Vampire Survivors Guide | Beginner Tips and Tricks

This Vampire Survivors Guide will teach you the basics and how to get ahead in the hottest indie hyper-casual game craze sweeping the Internet. 

Vampire Survivors is an excellent indie game that has been taking certain parts of the Internet by storm, and for good reason. Its blend of casual pick-up-and-play controls with hardcore mechanics makes it a great example of a hyper-casual game. If you’re struggling to wrap your head around what is going on, then we’re here to help you. Our beginner’s guide to Vampire Survivors will teach you the ropes of the game, as well as give you the tips you need to know to get as far as possible in the game.

Vampire Survivors Guide: How the Game Works

So, you’ve picked up the game because all your friends have recommended it, but now you’re confused. How does this whole thing work? Well, let us help you out!

Firstly, Vampire Survivors is basically a bullet hell shooter with a twist -- all you have to worry about is moving your character around. On PC, that means using  WASD or the mouse, and on mobile, that means touchscreen controls.

That’s it in terms of controls. You don’t have to worry about aiming, just move around and try not to die for as long as possible, hovering up experience points, power-ups, and coins as you go. 

As your character levels up, you gain new abilities to use against your enemies in battle. There is also no ‘winning’ in Vampire Survivors. Your only goal is to survive for as long as possible, and hopefully, last a bit longer each time you play.

The coins you find can be spent on unlocking new characters and upgrading all of your characters simultaneously. Other than that, the only other thing to worry about is unlocking new power-ups and maps by fulfilling certain conditions like surviving for a long time or adequately leveling up certain weapons.

Vampire Survivors Beginner's Guide: How to Survive

While the game is incredibly simple to understand, there are a lot of tactics and tips that can help you to actually live longer than 5 minutes. We’ve listed the best ones below so that you can get deep into the game as quickly as possible. 

Don’t Focus on What You’re Attacking

This game has a lot of inspiration from bullet hell shooters (amongst other things), and just like a bullet hell shooter, you don’t necessarily want to focus on what you’re attacking. The most important part of the game is to avoid taking damage, and the best way to do that is to focus on bobbing and weaving between enemies. If you’re choosing your upgrades properly, your enemies will die either way. 

Try To Remember Event Timing

Each map has different times when enemies change or certain special events happen. For instance, you’ll be swarmed by a ton of skeletons in the Mad Forest at around the 10-minute mark. Trying to figure out when these things are going to happen can mean that you’re more prepared for them when they come along. 

Don’t Get Greedy

As in any high-intensity game, it’s important to learn not to get greedy. Just like in a Soulslike, you don’t want to be taking chip damage because you just had to get an extra hit in. The same applies here. Just because a chest looks enticing, don’t risk it unless you know you’re going to be safe first. 

Learn To Herd

If you played a lot of Call of Duty: Zombies back in the Black Ops days, then you should be familiar with this technic. It’s important to control your enemies. Learn to circle around your enemies and lead them away from areas with loads of pickups or chests so you can grab them more safely. 

Movement Speed, Laurels, and Luck Are Essential

Of all the upgrades, Movement Speed, Laurels, and Luck are probably the least enticing, but they can also be the biggest game changes. You’ll need high movement speed to avoid certain enemies that move quickly or come in large groups like the bat swarms or exploding ghosts.

Laurels are great because they can give you a get-out-of-jail-free card to avoid damage completely if you become boxed in. Luck is also important because it increases the chances of getting good upgrades, as well as the chances of grabbing healing items or vacuum orbs from torches.

Think Twice Before Choosing Armor Power-Ups

Armor might seem like a safe bet, but it’s very rarely going to be all that useful compared to most of the other stuff you’ll be presented with. You’re much better off spending your upgrade on something that’s going to help you avoid damage completely, by either killing something off the board or helping you to avoid the damage with speed or shields. 

Don’t Be Scared to Upgrade Old Abilities

While buying something new and exciting is probably pretty tempting, you should try to upgrade the stuff you already have a lot as well. Firstly, you’ll need the extra power of high-level skills to survive the mid-to-late game. Secondly, you unlock characters and other abilities by upgrading certain skills to a certain level. 

That's it for our Vampire Survivors Beginner's Guide - hopefully you've now got some tips to proceed further into the game. Check out our other guides below!