Abyssus drops you into the eerie depths of an underwater roguelike filled with ancient ruins, relentless enemies, and bosses that punish mistakes. Each run teaches you something new, but for beginners, the game can feel overwhelming. This beginner guide breaks down 11 essential tips to help you survive early dives, manage resources, and start making real progress in the depths.
1. Upgrade with Soul Fragments Early
Between runs, you’ll collect Soul Fragments—the currency for permanent upgrades at the Soul Wheel. Prioritize survival-focused improvements first:
- Extra healing charges
- Increased max health
- Unlocking additional upgrade stations
Turrets are a standout early unlock, offering sustained safe damage compared to grenades. Extra ability charges also stretch your strongest tools, giving you more room for error on long dives.
Early standouts also include opening more upgrade stations for better Blessing choices and stacking extra ability charges. Turrets especially outperform grenades, providing consistent hands-off damage in busy arenas.
2. Always Keep Moving
Abyssus arenas are small, and standing still is a death sentence. Use dashes, double-jumps, and constant repositioning to avoid being swarmed. Retreating backwards while firing works well, but don’t be predictable.
Use high ground for visibility, low ground for space, and mix them up so enemies can’t trap you. Cover is your friend—break line-of-sight whenever possible to reset pressure.
Backpedal while firing to buy space, but vary elevation—cycle high and low ground and avoid a predictable straight backward path.
3. Save Healing Until You Scout the Room
Healing syringes are valuable, so don’t use them right away. After a boss fight or tough encounter, scan the area first—you might find healing items on the ground or inside chests.
If you’re low on health, slow down and play carefully. Retreat, kite enemies, or peek from cover until you find a safe chance to heal. A single overlooked syringe can keep a run alive.
After boss rooms, always scan for floor drops or chest heals before spending syringes, and play around cover or high ground to minimize chip damage while you search.
4. Watch Out for Fall Damage
Even in a game set underwater, falls hurt. Dropping from high places usually costs 5–10 HP—sometimes enough to end a promising run.
Use your dash mid-air to cancel fall damage, and avoid risky shortcuts if you’re not sure a platform is safe. Losing a run to fall damage feels worse than dying to a boss. Expect around 5–10 HP loss per fall, but a last-second mid-air dash completely negates it—when in doubt about a platform’s safety, skip it.
5. Diversify Your Build First
When you stop at altars, you’ll select an Aspect category and then one of two Blessings to slot into Primary, Secondary, or Ability. Every third and sixth pick in the same category grants a Minor or Major Blessing—massive boosts that can change your run.
In early rooms, spread upgrades across all three attack types. Once you have a balanced loadout, then start focusing on one Aspect for synergy.
See also: Abyssus Keys – How to Find and Use Keys
Aspects don’t carry over between runs. Each altar offers a category first, then two Blessings to pick from, and you must slot them into Primary, Secondary, or Ability. Every 3rd and 6th choice in the same category unlocks Minor and Major Blessings that often synergize with charms—defensive Aspects usually feel stronger on Primary/Secondary since frequent shots charge them faster.
If you’re unsure, favor offensive Aspects early. Some defensive ones like shield/barrier can be slow to charge unless you’re constantly firing, so they shine later or in the right slot.
6. Know Your Elements
Each Aspect has a unique effect:
- Fire: Applies burn damage over time.
- Frost: Slows or freezes enemies for control.
- Lightning: Chains between clustered enemies.
- Night/Shadow: Amplifies incoming damage and extends statuses.
- Ocean (Tentacles): Provides crowd control and ally buffs.
- Spirit: Summons damaging spirits for burst attacks.
Also know these four (4): Fortune (earns more gold and boosts damage with it), Blood (health-based damage and hemorrhage), Defense (barriers that can raise max health, best on Primary/Secondary), and Wind (AoE windbursts that damage surrounding enemies).
Mixing control (Frost/Night) with AoE (Lightning) or DoT (Fire) is one of the most reliable strategies for early success.
7. Clear Objectives Before Enemies
Some rooms spawn endless waves until you complete the main task—like charging pillars, destroying constructs, or disabling spawners. Focus on the objective first.
Until you finish the task, enemies keep coming. Completing the objective halts the waves and conserves your healing items.
8. Don’t Miss Loot or Hidden Goals
Every bit of gold matters in Abyssus. Break pots, scan rooms for hidden chests, and always glance at the mini-map before moving on. Many players leave behind charms or upgrades by mistake.
Glance at the mini-map before leaving—door and chest icons appear clearly, and even locked chests can hold charms or extra gold worth the detour.
Beyond basic loot, watch for hidden objectives:
- Surge Fissures in major zones (break them for rewards)
- Challenge rooms (high risk, high reward)
- The pond event, unlocked by defeating three Royal Abyss elites
For the lobby pond event, you must defeat all three Royal Abyss elites—each tied to a fountain statue—to activate it. Exploring pays off—not just in gold, but in achievements and powerful unlocks.
9. Solo Runs Teach You Faster
Co-op is chaotic fun, but it’s also tougher. Enemy numbers and health pools scale higher with more players, making encounters longer and deadlier.
Solo runs, on the other hand, are more forgiving and perfect for practice. Use them to unlock weapons, Aspects, and upgrades at your own pace, then jump back into co-op once you’re stronger.
Solo lowers enemy counts and health, so fights finish quicker and mistakes hurt less—making it the best way to learn and farm upgrades before tackling co-op’s density.
10. Focus Boss Weak Spots
In boss fights, it’s tempting to clear the adds first—but most bosses despawn grunts when they die. Target weak points (usually glowing cores) and save cooldowns for vulnerable phases.
Most rooms end as soon as the boss falls, so don’t waste time on grunts except to charge abilities if needed. Weak points are almost always near the core—focus fire there for faster kills.
Bosses often have MMO-like mechanics: invulnerability windows, big AoE zones, and environmental hazards. Learn the rhythm, stay mobile, and strike when the boss opens up. Defeating elites and bosses is also tied to weapon unlocks, making them key to progression.
11. Experiment With Aspect Combos
The heart of Abyssus is in its synergies. Pairing the right blessings can transform a run:
- Fire + Lightning = burning enemies that also chain damage
- Frost + Night = frozen targets that take amplified hits
- Ocean + Spirit = tentacles hold enemies while spirits deliver burst
Don’t be afraid to try odd combinations. Even failed experiments teach you how the systems fit together, making future builds stronger.
Can’t remember a Blessing or Aspect you liked? Check the lobby Logbook—it records every run, all Aspects you’ve used, and a list of every one collected so far.
Related Guides You Might Like:
- Abyssus Keys – How to Find and Use Keys
- Guntouchables Beginner Tips & Tricks for New Players
- Grounded 2 Beginner Tips: 24 Must-Know Tricks for Survival
Abyssus is about adaptation. Each dive teaches you more—whether it’s how to dodge a boss’s hazard zones, how to balance your upgrades, or which Aspects complement your playstyle.
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Focus on permanent upgrades first, keep moving, play smart with healing, and experiment with Aspect combos. Do that, and you’ll start pushing deeper into the ruins, uncovering both the game’s secrets and your own best strategies.Play Now!
