Let it Die ~ Tips & Tricks

Those of you who know me know I've fallen head over heels in love with SUDA51's 'Let it Die'. It far surpassed my expectations. I was not exaggerating when I said on Twitter that it would have been my top pick for 2016 game of the year had I even bothered to do a proper end of the year list. It is truly that good. As of now I'm fairly deep into the game. I'm on the 12th floor of the Tower of Barbs. I have gained a ton of weapon blueprints, and have some significantly leveled up gear that I can purchase whenever. I also have a well established waiting room defense with 7/8 placed characters. Some of which are ranked at the 2 star level. My clan has also went flawless, and won 3 consecutive clan clashes which landed us some sweet rewards. Why I'm telling you this is, because I've established an approach to the game that will get you in a favorable position for easy progression. I've devised a plan to get newcomers into the game efficiently, and to help them prioritize what is important when it comes to gameplay focus. Without beating around the bush too much longer though I will go ahead, and disclose the details for you ...

When you first begin playing 'Let it Die' you will need to pay attention to all the tutorial tidbits which come in the form of balloon messages, and messages accessed through your 'OPTIONS' menu journal. Characters in the game such as Meijin, and Uncle Death will drop hints that can be rather valuable in a variety of different scenarios as well. Once you've collected all the balloon letters, read through them, and did the tutorial level battle against your former self you'll have free reign on what it is you chose to do in regards to tower progression, and waiting room engagement.

The first thing I feel is important to focus on is getting your initial character strong enough to brave the tower. At first I'd strongly suggest only gathering, and consuming frogs for the XP. That, and killing off the screamers, and tubers in the early parts of the B1 floor. Avoid at all costs any red bar hunters that are above level one in ranking while doing so as these are player created baddies that will put a hurting on you, severely. When you get to the corridor with the tractors in the middle of it approach slowly so you can see if the red bar hunter is too strong for you to fight. If so, head back to the beginning of the level, and exit using the escalator you arrived on. This will keep your XP intact, and anything you've collected in your possession. Be sure to rinse, and repeat this process until you've fully leveled up your character via the Brain thingy at the bottom of the waiting room escalator/elevator area. This will help you to progress far enough to gain some blueprints, and deal with at least a few of the bosses you'll meet up with while ascending the Tower of Barbs.

After you've made it to a certain point in your tower ascension the clan portion of the waiting room area will open up. This gives access to the game's indirect multiplayer experience. It's basically TDM where your kill coin, and soul earnings are at stake. It's also where you can attack other players' waiting rooms, and loot them for all they're worth. When I opened the TDM portion of the game up I made the mistake of leveling up several characters that were one star in rank, and had them positioned as waiting room defenders. I suggest you not even bothering creating any new characters, or leveling up your waiting room stash until you've progressed deep enough into the tower to be able to access the highest ranked characters in the game. This will keep your waiting room from being targeted too often, or looted badly, and will cut the loss that comes with character conflict.

While these are all good tips for getting started I also have some pointers for those of you looking to perfect your playthrough. First, and foremost login to the game every day in the early morning hours so that you can collect your loot parcel, and any login rewards the Captain has for you. These goodies can be very beneficial to your progress. Things like skill tattoos, and single-day express passes will help you to make the most of your character's advancement. Sometimes you'll get a rare skill tattoo which will dramatically buff your character, for example. With the express passes you'll gain free access to the golden elevator, an extra bonus item, and extra storage space for the duration of the pass. This helps when you need to collect material to craft, or upgrade blueprints at the waiting room arms dealer.

Secondly invest in a larger permanent storage bin capacity. By accessing the "DH Services" menu in the 'OPTIONS' menu you can spend two death metals to upgrade the storage capacity by '10'. Trust me when I say that you'll need the space as you continue to ascend the tower. As far as storing things goes I highly suggest only storing crafting materials. Particularly the rarer crafting materials. This will free up on character storage space which you can then use for healing items, weapons, and armor. Accompanied with the express pass you can accumulate quite the collection of items, so be sure to sell those things you don't need for kill coins, and only keep the things you do need.

Thirdly when it comes to items of importance nothing is really as important as your death metals. They double as both another try after a death, and as a secondary currency trade option. You can trade death metals in for kill coins (which I do not recommend), or you can do as I mentioned before, and use them as a currency to upgrade your storage capacity. At the beginning of your playthrough you'll be showered with a lot of death metal login, and apology bonuses. I suggest using some for storage, but that you keep most for on hand second chances as there will be times in your tower progression that you'll need a second chance to get where you need to be. It should also be noted after a certain point you'll have to earn death metals through specific quests that can be taken at the Hater Arcade where Meijin, Uncle Death, and Naomi reside. Speaking of the "Hater Arcade" I strongly suggest taking on quests frequently as they offer kill coins, crafting materials, and death metals as rewards upon completion. All of which will be sent to your waiting room inbox when you visit Naomi, and confirm that you have completed the quest requirements.

While death metals are a crucial means of reviving your dead character where they died with everything intact it should also be noted that if you choose not to continue you can still get your character back intact at the character storage freezer so long as you pay the asked kill coin price. I suggest doing this immediately after opting not to use a death metal as it may, or may not work if too much time passes. Through my experience my "haterfied" characters that were restored through paid kill coins had their earned XP, and on character items still with them.

Lastly the DLC the PSN store sells is not required to obtain the weapons, items, or equipment offered. If you check each DLC description the editor openly discloses this fact. Most of the DLC is 'Founder" centered meaning that if you feel generous, and love what SUDA51, GungHo, and Grasshopper Manufacture have provided then your paid patronage will help the developers/publishers possibly regain their sacrificed income, or even add things to the game if they so choose to do so. I'd say out of all the DLC listed the "30 death metals first time pack" is a must for those looking to get a jump on the competition. It costs $4.99 (US) which is not all that bad considering what other death metal DLC is going for. Just keep in mind you can only purchase it once.

I think that about wraps it up. In closing I'll leave you with a tip/trick you may not have known. If you collect a Boomshroom, and toss it at an edible creature such as a frog it will cook the creature, and possibly make it into a better health refill item. I know for certain it works on frogs. It will burn them, and turn them into an (M) health item instead of the (S) consumables they usually are. I'm sure there are tons of other secrets to uncover as you make your way to the top of the tower, so feel free to share anything you might have learned along the way in the comment section below!