Never die
In Hardcore mode, the game ends when you die. It also becomes increasingly difficult to stay alive as you go into harder difficulties. When you die, your wizard freezes in place then disappears and your hat drifts down. If you exit the app and shut it off while your hat is falling or just after you run out of health, when you open the app again you will be alive and well at the start of that floor.
Non-random upgrade skills
Track your stats to know when you are just about to level up. Use the town portal door to return to town then go back to where you left off. If you do not like the random skills assigned when you level up, intentionally die. You will restart at the portal door again. Repeat the process until the upgrade skills offered to you upon leveling up are acceptable.
When you level up and you do not like the skills offered, press [iPod] to shut down the game. When the game is resumed, the level up screen will immediately reappear, but with new random skill choices.
