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Hell Clockis a fast-paced ARPG with roguelite mechanics, a ticking clock, and a heavy focus on build crafting through item drops, skills, and passive buffs. With randomized upgrades, limited time per floor, and flexible character progression, it can be overwhelming for new players to get their bearings.
Below, we’ve put together essential beginner tips to help you survive longer, build smarter, and make the most of every run. From farming Soul Stones to adjusting your build mid-run, these tips will help you stay alive and thrive as you dive deeper into the clock.
Farm Act One If You Feel Weak
If youdon’t feel strong enoughto continue your descent into Hell Clock, you should focus ongathering Relics and Soul Stonesfrom chests and elite enemies on early floors. Chests provide gold and trinkets, while elite enemies, which are shown asred dots on your minimapand glow faintly in-game,drop soul stonesand potential gear.
A soul stone is a purple gem used as currency topurchase gear,skills, and relics. You can alsopurchasepermanent buffsat the Great Bell once you unlock it early in the game. The more soul stones you’ve gained, the more points you get to spend.
The Great Bell is Hell Clock’s metaprogression system, allowing you tospend points to unlockpermanent stat boosts and enhancements thatcarry over between runs.
By consistentlyclearing early floorsand defeating elites and bosses in Act 1, you’ll gain valuable momentum. The Relics you collect will shape your skills, while the Soul Stones you earn can beinvested at the Great Bellto unlock permanent upgrades, setting you up to handle tougher challenges ahead.
Slot Relics Even Without Active Skills
Relics in Hell Clockoffer passive stat booststhat apply instantly once slotted, even if you haven’t unlocked the related skill.Equip Relics at the Reliquarybetween runs to start stacking passive bonuses and strengthening your build from the start.
Make sure tounlock more equipped Relic slots at the Great Bell. It’s the large node withfour squares in the middle.
Hell Clock’s build depth comes fromhow you mix and match Relics. The timing and order in which you slot them can dramatically shape your run. Don’t forget,you can upgrade your Relics at the Reliquaryby hovering over them and pressing Q;each upgrade costs Soul Stones, so keep an eye on your stash and spend wisely.
Equip Only Needed Skills To Level Up Faster
In Hell Clock, youdon’t have to fill all your ability slotsimmediately, and focusing on justtwo to three core skillsoften leads to stronger builds. When you limit your skill choices, the game willonly drop upgradesfor those particular skills. Upgrading fewer abilities means each one gets more powerful much faster.
To check your proficiency upgrades for each active skill,press B, for Blessings, on your keyboard.
The game’s design encourages this focused approach, andeach skill has a limited number of upgrade slots: One Epic, two Rares, three Magic, and six Commons.Since Epic and Rare upgrades are harder to get andmany skills give global effects(like Shadow Dash’s mana cost reduction), spreading upgrades too thin makes them less effective.
Here’s an easy way to skill up your core skills:
Focusing on a few matching skills helps you find stronger combos sooner and makes your build easier to grow as you progress.
Adjust Your Build Around Relic Drops
As you collect Relics in Hell Clock, check their effects carefully, as some convert damage types (like turning Repeater’s base damage into fire), add bonus effects (such as plague explosions), or reduce mana costs.Once you know what the Relic does, change your build to match; for example, if you find a Fire Repeater Relic, commit to Repeater and support it with crowd control abilities like Slow Time to maximize area coverage.
To get the most out of these combinations,invest your proficiency upgrades into your core skill, whether it’s Repeater, Double Knives, or another primary ability, and prioritize traits that stack with your Relics.If your drops lean defensive, pivot accordingly: equip Summon Brute or Closed Body for protection, or slot in Prayer of Health to boost healing and regeneration, becausematching your skill loadout and upgrading your Relics turns random drops into a coherent, powerful build.
Improve Your Defense Early
In the early acts, every percentage ofdamage reduction matters morethan extra attack power. A build with high survivability allows you toconsistently tackle elite enemiesand bosses without getting completely wiped out. Skills like Closed Body envelopes you in a barrier based on your max mana, halves conviction decay, andcreates retaliatory explosionswhen hit, and Summon Brute gives enemies a beefydecoy targetto attack instead of you.
Conviction is anovershield that absorbs damage and fadesover time.
Prioritizeacquiring Relics that boost armor or shields(such as those that reduce incoming damage or add overshields), and put points intosurvivability nodesat the Great Bell:
Unlocking these nodes early gives you a solid layer of protection to fall back on.
Invest Points Into The Meta Clock And Red Portal
Putting points into the Meta Clock, which is accessed at the Great Bell, early in your run, isone of the smartest decisions you’re able to makein Hell Clock. Every run starts with a seven minute timer, whichgoverns how much time you have to clear floors, defeat bosses, and collect loot.
While you can disable the timer in Relaxed Mode, it’s best tokeep it enabledto preserve the pacing and challenge that make the game rewarding.
Equally important is unlockingRed Portals at the Great Bell,as these have a chance to spawn randomly on each floor, and let youskip aheadby entering deeper dungeon floors instantly. Invest in Meta Clock and Red Portal nodes when you have Soul Stones to spare, and grab the nodes that:
With that buffer, you’ll find breathing room to explore efficiently, stack buffs, and grow steadily, rather than rushing blindly through floors.
Don’t Chase Every Epic Or Rare Upgrade
In Hell Clock, higher rarity doesn’t always mean better for your current run. Since you’relimited in the number of Epic or Legendary Blessingsyou can carry, claiming the first shiny upgrade you seemight block a stronger, more synergistic option later.For example, grabbing an Epic Mana Reduction modifier for Repeater early could prevent you from picking up an Epic Critical Chance modifier that fits far better with the skill.
Don’t be afraid to spend gold toredraw upgrades or blessingsif the options don’t suit your build.
Grabbing every rare item you see can water down your Blessings, leaving none of them truly effective; instead,focus on upgrades that directly support your core skillsor playstyle.Spend your Soul Stones and Gold wisely, and wait for the upgrades that truly enhance your build, ensuring each pickup has an impact andkeeps your run from getting bogged downwith mismatched bonuses.
Disable Auto Movement For Ranged Skills
If youprefer to control positioning manually, you don’t have to rely on the default auto movement system in Hell Clock.By heading into Options, then Controls andturning off Should Walk To Skill Range, you can prevent your character from automatically moving toward enemies when using ranged abilities.
This change puts full control of your distance in your hands, and your character will only move when you command it. Manual positioning is especially useful when you’re kiting enemies, avoiding dangerous AoE zones, or executing precise combos.
