IncreKnight Beginner's Guide: Walkthrough, Tips & Best Builds
Key Takeaways
- Focus on leveling the Sword tree first – it gives the most consistent damage output for early floors.
- The hidden chest in Floor 3 (behind the cracked wall) contains a rare ring that doubles gold earnings for 10 minutes.
- Dodge rolling is more important than blocking – many bosses have unblockable attacks that require timing.
- Upgrade your Health Potion to level 3 before Floor 10 – otherwise the Lich King’s DOT will kill you in seconds.
Introduction
If you’ve just picked up IncreKnight and are staring at that first menu screen wondering where to start, you’re in the right place. This game looks simple at first – you run, you slash, you collect gold – but after a few hours you realize there’s a surprising amount of depth. I’ve put about 80 hours into it across two playthroughs, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes so you don’t have to.
This guide covers the early game, the best builds for beginners, where to find hidden loot, and how to beat the first three bosses without tearing your hair out.
Starting Out: Your First 30 Minutes
When you begin, you have three classes: Warrior, Rogue, and Mage. I recommend Warrior for your first run. It has the highest base HP (120 vs Rogue’s 90 and Mage’s 70) and the simplest playstyle. You’ll die less, which means you’ll learn the game’s patterns faster.
Your starting weapon is a rusty longsword that deals 8-12 damage. That’s fine for the first two floors, but by Floor 3 you’ll want to craft the Iron Broadsword. It requires 50 gold and 5 iron ore – you can find ore by breaking crates in the first area. The Broadsword jumps your damage to 18-24, which makes a huge difference against the first boss.
Skill Tree Priority
The skill tree is divided into four branches: Sword, Shield, Magic, and Agility. Here’s the order I’ve found works best:
1. Sword – Put your first 5 points into Slash Upgrade (increases base damage by 2 per point) and then 3 points into Whirlwind. Whirlwind is your crowd control for the early floors where enemies swarm.
2. Agility – After Sword, put 3 points into Dodge. This reduces the cooldown of your dodge roll from 3 seconds to 1.8 seconds. Trust me, you need this for the second boss.
3. Shield – Only after you have Dodge maxed out. Put 2 points into Block Efficiency (reduces stamina cost).
4. Magic – Ignore this until you’re at least Floor 15. The spells are too expensive for beginners.
> Personal opinion: I see a lot of new players dumping points into Magic because the fireball looks cool. Don’t do it. You’ll run out of mana in two casts and then you’re stuck with a wet noodle for a weapon.
Floor-by-Floor Walkthrough (Floors 1-5)
Floor 1: The Training Grounds
- Enemies: 3 slimes, 2 bats, 1 rat king
- Hidden: Behind the second pillar on the right, there’s a loose brick. Interact with it for a Health Potion.
- Tip: Don’t rush. The rat king summons smaller rats – take them out first with Whirlwind.
Floor 2: The Armory
- Enemies: 5 skeletons, 2 archers
- Crafting: You’ll find a workbench here. Use it to upgrade your weapon to the Iron Broadsword (50 gold, 5 iron ore). If you don’t have enough ore, break every crate in the room.
- Secret: The third torch on the left wall can be pulled. It opens a small room with a gold chest (about 30 gold).
Floor 3: The Collapsed Hall
- Enemies: 4 ghosts, 3 giant rats, 1 mage
- Hidden chest: There’s a cracked wall near the exit. Use a charged attack to break it. Inside is the Ring of Greed – it doubles all gold pickups for 10 minutes. This is huge for early economy.
- Boss warning: The boss of this floor is the Giant Rat King. It has 300 HP and two attacks: a charge and a poison spit. Dodge the charge sideways, not backward. The poison spit has a tell – the rat rears up for half a second before spitting. Roll to the side.
Floor 4: The Library
- Enemies: 6 ghost mages, 3 book golems
- Tip: The book golems are immune to physical damage for the first 3 seconds after they spawn. Wait for them to land before attacking.
- Secret: There’s a hidden bookshelf on the far left. Interact with it three times to get a skill point.
Floor 5: The Courtyard
- Enemies: 8 skeletons, 4 archers, 1 knight
- Boss: The Knight Commander. This is the first real challenge. He has 500 HP and two phases. In phase 1 (HP above 50%), he swings his sword twice and then pauses. Attack during the pause. In phase 2 (HP below 50%), he gets a shield that blocks frontal attacks. You need to dodge behind him. I’ve seen people die here 10 times before they figure that out.
Best Early Build: The Balanced Warrior
Here’s a build that carried me through the first 20 floors:
| Slot | Item | Why |
| ------ | ------ | ----- |
| Weapon | Iron Broadsword (upgrade to Steel by Floor 8) | Best damage-to-cost ratio early on |
| Armor | Leather Tunic (craftable Floor 2) | Light enough to not slow your dodge |
| Accessory 1 | Ring of Greed (Floor 3 secret) | Double gold = faster upgrades |
| Accessory 2 | Band of Resilience (Floor 5 boss drop) | +20 HP, +1 HP per second regen |
| Potion | Health Potion level 3 (requires 3 potions and 100 gold) | Heals 60 HP instantly |
I’ve tested this against the first three bosses, and it works every time. The key is the Band of Resilience – that passive regen means you don’t have to chug potions as often.
Hidden Secrets You Might Miss
- Floor 3 cracked wall – mentioned above, but worth repeating. That ring changes your early game economy.
- Floor 4 triple bookshelf – gives a free skill point. Most players walk right past it.
- Floor 6 (not covered fully, but worth knowing): There’s a lever behind a waterfall. Pulling it opens a portal to a secret room with a legendary weapon – the Shadow Blade. It’s a huge damage spike if you can get it early.
FAQ
Q: What’s the best class for a beginner?
A: Without question, the Warrior. It has the highest HP (120) and the simplest mechanics. The Rogue is faster but dies in two hits. The Mage is too fragile until you learn boss patterns. Start with Warrior, learn the game, then try the other classes on a second playthrough.
Q: How do I beat the Lich King on Floor 10?
A: The Lich King has a DOT (damage over time) attack that ticks for 8 HP per second. If your Health Potion isn’t at least level 3 (heals 60 HP), you will run out of healing before the fight ends. Also, save your dodge for when he raises his staff – that’s the tell for his meteor attack, which is his only big hit. Stay close to him; his melee attacks are weaker than his spells.
Q: Is there a way to respec skill points?
A: Yes, but it’s expensive. You can buy a Tome of Respec from the merchant on Floor 15 for 500 gold. That’s why I recommend planning your build early – spending 500 gold to fix a bad build is painful when you could have spent it on upgrades. If you follow the Sword-first plan above, you won’t need to respec until you’re ready for late-game builds.