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.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Keep of the Lead Lord | Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks basics | The Pilot | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Gungeon Proper | Item combinations the game highlights in blue mastery | The Pilot | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Black Powder Mine | Curse and Coolness hidden stats + gear | The Marine or The Pilot | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Hollow | Build optimization | The Marine | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Forge | Min-max | The Marine or The Robot | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Keep of the Lead Lord)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Chamber 1 Key Rewards: First Master Round, early chests, the Gungeon's first shop
What to Do in Keep of the Lead Lord
- Learn Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks. 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. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick The Pilot as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: A.W.P. or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Dodge roll invulnerability and blanks fundamentals
- The Pilot selected and functional
- Keep of the Lead Lord main content cleared
- Ready for Gungeon Proper
Phase 2: Early Game (Gungeon Proper)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Chamber 2 Key Rewards: Second Master Round, mid tier chests, NPC rescue rooms
What to Do in Gungeon Proper
- Work on 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. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for A.W.P. if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- You start each floor with two blanks, so spending one on a room you cannot read is correct rather than wasteful.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Black Powder Mine.
- Consider whether The Marine might suit your playstyle better than The Pilot.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Item combinations the game highlights in blue integrated into gameplay
- A.W.P. acquired
- Gungeon Proper fully cleared
- Ready for Black Powder Mine
Phase 3: Mid Game (Black Powder Mine)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Chamber 3 Key Rewards: Third Master Round, minecart routes, higher tier chest spawns
What to Do in Black Powder Mine
- Master Curse and Coolness hidden stats. 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. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Marine Sidearm. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Use a blank next to a cracked wall to open the secret room behind it, since shooting the wall alone does nothing.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Keys, chests and chest quality for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Curse and Coolness hidden stats mastered
- Marine Sidearm acquired or in progress
- Black Powder Mine fully cleared
- Ready for Hollow
Phase 4: Late Game (Hollow)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Chamber 4 Key Rewards: Fourth Master Round, red chest spawns, the route toward the Forge
What to Do in Hollow
- Finalize your build. You should be running The Marine or The Pilot with optimized gear.
- Marine Sidearm should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- Master Rounds for flawless boss kills optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Forge.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Marine Sidearm upgraded to max
- Hollow fully cleared
- Ready for Forge
Phase 5: Endgame (Forge)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Chamber 5 Key Rewards: Fifth Master Round, High Dragun kill, access to Bullet Hell
What to Do in Forge
- Forge tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Forge, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with The Robot for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Master Rounds for flawless boss kills mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Forge fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
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 Beginner's Guide
- Enter the Gungeon Tips & Tricks
- 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
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