Casualties: Unknown beginner guide

Casualties: Unknown drops you into an alien pit as a disposable test subject with one job: find the lost cargo at the bottom. Press reviewers called it "Noita for furries, and oh so deliciously miserable". Press The core loop is simple: explore a layer, loot, craft, keep your body working, then go down. This page covers the first two layers.

Before you start

• Do the Basic Training course. You can bark (B) to skip parts of the First Aid course.
• Pick a preset: Relaxed (120-minute layers, more loot) for a first run, or Tough, the default. See run settings.
• In settings you can turn off the pixel filter and film grain for clarity, and turn on auto-jump.

Controls

There is no official controller support; Steam Input layouts work best on a Steam Deck or Steam Controller. See the FAQ.

The first ten minutes

1. You land in a drop pod with an emergency light on your back. Move it to your off-hand (Q) and save its battery where you can.
2. Break the pod's rubber floor for 2 plastic. Drag plastic onto the crafting icon to see recipes.
3. Craft a canteen (2 plastic, 10 ml bio-chem, 1 rope). Glowplant fruit gives light and bio-chem.
4. Craft 3 foliage bags and favourite them (F), or the game can rip them into dressings.
5. Make a flimsy knife from scrap metal (traps drop scrap) and a makeshift digging tool; favourite the digging tool too.
6. Loot everything. Most items are useful or tradeable.

Exploring safely

• Go sideways first. Sweep the layer in an S shape before dropping lower.
• Light the drop. Throw a glowplant fruit down before you jump. It lights the floor and sets off traps.
• Bait traps. Throw an item at jump pads and spike traps, then pass. Break the blocks under traps to disarm them.
• Avoid flowing water. Break geysers near your path.
• Climb back up by placing scrap metal as tiles, or throw items downward to boost yourself.
• Hunt shade crawlers until you have 2 stiff carcasses for a makeshift helmet (INT 8).

Keep the body working

Keep hunger and thirst near 100. Drink from groundwater tiles and stop if you feel sick. Bandage every cut back above 80 skin health so it does not get infected. Keep a dressing and canvas on you. Sleep below 35% energy somewhere soft, and work out before sleeping to train Strength and Resilience. Low mood is dangerous, so eat good food and save naptails for bedtime. Full detail: needs, medical, mood.

Use layers 1 and 2 to prepare

The first two layers are the safest and have the most water and food. Players consistently advise using the full timer there. Players Before going to layer 3, aim to have:

• Water in a canteen or bottles
• 3 bags or a sling bag
• Makeshift helmet
• Wood sandals
• Weapon
• Dressings and canvas
• Light source
• Some food that keeps

Read every E-PDA (35 INT XP) and blueprint (25 INT XP) you find. A PDA needs a battery: break a lightbulb, take its battery out with a wrench, power the PDA, read it, then take the battery back. Trade with survivors after washing and putting away guns.

Next: what to craft at each INT level and what each layer throws at you.