# Chained Beasts Beginner Guide [Guías de juegos](/es/guides/) / [Chained Beasts](/es/guides/chained-beasts/) Written for the launch build (October 15, 2026). The developer's roadmap adds Update 1.1 in December 2026, so systems may change. Chained Beasts is a top-down co-op gladiator roguelike from Featherweight Games, a Sydney indie studio, released October 15, 2026. You and up to three teammates are gladiators physically chained together in arena battles: Carthage, Germania, and Rome across three acts, ending in a Senate finale. Between battles you spend winnings at night vendors, and every heal comes with a side effect. The hook the developer sells is teamwork: synchronized teams trip enemies with the chain, uncoordinated teams tangle themselves around pillars. Platforms: PC via Steam (Windows and macOS), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. Day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass for Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It costs $19.99, with a 35 percent launch discount to $12.99 on Steam through October 29. Local same-screen co-op for up to four players plus online co-op with crossplay, invite-only lobbies, and 60 Steam achievements. Launch-week Steam reviews sit at Very Positive. ## The chain is a weapon The chain is the whole game, and it is not just a handicap. Used well, it squeezes opponents (there is a Steam achievement for it), trips them, and sweeps entire formations. Used badly, it catches your own team on arena pillars and each other. Friendly fire is real, so spacing matters as much as aim. - **Move as one.** The developer's own line: synchronized teams trip enemies, uncoordinated teams get tangled. Before each fight, agree on a direction and on who initiates chain maneuvers. - **Call movement, not just targets.** Community guides stress calling "left", "right", and "back" rather than everyone naming targets. Do not chase the same enemy from different angles, or the chain goes slack at the worst moment. - **Give sweep weapons room.** Heavy and sweeping attacks catch allies as easily as enemies. Close-range attackers should separate from each other and from throwers. - **Weapons break.** Weapons degrade and ranged weapons run dry. Treat every weapon as temporary: keep a backup plan, keep spare weapons and throwable objects in mind, and know that even dismembered limbs and empty bows are throwable. Solo play is supported, but exactly how it handles the chain is unverified: one wiki says solo runs replace teammates with a ball or arena anchor, another outlet says solo gets AI teammates, and the developer simply says you can fight alone. Reviewers agree the game is better in co-op and okay solo. If you start solo, play on a low difficulty while you learn the injury and skill economy. ## Your first run, step by step ### 1. Know the run structure A full run is 9 battles across 3 acts: Carthage, Germania, then Rome, each ending in a boss, followed by the Senate finale. Ten difficulty levels scale above that, with names including Legionnaire, Primus, and Jupiter. ### 2. Days are battles, nights are vendors Arena battles happen by day. At night you visit vendors and spend your winnings: the Healer, the Trainer, the Merchant, the Surgeon, and the Owner. Plan purchases across nights rather than spending everything at the first stall, and remember the core trade of the injury system below before you buy anything that touches your body. ### 3. Learn combat basics in the first arenas Dodge roll, manage stamina, pick up thrown weapons and objects, and throw them back. Enemies can be stunned, and stunned enemies can be picked up, thrown, or executed. Environmental kills are central: spike walls, spike plates, explosive barrels, and wheels all kill, and arena bosses' area attacks can hurt their own side too, so position enemies between you and the impact. ### 4. Play to the crowd A crowd meter rewards fighting aggressively and with variety. Steam reviewers describe it as a style meter with real gameplay effects, and higher difficulties add an angry crowd that throws pots at you. Mix up your attacks and keep the tempo up instead of turtling. ## The injury system: healing always costs something This is the game's signature system. There are 70+ physical and mental afflictions, from limps and missing eyes to hallucinations, broken fingers, and worse. Afflictions are measured in skulls, and everything you do about them has a price: - **Potions and surgery have side effects.** The developer warns that fixing one problem can replace it with another. The Surgeon can amputate body parts. Judge every heal by what the affliction does to your next fight, not by what it does to your health bar. - **Water is the safe heal.** One achievement rewards winning a run while only ever drinking water, which tells you how costly the other options are. - **Don't overtrain.** The Trainer levels you up, but training too hard causes afflictions, and the game warns you about it on the difficulty select screen. - **Afflictions have build synergy.** One Steam reviewer reports a skill granting extra damage per skull of affliction, letting a heavily afflicted gladiator hit enormously hard. The system rewards leaning into risk, not just curing it. ## Beasts and how to unlock them Eight anthropomorphic-animal gladiators, each with 3 variants that change stats and abilities. Variants II and III unlock as you level each beast, so sticking with one beast progresses its track faster than rotating. Beast unlock conditions BeastHow to unlock RhinoAvailable from the start IbexAvailable from the start WolfSurvive Carthage (Act I) PantherSurvive Germania (Act II) BearSurvive Rome (Act III) EagleSurvive the Senate finale LionComplete a run on Legionnaire difficulty MonkeyComplete a run on Primus difficulty Starter advice from community guides: the Armored Rhino takes 30 percent less damage and has longer-lasting shields, making it the most forgiving pick. The Hulking Bear is the other safe choice. The Deadly Panther is a glass cannon, the Ferocious Wolf deals 200 percent more damage with enemy body parts, and the Ibex is speed-focused with a low-stamina dodge. ## Bosses you will meet - **Act I, Carthage: Barca the Beast Master.** He fights alongside a charging rhino in the arena. Bait the rhino by throwing objects at it, then stand so the boss is in its path. - **Act II, Germania: Goliath.** A huge boss with a leap attack. Keep moving and let the leap's impact zone work against his own side where possible. - **Act III, Rome: the Praefectus.** A siege fight with catapults. Enemies can die to catapult fire, and destroying the catapult before the boss falls back is its own reward. - **Finale: the Senate.** The final encounter runs through the Prefect and the Fleshsmith to the Emperor himself. One naming caveat from community sources: the Act I boss appears as "Barca" in achievement lists and video timestamps, but one fan wiki spells it "Grandmaster Barka". Same boss, disputed spelling. ## Co-op tactics from the community - **One caller.** Designate one player to call movement. Everyone moving on their own plan is how chains tangle. - **Don't all take the same heal.** If everyone drinks the same risky potion in one night, the whole team eats the same side effects. Spread the affliction risk. - **Check the crossplay box.** The lobby has a crossplay checkbox for mixed-platform groups. Use it before inviting. - **No public matchmaking.** Lobbies are invite-only, and at least one recent reviewer is asking for a lobby browser. Plan your team in advance. - **Bring the durable beast.** In a group, having one player on the Armored Rhino or Hulking Bear gives the team an anchor while others take glassier picks. Sources: Featherweight Games Steam launch post (October 15, 2026: 1-4 players, 9 battles across 3 acts, 10 difficulties, 70+ afflictions, 70+ skills, 8 beasts), Xbox Store page (price $19.99, release 10/15/2026, same-screen and online co-op), Xbox Wire October 2026 Wave 1 via secondary reports (day-one Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, Cloud/Series X|S/PC), Gamers Classified October 18 (Sydney studio, Very Positive Steam reception, December 1.1 roadmap, Q1 2027 PvP), Metacritic (release date, platforms), chained-beasts.com fan wiki (chain tactics, beast unlocks and builds, boss tactics, FAQ), chained-beasts-game.wiki and chained-beasts-wiki.wiki (co-op guide, weapons, injuries, pricing), GameFAQs achievement list (affliction skulls, difficulty names, Senate finale), Steam community reviews (friendly fire, crowd meter, lobby requests), YouTube full-run analysis (act structure, vendors, bosses). Written for the October 15, 2026 launch build; systems may change with updates. ## Otras guías de Chained Beasts - [**Beginner Guide**Your first run: chain tactics, the injury system, night vendors, and all eight beasts.](/es/guides/chained-beasts/beginner-guide/) [Chained Beasts centro de guías](/es/guides/chained-beasts/) · [todas las guías](/es/guides/) ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Chained Beasts on Game Pass? Yes. It launched day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on October 15, 2026, playable on Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It is not on the Premium tier. Outside Game Pass it costs $19.99, with a Steam launch discount to $12.99 through October 29. ### How does the chain work in co-op? Up to four players are physically chained together in arena battles. Synchronized teams use the chain to trip enemies and squeeze opponents; uncoordinated teams tangle around pillars. Friendly fire is real, so give sweeping weapons room and let one player call movement. ### Can I play Chained Beasts solo? Yes, but the details are unverified: different sources describe solo as a ball or arena anchor replacing teammates, or AI teammates. Reviewers agree it is better in co-op and okay solo, and suggest starting on a low difficulty while you learn the injury and skill systems. ### How do you unlock beasts in Chained Beasts? Rhino and Ibex are available from the start. Wolf unlocks by surviving Carthage, Panther by surviving Germania, Bear by surviving Rome, and Eagle by surviving the Senate finale. Lion requires completing a run on Legionnaire difficulty and Monkey on Primus. Each beast has 3 variants that unlock as you level it. ### What is the injury system? There are 70+ physical and mental afflictions measured in skulls, and healing always costs something: potions and surgery can add or replace afflictions, and overtraining at the Trainer causes them. Judge heals by how the affliction affects your next fight, not by the health bar. ### How long is a Chained Beasts run? A full run is 9 battles across 3 acts (Carthage, Germania, Rome), each ending in a boss, followed by the Senate finale. Nights between battles are vendor stops. Ten difficulty levels scale above that, including Legionnaire, Primus, and Jupiter. ### Is there PvP or new content coming? No PvP at launch. The developer's roadmap targets Update 1.1 in December 2026 with a new arena, boss, weapon, and enemies, then PvP in Q1 2027.