Wondering if there is any advantage/disadvantage to using the pitfalls or letting the song end instead of going down the stairs to advance to the next level. This is accepting the case that the level is fully cleared or explored of course, I just can't tell if it makes a difference in regard to starting the next floor. Does it start you in a different place, or is the level procedurally generated just the same? Will letting the song run it's course do anything adverse other than keep you from collecting gold or items?

Main reason I ask is because I basically always waste time dancing in the shops while the shopkeep is singing and not sure if it's hurting me, though I'm not sure I could help myself anyway.

You haven't had any cage matches yet?

If the song ends and you go down the pit, you:

-Get the worst speedrunning time for that stage.

-Lose your coin multiplier. This is quite insignificant for Cadence, as it is only annoying if you are wearing Obsidian equipment or if you are trying to maximize your gold score. However, some other Characters die if they lose the multiplier, so they are essentially killed as a result of not reaching the stairs on time.

-If you haven't killed the Miniboss, you are pitted against some monsters in a very close space at the beginning of the next level. This may be brutal if you are underpowered or if you do not expect it.

Ok, so more enemies is all I have to worry about.

I've only unlocked Eli so far, so the other (harder) characters aren't a concern yet, but I'll keep it in mind. Usually I've cleared the level anyway and am just looking for diamonds or hidden rooms. I also avoid multiplier based items since I seem to get random missed beats for some reason when I'm pretty sure I've hit within the gracious extra beat.

I've always had this problem of wanting to check every nook and cranny, even back with Nethack and end up starving to death in most of my traditional Rogue-like runs, so thanks for the info.