10 Dead Cells Beginner Tips To Help Master This Game! (How To Beat Dead Cells)

Dead Cells is a very challenging game which is why I am here to share with you 10 beginner tips that I learned while playing this critically acclaimed adventure.

In order to master and beat Dead Cells, you’ll have to repeatedly play through each stage, purchase permanent upgrades, understand your enemies, learn from your deaths, take advantage of the multi weapon system, and have fun doing so.

I’m going to detail each one of these tips and more in this handy guide.

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What is Dead Cells?

Dead Cells is a challenging platform action game about exploring a procedurally generated world full of monsters (procedurally generated means the stages are randomized ensuring each playthrough is unique).

Death is for certain as the game is designed around repeatedly dying and starting over with limited resources.

The idea is to get better with each playthrough, acquire a tad more permanent upgrades, improve one’s skills, and ultimately get to the last stage.

This game is as challenging and fun as it sounds but even Dead Cells professionals have to start somewhere.

Today, I am happy to provide you with the most important Dead Cells tips and tricks I learned through dying hundreds of times (if not thousands) completing this game.

(Dead Cells is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox PC, Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and more)

10 Dead Cell Beginner Tips To Master This Game

Dead Cells is a tough game that can seem impossible at times.

But with enough patience and strategy, conquering this instant classic is possible.

Enjoy my top 10 tips to mastering Dead Cells.

1) Learn From Your Deaths

Dead Cells body desecrated image 720p — Dead Cells death screen. Get used to it

You will die a lot.

And when you die, you will start over and lose almost all of your inventory you acquired.

This is not a bummer but how the game is designed, so do not be afraid to die as long as you are learning from your playthrough.

This is trial-and-error gameplay at its finest. Dead Cells wants you to learn. And there are so many things to learn!

Maybe you shouldn’t have

Battled a new enemy without learning its attacks
Panicked when foes surrounded you
Chosen the wrong weapon
Forgotten to roll (rolling is your strongest weapon!!! More on that later)

Each death can teach you not only about your mistakes, but it can also teach you about the game world, the enemies that inhabit it, and the stages themselves.

Every time you die, ask yourself why it happened and what you could have done to survive.

Doing this will help propel you to live for one more second, through one more enemy encounter, and perhaps even to the next stage and eventually, the end credits.

2) Dodge And Roll

Dead Cells rolling 720p — Dead Cells dodging and rolling at its finest

Learn how to dodge!

This is the biggest survival technique I can tell you.

Dodging grants you invulnerability for the length of the roll for most enemy attacks (including boss attacks) and stage hazards. This defensive technique is truly your most powerful weapon.

This means that no harm will befall you if you dodge at the right time. You can even roll through projectiles, avoid swooping aerial creatures, and evade lightning fast foes who charge at you.

Oh! Did I mention you can dodge and perform a roll in mid air? Yup. This technique can also be utilized while airborne.

Performing a roll only requires a tap of a button. But that single tap can mean life or death, especially in a boss fight.

I suggest starting a Dead Cells playthrough without the intent of getting far just to master the art of rolling, getting the timing down, and learning the intricacies of the move.

Play with it without feeling as if you need to get through the stage. This will help alleviate stress and provide you with a better understanding of the most powerful move in the game.

Now, rolling on to the next tip (pun intended).

3) Buy Permanent Upgrades First

Dead Cells permanent upgrade 720p — Invest in permanent upgrades early on

Always invest your Cells (Cells being a rare currency in Dead Cells that monsters drop) into permanent upgrades when you are first starting a new save file.

Permanent upgrades are the most worthwhile because they will stay with you even if you die and will help you for the rest of the game.

There are two permanent upgrades I recommend you focus your resources on and acquire first:

Gold Reserves
Health Flask

Gold Reserves allow you to preserve up to a certain amount of Gold whenever you die. And gold can be used to purchase weapons and life saving items during a playthrough.

Health Flasks allow you to use a health restorative potion during your playthrough. This is amazing and will save you from dying when used at the right time.

Both upgrades are permanent and both upgrades can be made stronger by investing even more Cells into them.

Just imagine being able to save 1500 Gold from each journey instead of 0 while being able to heal yourself multiple times with a handy third level flask.

These two upgrades will make every subsequent playthrough more bearable and easier than the one before it.

Focus on unlocking a level or two of both Gold Reserves and the Health Flasks before proceeding to spend your hard earned Cells elsewhere.

You’ll thank yourself for it later.

4) Know Your Enemies

Dead Cells know your enemies 720p — Know your enemies

Enemies attack differently and do varying amounts of damage.

Some enemies may also seem less threatening due to their size or speed, but do not be fooled. Every single baddie in Dead Cells can kill you in just a few hits.

This is why it is imperative to understand how each foe moves, acts, and attacks.

For instance, archers can be found early in the game. These are ranged enemies that fire arrows from afar and move back and forth with a methodical pace.

Their arrows, once fired and airborne, can be easily dodged by rolling through them.

Additionally, the archers pose no threat at close range. They will not pull out a secondary, melee weapon to battle you.

They’ll just keep loading up an arrow to fire. Taking advantage of the time it takes for the archers to load an arrow is key to slaying them.

Every enemy in this grand adventure has its own combat style and attack patterns to learn, expose, and benefit from.

Fight as many foes as you can to learn their patterns and you will take less damage and die less often with time.

5) Turn On Attack Warning

Dead Cells GIF 2 Attack Warning — Options > Gameplay > Attack Warning

You can even predict enemy attacks by turning on one simple gameplay feature.

I recommend turning on the “Attack Warning” to help you better understand enemy attack patterns.

This feature makes an explanation point appear over a enemy’s heads right before it strikes.

Do this by going into Options on the main menu, then Gameplay, and then turn on Attack Warning.

Then, start a playthrough with the intent of learning the first stage’s enemies by utilizing the Attack Warning feature.

By utilizing this feature, you will be prepared for every enemy you come across. I believe in you!

6) Utilize The Multi Weapon System

Dead Cells weapon select 720p — Dead Cells weapon selection

The game allows you to hold two primary weapons and two secondary items for a reason. Use them!

Mix and match weapons until you find the right play style for you, the right match up per enemy, and the right combination for each stage.

The game only offers a single melee blade at the beginning with the option of grabbing a ranged bow and a shield in the opening moments.

The options grow tremendously as you unlock and purchase new weapons the more you play.

At the start, however, you can choose to stick with your blade and pick up the shield to go with a more defensive strategy. This is a balanced approach that focuses on close quarters combat.

Or, you can swap your blade with the bow and arrow to play as a ranged character but still pickup the shield for when things get tough. This is a balanced approach that focuses on ranged warfare.

Or, you can go full aggressive and have both the melee blade and the ranged bow and arrow in your two primary weapon slots. This is an action oriented approach focused on dealing damage at the cost of defense.

There are benefits to each combination of weapons but there are also consequences.

Keep that in mind and try out each weapon until you find the best match-up for you and the situation.

7) Use Freeze Weapons

Dead Cells freeze weapon 720p — Freezing enemies is fun

If you are only going to use one type of weapon in this game, you should use freeze weapons.

This weapon type can freeze enemies in place, allowing you an opening to attack or to retreat to live another day.

Weapons that allow you to freeze opponents can be primary or secondary weapons, melee or ranged, and won’t necessarily work on every enemy.

Through experience, I can say freeze weapons can temporarily stun most common enemies and even the first boss.

Enemies that are on fire, however, cannot be frozen.

With all that said, freeze weapons allow you to freeze and stun an opponent and grant you an extra hit.

This will go a long way in helping you defeat tough enemies, explore deeper into the world, and stall enemies to prevent damage taken.

8) Explore Each Stage

Dead cells exploration 720p — Dead Cells exploration

Just like getting to know your enemies, you should also take the time to learn every stage.

Each stage is a sprawling interconnected labyrinth with teleportation portals that grant fast travel along the map, hidden treasures, weapons, traps, dead ends, and a host of enemies out for blood.

Therefore, it pays to traverse each landscape as doing so will help you navigate them more efficiently and effectively on repeat playthroughs.

Every stage has its own unique characteristics such as pools of acidic liquid that deal damage, spinning spiked balls, locked doors that must be unlocked, pits of doom, or a horizontal themed layout instead of vertical.

You’ll find different enemies in each area, too. Monsters differ from stage-to-stage and get progressively harder to defeat. Learning the areas just to see which monsters you will be facing is rewarding enough.

Moreover, learning the areas will allow you to move through each one faster and with a greater efficiency than before. Knowing that the sewers have toxic pools means you know to jump or roll over any liquid you come across.

Keep one thing in mind: as I mentioned earlier, the levels in this game are procedurally generated. The stages will be constructed differently each time you play.

This means that the rooms and enemy placements might differ but each stages theme and characteristics will remain the same.

Keep playing and explore the stages as they come at you and you will be more comfortable with each repeat visit.

9) Speedrun For Cells

Dead Cells resource room 720p — Dead Cells resource room

Speed through the stages once you are comfortable and have explored each stage sufficiently. Why?

For extra Cells, that’s why!

Yes, indeed. Speedrunning (getting through a level as fast as you can) opens an extra door in-between stages.

The holding area you visit after every stage often has a door that is closed. The door only opens if you were able to get through the previous stage within a certain time.

For example, the first area must be completed in under two minutes. Doing so will unlock a door in which a room of treasure awaits, including a pocket full of Cells to spend on permanent upgrades or new weapons.

I found this to be one of the fastest ways to earn Cells early on.

Just learn the first stage, get through it as fast as possible, open the door, claim your Cells (approximately 20 Cells), spend them, die on purpose, then repeat the process.

This technique simply requires you to understand the general characteristics of the opening stage. And because it is the first stage, it is relatively easy to traverse.

I suggest avoiding enemies by rolling past them and sticking to the main path if you are doing speedruns for the purpose of collecting Cells.

This will expedite the process of unlocking upgrades, so remember this tip the next time you need some extra resources.

10) Above All Else, Have Fun

Finally, you have to have fun playing Dead Cells to get the most out of Dead Cells.

Here me out. Having fun might not seem like such a big deal, but it really is. Dead Cells can be an anger inducing, controller throwing experience. Having fun is a must.

This game is purposely brutal, difficult, and seemingly unfair.

It is a measure in patience that requires the player to die over and over in order to get better.

It is fine if this does not sound like your type of game. Put the controller down and move onto something more your style.

If you enjoy challenges and the satisfaction that comes with mastering the game, however, Dead Cells is the right fun for you.

Because this game is all about gaining satisfaction from mastering a weapon, from learning how to defeat a certain enemy or boss, and getting to know each stage like the back of your hand.

Each element is another chance to conquer and feel good doing so. And each death is another chance at redemption and conquering a stage or enemy that had once defeated you.

Find the fun and the fun will find you.