Dead Cells is a roguelike, which means every death *matters*. Don't get discouraged! As you go throughout the level, you will encounter enemies. Attack with your first weapon with left click, and your second with right click. Primary weapons come in three varieties, Melee, Ranged, and Shields. Melee weapons consist of swords, spears, fists, boots, and more, while Ranged weapons are mostly Bows. Shields, while they don't vary much, have a range of effects when blocking enemy attacks.

Weapons are split between Brutality, Tactics, and Survival, and the scrolls you take determine how powerful these weapons become over time. Brutality is a very damage-heavy playstyle, being able to run in and cause mass amounts of damage and status effects. Like killing fast? You'll enjoy brutality. Tactics relies on player skills to get them through levels. Tactics weapons generally consist of bows and ranged weapons, though skills will be heavily relied upon. Skills range from grenades, traps, and turrets, and they sit in the player's 3rd and 4th weapon slots, and usually have a cooldown. Tactics allows for a hit-and-run playstyle, being able to have Skills take the frontline while you damage enemies from afar. Survival is all about staying alive and mitigating damage. Weapons in this category tend to cause status effects on enemies, including shields, which can be held up to reduce damage, or activated just as an enemy attacks to parry, completely negating damage and sometimes causing critical hits for other weapons. Survival isn't meant for rushing through levels, but you'll definitely see yourself getting through the level, whatever it takes.