How to play Torchbound

The goal

Your party goes down through the crypt one room at a time. Kill every monster in a room and the door at the top opens; walk through together to the next. A brute guards room 5 and The Ember Lord waits in room 10. Beat him and the crypt goes a depth deeper, harder each time. The run is over when the whole party has fallen, so the goal is simple: get further than last time.

Controls

Shooting and dodging

There is no fire button. The moment you stop moving, your hero starts shooting bolts at the nearest monster, and keeps shooting while you stand still. Moving stops the shooting. So the whole game is a rhythm: step out of the way, stop, shoot, step again. Pillars, urns and braziers block bolts, yours and the monsters', and you can't walk through them.

Levels and powers

Every monster you kill gives the party XP. When a room is clear and the party has enough, it levels up and each player picks one of three powers. You have 15 s to choose; then the first card is taken for you. Most powers can be taken more than once and stack:

• Twin Bolt: One more bolt, side by side.
• Ember Fan: Two more bolts, fanned out to the sides.
• Rear Guard: A bolt flies out behind you too.
• Piercing: Bolts pass through one more monster.
• Ricochet: Bolts jump to another monster.
• Quick Cast: Cast 25% faster.
• Arcane Might: Bolts hit 30% harder.
• Vigor: +30 max health, and heal it all.
• Ignite: Hits set monsters on fire.
• Chill: Hits slow monsters down.
• Ember Orbit: Two embers circle you and burn what they touch.
• Second Wind: Heal 60% of your health now.
• Keen Eye: 20% chance of a double-damage hit.
• Ward: A shield blocks one hit, and comes back.

Your ultimate

The damage you deal charges your ultimate. When it's full, fire it with the skill button (Space on a computer). Which one you get follows your powers, and it gets stronger as the party levels up:

• Static Field: lightning jumps from you to the 4 nearest monsters, again and again, for 3.2 s. Yours unless you have Chill or Ignite.
• Avalanche: 12 ice shards crash onto the monsters around you and slow them. Yours if you have Chill.
• Inferno: a ring of fire bursts out from you and burns everything it reaches. Yours if you have Ignite.

With both Chill and Ignite, you get the one you took more of; a tie gives Avalanche.

Monsters

• Imp: walks straight at you.
• Cinder Bat: fast, weaves as it comes, and flies over pillars.
• Slime: slow hops; when it dies it splits into two Slimelets.
• Bone Mage: keeps its distance and shoots at you. Deeper in, it shoots three at once.
• Grave Wisp: floats over pillars and sends out rings of shots.
• Elites (from room 3): bigger versions with 2.6× the health. They hit harder and give more XP, and always drop a heart.
• Cursed Coffins (rooms 2 and 7 of every depth): they rattle and raise a monster beside them, up to 2 at a time each, until you smash them. Your bolts go for the coffins first.

The bosses

• Crypt Brute (room 5 of every depth): walks at you, winds up (the warning), then charges in a straight line and bursts into a ring of shots where it stops. Badly hurt, it charges twice in a row.
• The Ember Lord (room 10 of every depth): floats over the room and takes turns: rings of fire, aimed volleys, a spinning spiral, ember rain on marked spots that burst a moment later, imps called to his side, and fire beams that show where they'll be before they light up and sweep around the room. Walk with the gap. Below half health he gets faster and every attack gets bigger.

Health, hearts and falling

• Monsters sometimes drop a heart: walk over it to heal 18% of your health. It only works if you're hurt. Hearts still on the floor when the room is clear go to whoever needs them most.
• Clearing a room heals everyone still standing a little.
• When you fall you leave a grave. A teammate who stands by it for 2.4 s brings you back with 40% of your health.
• If nobody can reach you, you come back in the next room anyway, as long as the rest of the party clears this one.

Tips

• Stop often. Short stops between steps keep your bolts flying while you dodge.
• Hide behind a pillar from shooters: it stops their bolts. Bats and wisps fly over it, though.
• Smash cursed coffins before you chase what they raised, or the room never empties.
• Watch for the wind-up: a brute winding up is about to charge, so step out of its line.
• Full health? Leave the hearts for a hurt teammate.
• Save your ultimate for a crowd or a boss rather than the last monster in a room.
• Run to a fallen friend's grave: the sooner they're back, the sooner they're shooting again.

Questions

Is Torchbound free?

Yes. It's free to play in your browser: no download, no signup, no ads.

Does it work on phones?

Yes, it's made for phones held upright, and it works on tablets and computers too. Drag anywhere on the screen to move, let go to shoot.

How do I play with friends?

Open the game, tap With friends and share the room link. Up to 4 players go down together, and the host starts the run. A friend who joins during a run comes in at the next room, with as many powers as the party's level.

Can I play alone?

Yes. Bots fill the party up to 2 heroes, so Quick Play gives you a bot teammate (always labeled as a bot). The host can switch Fill with bots off for a true solo run.

How do I shoot?

You don't press anything. Stand still and your hero shoots at the nearest monster on their own. Move to dodge, stop to shoot.

Does the crypt end?

No. Every 10 rooms you go a depth deeper and the monsters get tougher. The run ends when the whole party has fallen; your best room is kept on your device.

Do I need an account?

No. Your name, level and best room are saved on your device.