chrono fixes their cracked status, allowing you to use Budge on them again during that turn.
Where can I check official updates on commanders and mechanics?
Official patch notes, developer logs, and mechanics updates are published on the Dicevaders Steam Store Page and the developer's official site at Pengonauts.
