Items
Guildrun Auction House — Act-End Bids, Shards & Value
Act-end auctions are Guildrun's high-stakes shop — a short window where Shards buy heroes, items, and relics you rarely see in normal shops, including offers that expand team size. Winning an auction can break a run open; overpaying can strand you shard-poor for the entire next act. This page turns auction panic into a checklist.
Last updated: August 2026
What the Auction Is For
After major act milestones, the Auction House opens with premium stock. Think of it as a compressed power spike: better heroes, sharper items, and relics that do not rotate through every shop. Team-size expansion relics often appear here or in adjacent quest offers — patch 0.5.1 cut Team Size Quest costs by five Shards because players skipped them even when the effect fit.
Auctions are Shard-denominated. If your mid-act shopping already drained Shards on impulse epics, you arrive unable to contest the one relic that matched your axis. Read shop economy first, then treat auctions as the final exam.
Bid Discipline After Recent Patches
Patch 0.5.1 rebalanced Auction House tiers so under-selected bands compete with previously over-picked epics. Patch 0.5.2 did not rewrite auction UI, but it changed the Shard climate: Emergency Rewind no longer overpays, starting bonuses less often tax your opening 30 Shards, and Boss Tokens are more generous for retries. Your auction bankroll should feel different week to week — re-scout prices after each Steam news post.
Set a hard maximum bid before the screen opens. If the premium offer is “nice” but not run-defining, leave Shards for the next two shops. Run-defining means it completes your keyword (burn engine, shield converter, economy loop) or adds a roster slot you will actually fill.
- Know Shard total before the auction loads
- Cap bids at what still leaves a shop buffer
- Prefer axis-completing relics over generic stat sticks
- Walk away — overpay is a hidden loss condition
Heroes and Items in the Auction
Auction heroes should plug a hole — second frontline, Backup specialist, or the exact lover pair — not duplicate your weakest unit. Auction items should convert your relic theme into combat stats; a poison amp item after you drafted poison relics is worth more than a random epic prism.
Watch 0.5.2 item notes when valuing stock: Polymath's Prism now correctly gives 20% per class, Temporal Accelerator leans Omnivamp/Attack Speed, and several Red Rift defense items were trimmed. Last week's “always buy Plate” heuristic may be wrong.
Guildrun Official Reveal — Economy & Draft Loop
Auction Paths by Difficulty
On Base through B, auctions can greed for fun synergies — deaths are cheap learning. From A upward and especially Red Rift, auctions should solve a concrete next-boss problem: sustain for The Storm timer, burn finishers, or economy to rebuild after a wipe. Endless mode treats auctions as score multipliers; bankroll management compounds across floors.
Cross-check best relics, relics guide, and patch 0.5.2 when a creator claims an auction relic is “broken” — verify the upload date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do auctions use gold or Shards?
Auction bidding is Shard-based premium economy. Gold still matters in normal shops before and after.
Should I always bid?
No. Skipping a mediocre auction to keep Shard flexibility is often correct.
Did 0.5.1 change auctions?
Yes — tier value bands were rebalanced so more offers compete with previously dominant epics.
What about Team Size relics?
They became cheaper in 0.5.1. Buy them when you have a real sixth-hero plan, not as automatic greed.