11 Tips for New Players
01
Bind your controls before your first boss
Responsive Hollowing and Plasma use depend on comfortable inputs. Adjust controller or keyboard bindings in the settings menu before pushing into dangerous areas — you'll thank yourself later.
02
Start with Nightstar — switch when you know your playstyle
The whip's long reach and safe spacing make it the most forgiving starter. Once you've fought a few bosses, consider switching to the daggers for aggression or the hammer for heavy commitment damage.
03
Bank Bones at vendors constantly
Bones drop on death and must be recovered at your death site — but Bone Stone banked at vendors is permanent. Never enter a boss fight with more than 200 unbanked Bones unless you have Proto Spark equipped.
04
Save Sidearms for bosses, not exploration
Sidearms consume Joules and are lost when you die. They're powerful enough to change a boss fight entirely — hold them back during routine exploration and deploy when you need them most.
05
Smash everything — destructibles hide Bones and secret paths
Barrels, crates, and cracked walls regularly hide Bones, Plasma refills, and passage to hidden rooms. Clear a room, then sweep for breakables before moving on.
06
After dying, identify the exact cause — then fix it with one trinket swap
Burst damage? Add Vascular Syrup. Falling into pits? Get Keri the Wisp. Ranged pressure? Equip Shadowhide. Swapping one targeted trinket is almost always better than rebuilding your whole loadout.
07
Don't heal in a panic — learn patterns first
Plasma vials are limited. Drinking one mid-flurry often results in another hit that erases the heal. Back off, read the next 1–2 attacks, then drink during the opening window.
08
Activate mirrors as you find them — don't save them for later
You need exactly 3 activated mirrors to reach Astral Orrery. Activating each one also enables fast travel in that area. There's no reason to delay — always activate on first discovery.
09
Talk to every NPC in Ossex after each Spark Generator
New dialogue, side quests, and vendor stock unlock each time you restore power to a region. Many of the best trinkets are NPC rewards, not chest drops.
10
The Mina's Grave hidden quest unlocks after 3 Sparks
This challenging hidden side quest sits in one of the game's earliest regions but requires significant story progress. It's missable if you skip back-tracking — our full guide covers the exact trigger conditions.
11
NG+ changes more than just difficulty
All 7 New Game Plus modes can remix item placement, world layout, and rules — not just scale enemy HP. If you want to replay, pick the mode that addresses what felt too easy or too familiar, not the hardest one.