Backpack Battles can be a fun and amazing experience if you play it right, but it can also be overwhelming for new players due to its high level of detail.
Today, I am here to help both beginners and more experienced players with a set of tips and tricks that will help you better understand the game and, ultimately, enjoy it more.
Experiment with Every Class (and Their Subclasses)
The game has four classes (Warrior, Pyromancer, Ranger, and Engineer), and each has multiple subclasses. Each subclass plays in a different way and requires a unique approach, which makes it fun to experiment with all of them.
Don’t focus only on one and try out all classes and subclasses before settling on your favorite.
If you don’t really know where to start and what to do, here are some of my recommendations for beginners – things I experimented with when I started playing:
- Warrior → Shieldbearer for early defense spikes
- Pyromancer → Flamecaller to burn through crowds
- Ranger → Trickshot for high-crit builds
- Engineer → Gearsmith to drop turrets
To get more in-depth with potential builds and experiments, I recommend checking out our previous article, the guide to the best Pyromancer build in the game.
Always Keep an Eye on Stamina
Check your stamina during runs and make sure it stays around the middle so that you’re making the most out of it.
Prioritize buying Stamina Sacks if you find yourself running out of stamina often, and use stamina-efficient weapons. Keep in mind that Daggers do not use Stamina, but Swords eat about 12 stamina per swing, while Hammers use 18-22 stamina but stun enemies when hit, so plan your strikes.
Combine Items
Combining items is a great way to get better effects without having to sacrifice extra inventory space.
However, you shouldn’t always combine items. Sometimes, it can be more efficient to keep them split for their effects: if your build needs raw Magic Oil for a spell, don’t combine it with Iron Ingot just to save space. Always check your build notes. It depends from case to case, and you will learn which way is better through experimentation.
Also watch for the blue glow around item icons. That tells you a recipe matches.
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Foods are Great Tools for the Early Game
During the early game, since you won’t have any regeneration items, foods can be an extremely helpful asset to heal your HP.
Early drops like Banana (+25 HP) or Dried Meat (+40 HP) can be stashed in a Food Pouch. I usually carry three Bananas and two Dried Meats into each run until I craft a Healing Totem, and I recommend that you do the same.
If you’re low on gold, scavenge foods from side dungeons. After all, health never goes out of style.
Prioritize Inventory Upgrades
There are many items you can purchase from the shop however, the most important ones are inventory upgrades.
Buying these upgrades early will allow you to have enough space in the mid and late-game for any items you want and will make it easier to combine items and add gems.
Experiment with Items to Learn New Recipes
As you combine items, you’ll unlock new recipes. These will get saved in your recipes menu and can be used in future runs.
Thus, for the early game, I recommend experimenting with random items and combining anything that you can just to unlock the recipes. Future you is going to thank you!
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Reroll is Your Best Friend
Whenever you visit the shop, if you don’t find something you want, don’t just save your gold. Reroll and use the Reserve feature if you find something that you want for the next round.
Even if you just have one gold, reroll and potentially reserve any useful items that you have for the next round, like a Stamina Sack, Inventory Upgrade, or rare food. Then reserve it – it’s that simple!
Optimize Your Gem Sockets
Mid-game gear often comes with empty sockets, and ignoring them slows your progress, so start slapping in the best shards and rubies that you have.
One regen gem means more rolls; one damage gem kills bosses faster. If you combine three Minor Rubies in the Recipes menu to forge a Major Ruby, you can use it for amazing effects. For example, on my Flamecaller runs, which adds a bonus 12% to the DPS and I am highly grateful for it.
Find Your Rhythm
Once you unlock both light and heavy strikes, find a rhythm: light → light → dodge.
That combo consumes about 15 stamina, but lands reliable hits, and frees you to sidestep big enemy attacks. When you spot an opening, toss in a heavy swing, then dodge out – minibosses rarely recover before you pounce again.
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Always Pack One Ranged and One Melee Weapon
Better be safe than sorry in Backpack Battles! Especially since different arenas demand different tools. This is why I recommend keeping a ranged and a melee weapon on hand at all times.
For example, I usually try to keep a Trickshot bow for kiting and a Flamecaller staff for tight clusters. Swapping is easy, so I’ll put both weapons to best use, by raining arrows on distant enemies first and switching to my staff for close-in bursts afterwards.
With these tips, you’re good to get started in Backback Battles without having to worry about missing anything. Do you have any other tips to add? Don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments below!
He has a Master’s Degree in Philosophy, which allows him to always come up with a fresh approach to solving in-game puzzles and challenges, but also to create content that’s to the point, clean and easy to follow.
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