Is This Section for You?
The Getting Started section is written for anyone who has just picked up Neon Abyss 2 — from "what even is this game?" to "what should I click, buy, and keep in my first run?" All of that lives in the 7 pages below.
The game in one sentence
A side-scrolling run 'n' gun roguelike. Every dive into the Abyss showers you with items, weapons, and affixes that stack and multiply off each other, and what kind of build you end up with is mostly luck — so the real skill is turning the junk you find into a working build.
To decide where to start, answer one question: is your problem "how do I play?" or "should I buy it / will it run?" If it's the former, start with the Game Overview. If it's the latter, go straight to Release & Platforms and System Requirements.
Pages in This Section
This section has 7 pages, listed in the order a new player should read them:
| # | Page | What it covers | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Game Overview | What the game is, developer and publisher, the release timeline, platforms, world setting, and how it differs from the first Neon Abyss | Total newcomers |
| 2 | How to Play: Controls & Loop | Keyboard/mouse and controller inputs, the full flow of one run, the bar hub, room types, and the six in-run resources | Players who just launched the game |
| 3 | Beginner Tips | Weapon upkeep, resource planning, which chests to open, Faith choices, Hatchmon, and co-op roles | Your first 20 hours |
| 4 | Progression & Unlock Order | Unlock conditions and recommended order for Agents, weapons, Hatchmon, and bar facilities | Anyone stuck on "what do I unlock next?" |
| 5 | Release & Platforms | The release timeline, every platform version, subscription services, and cross-platform status | Players deciding where to buy |
| 6 | System Requirements | Minimum PC specs, Steam Deck results, console performance, and controller support | Players asking "will it run?" |
| 7 | FAQ | Quick answers on saves, co-op, refunds, languages, and DLC | Anyone with a specific problem |
Don't treat pages 4 and 5 as "advanced" content
Progression & Unlock Order and the FAQ solve the two most painful early questions — "what should I unlock next?" and "can the game even do that?" Skim both within your first 5 hours and you'll avoid a lot of backtracking.
Recommended Reading Order
Different starting points call for different routes through the section.
Completely new to the series
- Game Overview — five minutes on Veewo Games, Kepler Ghost, the July 2025 early access launch, the October 2026 1.0 release, the setting, and the five signature systems.
- How to Play: Controls & Loop — see what a full run looks like before any tip will make sense.
- Beginner Tips — each tip explains the "why," so you can avoid the classic opening mistakes.
- Progression & Unlock Order — picking an Agent that suits your hands shapes the entire first 10 hours.
- FAQ — come back whenever a concrete question pops up.
Already playing, just want to know what's next
- Stuck on unlocks or resources: go straight to Progression & Unlock Order and fill in bar facilities and Agents in the recommended order.
- Confused by a specific mechanic (how to pick a Faith, how Reforging works, how a Hatchmon evolves): jump to the Systems section — links below.
- Hitting a concrete bug, save question, or purchase issue: check the FAQ.
Just want to know which version to buy
- Release & Platforms — timeline, platform versions, subscription services, and cross-platform status.
- System Requirements — minimum PC specs and Steam Deck results.
- DLC & Buying Guide — the base game, the Archenemy Returns DLC, and which bundle makes sense.
Where to Go After This Section
Getting Started teaches you how to survive. The other four sections teach you how to play deeper. Transition at roughly this pace:
| Stage | Your situation | Recommended section | Entry point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | You can clear the early floors but your build is luck | Core Systems | Faith System & Temples — what Consumerism, Agapeism, and Artisanism each offer and how to choose |
| Stage 2 | You want to judge whether an item is worth keeping | Core Systems | Items & Synergy Stacking and Weapons, Affixes & Reforging (including the Vaporize scrapping rules) |
| Stage 3 | You're raising pets and chasing meta progression | Core Systems | Hatchmon: Eggs & Evolution and Fate Cards & Meta Progression |
| Stage 4 | You want hard data | Database | Agents: Full Unlock Guide, Bosses & New Gods, Steam Achievements |
| Stage 5 | You want to play with friends | Co-op | 4-Player Co-op Guide, Team Roles & Loadouts |
| Anytime | You want to track the game as it updates | Updates | What's New in 1.0, Early Access Update Log |
Find Yourself in the Table
Match your situation to a row below and follow the route it points to:
- I've only watched the trailer and haven't bought it yet → Release & Platforms → System Requirements → DLC & Buying Guide.
- I own it, I'm standing in the bar hub, and I don't know what to click → How to Play: Controls & Loop → Beginner Tips.
- I keep dying on the early floors → Beginner Tips → Faith System & Temples.
- I can clear runs on lower difficulty and want to optimize my build → Items & Synergy Stacking → Weapons, Affixes & Reforging.
- I've unlocked a pile of stuff and don't know the priority → Progression & Unlock Order.
- A friend talked me into co-op → 4-Player Co-op Guide.
The goal of this section: after finishing it, you can put the guide down and play for 10 hours straight. Everything that comes up after those 10 hours has an answer in the Systems or Database sections.
First 10 Hours: A Checklist
If you'd rather progress by the clock than by the page list, work through this checklist. Every item links to the page that explains it.
Hours 1–2: Learn the game
- [ ] Read the Game Overview and note the setting and the five signature systems.
- [ ] Learn the keyboard/mouse and controller layouts plus the bar hub's layout in How to Play: Controls & Loop.
- [ ] Start your first run. The goal is not to clear it — it's to survive long enough to see the first boss.
Hours 3–6: Build habits
- [ ] Audit your resource habits against Beginner Tips: which gems to hoard, which chests to open, which weapons to upgrade.
- [ ] When you first find a temple, read Faith System & Temples before choosing a Faith — Consumerism, Agapeism, and Artisanism play out very differently over the rest of the run.
- [ ] When you pick up your first Hatchmon egg, decide whether to raise it using Hatchmon: Eggs & Evolution.
Hours 7–10: Optimize decisions
- [ ] Plan your next unlocks — the next Agent and bar facility — using the priority list in Progression & Unlock Order.
- [ ] Start noticing item synergies. Whenever you wonder "do these two stack?", look it up in Items & Synergy Stacking.
- [ ] Don't dump replaced weapons. Check what Vaporize refunds before you scrap anything.
After hour 10
- [ ] Try co-op: read the 4-Player Co-op Guide first, then decide whether you want to carry damage or support (see Team Roles & Loadouts).
- [ ] Follow the game as it updates: What's New in 1.0 and the Early Access Update Log track what each patch changed.
Quick FAQ Index
These are the questions new players ask most. Full answers live in the FAQ; the table points you to the right section:
| Common question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Can saves move across platforms, and how do I back them up? | Save section of the FAQ |
| Which languages are supported? | Languages section of the FAQ |
| Does my early access save carry into 1.0? | Version section of the FAQ |
| Does co-op need anything special, and what's the player cap? | Co-op section of the FAQ plus the 4-Player Co-op Guide |
| Is the Archenemy Returns DLC worth it? | DLC & Buying Guide |
Sources
- Neon Abyss 2 on Steam — release dates, developer Veewo Games, publisher info, and feature list.
- Veewo Games official site — developer background and its game catalog.
- GamesPress launch announcement — official 1.0 launch announcement across all platforms.
- VGChartz launch report — release date, platform lineup, and early access history.