Starting Dungeon Slasher for the first time can feel overwhelming. There are dozens of currencies, multiple game modes, hundreds of artifacts, character levels, rune systems, and tag synergies. It’s easy to spend resources on the wrong things if you don’t know what each one does.
The good news is that the early game is much simpler than it first appears. Your main goal should be unlocking characters, leveling one favorite character, and learning how artifacts and skills work together.
This beginner guide explains everything you need to know before diving into your first few runs.
Dungeon Slasher Beginner Guide – Currencies & Game Modes
When you begin playing, focus on these goals in order:
- Complete Normal Mode runs.
- Collect Soulstones to level your main character.
- Unlock additional characters with Gems.
- Learn how Skills and Artifacts interact.
- Reach Level 30 on one character.
- Start farming Challenge Mode for Riftstones.
- Unlock Character Mastery.
Trying to do everything at once will only slow your progress.
Understanding Every Currency
Dungeon Slasher has many currencies, but only a handful matter during your first few hours.
Gems
Best for:
- Unlocking new characters
- Buying pets
- Purchasing ban slots
- Riftstone coupons
Beginners should save Gems for new characters instead of cosmetic purchases.
Soulstones
Soulstones are your most important early-game currency.
They’re used for:
- Character leveling
- Buying certain pets
The fastest way to farm Soulstones is by repeatedly clearing Normal Mode.
Riftstones
Once a character reaches Level 30, Riftstones become extremely important.
They’re used to unlock:
- Character Mastery
You’ll mainly earn them through Challenge Mode.
Prayerstones
Prayerstones let you:
- Refresh Cecilia’s Blessing artifacts.
- Refresh Challenge Mode restrictions.
Don’t waste them constantly early on. Save them for difficult runs.
Gold
Gold is only used during individual dungeon runs.
Spend it on:
- Refreshing chest rewards
- Mimic Shop purchases
- Event statues
Since Gold disappears after each run, don’t be afraid to spend it.
Bans
Bans prevent unwanted skills or artifacts from appearing.
Early on you won’t have many Ban Slots, so use them on items you know you’ll never build around.
Character Progression
Every character levels using Soulstones.
The maximum level is:
30
Once a character reaches Level 30, Character Mastery unlocks.
Mastery greatly improves a character’s abilities, making it one of the biggest power spikes in the game.
For most players, it’s better to fully invest in one character first rather than spreading Soulstones across several characters.
Understanding Chests
Throughout every dungeon you’ll encounter different chest types.
Generally, higher-quality chests offer better artifacts.
Basic Chest
Contains mostly:
- Lesser Artifacts
- Regular Artifacts
Good early-game rewards but rarely contains top-tier items.
Intermediate Chest
Offers slightly better odds for stronger relics while still mostly containing common rewards.
Advanced Chest
Introduces Greater Artifacts with much higher frequency.
These become more common during later stages.
Superior Chest
One of the best normal chest types.
Superior Chests have a much higher chance of rewarding:
- Greater Artifacts
- Superior Artifacts
Always prioritize opening these.
Boss Chest
Boss Chests are the most valuable.
They contain:
- Boss-exclusive artifacts
- Highest-quality drop rates
- 3–5 artifact choices
Unlike normal chests, Boss Chests usually cannot be refreshed.
Hidden Chests
You’ll occasionally discover special hidden chests containing:
- Gems
- Soulstones
- Prayerstones
- Specific Artifact Grades
Always explore hidden areas whenever possible.
What Does Luck Do?
Luck is one of the strongest hidden stats in Dungeon Slasher.
Higher Luck improves:
- Better chest rewards
- Higher artifact quality
- Better collection upgrades
- Increased chance for extra artifacts
Every player begins with:
- Base Luck: 100%
- Bonus Luck: +10%
Investing in Luck early usually pays off throughout an entire run.
Health Types Explained
Health isn’t limited to normal hearts.
Several different health types exist.
Heart
Standard HP.
One Heart equals one point of damage.
Half Heart
Worth 0.5 HP.
Useful when recovering from smaller mistakes.
Barrier
Acts as temporary protection.
Barriers absorb damage before your actual HP decreases.
Regenerative Barrier
Unlike normal barriers, these automatically regenerate between stages.
They’re extremely valuable during long runs.
Character-Specific Health
Some characters possess unique health systems, including:
- Corrupted Hearts
- Guardian Shields
- Dragon Communion
These function differently depending on the character you’re using.
Skill Types
Skills are the core of every build.
They come in several categories.
Main Skills
Trigger while attacking enemies.
Most damage-focused builds revolve around improving Main Skills.
Sub Skills
Activate automatically after a certain amount of time.
Excellent for passive damage.
Buff Skills
Always active.
These usually increase:
- Damage
- Attack Speed
- Critical Chance
- Defense
Curse Skills
Apply negative effects either to yourself or nearby enemies.
Many advanced builds intentionally combine Curse Skills with specific artifacts.
Summon Skills
Create companions that fight alongside you.
They’re ideal if you enjoy passive damage builds.
Enchant Skills
Convert part of your damage into elemental damage.
Useful for specialized elemental builds.
Skill Boxes
Skills are obtained from Skill Boxes.
There are four types.
Stone Skill Box
Provides basic skills with no modifications.
Silver Skill Box
Provides:
- One modified skill
- Skill selection
Gold Skill Box
Often rewards:
- Two modified skills
- Mysterious Cards
Prism Skill Box
Contains specially modified skills.
These are among the strongest skill rewards available.
Skill Modifications
Every skill can be upgraded.
Maximum:
3 Stars
Once fully upgraded, Venti can attempt a Special Modification.
The success rate begins at:
50%
If it fails, future attempts become more likely to succeed.
Understanding Tag Synergies
Every skill belongs to one or more tags.
Artifacts also contain tags.
If the tags match, the artifact strengthens that skill.
For example:
A Fire-tagged artifact only improves Fire-tagged skills.
Some artifacts require:
Tag + Tag
These only activate if both required tags exist on the same skill.
Matching your artifact tags with your skills is one of the easiest ways to dramatically increase your damage.
Random Events
During runs you’ll encounter several random statues and events.
Some of the most useful include:
Statue of Enhancement
Spend Gold for random skill upgrades.
Usually worth investing in if you have spare Gold.
Statue of Life
Restore health by spending Gold.
Great during difficult boss runs.
Statue of Gladiator
Fight several enemy waves.
Completing them rewards a free artifact.
Statue of Angels & Demons
Sacrifice health for a chance at rare artifacts.
Risky early on, but rewarding later.
Sin Points
As you unlock new content, you’ll gradually earn Sin Points.
Each Sin provides permanent bonuses.
Some of the best early choices include:
Wrath
- Increased Attack
- Corpse Explosions
- Bonus Movement Speed
Excellent for aggressive players.
Sloth
- Increased Skill Damage
- Free modified skill every run
Arguably one of the strongest choices for beginners.
Greed
- More Gold
- Free Chest reroll
- Extra Mimic Shop item
Very useful during progression.
Pride
- Increased Luck
- Better chest rewards
- Starts with powerful boss artifacts later on
One of the best long-term investments.
Best Game Modes
Normal Mode
Your primary farming mode.
Best source of:
- Soulstones
- Character XP
- General progression
Spend most of your early game here.
Challenge Mode
Unlock this once you’re comfortable.
Best source of:
- Riftstones
You’ll need these for Character Mastery.
Super Fast Mode
Perfect for:
- Testing builds
- Experimenting with skills
- Trying new characters
Progression rewards are disabled.
Arena
Arena features:
- 20 floors
- Multiple waves
- Unique leveling system
- Exclusive NPCs
- Infinite Mode afterward
Great once you’ve learned the game’s mechanics.
Infinite Mode
Unlocked after clearing Normal Mode.
Enemies continuously grow stronger while rewards increase through the early stages.
Ideal for testing how far your builds can go.
Boss Rush
Fight previously defeated bosses repeatedly.
Excellent for:
- Learning boss mechanics
- Practicing difficult encounters
- Testing different builds
Dungeon Slasher may seem complicated at first because of its many systems, but most of them build on each other naturally as you progress. Focus on mastering the basics—learning chest types, understanding skill tags, and investing in a single character—before worrying about advanced rune optimization or perfect builds. Once you unlock Character Mastery and begin experimenting with stronger synergies, the game’s progression becomes much more rewarding and opens the door to tackling its toughest challenges.