Cell Survivor guide - Live to fight another day
To save you from getting muddled, we've created a Cell Survivor guide to help you through the early, slightly confusing stages.
When you first start with Cell Survivor, the sheer number of upgrade paths, currencies, and weapon choices can be completely overwhelming. I remember grinding the early chapters and still failing quite a bit (shameful confession). I also ended up wasting my gems on useless stuff and struggling to clear Chapter 20 because I didn't know what I was doing.
That's exactly why I decided this Cell Survivor guide should be a comprehensive list of things you should be doing, or rather, some things I would do differently if I were to start over.
Do what I say, not what I did
Of course, you're free to make your own mistakes, but Cell Survivor is not as easy as it seems. The graphics might make you think it's a brainless survival game, but in reality, things get difficult FAST.You've probably noticed that as soon as Chapter 2, and if you are still powering through, props to you.
Honestly, I even rage-quit a couple of times, simply because it was so frustrating to deal with some of the bosses. So, if you are past that and really want to learn how to progress more easily, these tips should come in handy.
Don't get me wrong, there is no way it will be easy-peasy, but it will be easier.
Let's dive in!
Tip #1 - Save 3000 Gems for the 10x weapon pulls
The biggest mistake you can make is spending gems as soon as you get them. Single weapon chest pulls are a massive waste of premium currency. You must save up exactly 3000 gems to buy the 10-pull bundle.
This provides a discount and efficiently pushes you toward the 100-pull pity timer, which allows you to choose a guaranteed Red Weapon Essence. Until you have unlocked every Red weapon in the game (like the Abyssal Maw and Machine Heart), your gems should not be spent on anything else.
Tip #2 - Ignore the Capsule weapon entirely
Unless you spend real money on it, the game forces the Capsule weapon into your primary starting slot.
During my testing, I found that the Capsule is just an average skill (there's no other way to put it). Even at level 24, its base damage barely scratches 24000, which is completely useless in the later stages.
Just because it is in your first slot does not mean you should upgrade it. When you level up during a match, never select Capsule upgrade cards if you can. Let it sit at base level and use your upgrades on your secondary weapons instead.
Tip #3 - Use the Sterile Swab to carry you through the early chapters
In chapters 1 through 20, you will not have access to the Red weapons, which can easily clear the screen. That's one of the reasons you need some reliable, targeted damage.
The Sterile Swab is the undisputed MVP of the early game because it specifically targets the head of the virus. There are a couple of other skills that are good, like the Medical Tower and Acupuncture.
Medical Tower is essential for "centred" arena levels where you spawn in the middle, and the Acupuncture skill is a reliable, rapid-fire DPS that is easy to upgrade.
Tip #4 - Dump all your gold into stats
The game allows you to upgrade three core stats with gold: Attack, Crit Chance, and Cooldown. I suggest not spreading your gold evenly, like you might be tempted to. My best tip here is to push your "Attack" (or Basic Attack) as high as possible, because THAT is what will help you overcome the massive HP spikes of early bosses.
Every time you raise your level by 10, you get access to various buffs and rewards, which are very important early on.
Tip #5 - Farm the Golden Pig for account progression
Gold is the ultimate bottleneck for your account power. You cannot rely strictly on chapter progression to fund your stat upgrades, which is why you have to do a couple of extra tasks for that.
I really suggest you play the "Golden Pig" instance daily - it's kind of a must. This level is specifically designed as a gold farm and provides the massive currency injections required to keep your Attack stat levelled up.
Tip #6 - Ignore artifacts and skins early on
The game will constantly ask you to pull for Artifacts (using Blue Keys) or buy skins like the Santa or Ocean King.
Ignore them.
Artifacts offer incredibly minor stat bumps that are irrelevant in the early game. Focus purely on acquiring Red weapons first. Once you hit a certain chapter and unlock the dedicated farming instances, you can start worrying about optimising your Artifact loadout.
Until then, just save your resources and take your time with the upgrades. This is something that you will thank me for later on.
Once you're feeling a little more comfortable with the basics, check out our Cell Survivor best set-up guide to get the most out of your experience.
