Fast answer
The answer before the background
This god of weapons guide begins with one rule: the backpack is part of combat. Select a character whose perk you understand, buy weapons that share a scaling stat or set language, and arrange accessories where their adjacency text actually reaches those weapons. Keep enough empty or flexible space for combining and later tiers. Between floors, spend Gold on the first repeated failure—damage, crowd coverage, survival or layout—not every attractive shop offer.
Opening plan
Turn the first shop into a build hypothesis
Write down the selected character's bonus, restriction and starting equipment before buying. A melee-oriented rule does not make every melee weapon compatible; shapes, range, attack rhythm and set tags still matter. Two or three weapons supporting one scaling plan are easier to improve than a backpack containing every damage type.
Inventory expansion has value because it creates future choices, but an empty backpack cannot clear a floor. Alternate between power and space. If a purchase forces several useful pieces into dead corners, its visible stat gain may be smaller than the geometry cost it creates for the next two shops.
Floor review
Diagnose the earliest break, not the final death
| Failure | Likely cause | Next controlled change |
|---|---|---|
| Crowds close the exits | Narrow delivery or low attack coverage | Add area, projectile reach or a second complementary pattern. |
| Boss survives too long | Too many shallow damage sources | Concentrate scaling and preserve attack uptime. |
| One hit ends the run | No dependable mitigation or health margin | Buy the survival layer matching the threat. |
| Shop has upgrades but no fit | Inventory geometry is locked | Repack, sell a low-synergy piece or expand before buying. |
| Gold disappears without progress | Rerolls and sidegrades lack a target | Set one breakpoint before opening the shop. |
Progression
Use unlocks to enlarge a coherent toolset
Achievements unlock characters, aspects, items and other options, so progression is not merely a larger number. Choose challenges that add a useful option to the style already being learned. A difficult unlock that serves an unrelated build can wait until the account has the required class and equipment context.
The free May 2025 update added autosave, Favor/Banish control, a training dummy, Endless Mode and additional equipment. Use Favor to improve access to a planned pool and Banish to remove true non-fits; neither replaces a clear damage plan. Test one change in the Armory, then return to the same difficulty so the result is comparable.
FAQ
Common questions
What should I buy first?
Buy the weapon, item or inventory space that fixes the next known floor while preserving the chosen scaling plan.
Should I fill every inventory square?
No. Flexible space can be worth more than a weak filler because it keeps later combinations and adjacency layouts possible.
How do I level up safely?
Collect experience while maintaining a clear escape route and avoid an achievement restriction such as Much to Learn when the current run needs normal levels.
Is one copied build always reliable?
No. Character, version, difficulty, unlocked pool, shop rolls and DLC ownership change the available route.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialOfficial Steam listing
- OfficialOfficial Steam announcements
- CommunityCommunity classes reference
- CommunityCommunity weapons reference
- CommunityCommunity items reference