Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse is one of those games that looks absolutely gorgeous and then proceeds to humble you within the first hour.
This Metroidvania x roguelite hybrid from Frontside 180 and Pocketpair blends procedurally generated dungeons, a wild possession mechanic, and a surprisingly deep village-building system into one addictive package.
But like most roguelites, the early game can feel pretty brutal.
Whether you’re getting stomped by the first boss or just trying to figure out what to do with all those blueprints, these beginner tips will help you start making real progress.
Don’t Skip Enemies, Fight Everything
After a couple of rough runs, it gets tempting to just sprint through rooms and avoid combat. Resist that urge.
Defeating enemies and smashing every breakable object rewards you with materials that are essential for upgrading your village.
Those materials are the key to unlocking permanent upgrades and better gear.
If you rush past everything, you’re slowing down your progression even though it might feel faster.
Treat every room as an opportunity to stock up.
Master the Possession System
Here’s what makes Never Grave truly unique.
You’re not actually playing as the witch. You’re playing as the cursed hat that’s possessing her body.
And that hat can possess certain enemies too, completely changing how you approach combat.
When you defeat specific enemies, you can hop onto them with your hat and take control of their body.
The possessed enemy gets its own separate health bar that’s completely independent from your witch’s HP. It also comes with its own spells and abilities.
The best part?
Your possessed body still benefits from all the Blessings and Grimoire upgrades you’ve picked up during your run.
You can play way more aggressively while possessing an enemy since your witch’s health stays completely safe.
Use possession as a free extra life of sorts.
Get in close, deal big damage, and don’t worry about taking hits.
When the possessed body goes down, you just pop back into the witch and keep going.
Invest in Your Village Between Runs
The Village is your home base and the backbone of your progression.
You’ll first visit it after getting beaten by the Crimson Warden and returning to the Church.
At that point, it’s basically a pile of rubble with two NPCs asking you to clean up.
Your first priority should be building the Research Station, which brings in the Inventor.
He helps you unlock new Facilities, Spells, and Tools as you progress.
You’ll also unlock the Pillar of Combat early on for permanent combat upgrades.
As you find Blueprints in dungeons and talk to NPCs during your adventures, you’ll unlock even more building options.
Every resource you invest in the village pays dividends on future runs, so don’t neglect it just because the dungeon crawling is where the action is.
Farm, Cook, and Eat Before Every Run
One of the coolest systems in Never Grave is the farming and cooking loop.
You can plant seeds collected from dungeons, water your crops, harvest them, and toss ingredients into your cauldron to cook meals.
These cooked meals grant buffs that carry into your next dungeon run. We’re talking meaningful stat boosts that can be the difference between clearing an area and getting wiped. As you unlock more recipes, the buffs get progressively better.
Make it a habit to check your farm and cook something before every run.
It only takes a few seconds but can give you a significant edge, especially during the early game when your permanent upgrades are still limited.
Build a Focused Run with Blessings and Grimoires
During dungeon runs, you’ll come across two types of temporary upgrade stations.
Blessing statues look like stone angels, and Grimoires appear as piles of shimmering books.
Each one lets you pick one out of three random bonuses that last for the rest of your current run.
Here’s where a lot of beginners mess up.
Don’t just pick whatever sounds cool at random.
Build toward a focused strategy with your temporary upgrades.
Picking bonuses that synergize with each other is way more effective than grabbing a random assortment.
For example, you could go all-in on a physical damage build by stacking critical damage and attack upgrades.
A magic-centric build works great with Magic Attack Critical, status effects, and MP Regeneration.
There’s even a retaliation build where enemies take damage whenever they hit you, paired with max HP and revival bonuses.
Lean Into Magic Attacks
Magic is extremely powerful in Never Grave, and a lot of new players underestimate it.
You can equip up to two Spells at once and cast them whenever you want. Casting costs MP, but your MP recovers every time you hit enemies with your sword.
This creates a satisfying loop where you melee to recharge, then unleash spells for big damage.
Magic attacks can even land critical hits, and when you stack Magic Damage upgrades from Blessings and Grimoires, you can become ridiculously overpowered.
Some standout spells include the Mana Bullet, which fires projectiles that knock enemies back, and the Floating Blade, which summons a sword that automatically attacks nearby enemies.
If you find yourself constantly taking damage up close, try switching to a magic-focused playstyle.
Stack MP regeneration upgrades, grab magic damage Blessings, and play at range. It’s a completely viable approach that many players overlook.
Use the Hat for Traversal
The hat isn’t just for possessing enemies. It’s also a crucial traversal tool.
At any point, you can detach the hat from the witch’s body and move it independently through tight spaces the witch can’t fit through.
Even more importantly, you can recall the hat and respawn the witch’s body at the hat’s location. This essentially functions as a teleport or unique double-jump. Launch the hat upward, then recall your body to reach higher platforms.
It feels weird at first, but once you get the hang of it, hat-based movement becomes second nature.
You’ll need this technique constantly for reaching hidden areas.
Unlock and Use Permanent Abilities
Never Grave isn’t purely a roguelite. It has strong Metroidvania DNA, which means there are ability-gated areas throughout the game.
You’ll find blocked paths you simply can’t access yet, so don’t stress about these early on.
The first permanent ability you’ll unlock is the Celestial Plume, which gives you the air dash.
This is a game-changer for both combat and exploration. You unlock it by completing a maze puzzle in the second level of The Ruins.
Later, you’ll gain double jump and other traversal abilities.
Unlike Blessings and Grimoires, these are permanent across all future runs.
Once you unlock a new ability, revisit previous areas to find hidden Spells, Tools, and Blueprints behind previously impassable barriers.
Learn the Dungeon Structure
Understanding how the dungeons work will save you a lot of confusion.
The first biome is The Ruins, divided into Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3, plus a deeper zone called Ruins Depth that unlocks after completing the earlier areas.
Difficulty increases with each area. There’s also an optional alternate area called the Flooded Zone that can replace Area 2 or Area 3 on some runs, keeping things from getting too predictable.
Each biome has distinct enemy types and resources.
The procedural generation shuffles room layouts each run, but you’ll start recognizing templates after a few attempts.
Understand the Boss Seal System
Boss fights in Never Grave work differently than in most games.
Each boss door has three seals that need to be unlocked, meaning you’ll need to complete the dungeon areas at least three times before you can face the boss.
This sounds tedious on paper, but each run is also an opportunity to farm materials and build out your village.
Focus on clearing rooms thoroughly and stacking useful Blessings so every attempt counts.
When you do finally face the Crimson Warden (the first boss), be ready for a serious fight.
Bosses have complex attack patterns that demand careful observation. Beating the Crimson Warden unlocks the next biome, The Gardens, along with the Arctic Breath spell and new village options.
Bring Friends for Co-Op
Never Grave supports up to four-player online co-op with crossplay across all platforms.
To unlock multiplayer, you need to complete the tutorial and reach The Village first.
Once there, clear enough debris to build a Laboratory.
This facility contains special furniture that lets you create online multiplayer lobbies.
Friends can join regardless of whether they’re on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch.
Co-op is especially useful because each player can take a different path through the dungeon, letting your group cover more ground faster. It also makes boss fights much more manageable.
Stay Patient and Trust the Progression
The early hours of Never Grave can feel like a grind, and that’s by design.
The game rewards patience and steady investment in your village and permanent upgrades.
Every run moves you forward as long as you’re gathering resources and spending them wisely.
Once your upgrades start stacking and your permanent abilities come online, runs that felt impossible will start to feel manageable.
Stick with it, keep building, and the curse won’t stand a chance.
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Images in this article are from the Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse page on Steam and used under Fair Use.