Endless Dungeon is the new roguelite you’re all playing. However, if you haven’t already grabbed a copy, it’s available now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox (with a Switch version to follow) – you’ll find retail details here.
Getting started, as it’s a roguelite, you’ll encounter a lot of ambiguity, and this can sometimes be frustrating, especially if you’re new to the genre and being dragged in for some multiplayer.
Thus, I’ve crafted what I hope is a helpful guide to help lubricate your first attempts at this highly entertaining twin-stick shooter turned tower defense. (You can read my review here, if you feel so inclined.)
What is Endless Dungeon?
As the name implies, Endless Dungeon is a twin-stick shooter with a roguelite shell where you’ll be exploring procedurally generated dungeons set in the Endless universe.
If you’ve not encountered it before, I’m referring to Amplitude Studio’s science fantasy universe, which I personally first encountered when I reviewed Endless Legend all the way back in 2014. Anyway, I digress.
This is the sort of game where you’ll make a whole bunch of attempts and the vast majority will end in failure because dying is by design. You probably know that already, so all I’ll add at this stage is that the mix of twin-stick shooter and tower defense elements creates a bunch of interesting tactical opportunities.
Players will need to exploit the nuances of the game as they balance their own play with the stationary turrets positioned around each space dungeon. What’s more, these tactics change considerably when you’re playing with people online. But we’ll get to that later…
The characters of Endless Dungeon
You start off with three characters, but it won’t be long before you discover new ones, add them to your roster, and start levelling them.
It’s worth noting that you can only take three characters into the Endless Dungeon at a time. In fact, absolute beginners only get two to start with. However, that’s a blessing in disguise as there’s lots to keep track of at first, and simply positioning two characters and flicking between them takes a bit of getting used to.
When you’re ready, and you’ve earned enough scrap, you can unlock the third playable character in the Saloon. You should consider making this unlock a priority while you’re getting started.
Your first few runs into the Endless Dungeon
To help get you started, Amplitude made sure that you’ve got a nicely balanced squad, however, those first few runs are mostly just warm-ups anyway so don’t sweat it when things go horribly wrong. It’s part of the plan!
You’ll start the game controlling Sweeper, an unlikely hero who emerges from the wreck of a ship that has crashed into this most intriguing of space stations.
This scrawny wee slip of a boy has a knack for maintaining turrets, so he’s a good pick for running around and making sure that everything is in working order during your first missions in the game.
Joining the party are Zed and Bunker. Zed is all shoulder pads and big guns and she packs a mighty punch – ideal when things start getting really serious.
Bunker, on the other hand, is more defence-oriented. This robotic tank moves a bit slower but he can take more damage to compensate. He was my first partner into the dungeon, because I knew he would be able to absorb more damage if I lost track of him and he got into a scrap with some monsters.
On top of your starters, there are a number of additional characters just waiting to be unlocked. We’ve got Blaze, Shroom, Comrade, Cartie and bartender Fassie. Each character has their own active ability, an ultimate, and a passive ability, ensuring that they’re not just simple reskins and you’ll need to learn what each one does well.
Resource management under fire
While the focus is on shooting monsters, there is a lot of resource management that players will have to tend to, especially as you advance through the floors and things start getting really tough.
The three main in-game resources are Industry, Science, and Food. You’ll need to juggle the production of each resource, but we recommend focusing on Industry while you’re learning the ropes, as this will let you place down more turrets.
Your supply of each resource is topped up periodically. This changes based on how many terminals you’ve been able to dedicate to each one. Thus, you’ll be rewarded according to your preferred resource. This changes between stages, resetting to the standard amount.
It’s always worth remembering that the monsters will move to attack your production terminals if they pass them, so it’s worth putting up a turret nearby to protect them, especially if you can find a point that benefits you elsewhere.
Guns and upgrades
There are more resources that can be earned in-game that can only be spent between runs in the Saloon. Cells and Scraps can be spent to unlock a variety of power-ups for both your characters and their weapons.
Our advice is to make sure you upgrade your starting weapons first, before focusing on the ones that you hope might turn up during a run.
Similarly, you’ll also need to use your available Cells to make sure each hero is as upgraded as possible. Each character has their own missions – make sure you think about those when planning your next run. Once these personal missions are completed you can start to upgrade your character with the rewards earned along the way.
You can unlock a bunch of other things, including cosmetic niceties for your Saloon, but focus on character and weapon upgrades first.
Turrets and technology
Once you’re in a game, you’ll be looking to drop turrets in the most economical places possible. You’ll want to cover chokepoints where enemy mobs are likely to appear, as well as directly defend certain key points.
Always think about your lines of sight. At times it is best to engage mobs directly at their spawn points, and a well-oiled team can help themselves by pinning down enemy waves at source.
You’re able to upgrade and research new turrets every run, and it’s always good to think about which turrets are good for different jobs. During the first floor of the game, which realistically is our focus for this guide, you’ll encounter Bots and Bugs in Astral Harbor and Devotion Garden.
Later, once you’ve unlocked Headquarters, you’ll encounter Blurs and Bots. Blobs don’t turn up until the second floor – small mercies.
Each enemy type is more vulnerable to a different attack/weapon type. You’ll begin each run with access to the Straight Shooter turret – a good all rounder.
There are also acidic and electrical weapon types that are more effective against different enemy types. Make sure you use the right turret for the right monster – and don’t forget to use the support turrets too.
Your Crystal Bot
We’ve got this far without saying it, but it goes without saying that you mustn’t forget to look after your Crystal Bot.
If your little robot buddy pegs it, it’s game over, regardless of how much health you’ve got. You can teleport directly to it, so make sure you do if it comes under attack (you’ll get a notification).
It’s important that you keep it safe at all times, and if your bot takes damage at any point in a run it can come back to haunt you later on.
You can also upgrade your bot at various points during each run, giving it the ability to health up periodically, or even deal a bit of damage when attacked.
Solo versus multiplayer
In the single-player game, you have a lot more control, but you often have to be in two places at once, and that can get stressful. So why not ease the burden and bring a couple of friends along for the ride?
Playing with others in multiplayer represents quite a change of pace. With two friends on board you have less to worry about individually, but you also have less impact on proceedings and have to share the glory around.
Please bear in mind, that the host player’s game state determines which districts are available, so let your most experienced compadre take point.
You’ll also have access to that player’s unlocked characters, although you’ll need to unlock them yourself to keep them and your progress with them. You can unlock them by completing either the character’s first mission, or by completing the first floor with them.
The nice thing about co-op is that all your progress is shared. When you pop a chest, you’ll each get a reward and so your time in multiplayer feeds directly into your overall progress in the single-player game.
Exploring deeper into the dungeon
As you get better you’ll unlock new starter districts (there are three all told). This means the potential variety in each run grows the more you explore, with new districts ready for discovery on the second and third floors.
Throughout your adventures you’ll find dark rooms, which you can bring back online using Dust. As I got deeper into the game, bringing these rooms online became increasingly important, especially when I was stretched and trying suppress multiple waves at once.
Naturally, things get increasingly challenging as you delve deeper, and that includes the complexity of the floor layouts and the enemies you’ll encounter. The aforementioned Blobs, for example.
It’s at the end of the second floor that you’ll encounter your first proper boss battle. The enemy you encounter will be determined by your path through the Endless Dungeon. You can see a picture of the Shelldiver below, to get sense of scale.
While not particularly nuanced, our best tip is to be prepared for the boss battles by collecting together as many extra health packs as possible – you’re really going need them.
Other than that, it’s a good idea to keep your turrets in good condition, because they’ll be firing constantly during this encounter. Always keep your team moving and repairing, and ensure that your Crystal Bot is as far away from incoming attacks as possible.
After that, you’re on your own.
