Staying alive in Dead Cells

In the brilliant action game Dead Cells, you may struggle to survive ruthless enemies and vicious traps – but don’t sweat it. Dying is the point here! Each new run through this roguelike masterpiece gives you valuable cells to spend on upgrades – and teaches you more about its dangerous world.

As you explore its torturously taxing levels, keep these tips in mind:

Have tons of health and a sturdy shield? That’s fine, but the best way to avoid death is to, well, literally avoid it by mastering the dodge roll: pay attention to enemy patterns, watch for their pre-attack ‘tell’ and roll out of the way!

You can also damage foes by rolling through doors if they’re unlucky enough to be standing in the way. And don’t forget your midair dive attack. Jump, then press down and jump again to rocket downward, stomping the ground and damaging nearby enemies. It’s even more potent when you acquire the Ram Rune.

Don’t just chop at monsters and call it a day. Wise use of status effects like poison and freeze will really put the hurt on most minions and bosses. 

As you rack up loot and revamp your gear, look out for skills that do extra damage to bleeding, burned, frozen or poisoned targets. Then stack them! Two truly punishing combos: using Sinew Slicers with Throwing Knives or Wolf Traps with any poisonous attacks.

Collect Scrolls of Power to beef up your health and supercharge damage. Each type has perks, but consider leaning into the purple Tactics scrolls.

Tactics only gives a minor health boost but significantly increases the potency of bows, traps, turrets and other long-range weapons. It’s also the stat you’ll want to increase for crucial damage-dealing skills, like the Tornado and Death Orb. 

The real beauty of Dead Cells, however, is finding the perfect fit for your own combat style. Don’t be afraid to mix and match stats, mutations and weapons! Just try to stay in one piece.

Dead Cells

Kill. Die. Learn. Repeat.

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