End of Abyss Beginner's Guide | Tips and Tricks

End of Abyss is a sci-fi horror Metroidvania that combines classic exploration with Soulslike mechanics, dangerous enemies, and limited resources. As you explore its massive structure, you'll need to manage ammunition, upgrade your weapons, and use your scanner to uncover hidden paths and important objectives.

Scan Every New Room

Your scanner is one of the most useful tools in End of Abyss. Press the D-pad down to equip it, then hold R2 to scan important objects, including doors and environmental features.

Scanning doors reveals their requirements, such as a specific key card or a lock that can only be opened from the other side. It also adds useful information to your map, making exploration and backtracking easier.

Look for Hidden Paths With Your Scanner

Don't use your scanner only on doors. It can also reveal ledges you can climb over, breakable crates, and places where you can drop down into another area.

These details are easy to miss when moving quickly through a room, but finding them can help you uncover resources and progress through End of Abyss.

Upgrade Your Sidearm First

Your sidearm uses rechargeable energy instead of conventional ammunition, giving you an unlimited supply of shots. Although its energy recharges slowly, you won't need to craft bullets.

Since other weapons require crafted ammunition, prioritize fully upgrading your sidearm at a workbench before spending resources on other weapons. A fully upgraded sidearm stays useful throughout the game, though heavier weapons still matter in certain encounters.

Use Your Knife Against Small Enemies

Parasitic fleas and other small enemies that fly or swim toward you can be difficult to hit with firearms. Instead of wasting ammunition, use your knife to slash them when they get close.

This is a simple way to deal with smaller threats while saving your weapon's energy or crafted ammunition for more dangerous enemies.

Use Flares to Distract Groups of Enemies

Flares are most useful when several enemies are attacking you at once. They can draw enemy attention and give you a short window to escape, dodge, or reload.

Use flares when you're surrounded or need time to recover, rather than wasting them on a single, manageable enemy.

Craft Ammunition Before Boss Fights

Unlike your sidearm, most weapons require ammunition crafted at a workbench. For example, you can craft four shotgun shells for 50 scrap.

Be careful when using ammunition, because dying doesn't restore what you've already spent. Before attempting a boss or miniboss again, visit a workbench and craft more ammunition so you don't enter the fight unprepared.

Keep Your Distance When Using the Sidearm

The sidearm doesn't appear to suffer from damage drop-off, so you can keep shooting enemies from a distance without sacrificing damage.

Try walking backward while firing to maintain space between yourself and approaching enemies. You can also use obstacles to control enemy movement and keep yourself out of reach.

Break Crates When They Block Your Path

You can destroy certain crates by slashing them or rolling into them. However, many contain little or nothing useful, so you don't necessarily need to break every crate you encounter.

Focus on crates that block doorways, conceal important objects, or appear to obstruct a path you need to explore.

Use Explosive Canisters Against Enemies

Red gas canisters are powerful environmental hazards that can deal substantial damage. Shoot one once to prime it, then allow a few seconds for it to explode, or shoot it twice to trigger an immediate explosion.

Their blast radius is surprisingly large, so make sure you're outside the danger zone before detonating them. You can also target canisters attached to certain enemies, especially when they're standing near other hostiles.

Scan Dead Bodies for Resources

Whenever you find a dead body, try scanning it. Not every body will yield anything useful, but some can be searched after scanning to reveal extra resources.

Make scanning bodies part of your exploration routine so you don't miss supplies that could help you survive later encounters.

Remember That Enemies Respawn

End of Abyss borrows some mechanics from Soulslike games. Common enemies respawn when you save, so don't assume a cleared area will remain empty forever.

Keep this in mind when revisiting earlier locations. You may need to fight through familiar rooms again, so efficient movement and ammunition management are especially important.

Use Your Map to Track Key Cards

Many doors in End of Abyss require specific key cards. Scan a locked door to identify the card you need, and the map will mark the door in red.

Once you find the right key card, the map updates with a yellow icon next to the red door. Use these markers to remember which areas you can revisit and where your newly acquired key card might be useful.

Check Your Objective on the World Map

If you've been exploring for a long time and forgotten your current objective, open the map and switch to the 2D section.

Press Square to check the world view. Your current objective appears in the top-right corner, reminding you what to do next.

Follow Power Lines to Find Energy Nodes

Some doors won't open until you destroy their connected energy nodes. Use your scanner to trace the yellow power lines running through the walls and find the nodes supplying power to the door.

You can destroy these nodes by slashing them or shooting them. If a door seems inaccessible despite meeting its other requirements, check whether an energy node is keeping it locked.

Stay Away From Exploding Bots

Some small bots explode when you get too close, using the blast to protect themselves.

Avoid approaching these enemies unnecessarily. When possible, attack from a safe distance, and don't let them corner you in a narrow space where escaping the explosion becomes difficult.

Run Past Enemies When Backtracking

You don't always need to fight every enemy when revisiting an area. Sprinting or dodge rolling past enemies can save ammunition and make backtracking much faster.

However, enemies may follow you over considerable distances. They won't follow you up or down ladders or across certain ledges, so use these obstacles to break pursuit when necessary.

Know What Persists After Death

Although End of Abyss includes Soulslike elements, not everything resets on death. Doors you've opened, switches you've activated, and items you've found remain in place.

Usable items and ammunition are different, as spent resources aren't restored after death. Focus on making permanent progress, but be careful with how many consumables you use during difficult encounters.

Make Enemies Fight Each Other

Some enemies can damage themselves or other enemies, allowing you to turn their attacks against them.

For example, certain bots throw grenades at your position. If you move close enough to encourage the attack and then escape the blast radius, the explosion can deal significant damage to the bot itself or nearby enemies. Watch enemy attack patterns and look for chances to let them do some of the work for you.

Get the Sidearm's Charge Shot Upgrade

The charge shot is one of the first sidearm upgrades worth prioritizing. It hits hard and can interrupt some enemy attacks, including those used by certain bosses.

However, charging the shot takes time, leaving you vulnerable if you use it carelessly. Create some distance before charging, and use the attack when you have a safe opening.

Shoot Around Obstacles and Use Enemy Kiting

Your sidearm can shoot around or over some obstacles and can also hit enemies slightly above or below your position.

to your advantage when fighting enemies in awkward spaces. Keep moving, lure them around obstacles, and fire whenever you have a clear opportunity instead of standing still and trading damage.

Activate Shuttle Stations for Fast Travel

Shuttle stations provide fast travel across the megastructure, but finding one doesn't automatically make it available.

When you discover a station, interact with its control panel to activate it. Otherwise, you may not be able to access it when you need to return to that area later. Activate every station you find to make future exploration and backtracking easier.

Use Safe Rooms to Escape Enemies

Safe rooms are reliable places to recover from dangerous encounters. Enemies stop chasing you when you enter one, giving you a chance to regroup without continuing the fight.

These rooms also protect you from radiation damage. If you're exploring a radioactive area and need a moment to recover, reaching a safe room can prevent further damage while you plan your next move.

Be Careful When Exploring Radioactive Areas

Radiation becomes a greater threat as you venture deeper into End of Abyss. You'll eventually need to find a special suit to handle areas with higher radiation levels. You can explore lower-radiation areas briefly, but don't overstay your welcome. Track your health, identify nearby safe rooms, and return when necessary until you have the equipment to explore safely.

Keep C4 Stocked for Weak Walls

Once you find C4, you can use it to destroy weak walls and open new paths. However, C4 is a consumable that you need to craft, so you can't rely on having an unlimited supply.

Whenever you visit a safe station, check your supplies and craft more C4 if needed. Keeping around five charges on hand is a useful target, especially when exploring unfamiliar areas where you might find a weak wall.

Final Thoughts

End of Abyss becomes much easier when you use your scanner fully, prioritize sidearm upgrades, and avoid wasting ammo on unnecessary fights. Activate shuttle stations as soon as you find them, use safe rooms to escape dangerous situations, and remember that permanent progress remains after death.

Most importantly, take your time exploring. Hidden paths, key cards, energy nodes, and weak walls can all lead to useful resources or new areas. With these End of Abyss tips and tricks, you'll be better prepared to survive the dangers waiting deeper in the megastructure.

FAQ

Q. What weapon should you upgrade first in End of Abyss?

A. Upgrade your sidearm first. Its ammunition is unlimited, and a fully upgraded version remains useful throughout the game.

Q. Do enemies respawn in End of Abyss?

A. Yes. Common enemies respawn when you save, so expect to encounter them again when revisiting cleared areas.

Q. What happens to your items when you die in End of Abyss?

A. Opened doors, activated switches, and discovered items remain, but spent ammunition and usable consumables aren't restored.

Q. How do you unlock fast travel in End of Abyss?

A. Find a shuttle station and interact with its control panel to activate it. Simply discovering the station isn't enough.

Q. How do you get through weak walls in End of Abyss?

A. Find C4 and use it to destroy weak walls. Since you must craft C4, keep a supply ready whenever you visit a safe station.