This Saros Beginner’s Guide details everything that you need to know to start your adventure in Saros, including some helpful tips and tricks to master it. Saros can feel difficult when you first start, especially with how intense the combat gets. But once you understand how the game works, it becomes much easier to handle.
Beginner’s Guide – Saros
These are all the tips and tricks you should follow when playing the game for the first time.
Don’t Ignore the Base – Passage
Even though moving quickly through areas feels rewarding, it is actually a good idea to return to your base, called the Passage, from time to time. Going back there isn’t just for a break; new story details, conversations, and small environmental changes appear whenever you return.
Since the game uses death as part of its storytelling, staying alive for too long can cause you to miss some of these moments. So even if you are doing well, revisiting the Passage helps you understand more of what is going on.
Keep Progressing Instead of Going Back
It might feel natural to return to older areas once you get new gear, but doing that too early doesn’t really help much. Until you unlock most of your equipment and upgrade slots, revisiting previous zones won’t give you anything major.
You will gain more by pushing forward into new areas and focusing on your current objective. Important upgrades are often tied to defeating bosses, and those unlock better progression through the Armor Matrix. If you keep going back too soon, you may collect some resources, but you will miss out on bigger, long-term Halcyon upgrades.
Explore Side Paths Whenever You Can
As you move through areas, you will notice different paths marked on your map. Some lead forward, while others are optional. Blue Flags mark the progress, and White Flags mark the side routes. These side routes are usually worth checking because they often contain useful items like upgrades or healing.
They are not always very dangerous either, so you don’t lose much by taking a short detour. Even if you feel strong already, exploring these areas can still give you small advantages that add up over time.
Use Shield as an Offensive Tool
Your shield isn’t just for defense. Instead of thinking of it as a simple block, treat it like a way to absorb enemy attacks for your benefit. Many enemies fire long streams of blue projectiles, and these are useful.
If you hold your shield while dashing, you can move farther and absorb a large number of these projectiles at once. This fills your power weapon energy quickly, letting you use stronger attacks more often during fights.
Learn the Punch Shield Technique
There is another way to deal with incoming attacks using your melee strike. When you tap the melee button, your character briefly gains a small shield during the animation.
This method requires better timing than holding your full shield, but it lets you break through projectiles faster while still gaining energy. It can even deal with dangerous, yellow corrupted shots without adding corruption to your health. Over time, this technique becomes very useful once you get comfortable with combat.
Try Your Luck in Timed Reward Rooms
Sometimes you will enter rooms where you must quickly choose between rewards before paths close. While it may seem like you can only pick one, in some cases, you can actually grab both if you move fast enough.
It depends on the room layout, but there is no harm in trying. Even if you fail to reach the second item, you will still be able to leave safely, so it is always worth the attempt.
Manage Corruption Before Healing
Corruption lowers your maximum health, making fights harder the longer it builds up. It happens when you get hit by certain attacks or handle them the wrong way.
You can remove corruption by using your power weapon, which consumes stored energy. There are also upgrades that turn incoming corruption into energy instead, especially when combined with the punch shield technique. While this might feel advanced at first, it becomes easier to manage as you improve.
Don’t Underestimate Melee Attacks
It might seem safer to stay at a distance, but melee combat is surprisingly strong. Your punches can break shields and even defeat weaker enemies instantly.
This is especially helpful against small but annoying enemies that distract you during fights. Using melee at the right moment can save time and make fights feel smoother, especially when enemies get too close.
Keep Moving During Combat
If you ever see an artifact that reduces your damage while standing still, it is usually not a big problem. In this game, staying still is rarely a good idea anyway.
You are almost always moving, dodging, or repositioning, so this kind of drawback won’t affect you much.
Build Around Drive
When you unlock the Armor Matrix, you will be able to spend your Lucenite on different upgrades. Out of all the options, improving your Drive is one of the smartest early choices. It increases how much Lucenite you gain, which helps you unlock other upgrades faster later on.
Think Before Activating Eclipse
You will come across special points that trigger an Eclipse, making enemies tougher but increasing rewards. While sometimes you are required to activate it to move forward, other times it is optional.
Before turning it on, consider if you are ready for a harder fight. If your equipment or health isn’t in a good state, it might be better to skip it and continue safely.
During this phase, you will start finding corrupted Artifacts, which come with both benefits and drawbacks. These negatives can make fights harder, so activating Eclipse too early can make your run more difficult than it needs to be.
Pay Attention to Weapon Details
Weapons in Saros are not always straightforward. Even if two weapons seem similar, their traits and stat bonuses can make a big difference.
Generally, picking a weapon with higher proficiency is the safe choice. But if the difference is small, it is worth checking the skills and traits attached to each weapon. Some combinations can work better with your current build and give you an advantage in combat. Over time, learning how these stats work will help you make better choices.
Health Recovery Perks Can Save Runs
Some upgrades allow you to recover health when reaching a boss. These can be extremely useful, especially if your run hasn’t gone well.
Since healing is limited, having a way to restore your health before a big fight can completely change the outcome. It gives you a second chance, even after a rough journey.
Focusing on upgrades that improve how fast you gain Lucenite helps you level up quicker. Staying at full health is also important, because healing items turn into extra Lucenite when you don’t need them, boosting your progression even more.
Don’t Skip the Passage Portal
At some point, a portal will appear in your base that looks similar to dangerous challenge areas. It is easy to avoid it because it seems risky, but this one is different.
Instead of combat, it leads to important story moments. You will see a golden glowing effect when there is something new inside, so it is always worth entering when it appears.
Manage Your Artifacts Smartly
Artifacts give you useful bonuses, but you can only carry a limited number at once. If you find a better one later, you don’t have to stick with your current setup.
There is a way to remove Artifacts using a special item called an Acolyte’s Wager, which you unlock after progressing further and upgrading your Armor Matrix. This lets you swap out weaker or less useful Artifacts for better ones during a run. It is a good idea to review your setup before tough fights and adjust if needed.
Collect Lucenite Quickly
After defeating enemies, they drop Lucenite, but it doesn’t stay on the ground forever. If you wait too long, it disappears, so you need to grab it quickly.
However, don’t rush into danger just to collect it. Sometimes it is better to let a small amount go rather than take damage that could end your run. You can also unlock upgrades that make Lucenite last longer on the ground, which helps a lot in harder fights.
Improve Your Core Attributes
Your attributes affect both your weapons and your character:
- Resilience increases your maximum health
- Command boosts your power weapon capacity and shield usage
- Drive helps you gain proficiency faster
You can improve these permanently through the Armor Matrix and temporarily through items found during runs. Some upgrades even allow enemies to drop attribute boosts, giving you extra strength during a run.
Auto Aim vs Manual Aim
Weapons in Saros can either assist your aim or require full manual control.
Auto-aim weapons make it easier to hit enemies, especially when dealing with multiple targets. However, they usually aim at the center of enemies rather than weak spots.
Manual aim weapons give you more control, allowing you to target weak points for extra damage. Both styles have advantages, so it is worth trying both and seeing which suits your playstyle.
Save Keys for Later Use
Keys are rare and valuable, so using them early in a run isn’t always the best idea. Rewards from locked chests or areas scale with your progress, meaning you will get better items later.
Holding onto keys until you are further into a run can give you much stronger rewards, making them more useful overall.
Focus on Permanent Progress
Some items give you immediate benefits, while others help you in the long run. Resources like Halcyon are more important because they unlock permanent upgrades.
Even if it feels tempting to take something that helps right now, choosing long-term progression will make future runs easier and more consistent.
Take Advantage of Stagger Damage
Some weapons build up stagger on enemies. When the stagger bar fills, enemies enter a weakened state where they take more damage.
This is the best moment to attack aggressively. You can use melee strikes or your power weapon to deal heavy damage while they are vulnerable, making fights much quicker and easier.
Use Power Weapons for Hidden Rewards
In each area, you may find special walls that can only be destroyed using your power weapon. Behind them, you will usually find useful resources.
It is a good idea to keep at least some power weapon energy ready when moving between areas, so you don’t miss these hidden rewards.
That is all for this guide. Additional Saros guides are linked below:
- Saros Parry Guide – How to Parry, Master Parry
- Saros Barriers Guide – How to Break Yellow and Red Barriers
- Saros Grappling Guide – How to Unlock. How to Use
This concludes our Saros Beginner’s Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.
