Beginner Tips For Hyper Light Breaker

Hyper Light Breaker is the prequel to Hyper Light Drifter which came out seemingly eons ago in 2016. While Hyper Light Drifter was a more Zelda-like experience, Hyper Light Breaker is an action roguelike emphasizing multiplayer. Players can easily see how the two worlds are connected via the art style that oozes with color.

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In Hyper Light Breaker, players are a Breaker which amounts to a type of class system. Breakers are destined to fight bosses called Crowns and once enough are defeated, they can take on the Abyss King. It’s a standard setup for a roguelike but Hyper Light Breaker is anything but standard as it is one of the most challenging roguelikes in Early Access. Let’s go through some starter tips to get newbies on their feet.

7

Remap The Buttons

For The Switch Fans

Jumping into Hyper Light Breaker will be different for everyone on PC depending on the type of controller they use or if they have a Steam Deck. One of the best third-party controllers from a first-party company is the pro controller for the Switch. Players may need to tweak the settings and make sure the B button is assigned to jumping while A can be used to parry. Hyper Light Breaker is more of a game about dodging anyway, so it doesn’t even matter where the parry button gets assigned. Having B assigned to jumping will feel more natural for players used to platformers.

6

Understanding Your Moves

From Gliding To Surfing

There’s not much of a tutorial yet so new players may not understand their full repertoire while exploring the randomized islands in the game. For example, holding down the right trigger, on any controller setup, will activate a hoverboard in Hyper Light Breaker.

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Players may understand that knowledge through tutorials but there is a more secret use as hoverboards can also glide over water with ease. Holding down the jump button will create a parachute, similar to the gliders found in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Mastering these functions will make travel a lot easier between islands.

5

Shooting Vs Melee

Save Your Battery For Bigger Enemies

Players will be armed with a melee weapon and a gun when they start the game. New characters will start to unlock the further players get with different loadouts. Melee attacks don’t cost anything but shooting ranged weapons does. Battery life takes the form of bullets in Hyper Light Breaker and while normal shots may not be stronger than melee attacks, bullets will keep players safer. Attacking from a distance is always a good strategy in an action game to stay alive longer as it keeps players away from enemy attacks.

4

Getting Into The Gear System

Selling Over Hoarding

Players will find Gear which attributes to weapons in Hyper Light Breaker while Holobytes are accessories that can boost varying stats and they can grant skills. When players die, which will happen a lot as this is a roguelike experience, some equipment will be destroyed right away while others will lose health. Instead of keeping any equipment gained on a run to use in the next one, go ahead and sell it at a shop instead. This isn’t good advice for later hours in the game but for players wishing to get their feet in the door, they have to grind and this is one way to do it faster. When loot is acquired, sell it on the double, and don’t think twice.

3

Upgrade Your Breaker

Increase Your HUB And Stats

Most upgrades and equipment are temporary but hero upgrades on stats do carry over in-between runs. Players have to find four Core Shards on a map which are usually held by harder enemies. Defeat them, take their shard, and then move on to the next big bad mini-boss to complete the circuit. Once four Core Shards are collected, players can get a full Core used to upgrade Breakers from HP to attack power. It’s standard advice for most roguelikes or RPGs but HP is always a good first upgrade to purchase.

2

Healing Is Tricky

Finding Your First Big Upgrade

HP is a necessary first upgrade because healing is a chore in the game otherwise. Players can get MedKits but getting their first requires an upgrade on the skill tree separate from the hero stat upgrades. Players won’t start a run with a set amount of MedKits stashed away in Hyper Light Breaker when this skill is unlocked though.

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It’s not like how Estus Flasks work in Dark Souls games as players have to find specific materials to craft MedKits in Hyper Light Breaker and they are hard to piece together. Still, players will definitely want MedKits unlocked sooner rather than later.

1

Buddy Up On The Double

Co-Op Makes It Easier

Finally, Hyper Light Breaker is best savored as a co-op game. It’s what the game is balanced for as three players can join together on missions. Taking down bosses, or even just normal mobs will become a lot easier even without headset communication. If three friends gather, that will always be the best experience for a multiplayer game but players can still make good headway in the game with random parties too. It’s technically possible to get far in the Early Access version of Hyper Light Breaker alone but it’s not going to be fun which is why co-op should be tested.

Franchise

Hyper Light

Developer(s)

Heart Machine

Publisher(s)

Arc Games

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

Early Access Release

January 14, 2025

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