Rogue Legacy is a rogue-like platformer, which means one thing for sure – it's tough. Luckily, the developers call their indie game a "rogue-lite", which means you won't die completely if you perish. Instead, your character lives on, reborn as one of the heirs of the family. Death is just as much a part of the game as life, so get used to switching characters as you explore dungeons and play the game. Find yourself getting overwhelmed? Try checking out our survival guide for some tips to help you get started.
The game has four main boss battles. The most important thing to remember? Don't rush into these battles! Take your time and upgrade your character as much as you need to. Be sure you can easily kill the enemies in a bosses area before you even think about challenging them.
The difficulty levels for the boss fights is as follows, from easiest to most challenging. Avoid the more challenging areas until your character has been upgraded some!
The Castle – Khidr the Gatekeeper
The Forest – Alexander the Forgotten
The Tower – Ponce De Leon the Sentinel
The Caverns – Herodotus the Infinite
Yes, it's frustrating to die. However, dying only allows your character to get stronger. This is because when you die, your character can be upgraded when they re-spawn as an heir at the castle. Leveling up this way is the best way to make the game easier. Even though dying is frustrating and you might lose some of your exploration progress, try to take it in stride and roll with the punches.
As you explore dungeons, you'll find runes in treasure chests. Runes give your character special abilities or passive abilities, like dash or extra gold. Your character can equip five runes at a time. You can tailor the runes you use to suit your play style. Typically, it's good to at least have a dash, double jump, and vampire rune to allow you to sap health from defeated enemies.
There are a lot of upgrades to unlock as you progress through the game, and it can be confusing to know which one to pick. Don't worry too much – it's not disastrous if you pick an upgrade you really don't need. You'll just hang in there until the next one. If you want some suggestions on what to pick, check out these tips:
Put at least one point in everything. This will ensure you unlock all the unique upgrades. Plus, you'll get a trophy or achievement for having one point in each area!
Decide what you want your character to focus on: magic or physical attacks? Deciding this will allow you to narrow down which upgrades are most useful for your character. The right side of the upgrade tree focuses on things like mana, spells and other magic-user abilities. The left side of the tree will focus on strength, health, and critical chance.
The Equip Up upgrade is always your friend. If you don't know what you want to get, try spending some points here. This ability will allow you to equip higher level gear, so your character's stats can get a serious boost.
