Your first Sephiria run should teach you how the tower presents choices. A room reward is not just an item to equip immediately. It is a possible shape for the rest of your inventory, a future weapon interaction, or a reason to change the route you take through the next rooms. The safest beginner habit is to pause at each choice, name the problem you are solving, and only then accept the reward.
First ten minutes
Start by checking controls, movement, attack, dash, interact, and the inventory screen in a low-pressure space. The exact key layout can differ with controller settings and platform, so this guide does not print a fixed binding table. Confirm the prompts on your own build. A control that feels slow in a boss room often feels fine in a normal room, and learning that difference early is worth more than rushing the first reward.
Next, select a weapon you can understand. The Steam page confirms six distinct weapons, but the current store description does not provide a complete balance ranking. Choose the option whose range, timing, and movement feel readable. For the first run, “I can see why I took damage” is a better success criterion than “I selected the community favorite.” Record the weapon and its first upgrades so later comparisons have a baseline.
When an Artifact appears, inspect its effect and its footprint before placing it. Keep a small amount of empty space while you are still learning. A full inventory can hide the cost of a bad placement because every later choice becomes a forced rearrangement. If a reward looks powerful but has no obvious relationship to your weapon or existing bonuses, take a screenshot or write the name down and move on rather than rebuilding the entire run around an unverified interaction.
The beginner loop
The most important early resource is attention. Read the item panel, check the inventory, and keep one clear plan. You do not need a complete catalog to make a good beginner decision. You need to know whether the next choice supports survival, damage, movement, resource generation, or a future combination. If you cannot explain the role of a pickup, leave room for a later answer.
Artifacts and Tablets without panic
Artifacts are part of the official strategic inventory system, and Tablets empower them. That relationship makes layout more important than a simple list of “good items.” Place the item where it works now, but keep an exit plan if the next Tablet changes the value of the row or cluster. Take a moment to inspect the entire bag after a meaningful pickup. The rearrangement is part of the game, not a menu chore.
Do not assume a negative-looking modifier is automatically unusable or that a positive-looking modifier is automatically correct. Test the displayed effect, compare it with your current weapon, and consider whether the item blocks a more important space. Exact interaction rules can change; use the Tablets hub and Artifacts hub for versioned notes rather than relying on memory.
When to restart a run
Restarting is reasonable when the run has a clear structural problem, not merely because the first reward was not exciting. A weapon you do not understand can still teach you. An inventory with no open space, no compatible bonus, and no way to answer the next chapter may be a better restart candidate. Before restarting, record what failed. That note turns a lost run into a useful test and prevents repeating the same decision.
For co-op, remember that the official store lists online play for up to four players. Agree on one goal before the run: learning rooms, testing a weapon, or pushing chapter progress. Do not make the newest player responsible for every resource decision. The Multiplayer hub covers group questions separately.