Roll through the window
The roll’s first half is invulnerable. Time your roll so the bullets you dodge arrive during that window, not the second half where you are vulnerable again. On a gamepad the stick gives 360° roll angle, which makes tight threading far easier than the 8-direction keyboard roll.
Open every chest by rolling
Chests open when you roll into them — no gunfire needed. Rolling also deals 3 contact damage to enemies (4 on The Robot) and kills soft enemies like Blobulins in any chamber.
Read shrine costs before you commit
The two that silently end runs are the Ammo shrine (curse +3.5) and the Fallen Angel shrine (one heart container for +25% damage, curse +1.5). Cleansing sets curse to 0 for 5 coins per point — use it when curse is high.
Learn all three bosses per chamber
Each chamber randomizes one of three bosses. If you only learn the one you fought, the next run’s boss surprises you at the elevator. See the boss guide for all fifteen.
Use the Breach shortcuts
Once you have beaten a chamber, its Breach elevator shortcut starts future runs deeper. They reward learning the early floors instead of skipping them.