Depending on the game, consumables, often single-use items, can be anywhere between very powerful and pitifully useless. In Black Book, by Russian indie developer Morteshka, consumables come mostly in the form of herbs that can be bought from merchants or harvested from the wild.
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Since coins are a bit scarce in this game set in rural 1800s eastern Europe, players will likely be saving their money for cards in their deck or equipable items that grant passive boons. This means that spending precious coins on herbs is never a good idea and one should instead seek them out in nature for free.
Break-Herb, a relatively rare and powerful plant, can be of great help in combat, like many other Herbs, and in certain parts of Black Book where gamers are confronted by some sort of locked obstacle. One can even be found in the Prologue and can be of great use when approaching the main objective of the map.
As the player, who is controlling the young witch Vasilisa, makes their way north in the Prologue to deal with the chort problem at a mill, there will be many stops along the way. Toward the center of the map just west of the main path is a location called Penesherskaya Ravine, which is where a Break-Herb can be found.
However, it's not quite as simple as walking into the clearing here and picking up some plants. When Vasilisa enters the ravine, she will see a snake's nest but no mother snake and will be faced with a decision. Out of all the options, players should choose to surround the nest with rocks, which will enclose it but not hurt the young snakes.
When the mother snake returns, she will be distraught and will leave once more only to return with a Break-Herb. The serpent will press the Break-Herb against the wall of stones to cause it to topple away from the nest harmlessly. After this, the player collects the Break-Herb and can leave the area.
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In Chapter 1 and onwards, players can find Break-Herb on the rare occasion while exploring various areas; particularly fields and forests. Break-Herb can also be bought from merchants, though can be very expensive and cost close to 50 coins for a single plant.
This rare herb has the powerful effect of completely removing a single enemy's Defense. Defense, represented by a blue shield icon, acts as temporary armor that a combatant can obtain from using specific cards.
However, nothing can protect a demon or evil spirit's guard from the effects of a Break-Herb, as using one in combat will remove all of the targeted foe's Defense, regardless of how much they have accumulated. Against more common foes, this won't be very useful due to the fact that lesser chorts rarely use defensive tactics, however, against more powerful foes and bosses, good timing of a Break-Herb can result in a quicker takedown of a mighty threat who is guarding and preparing for a big attack.
As hinted at in the plant's item description and implied heavily during the meeting with the mother snake in Penesherskaya Ravine, Break-Herbs can unlock or straight-up break things that are blocking one's path. When players reach the windmill being plagued by chorts, Vasilisa can use a Break-Herb on the locked door to open it, though, there are other options for getting through as well, so choose wisely if one wants to sacrifice this rare herb to enter the area or save it for a tough battle.
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