Hello! I wrote this on April 23, 2013 - four days after the game became available for Steam. If you're reading this much later, it's likely this won't help much. But as of this writing, there's not much other insight to be had.

Anyway, it's still a bit sketchy - I plan to pad this out a bit more (You'll notice I haven't mentioned weapons at all), especially with the screenshots it badly needs. But you know what? I just wrote it, I'm hungry, and I am going to go get a burger instead. YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THIS FOR NOW, INTERNET.

The first two sections are general Tips-N-Tricks, but the rest is a bit more in-depth with the methods that allowed me to beat the game, besides being sick and being able to spend 13 damn hours on it in 4 days. At any rate, like I mention at the top, there's not much insight out there yet, so feel free to add any other helpful suggestions in the comments!

So you've just choked on the lid of a Snapple cap and found yourself surrounded in Hellfire; it's okay, we've all been there. By there, I mean the Hellfire, not the Snapple thing. That was kind of stupid.

But that doesn't mean you have to keep being stupid! Godmode has a few shoulda-been-obvious things worth pointing out to the newly deceased. Here are some such pointers that will either make you want to slap yourself or me.

• Hey, you know at those weird icons at the end of each round? Turns out they're unlock indicators. Yes, I know you didn't gain a level, but it's there anyway. You can probably figure out what each one means - the arm means abilities, gun means gun (duh), and shirt means cosmetics. They each have a slot for when there's a new one available, and when a new upgrade is. The exception, of course, is your rank, which is indicated in the first icon.
  
  
• Hey, you know that part in Fortress where you have to enter the castle, but don't know how? Maybe you've tried shooting the Atlases, and can't figure out why they're invincible. Turns out, you need to use two catapults. They can be accessed partway through the trial, after some Mages spawn. The levers will glow, and you need only to approach to activate it. I've noticed many Bronze runs end with confused players wandering around because of this.
  
  
• Hey, you know how to mute those other players in quick-match? You don't! You can't! A lot of people have been complaining about this, and it's likely to get patched soon. My advice? If mouthbreathing starts to emanate from your speakers while matching up players, cancel and try again. If it's too late to cancel, ALT-F4. Trust me, you will lose your sanity. (and don't worry about stranding teammates - more on this later)
  
  
• Maybe you've noticed by now that the enemies do not spawn randomly. Maybe you haven't. Well, they don't. Ignoring the effects of each Test of Faith, each round spawns the same enemies, in the same order. Try to remember each level, because you'll be back. Many, many times.
  
  
• Just because your teammates are racing to the portal, does not mean you are in a race. Don't be afraid to scavenge any leftover pickups! The game will teleport you to the next area, and you'll likely have more stuff than if you were trying to snatch the few in-between pickups from the faster folk. Most of the time, one person gets all.
  
  
• For those below level 5 or so, don't be afraid to lose! In fact, I highly suggest trying a few solo-run. You'll die horribly, but you'll be more aware of everything, and get the hang of things faster.

• As mentioned earlier, don't be afraid to solo! Seriously, it helps tons, and once you become experienced enough, it becomes preferable, for reasons I'll get into in the next section.
  
  
• Ignore the ingame tip about Atlas. He is not your buddy. Every enemy that gets flattened by his spheres is an enemy you aren't getting XP from. So why take the risk? Take him out as soon as you spot him. What's he need your XP for, anyway? Drugs, probably.
  
  
• BODYSHOTS. You likely know that skeletons don't need heads, but it's still something to keep in mind. Headshots don't matter in this game, so if you're hard-wired to pay attention to the gray-matter, beat that temptation. Unless you're facing the Cyclops, you just want the bullets to land, not make a beautiful entry.
  
  
• Everyone is selfish, and again, I'll refer you to the next section as to why. However, not everyone is a ♥♥♥♥. It's hard to pay attention to everything, so if you play Charlie Chaplin a bit and pantomime your concern for others (for instance, stopping and waiting for your teammates if you're the first one at the portal, or pausing to let them take that pickup), they'll be more aware of your needs as well. And hopefully more grateful. Besides, they're more firepower.
  
  
• Following that last note, keep an eye on any stragglers on your team. I suggest watching the scoreboard and seeing if anybody's chalking up a lot of deaths. Help them out, and not only will you preserve more lives, you'll likely get some easy XP.
  
  
• You want to do well during the Gold Rush? Play pacifist. If some schmuck is spending time firing a minigun at you, that just means he's paying less attention to the coins that are spawning. Lucky for you, dodging involves running around (roll around when changing directions, they'll hate you). Even if you get killed, you'll probably make more than if you were concerning yourself with a firefight.
  
  
• ALWAYS HAVE AN OATH. At least one oath. If not for the bonus, than for the training it provides. If you keep up with one long enough, you'll barely even notice it exists. I highly suggest starting with the "less effective health pickups", and if you hadn't spent money on it, "permanent ability cooldown". The Poison one can be quite a ♥♥♥♥♥, however. Especially if you're playing multiplayer, since you'll wind up needing most of the health pickups.

No, this isn't a lovey-dovey entry on how your teammates will love you more if you treat them right. I already said that, anyway. As it happens, being competitive and gaining the most XP and Gold means being the most helpful person.

For instance:

• Have you noticed there's no penalty given for getting killed? That's because it already is one: those three seconds may as well be minutes when it comes to racking up XP. You should be making something's head fall off at all times.
  
  
• Protecting the weaker players means easy pickings. You'll be both finishing off weakened enemies and getting a herd of them to target. The closer, the better.
  
  
• Even if everyone's being as competitive as possible, no tears will be shed about it. Being matched with better players means a faster playthrough and quicker XP. Being matched with worse ones means having more XP. It's a win-win. Until you play Solo, then it's just win.

Obviously, this is true of all games or activities: the more you play, the better you get. But Godmode is a bit special, in that its manner of changing up gameplay through Tests-O-Faith and Oaths makes for great training.

Your ability in this game (and everything else, of course) boils down to certain specific skills. Let me try to boil it down to a few: Prioritizing, Dividing Attention, Planning, and Reflexes.

Each time the game throws something new at you, it forces you to focus on one of these skills. For example, Emperor tests your ability to divide attention by forcing you to play while keeping sure you don't get killed by the other guy. Famine and Whatever One Switches Guns, on the other hand, tests your ability to plan out your next move based on sudden changes. Death, bless it, tests absolutely everything.

The point of this is: if there is a Test you suck at, that means there's something to learn from it. Start playing more as if that test were always active, and you'll grow much better. The same goes for Oaths. I advised against Poison, but it still makes for a good training tool for avoiding hits completely.

Never forget you can go Solo. In fact, once Gold gets easy, I recommend Solo-ing exclusively. If you don't think you need your teammates to get by, then don't let them have a cut of your sweet, sweet loot.

Keep in mind, the story of the game says YOU'RE a descendant of the Gods, not EVERYONE. It's not Left 4 Dead, the game focuses on you alone, while dumping you in with some helpers that happen to be playing at the same time. If the "allies" training wheels come off, there's a bunch of rewards to be gained.


Obviously, the downside to this is that it's less social, so take this with a grain of salt. You'll reap more benefits, but whether or not that makes it more fun is your own opinion.