Dead Cells Game Guide

Nobody escapes death. In Dead Cells Guide you will find description of gameplay basics, list of most important aspects and hidden mechanics. Guide contains also a description of locations, enemies and equipment and also tips&tricks.

Last update: 27 August 2018

The game guide to Dead Cells is a set of key tips and tricks that may come handy during your gameplay in Motion Twin's production.

Dead Cells is a difficult and sometimes an unassailable game, thus this gameplay walkthrough should help you solve most of the problems and make a faster progress in the game. This walkthrough features the description of gameplay basics with the indication of the most important elements and hidden mechanics, understanding which might allow you to get better results and decrease the number of times your character dies. In this walkthrough, you can also find some pieces of advice on how to avoid the most common mistakes in Dead Cells and how to acquire runes necessary for exploring new locations. A lot of important topics are covered in the FAQ section that includes answers to such questions as: is it possible to save game in Dead Cells? How to get rid of a curse? How to decrease the number of deaths?

Consecutive sections of this walkthrough focus on different aspects of exploring the in-game world, developing the character, acquiring new pieces of equipment, constructing efficient character builds and defeating elite opponents as well as bosses. Each location that is available in the game has been thoroughly described herein. These descriptions include such aspects as reaching a given location, presenting unique features of this place (e.g. the option to travel between dimensions), presenting the enemies that appear there and indicating the possibility of advancing to consecutive levels.

The Dead Cells walkthrough does not lack the detailed trophy guide. Each trophy has been thoroughly explained, and the troublesome trophies have been explained in separate sections. This walkthrough also includes sections on controls and system requirements.

Dead Cells combines elements of roguelike and Metroidvania games. Players are taken to a dark fantasy world to explore grim locations inhabited by hostile and extremely dangerous creatures. What makes this game unique is the fact that it has been designed in such a way that players are often bound to die. The death in Dead Cells does not mean the loss of all progress, as some blueprints and permanent upgrades are kept by the character. The game puts a strong emphasis on multiple times to explore the same locations. With each playthrough, one becomes stronger, perfects fighting techniques and learn new ways of keeping their character alive for longer.

Lukasz Wisniewski & Jacek "Stranger" Halas (www.gamepressure.com)

How to survive in Dead Cells

In Dead Cells, you do not need to be afraid of dying as this is a part of progressing in the game. You should, however, take the steps necessary for limiting the frequency of dying. Below, you can find pieces of advice on how to accumulate more cells and unlock permanent upgrades much faster:

Take time to explore consecutive locations. If too hasty, you might make a serious mistake or suddenly find yourself in a situation where your character is surrounded by a large group of enemies. Use the right analog stick to look around and retreat whenever things get complicated.

Rely on ranged attacks. You can kill enemies in a much safer way when you are doing it from a distance. In such a case, you do not need to worry about their melee attacks and can easily retreat should your character's health is in danger. Always try to have at least one ranged weapon in your inventory. Additionally, make use of traps (or grenades). They can weaken or kill the enemies without your direct involvement. They are also useful when distracting stronger opponents and some of the main bosses.

Expect surprise attacks. Some monsters feature unique skills that allow them to mount surprise attacks. This includes the flying Kamikaze creatures that explode upon finding themselves near your character and Scorpios encountered mainly in the sewers, where they jump from beneath the ground. Should a surprise attack occur, make sure to eliminate this monster first (if it is relatively easy to accomplish) or run on another ledge while dropping traps that might help you lose or slow down chasing you monsters.

Buy additional health vials. In Dead Cells, you can unlock 4 levels of the Health Flask permanent upgrade. Each level of this upgrade ensures additional healing, which is extremely helpful. Some bosses and elite monsters are easier to defeat if, during the fight, you can heal your character e.g. 3 times instead of 1 time. Each level of this upgrade costs significantly more cells, nonetheless, it is a good idea to spend your cells on this purpose.

Opening cursed chests poses an extreme risk. Your character might fall victim to curse i.a. by opening a cursed chest found in the in-game world. You should not risk being cursed during the initial stages of the game. A cursed chest can hide e.g. a precious blueprint, but remember that in order to keep it you need to reach a safe zone (the same goes for collected cells). A curse forces you to kill a specified number of enemies without being hit even once. When getting familiar with the game it is easy to make a small mistake that will lead to character's death and losing progress.

Find as many scrolls as possible. Each location you explore (except the ones with bosses), there are several scrolls to find - it is extremely important to locate them. They can extend your health bar and increase the damage inflicted by given weapons or skills of a particular type. Ignoring the scrolls by advancing to next locations hastily might take its toll in the future by e.g. being unable to defeat what should be a relatively easy boss.

Some mutations can increase your character's health bar. In Dead Cells, mutations can have different results and e.g. allow your character to inflict increased damage upon meeting specified requirements. If you are familiarizing with the game you should first think about mutations that affect health and decrease the risk of dying. These mutations are Ygdar Orus Li Ox (saves your character from death one per playthrough) and Dead Inside (increases the health bar by 30%). Select them during your first playthroughs at least until you learn more about the game and unlock more powerful blueprints.

More answers can be found in the How to die less frequently in Dead Cells? Section of this walkthrough.

An easy character build for the start

Dead Cells does not allow you to come up with the perfect build, as each playthrough is different and players find different items every time. There are several aspects that need to be remembered in order to construct solid builds allowing you to defeat enemies more easily and keep your character alive. You can use the advice below even if you do not find your favorite weapon or skill when playing the game.

Your main weapon should be a melee weapon. It is a good idea to aim at agility and chose a weapon that you can mount quick attacks. This will allow you to perform several blows, dodge enemy attacks, and increase the probability that your character will be the first one to attack. When selecting your main weapon, consider using one that put negative effects on your enemies, such as poisoning or burning.

For your secondary weapon, choose one that is best for ranged combat. Bows and crossbows are easy to handle and you can find them from the beginning of the game, however, when using them, remember about limited ammo. A safe solution here is to choose a weapon you can use with no limitations. We recommend the Electric Whip that automatically targets the nearby enemies as well as the Frost Blast power that can freeze your opponents making it easier for you to attack them.

Skill slots should be used to equip traps that are much easier to use than grenades. For one of the traps select some turret, while for the other one try selecting Wolf trap that immobilizes an attacked enemy. The biggest advantage of traps lies in the fact that after you drop them, you can go away on a safe distance and "let them" attack the enemies.

The Amulet is a less important piece of equipment, however, it is a good idea to fill this slot with a precious artifact (amulets are collected from fallen elite monsters). It is best if this amulet, apart from decreasing damage inflicted by enemy attacks, protects you from enemy projectiles. You will appreciate this parameter when fighting monsters attacking you from the distance or e.g. when fighting Conjunctivius.

Scroll upgrades are best selected based on the equipment you own (colorwise). If you are still familiarizing yourself with the game, choose upgrades from different groups to upgrade your health bar as much as possible.

Mutations should mostly be chosen to increase your character's health points - these include Ygdar Orus Li Ox (saves your character from death once per playthrough) and Dead Inside (upgrading your health bar by 30%). Also interesting are mutations that decrease skill cooldown (e.g. Efficiency) or those that increase Damage per the second ratio, in particular, situations (e.g. if there are no enemies nearby).

More on creating your own build can be found in the How to create a good character build in Dead Cells section of this walkthrough.

How to unlock new skills (acquiring runes)?

Finding runes is an important process in Dead Cells, as after acquiring certain runes you will be able to reach otherwise inaccessible areas allowing you to explore additional locations and reach the lair of one of the alternative bosses. You have to acquire runes in the order shown below (except the last one):

Vine Rune - You have to explore the Promenade of the Condemned and defeat the elite opponent who carries this rune. It allows you to climb vines.

Teleportation Rune - you have to explore the Toxic Sewers and defeat the elite opponent who carries this rune. It allows you to use sarcophagi to teleport your character.

Ram Rune - explore the Ossuary and defeat the elite opponent who carries this rune. It allows you to smash through weakened fragments of the floor.

Spider Rune - explore the Slumbering Sanctuary (you can reach it from the Insufferable Crypt, where you fight the Conjunctivius boss) and defeat the elite opponent who carries this rune. It allows you to climb vertical walls and bounce off them.

Challenger's Rune - defeat the first main boss of the game - The Concierge. This rune allows you to approach daily challenges.

A detailed instruction on how to acquire each of the aforementioned runes can be found in the How to reach inaccessible locations? - skill runes section of this walkthrough.

Easy locations in Dead Cells

In Dead Cells, some locations can be troublesome. The main protagonist can die whenever he comes in contact with strong enemies or traps. Below, you can find locations we recommend best for "farming" cells necessary to unlock permanent upgrades. After you buff your character and unlock initial blueprints you can start visiting more difficult locations.

Prisoners' Quarters - This is the easiest location in the game. Only very weak monsters can be encountered here and it takes a lot of effort to die here.

Promenade of the Condemned - The Promenade can be explored from the very beginning of the game. It is not difficult. Watch out on traps and Runners, though, as they can teleport.

Ramparts - a yet another location that you can explore from the very beginning of the game. When traversing the castle walls, make sure to quickly get rid of Inquisitors (they shoot magical projectiles that can go through walls) and watch out for chasms (risk of losing a portion of health points).

Toxic Sewers - You can visit this location after acquiring the first rune (Vine Rune). The sewers pose a slightly bigger challenge, as you have to be mindful of the poisonous green water and scorpions attacking you by surprise. Luckily, the enemies are not very powerful.

Stilt Village - this is the least challenging location among all you can explore after you defeat the first boss. Watch out for Kamikazes - kill them before they explode, and Pirate Captains - jump over exploding projectiles that they shoot at you.

Controls in Dead Cells

Controls in Dead Cells is not very complicated, however, remembering all the buttons and using them without mistakes might save your character from dying more than once. Below, you can find the most important controls in the game.

	Movement
	Looking around
	Jump - press twice to perform a double jump. Tilting the analog stick when in the air and pressing the jump button causes the main character to hit the ground with much strength.
	Dodge
	Use primary weapon
	Use secondary weapon
	Primary skill (grenade, trap, power, etc - lower inventory slots)
	Secondary skill (grenade, trap, power, etc. - lower inventory slots)
	Healing - hold this key for 3 seconds (you can shorten the healing process with proper mutations).
	Interacting with the environment
	Pause
	Area map (when the map is displayed, the game is paused)

Dead Cells System Requirements

The PC release of Dead Cells features minimalistic system requirements, thus players can enjoy it on most laptops and older PCs:

1. CPU: Intel Core i5 2.6 GH
2. Memory: 2 GB RAM
3. GPU: 1 GB GeForce GTS 450 / Radeon HD 5750 or better
4. HDD: 500 MB
5. Windows 7/8/10

Recommended system requirements are not much higher. It is worth to have a slightly faster CPU, 4 GB RAM and GeForce GTX 460 GPU (or better).

This walkthrough is based on the PlayStation 4 version of the game. On a standard version of this console, the game ran smoothly most of the time. During the game, there were some drops in frame rate and the animation slowed down (i.a. at the Graveyard), however, this did not interrupt the overall experience. The most troublesome is the Nintendo Switch version of the game, as it has problems with smooth animation while the console is in portable mode. The developers promise the release of patches that will improve the fluency of the console versions of the game.

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