Chapter 1 of 24 · Begin well

At the start of the first night

Use the four actions that keep you safe, clear the opening room, and reach the fixed Apollo offer.

Witch's StaffSpoilers: none

Do these first

Full steps below

Recognize where the fresh save starts
Use the Staff as two ranges
Treat Cast as your safety tool
Spend Magick on purpose
Check the Salute control
Let the first night teach you
Use God Mode if you want more room to learn

Recognize these first

Crossroads: The safe hub you first reach after the opening night ends. This is where you talk to characters and make permanent upgrades.
Night: One attempt through a route. A night ends when Melinoë falls or completes that route.
Room: One combat or event area during a night. Clear it, take its reward, then choose the next door.
Life and Magick: Life is your health. Magick is the blue resource spent by charged Omega actions.
Dash and Sprint: Press the Dash/Sprint control once for a short burst of movement. Keep holding that same control after the dash to continue into a Sprint.
Salute: A context action used near characters and certain Crossroads objects. Open Options, then Controls, to see or rebind it. The default is T on a keyboard and left bumper on an Xbox-style controller.
God Mode: An optional gameplay setting that starts with 20% damage resistance. Each eligible failed night adds 2 percentage points, up to the selected God Mode Limit.

What a fresh save gives you

A fresh save places Melinoë directly in the first Erebus combat room with the Witch's Staff already equipped. The first night is already underway. You reach the Crossroads only after this attempt ends.

A night is one attempt through a route. You move through combat rooms, choose one reward after each room, and return to the Crossroads when the attempt ends. Early deaths open more conversations and systems. They do not damage the save.

Use this for the first night

Nothing needs to be assembled yet. Use the starting Staff and practice one short sequence.

Weapon: Witch's StaffIt is already equipped and gives you a close Attack plus a safer ranged Special.
Witch's Staff
Room sequence: Cast, Special, then Attack only when the lane is clearCast controls normal foes, Special deals damage from range, and Attack finishes isolated targets.
Omega rule: Charge only after Cast has created spaceCharging without a protected window leaves you standing still inside enemy attack patterns.

Learn the four actions that keep you safe

Attack and Special are the two repeatable actions supplied by the equipped weapon. With the Staff, Attack is close-range and Special travels safely from a distance.
Hold Attack or Special to charge its Omega version. The charge uses Magick and leaves Melinoë exposed, so release it only after creating space.
Cast places a binding circle around Melinoë. Normal enemies inside it cannot move freely, which creates room to attack or leave.
Press A once for a short dash. Keep holding A to Sprint away from an enemy attack line instead of trying to win every exchange.

Practice this before chasing damage

Recognize where the fresh save starts
A fresh save begins in the first room of the Underworld route, not at the Crossroads. Clear this room with the starting Staff. Apollo’s fixed reward appears after the room is cleared.
Use the Staff as two ranges
Tap Attack for quick nearby strikes. Tap Special to fire from farther away. Hold either button only when Cast or an enemy recovery animation gives you time to charge the Omega version.
Witch's Staff
Treat Cast as your safety tool
Press Cast as normal enemies approach, then move outside the bright attack shapes they draw on the ground. Strike while the enemies remain inside the circle. Guardians can move through it, but the same habit still creates deliberate spacing.
Spend Magick on purpose
An Omega action is useful when it solves the current enemy group or creates a safe damage window. Do not empty the bar simply because a move can be charged.
Check the Salute control
Open Options, then Controls, and find Salute. Stand near a character or object that shows the Salute prompt, then press the listed control. The binding can be changed, so the Controls screen is authoritative for your setup.
Let the first night teach you
A death is expected progression, not a failed save. Notice which enemy action hit you, which reward you chose, and whether you still had Cast, Sprint, or distance available.
Use God Mode if you want more room to learn
God Mode is available in the gameplay options. It immediately reduces incoming damage by 20%. Each eligible failed night adds another 2 percentage points of resistance, for at most 30 increases and never beyond the selected God Mode Limit. A cleared route, a cleared bounty, or a Surface death caused by the life penalty does not add an increase.

If the controls still feel crowded

If the controls feel crowded, use only normal Attack, Special, Cast, and Sprint until each has a clear purpose. Add Omega moves after that basic sequence feels stable.