Crypt of the NecroDancer beginner guide: timing, PC controls and resources
PC directional and combined inputs, latency calibration, and normal Cadence versus No Beat. Separate weapon reach, digging, run resources and lobby upgrades; facility and character unlocks are in closed steps.
Edition: Steam PC base game (app 247080), primarily Cadence, solo, normal rules, with AMPLIFIED, SYNCHRONY and character DLC disabled. Ports, mods and other characters use separate conditions.
Verification scope: Official announcements checked through v4.2.1 (2025-12-16). Public sources compared on 2026-10-04. The installed build, Japanese in-game display and a complete playthrough have not been tested. Older guides are used only for basic base-game behavior.
Sources checked: 2026-10-04
36 / 36 rows
Searching does not open answer tables. Choose the answer you want to reveal.
Separate directional inputs from special actions on PC
A directional input moves onto open floor, digs a diggable wall or attacks an enemy within weapon reach. This is not a game about repeatedly pressing a dedicated ordinary attack key. The combinations below are traditional PC keyboard defaults; prioritize your current binding display.
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Input / setting | Applicable character | Requirement for a valid action | Adjustment after failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow keys: move / dig / attack | Cadence | One direction per beat; the result depends on target and weapon. | Check weapon reach, undiggable walls and blocked floor. |
| Esc: pause | Ordinary solo controls | Use when you need thinking time. | Listen to the resume countdown and return to the rhythm. |
| ↓ + ←: bomb | Cadence | A bomb is available. | Bind a single key if simultaneous inputs are difficult. |
| ↑ + ← / ← + →: Item 1 / Item 2, equipment switching | Cadence | An item is held in the corresponding slot. | An empty slot does not necessarily count as a valid action. |
| ↑＋→ / ↓＋→：Spell 1 / Spell 2 | Cadence | Check the spell and its use requirements. | Read the HUD input and remaining requirements before using it. |
| ↑ + ↓: reload / prepare a throw | Cadence with a compatible weapon | Its role changes with weapon or boots. | Some weapons cannot be thrown; check in practice. |
| Reassign Controls: change bindings | PC | Dedicated keys reduce the need for combinations. | Do not force old keyboard combinations onto v4.1.0-and-later controller layouts. |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Quick Restart's default key differs between source text and tables, so no key is specified here. Check Reassign Controls, and do not rush into repeated retries if you want to spend diamonds.
Checks when only timing feels wrong
If inputs are consistently early or late, check latency settings rather than assuming the problem is your judgment. This page cannot prescribe a correct millisecond value for every device.
- Choose the headphones, speakers, display and controller you will use before opening in-game latency calibration.
- If PC settings search with Ctrl+F is available, search for the displayed setting name, such as latency.
- Keep audio and video calibration separate, following the instructions and testing several times under the same conditions.
- In a safe place such as the lobby, try alternating directions once per beat rather than mashing.
- Compare following the sound with following the lower heart/beat display. Recheck after changing peripherals.
Compare one setting before and after changing it instead of making large changes repeatedly. This is a troubleshooting suggestion, not a universal optimum for every device.
Waiting, advancing a beat and pausing are different
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Input / setting | Applicable character | What happens | Safety requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press nothing | Normal Cadence | Enemies advance and the Groove Chain normally drops. | Do not keep watching from an enemy's attack path. |
| Dig a wall your ordinary shovel can break | Normal Cadence | Spend one beat on a valid action without changing position. | The wall must actually be diggable and the next enemy action must not reach you. |
| Input toward a wall that is too hard | Normal Cadence | Digging fails and you lose the multiplier. | Do not assume bumping into a wall is a valid wait. |
| Move back and forth on open floor | Normal Cadence | Use movement to spend beats. | Both tiles must be clear of enemies, traps and hazardous floor. |
| Pause with Esc | Solo | Stop game progression to assess the situation. | Use the countdown to pick up the beat on resume. |
| No input with Bard / No Beat | Compatible setting | The music's beat alone does not normally advance enemy turns. | Inputs still make enemies act, so do not mash. |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Exceptions include tools that move you when digging, boots that preserve the multiplier, special characters and shrines. These are Cadence basics close to starting equipment.
Check which tiles a weapon hits before its numbers
Forward means the direction you press. Separate material-based damage from weapon-type reach. These are representative ordinary weapons, not a ranking of the strongest.
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Equipment | Reach / movement | Example use | Caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | One adjacent tile in a cardinal direction | Press the direction after the enemy reaches your attack range. | With a gap, the input moves you forward instead of attacking. |
| Spear | Up to two tiles in a straight line; one target | Can target an enemy with one empty tile between you. | Long reach is different from hitting several targets at once. |
| Longsword | Attacks two tiles straight ahead | Line up enemies one behind the other within its reach. | Does not reach equally sideways or diagonally. |
| Broadsword | Three tiles in the row directly ahead | Check the front tile and both forward diagonals together. | Does not reach three tiles straight ahead. |
| Rapier | Lunges at a target two tiles away and advances one tile | Also check the tile where you will stand after the attack. | Do not input as though you will remain in place as with a Dagger. |
| Crossbow | Ranged while loaded; reload after three shots | Reload on a beat without an approaching enemy. | Do not mistake the adjacent attack after running out of shots for a ranged attack. |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Directions and distances are independently organized in text. Thrown weapons must be recovered. Do not apply AMPLIFIED's piercing-throw behavior to shields when that DLC is disabled.
Before buying, choose one missing role
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Equipment / resource | What to check | Run-only versus permanent | Applicable conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapon | Weapon-type reach, material and current damage | Equipment obtained in a run lasts for that run. | Cadence. Obsidian performance also changes when the multiplier drops. |
| Armor / boots | Whether it reduces hits or changes movement/floor behavior | Equipment during a run | Check whether movement still behaves as expected immediately after pickup. |
| Shovel | Can it dig the current wall? | Equipment during a run | Do not assume it breaks every wall based on appearance alone. |
| Gold | Payment in dungeon shops | Run-only; not an asset carried past death | Check the item and your current gold. |
| Diamonds | Spent on lobby upgrades and unlocks | Purchased unlocks and unspent currency are separate. | Return to the lobby after death and spend them before starting again. |
| Lobby equipment unlocks | Adds items to pools such as chests | The unlock remains, but does not guarantee the equipment in every run. | Gradual unlocks in Single Zone |
| Starting-equipment purchase for the next run | Does it give you the equipment immediately? | For the next applicable run | Do not assume lobby equipment can be carried into All Zones. |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
All Zones does not use diamond-funded lobby upgrades such as health, and equipment pools are generally unlocked. It does not carry a Single Zone starting state into a complete run unchanged.
Death, retrying and suspending are different
A run ended by death is different from one suspended with Save and Quit. PC v3.0.0 and later can save and resume a session.
- To spend diamonds after dying, return to the lobby rather than choosing Quick Restart.
- Check your intended lobby purchases and read any warning about unspent diamonds.
- To continue a living run later, use Save and Quit from the pause menu.
- On resuming, check equipment, health and current floor before proceeding.
This does not undo death in a finished run. Do not apply old statements that quitting loses diamonds to every current form of saving and suspension.
Unlock answer 01
Unlock answer 01Close
Steps to unlock practice facilities
These rescues are for Single Zone. Key locations and conditions follow the wiki, but current prices and Japanese in-game wording have not been checked hands-on, so no fixed prices are given.
- Check that cage and key types match.
- Secure a return route before picking up the key.
- After the rescue, check the lobby facility and practice one enemy and weapon at a time.
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Unlock | Prerequisite | Required action / resource | How to confirm success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beastmaster | Rescue on Zone 1-1 | Obtain the Gold Key from that floor's shop and deliver it to the cage on the same floor. | Practice ordinary enemies you have already defeated in the lobby. |
| Merlin | Rescue on Zone 1-2 | Find the Gold Key in a room behind a wall and deliver it to the cage. | Unlock spells, rings and consumables in the lobby. |
| Bossmaster | Rescue on Zone 1-3 | Obtain that floor's shop Gold Key and bring it to the cage. | Open practice options for large enemies and bosses in the lobby. |
| Weaponmaster | Rescue on Zone 2-2 | Gain access to the locked shop, obtain the Gold Key inside and bring it to the cage. | Choose weapons for practice. |
| Diamond Dealer | From Zone 2-2 to 2-3 | Dig up the Glass Key on 2-2 and carry it to the cage on 2-3 without taking damage. | Equipment purchases for the next Single Zone run become available. |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Key prices and the shortest complete rescue order are unverified. Cages may not appear this way in saves with existing unlocks or in other modes.
Unlock answer 02
Unlock answer 02Close
Change character for practice
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Unlock | Prerequisite | Required action | How to confirm success |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bard | Initial state | Switch to Bard in character selection. | Inputs do not need to wait for music beats; enemies advance in response to inputs. |
| No Beat Mode | PC v3.0.0 and later | Select No Beat in settings. PC settings can be searched with Ctrl+F. | The beat restriction changes even while remaining Cadence. |
| Eli | Ordinary base-game progression | Clear Zone 1. | Check availability in character selection. Weapon handling differs from Cadence. |
| Dove | Ordinary base-game progression | Clear Zone 2. | Check availability in character selection. Do not reuse ordinary attack or boss instructions unchanged. |
| The next story character | The finale of Cadence's base-game route | Follow the progression guide through the last answer and win the final battle. | Check the added option in lobby character selection. |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Bard does not require defeating a particular boss. No Beat achievement conditions differ from normal rhythm and no individual achievement is guaranteed here. DLC characters and a complete character-unlock table are outside scope.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a directional input fail to move me?
It may prioritize attacking or digging, or the action may fail because of reach, walls or terrain. Check HUD equipment, your floor and distance to the target.
Can I play without difficult simultaneous inputs?
PC special actions can be assigned to dedicated keys. Start with bombs or a frequently used item and verify the displayed binding.
Can I keep the multiplier without pressing anything?
For Cadence with ordinary equipment, skipping a beat without input drops the multiplier. Distinguish valid actions from pausing rather than assuming special-equipment exceptions.
Can I keep saving diamonds between attempts?
They can be spent in the lobby after death, but do not treat unused diamonds as a permanent bank balance. Read warnings before a new departure or Quick Restart. Suspending a living run is a separate function.