Advanced Stealth Techniques
Sound Masking
Gloomwood's enemy AI reacts to sound. You can mask your footsteps by walking on carpet instead of stone. Carpeted floors produce no footstep noise. Learn the floor types in each area — this knowledge lets you move silently even while running.
Line-of-Sight Breaking
When an enemy detects you, break line-of-sight immediately by ducking behind a corner or through a door. The enemy will investigate your last known position. Circle around behind them for an easy stealth kill. This works on all enemy types except dogs (which track by smell).
Shadow Stacking
Darkness reduces enemy detection range. If you stand in a shadow while an enemy is in light, they cannot see you even if you are in their direct line of sight. Use this to pass through heavily guarded areas. The darker the shadow, the closer you can stand to an enemy without detection.
Distraction Throwing
You can throw empty bottles and other items to create noise distractions. Aim at a wall opposite your intended path. The enemy will investigate the noise, leaving their patrol route open. This is essential for Ghost runs (no kills, no detection).
Pro Tip: Dogs are the most dangerous enemies in Gloomwood because they track by smell, not sight. You cannot hide from a dog in shadows. Kill dogs first in any encounter, or avoid them entirely by using alternate routes.
Difficulty Tips — Making the Game Easier or Harder
Making the Game Easier
- Save scum: Save at every typewriter. If you die or waste resources, reload. This is the single most effective way to reduce difficulty.
- Farm ammo early: Spend 15 minutes farming the Prison Guard Patrol route before leaving the Prison. You will have 30+ Revolver Rounds.
- Use the Shotgun on bosses: The Shotgun deals the highest damage per shot. Save all shells for boss fights.
- Explore every room: Thorough exploration reveals hidden ammo caches, bandages, and shortcuts that make the game significantly easier.
- Use the storage chest: Deposit excess items in safe room storage chests. If you die, you can retrieve them on your next life.
Making the Game Harder (Challenge Runs)
- Ghost run: Complete the game without killing any enemies. No stealth kills, no combat. Only distractions and evasion.
- No saves: Complete the game in one sitting without saving. Death sends you back to the start.
- No guns: Only use the Rusty Scalpel and Crowbar. No firearms allowed.
- Minimalist: Only carry 3 items at any time. No storage chest usage.
- Speedrun: Complete the game as fast as possible. The current world record is under 12 minutes.
Known Bugs & Fixes
| Bug | Description | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Enemy stuck in wall | Enemy spawns partially inside a wall and cannot move | Save and reload. The enemy will reset to its spawn point. |
| Key item not spawning | A key item (e.g., Sewer Key) is missing from its location | Load an earlier save. The item may have been consumed by a previous interaction. |
| Typewriter not working | Typewriter does not respond to interaction | Save and reload. If that fails, restart the game. |
| Audio cutting out | Sound effects stop playing after extended play | Go to Settings → Audio → Reset Audio. This restores all audio channels. |
| FPS drops in Cathedral | Performance drops significantly in the Cathedral area | Lower shadow quality and disable VSync. The Cathedral has many light sources that impact performance. |
| Controller vibration stuck | Controller vibrates continuously after an explosion | Disconnect and reconnect the controller. This resets the vibration state. |
| Door cannot be opened | A door that should be openable does not respond | Check if you have the correct key. Some doors require specific keys, not just any key. |
Pro Tip: Gloomwood is in Early Access and receives frequent updates. If you encounter a persistent bug, check the official Discord for patch notes and workarounds.
Advanced Gameplay Tricks
Infinite Ammo Glitch
This glitch works on the Revolver. Reload your Revolver until it is full. Open the inventory, drop the Revolver, pick it up again. The ammo counter resets to full while the dropped rounds remain on the ground. Pick up the dropped rounds for infinite ammo. This works on version 0.3.0 and earlier.
Skip the Dock Master
You can skip the Dock Master boss fight entirely. Instead of entering the warehouse, go around the left side and jump across the crates to reach the upper platform. From there, you can access the Slums directly. This skips the Shotgun and Crowbar, so only do this on challenge runs.
Double Bandage Trick
If you use a bandage while at full health, the bandage is consumed but the heal is not applied. However, if you use a bandage and immediately open the inventory before the animation finishes, the bandage is consumed but the heal is applied twice. This effectively doubles the healing from each bandage.
Enemy Despawn Exploit
If you run far enough from an enemy that they de-aggro, then save and reload, the enemy despawns permanently. Use this to clear difficult areas without fighting. This is especially useful in the Cathedral courtyard.
Quick Save Exploit
You can save at a typewriter during combat. The save happens instantly. If you die, you respawn at the typewriter with all your items intact. Use this to brute-force difficult encounters by saving after each successful action.
Performance Optimization Tips
- Lower shadow quality: Shadows are the most performance-intensive setting. Set to Low for a 25-35% FPS boost.
- Disable VSync: VSync causes input lag in Gloomwood. Disable it and cap FPS to 60 in your GPU control panel.
- Reduce texture quality: The Cathedral and Slums have high-resolution textures. Set to Medium if you experience stuttering.
- Close background apps: Gloomwood is CPU-intensive. Close browsers and other applications while playing.
- Update GPU drivers: The game runs on Unity. Latest drivers often include optimizations for Unity games.
- Disable Steam overlay: The Steam overlay can cause micro-stutters. Disable it in Steam settings for Gloomwood.
For more beginner-friendly tips, see our Gloomwood Beginner Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I fix the enemy stuck in wall bug?
Save and reload. The enemy will reset to its spawn point. If the bug persists, restart the game.
Is there a way to skip boss fights?
Only the Dock Master can be skipped (by jumping across crates). All other bosses are mandatory.
What is the best way to avoid detection?
Use shadow stacking (stand in darkness while enemies are in light) and sound masking (walk on carpet). Break line-of-sight when detected.
How do I deal with dogs?
Dogs track by smell and cannot be hidden from in shadows. Kill them from a distance with the Rifle or avoid their patrol routes entirely.
Can I play Gloomwood on low-end PCs?
Yes. Set shadows to Low, disable VSync, and reduce texture quality. The game runs on Unity and is reasonably optimized.
What is the hardest challenge run?
The Ghost run (no kills, no detection) is the hardest. It requires perfect knowledge of enemy patrol routes and expert use of distractions.
How do I prevent FPS drops?
Lower shadow quality, disable VSync, and close background applications. The Cathedral area is the most demanding.
Is the infinite ammo glitch patched?
It was patched in version 0.4.0. If you are playing on an older version, it still works. Update your game for the latest fixes.