The first three hours, in order

✚ Checked 2026-11-15 · PS5 1.005.000 / PS4 launch build · 3 sources

What to do in the first hour

The patch that lands on 16 November changes the very first decision you make, so make it deliberately. Three of the four things below can only be done at the start of a file.

1. Choose your mode before you press start on the save slot. Hermes Mode, Erebus Mode or the standard run is picked when you begin a new game and select a slot. The mode cannot be changed on that file afterwards. If you want the speedrun timer available all the way through, pick Hermes now rather than replaying later.
2. Enter the unlock code if you want Hermes Mode immediately. The official string is Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L1, R1, Touchpad, typed in the start menu. Beating the game once also opens the mode, so the code exists to save you a playthrough, not to replace one.
3. Save at the first campfire you see, then every one after it. There is a single save slot and manual saves happen at campfires only. Quitting without one loses the progress since your last save. This is the single most common way people lose hours in this game.
4. Do not spend red orbs on the second skill tree yet. Hold them until you can reach 7500 for the Jewel of Ziteo Gouri in The Gallery. It pings every secret and collectible around you, which converts the collectible hunt from a search into a walk.

Why the mode choice is the real first decision

Most guides open with "play the story, worry about collectibles later", and that advice holds here — nothing is missable and free-roam after the credits reaches every region. But the mode lock is a different kind of decision. It is not a difficulty slider you can nudge when a boss walls you; it is a property of the file.

The trap in that last row: if you finish the story on a standard file and then want to speedrun, you start a new file. Collectibles, orbs and upgrades do not follow you. That is not a bug, it is what a single-slot save system with no New Game Plus means.

Where the 7500 orbs go

The Jewel of Ziteo Gouri is the one purchase that changes how the rest of the game plays. It is bought in The Gallery, for 7500 red orbs, and it pings every secret and collectible in your surroundings.

Red orbs are also the currency for all three skill trees and for crafting, so 7500 is not spare change — it is roughly the cost of a whole tree's worth of upgrades. The trade is deliberate: the Jewel saves you the time you would otherwise spend sweeping rooms, and it pays for itself if you intend to reach 100%.

If you plan to stop after the credits, skip the Jewel and put the orbs into offence. If you plan to platinum it, buy the Jewel as soon as you can reach 7500 — the roadmap's whole second phase assumes you have it.

The campfire habit, in practice

There is no autosave safety net to lean on. What works:

• Save when you enter a region, not when you leave it.
• Save before any room that has a boss silhouette or an unfamiliar enemy mix.
• Save after buying an upgrade, because that purchase is progress you would otherwise repeat.
• If you are about to try something risky for a collectible, save first — a death is a reload, not a checkpoint.

A one-hour opening checklist

This page is a starting order, not a walkthrough. The story path itself is linear enough that you do not need one; the decisions above are the parts that cannot be undone.