Underkeep Beginner Guide: Survive the First Dungeons
A spoiler-light Underkeep beginner guide: party creation, first-dungeon routing, food and rest rules, and the mistakes that end runs early.
The safest Underkeep start is a Warrior and Paladin in front with a Wizard and Voidcaller behind, a full stock of food, and a habit of resting before every locked door. That party covers damage, healing, and control without asking you to understand the stat formulas on day one. This beginner guide explains why it works and what to do in the first two dungeons.
How should you build your first party?
Build for coverage, not damage. You need someone who can take hits, someone who can heal, someone who can remove status effects, and someone who can hit the back row. The classic Warrior, Paladin, Wizard, Voidcaller setup gives you all four.
| Slot | Hero | Job in the first dungeon |
|---|---|---|
| Front 1 | Warrior | Holds the line, taunts, bursts with stamina |
| Front 2 | Paladin | Off-tank, spot heals, stuns undead |
| Back 1 | Wizard | Fire and ice damage, freeze control |
| Back 2 | Voidcaller | Healing, barriers, status cures |
If you want a faster start, the community Hunter's Pack (Warrior, Thief, Ranger, Blood Mage) trades safety for damage. It works, but it punishes bad positioning. The first-party page→ compares the two setups in more detail.
What should you buy before the first dungeon?
Buy food, a pickaxe, a shovel, and at least two healing potions. Food is the real currency of early exploration: resting consumes it, digging graves consumes it, and you cannot rest with enemies nearby. A party that runs out of food is a party that fights every next room at half strength.
Tools matter because the dungeon hides resources behind them. A pickaxe clears collapsed rocks, a shovel opens graves, and lockpicks open chests that otherwise stay shut. You do not need every tool on day one, but leaving the pickaxe behind means walking past ore and blocked passages.
Gold is shared, and revival at a statue costs money. Keep a reserve instead of spending every coin on a marginal armor upgrade.
How do you survive the first dungeon?
Clear rooms in a loop and return to the stairs before your food drops below ten. The first dungeon teaches three habits: check the combat log, focus one enemy at a time, and end the round instead of walking into a second pack.
Combat gives each hero one action per round. Potions and inventory items are free actions, so you can drink and attack in the same turn. That rule is the difference between a controllable fight and a spiral. The combat page→ explains turn order, armor, and critical damage in full.
Do not spread damage. Killing one enemy removes one attack per round; wounding three enemies removes nothing. Marked targets and stuns help, but raw focus fire is enough for the first two dungeons.
When should you rest?
Rest when you are out of mana or below half HP, and only after you have cleared the room behind you. Resting restores the party but consumes food, and it is blocked while enemies are nearby. Resting in a corridor with a patrol one tile away is how a good run ends.
Carry more food than you think you need. Twenty units sounds generous until you dig three graves and take two long rests. Cooking stews with a mortar and pestle stretches ingredients, but it is not a substitute for buying supplies in the village.
What kills new players fastest?
Four things: an unarmored hero in the front row, ignored status effects, a party with no cure for poison, and a boss attempt on an empty resource bar. Poison deals damage every round and always at least one point, so a long fight can kill a hero who was never hit.
Blindness cuts hit chance by half, disease blocks recovery while resting, and paralysis can freeze the whole party in place while enemies keep attacking. The exploration page→ lists the cures and where to get them. Buy the cures before you need them.
What should you do after the first dungeon?
Return to Underkeep Village, turn in quests, upgrade weapons, and then push into Hollowgrave Tunnels. The bandit chieftain is the first real boss check; the spider boss beyond the tunnels is the second. Both reward preparation more than levels.
If a fight goes badly, retreat is a real option. End the round and walk away, then come back with cures and full food. Underkeep does not punish retreat the way it punishes a wiped party with no revival money.
FAQ
What is the best class for a first run?
Paladin is the most forgiving single class because it can tank, heal, and stun undead. Warrior is the best pure frontliner, and Voidcaller is the best healer for a party that makes mistakes.
Can you respec in Underkeep?
The game does not advertise a respec system. Treat your first party as a commitment and rebuild heroes in the party creator if you want a different setup early.
How many heroes can you bring?
Four. The party is built in the party creator before the run, and the front two slots take most of the incoming melee damage.
Official source: Underkeep on Steam ↗
Official source: Underkeep official site ↗
Community source: Steam community player guide ↗
More Underkeep Guides
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How Underkeep exploration works: which tools open which obstacles, how to search walls and graves, food and resting, and Waystone fast travel.
The Underkeep first party for a blind run: four heroes, race picks, early skills, gear priorities, and the first purchases that keep the run alive.
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A spoiler-light Underkeep guide hub: what to do in the first hours, which systems matter, and which of our 25 pages answers your question.