Dungero: Archero is a fun thumb-scrolling mobile adventure that’s easy to play and understand, perfectly suited for everyone. Still, while the game is entirely kid-friendly, it offers a more rewarding experience if you tackle its harder in-game challenges instead.
Encapsulating Indiana Jones-esque vibes, you’ll acquire tons of valuable loot while defeating countless enemies hindering your progress.
That being said, foes become increasingly more dangerous in Dungero: Archero and puzzles are trickier to navigate as soon as you ramp up the difficulty, so here’s a nifty guide to help you improve.
Dungeon-Crawling Madness
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In Dungero: Archero, you play as one of a few unlockable heroes, each boasting unique abilities and skills. Starting as the Fire-Meteor-summoning Blaze, you get others, like Jasmine or Vlad, by collecting their Hero Shards via dedicated long-term gameplay.
The game isn’t as hardcore or popular as the more established Soul Knight, but it appeals to casual players looking for a quick gaming session on the phone.
Getting straight into the action is as simple as a few screen touches, particularly when you’re only playing using the thumb!
Photo: Retrobot
Dungero: Archero in-game levels are designed as different dungeons that need to be cleared, each playable under three difficulty options:
- Easy
- Basic enemy stats and loot rates
- Medium
- Slightly tougher enemies, but improved loot drops
- Hard
- Deadlier enemies, but more satisfying reward drops
Besides that, traps and environmental obstacles are also present on higher-level maps, putting your eye-and-thumb coordination skills to the test.
One thing to note, though; there’s no story in Dungero: Archero, but you can always create your own fantasy anyway.
After all, that’s the whole point of playing a role-playing game (RPG), let alone something as colorful and wacky as this! So, how does the gameplay fare, you might ask?
Let’s find out together.
The Gameplay Loop
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To put it simply, Dungero: Archero plays exactly like Dash.io – Roguelike Survivor but is less 3D-intensive. While that might sound off-putting, the game’s chosen aesthetic makes it run smoother on many mobile devices, letting you enjoy it on an older phone.
Once in-game, you choose which dungeon you want to clear (as long as you’ve unlocked it). As mentioned earlier, you are free to change the difficulty setting beforehand, if Easy becomes a chore.
Combat & Movement
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After being loaded in to Dungero: Archero, you’ll see your character on the screen. Here’s what you’ll be doing next:
- Move your character by pressing and holding your thumb (or any other finger) on the screen, moving it toward the direction you want your character to walk toward.
- While you’re doing so, your character automatically charges an attack (denoted by the yellowish tint encircling your pressed thumb on the screen). To unleash the charged attack, simply let go of your thumb, and the character will use it against any foe within their vicinity/ range.
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- For normal attacks, your character will automatically engage enemies who are within sight. While stationary (not pressing the thumb on the screen), they will throw their long-range weapon to attack from a distance, but melee attacks will only be performed on enemies that get too close to you (works even while moving).
- To advance between stages, you need to balance movement and attack. Dodge incoming enemy attacks or well-hidden traps by moving out of the way, all while finding the perfect time to execute your counter-attacks as well.
For a game as straightforward as Dungero: Archero, things can get hectic rather quickly, especially when you enter the latter dungeons. So, clearing the early-level dungeons, like the Forest, a couple of times can help you familiarize yourself with the gameplay.
Dungeons To Explore
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As you level up your profile in Dungero: Archero, more dungeons will then be unlocked. These include the Stronghold and the Pyramid, among the more challenging stages available for you to take on.
Each dungeon has a specific number of floors you need to clear (specified by the number of doors, seen around the top-right corner of the screen), and exiting it mid-way through a run will reset any progress you’ve made while in it.
So, make sure you’re free from any real-world duties or obligations to avoid disruptions to your dungeon’s progress.
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Dungero: Archero in-game maps are procedurally generated, meaning enemies and environments are randomized for each floor, making every experience distinct.
Upon completing specific levels, you’ll be granted various rewards or choices, ranging from Power-Ups (Health boost, etc.) to Coins (equipment enhancement, etc.).
You’ll come across Bosses on every 10th floor that you clear, granting higher chances of getting better loot drops or rarer gear.
By the end of a completed run, you’ll find yourself rich with resources to spare for item enhancements, character upgrades, and so on.
Dungero: Archero – In-Game Currencies And Resources
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Speaking of which, Dungero: Archero utilizes two in-game currencies, each being:
- Coins
- Coins are used for nearly everything in the game, including upgrading heroes, purchasing new gear, etc.
- Gems
- Gems are the game’s premium currency, reserved for exclusive gear or powerful passive skills.
Ideally, you should aim to farm as many Coins and Gems as possible, both of which let you grow your characters quicker. The simplest way to do this is by clearing dungeons, especially higher-tier ones.
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Other than that, you can get them easily by completing Quests, separated into three categories:
- Story Quests
- Rewards are given upon completing specific milestones when clearing out dungeons.
- Side Quests
- These are additional missions granting more rewards for the completion of challenging tasks.
- Daily Quests
- Doing certain activities daily (such as logging in) unlocks immediate rewards as well.
You can access the Quest section by clicking on it around the top-left corner of the game’s home screen (represented by the bullseye-and-arrows icon).
Upgrade & Crafting Materials
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While a significant portion of the game revolves around slaying countless monsters inhabiting the game’s massive dungeons, another part of it involves upgrading your weapons, equipment, heroes, and abilities.
As of the moment of writing, certain activities haven’t been implemented yet, such as mixing potions and cooking food. Hence, you won’t find materials related to them for now, like meat acquired from butchering wild animals.
Photo: Retrobot
Those that are present usually pertain to crude materials or special Insignias used for your character’s gear, like Leather or Iron.
These commonly drop as loot from beating mobs during a dungeon raid, but they can also be claimed periodically from the Magic Chest (treasure chest icon on the main screen).
Each weapon, item, and material is also graded based on rarity, with higher-grade ones normally boasting better stats or use. These rarities range between:
- Common (Gray)
- Uncommon (Blue)
- Rare (Yellow)
- Epic (Purple)
- Legendary (Orange)
- Part of a Set (Green)
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Acquiring special-tier gear can be a tiresome chore due to their reduced drop rates, so combining lower-grade equipment to transform them into their upgraded counterparts is much more preferable due to their abundance.
Regardless, you will still need to grind dungeons repeatedly to obtain them. Speaking of which…
Equipment Grind and Leveling
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As shared earlier, your heroes’ gear can be improved to bolster their stats and passive abilities. These include added effects on attacks or increased loot chances.
Each weapon or equipment can be enhanced in two ways:
- Level Upgrade
- Increasing the respective item’s level to boost its relevant stats.
- Requires Coins and Insignias.
- Improve Grade/ Tier
- Unlock special abilities according to the item’s current grade.
- Requires multiple copies of the same weapon/ equipment (usually around three copies).
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Heroes
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Apart from the gear, your heroes can also be empowered, increasing their combat proficiencies while adding unique spells or powers into the mix. To do this, Hero Soul Shards and sufficient Coins are needed according to the hero chosen and their current level.
Plus, you can also play as other heroes once unlocked. This is done by collecting their respective Hero Shards acquired through loot or in-game purchases. Each hero has access to devastating spells, making them distinct from one another.
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All heroes have different skins that can be changed as well, personalizing the overall dungeon-crawling experience! That being said, they’re normally bought from the game’s store to support the developers, and rightfully so.
Tips & Tricks
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Just like any other game, Dungero: Archero has its own tips & tricks that you can leverage to elevate your skills in-game. Here are some of the best ones:
Prioritize Skulls in Dungero: Archero
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When choosing between different paths/ doors at the end of certain dungeon floors, make sure to focus on the Skulls first.
They are used for the Power Ups needed when visiting Altars, and you might be forced to sacrifice a part of your soul to gain them instead (resulting in Curses).
Take your time
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In Dungero: Archero, you have all the time in the world to plan out your next move. Make the most of it because death will reset your dungeon’s progress to the very beginning (except for the loot collected previously).
Additionally, later dungeons house more monsters and hidden traps, so don’t rush your heroes toward impending doom!
Attack behind cover
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Observe environmental objects; some walls/ barriers have holes or spaces that let you shoot/ throw your projectiles through them.
This is particularly useful when you’re going up against enemies that can attack you from afar, or getting some distance between you and melee foes instead.
Charge forward! (auto-loot)
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If you didn’t know, Dungero: Archero employs an auto-loot system whereby all the items, Coins, and materials dropped by enemies/ destructible objects will automatically be collected once every enemy on the map is defeated.
You don’t need to backtrack to get them, letting you focus on clearing the dungeons more effectively.
Melee auto-attack
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Your character can also auto-attack when in melee range with a foe or a destructible object (barrels, etc.).
Equip a melee weapon on your hero before entering a dungeon, and you can then walk toward weak enemies or objects to execute the attack (without letting go of your thumb on the screen).
Farm dailies
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Daily Quests (Story, Side, etc.) are your best way of acquiring Coins and Gems, and they reset every day. Don’t skip them!
Treasure Goblins
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Occasionally, you can run into Goblins hoarding precious loot and equipment. Make sure to kill them as soon as possible!
They’re relatively harmless, usually hiding behind other enemies for protection.
Friendly-fire traps
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While traps can be deadly to you in Dungero: Archero, they work against enemies as well! You can bait many of them toward you while you cower behind flaming chutes, among other examples.
Long-range attack cancelling
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For a more pro-gamer move, you can actually stop some long-range enemy attacks by executing your own. It’s a bit tricky to do because it requires precise positioning and quick movements of your heroes.
If done correctly, though, it can save you during some clutch moments in Dungero: Archero.
Claim idle freebies!
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Freebies are always appreciated, so check your Magic Chest every few hours to gather extra materials and resources you would’ve needed to grind for instead.
Sometimes, even higher-grade gear is thrown in there!
Photo: Retrobot
Conclusion
Dungero: Archero Roguelike RPG is Retrobot‘s first real entry into the mobile gaming market, so hats off to them for doing their best to make the game easy to play yet complex to master.
If you’re into RPGs that are darker than Dungero: Archero, and more punishing, check out our guide on Vampire Survivors too. You surely won’t regret it!
