ULTRAKILL throws you into the depths of Hell as V1, a blood-fueled war machine with one directive: survive. The catch? Blood is your only fuel source, which means you have to stay aggressive, stay mobile, and keep the kills coming. This guide breaks down everything you need to know as a new player, from V1's core attributes and movement tricks to weapons, parry mechanics, and the Style system that separates good runs from great ones.
What Is ULTRAKILL?
The world of ULTRAKILL is set in a post-apocalyptic future where humanity wiped itself out after centuries of machine-driven war. With no humans left to harvest blood from, machines like V1 descend into Hell itself looking for fuel. Hell is packed with demons, husks (the remnants of human souls), and other machines, all of which bleed. That's your food supply.
The layers of Hell each carry their own history. King Minos once transformed the Lust layer into a thriving civilization before the archangel Gabriel cut him down. King Sisyphus led a militant insurrection in Greed before Gabriel ended that too. Now you're tearing through all of it, and Gabriel is not happy about it.
ULTRAKILL Beginner's Guide: Master V1 From Your First Run
V1's Core Attributes
How Does the Health System Work?
V1's health displays as 100 on the HUD, but the game actually runs on a decimal system where most values sit between 0.0 and 10.0. Think of your 100 HP as a 10x representation of that scale. Weapons deal damage in values like 1.0 or 2.5, while most enemy hits subtract from your health directly.
There are two types of damage you need to track:
- Soft Damage: Direct hits from enemy attacks. Most attacks deal 25 damage. Taking multiple hits simultaneously reduces the damage of each subsequent hit.
- Hard Damage: The more you get hit in quick succession, the more your maximum health shrinks. This starts on the very first hit and escalates fast. You recover hard damage by avoiding damage for a few seconds, and a high Style rank speeds that recovery up significantly.
warning
Hard damage is the real killer for new players. Ignoring dodges and relying purely on blood healing will shrink your health ceiling until you can't recover. Stay mobile and parry often.
Stamina and Why It Matters
V1 has 3 Stamina charges that regenerate at roughly 0.5 per second. Several key actions consume stamina:
- Dash (Left Shift): Costs 1 Stamina. Grants brief invulnerability and covers short distances instantly.
- Dash Jump: Costs 2 Stamina. Launches V1 much farther forward than a standard dash.
- Shockwave (Left Ctrl while airborne): Costs 1 Stamina. Launches nearby light enemies into the air.
Running out of stamina mid-fight is a death sentence on higher difficulties, so always track those charges.
Movement:
Movement Controls
How Do Slide Jumps Work?
Slide jumping is the fastest way to move through levels. Start a slide with Left Ctrl, then hit Space at any point during the slide. V1 launches forward at a speed higher than either action alone. Chain multiple slide jumps together to maintain and build momentum. Mistiming the chain resets your speed, so practice the rhythm before relying on it in combat.
tip
Slide jump chains are essential for hitting S-rank time requirements. Get comfortable with them in low-pressure levels before attempting timed challenges.
ULTRAKILL Beginner's Guide: Master V1 From Your First Run
Arms: Feedbacker, Knuckleblaster, and Whiplash
Feedbacker (default arm): Your primary parry tool. Its punch deals 1.0 damage normally, or 3.0 on a weakpoint hit. The Feedbacker can parry nearly every attack type in the game, from melee strikes to projectiles to hitscan lasers. When an enemy telegraphs an attack, you'll see a yellow spark. Hit F at that moment to parry. A blue spark means the attack cannot be parried.
Knuckleblaster (unlocked in 1-4): Deals 2.5 damage per punch with heavy knockback. Holding F releases a blast that clears groups of Filth or staggers tougher enemies. You can also use it to knock away homing Hell Energy projectiles.
Whiplash (unlocked in 4-4): A grapple hook that pulls light enemies toward you or yanks V1 toward heavy enemies. Using it at low health rapidly increases hard damage, so be careful. Whiplashing an enemy also resets your wall jump count, which is useful for extending aerial recoveries.
Weapons
Revolver (Obtained in 0-1)
The Revolver is your most reliable long-range damage tool. The Piercer variant deals 1.0 damage per shot with location-based bonuses, and its alternate fire charges a beam that pierces up to 3 targets for 3.0 damage each. The Marksman variant trades direct fire for coin tricks: toss a coin with alt fire, then shoot it with any hitscan weapon for a +RICOSHOT that auto-targets weakpoints and chains between coins, adding 2.0 damage per chain.
The Alternate Revolver (unlocked by finding all hidden slabs in Limbo) changes primary fire to a flat 2.5 damage shot, removing location modifiers. Piercer becomes even more powerful with this form, hitting up to 6 targets.
Shotgun (Obtained in 0-3)
The Core Ejector fires multiple pellets for up to 3.0 total damage at close range. Its grenade alt fire deals splash damage and sets enemies on fire. The Pump Charge variant can charge up to 4 levels: 2 charges hits for 4.0, 3 charges for 6.0, and the 4th charge overloads into a 10.0 explosion that also deals 50 damage to V1. Pair the 4th charge with I-Frame Storage to survive your own blast.
Shotgun Swapping: Skip the re-fire animation by switching weapons or variants immediately after firing. Cycling through all three shotguns produces roughly 5.5 damage per cycle, making it one of the highest sustained DPS options in the game against slow targets.
Nailgun (Obtained in 1-1)
The Attractor variant fires nails at around 4.5 DPS with a 100-nail ammo pool that regenerates over about 30 seconds. Its magnet alt fire pulls nails into a concentrated point on an enemy, eventually detonating for a +NAILBOMB. The Overheat variant removes the ammo limit but builds heat, and its alt fire blasts up to 57 flaming nails for up to 12 damage, making it exceptional for burst damage.
Railcannon (Obtained in 2-2)
All Railcannon variants share a forced 16-second cooldown. The Electric variant fires a hitscan beam dealing 8 damage with unlimited pierce. Line up enemies for maximum value. The Screwdriver variant fires a drill for 10.25 damage that causes continuous bleeding, excellent for bosses. The Malicious variant deals 7 damage but creates a large explosion on impact, ideal for groups of projectile-throwing enemies.
ULTRAKILL Beginner's Guide: Master V1 From Your First Run
Rocket Launcher (Obtained in 5-3)
The Freeze Frame variant lets you delay rocket movement based on how long you hold the timer before firing. Multiple Freeze Frame rockets can exist simultaneously, letting you set up traps against bosses. Rockets don't explode on contact with V1, so you can ride them using the Whiplash to cover large distances.
The Parry System
How Does Parrying Work?
Parrying turns enemy attacks against them. A successful parry with the Feedbacker adds 5 bonus damage to the deflected attack, fully restores V1's Stamina, and heals health up to the current hard damage limit. It's the single most powerful defensive and offensive tool in the game.
Different attack types have different parry rules:
- Melee attacks: Parry with Feedbacker or Shotgun primary fire at the moment of impact.
- Projectiles: Parry with Feedbacker just before the projectile hits V1.
- Hell Energy: Feedbacker deflects it in whatever direction you're facing; Shotgun cancels it entirely.
- Hitscan attacks: Only parriable at the telegraph moment (yellow spark), not after the attack fires.
- Shockwaves: Cannot be parried. Jump over them or dash through.
important
Parrying the Seeking Snake attack from Minos Prime is one of the most reliable healing opportunities in the entire game. Practice the timing early, because it becomes critical in harder content.The Style System
How Does Style Work?
The Style meter sits in the top-right of your screen and tracks how aggressively and creatively you're fighting. It ranks from Destructive (blue) at the bottom up through Chaotic, Brutal, Anarchic, Supreme, SSadistic, SSShitstorm, and finally ULTRAKILL in gold at the top.
Three mechanics directly affect Style gain:
Airborne/Slide Multiplier: While sliding or airborne, a Style multiplier builds up to x3.00. It only decays when you stop meeting those conditions, so staying off the ground is the easiest way to maintain maximum multiplier.
Fresh Weapon Bonus: Every weapon starts with a 50% Style bonus. Overusing any single weapon degrades that bonus until it contributes nothing. Rotate weapons constantly to keep everything fresh.
Style Penalty: Taking damage subtracts from your Style rank and point total. Dying at a checkpoint resets your rank entirely and loses all points earned since that checkpoint.
tip
High Style rank dramatically reduces hard damage recovery time. At the top ranks, hard damage is nearly irrelevant because it recovers so fast. This creates a positive feedback loop: play stylishly, take less effective damage, play even more stylishly.
ULTRAKILL Beginner's Guide: Master V1 From Your First Run
Key Enemy Encounters for Beginners
Tips for Chasing P-Ranks
P-ranks require hitting S-rank thresholds for Time, Kills, Style, and taking no damage (or minimal damage on some levels). Here's what actually matters:
- Time: Slide jump chains between every combat encounter. Never walk when you can slide.
- Style: Rotate weapons every few kills. Stay airborne as much as possible to maintain the x3.00 multiplier.
- Kills: Use area attacks like the Electric Railcannon to chain kills. +FRIENDLY FIRE, where enemies damage each other, counts toward your kill total.
- Secrets: Finding secret rooms adds score bonuses. Red soul orbs grant 200 bonus health (temporary overcharge) and are worth grabbing before tough encounters.
P-rank levels are unlocked by earning P-ranks across entire acts, so they're long-term goals rather than immediate ones. Focus on clean, stylish play first and the ranks will follow.
Thanks for diving into this ULTRAKILL beginner's guide! Now go rip and tear! For more advanced strategies, weapon breakdowns, and level-specific tips, head over to our full ULTRAKILL guides page.