Introduction
Metal: Hellsinger is a first-person rhythm shooter where your damage scales directly with how well you stay on the beat of a licensed metal soundtrack featuring vocals from Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Matt Heafy (Trivium), Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity), and other metal icons. Every shot fired off-beat deals reduced damage and slows your multiplier buildup. Every shot on-beat increases your Fury multiplier, which amplifies damage, unlocks more layered instrumentation in the music, and ultimately determines your end-of-level rank. This guide covers the optimal weapon pairings, the math behind the multiplier system, the best sigil loadouts for each level, and the precise strategies required to achieve S-rank on every difficulty.
Best Weapons & Combinations
Persephone (Sword, Starter Weapon): Persephone is The Unknown's starting melee weapon — a fiery greatsword that cleaves in a wide arc. It deals 50 base damage on-beat and has a 3-hit combo (horizontal slash, vertical slam, spinning sweep). The third hit of the combo launches enemies into the air, which sets them up for aerial combos with your guns. Persephone's heavy attack (hold the button) charges for one beat and releases a shockwave dealing 100 damage in a cone. The shockwave can hit through walls and is the best tool for clearing rooms full of weaker demons. Important: Persephone does NOT benefit from the multiplier system as much as guns — its damage increase per multiplier tier is only +20% compared to guns' +50%. Use the sword for clearing trash mobs and building your initial multiplier, then swap to guns for boss damage.
Vulcan (Dual Pistols): The first ranged weapon you unlock (Level 1: Vulgate). Vulcan fires two shots per trigger pull — one from each pistol. Each shot deals 12 damage on-beat (24 total per pull). The fire rate is every 2 beats, making it the fastest-firing weapon in the game. Vulcan is your multiplier-building weapon. The rhythm pattern for Vulcan: shoot on beats 1 and 3 (every other beat), reload on beats 2 and 4. If you alternate shoot-pause-shoot-pause, you maintain a steady stream of on-beat damage. Vulcan excels at mid-range combat against groups of Hellions and Stygians. Upgrade priority: Damage (max) → Reload Speed (3 points) → Magazine Size (2 points).
Tomaru (Shotgun): Unlocked in Level 2 (Sheol). Tomaru is a double-barrel shotgun that fires a wide spread of 8 pellets per shot. Each pellet deals 8 damage on-beat (64 damage total per shot if all pellets hit). Fire rate: every 3 beats. The rhythm is slow but punishing — shoot on beat 1, reload through beats 2 and 3, shoot again on beat 1. Tomaru is your burst-damage weapon. It one-shots most basic enemies at close range. The melee attachment (unlockable via sigil) adds a +30% damage bonus to the next shot after a melee hit. Combo: Persephone heavy attack (launch) → swap to Tomaru → blast them in midair for 2x damage (aerial bonus). Upgrade priority: Damage (max) → Spread Reduction (3 points) → Reload Speed (2 points).
The Hounds (Submachine Guns): Unlocked in Level 3 (Avaritia). The Hounds are dual SMGs with a 40-round magazine. Each bullet deals 6 damage on-beat. Fire rate: every 1 beat — the fastest fire rate in the game. The rhythm pattern is constant: shoot-shoot-shoot-shoot on consecutive beats until the magazine is empty. The Hounds are the best weapon for maintaining a high multiplier because you can fire on every single beat without pause. Their weakness: low per-shot damage means they are ammo-hungry. You will run out of reserve ammo if you use them as your primary. Use The Hounds to build and maintain your multiplier, then switch to Vulcan or Tomaru for kill shots. Upgrade priority: Magazine Size (max) → Damage (3 points) → Reload Speed (2 points).
Nix (Rifle): Unlocked in Level 4 (Stigia). Nix is a semi-automatic rifle that fires 3-round bursts. Each burst deals 36 damage (12 per bullet). Fire rate: every 2 beats for the burst, then a 4-beat reload. The rhythm: burst on beat 1 (three shots), wait beats 2-4, burst on beat 1 again. Nix is your precision weapon — it has perfect accuracy and a 2x headshot multiplier. Against bosses, landing headshots with Nix on-beat deals the highest single-target DPS in the game. Upgrade priority: Damage (max) → Headshot Multiplier (max) → Magazine Size (2 points).
Best Weapon Pairings: Primary + Secondary loadouts matter. Persephone + Vulcan (balanced, good for learning). Persephone + Tomaru (close-range burst, best for new players). The Hounds + Nix (long-range precision, advanced). Vulcan + Tomaru (the "speed and power" combo — build multiplier with Vulcan, burst with Tomaru). The Hounds + Tomaru (maintain max multiplier while dealing massive burst damage). My recommended all-around loadout: Vulcan (primary, for multiplier building) + Tomaru (secondary, for burst damage and crowd clearing).
Multiplier & Fury System
How the Multiplier Works: The beat counter at the top of the screen starts at 1x. Every on-beat kill increases it by 0.25x. Every on-beat hit (not kill, just hitting an enemy) increases it by 0.1x. The multiplier caps at 16x on Normal difficulty and 20x on Hard. Off-beat actions do not increase the multiplier. Missing a beat (doing nothing on a beat) decreases the multiplier by 0.5x. Taking damage decreases it by 1.0x. Dying resets it to 1x. The multiplier directly affects your weapon damage: at 4x, you deal 4x base damage. At 16x, you deal 16x base damage. A single Tomaru blast at 16x deals 1,024 damage if all pellets hit. This is why maintaining the multiplier is more important than almost anything else.
Fury Mode: When you reach 4x multiplier, Fury Mode activates. The music becomes more intense (additional guitar layers, more complex drum patterns). Your screen pulses with a red border. Enemies drop red "Fury Orbs" that, when collected, increase your Fury gauge. At 8x, the music reaches full intensity with vocals (if the song has them). At 16x, you enter "Perfect Fury" — the screen shakes, enemies explode into chunks with every kill, and time slows briefly after each kill to let you line up your next shot. Fury Mode is not just cosmetic: in Fury Mode, enemies take 25% additional damage from all sources. Maintaining 8x+ multiplier is the difference between clearing a room in 10 seconds and struggling for 45.
Multiplier Recovery: If you lose your multiplier (by taking damage or missing beats), you can recover it faster by: (1) Killing 3 enemies quickly while on-beat restores 1.0x per kill for the next 5 seconds (a hidden "comeback" mechanic). (2) Using the "Blood Rush" sigil (discussed below) instantly sets your multiplier to 4x once per level. (3) Collecting 5 Fury Orbs in succession adds a bonus 0.5x. The worst thing you can do after losing multiplier is panic and spam off-beat shots — this delays recovery because off-beat kills do not contribute to the multiplier. Take a breath, find the beat, land two on-beat kills, and you are back to 4x.
Beat Indicators & Visual Cues: The game provides three visual cues for the beat: (1) The crosshair pulses with a white flash on each beat. (2) The environment pulses — lights flicker and the ground shimmers on beat 1 of each measure. (3) The Unknown's model (your character's clawed hand visible in the first-person view) clenches on each beat. Use the crosshair flash as your primary cue. If the audio desyncs (a known bug on some PC configurations), go to settings → audio → calibrate beat offset. A +50ms offset correction fixes most sync issues. Do not rely solely on audio — the visual crosshair pulse is frame-perfect and never desyncs.
Sigil Upgrades
What Sigils Are: Sigils are permanent upgrades purchased with "Sigil Currency" earned by completing secondary objectives and finding hidden skulls in each level. You can equip up to 3 sigils at a time (unlock more sigil slots by reaching certain multiplier milestones: 3rd slot at 30,000 total kills). Sigils are the only way to customize your build, and the right combination transforms your effectiveness.
Best Offensive Sigils: "Blood Rush" (Cost: 3 Sigil Currency) — Press both weapon swap buttons simultaneously to activate: instantly sets your multiplier to 4x and grants 3 seconds of invulnerability. 90-second cooldown. This is the best sigil in the game. Get it first. "Crescendo" (Cost: 2 Sigil Currency) — Killing an enemy extends Fury Mode duration by 2 seconds. Extends the total by up to 10 seconds per activation. Invaluable for maintaining max multiplier through long arenas. "Overwhelming Force" (Cost: 2 Sigil Currency) — All weapon damage increased by 15% while at 8x+ multiplier. Scales multiplicatively with the multiplier itself. At 16x, this adds +240% effective damage.
Best Defensive Sigils: "Indomitable" (Cost: 2 Sigil Currency) — Taking damage only reduces your multiplier by 0.5x instead of 1.0x. This is the difference between dropping from 16x to 8x (without Indomitable) versus dropping to 12x (with Indomitable). "Resilience" (Cost: 1 Sigil Currency) — Health regenerates 1 HP every 10 beats while you are at 4x+ multiplier. Passive healing reduces your reliance on health pickups. "Second Wind" (Cost: 3 Sigil Currency) — When you would die, instead survive with 1 HP and instantly activate Fury Mode for 5 seconds. 120-second cooldown. A life-saving crutch for S-rank attempts.
Recommended Loadouts: General/First Playthrough: Blood Rush + Crescendo + Resilience. S-Rank Farming: Blood Rush + Overwhelming Force + Indomitable. Speedrunning: Crescendo + Overwhelming Force + Second Wind (skip Blood Rush because speedrun strats involve dying intentionally to reset positioning). Hard Mode: Blood Rush + Indomitable + Second Wind (triple safety net). Boss Killing: Overwhelming Force + Crescendo + Blood Rush (maximum sustained damage).
S-Rank Strategy
Rank Requirements: Each level is graded on three criteria: Score (accumulated by kills and on-beat actions), Time (how fast you complete the level), and Deaths. To achieve S-rank, you need: 30,000+ Score (varies by level), clear time under the par (between 5:00 and 8:00 for most levels), and 0 deaths (dying drops your final rank by one full tier regardless of score). If you die once, the maximum rank you can achieve is A. Two deaths = B. Three or more = C or lower.
Score Optimization: Score is calculated as: (damage dealt × multiplier) + (kills × 100) + (on-beat actions × 25) + (headshots × 50). The single biggest factor is maintaining a high multiplier. A kill at 16x multiplier is worth 16x more points than the same kill at 1x. This means speed matters less than consistency — taking an extra 30 seconds to kill a room but maintaining 16x the whole time yields more points than clearing it fast at 4x. The optimal path through any level is: reach 4x multiplier in the first arena, maintain 8-16x through the middle arenas, and never drop below 8x in the final three arenas.
Learning the Beat Pattern of Each Level: Every level has a unique BPM and time signature. Vulgate (Level 1) is 140 BPM in 4/4 time — the easiest to learn. Sheol (Level 2) is 160 BPM with a half-time feel in the verses. Avaritia (Level 3) changes BPM mid-song from 120 to 150 during the bridge. Stigia (Level 4) is 180 BPM — the fastest in the game. Acheron (Level 5/6+) uses compound time signatures (7/8 and 5/4) that take practice. For each level, spend 10 minutes in the "Practice Mode" (available from the main menu) just walking around and shooting walls on-beat. Do not fight enemies — just internalize the rhythm. When you can shoot a wall for 60 consecutive seconds without missing a beat, you are ready for the real run.
Specific S-Rank Tips: Kill priority: Hellions (shield bearers) first → Stygians (ranged attackers) second → basic demons last. Hellions break your combo if they knock you back. Stygians damage you from off-screen. Always keep at least one weak enemy alive until you have cleared the threats — use it to build your multiplier back up if you get hit. Use environmental hazards: explosive barrels deal 200 damage and count as on-beat kills. Spike pits and lava pools instant-kill most enemies if you knock them in with Persephone's heavy attack. Save your Blood Rush sigil for arena 3 (the mid-level difficulty spike) and arena 6 (the final arena before the boss).
Level-by-Level Breakdown
Level 1 — Vulgate (Par: 5:30): The tutorial level. Four arenas plus a boss fight against The Chaos Moth. Enemies: Hellions (basic sword-wielders), Stygians (shoot projectiles), and Mutts (dog-like, fast, lunge attack). The arena layouts are linear with no branching paths. Boss strategy for The Chaos Moth: stay at mid-range, dodge its charge attack (telegraphed by a red flash), shoot the glowing crystal on its underbelly during the stun window. The boss has 3 phases, each adding a new attack (laser beam in P2, homing orbs in P3). S-rank target: 5:00 clear, 35,000+ score, 0 deaths. Weapon recommendation: Persephone + Vulcan.
Level 2 — Sheol (Par: 6:00): The ice-themed level. Six arenas. Ice patches make you slide slightly, which throws off your positioning. New enemy: Frost Armor demons (take 50% reduced damage until their armor is broken with 3 melee hits). Arena layouts have vertical elements — platforms at different heights. Use double jump (hold jump button) to reach higher platforms. Boss: The Ice Titan. Stay behind the ice pillars when it casts its freezing breath. The Titan's weak point is the gem on its chest — shoot it during its recovery animation after the charge attack. S-rank target: 5:30 clear, 38,000+ score. Weapon recommendation: Vulcan + Tomaru (Tomaru breaks Frost Armor in one blast).
Level 3 — Avaritia (Par: 6:30): The gold-themed level. Seven arenas. Gold coins drop from enemies and attract "Greedlings" — small, fast enemies that swarm you if you leave coins on the ground. New mechanic: Gold Gates that require killing all enemies in the room to open. Enemy type of note: the Golem (huge, slow, takes 50% damage from all sources, but its fists deal 75 damage — avoid at all costs). Boss: The Gold Idol. It has a rotating shield that blocks damage from one direction. You must shoot the unshielded side. The Idol also spawns Greedlings continuously. Keep moving and do not let the Greedlings surround you. S-rank target: 6:00 clear, 40,000+ score. Weapon recommendation: The Hounds + Tomaru.
Level 4 — Stigia (Par: 7:00): The hellfire level. Eight arenas, lava floors (deal 10 damage per second), and moving platforms. The BPM of 180 makes this the most rhythmically demanding level. New enemy: Flame Witch (teleports, shoots fireballs that leave lingering damage pools). Enemy priority: kill Flame Witches before anything else. The fire pools block movement and force you off-beat. Arena layouts feature collapsing platforms that fall away after 4 beats — you must time your movements precisely. Boss: The Hellforge Demon. This boss has a DPS check phase: at 50% HP, it becomes immune and summons 4 soul orbs that must be destroyed within 20 seconds or they explode for 100 damage each. Use Blood Rush at the start of this phase. S-rank target: 6:30 clear, 45,000+ score. Weapon recommendation: Nix + The Hounds (headshots on the boss with Nix are critical).
Advanced Combat Tips
- Weapon Swap Canceling: You can cancel the reload animation of any weapon by swapping to your other weapon and back. The reload timer still progresses during the swap, so this effectively reloads both weapons in half the time. The timing: fire → swap → fire other weapon → swap back → fire original weapon. Practice this in the tutorial range until it becomes muscle memory. This technique is mandatory for S-rank attempts on Sheol and Stigia.
- Aerial Combat: Jumping does not cost a beat. You can jump, fire, land, and fire again on consecutive beats — this does not interrupt your rhythm. Use aerial shots to: (1) hit headshots more easily (enemies' heads are at chest height when you are airborne), (2) dodge ground-level attacks (Hellion sweeps, Mutt lunges), and (3) maintain line of sight over obstacles. The airborne state also gives you 20% damage reduction from ground-based attacks.
- Fury Orb Pathing: Fury Orbs spawn from enemies killed at 8x+ multiplier. They orbit around the nearest enemy before dissipating after 5 seconds. The optimal path through any arena is a circuit that brings you past every spawn point — do not chase orbs to the opposite side of the room. Plan your movement so that you kill enemies in a clockwise or counter-clockwise order, collecting orbs as you circle the arena.
- Hidden Skulls: Each level has 3 hidden skulls that unlock bonus sigil currency and alternate weapon skins. Skull locations are indicated by subtle environmental clues: a faint red glow, an out-of-place torch, or a cracked wall that breaks when shot. In Vulgate, the first skull is behind the waterfall in arena 2. In Sheol, look for a breakable ice wall in the upper left of arena 4. In Avaritia, the third skull is on a hidden platform above the boss arena entrance. Collecting all 3 skulls on a level unlocks the "Master of [Level Name]" achievement and a permanent 5% score multiplier for that level.
- Torment Mode: After beating the game once, Torment Mode unlocks. This is a boss rush mode where you fight every boss back-to-back with no healing between fights. The multiplier carries over between bosses — so maintaining 16x through the first two bosses sets you up to destroy the final boss in seconds. The recommended Torment loadout: Blood Rush + Overwhelming Force + Indomitable. Clear Torment Mode on any difficulty to unlock the "Infernal" difficulty, which doubles enemy damage and HP but adds 50% to your score multiplier.