Hyper Light Drifter: Tips and Tricks for Beginners

When you first start Hyper Light Drifter, it can be pretty daunting. The game doesn’t tell you anything except for a couple of basic controls at the very start. After this, you’re left on your own to work out what to do and where to go.

In order to succeed in Hyper Light Drifter, there are a couple of tips and tricks that every player should know. Whether it’s trying to find important items, where to go, or tips for combat, we’ve got you covered. Let’s jump right in.

Get Exploring

The first thing that will probably confuse you when you start Hyper Light Drifter is the complete lack of guidance that the game gives you. Apart from telling you the very basic controls like how to shoot and interact with items, you’re left to work everything else out. Don’t let the lack of a guide stop you from getting sucked in, though.

At the very center of the hub world, there is a diamond-shaped platform with arrows pointing in four directions. These are your rather hidden directions. To the North, East, South, and West of the city are other worlds with enemies, bosses, and tons of hidden items all waiting for you. The best piece of advice for any beginner is to just pick a direction and go! The more exploring of Hyper Light Drifter’s world that you do, the clearer things will become. You’ll be hunting down those bosses in no time.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled

Now that you’re exploring the world of Hyper Light Drifter, you’re ready for your second tip; keep your eyes peeled! Handy items, such as health packs, are rarely in plain sight. Instead, you’ll have to go exploring around the backs of buildings, walking into trees, and activating strange looking switches to find what you need.

Hyper Light Drifter doesn’t want you to just get health packs and Gear Bits (the game’s currency) nice and easy. You have to work for them and this will require using your dash, and in reality, walking into a lot of walls. That last bit may sound dumb, but Hyper Light Drifter conceals many of its items and collectibles in hidden passageways within walls, paths between trees you didn’t think you can get through, and seemingly unreachable platforms. Keeping your eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary will help you get those all-too-important health packs, Gear Bits, and keys when you need them most.

Use Health Packs Wisely

Hyper Light Drifter’s world punishes those who don’t take it seriously. The game may have a colorful and charming world, but its enemies aren’t to be messed with. Even the smaller, more common enemies will be able to take fairly large chunks out of your small health bar and they will more often than not come in groups. What makes this all worse? Health packs in the world are few and far in-between and so that seemingly easy bunch of enemies can become a roadblock in your journey.

Therefore, you’ll want to use your health packs sparingly. Just because you’ve lost a bit of your health doesn’t mean you should be going straight for that LB button to heal. Instead, wait until you’ve dwindled down to just a sliver of health before healing. Only do so when you need to, otherwise, you’ll find yourself wanting when you’re in real trouble.

Your Dash Is Your Best Friend

Hyper Light Drifter wants you to dash. Whether it’s in the middle of combat, when you’re exploring its world, or just to unlock one of its many secrets, you can’t escape the mechanic. Therefore, make sure you’re putting it to good use.

While there are moments that it’s actually better to not use it, dash is pretty key in traversing the world, especially when it comes to the more difficult Gear Bits and keys that are needed to unlock Hyper Light Drifter’s secret rooms. When in combat, dash is crucial when you’re right in the middle of a bunch of enemies. You’ll find that you’ll be swarmed on a number of occasions and so you’ll want to keep dashing in order to keep yourself free from their grasps. Stay still for too long and your health bar will deplete quickly.

Stay Ahead of the Game

There’s no denying it, Hyper Light Drifter is a tricky game, and while there are ways to give you a better chance of surviving, you’re not really told about them. In the central hub area, there are four stores that you can enter to get upgrades. One will allow you to get more attacks for your sword, one upgrades your dash, another can upgrade the ammo capacity of your guns, and the other will unlock grenades.

In order to take advantage of the upgrades on offer, you first must find Gear Bits dotted around the world. These are little golden squares, which, when four are collected are turned into a larger golden square (as shown in the image above). These are then used to purchase these upgrades. Make sure you’re using our previously mentioned tips for exploring, keeping your eyes peeled, and using your dash to find hidden areas of the environment. These will often bare Gear Bits. Get saving and match fire with fire!

And there you have it, five tips and tricks for every Hyper Light Drifter beginner. Got any of your own? Share them in the comments below.