Beginner's Guide

Introduction

Welcome to Star of Providence, a challenging bullet hell roguelike where you'll navigate a mysterious facility, battle enemies, collect powerful weapons, and face dangerous bosses. This guide aims to provide new players with the essential knowledge and strategies to survive their first runs and begin unlocking the many secrets within the game.

As a newcomer to this abandoned facility, you'll face countless challenges, but with practice and the right knowledge, you'll soon be delving deeper into its mysteries. Let's start with the basics you need to know.

Basic Controls

Star of Providence features intuitive controls that are easy to learn but require practice to master:

• Movement: WASD keys (keyboard) or left stick (controller)
• Aim/Shoot: Mouse (keyboard) or right stick (controller)
• Focus Mode: Shift key (keyboard) or left trigger (controller) - Slows movement for precise dodging
• Dash: Spacebar (keyboard) or right trigger (controller) - Provides brief invincibility
• Weapon Switch: Q key (keyboard) or Y button (controller)
• Use Item: E key (keyboard) or A button (controller)
• Map: Tab key (keyboard) or Select button (controller)

Core Mechanics

Before diving into the facility, it's important to understand the fundamental mechanics that will determine your success:

Health and Shields

Your ship has limited health (displayed as red hearts). Once depleted, your run is over. Shields (blue hearts) absorb damage before your health and can be replenished throughout your run.

Focus Mode

Holding the focus button slows your movement speed, allowing you to navigate through dense bullet patterns with greater precision. This is crucial for surviving in later floors where bullet density increases dramatically.

Dash

Dashing provides a brief period of invincibility, allowing you to pass through bullets unharmed. It has a short cooldown, so use it strategically to escape dangerous situations.

Procedural Generation

Each journey through the facility is unique, with procedurally generated layouts, enemy arrangements, and item drops. Learning to adapt to different situations is key to consistent success.

Your First Run

When starting your first run, you'll begin in the hub area. This is your central base between runs and contains several important features:

• Ship Selection: Initially, only the default ship "Null" is available, but you'll unlock more as you progress
• Practice Range: A safe area to test weapons and practice movement
• Cartridge Station: Where you can equip special cartridges (unlocked later)
• Run History: View statistics from previous attempts
• Facility Entrance: The portal to begin your run

For your initial few attempts, focus on learning enemy patterns and practicing dodging skills rather than trying to reach the final floors. Treat each early attempt as a training opportunity.

Weapon Basics

Star of Providence features a wide variety of weapons, each with unique firing patterns and strategies:

Weapon Categories

• Base Weapons: Your starting weapon with unlimited ammo
• Special Weapons: More powerful weapons with limited ammunition
• Modifiers: Items that alter weapon behavior, adding effects like split shots, homing capabilities, or elemental damage

Beginner-Friendly Weapons

Some weapons are more forgiving for new players:

• Shotgun: Powerful at close range with forgiving spread
• Assault Rifle: Balanced weapon with good damage and fire rate
• Wave Gun: Wide coverage that's great for crowd clearing

Experiment with different weapons to find ones that suit your playstyle. Some excel at room clearing, while others are better for boss fights.

Enemy Patterns

Learning enemy attack patterns is vital for survival. Most enemies telegraph their shots, giving you a brief window to position yourself safely.

Common Enemy Types

• Drones: Small, fast enemies that fire simple bullet patterns
• Turrets: Stationary enemies that fire in predictable patterns
• Chasers: Enemies that pursue your ship while firing
• Spawners: Generate smaller enemies until destroyed

Pickups and Upgrades

Throughout your run, you'll encounter various pickups and upgrades:

Common Pickups

• Health: Restores lost health
• Shields: Provides temporary protection
• Ammo: Replenishes your special weapon ammunition
• Currency: Used to purchase items at shops

Upgrade Types

• Weapon Upgrades: Enhance your firepower through new weapons or modifiers
• Ship Upgrades: Improve your ship's capabilities (speed, health, etc.)
• Special Items: Unique effects like screen-clearing bombs or temporary invincibility

When choosing upgrades, always consider your current build and playstyle. A coherent build is often more effective than random powerful items.

Shop Strategy

Shops appear regularly throughout your run and offer various items in exchange for currency:

Shopping Tips

1. Save Currency: Don't spend all your money immediately; save some for later shops that might have better items
2. Prioritize Health: If your health is low, prioritize healing items over weapon upgrades
3. Focus on Synergy: Look for items that complement your current weapons and upgrades
4. Shop Rerolls: If you don't see anything useful, some shops allow you to refresh their inventory for a price

Floor Progression

The facility is divided into different floors, each with its own theme, enemies, and challenges:

Floor 1: Entrance Level

The introductory floor has the simplest enemies and bullet patterns. Focus on collecting initial upgrades and learning the basics.

Floor 2: Maintenance Area

Slightly more challenging than Floor 1, with new enemy types and denser bullet patterns. Layouts become more complex.

Floor 3 and Beyond

Each subsequent floor introduces new enemy types, more complex rooms, and increasingly difficult boss encounters. Bullet patterns become denser, requiring more precise dodging.

Boss Tips

Each floor culminates in a boss battle. These challenging encounters require learning specific patterns and strategies:

General Boss Strategies

• Learn the Patterns: Bosses have predictable attack cycles; focus on identifying and responding to them
• Conserve Resources: Try to enter boss fights with good health and ammo
• Focus Movement: Use focus mode to navigate through dense bullet patterns
• Patience: Don't rush to deal damage; prioritize staying alive over finishing quickly

Floor 1 Boss: The Turret

The Turret is the first major boss encounter in the game and serves as an introduction to boss mechanics:

• It alternates between circular bullet patterns and directional streams
• Move in a circular pattern around the arena to avoid most attacks
• Use focus mode during dense bullet phases
• Save your dash for emergencies

Early Unlocks

As you progress, you'll unlock new content that can significantly change your gameplay experience:

Prioritized Unlocks

• Ship D-13: A more balanced ship that's great for beginners
• Basic Cartridges: Special items that provide passive bonuses
• Practice Mode: Allows you to practice against specific bosses

Focus on achieving these early unlocks to make subsequent runs easier and more enjoyable.

Advanced Tips

Once you're familiar with the basics, consider these advanced strategies:

• Room Clearing: Enter each room with a plan, identifying threat priorities and safe zones
• Ammo Management: Save special weapon ammunition for more difficult rooms and boss encounters
• Risk Assessment: Learn to evaluate whether challenge rooms are worth attempting based on your current health and equipment
• Secret Rooms: Look for cracks in walls or other visual cues that might indicate secret areas
• Synergistic Builds: As you gain experience, focus on creating powerful combinations of weapons and upgrades

Conclusion

This guide covers the fundamentals you need to begin your journey in Star of Providence. Remember that mastering the game takes time and practice. Don't be discouraged by failures - each run teaches you something new and brings you closer to success.

As you gain experience, you'll discover your preferred playstyles, weapon combinations, and strategies. The true joy of Star of Providence comes from this discovery process and the satisfaction of overcoming challenges that once seemed impossible.

Good luck, and may the eternal force grant you everlasting life!