The opening encounter

Tar Golem ends the tutorial. PowerPyx identifies a separate achievement for reducing its health to zero, even though the encounter is designed to end in defeat. That optional challenge is not the same as a normal boss victory.

After the opening, make time for a Shell and weapon that fit your approach before treating the next region as a race.

The regional bosses

The following is PowerPyx’s suggested order, not a requirement to visit every region in this exact sequence. Other exploration routes can change which boss you encounter first.

  • Glutted Mire — Magdalena, the Lady of the Woods.
  • Sanguine Caverns — The Lost Child.
  • Prisoner’s Domain — The Nameless Captive.
  • Conquered Temple — Droeg, the Conquerer.
  • Withered Shoals — Hexapod.
  • Faded Citadel — Sir Isaac, the Scholar-Prince.

The Unfound Path

The endgame sequence is Malborn Offspring, The Monolith, Orrem the Reclaimed and finally Zmey the Unbidden. Treat this as a progression outline, not a list of every optional dungeon or miniboss.

Before choosing New Game+, you can still collect missed Shells and weapons in free roam, according to PowerPyx’s collectible guides.

Handle the tutorial Tar Golem carefully

The Tar Golem is the first main boss and appears at the end of the tutorial. The encounter is designed to end in defeat, but reducing its health to zero first awards the “No, You Still Can’t Win” trophy or achievement.

This fight occurs only once during a playthrough and does not return in New Game+, making that achievement missable. Fight patiently and chip away at the slow boss; if an attempt deteriorates, quitting to the main menu places you before the Bone Gate when the save is reloaded.

Collect an early Shell before committing upgrades

For Tiel, begin at Widow’s Overlook and travel southeast. The cited Shell guide says you can run past the enemies, interact with the coffin, and spend one Glimpse to unlock Tiel’s initial memory so skill-point investment can begin.

For Proxima, travel north from Widow’s Overlook, circle around Blackridge Cliffs, climb the hill, and enter the small cavern. The earlier video says she can be unlocked without fighting enemies. Its limited-Glimpse warning is obsolete: Week 1 made Glimpses and Tarcores non-finite and added a Shell respec that refunds spent Glimpses.

Add a melee weapon and sidearm

One documented early melee option is Axe and Dagger. From Mushroom Village, cross the bridge to the right, reveal the illusory archway, pass through the statue, collect the key, return to the Shrine of Trials, and complete the shrine to obtain the weapon.

For the Forgotten Crossbow, locate the Flooded Village dungeon north of the Blackridge Pass beacon and pass through the illusory gate at its entrance. Inside, head north across the rooftops for the Damp Key, then use it to open the chapel. Do not expect every sidearm to be this direct: several require off-route exploration or difficult boss encounters.

What to do when progression stalls

Leave the difficult route and explore another area. The open world is designed for free exploration, and a gameplay reviewer specifically recommends changing destinations when enemies or a boss become a wall rather than assuming you must clear that encounter immediately.

Use the vendor’s maps for broad hints about Shells and weapons, but expect vague directions rather than exact markers. Search branching paths, hidden structures, and illusory entrances, and remember that a recommended boss chronology is not necessarily the only valid order.