Beginner's Guide: 20 Essential Tips
New to Blue Prince? This guide covers everything you need to know before stepping into Mt. Holly Manor. From understanding the roguelike mechanics to unlocking permanent upgrades, these 20 tips will help you navigate the ever-changing mansion and eventually reach the mysterious Room 46.
Core Mindset Tips
Take Notes – Seriously
Blue Prince has no in-game journal. You need a physical notebook or note-taking app. Document safe codes, puzzle clues, room locations, and anything suspicious. Information from Day 1 might be crucial on Day 30. Screenshots help, but written notes organized by topic (Memos, Puzzles, Rooms) are even better.
Knowledge is Your Only Permanent Currency
Keys, gems, and coins reset every day. But what you learn stays with you forever. The real "meta progression" in Blue Prince is the knowledge you accumulate. Every puzzle you partially solve, every clue you find, every room you discover – that's your actual progress.
Don't Rush to Room 46
Yes, Room 46 is your goal. No, you shouldn't beeline for it. The Antechamber sits at Rank 9 with locked doors that require specific levers. Rushing there guarantees failure. Instead, focus on exploration, resource gathering, and unlocking permanent upgrades first. You'll naturally progress toward Room 46 as you learn more.
Explore the Outdoor Grounds
Before diving deep into the manor, step outside! Leave through the front door and explore. You'll find your campsite, locked gates (with important upgrades behind them), a collapsed tunnel, and mysterious platforms. The outdoor areas are just as puzzle-rich as the interior.
Unlock the Apple Orchard First
This should be your first priority. Find the gate near your campsite and enter code 1128. This unlocks a permanent +20 steps bonus every day. That's 70 steps instead of 50 – a massive advantage for all future runs!
Drafting & Exploration Tips
Build Wide, Not Tall
Early game, focus on filling the lower ranks (1-5) horizontally rather than pushing straight up to Rank 9. This approach gives you more room options, more resources, and more puzzle opportunities. Use the full 5-column grid to your advantage.
Dead Ends Are Actually Useful
Don't avoid dead-end rooms! They remove themselves from the drafting pool (increasing your chances of getting better rooms later), often contain useful items, and can still provide puzzle clues. Place them strategically on paths you don't need to continue.
Save Resources in Lower Ranks
Don't spend gems and keys freely in Ranks 1-4. Higher ranks have rooms that require gems to draft (like Laboratory, Vault) and more locked doors. Hoard your resources early so you have options later. The Nook always gives a key; the Den always gives a gem.
Always Draft New Rooms
When a room you've never seen appears in your options, draft it – even if it doesn't fit your plan. New rooms mean new puzzles, new clues, and new items. Routine is your enemy. Discovery is your friend. Break your patterns!
Check Every Corner of Every Room
Items blend into the environment. Look under tables, behind furniture, on shelves, inside drawers. Your cursor changes icon when hovering over interactable objects. Don't just grab the obvious stuff – there are hidden gems, keys, and coins everywhere. Books often contain clues too!
Resource & Item Tips
Use the Blueprint Map (R2/RT)
Press R2/RT to view your current blueprint layout at any time. This shows room connections, door directions, and helps you plan your path. You can also see room effects and requirements before committing to a draft. Use it constantly!
Food Restores Steps
Running low on steps? Eat food! Apples, sandwiches, and other edibles restore steps. You can find food in rooms or buy it from shops. Also, Bedrooms often give step bonuses, and some items (like the Sleeping Mask) provide extra steps.
Coat Check Preserves Items Between Days
This is huge! Items stored in the Coat Check room persist between runs. Found a Basement Key but ran out of steps? Store it! Got a Broken Lever but no Greenhouse? Store it! Draft the Coat Check on your next run to retrieve stored items.
Tools Have Infinite Uses
The Magnifying Glass, Metal Detector, Sledgehammer, Shovel, and other tools never break or run out. Once you have one, use it everywhere! Check desks with the Magnifying Glass, scan floors with the Metal Detector, break trunks with the Sledgehammer. No reason to be conservative.
Mindset & Strategy Tips
There Are No "Bad" Runs
Every run teaches you something. Got terrible room options? You still found new clues. Ran out of steps early? You still made discoveries. Blue Prince has no time limit and no penalty for many days. Embrace the randomness as learning opportunities, not failures.
Save & Exit Only on Summary Screen
Saving mid-run ends your current day! Always finish your run first, then save from the summary screen. If you need a break, put your console in rest mode – but be aware that auto-updates could close the game and end your run.
Learn the Room Color System
Green rooms are utility (Bedroom, Den, Kitchen) – often free or cheap, good for resources. Red rooms (Gymnasium, Chapel) have costs or effects but contain power ducts. Gear rooms (Workshop, Security) have special functions. Blue rooms are rare and valuable.
Hidden Secrets Tips
Paintings Spell Out Clues
There are 44 pairs of paintings throughout the manor. Each pair highlights a letter. Together, they spell messages that hint at safe codes and puzzle solutions. This is a meta-puzzle that connects multiple rooms – write down every painting you see!
Permanent Upgrades Exist
Beyond knowledge, there are actual permanent unlocks: Apple Orchard (+20 steps), Gemstone Cavern (+2 gems), Blackbridge Grotto (free terminal access), and West Gate (outdoor access). Prioritize finding and unlocking these!
Reaching Room 46 Is Just the Beginning
Here's a secret: the main objective is essentially the tutorial. After you reach Room 46 and watch the credits, the real game begins. There are Sanctum Keys to find, deeper puzzles to solve, and mysteries that make the first goal look simple. Don't stop at the credits!
- Get a notebook ready (physical or digital)
- Go outside and unlock the Apple Orchard (code: 1128)
- Focus on exploration, not rushing to Rank 9
- Draft new rooms whenever possible
- Save gems and keys for higher ranks
- Check every corner of every room
- Remember: there's no time limit!