Bullet Heaven Tips for Your First Runs

If the genre is new to you, our plain guide to bullet heaven games explains the basics first.

Move first, fight second

In this genre you steer and the game attacks for you. Wikipedia describes a survivors-like as a shoot ‘em up where the character attacks on its own while you focus on movement to survive escalating waves. Gloomrush follows the same idea: you drag a thumb across the screen to move, and the hunter’s weapons attack automatically.

That makes movement your main skill. A few habits help:

• Move before you are surrounded. In a growing crowd, space is easier to keep than to win back. Leave room early.
• Avoid corners. Walls stop you from backing away. Circle in open space instead.
• Keep a gap to an exit. Know which side of the crowd is thin before you pick up anything.
• Do not chase every pickup. Gems matter, but a gem in the middle of a crowd is a bad trade.

Pick a plan at the first level-ups

Defeated monsters drop gems, and gathering them gains levels. Each level-up offers a choice of upgrades. You can carry up to six weapons at once, so the choices add up quickly. A common beginner approach in this genre is to put upgrades into a few weapons rather than spread them thin. Try both ways and compare how a run feels.

A simple plan for the first level-ups:

1. Take a weapon that you can see working. Use what you notice on screen, not a guess.
2. Put the next few level-ups into the same weapon or its partner item. Fewer, stronger choices also bring an evolution closer, because the page says an evolution starts from a fully upgraded weapon.
3. Add a second weapon only when the first feels solid. Variety comes after strength.

The evolution rule is simple: max a weapon out, hold its matching item and open a treasure chest, and it evolves into a far stronger form. So a plan has three parts: a weapon, its item and a chest.

How evolutions work in Gloomrush

The Store page lists eight weapons and eight evolutions, and eight items that let you mix and match your build. The weapons are a sword, silver daggers, holy water, blood crescents, bats, a crimson aura, shadow bolts and heavy stakes. The evolutions are Crimson Moon Blade, Silver Rain, Holy Flood, Blood Storm, Night Wings, Blood Bond, Shadow Storm and Stake Feast.

The page does not say which item or evolution belongs to which weapon, so we do not list pairs. The rule that does appear on the page is the one above: a maxed weapon, its matching item and a treasure chest.

Gems, chests, roast meat and gold

Four things lie on the ground, and they do different jobs.

Gold is the one that lasts: every run earns it. The Store page also says that from version 1.0.3 you can optionally watch a rewarded video to revive after you fall or to double a run’s gold. You never have to, and the game is playable without one.

Reading the crowd: space, corners and bosses

Bosses join the crowd as the night goes on. The Store page names the Chained Zombie Giant and the Magma Golem. Survive 30 minutes and, when the sun comes up, you win.

Three habits make a long night easier:

• Look at the crowd, not at your hunter. Your thumb steers the hunter, but your eyes belong on the gap.
• Move in wide loops. Short, sharp turns bring you back into the crowd.
• Give a boss room. If your weapons are ready, fighting a boss in open ground may be easier than in a corner.

If you want to see how the genre differs from other run-based games, roguelite versus roguelike sets out the difference.

Permanent upgrades and when to reset them

Every run earns gold, and you can spend it on permanent upgrades. The Store page names Hunter’s Fist, Stout Heart, Lodestone, Crystal Insight and Dawn’s Promise. Read each one in the game to see exactly what it does.

You can also reset these upgrades whenever you want to try a different build. A reset is useful in two situations:

• Your build is not working. If you keep dying the same way, a new set of upgrades is a fresh experiment.
• You want to test an idea. Reset, spend on a different path and see.

Do not reset in the middle of a good streak. Change one thing per run, so that you can tell what helped.

A plan for your first five runs

The plan is our own suggestion, not a tested route and not a promise about results. The point is to change one thing at a time.

Settings that help

Gloomrush has several settings that can make a run easier to read and kinder to your phone. You can choose 60 FPS or a 30 FPS battery saver, switch damage numbers, screen shake and flashes on or off, change the text size and turn vibration on or off. If the screen is too busy to follow, turning off damage numbers and shake can help. Our guide to game accessibility settings covers what to look for in any game.

Gloomrush works without a connection and without an account, so you can practise on a bus or in a queue. If you enjoy playing offline in general, how to check an Android game without Wi-Fi explains how.

Questions

How do I get better at bullet heaven games?

Keep moving, pick a plan at your first level-ups and spend your gold between runs. Build around a few weapons so each upgrade counts, and treat early runs as practice. Change one thing per run, so you can tell what helped.

Why do I keep dying before the first boss?

Three things to check: are you standing still, drifting into a corner, or spreading upgrades across too many weapons? Keep a clear exit, move before the crowd closes in, and put your level-ups into one or two weapons.

What is a weapon evolution?

In Gloomrush, a weapon evolves into a far stronger form when you max it out, hold its matching item and open a treasure chest. The Store page lists eight weapons and eight evolutions, and you can carry up to six weapons at once.

Is it worth resetting permanent upgrades?

Resetting is there for trying a different build. Gloomrush lets you reset permanent upgrades whenever you like. If your current set is not helping a new plan, a reset is a reasonable experiment. Read the in-game screen for what a reset returns.

Can I play a run in a short break?

A winning run in Gloomrush lasts 30 minutes, so a short break covers the early part of a run, which is good practice. The game works without a connection, so you can play almost anywhere.