Exit the Gungeon Beginner Guide

Exit the Gungeon has now surprise dropped onto the Nintendo Switch and Steam. While this game has been available for a while on the Apple Arcade, we're not going to hold it against you if you haven't had a chance to play this game yet. After Enter the Gungeon, the procedurally generated dungeon crawling roguelite, in Exit the Gungeon you're now trying to make your way out of the Gungeon through a series of lifts. Enemies are still aplenty though, so you'll have to show off your skills to get out alive.

While riding the elevators, you'll encounter a number of bosses. These bosses are all highly dependent on their patterns, so to know them is to know how to survive. While players are still finding their footing on the elevators, it's good to go in as prepared as possible. Just because you're used to dodging bullets and powering up in Enter the Gungeon doesn't mean you'll immediately know what you're doing here.

General Tips to beginning Exit the Gungeon

What's New? - There are no weapon pickups in Exit the Gungeon. At the beginning of each round, your gun will be blessed, meaning that as time goes on it will randomly change. One moment you might be firing at your enemies with a nail gun, and suddenly you're now armed with a guitar and music is your weapon. The pool of weapons that you have available to you when any change occurs depends on the Combo level you have. This level can be viewed in the top right of the screen; as that goes up, the chances of getting a more powerful weapon will increase.

Any other ways to increase my Combo level? - If you clear a level or happen across some extra hearts and you're still at full health, then picking up a heart will increase your combo.

Don't be afraid to jump! - Unlike the original game, Exit the Gungeon is a sidescroller. You'll need to move between the different layers of the elevator to not only dodge enemy attacks but also to collect items as they spawn. While jumping up or down a platform and dodge rolling, you won't take any damage from bullets, so if you feel like you're getting into a tough spot then start moving quickly.

Take the key - Starting the game, you won't have any facilities available to you in the Underbreach. This is because your friends have been locked up and you need to rescue them. Between levels when you arrive at the shop, sometimes a rat on the left will have a key to give you. Initially, it will be free, but with each friend saved you'll have to start forking out for it. Be wary though: If you don't last long enough to be able to release a friend, then that's money wasted. Unlocking these friends will give you benefits like the Underbreach weapon smith returning, or there being a chance of encountering an old man during your travels.

What else can I buy at the shop? - Using the bullet casings, you can buy a number of items at the shop. The biggest drawback is that unless you've encountered the item before, there's no way to see it in the shop and know what it does. There are the obvious items, like hearts and shields, that increase your health or give you one free hit (duh), but then there are also other items that can modify your attacks and stats. All of these only last as long as your run does though, so even if you purchase something somewhat annoying, I promise in 10 minutes it's not going to matter.

How is each of the playable characters different in Exit the Gungeon?

Each path through the Gungeon has been tailored for each of the characters. While their first elevator is always the same depending on which character you're playing as, you'll get a different experience going forward. Each of the playable characters also has their own passive bonuses that are applied to their playthrough. Nothing about any of the character's movement or weapon selection is different from one another.

Pilot - Give you a discount at the shops.

Hunter - Has a pet dog that will fetch items as they appear around the stage.

Soldier - Faster reload speed and increased weapons accuracy.

Convict - Character deals extra damage after being hit.

How to beat some of the early bosses in Exit the Gungeon?

After your elevator journey and right before you get to any shop, there will be a boss fight. Each will begin with the enemy flying on-screen and getting a fun splash screen. Each of them can be complicated, especially if you're still dealing with weird control schemes or have been dealt a particularly bad weapon, but as long as you know their patterns, then you can avoid their attacks and keep hitting them for extra damage.

Buffammo - Taur De Force

The Buffammo is a large, 'roided out Minotaur. There are a number of different attacks he will let loose as he moves around the stage. From where he lands on the lower left of the elevator he will cycle around in a clockwise pattern.

• If you're on the same platform as him, he will charge towards you, bouncing off the back wall and sometimes repeatedly traveling to and fro. This can be a fast way to lose your health, so from the start of the battle you want to make sure you're not on the same floor as he is.
• Throwing white Milk Cans(?): After landing these will explode into 5–7 bullets that spread out in any direction. If he's on the top floor stay, on the middle platform. This way they will only ever land above you, and you just need to worry about dodging the shots. If he's on the bottom landing, just stay on top and far away from him, dodging the normal bullet spray.
• Whenever jumping from floor to floor as the Buffammo lands, he will create a circle of bullets that expand from him. This expands quite slowly, and, as you'll be ensuring you're never on the same level as him, you can time your own transition between levels with this attack.

• Big bullets will send a slight scatter of really large bullets; when they hit the far wall, they will explode into random bullets. You'll want to stay near the middle of the platform for this. As they fire out as a small cone in front of the Buffammo, you can avoid them when they're large bullets. Once the small shots are coming back towards you, you can roll towards them to get through them quickly.  
• When crashing into the wall after a charge there, will be warning signs from above telling the player where hazards are about to fall. Quite simple, make sure to avoid these.

None of his attacks are particularly fast, aside from his charge, but if you make sure you're on a different level from him then even if he does charge there's no way he can touch you. Just keep hammering into him with whatever weapon you have and it will likely be two rotations or so of the Buffammo and he'll be defeated.

Meowitzer - Egg Nyan

The Meowitzer is part tank and part Death Egg from the Sonic series. This deranged cat is a flying enemy, so unlike the Buffammo that abides by physics, it will be flying all around the screen. Normally the Meowitzer will stay to one side or the other, but whenever it does move across it's normally accompanied by an attack so be ready!

• The Meowitzer will swoop down slightly arcing across the screen while shooting from its two front lasers. You can spot this attack coming by watching for the cannons to appear. You should be able to run past the first set of attacks and dodge through the second with little issue. 
• What looks like red hairballs will start raining down from the sky, you simply need to dodge to the left and right of these.
• The Meowitzer will ram into the player, while your gut feeling may push you to roll away from the oncoming machine, instead run towards it and dodge through. It might turn around and go for a second dodge, so be ready for it.
• The cat will pop out of a hatch in the front and fire out a half-circle of spikes that radiate out.
• Starting from the top or bottom of the elevator, bullets will be fired horizontally across the screen. The machine will then slowly move down or up the screen, effectively creating a wall of bullets. Luckily you can just jump up/down through them.
• At any point as the Meowitzer is moving, it may leave cat skulls in its wake. These will detonate into a circle of a few bullets, but you should be able to dodge through or even sidestep a lot of these shots.

This boss doesn't give you as much of a chance to get away, so you've got to always be ready to dodge into danger knowing that you can get out the other side cleanly. There is also a chance that some of these attacks, like the hairballs and horizontal shots, will be used at the same time, so try not to get caught too off guard.

His Majesty's Chancellor - Toadstool

This is the toughest of the early bosses. Not only does the Chancellor have a lot of complicated attacks, but he's also likely to layer them one on the other. It's not as much about how you learn to deal with each individual attack but when they're paired together and what you can do to stay safe.

• The Chancellor will shoot one slow ball up that will split and spread out, and then each of those will split further. This creates a lot of bullets that can seem daunting, but after the second break if you just dodge into where the ball originated then you'll avoid them all.
• The Chancellor will slowly rise up and then drop down creating a circle of bullets that will spread out from him. This is a fairly simple attack and you'll just want to dodge roll to avoid it.
• A double Shot of three blasts will come from the Chancellor. These come fast and are targeted at the player, so even if you think you're safe from one of his attacks, be ready to move, otherwise this will catch you off guard. This is by far the most punishing of his attacks.
• The boss will fire out three circles of bullets in a row, but they'll have sufficient spacing between them all. You'll be able to move into one of these 'corridors' and wait out the attack. 

• Slowly rising up, the Chancellor will fire out a continuous spiral attack. You can move with the spiral and jump accordingly, but you might find yourself landing in the path of another bullet. If you have any blanks saved up, here is a perfect place to use them.

This boss is a fun reference for players of the original game too, as it's the Chancellor to the Bullet King character. He's even sitting on a similar (if not the same) throne.

Medusalier - Bomb Shell

Medusalier is what would happen if a gorgon/hermit crab found refuge in whatever Bowser is riding from the end of Super Mario World. This is another flying enemy but she stays at the top of the screen for the fight just shifting left and right as she attacks. Stay at the bottom of the stage to ensure that you at least won't get hit by her.

• From a cannon, there will be a single large ball that will start moving around the screen. Unless you use a blank this bullet won't go away so it will be something to constantly keep an eye out for. If the battle goes on for long enough this might even come up a second time. It really shouldn't be too much of an issue to deal with but if you're beginning to feel the pressure a blank will get rid of it
• Wall minions will get created, one on either side. These bullets are small and only fire one shot at a time but can add pressure. It's recommended to take these out as soon as they spawn.
• As Medusalier is moving from one side of the arent to the other she will fire out shotgun cones of fire. The patterns on the spray are pretty random so you can dodge while remaining in the cone but it's easier to just completely dodge out of the way.

• Medusalier's hardest attack to deal with is a tight ring of bullets that extend from here with an open window. As wave after wave of bullets are fired the opening will move to the left and the right forcing you to quickly move to stay within the gap. A lot of the time the gaps are very manageable but every now and then it can get a bit tight. If you're starting to feel the pressure then you can dodge to the openings, or just use a blank (maybe you'll take out the cannon blast too?)

This shouldn't be too tough a boss the biggest thing to keep an eye out for is the additional support that appears in the form of the cannon blast and wall minions. 

Is there anything that you think is important for someone trying to Exit the Gungeon for the first time? Did you find these bosses easy or difficult?