Skul: The Hero Slayer tips and tricks

Skul: The Hero Slayer is a notably difficult action rogue-like. Like every other rogue-like, you will need patience, skill, and a bit of luck if you want to reach the endgame content. Because the game doesn’t specify how most of Skul’s mechanics work, some players can get discouraged and give up on this great game. This guide will highlight some useful tips and tricks in Skul: The Hero Slayer.

How to progress

Apart from mastering the mechanics, there are a few other ways to make the game easier on yourself. Stay on the lookout for NPCs trapped in cages. If you release them, they will become permanent fixtures of your home castle that make the game more manageable. For example, the first one you will find, Fox Hunter, will give you a free Skull every time you start a new run. You can also use your Dark Quartz to buy Jewels from the Witch to give you permanent upgrades.

Combat tips

In Skul, dashing is your friend. During dashes, you gain invincibility that prevents you from being attacked for a brief second. This makes dodging ideal against enemies that have large AoEs that are hard to get away from.

Enemy hitboxes can be a bit confusing when first playing the game. Unlike some roguelikes, touching an enemy won’t damage you. Only their abilities can hurt you. This means that ranged enemies are almost always easier to take out if you stand directly on top of them.

Make sure you are swapping your Skulls often. When you swap your Skull with Space on the keyboard and LB on a controller, you release a special attack only accessible through swapping. Because some of your skills have long cooldowns, it’s best to use all your spells, then swap to your secondary Skull to let out your special attack, then use those spells.

Also, note that in this game, enemies can hurt each other. So use this to your advantage by getting larger enemies to take down smaller units with just one swing. Also, some of the environmental objects, such as mushrooms, can be used to damage enemies. If an enemy is standing next to a mushroom as you jump on it, the enemy will get poisoned.

The shop

Immediately after entering the shop, head to the center to grab your free Skull. Each time you enter the shop, there will be a free Skull waiting for you. If you are struggling to decide what to buy in the shop, it’s always a safe bet to talk to the chef on the left side to heal yourself. If you are more experienced and aren’t having trouble with the early levels, grab an item that gives you more gold, as having gold in the later stages of the game is very important.