Gravebound beginner guide
Quick answer: squad up, loot events, spend crystals at weapon stations while you're still alive, and extract before greed kills the run. Your character keeps progression between raids, so a "failed" day still moves you forward.
What a run looks like
Gravebound's store description boils the game down to one sentence: fight together, get stronger, extract alive. In practice each raid follows the same skeleton:
- Drop with your squad — up to six players co-op against the wasteland.
- Work the events — dynamic encounters across the map are the loot engine.
- Upgrade where you stand — weapon stations scattered through the wasteland upgrade armor and weapons mid-run: more damage, bigger mags, better stats.
- Read the threat — the HUD's
THREAT LEVELmeter (top-right, skull icon) tells you how deep you're swimming; the timed objective box (GET TO THE OBJECTIVE ZONE!with a countdown) is the game telling you to move. - Beat the storm, catch the pod — a
NEXT STORMcountdown cycles through the raid and hits anyone caught in it for big damage; extraction is an escape pod that leaves with or without you. Loot you don't extract doesn't count.
Storm timing, markers and the pod are covered in depth on maps & objectives; the four boss encounters get their own boss page.
HUD cues worth learning on day one
| Cue | Where | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Compass strip | Top center | Bearing to your objective; numbers are degrees |
[PRESS M TO OPEN THE MAP] | Top right | Full map + objective markers |
| Red objective box + countdown | Right | Timed event — being late has consequences |
THREAT LEVEL bar | Right, under the map | Current danger level for the area you're in |
Shield / health / LVL bars | Bottom left | Blue = shield, green = health; level ticks up as you play |
[PRESS TAB TO OPEN THE INVENTORY] | Bottom left | Gear, consumables, ammunition counts |
Buff list (+25% DAMAGE x5 style) | Right | Active modifiers, color-coded: damage / movement / lifesteal |
Before your first raid
- Bind your controls and check mouse settings. Inverted mouse currently doesn't apply while aiming down sights — the developer has acknowledged the bug on Steam and says a fix is coming (see FAQ).
- Know your exit. Set a mental extract point before the countdown forces one.
- Spend, don't hoard. Crystals upgrade gear at weapon stations; scrap rerolls armor modifiers back at base (details on loot & resources).
- Recycle junk. The game's own tutorial tip reads
EQUIPMENT CAN ALSO BE RECYCLED FOR RESOURCES— broken rolls aren't worthless. - Mind the icons. Red map icon = boss; objective distance markers = events. The full marker vocabulary is on the maps page.
