General information Necropolis Guide
Last update: 25 July 2016
Your main objective in Necropolis is to reach the bottom level of the catacombs. Various traps and groups of enemies will try to stop you and the only way to achieve the objective is to remain alive for as long as possible. Necropolis belongs to the roguelike genre which means that each death means you will lose the protagonist, equipment and progress in the game.
After each death you return to the starting position. However, it doesn't mean that your efforts were completely futile. All gems, items and achievements are calculated into influence points for which you can unlock codex pieces and unlock chests with special equipment.
What's also important is that each time you start the game the levels are generated from scratch and you won't have any map that would help you in navigation. You must depend on your own memory and perceptivity. You can also help yourself with chalk with which you can mark places in which you already were. These factors make the exploration much harder and it forces you to be always on guard. It is worth mentioning that frequently the enemies appear behind your back or multiply magically. This all serves making the game harder.
Up to three players can participate in multiplayer mode. Together the four of you will face the evil of the titular Necropolis. In this guide we will focus on all aspects of singleplayer mode.
The basic of surviving in the game is to wisely manage found equipment and to use it properly. You should also remember about proper selection of equipment - not only weapons and armors, but potions and food as well. All aspects related to equipment and items available in the game will be explained in dedicated chapters. Below you will find a selection of useful advices which can be helpful during various phases of playing.
A good beginning
At this point of the game your task is to learn the gameplay dynamics and controls. Check how various commands work, what is their distance and animation time. Enemies you encounter on first level shouldn't be dangerous, but it doesn't mean you can underestimate them. Try luring them out one after another by slowly moving in their direction and neutralizing them while constantly retreating.
Remember that opening the character equipment doesn't pause the game - wait with item selection until all enemies in your sight are defeated. Try quickly changing weapon since the basic equipment is rather weak. Destroy all encountered vases and collect gems that drop from them. At this point of the game you shouldn't need potions, so don't pick them up. Don't leave any pieces of food you will find.
You should especially notice the animations of specific enemies - on the next levels most of the sequences will repeat themselves. Of course, as you progress through levels the enemies will be stronger and more resistant. Their attack range and tactic of performing combinations of a few attacks one after another are what you should learn - if you don't read from enemy behavior, you can be greatly injured. There is one opponent you should wary off on the beginning levels. He looks similar to a small golden pyramid and he doesn't attack you directly. However, if he moves towards you for a few moments, then the top of the pyramid will start glowing in red and then it will explode. The explosion itself is dangerous and additionally it causes a fire wave that can finish you up. The worst part is that the opponent is generated automatically and frequently you might not notice him because he respawned behind you.
The most important rule of Necropolis is that you are completely safe only in the finishing area and the starting area of the next level or when you manage to jump on higher ground outside the reach of enemies. You should use this option because the levels contain many places on which you can jump, becoming invulnerable to attacks. Of course you must keep in mind that some enemies have ranged attacks. Luckily, there won't be many of such opponents in the first levels.
When using weapon's special attack you must keep in mind that attack's animation time is much longer than in case of regular attacks and that using these attacks permanently weakens your stamina bar. You can regenerate that bar only after eating or drinking potions. Proper management of the stamina bar is very important because when receiving damage you can quickly die if you cannot dodge. Remember to use jumping attacks wisely since they deplete large amounts of stamina and they temporarily block the possibility for you to move.
Once you reach the ending area of the level, get to the higher floor, break the vases, collect whatever you can gather and check what the old man has. You should also look through the chambers and listen to the commentary of the narrator. In general, you shouldn't treat what he says about your actions too seriously since he won't be too optimistic. In the final chamber of the level you will easily notice a fountain which will allow you to increase your character stats for a specific number of gems. This is your priority when it comes to any expenses.
First Death
The first time you fail you will notice a summary screen. The influence points you will receive can be used for buying additional equipment - codex pieces that can be useful in the further levels of the game. While this guide was created the differences between using the codex and playing without it was minimal, but the developers will make sure to change that in the future.
Starting the game again will take you back to the first level. However, you must watch out because the enemies will be stronger than during your first attempt. It is worth adding that with the new layout of chambers there is also completely new equipment to be found. With a bit of luck it might make your attempts much easier.
Try various weapon types, including ranged ones if you manage to find one. Create your own play style, but remember that the game won't make your life easier and it might happen that you won't find any interesting item for two levels. The game allows you to use two weapon sets which can be changed any time you want. Search the chests and corpses and remember to upgrade both weapon sets.
Get up, get down, and repeat
Once you reach lower levels of the catacombs, you will encounter new enemy types, completely different locations and higher difficulty level. Don't forget about the basic rules, always look around and keep retreating to places where you already were.
If you manage to complete side quest, you will receive one influence point which you can spend during the game or at your next playthrough. Remember to always check items offered by the old man at the end of each level. Among them you can frequently find rare weapons which are very expensive but might be your only hope when you aren't lucky in checking items dropped by enemies.
Jump on higher levels of chambers and regenerate strength by using available equipment or by creating it with collected components. Don't forget to use every opportunity to collect gems. Additionally, keep attention to walls marked with glyphs. In some cases walking towards them might activate a hidden chamber with a rare item. Checking the walls is quite risky since in some cases walking towards the wall can generate additional enemies who will gladly attack you.
Change the equipment, collect potions and scrolls and remember to use crafting. Most enemies drop components which you can use to craft new items. You should remember that since all resources of that type reset when you die in combat. You won't worry about that early in the game, but in the deeper levels crafting a few additional items might determine the final success. Before you start crafting, remember to find some safe place - animations of item creating are long and during them you are open to enemy attacks.