Every run advances something
Currency from a failed run buys permanent upgrades, and each death unlocks new dialogue and relationships. Treat the first ten runs as practice with progress, not as failures.
Buy the survivability mirror upgrades first
Extra lives and healing are worth more than damage early, because reaching the later biomes is the actual gate. Damage upgrades pay off once you reliably get there.
Pick a god and stay with it
Boons from the same god combine into stronger effects. Taking one from every god you meet produces a pile of small bonuses; taking four from one produces a build.
Use the weapon that fits the boon
Fast weapons favour on-hit effects; slow weapons favour percentage bonuses. Read the boon text for "on hit" versus "damage" and match it to your attack speed.
Dash through, not away
The dash has invulnerability frames. Dashing towards an attack to pass through it is safer than retreating, which keeps you in the attack arc.
Spend keys on weapon aspects
Unlocking new aspects of the same weapon changes the moveset substantially and is the cheapest way to find a style that suits you.
Take the mid-run shop seriously
Healing, boon re-rolls and damage upgrades purchased mid-run prevent the deaths that end them. Buying health at low cost is rarely wrong.
Turn the god mode on if you want the story
The game ships with an optional setting that increases your resilience each run. If you are here for the narrative, it exists for exactly that.