Steelrising beginners guide: 7 tips to help you get started

The recently released action role-playing title Steelrising has been making headlines due to its slick combat, engaging narrative, and a bevy of fun boss fights that are bound to make any soul-like fan happy.

Developed by Spiders, Steelrising is a weird mix of steampunk and alternate history where players take on the role of Aegis. This mysterious automaton has to take on the king's army to aid the revolution.

Steelrising's setting is a unique take on the French Revolution, including some of the most notable personalities in history, such as Robespierre, Lafayette, and Marie-Antoinette.

Although the game has a compelling narrative bound to keep players immersed in the experience, the highlight of Steelrising is its action-packed combat, which is a fresh new take on the popular souls-like genre.

Developer Spiders have made the game one of the most accessible and fun souls-like experiences by implementing specific mechanics to help any newcomer ease into the game's fast-paced combat system.

However, there are still a few things that the game does not outright explain to players, which can help them in the early sections of Steelrising.

Here are seven tips and tricks that will help newcomers ease into the punishing yet satisfying experience of Steelrising.

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From combat to weapon choices, seven tips to get newcomers started with Steelrising

1) Best starting classes to choose from

Much like any other soul-like title, the opening of Steelrising has players customizing Aegis' appearance and deciding on the starting class, which essentially dictates their playstyle for the first few hours of the game.

There are multiple aspects to consider when choosing the class and playstyle that players wish to use for the first couple of hours or master throughout their journey, including but not limited to stats to focus on and the weapons they wish to wield.

There are a total of four different classes that players can start their journey with Bodyguard, Soldier, Dancer, and Alchemist. Each of these classes has its strengths and weaknesses.

For someone new to the souls-like genre or beginning their first playthrough of Steelrising, Bodyguard and Soldier are the perfect class choices due to their raw DPS and defensive attributes.

Bodyguard is a strength-based melee class, allowing players to wield heavy weapons such as the Body of Work Hammer, which, although considered cumbersome, can deal tons of damage in single hits.

The Soldier class, on the other hand, is a bit balanced when it comes to DPS and agility, giving players Gribeauval Halberd which is very effective both at the range, allowing players to deal massive damage to enemies from a distance.

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2) Effectively managing stamina during combat

Steelrising is very much reliant on players managing their stamina during combat to perform any action, be it trading blows with the enemy automatons or dodging out of the way of harm.

Stamina is crucial during the game's frequent but not-so-complicated platforming sections, requiring players to time their jump and mid-air dash.

Stamina can quickly be depleted during the earlier sections of the game, especially when players' Endurance stats are low. To boost stamina recovery, players should remember to invest a couple of points into the Vigor attribute or wear specific armor with lower encumbrance. Regardless of what players choose, they must purchase the Endurance Module to increase their maximum stamina.

Running out of stamina mid-combat will cause Aegis to overheat, which causes her actions to slow down momentarily, leaving her open to fatal damage. Players can immediately recover from that state by pressing the PlayStation controller's triangle button or the Xbox controller's Y-button, which recovers a certain percentage of stamina.

Doing so repeatedly fills up the frost gauge, resulting in Aegis freezing for several seconds, leaving her susceptible to damage.

Players can invest in the Efficient Ventilation module to reduce frost damage, but even with the module installed, they will need to be careful with using rapid stamina recovery.

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3) Utilizing stealth to take down foes

Steelrising is a game of options, allowing players to tackle combat in multiple ways they see fit. One such option to engage with enemies is stealth, allowing players to silently take down rogue automatons without needing to exchange blows.

Sneaking up on targets by cautiously walking toward them will give players a distinct advantage in combat. Managing to kick the automatons right when their diamond-shaped indicator turns red will allow players to deal massive amounts of damage. This will stagger enemies for a good few seconds to deal more damage via charged heavy attacks.

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4) Maximising physical damage dealt

Steelrising features six attributes that players can invest in depending on their preferred playstyle and starting class. Investing several points into Power and Agility will considerably improve the physical damage dealt per hit, along with Impact and Immobilization, respectively. THis allows players to stagger or knock back enemies with a heavy or charged attack.

The game is tailored towards a fast-paced and aggressive combat system, akin to games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice or Bloodborne, encouraging players to stay on the offensive and giving minimal downtime for enemy automatons to recover.

Steelrising also employs a parry system which is rather difficult to time due to its lengthy animation. However, investing time to learn the timings can prove beneficial. Parrying attacks automatically puts enemies into a staggered state, leaving them open to damage via charged heavy attacks or a flurry of light attacks.

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5) Best weapons to use in early-game

Steelrising has many weapon choices for players, from fast twin fans and batons to slow but heavy-hitting hammers. Choosing the right weapon is as crucial as picking the suitable class, especially in the early parts of the game, where the player's options are limited.

The best weapons for beginners can hit hard while also providing enough endurance to dodge out of harm's way at the right moment. The Armored Fans are possibly the best choice for players during the early sections of the game since they pack quite a punch at close range while giving players the agility they need to dodge incoming enemy attacks.

Another good weapon of choice is the Body of Work Hammer, which, while lacking in the agility provided by the twin fans, is a massive DPS weapon capable of demolishing low-level enemies in just a couple of hits.

Players can also pair their primary weapons with ones capable of dealing passive damage via elemental status ailments, such as the Hephaestus Batons or Fire Chain.

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6) Efficiently using the grenades

Grenades in Steelrising are very effective at dealing with damages and staggering enemies and bosses. The game has multiple grenade choices, from frost and incendiary to petrifying grenades.

The ones that are most effective against the game's many mini-bosses and main Titan bosses are the explosive and petrifying grenades.

The explosive grenades deal a good amount of health damage while also knocking back the enemies, allowing players to land a couple of hits of their own. Petrifying grenades, on the other hand, can immobilize enemies and open them for critical damage.

While it might be tempting to use these explosive tools on normal enemies to dispatch them from a distance, preserving them for the boss encounters in the game is best.

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7) Preserve the Spirit Essences

In Steelrising, players gain Anima Essence upon defeating enemies, which is this game's currency, akin to souls, blood echoes, and runes in Dark Souls Trilogy, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring, respectively. Players can use Anima Essence to level up and purchase certain items and upgrades in the game.

However, defeating enemies is not the only source of receiving this resource. Players can also collect Spirit Essences, a cluster of Anima Essence, much like Golden Runes in Elden Ring or Coldblood Dew in Bloodborne.

Players might be tempted to use these resources as soon as they find them, but it is safer to use them as emergency storage in case they lose a good chunk of Anima Essence during a significant boss fight or general exploration.