Graven is a first-person action-adventure game from developer Slipgate Ironworks. Originally released in 2021 as an Early Access title, the 1.0 launch is sure to present tough challenges reminiscent of classics such as Heretic and Hexen.

Our Graven guide has everything you need to know to prepare for a harrowing journey through this grim medieval world—including tips to keep your character alive, and a detailed step-by-step walkthrough of the main objectives for the first few hours of the campaign.
 

Familiarize yourself with your character’s meters and available resources

You can pick up various resources as you explore Graven’s biomes, all of which further boost your character’s capabilities:

• Health/HP: This is the green meter in the lower-left corner of your screen. HP is restored by picking up blue health flasks and by using pink health potions.
• Armor: This is the white meter next to your HP. You fill up your armor meter by collecting Eusuchian Armor pickups while exploring, or by purchasing the Lamellar Armor from the blacksmith in the town of Cruxfirth.
• Mana: This is represented by the red and blue meters in the lower-right portion of your screen. Red pickups restore your mana for the Inflame spell, whereas blue pickups restore your mana for the Discharge spell.
• Gold: These coins and bars are scattered all over Graven's world, and are spent on blacksmith and alchemist services in Cruxfirth.

Look for destructible objects and corpse piles

Graven features a lot of destructible objects, including barrels, crates, wheelbarrows, and other assorted containers. These sometimes contain health, mana, and gold pick-ups.

We also suggest destroying any corpse piles you see. Undead cultists often spawn from these spots, so it’s imperative that you whittle down hostiles.

Obtain new weapons and spells

You’ll need new armaments and powers if you want to survive Graven’s challenges. Here are some weapons and spells you can acquire during the campaign:

• Staff: This is your default melee weapon. Crystals that provide additional boons are obtained as you progress further in the story. One example is the Kinetic Stone, which enhances the Staff’s knockback effect.
• Spellbook: Inflame: Acquired as you enter the Lice Slough mini-dungeon.
• Cuff Arrow: You receive this fully-automatic hand crossbow upon gaining entry to the town of Cruxfirth.
• Shortsword: Keep to the right in the alleyway that leads to the Sunken Lighthouse to reach the main peat manufacturing area. There, you’ll find the Shortsword on a pedestal.
• Spellbook: Discharge: Continue following the path to the Sunken Lighthouse until you see a clearing with four gargoyles. Use the levers to make them rotate and face toward the same direction. Scaffolding will fall down, allowing you to retrieve a torn page with this spell.
• Fletchant: This large crossbow shoots eight bolts simultaneously. You can find it once you reach the Clotted Avenues zone. Keep to the left to see a partially submerged area and a doorway.

Purchase upgrades every time you visit Cruxfirth

The town of Cruxfirth acts as your main hub during the early stages of the campaign. There, you’ll meet several friendly NPCs, including the blacksmith and alchemist.

The blacksmith sells various upgrades for your weapons, like a zoomed-in aim for the Cuff Arrow and a more effective parry for the Shortsword. Likewise, you can buy the aforementioned Lamellar Armor if you need additional protection. The alchemist, meanwhile, has upgrades for your spells and several types of consumable potions.

 

Cast spells to solve puzzles and defeat foes

Both the Inflame and Discharge spells can be accessed via the Spellbook. Once you have both, you can swap between the two by pressing the ‘F’ key. Here’s how these powers function:

• Inflame: This fire spell can burn obstacles like wooden panels and cobwebs. Moreover, it can ignite red barrels to cause a devastating explosion.
• Discharge: This electricity spell is used to activate mechanisms (i.e. those with blue ornate symbols). Additionally, you may cast it to stun targets or electrify bodies of water.

Keep your eyes peeled for secrets

Many areas in Graven will feel labyrinthine. That’s why it’s important to keep your eyes peeled for secrets. These can be well-hidden nooks, small rooms off the beaten path, or even platforms that you didn’t know could be traversed. Oftentimes, secret locations contain lots of gold, health/mana/ammo pick-ups, and even treasure chests.

 

Interact with Orthogonal Shrines

Your character in Graven is a member of the Orthogonal Order. With this in mind, you’ll want to look for Orthogonal Shrines, which appear as stone pillars with a diamond-shaped top. Upon interacting with these, you’ll receive a permanent increase to your mana.

 

Destroy the corpse piles in the Lice Slough

When you first start Graven’s campaign, guards will bar the way into the town of Cruxfirth. You’ll need to help them with a particular task in the Lice Slough, a sewer dungeon near the pier. You’ll also find the Inflame spell upon entering the sewers.

The goal here is to obtain the Wooden Lever, which is found in the far-left section of the dungeon just above a couple of ladders that you can climb. The lever is used to unlock a small room that has several explosive barrels.

You should then carry these barrels to the two large corpse piles. One is just across from the room with the barrels, and the other is on the bridgeway in the opposite section of the chamber. Upon placing the containers in those spots, cast Inflame to make them explode. With the task completed, return to the guards to enter the town proper.

 

Find the Peat Fuel Canisters in the Sunken Lighthouse

The next objective in Graven is to activate the Sunken Lighthouse, which you can access via the alleyway to the left upon entering Cruxfirth. Explore at your leisure, get your bearings, and grab a few items like the Shortsword and Skull Key.

Eventually, you’ll come across a wide expanse with one path that leads to the right. There, you’ll spot the Sunken Lighthouse. The first Peat Fuel Canister is near some wooden panels that you can incinerate with the Inflame spell. Down below, you’ll see the two slots for the canisters themselves. Place the first canister in one of the slots and venture deeper into the swamplands.

You’ll soon reach a clearing with the aforementioned gargoyle statues. (See the “Obtain new weapons and spells” section.)  As specified earlier, interact with the levers so that all gargoyles are facing toward you. The mechanism will drop, letting you claim the Discharge spell.

Cast the Discharge spell on the runic device above the nearby gate. While you should be able to pass through, the next section does require the Serpent Key.

The Serpent Key itself is found just past the area with the gargoyle statues. Climb up the stone steps and do several running jumps to reach the next set of ledges. Down below, you should see a section with arrow traps and an undead archer. Eliminate the archer from afar using your Cuff Arrow, then crouch or sprint to get past the traps. You may then loot the Serpent Key from the archer’s corpse.

Return to the section that you just unlocked using the Discharge spell and use the Serpent Key to open the gate. The second Peat Fuel Canister is in the very center of the next area. Clear out the enemies and bring the object back to the Sunken Lighthouse to activate it.

Solve the totem puzzle in the Clotted Avenues

The Clotted Avenues area is accessed via the steps along the right-hand side of the Lice Slough mini-dungeon. The initial area itself has a bunch of goodies that you can acquire, including the aforementioned Fletchant weapon. The goal, however, is to reach the opposite side of the canal, whereupon you’ll come across a large doorway with a red cursed seal.

In this open area, you’ll spot various landmarks, including a two-story house with a small locked gate, a large body of water with a sewer grate down below, a locked gate at the top of the steps, and a tall pillar with several runic symbols.

The clues to the totem puzzle in Graven can be found on pieces of paper scattered in the vicinity. You just need to interact with the levers to rotate each block so that the following symbols appear in a single column:

• Top: A large diamond with two small circles on each side.
• Middle: A square with a cross/X inside.
• Bottom: A crosshair-shaped symbol—a square bisected by vertical and horizontal lines.

If you do it right (as seen in the image above), the pillar will glow. This is how you solve the Graven totem puzzle in the Clotted Avenues zone. From here, all that’s left is to proceed to the next areas, all while taking out enemies, picking up keys, and destroying the turret totems that you encounter.

We hope our Graven guide helps you get past the initial stages of the campaign. Those looking for a challenging journey through Graven’s dark, dangerous, and puzzle-strewn lands can find it on the Epic Games Store.