Dive into the whirlwind world of Soulstone Survivors, an action-packed roguelite game that catapults you from humble beginnings to unstoppable deity in mere minutes. Imagine embodying a character from Path of Exile, skyrocketing from level 1 to level 99 in just 20 minutes. This game brings your wildest power fantasies to life, whether you’re conjuring elemental magic as a Wizard, wielding divinity as a holy Paladin, or blasting foes with pure energy as a nuke-hurling Engineer.
After years in development, fueled by invaluable PC player feedback, Soulstone Survivors is making its grand debut on Xbox Series X|S on June 17, 2025. Eager players can dive into the action right now with a demo available on Xbox Series X|S. We’ve curated some handy tips to help you craft some killer builds and maximize your enjoyment.
What truly sets Soulstone Survivors apart is the freedom to mold your character precisely as you desire, then put your creation to the test in the perilous Void. Not satisfied with your approach? Simply tweak and try again until you discover that perfect build.
This game is engineered for extremes, allowing you to push boundaries beyond what seems possible. Overflow your critical chance beyond 100% to unleash consecutive critical hits. The multicast attribute lets you unleash multiple copies of the same skill—like Chain Lightning or Flurry—at once. As you surpass 100% multicast, firing off two, three, or even ten copies simultaneously becomes your reality. Unlike many games that limit stat improvements, Soulstone Survivors invites you to experience true omnipotence.
Jumping in with basic setups is a breeze, but the real magic unfolds when you delve into the intricate systems that enable groundbreaking builds. The creativity of the community never ceases to amaze us, especially when someone shares a clever new build on Discord that we hadn’t imagined!
Buffs Are Your Friends
Buffs are advantageous effects that bolster your character against foes. For instance, each increase in "Prowess" grants you a 1% damage boost. While honing in on a single buff can be effective, a diversified build leveraging multiple interacting buffs is wise. Certain power-ups let you trigger a buff when another is activated. “Devastating Strikes,” for example, offers a chance to gain an “Aptitude” stack (boosting critical damage) for every stack of Prowess acquired.
Negative Effects Are Your Allies Too
On the flip side, negative effects debilitate your enemies, paving the way for you to deal substantially more damage. “Poison” inflicts ongoing damage and spreads upon an enemy’s demise, while “Fragility” increases damage taken per stack. Varied negative effects often outperform a singular focus.
Consider Your Skill Types
Each skill falls under a type—like Fire or Electric—and considering these can greatly enhance your power. A focused build accentuates one skill type, while mixed skill types allow chaining effects, such as casting a Fire skill after an Electric one. Tailor this choice to your preferred gameplay style.
Experiment with Variety!
Other influential factors include the skill tree, Runes (artifacts with unique effects for each run), weapons you acquire, and your character’s ascension skill (a temporary godly ability unlocked after mastering core skills).
The essence of the game lies in experimenting until you discover optimal strategies and a play style that suits you best. As a special treat, let me share the secrets of my favorite build: the Bloody Barbarian!
The Bloody Barbarian Build
Don’t underestimate the Barbarian, the demo’s initial character. Specializing in melee, he excels in Swing, Thrust, Slam, Electric, and Earth skills—ideal for synergies!
Here’s what to focus on:
- Opt for the Barbarian with the starting weapon, Barbaric Cleavers.
- Select skills offering “Finesse,” like Double Slash.
- Include “Scent of Blood” skill.
- Enjoy the spectacle!
The Barbaric Cleavers shine due to “Whirlwind” providing a wide damage area, plus “Bulwark” (boosting block power) and “Finesse” (raising multicast chance).
Throughout gameplay, watch for Swing skills to increase “Finesse” stacks, boosting your multicast, casting them multiple times with augmented “Colossal” from Earth skills. “Scent of Blood” utilizes “Finesse” to elevate attack speed further, exacerbating the chaos. You’ll be a whirlwind of devastation, obliterating foes in seconds, boosted by “Subdue” for massive extra damage.
The full game amplifies this build, with Runes like Synergetic Rune enhancing power-up interactions and Multicast Mastery amping multicast effects—unavailable in the demo but still deadly.
Soulstone Survivors offers endless character possibilities within its demo, whether crafting Lightning-centric or Earth-shattering Barbarian builds, or playing the Pyromancer, inciting fiery destruction. Explore the enticing world of build crafting, buffs, and power in Soulstone Survivors by downloading the Xbox Series X|S demo today!
