# v1.16.0 — The Arena Slows Down So You Can Watch

The arena no longer dumps a wall of combat in one blink. Every swing, every miss, every critical now lands on its own beat. Your DEX finally matters for whether your blade actually connects. And after each won round, the gauntlet shows you exactly what's in the pot if you bail right now.

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## ⚔️ Paced Combat

Each combat line waits **1.5 seconds** before it appears. The fight reads like a fight — you watch the HP tick down, you see who's bleeding, you feel the back-and-forth. No more 8-line dumps where the round is over before you've finished reading.

```
⚔️  Round 1 — A Null Pointer Imp stands before you!
────────────────────────────────────────
   Your blade bites deep into the Null Pointer Imp for 14 damage! (HP: 31/45)
   The Null Pointer Imp strikes with fury! You take 17 damage! HP: 43/60
   CRITICAL! Your blade cleaves the Null Pointer Imp for 40 damage! (HP: 0/45)
```

(spaced 1.5 seconds apart, line by line)

Speed-runners and impatient veterans: set `SQ_NO_PACING=1` to fall back to instant combat.

```bash
SQ_NO_PACING=1 sq arena
```

---

## 🎯 DEX Drives Accuracy

Previously, attack power was so high that you basically always hit. Now **DEX governs whether your blade connects**, and STR/weapon power governs **how hard it hits**.

- **Low DEX** → visible misses on both sides (`Your swing goes wide, the Lich evades!`)
- **High DEX** → you dodge more of the enemy's strikes
- **Rogue's Shadow Strike** still saves the nat-1 fumble
- **Nat-20** still always cracks through any defense

Goblins and Rogues just got noticeably sharper. Orcs and Necromancers learned a little humility.

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## 💰 Banked Gold Preview

After each won round, the gauntlet shows you exactly what's in the pot:

```
   Round 2 cleared! Current HP: 35/60
   💰 Cash Out now: +30 gold, +33 XP
   1) Continue
   2) Cash Out
```

The number updates per round per tier band. No more guessing whether the next round is worth the risk — you see the trade-off in real time.

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## 📜 Every Exchange Is Shown

The `... N more exchanges ...` summary line is gone. With pacing, you don't need noise control — you need the whole fight. A 20-line round is a 30-second round, and that's the point.

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## ⚠️ Balance Note

The DEX-accuracy shift is a balance change. Low-level / low-DEX characters will see more misses than before. Early Pit runs feel tense now instead of auto-win. High-DEX classes (Rogue, Ranger) and DEX-heavy races (Elf, Goblin) gain a measurable accuracy edge.

**Saves are unchanged. CLI surface is unchanged. No migration needed.**

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**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/duysqubix/shellquest/compare/v1.15.0...v1.16.0

