Soulstone Survivors is a thrilling action roguelite that takes you on a whirlwind journey from humble beginnings to god-like power. Imagine accelerating a character in Path of Exile from level 1 to 99 in just about 20 minutes. Whether you’re picturing yourself as a spell-slinging Wizard, a righteous Paladin, or a demolitions pro like an Engineer, this game offers all kinds of playstyles to explore.
After years of refining based on feedback from passionate PC players, the game is landing on Xbox Series X|S on June 17, 2025. Excitingly, you can dive into a demo available now on Xbox Series X|S. We’ve put together some handy tips to help you concoct compelling builds and squeeze every ounce of fun out of them.
The beauty of Soulstone Survivors lies in its near-limitless customization. You can boldly take on the Void’s challenges and, if your first try doesn’t cut it, tweak your setup until you discover your perfect strategy.
This game sets a unique stage for pushing boundaries. For instance, if your critical chance goes beyond 100%, your attacks evolve into multi-crits. Then there’s the multicast attribute, letting you unleash multiple instances of the same skill—like Chain Lightning or the rapid-fire Flurry. Take that over 100%, and you’re looking at firing off skills in pairs, triples, or even tens at a time. Unlike many games that cap stats, Soulstone Survivors invites you to taste true god-like might.
You’ll quickly find that the simplest character setups are just the beginning. The real excitement begins as you delve into the intricate systems that allow for mind-bending builds. The creativity of the community often surprises the developers; Discord is buzzing with fresh strategies that go beyond their imaginations!
Buffs Are Your Allies
Buffs enhance your character, providing an upper hand in battles. Take "Prowess" as an example: each stack amps your damage output by a percentage. Although honing in a particular buff is effective, developing a build with synergistic buffs can be even more powerful. Some power-ups grant buffs when another buff is applied. For instance, "Devastating Strikes" boosts your critical damage through Aptitude stacks each time you gain a Prowess stack.
Negative Effects: An Ally in Disguise
Then we have negative effects aimed at crippling your enemies. These can dramatically escalate your damage output, doing tenfold or even more. For instance, "Poison" causes ongoing damage, spreading to nearby foes once the affected enemy falls. Alternatively, "Fragility" heightens damage received with each stack. A smart mix of negative effects typically outshines reliance on a single type.
Choose Your Skill Types Wisely
Skills in Soulstone Survivors come with various types, like Fire or Electric. Optimal power requires strategic consideration of these types. You might opt for a focused approach, as some power-ups enhance damage across all skills of a specific type significantly. Alternatively, mixing distinct skill types opens up opportunities for chaining—triggering a Fire skill right after casting an Electric one, for example. Choose what complements your playstyle best!
Experiment Freely!
Remember, skill trees, Runes, weapons, and ascensions add depth to your build strategy. Runes equip you with unique effects per run. Weapons are crafted along the way, while ascensions bestow temporary god-like skills after unlocking the core ones.
The key is to play around with different elements. Discover the combos that click and those that don’t, and unravel the play style that feels just right. As a little insider tip, here’s how you can nail the Bloody Barbarian build!
The Bloody Barbarian Build
Despite being a demo’s first-character option, the Barbarian is anything but weak. He’s a melee powerhouse skilled in Swing, Thrust, Slam, Electric, and Earth techniques, making him perfect for incredible buff synergies!
Here’s the blueprint:
- Pick the Barbarian, starting with the Barbaric Cleavers.
- Hunt for skills offering Finesse buffs, like Double Slash.
- Secure the Scent of Blood skill.
- Sit back and enjoy the chaos!
Let’s delve into this madness. We choose the Barbaric Cleavers for its "Whirlwind", packing widespread impact. It also offers “Bulwark” (boosting block power) and “Finesse” (enhancing multicast chance), critical for this build.
Set the game in motion and target Swing-type skills, as many boost Finesse. Earth-based skills mesh well here, providing “Colossal” buffs to widen your attack’s reach—perfect for global-scale slashing! Keep a slot for “Scent of Blood”, a Barbarian-exclusive skill that revs up attack speed with each Finesse stack.
By now, your Swing skills shower you in Finesse, boosting your multicasts, making each combat round impactful thanks to the Earth skill area boost. “Scent of Blood” tops it off by amplifying your skills’ speed using these Finesse stacks. Catch the drift?
What follows is unadulterated mayhem! You’ll whip through enemies like a dervish, clearing the screen in flashes. Try "Subdue" as well for a finishing move, amplifying damage based on Finesse stacks, dealing devastating blows!
In the complete game, this build scales with Runes like Synergetic, increasing buff chaining probabilities, and Multicast Mastery, enhancing multicasts. While Runes sit outside the demo’s scope, their absence doesn’t hinder the thrill of carving through foes effortlessly.
Remember, this showcases a single character build within the demo’s confines. There are countless ideas yet to explore beyond Runes, ascensions, or skill trees. The Thor Barbarian relishes in Lightning-based critical strikes, and the Dirty Barbarian wields Earth and Slams for ludicrous damage. You might even savor the Pyromancer’s fiery devastation!
Dive into the demo on Xbox Series X|S today. We hope this ignites your creative spirit, encouraging a journey through the bounties of buffs and unparalleled power fantasies offered in Soulstone Survivors.
