Enter the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon crawler by Dodge Roll, published by Devolver Digital and released on 5 April 2016. Four misfits descend through a gun shaped fortress looking for a weapon that can kill their own past, and the run gives them over 200 guns and hundreds of items to find on the way down. Every room is a bullet pattern puzzle solved with a dodge roll that grants brief invulnerability and a blank that wipes projectiles off the screen. Runs last roughly 30 to 60 minutes, nothing carries over except permanent unlocks bought with Hegemony Credits, and the difficulty curve is famously steep.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Dodge roll through a bullet rather than away from it, because the invulnerability window is short and rolling backwards usually lands you in the next wave
Dodge roll through a bullet rather than away from it, because the invulnerability window is short and rolling backwards usually lands you in the next wave.
2. You start each floor with two blanks, so spending one on a room you cannot read is correct rather than wasteful
You start each floor with two blanks, so spending one on a room you cannot read is correct rather than wasteful.
3. Use a blank next to a cracked wall to open the secret room behind it, since shooting the wall alone does nothing
Use a blank next to a cracked wall to open the secret room behind it, since shooting the wall alone does nothing.
4. Fight Chamber 1 to Chamber 5 bosses patiently, because a no-hit kill grants a Master Round and a permanent extra heart container for that run
Fight Chamber 1 to Chamber 5 bosses patiently, because a no-hit kill grants a Master Round and a permanent extra heart container for that run.
5. Do not spend keys on brown chests on the first floor, since the same key opens a green or red chest two floors later for far more value
Do not spend keys on brown chests on the first floor, since the same key opens a green or red chest two floors later for far more value.
6. Shoot a chest once before opening it, because a mimic will react and you would rather fight it on your terms than while reaching for loot
Shoot a chest once before opening it, because a mimic will react and you would rather fight it on your terms than while reaching for loot.
7. Watch your curse total when taking items from Cursula or cursed chests, because at 10 curse the Lord of the Jammed spawns and hunts you
Watch your curse total when taking items from Cursula or cursed chests, because at 10 curse the Lord of the Jammed spawns and hunts you.
8. Clearing a room without taking damage raises Coolness, which shortens active item cooldowns and improves drop chances, so patience compounds
Clearing a room without taking damage raises Coolness, which shortens active item cooldowns and improves drop chances, so patience compounds.
9. Check the Ammonomicon when you pick something up, since it highlights in light blue every other item that pairs with it and tells you what to keep an eye out for
Check the Ammonomicon when you pick something up, since it highlights in light blue every other item that pairs with it and tells you what to keep an eye out for.
10. Sell unwanted items to the Sell Creep in the Breach for Hegemony Credits, which buy permanent additions to the item pool for every future run
Sell unwanted items to the Sell Creep in the Breach for Hegemony Credits, which buy permanent additions to the item pool for every future run.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For The Marine (A-Tier):
- Focus on Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Marine Sidearm
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For The Pilot (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: A.W.P.
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Enter the Gungeon's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks + Item combinations the game highlights in blue: The dodge roll gives a short window where bullets pass straight through you, and it also flips tables into cover and carries you over pits in some cases. Combined with Item combinations the game highlights in blue, certain guns and items become far stronger when held together, and the game tells you it has happened with a light blue arrow above your head and a name in the pickup popup.
Curse and Coolness hidden stats + Keys, chests and chest quality: Curse rises when you take cursed items or open certain chests, and it makes enemies faster, adds jammed variants and raises the stakes across the whole run. When paired with Keys, chests and chest quality, keys are the tightest resource in the game because almost every chest needs one, and chests come in brown, blue, green, red and black tiers with steadily better contents.
Master Rounds for flawless boss kills scaling: Killing a boss on Chambers 1 through 5 without taking a single point of damage awards a Master Round, which is a permanent extra heart container for that run. Five Master Rounds turn a fragile run into one that can survive the Forge and Bullet Hell. It is the mechanic that pushes good players to fight bosses patiently rather than trading hits, because two extra containers matter far more than thirty seconds saved.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Sidearm | Early floors and any moment when your good gun has run out of ammo. | The Marine's starting pistol and the strongest of the four default sidearms, with infinite ammo and enough damage to carry a full floor if nothing better drops. |
| A.W.P. | Boss fights and any run where you have picked up a frost related item. | A bolt action sniper rifle with a tiny magazine and heavy single shot damage, awkward on trash and excellent on bosses. |
| Patriot | Late floor bosses where sustained damage matters more than mobility. | A heavy rotary gun with high sustained output, one of the strongest raw damage guns in the game and a reliable boss killer. |
| Vulcan Cannon | Packed rooms on the Hollow and the Forge where enemy count is the problem. | A spin up minigun with an enormous ammo pool and a wide spray, built to delete crowded rooms rather than snipe. |
| Black Hole Gun | Emergency clears in boss phases where blanks have already been spent. | Fires a singularity that pulls in enemy bullets and enemies alike, briefly turning a bullet hell pattern into an empty room. |
Location Efficiency
Keep of the Lead Lord (Chamber 1): The first chamber and the calmest floor in the game, with the Bullet King, Gatling Gull and Trigger Twins as possible bosses. It is where you should be building the run rather than spending it, so keys and blanks saved here pay off two floors down.
Gungeon Proper (Chamber 2): The second chamber, with tighter rooms and enemies that shoot in patterns rather than lines. The Beholster is the boss most players meet first here, and its shifting eye patterns are the game's first real reading test.
Black Powder Mine (Chamber 3): The third chamber, which adds minecarts, explosive barrels and environmental damage on top of the usual patterns. Cannonbalrog and the Mine Flayer are the bosses, and the floor punishes players who fight next to anything red.
Hollow (Chamber 4): The fourth chamber and a clear difficulty step, with dense rooms, water hazards and the Wallmonger among its bosses. Runs that reach here without Master Rounds usually end here.
Forge (Chamber 5): The fifth chamber, a lava works that ends with the High Dragun, the game's headline boss. Almost every run that dies with a strong build dies here, and clearing it is what unlocks the deeper content behind it.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Rolling away from bullet patterns instead of through them, which wastes the invulnerability window and moves you into the next wave.
- Saving blanks for an emergency that never comes, then dying on Chamber 4 with four unused blanks in the inventory.
- Opening every brown chest on Chamber 1, which burns the keys that would have opened a red chest on Chamber 3.
- Taking every cursed item on offer without tracking the total, then meeting the Lord of the Jammed at 10 curse with a half built run.
- Trading hits with bosses to end fights faster, which throws away the Master Rounds that make the Forge and Bullet Hell survivable.
Pro Quick Tips
- Dodge roll through a bullet rather than away from it, because the invulnerability window is short and rolling backwards usually lands you in the next wave.
- You start each floor with two blanks, so spending one on a room you cannot read is correct rather than wasteful.
- Use a blank next to a cracked wall to open the secret room behind it, since shooting the wall alone does nothing.
- Start with The Pilot, switch to The Marine when ready
- Invest in Marine Sidearm above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Keep of the Lead Lord → Gungeon Proper → Black Powder Mine → Hollow → Forge. See our maps guide
- Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks + Item combinations the game highlights in blue together are stronger than either alone
More Enter the Gungeon Guides
- Enter the Gungeon Enter the Gungeon Overview
- Enter the Gungeon Best Builds
- Enter the Gungeon Tier List
- Enter the Gungeon Walkthrough
- Enter the Gungeon Beginner's Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Weapons Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Combat Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Boss Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Maps & Locations
- Enter the Gungeon Crafting Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Enter the Gungeon, check out these related guides:
- Risk of Rain 2 Tips & Tricks: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Hades Tips & Tricks: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Darkest Dungeon Tips & Tricks: roguelike game with similar mechanics
