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Phantom Abyss: 5 Best Tips for Beginners

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If Indiana Jones and Mirror's Edge have one thing in common, it's the direct impact each of had on Team WIBY's Phantom Abyss, an all-new asynchronous multiplayer game that sees thousands of treasure hunters battling it out for gold, relics, and whips over a series of hazardous locations. In each temple, players must work to bypass countless traps, puzzles, and the ancient Guardians who've sword to protect the inner nexus from anyone who dares to impose.

On paper, Phantom Abyss isn't all that complicated to wrap your head around. That said, there's certainly no harm in onboarding a few additional tips, if only to make your time down in the ancient ruins a little less hectic. So, before you embark on your next expedition for lost relics, make sure to brush up on these quick tips.

5. Take Your Time

It may not seem like it, what with the thousand-plus Phantom players sprinting ahead of you from the moment the Temple opens, but the fact is, you are not a participant in a race, nor should you ever think of yourself as one, either. To win a round of Phantom Abyss, you must reach the third tier of any randomly generated Temple, which of course involves powering through three floors full of traps, chests, puzzles, and Guardians. But in spite of what you may think, you do not need to be the first in line to reap all the benefits of the Temple.

As you progress deeper and deeper into the Temples, you'll come across various chests filled with coins, as well as hidden areas with keys, and pieces of Essence, which can be found once another player has fallen in that specific area. By taking you're time and going with the flow, you'll be able to uncover more areas, scout out even better treasures, as well as collect more Essence. All of these things will net you more XP, which can be used to boost your adventurer's level. So, instead of driving straight in, why not try and take a slower approach the next time you breach a Temple? Because you know what they say: slow and steady wins the race, and all that jazz.

4. Learn from the Phantoms

Phantoms are the neon blue ghosts that you'll find an abundance of in each Temple, which reflect a past player's actions during another undisclosed time. The one thing you need to remember here, of course, is that Phantom Abyss does not take place in real time. And those electric spirits you see bolting off ahead of you every time you enter a Temple? Mere apparitions that will serve as gentle reminders of the dangers you yourself could very well bump into if you're not careful.

As you're all competing for the same prize, but at different times, nothing says you shouldn't wait at the back of the crowd and follow in others' footsteps. Think of it like being the glass bridge from Netflix's Squid Game; if you play it safe by hanging out at the back, you'll have the opportunity to watch other players make all the mistakes that you yourself would much rather avoid. So, the next time you come up to a puzzle or open area that's laden with traps, be sure to hang back and watch how the Phantoms tackle them before taking your turn.

3. Obtain More Whips

In Phantom Abyss, the whip is your closest companion, and will do you right so long as you know when and where to use it. For example, did you know that certain whips can freeze some of the Temple traps, or that you can also gain an additional heart just for equipping one in particular? There are plenty of perks that bind to each one, and obtaining a collection of them will definitely be your key to succeeding in the tougher Temples you onboard.

There are 22 whips to collect in Phantom Abyss, which can be obtained by building up XP and increasing your adventurer's level. Besides playing through the Temples in a bid for the Relic, the best way to gather XP is through Essence. Collecting these blue orbs from a Temple's fallen players will guarantee you a set amount of XP, regardless of your outcome. Therefore, you should always try and see the Relic as a bonus, but Essence, XP, and new whips as the primary objective. Once you have gathered enough whips, then you should focus on heading for the Relics.

2. Listen to the NPCs

It's easy to brush off the static NPCs as being nothing more than filler figures to add meat to the room. The fact is, though, a lot of ghostly adventurers can actually provide you with quite a lot of valuable information, should you be willing to listen to them, of course.

If you do happen to find yourself rubbing shoulders with a motionless ghost while crossing between floors, be sure to lend them an ear, for they may just clue you in on a secret area in the Temple that could just net you plenty of additional keys, coins, and other in-game cosmetics. And seeing as you should be learning to follow the pack and not lead it, you should also have enough time and space to separate the Phantoms from the NPCs.

1. Invest Your Coins Wisely

As you'll come to learn rather quickly in Phantom Abyss, upgrades come at a cost. And the only way you can really get money—surprise, surprise—is through unlocking chests and collecting coins. Once you have coins (usually 150 or more), you will be able to activate Shrines, which can be found at the end of every floor in any Temple. It is at these Shrines that you, along with your big ol' bag of cash, will learn to adopt new abilities, which are locally referred to as Blessings.

To make a dent in that painfully long list of lost Relics of yours, you're going to need to invest in new abilities. Specifically, Blessings that help you move around the Temples a lot quicker. To this end, you should aim to unlock the Wings Blessing, which will give you the power to soar for a short period of time. Having this in your arsenal will not only help you avoid any difficult traps, but it will also keep you out of harm's way, mostly with the Guardians on the second and third floors. So, if you want to stay out of trouble and cheese the Temples — invest your coins wisely.

So, what's your take? Do you have any additional tips for new Phantom Abyss players? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.

Jord is acting Team Leader at gaming.net. If he isn't blabbering on in his daily listicles, then he's probably out writing fantasy novels or scraping Game Pass of all its slept on indies.