Dicey Dungeons: Beginner's Guide & Best Tips

Introduction

Yeah, this game can be brutal at first. Here's what nobody tells you about Dicey Dungeons: it's not really a dungeon crawler, and it's not really a deckbuilder. It's a dice-optimization puzzle wrapped in a roguelike trenchcoat that will absolutely wreck you if you roll poorly three times in a row. I've got over 400 hours across all six characters, and I still get my teeth kicked in by Lady Luck on a bad day. But that's also why I keep coming back.

What makes this game special is how it weaponizes randomness. Every character forces you to work within a different system—Warrior uses standard equipment slots, Thief steals enemy dice, Robot can reroll until you hit a specific number—but they all share one truth: luck is a resource you can manage, not a curse you endure. The moment you stop blaming the dice and start reading the puzzle, the game opens up. Dying all the time? Can't figure out which upgrades matter? Wasting your gold on garbage? We'll fix all of that.

Why Players Struggle (Pain Points)

I've read every complaint on the Dicey Dungeons subreddit, and nine times out of ten, the frustration comes from one of these traps. Let me call them out by name so you can stop banging your head against the wall.

1. "I keep dying to the first or second boss"

Standard. This happens because you're treating the game like a traditional RPG where you grind for stats. You can't. There's no XP, no levels, no gear grinding. Every node on the map is a limited resource. If you're dying to the Jester or Baron of Dice, you're either taking too many fights (wasting HP) or skipping key equipment nodes. The boss fights are math puzzles—if your equipment doesn't generate more damage than the boss's health in the average number of rolls you get before dying, you need better gear, not more fights.

2. "I never have enough dice"

This is the #1 complaint, and it's almost always a loadout problem. Each turn you get a fixed number of dice (usually 6-8). If you bring three equipment pieces that each need 4 dice to activate, you're locked into doing nothing on half your turns. The game is about dice economy—you want equipment that costs 1-2 dice so you can chain multiple actions. A single big ability that eats your whole turn leaves you praying to RNGesus. Stop doing that.

3. "Poison is broken/trash"

I spent my first three runs trying to stack poison as the Inventor and got destroyed by the second boss every time. Here's the thing: poison is a win-more mechanic. If you're already controlling the fight, poison speeds up the kill. If you're behind, it will get you killed because you're not dealing damage now. The Jester boss punishes poison especially hard because his health ticks down on his turns too. Poison is fine on the Thief or Witch, but never rely on it as your primary damage source.

4. "The Robot is too random / The Witch is too slow"

These characters have specific playstyles that the game never explains. Robot wants low-dice equipment because you can spam rerolls to hit exactly what you need. A 1-die attack becomes "spam until it works." The Witch, meanwhile, is about spell combos—her starting spell doubles a die, which means she wants equipment with scaling effects like "deal damage equal to the die value." If you're playing her like the Warrior, you're going to have a bad time.

Getting Started / First Steps

You start with the Warrior. That's your tutorial character. Do not jump to the Thief or Robot until you've cleared the first episode with the Warrior. I know, the Thief looks cooler. Trust me—the Thief's gimmick of stealing enemy dice is a nightmare to manage if you don't understand how equipment slots and dice values interact yet.

Here's what I wish I knew from minute one:

• Gold is for rerolls, not shopping. The shop on the map is a trap. Most equipment you can buy is worse than what you'll find in chests or from level-ups. Save your gold for the Reroll Machine at the end of each floor. A single bad roll can end a run. Paying 3 gold to reroll a 1 into a 6 often saves the entire attempt.
• The map is not linear. You see branching paths. Those are choices, not just decoration. A node with a chest icon always gives you new equipment. A node with a skull icon is a fight that gives gold. A campfire icon heals you for free. Always prioritize chests over fights in the first floor—your starting equipment is garbage.
• You can inspect enemies before fighting them. Click on their portrait. See how much health they have, see what equipment they use. If an enemy has a shield that blocks 5 damage every turn, don't bring a weapon that does 3 damage per hit. Swap your loadout at the start of combat if you need to.
• Your equipment panel is not just a list. You can drag equipment to rearrange slots. The order matters because some items trigger "when you use the equipment to the left/right." Organize your kit so your opener is in slot 1, your heavy hitter in slot 2, and your defensive option in slot 3.

One more thing: the Dicey Dungeons wiki is your friend for exact numbers, but don't let optimization paralysis set in. A "mediocre" run where you make decisions quickly will teach you more than staring at tier lists for 20 minutes. Play fast, lose fast, learn faster.

Expert Tips & Tricks

After you've got a few clears under your belt, you start noticing patterns. Here's the stuff I only figured out after 50+ hours.

The 1-Die Rule

If you have at least three pieces of equipment that cost 1 die each, you can always do something useful every turn. Even a 1-die attack that deals 3 damage is better than skipping your turn because your big 5-die weapon rolled a 2. The best runs I've had were built around cheap, spammy abilities. The Short Sword (1 die, 4 damage) is legitimately better than the Great Axe (4 dice, 12 damage) in most situations because it lets you adapt to enemy patterns.

Dice Values Are a Resource

A die showing 6 is not "a 6"—it's a resource you can spend on high-value equipment slots. But also, a die showing 1 is a resource you can dump into equipment with "use die value as damage" or "add die value to shield." Never waste a die. If you end your turn with unused dice, you've thrown away potential. The Thunder Potion (1 die, deal damage equal to die value) is a top-tier pickup because it turns every die, even a 1, into useful damage.

The Jester Boss Fight (The Wall)

The Jester is the first major skill check. He doubles his damage output every few turns and forces you to use low-dice equipment fast. Here's how I beat him consistently: stack shield generation. The Wooden Shield (1 die, gain shield equal to die value) is a lifesaver. Also, don't bother with status effects—he clears them every other turn. Raw damage and shields are all that matters. If you reach him with a slow, expensive build, you will die.

Know When to Skip

Sometimes the game gives you a Curse that adds a negative die to your pool. And sometimes skipping that cursed chest is the smart play. A negative die that forces you to roll a 1 on your lowest die can ruin an entire floor. I've had runs die because I greedily opened a cursed chest and got -1 to all even rolls. The game is full of "optional" risk. The best players know when to say no.

The Thief's True Power

Everyone hates the Thief because stealing dice feels inconsistent. But the Thief's real strength is breaking enemy equipment. If you steal the enemy's shield die, they can't block. If you steal their attack die, they waste a turn. The Thief isn't about damage—she's about disruption. Equip her with cheap, fast attacks that trigger after stealing, and you'll control the fight entirely. I once stole a boss's only 6-die slot and watched him skip two turns in a row.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I've made every mistake in this book so you don't have to. Here's what got me killed and how I fixed it.

Mistake 1: Hoarding Equipment

You have limited inventory slots—usually 6-8. I used to keep "okay" items "just in case." That's how I ended up with a 4-die sword, a 3-die shield, and a 2-die potion that all fight for the same dice. If you're not using a piece of equipment every turn, sell it at the shop. The gold is worth more than the marginal utility of a backup plan you never use.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Equipment Synergies

The game doesn't tell you that Microscope (reroll a die) plus Rocket Launcher (deals damage equal to the die value) is a god-tier combo. Or that Poison Dagger plus Jar of Acid stacks poison to insane levels. I spent 20 runs treating equipment as isolated items. The real game is finding two items that feed each other. Look at every pickup and ask: "Does this make my other items better?" If the answer is no, it's probably not worth the slot.

Mistake 3: Playing Too Safe

This sounds backwards, but I used to avoid risky nodes like the plague. The golden chest with a potential curse? I skipped it. The bonfire that lets you gamble your HP for equipment? I never touched it. But the best runs I've had came from taking those risks when I was already behind. If your current loadout isn't going to beat the floor boss, you have nothing to lose. Gamble. The game rewards aggression when you're in a hole.

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Use the 0-Die Skills

Every character has a passive ability that costs 0 dice—Warrior can reroll one die per turn, Thief can steal a die, Robot can reroll endlessly, etc. I used to forget the Warrior's reroll until turn 3. Now I use it immediately on my lowest die. That single reroll turns a 1 into a 6 and changes your entire turn. It's free. Use it every single turn without fail.

Mistake 5: Tunnel-Visioning on One Strategy

I had a run once where I found a Fire Staff early and tried to force a burn build. Then I ran into enemies immune to burn and had zero backup. The game expects you to adapt. If the first boss drops a lightning sword, pivot to lightning. The enemies you face are randomly generated, and each episode has different bosses. If your build can't handle a specific enemy type, you're dead. Keep your loadout flexible until you know what the final boss is.

FAQ

How many episodes are there per character?

Six episodes per character, each harder than the last. The first episode is the tutorial. By episode 6, you're fighting three bosses in a row with limited healing. It's brutal. Don't feel bad if you're stuck on episode 3 for a while—everyone is.

Is there a "best" character?

For learning, Warrior. For consistent wins, Robot (rerolls let you brute-force RNG). For style points, Inventor (you build your own equipment from scrap). The Witch is the hardest to master because her spell-combo system is fiddly. I'd avoid her until you've beaten the game with at least three other characters.

What do the stars on equipment mean?

Stars indicate tier. 1 star is common, 3 stars is rare. Higher-star items generally have better stats or unique effects. But a 1-star item that costs 1 die is often better than a 3-star item that costs 5 dice. Don't blindly take rares—read the dice cost first.

How do I unlock new characters?

Beat episode 1 with the Warrior. That unlocks the Thief. Beat episode 1 with the Thief to unlock the Robot, and so on. Each character's first episode is a tutorial for their unique mechanics. Don't skip them, or you'll be lost when the difficulty spikes.

Is there a way to save mid-run?

No. If you close the game, you lose the run. That's the roguelike tax. Runs are usually 20-30 minutes, so plan around that. If you need to pause, leave the game open—the menu doesn't have a timer.

Why did my dice get "jammed" (turn red)?

Some enemies and curses place a jammed die in your pool. A jammed die can't be used until you "remove" it, usually by spending a turn or using a specific equipment like Lockpick (which removes one jammed die per use). If you see a curse that adds a jammed die, avoid it unless you have a removal tool.

That's the real talk. Dicey Dungeons is a game about making the best of bad situations—and sometimes, the dice just hate you. But the more you play, the more you realize the luck swings both ways. You'll have runs where every roll is a 6 and you feel like a god. You'll have runs where you die on floor 1 to a slime. Both are part of the experience. Stick with it, and you'll start seeing the patterns. The game's not unfair—it's just honest about how random life is.

Now go roll some dice. And for the love of everything, stop buying that overpriced shield from the first shop.