Best Tips and Tricks for Caves of Qud

It’s no secret that Caves of Qud is a difficult game, but the only thing more impressive than the number of things that can kill players is the number of solutions players can cook up in the face of danger. Doing so is neither simple nor easy, but it’s always an option.

However, before you can start performing jedi mind tricks or creating a warband of trigger-happy maniacs, you’ll first need to grasp the very basics of Caves of Qud. This isn’t like any of the typical Roguelike games out there — it won’t hold your hand, and you’ll probably die a lot, so here are a few tips and tricks you can use to make the starting experience a little smoother.

Learn The Controls

• Check your keybindings to see if you need to replace anything.

Almost everything in Caves of Qud is complicated to some degree, and that includes even the default control scheme. You can manipulate most parts of the game with your mouse, but if you want to be efficient, you’ll need to learn (or maybe rebind) the keyboard controls. For reference, some of the most important default keybindings are:

• Movement: Arrow Keys/NumPad
• World Map: Numpad – (return to your character via NumPad +)
• Attack: Smack into an enemy with movement keys
• Force Attack: Ctrl + any movement key
• Ranged Attack: F, cycle targets with movement keys, then Space to fire
• I: Inventory
• L: Look (examines objects in the world)

Of course, there are many more important things to learn, but you can discover those yourself later on.

What Is The Goal In Caves Of Qud?

• There’s a main questline, but players aren’t bound to it.

Caves of Qud puts players in an open sandbox where they can do whatever the game will allow them to. Compared to roguelikes like Hades, there is no set goal in Caves of Qud, though there is a main story for those who are interested in it. To start it, speak with all the NPCs in your starting town and finish two quests. This will eventually lead you to a quest called More Than A Willing Spirit.

Get Wayfaring Skills

• Wayfaring skills prevent you from getting lost, potentially saving your run.

If you aren’t using any of the preset classes in Caves of Qud, we recommend starting with at least 19 Intelligence, or enough for you to get the Wayfinding skill. This skill tree has skills that will help you traverse the world more quickly via the map screen without getting lost. Try to get Mind’s Compass and the approriate Wilderness Lore for the region you’re traversing.

Getting lost will throw you into a random area that’s likely to be very dangerous, so do your best not to overuse the World Map movement unless you have the right skills.

Always Have Water

• Water is needed for trading and to stave off dehydration.

Dehydration is lethal in Caves of Qud, so if you run out of water, your character won’t have much time left. Luckily (depending on the context), water is also the game’s main currency. If you find any unwanted items and trinkets while adventuring, do sell them to traders to keep your water reserves stocked.

Keep in mind that since water is an actual physical thing that you need to lug around, you’ll need to store them in containers like waterskins. This also means that the amount of water you can carry is limited to your carrying capacity.

Look Before You Fight

• Press L to examine creatures and assess the situation.

Qud is a nasty place, and it would be safe to assume that everything that looks at you funny is out to get you. If you aren’t sure if a creature is hostile, press the L button to Look at it. This brings up a small display showing the creature’s attitude towards you as well as their toughness.

Looking at something should be the first thing you do whenever you see something unfamiliar, whether it’s a plant, an animal, or literally anything else that looks violent.

When In Doubt, Run Away

• You can use Sprint to run away from danger.

Every character (except maybe for those with no legs) can use the Sprint skill to run away from danger. This is especially useful if you run into something that’s much stronger than you, like a group of mutant-hating Putus Templars Sprint will remain active for a number of rounds before going on cooldown, so don’t use it unless absolutely necessary. If you start as a Mutant in Caves of Qud, you can grow extra legs or wings to help you escape trouble even faster.

Find and Hunt Snapjaws

• Snapjaws are weak and plentiful, making them great sources of early XP.

Snapjaws are hostile creatures that will usually attack on-sight. They’re fairly weak (except for their elite or legendary variants), and they make for good loot and XP piñatas. If you want to gain some extra levels early, then finding a group of Snapjaws and beating them up is often the easiest way to do so.

You can usually find Snapjaws just by exploring the wilderness. However, you should have an easier time finding them by choosing Joppa as your starting location in Caves of Qud.

How to Recover Health

• Apart from Bandages, players can use Witchwood Bark to heal up.

You recover HP naturally as you move around or perform actions out of combat. This natural regeneration can be strengthened by a number of perks (such as the aptly named Regeneration mutation), but if you need to heal up in a fight, you can use Bandages and Witchwood Bark. These are fairly cheap items, so you should always stock up on some when you meet a trader.

Keep in mind that Witchwood Bark has a chance to cause Confusion, which will turn your screen into a garbled mess for a few turns. Before consuming Witchwood Bark, make sure to take note of enemy positions and possible escape routes.

Identify Weird Artifacts

• Weird Artifacts are often useful or expensive items, but they need to be identified first.

You’ll usually come across some Weird Artifacts while adventuring, or you might get them as rewards from quests like What’s Eating The Watervine. These might seem useless, but you can actually identify these items by opening the inventory and using the Examine action on them. Just press Space on the artifact you want to identify, then select the Examine button. If your character isn’t smart enough to recognize the thing they’re holding, bring the artifact to a Tinker in any village.

Be Creative

• If you think it works, it probably will.

Players have an astounding degree of freedom when it comes to how they deal with things in Caves of Qud. Sure, you have your weapons and skills to make attacks, but you can push the envelope even further by doing some absolutely crazy things. Grow additional arms so you can wield four weapons, make yourself immune to fire and immolate an entire area with grenades, punch your way through a mountain, turn yourself into a door, the list goes on. Whatever it is you’re thinking, the game will probably let you do it.