Rotwood Guide: Tips and Strategies

Rotwood is a simply complicated game. What appears to be a simple dungeon crawler roguelike is an intrinsic tapestry of combat mechanics, weapon combos, and unique boss attack patterns that take time to master.

Moreover, there is also the option to co-op with other players making the game even more enjoyable. But there is a learning curve, which I recommend everybody has to go through and these following tips will help along the way.

Become One With The Weapon

Rotwood has a well-balanced combat system. Landing consecutive attacks is as enjoyable as dodging them, and the weapon has much to do with it. There are 4 weapons in the game, each with unique attack and dodge patterns. Even the combos vary and it’s difficult to transfer the weapon skills from one to the other.

Although I recommend using every weapon, it’s best to do a few runs with one before switching. I love the cannon, but I arrived at that conclusion after trying the others. But once you’ve picked one, practice with it. Each weapon in Rotwood has different spacing, approach, and combo options. The cannon for example is good at close range but the later ones shine at both close and range combat. You’ll discover more about the weapon as you keep playing so take the time to learn it.

Fight To Run Away

The later stages of the game are filled with enemies attacking you and throwing poison goops at your location. This isn’t an anime where you stay put and duke it out unless one is left standing. At times things will get messy and learning the art to run away is important. You must learn when to attack when to run away, and when to attack while running away.

There is no alternative for practice but do the following to get the most out of your practice sessions. 

1. Observe each enemy on the screen. It’ll be exhausting at first but with time, it becomes second nature.

2. Look for incoming attacks, especially when you’re engaged in a fight. If one is approaching, run away and re-engage. If there is a ranged enemy, take this opportunity to take them out first.

3. You can’t interrupt certain monsters once they’ve started attacking, like the Red Snortoises. You can’t stop them once they start attacking and they do so when you get close. So it’s best to knock them down while you approach them and kill them before they can retaliate.

Every monster has unique attack patterns and learning them will help you in the long run.

Mind Your Weight

Every weapon and piece of armor are assigned a weight class and your dodge is affected by it. Being too heavy will reduce your dodge distance. Some weapon and armor sets are inherently heavier while others are lighter and having the full set does come with certain perks, but it’s not necessary.

There isn’t much room to experiment since the game is still in early access, but there is some wiggle room. For instance, I usually opt for the Floracrane armor set for the inbuilt crit chance and crit damage. However, I was having trouble surviving the poison, so I opted for the Snortoise Helmet which prevents poison damage in low health. There is always room for experimentation, and you just need to figure out where and how.

Resources Over Upgrades

While entering rooms, focus on resources for the first few runs at least as it will help you unlock weapons and gear quicker. The faster you unlock them, the sooner you can level them up and do high-level missions consistently. Yes, upgrades make you more powerful, but you can get pretty far even without them by playing co-op and having another team member carry you.

I loved the Floracrane’s skill to dive down and deal damage so I didn’t buy any cannons other than the Keening. After unlocking the Keening I saved my resources and went straight for the Beakon of Hurt. This wouldn’t have been possible if I was playing solo though.

Together We Are Strong

It’s simply more fun. Even if anyone isn’t online, you can simply join the Rotwood discord server and send a request to any players who are available to play. There is also a Rotwood official serve in the game that teams you up with other random players.

Playing co-op not only gives more rewards, but it also lets you reach higher stages, if you get a high-level player on the team. They can carry you in F1-F2 maps and help you unlock powerful gear which could have taken days if you tried it solo. I unlocked the entire Floracrane gear even before completing Blisterbane Bog because I played with people who were exploring the Molded Grave.

Make The Most Of Your Heals

The healing potion heals you for 500 HP and any teammates in the green radius for 200 HP. So while playing co-op don’t pop your flask out of the blue. 

If you’re not on voice chat, press and hold the heal button and instantly move in a direction or dodge. This cancels the heal midway even before it starts, but will indicate to your teammates that you want to heal. Once they come closer, click heal the button again to heal everyone in the radius.

Manage Your Resources

It is not a good idea to spend Cornerstones on everything you can lay your hands on. This may seem tedious, but you should do a bit of research on which weapon and armor you want and work towards them gradually. In the long run, you’ll have Cornerstones overflowing from your stashes, but if you want to get the gear as early as possible, it’s best to save them.

For instance, creating a decoration for the first time grants cornerstones, but I held off making any decorations until I upgraded my gear. I saved the resources for my upgrades and once they were maxed out, I started unlocking decorations and gathering more cornerstones to unlock and try out the other weapons. Make sure you have a consistent way to play the game before focusing on collecting stuff.

Upgrade Offense Over Defense

I personally prefer an offensive play style and have always focused my weapons over my armor. That’s because once you learn the monster attack patterns, you can dodge them consistently. And the sooner you dispose of them the better, which is more preferable. 

You may prefer a more defensive playstyle and that’s completely fine. But for all, you glass cannons out there, know that clearing a stage with maxed-out weapons and under-leveled armor is possible.

Don’t Be a One Trick Pony

Every weapon has unique attack combos. While some are easier to execute, others are harder to pull off constantly. Although some of the combos appear more reliable, you should definitely not spam them. This makes the game boring in the long run.

For instance, I used the Floracrane’s skill to jump down from above to attack all my enemies. However, I learned that other cannon combos are more suitable in certain situations. Yes, they are harder to pull off, but learning them made the game more enjoyable. I now have an arsenal of attacks for every scenario, whether it be attacking monsters or fleeing from a dangerous situation.

Practice Combos Before Entering The Forest

Warm up before entering the forest. In Rotwood, some combos are harder to execute while others are harder to space out. The cannons and strikers are hard to space and aim if you’re accustomed to them. So before entering the fray, test out those combos. Start with the basics and work your way up to the more complicated ones until you can do them consistently.

Always Keep Spare Change

There are two in-game currencies: Teffra and Cornerstones. You lose all Teffra at the end of every run while the Cornerstone stays.

Teffra is the most important currency in-game as it lets you buy upgrades, new skills, Cornerstones, and even health potions. Always keep at least 75 Teffra in store in case you slip up and lose the majority of your health. Health potions cost 75 Teffra and being able to buy one at critical points can save your run.

Remember To Have Fun

Play a game long enough and you may get bored of the grind. The goal here is to have fun. Try new weapons, take up new challenges such as no armor run, and solo F3 maps. Figure out unique ways to make the game more entertaining for yourself and your team.