Get streetwise.

Streets of Rogue has finally released from its stint in Early Access. This deep, original rogue-lite sees you picking one of 24 classes and fighting, stealing and sabotaging your way through sets of increasingly tougher levels. As with many in the genre, Streets of Rogue has a lot of systems and mechanics to learn which, when mastered, will help keep you alive and progress further on a run. While there’s no substitute for diving in and getting your hands dirty, discovering and practicing these features for yourself, we’ve gathered some handy hints to help get you started. Read on for tips on how to make your first runs as successful as possible.

The best classes to start with

The Hacker class is arguably one of the easiest to progress through the game with due to their remote abilities. You can often hack from inside a completely different building and go completely unnoticed. Hack a cloning machine and you can spawn a free clone, which is very effective for throwing enemies off your scent. Hackers can also disable security and trigger explosive traps on enemies.

If the Hacker doesn’t appeal, then go for a more traditional, combat-focused character like the Soldier or Werewolf. Enemies get tougher as you progress through Streets of Rogue, so having strong firepower is always advantageous. Slum Dweller is another simple class to choose that’s straight forward and effective.

Try every character once

Whereas some of the above are good starting points, you should really give each character a go at least once. Each has their own unique abilities, pros and cons, and you may be surprised by how differently some of them play. Not only could you be avoiding a character that’s a perfect match for your play style, but you’re also missing out if you don’t experience the variety of classes available in Streets of Rogue.

Focus on looting

There are a lot of containers scattered throughout Streets of Rogue’s levels. Don’t just rush through the objectives – take your time to loot as much food, money and items as you can from the trash cans and other containers, as this will pay off later in your run.

Don’t kill everyone

Unless you have good reason to do so – and sometimes you do – don’t just go around blindly attacking everyone in the game. Often you can find a path of least resistance in which you can avoid too many casualties, and reduce the risk to yourself as a result. For those that you do have to kill, try stealthier methods where possible. Placing contaminants in a building ventilation, for example – even non-deadly substances, like cigarettes – will spook the occupants into evacuation.

Knock on windows and doors

If you’re trying to break into a building more stealthily, knock on windows and doors to grab the attention of its occupants. This can give you a ‘window’ of opportunity. If you time it right, you can knock on a door, let the NPC open it and step out, then follow them in just as they turn back around. Effortless trespassing!

Exploit weapon switching

Switching weapons slows down time temporarily. If the on-screen action is getting too hectic, you can use this to your advantage – keep changing weapons and you’ll induce a sort of hacky bullet-time, giving you some time to breathe and deal with the situation at hand.

Pit your enemies against each other

With some deft footwork, you can save your skin by turning your enemies on each other. If someone is attacking you, position yourself near a police officer. If you dodge their bullets and they hit the copper, that cop will retaliate. Then all you have to do is slip away and leave them to it.

Time your level-ups effectively

Each time you level up in a run, your health is restored to full, which can be an absolute lifesaver. If you’re just about to level up, try (safely!) obtaining the final bit of XP you need rather than consuming your health items.

Don’t hoard your stuff

While it pays off to be a little strategic with the use of your good loot, don’t be too precious over it – Streets of Rogue’s unpredictable rogue-lite nature means that you never know what’s coming next. If an item can save your skin right now, use it, don’t worry about whether you’ll need it later or not. Inventory management can also be an issue as you get further into a run, which is only exacerbated by clinging on to too many items unnecessarily.

This tip also goes for money – don’t be afraid to stock up on the health items and equipment you need. There’s no benefit to being a Scrooge when you’re dead from under-preparedness.

What to do with syringes

If you’ve looted a syringe and don’t know what’s in it, it can be very risky to try it out on yourself. Instead, use the substance on a building’s ventilation system – especially if it’s a building you needed to break into anyway. It’ll scare the occupants into evacuating, and if it pumps a beneficial effect into the air you can enter to gain the buff yourself.