Chained Beasts · Getting started

Learn to manage stamina, exploit chains, win the crowd and survive the choices between battles with practical advice for your first arena run.

Official game analysis · Updated: 2026-10-18

Survive your first run

1. Learn a short attack sequence, then leave stamina for a dodge. Blocking needs a usable shield unless an ability says otherwise; shields break. Charging an attack while surrounded gives enemies time to flank you. Recover space before committing to a long wind-up.

2. Treat the chain as a moving obstacle you control together. Agree which way to circle a pillar and leave a retreat lane. Pull enemies across the chain, then punish them while they are down. Running in opposite directions can trap a teammate instead.

3. The crowd wants pace and variety. Mix throws, trips, environmental hits and executions instead of repeating one safe swing. A lively crowd supports the run economy, but chasing applause through a dangerous attack is a poor trade.

4. A potion can restore health while adding a lasting affliction. Read its consequence against your build before choosing. Training fills shared experience, but each player has a strain meter; pushing it too far adds another affliction. A level-up is not automatically worth crippling your dodge or vision.

5. Agree on purchases before paying from the shared basket. Buying an item makes it available to the gladiators, but personal equipment and effects that explicitly apply to all players are different. Prioritize survival or your build’s missing trigger before an unrelated damage bonus.

6. Before a boss, check weapon durability, current afflictions and an escape route. Use short openings for throws or punches and retreat before the next attack. A successful burst in one run does not mean every boss can be locked down or defeated in a fixed number of hits.

Official Steam page