{"id":2802,"date":"2026-10-10T22:14:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T22:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cliffnordman.com\/blog\/?p=2802"},"modified":"2026-10-12T04:23:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T04:23:30","slug":"how-to-play-roguelikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cliffnordman.com\/blog\/2026\/10\/10\/how-to-play-roguelikes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to play roguelikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Obligatory roguelike definition:\u00a0 I’m talking about traditional roguelikes. Games like Rogue. Difficult, complex, turn-based dungeon-crawlers.\u00a0 Procedural death labyrinths.\u00a0 I’m not talking about deckbuilders, autobattlers, synergy builders, bullet heavens, or run-based meta-progression games.<\/p>\n

Other games are like action movies, and your character is Arnold Schwarzenegger. You run in guns blazing and win.\u00a0 Roguelikes are horror movies.\u00a0 You start as the victim, prey to monsters and unknown dangers in the dark.\u00a0 With the right mindset, you become the boogeyman.<\/p>\n

The right mindset is key.\u00a0 You must approach the game with curiousity<\/strong> and respect<\/strong>, which are unnecessary for other games.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Knowledge is power<\/h2>\n

Other games make sure you have the tools you need to beat every mission, but not roguelikes!\u00a0 You need to make a plan to succeed.\u00a0 To do that, you need to know what you can do, and what threats you face, and what they can do.<\/p>\n

Play the game multiple times (you’ll die often) and really pay attention.\u00a0 Each time you see a new enemy, examine them to learn what they can do.\u00a0 When does the dungeon get more dangerous?\u00a0 Example: minotaurs won’t appear on the first two floors.\u00a0 When does your character’s power increase?\u00a0 Example: At level 22 I unlock “Unstoppable” and become immune to death for 4 turns.<\/p>\n

Some roguelike players say that learning through harsh experience is necessary, but I’m writing a blog post about how to play roguelikes, so I’m obviously in favor of outside sources.\u00a0 Your game might have a wiki, or a compendium derived from the game’s files.\u00a0 Look through those resources to find a specific fact, or browse to get a general idea of what’s to come.\u00a0 Take advantage of the work your fellow players have already done.<\/p>\n

Have a plan to counter any threat you may face. Common threats include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • many weak enemies<\/li>\n
  • one strong enemy<\/li>\n
  • enemies with ranged weapons<\/li>\n
  • enemy spellcasters<\/li>\n
  • harmful conditions or debuffs (being sick, or hungry, or on fire)<\/li>\n
  • cursed items<\/li>\n
  • impassable terrain<\/li>\n
  • traps<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    You can make very specific plans for very specific threats, like bosses that appear on every run. As your game knowledge and characters get more well-rounded, specific preparation loses value.\u00a0 Eventually, you can fight everything as if you prepared specifically to beat it.<\/p>\n

    Item Identification<\/h3>\n

    Magical items, including weapons, armor, wands, scrolls, and potions, need to be identified.\u00a0 They have descriptions, like “orange potion” or “Scroll of LORUM IPSUS” but these descriptions change from run to run.\u00a0 Using an item identifies it, but that’s risky.\u00a0 Some magical effects are harmful.\u00a0 Using a scroll or potion consumes it.\u00a0 Cursed items can’t be unequipped.\u00a0 Here are some hints:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Find out about your game’s particular identification mechanic.\u00a0 Some games don’t even have unidentified items.\u00a0 Tales of Maj’Eyal gives all characters an item that automatically identifies all items.\u00a0 In The Ground Gives Way, characters can examine items to safely identify them at the cost of exhaustion.<\/li>\n
    • Cursed items can’t be unequipped, so it’s very risky to wear or wield magical items you find in the dungeon.\u00a0 If you see an enemy drop something, then it must not be cursed.<\/li>\n
    • If you have multiple copies of a certain consumable, you can use one to identify them, and still have others to actually use.<\/li>\n
    • Once you know the possible effects, you can use unidentified items in a way that minimizes their risk.\u00a0 Example: stand near water when you read that scroll, in case it’s a Scroll of Firestorm and you find yourself aflame.<\/li>\n
    • Sometimes the way you acquire the item is a hint.\u00a0 In Shattered Pixel Dungeons. flies only drop healing potions, so you know that healing potions look like whatever you get from the flies.<\/li>\n
    • Once you identify the Scroll of Identify, you can use it on high-risk items like enchanted weapons.\u00a0 With knowledge and experience, you’ll learn what you’re comfortable just trying out, and what you’ll save a Scroll of Identify for.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Slow down<\/h2>\n

      Roguelikes are turn-based.\u00a0 You can take as long as you want to decide what to do next.\u00a0 It’s natural to panic and act quickly to get away from danger, but you must resist that impulse.\u00a0 The worse things get, the slower you should play<\/strong><\/p>\n

      When you die (you’ll die a lot), don’t get tilted and immediately close the game or restart.\u00a0 Think about why you lost that fight.\u00a0 Scroll up in the message log to see exactly what happened.\u00a0 Look at your inventory to see if you overlooked a life-saving item.\u00a0 Learn from each death so you don’t die like that again.<\/p>\n

      Everything is optional<\/h2>\n

      Other games are mostly linear.\u00a0 You start a mission and you move forward, kill all the enemies, complete all the objectives, and beat the boss at the end.\u00a0 Roguelikes are different.\u00a0 Often the only objective is the Amulet Of Yendor on the bottom level of the dungeon.\u00a0 How you get there is up to you.<\/p>\n

      You don’t have to fight everything. Let me repeat that.\u00a0 You don’t have to fight everything.<\/strong>\u00a0 Winning fights makes you stronger with loot and experience, but losing fights makes you dead.\u00a0 Approach each encounter carefully.\u00a0 If an enemy is too dangerous, go elsewhere and fight easier foes and loot other rooms.\u00a0 Maybe you’ll get strong enough to return and kill that enemy. Maybe you don’t need to.<\/p>\n

      Win before you begin<\/h2>\n

      You will learn a lot through mid-battle epiphanies, when your action immediately proves disastrous.\u00a0 Example:\u00a0 You used your biggest attack (Scroll of Fireball) against the scariest enemy (Red Dragon), but it was completely immune to fire.\u00a0 Take those lessons to heart, but try not to learn that way.\u00a0 Ideally, you are sure of victory when you start the fight, because you have an answer to the enemy’s every move.\u00a0 If you’re not sure, you don’t start the fight.<\/p>\n

      That’s an important point.\u00a0 You are the one who starts all the fights!<\/strong>\u00a0 Don’t let enemies sneak up on you.\u00a0 Don’t mash the movement keys and waste precious turns when your movement reveals an enemy.<\/p>\n

      Become the boogeyman.<\/strong>\u00a0 What do the enemies in the dungeon know about you?\u00a0 Nothing!\u00a0 You prowl and observe like a jungle cat, and only reveal yourself when your target is vulnerable.\u00a0 If they do survive, you’re gone by the time re-inforcements arrive.<\/p>\n

      Before you attack an enemy, think, “How could this go wrong?” Before you open a door, think, “What if I reveal something horrible?”\u00a0 Here are some techniques that work for every game and every character, even if you’re naked and can only kick your enemies.<\/p>\n