Special Tiles in Loop Hero, similar to Landscape Tiles, are those that cannot be placed on or adjacent to the Road. Though, this does not mean that they are simply scenery with passive effects, as Special Tiles are some of the most dynamic elements in the game.
There are 6 that can be acquired and played, and each comes with vastly different effects that can both be beneficial or detrimental to The Hero on their adventures. Be sure to plan when to use them, as with all tiles, for overuse can upset the fine balance one needs to achieve in Loop Hero to survive.
6 Treasury
These towers full of treasure are a great Tile to play for quick and easy loot. Treasuries must be placed away from everything else, as when initially plopped down, they cannot be adjacent to another existing Tile. However, after being placed, The Hero can begin filling out the surroundings of a Treasury.
Each time 1 of the surrounding 8 spaces is filled, the Treasury will give a random piece of equipment, resource, or card. This will continue until all spaces around the tower are filled, which will then cause the Treasury to become an Empty Treasury.
5 Empty Treasury
When a Treasury becomes an Empty Treasury Tile, it will no longer give equipment, resources, and cards, even if an Oblivion card is used on it. The Oblivion effect will simply destroy it, which is not that bad of a tactic since Empty Treasuries will now only spawn a gargoyle once every 3 days.
That is if The Hero does not wish to farm gargoyles for the Craft Fragments that they drop upon defeat. The slow attack speed of these stone foes means that they are unlikely to be a huge threat on earlier Loops, however, their Impenetrable ability decreases damage they receive by a huge 60%, meaning that they will almost always be tedious to take down.
4 Storm Temple
Initially, Storm Temple Tiles seem strange and unusable due to their destructive nature and providing little else to gameplay. Though, upon closer inspection, one will find that their rampaging bolts of lightning turn Forest and Thicket Tiles into Burned Forest Tiles along lengthy, linear paths.
While on the surface this seems superficial, Burned Forest Tiles provide a bonus of +0.5% magic damage onto all of The Hero's attacks. By using Storm Temples, players can essentially trade the attack speed given by regular Forests and Thickets with increased magic damage, should one need strength more than speed.
3 Beacon
These non-coastal lighthouses send out a luminous aura to all spaces 2 Tiles away from them in a geometric ring. This area of effect grants great boosts, however, does so for enemies as well. When The Hero passes by on the Road Tiles overlooked by a Beacon, their movement speed will be increased by 40%, meaning that lighting one's way with many of these structures can allow the player to complete each Loop faster.
In addition, Beacons also increase the attack speed for all creatures within their area of effect by a significant 20%, which can be both beneficial against weaker enemies and detrimental against tougher ones. Also, keep in mind that overlapping areas of effects will not stack, so be sure to space out one's Beacons for optimal placement.
2 Temporal Beacon
Temporal Beacon Tiles look a great deal like regular Beacons, though function quite differently. As their name implies, they manipulate time and function a bit like Chrono Crystal Tiles. When a Temporal Beacon is placed, it will speed up the time of everything within its range (they possess the same radius as regular Beacons) by a colossal 50%.
This makes them excellent for vastly increasing the efficiency of Tiles that rely on the time of day to produce a result, such as Blooming Meadows. However, if placed adjacent to a Tile that spawns enemies based on a daily rate, players should prepare for an increased number of foes per Loop.
Furthermore, the watcher enemies will occasionally spawn in areas affected by a Temporal Beacon and watcher mages can appear in places where a Temporal Beacon's effect overlaps an Abandoned Bookery Tile.
1 Lich's Palace
These Special Tiles only appear when one fills up the Boss Gauge during the first chapter, which, in addition to summoning the Lich, will also spawn their palace. The Lich will show up on the Campfire Tile and the Lich's Palace will ring this spot with a series of 8 structures, each of which will give the boss a bonus +5% to their HP and attack.
If one wants to rob the Lich of these buffs, players should surround their Campfire (before filling the Boss Gauge) on all sides with any desirable Tiles in order to prevent the Lich's Palace from spawning. This will severely hinder the Lich's true power and make it considerably easier for The Hero to take them out.