Retcon Guide

This guide assumes you are somewhat familiar with the mechanics behind Retcon.

If you want to experience the joy of overcoming Retcon and discovering its ins and outs on your own, immediately press the "back" button on your browser or close this tab/window, then continue enjoying Twilight Heroes.

If you want help and don't mind spoiling a little of Retcon's mystique, keep reading.

(work in progress, feel free to correct or add)

What do I get out of Retcon?

There are several rewards for whaling on the Mick endlessly, including:

Quest rewards. Quest items such as the Skeptic Sandals are removed, but you get to keep Gold Coins, Blue Chip, bonus skill points etc. if you haven't sold/used them.
Medals of Mettle, based on the difficulty of your run. These can either be combined to make a fairly useful early-game accessory or to buy powerful gear/bonuses at Nocturne's shop.
*If* your run was worth > 1 mettle, you get to "perm" one skill you have learned so far and keep it for all of your subsequent runs(except no-permed skill ones, of course).
Bragging Rights for "maso" runs, those set to maximum mettle.
The most important: Lulz!

Before Retcon

All optional, but these precautions may save you a lot of trouble later.

If you have Positronic computers, swap them with Electronic ones. You're going to lose them.
Obtain as many as you can/want of the "items" to pull (listed below).
If you're a neat freak like me, and you don't want extra items cluttering up your Deep Storage screen, clear out your inventory by putting stuff in your Momento case, storing it in Hideout (don't forget it's there), or selling it.
Make sure your Sidekick has at least the skills Jujitsu Expert, Documentarian, Flea Market Trader and Egyptian Knife Fighter/Karate Expert.

Pick Your Retcon

My approach aims for an optimal balance of convenience and mettle. Your results may vary, but this works for me.

Class

Here is a generalization of the various strengths and weaknesses of each class.

Naturalist- Pros: Very powerful offensive skills, high HP, decent combat stats.

Cons: Lack of self-healing, late-game normal attack is relatively inaccurate.

Elementalist Pros: Powerful offensive spells, high PP, decent self-buffs.

Cons: Fairly weak combat stats, low HP.

Gadgeteer Pros: Excellent combat stats, great self-healing, offensive spells weaken enemies.

Cons: Offensive spells do little damage, most permed skills don't benefit other classes much.

Psion Pros: Excellent combat stats at low level, high PP, good farming skills, good offensive spells.

Cons: Low HP, weak combat stats at high level.

Personally, I find Naturalist easiest purely due to the Charge/Trample/Maul skills. Once one of those is permed, Gadgeteer becomes the easiest. Of course, you should try them all.

Items/Pulls

You have several options.

All items available immediately (-4 mettle)- This is definitely the "noob" option. It's so game-breakingly easy it almost defeats the point of retcon. I recommend against it, since you still will lose computers and quest items.
Max pulls (10/day) and get a break after 48 hours of patrolling(-2 mettle)- This is better than the -4 mettle option, but still too easy/unrewarding for me.
Max pulls (10/day) (0 mettle)- I tried this and found ten items a bit excessive. There were days where I wish I had six or seven pulls, but altogether, ten pulls seemed excessive, given five pulls gives more mettle.
Some pulls (5/day) (+2 mettle)- This is my favorite. I can easily get along with five items a day.
No pulls (+5 mettle)- This is going to be rather hard, since you can't grab improved gear and consumables. I can't recommend it.

Skills

All permed skills available (0 mettle)- This is a good option for further runs, especially if you're playing Elemental, which, in my opinion, doesn't have any decent early-game skills worth putting skill points into.
Permed skills remembered, but only class skills can have skill points applied (+2 mettle)- Having your non-class permed skills left at lv. 0 isn't that bad, especially if you choose well. The two mettle is easily worth the sacrifice. A worthy pick.
No permed skills remembered (+5 mettle)- The only permed skill you could possibly have on your first retcon is Precompletion_Pro, which isn't of much value compared to the extra mettle, so your first retcon run should be set to this option. Otherwise, this skill will make your retconned life a little too hard by taking away your valuable skills. I can't recommend it.

Food

Both caffeine and sugar (0 mettle)- No sacrifice made. Not a bad idea, especially if you're really into extra turns.
Decaf (no caffeine) (+3 mettle)- Too much of a sacrifice. Caffeine gives 2-3 hours a day, and 3 mettle just isn't worth getting rid of that tremendous boost.
Diet (no sugar) (+2 mettle)- I find this is the best, since you sacrifice a mere .5-1 hour a day for 2 mettle, much more efficient than decaf. Good sugar is hard to find anyway.
Naturally hyper: no caffeine or sugar, but +1 hour/day (+3 mettle)- Better than decaf, since you gain 1 hour automatically, where with decaf, 1 hours is the most you could hope to gain without pulling high-level sugar. Still not as good as Diet.
Abstainer (no caffeine, no sugar) (+5 mettle)- Well, if you don't mind getting only 40-ish turns a day, plus leveling bonuses, go for it.

SideKick/Understudy

Sidekick with you from the beginning (0 mettle)- The sidekick can provide a bonus to defense, gaining items/chips, damage-dealing and any other number of things, and if you're struggling with no sidekick, this isn't a bad choice.
Sidekick has to be recruited at level 9 (+2 mettle)- Not a big sacrifice, given that your sidekick, being based on your level, is weak anyway until you hit level 9. I recommend this option.

So, my ideal 1st time retcon is- Naturalist, Some Pulls, No perms, Diet, No sidekick. 16 Mettle.

My ideal retcon afterwards is- Gadgeteer/Psion/Elementalist, Some Pulls, Class-only perms, Diet, No Sidekick. 13 Mettle.

This reflects my preferences. Certainly, to unlock some things in Nocturne's shop, you must get a certain number of metals, so do consider trying a harder or a "maso" run somethime.

Items to Pull

My favorite items to pull. Note: Naturalists fare better with melee weapons, Gadgeteers should stick to ranged weapons, and Elementalists and Psions are good with either (although I still find melee better for some reason).

Utilities

Mister Tea- Extremely efficient use of caffeine, gives 3 whole hours. Requires level 5, but coffee shop items shuld do in the meantime.

Gold Coin/Blue Chip- Basically a ton of free chips. Two gold coins can easily finance you with no trouble until you beat the Mick.

Stroopwafel- If you picked a sugar-included option, this is the most efficient of the common sugar items. Granted, you can't use it until level 7, but it's still efficient.

Eye Podule/SQUID player- Both useful for getting free XP from SQUID disks. Both items are fairly hard to get without pulling, so if you have nothing better to pull, pull these. No difference between the two.

Bonus Skill points- Self-explanatory.

Brewmaster's Master Potion- A very powerful buff item if you're having trouble getting past a particular boss.

Ticketmaster's Ticket Puncher- A good one-shot damage item if you're having trouble damaging a particular boss.

Night Cap, Deluxe Lux Leather chair, Wiggum wigwam- Eventually, you'll have to rest at one point or another. These will make resting a lot powerful and are thus definitely worth the pull. Night cap requires level 5, others don't have a level requirement.

Early Game Equips

Paradime Device - +2 PP and +1 HP regeneration *and* +5 dodge. No level requirement. Definitely worth a pull.

Talisman- Pick your Talisman of choice and immediately change it at level 1, so you only lose a few XP. I recommend the Swedish Navy wrench for its mighty dodging and reflex bonuses.

Icicle- Good early-game melee weapon. Requires only level 2.

Filigreed foil hat, Gold-plated poncho, Gilded leggings- Excellent early-game equips, probably the best you can do until level 4. You don't have to pull these if you're willing to spend Gold Foil making them yourself instead.

Raskolnikov's_fur_hat- Just as good as the Filigreed foil hat. Requires level 2.

Supersolid Mettle Medal- Excellent early-game accessory. It's a free pull too (see below).

Computers- If you have them, bring them in, and save yourself some time looking for components.

Number One Fan- Restores 3 PP AND has a 6 point spell damage bonus. A very worthy choice if you are burning through PP too quickly. Still useful through the mid-game.

Rolled Doll dahl- An offhand source of +noncombats, which should speed up quite a few quests. Also, no level requirement and stays useful for most of your run.

Mid Game Equips

Lexura Infides D-8 - PP regeneration and range 4. No level requirement.

Bass-o-Matic 77- Pull this so you can ask for loot (a whopping 2500 chips) from the Go Fish! mid-quest reward and still have an easy time beating up Troutmaster.

Harbor Pearl/sub-ma-car- If you aren't an Elementalist (who can swim without any special equipment), pull this so you can breathe underwater. Otherwise, you'll either have to equip the Bayside Diving Shop items, which are both a hassle and a disadvantage, or you'll have to fight in the difficult Docks area to get the Harbor Pearl again. Save some trouble.

Mighty Quill/Repeating Rifle/Recoil Foil Rifle/Foil Foil- All are very powerful weapons and will remain so for a while. Requires level 5.

Foyal Crown-The bonus to base metal drops may be useless inrun, but the +7 XP/turn could speed you up a bit. Requires level 8. Could also be assembled if you grab a royal crown at level 9 and still have foil left.

Karma Charm- Immensely useful for spell-reliant heroes. Still useful if you want to save PP healing or buffing. Requires level 5.

Blue Elsa's Blue Blade, Biff Socko's Socks, Big Earl's suspenders, Gothy Black Dress, Malappropriator's ski beanery, The Shark's darts. Requires levels 4-7

Phial of Samuels- Definitely one of the best, if not the best, accessories in the mid-game during normal patrolling. Extra item drops, a ton of PP restored every turn and, as icing on the cake, more maximum PP.

Databelt- This accessory regenerates 4 HP *and* PP per turn, which might save you quite a lot of chips or turns spent resting. Requires level 6.

Badger Gauntlets(Nat only): *If* you are a Naturalist who is having trouble with fights, these will provide +10 to both melee damage and to-hit. Requires level 5.

Anything from Nocturne's Shop- Again, much better than the normal looted/chip-bought equipment you can get at those levels. Requires levels 5-8.

Pegasus/Jetpack- Both are useful for getting to the Rejected Rogue Ranch. Only difference is that Jetpack requires the Passable Pilot skill and Pegasus requires level 12. If you already have all the RRR Hint Giver items, just pull those instead.

Free Copy of the Internets/ other software- The Internets is particularly useful because it is never consumed when installed. Anyway, when you need to make your foes tougher so they give you more XP, use Internets. Other software just saves you time that would be spent looking for data plates. The +noncombat software(Garcia's Traffic Avoider)could also speed up quests significantly.

Sneakiers-The +noncombat on these shoes can speed up the level 8, 9 and 10 quests significantly. Requires level 8.

Late Game Equips

Chuck Van Arnold's Tank Top, Delilah's Shears, Doctor Worm's surgical gloves, The Baroness's stiletto boots, The Tenderizer's Hammer, Kookoo's Pie Pitcher, The golem's Glock, Chalkboard Shield, Thundarr's photon blade- All villain drop items. Not as powerful as the two categories below, but still better than normal loot/purchases. Requires levels 8-13.

brick wall- If you need a cheap source of DA, this could be an useful offhand. The strength penalty isn't relevant if you use ranged weapons. Requires level 9.

Anything the Hint Giver trades Rejected Rogue Ranch items for- Probably the best set of items you can obtain at this level. Requires level 10.

Anything the Wade-Bot Base trades Space Station items for- Probably the best set of items you can obtain at this level. Requires level 12.

Paddlebot/Fordbot Logos- Excellent stat bonuses.

High-jump boots/Gnat Gloves- Necessary for the level 11 quest, and also necessary to explore the roofs of downtown area, which brings some very good enemy drops.

Binoculars- Hey, more items! More effective at its job than any other available option, of course. Requires level 12.

Free Pulls

These are items that you can pull regardless of how many normal pulls you have left, and do not take up your pulls.

White Elephant Gift
Plaudits Bar
Razzberry Sticker
Medal Medal of Mettle
Denser Mettle Medal
Heavy Mettle Medal
Supersolid Mettle Medal

Skills to Perm

Every retcon, you can choose one skill to pull, making the game much easier.

These are the most important skills to learn. All skills have their merits, but these are the most useful for a smooth retcon. Partially based on Valera's and Cristiona's opinions.

Also Useful

Upgrade Armor- Very flexible and cheap bonus to various stats. Motorized is good for certain areas, Resistance is good for certain bosses and areas, and Superabsorbance is general use.

Stone Armor- A much needed bonus to various elemental resistances, especially electricity.

Fire Storm/Psionic Blast- Similar to Lightning Bolt. These are too expensive/overkill for early game, and still PP-expensive late game but it packs a better punch than lightning bolt. Note that Psionic Blast is weak against robots, even with Electronic Understanding, so Fire Storm may be slightly preferable.

Metal Detector- Extra items. 'Nuff said.

Armadillo Armor- Extra defense. Not as constant as Battle Armor, but still useful.

Starfish Regeneration- Generally speaking, PP is better than HP, so Starfish takes a backseat to Proper Hydration. Still a worthy skill to perm.

Aura: Mystery, Fire Within- Only good for "casters"- characters who rely on spells rather than weaponry for damage.

Aura: Vigor- Not anywhere as useful as Aura: Vim, but at high levels, it's the best choice for that second aura slot if you're not going to be casting spells much.

Sonic Grenade- Good for softening up enemies and bosses and even does a little damage as a bonus.

Detachment- Mostly good for bosses, since the increased turn length detracts from using it during normal patrolling. The damage reduction is pretty good still.

Sniper- If you like using ranged weapons, this passive gives up to +25 ranged damage and +30 init, which could help immensely with tough fights.

Dealing with General Situations FAQ

Q: A boss is kicking my ass!
A:

Load up on skill buffs and item buffs and double check your equipment is good.
If you don't have a sidekick, consider getting a temporary combat-based one.
If you are a naturalist, just hit them repeatedly with Charge of the Bovine/Trample of the Rhino/Maul of the Cave Bear. Problem solved.
If you have some good offensive spells but are losing in normal combat, consider using those spells and changing your equipment loadout to improve intellect, defense and spell damage.
If you have a powerful damaging item like TNT or Ticketmaster's Ticket Punch, use them.
If you are engaging in normal weapon combat, use a glob of goo, rank bun, webbed sand or a Gadgeteer offensive spell to soften them up.
Make sure you don't have any negative combat-related buffs on you, such as Listless, Weakened or Concussed. Internal Injuries and Needs Stitches are fine.
Go somewhere else, level up, come back, get revenge.

Q: An area is kicking my ass!
A: Don't go there. Find someplace better suited for your level.

Q: An area I *must* be in is kicking my ass!
A:

Check your equipment to see if it could be better.
Level up and come back.
Make sure you don't have any negative buffs on you.
If you're a Psion or Elementalist, consider using offensive spells instead. Modify equipment accordingly.
If you're a naturalist, spam Charge/Trample/Maul.

Q: I can't get an item! It just won't drop!
A: Equip items/software that improve drop rate and combat encounter rate.

Q: I need a specific encounter!
A: Equip items/software that improve noncombat encounter rate and just be patient.

Q: How should I restore HP/PP? I keep running out!
A: There are seven ways, in order of my recommended preference.

Increase your regeneration. Skills, equipment, and certain buff items can all do this. Totally free, and if done right, can end up fully restoring HP/PP while you patrol!
Rest. It only costs time, and if done with a Night Cap/Deluxe Lux Leather Chair/Wiggum Wigwam, can be extremely effective.
Level up. You restore HP and PP fully when leveling up, so try leveling up once you are out of PP and low on HP.
Use Items. If you get them from patrolling, it's free. Don't bother buying such items.
Visit the Hospital/Enlightenment Center. It costs quite a bit of cash, but there's no time cost.
Use healing skills. Sometimes, if you need HP, restoring PP and then using skills to heal is more efficient. Remember that the Karma Charm also improves the cost and effect of healing spells.
Set your sidekick to "message therapist". There are much better uses for your sidekick, though.

Q: How do I solve this quest? I forgot!
A: Either check your journal for a hint, or consult this wiki.

Q: ARRRRRGGGGGG MASO IS KILLING ME!!!
A: In "Account Settings" you can drop any number of the restrictions on your run. Of course, this will reduce your mettle award, but if you don't like Maso, the mettle sacrifice should be worth it.

Specific Retcon Walkthrough

To be worked on.

Finally...

Ask people in the forums/chat for advice and use your common sense!