Our tips for Prince of Persia The Lost Crown are all formed from tricks and advice we wish we'd known before leaping into the perils of Mt. Qaf. Despite being called an Immortal, we can assure you that Sargon is anything but, and that a canny player will bear that in mind when running into the perils of this metroidvania world. With that in mind, we've played hours of the game ourselves, and brought together these 9 tips and tricks for Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, to help new players clear the initial hurdles and really get a handle on combat, exploration and more besides.
1. Learn the Parry as early as possible, or you'll regret it
The Lost Crown does provide a dodge option - more than one, as you progress - but it's the parry mechanic that you really need to get a grip on early, and hard-code it into the way you play. Sargon's incredibly agile, but it's actually often better to move less and simply focus on deflecting enemy attacks, especially if you get the badges and upgrades that give you bonuses for parrying. There's also the essential Yellow Parries, which do massive damage to the enemy and can even take away certain powers from them, such as shattering shields.
2. Follow the story for a while, and explore later on
While you can start exploring fairly soon after reaching Mt. Qaf, we recommend simply following the main path for a while - specifically until you get the Shadow of the Simurgh power. You can go exploring before this point, but without certain key abilities or good equipment, it's either going to be difficult or impossible to get very far. However, once you have the Shadow power, much more of the map is opened up to you, and this marks the secret point where the game is intended to become much less linear, as well as when you really start getting to make use of the Prince of Persia The Lost Crown fast travel system.
3. Take photos (and delete them) regularly
You can use the Memory button to take an instant snapshot of where you are and mark them on your map - and this is absolutely something you should do! You start with fifteen "memories" and can expand your maximum, and it's best to use them as markers for obstacles you can't get past yet, so you know to come back.
However, just as important as taking photos is deleting them after you come back, which you also do via the map. Not only does it free up space, but if you don't get into the habit it can be incredibly confusing trying to work out where you've been and where you need to go back to. If you need further help though, our guide on Exploration or Guided mode in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown can help you really get to grips with navigation.
4. Training Courses are a good way to learn combat powers and earn money
The Hub area known as the Haven has a tutor in the top-right who can teach you various lessons about your weapons and powers. These aren't just refreshes on the tutorial though, but new tips and ways to use them that you might not have worked out. They don't "unlock" new powers, but do explain new ways to use the abilities you already have, with more lessons getting added each time you get a new ability or weapon.
Not only that, but completing each (short) lesson for the first time earns you Time Crystals - i.e., money - and a surprising amount, with lessons paying pretty well. If you're saving up for something at the forge or vendor nearby, taking a few lessons can earn you the money pretty fast.
5. Get into the habit of leaving Shadows behind as an escape route
The Shadow of the Simurgh power you unlock in the Depths (just before you should start exploring more broadly, as mentioned in tip 2) allows you to leave behind a marker you can teleport back to at any point. This is used to complete certain puzzles, but you should absolutely make use of it more than that, placing it as a little mobile checkpoint or escape route before deadly platforming sequences or in combat encounters. You can use it to zip back to safety before you land on spikes, or avoid an enemy's attack by flitting to the other side of the arena.
6. The Chakram is better than the bow, but requires more time and thought
After a couple of hours in The Lost Crown you'll get the bow and arrows, but it's barely been much time after that before you get the Chakram, a thrown weapon that ricochets and returns to your hand.
Both weapons have their uses in and out of combat, but in terms of actual fighting, the Chakram is definitely the superior option. It can bounce and hit multiple enemies, does more damage, doesn't use up limited ammo, and you have far more control over than the bow - it just takes a little more getting used to, and awareness of the time to wind up the throw. Like the parry, spend some time acclimating to it the moment it's unlocked, and you'll thank yourself later.
7. If you see Gold Trails in the air, follow them!
It's fairly common to see gold wisps in the air when playing this Prince of Persia, like gold energy being carried on the wind. Though the game doesn't tell you, these actually lead you towards the Wak-Wak Trees, the checkpoints that you respawn and change amulets at. If you see those gold trails, check your map to make sure that you haven't already found the attached Tree, and if not, go after it! You don't have to follow them for long before you find the checkpoint in question.
8. Use your Athra Surges sooner rather than later
Athra Surges are your "ultimate" supermoves, of which you can have two equipped at any one time. Surges sometimes require more than one bar to be filled, all done through damaging enemies, but the point here is that Athra Surges charge quicker than you think, with multiple chances to use them per boss fight. If the chance comes up, you'll want to use it ASAP, as there's no benefit to charging Athra once you hit the maximum amount, and it won't take long before you have the power back.
9. If in doubt, talk to Fariba
The kid Fariba shows up at multiple points in the story, and you should generally go to her if you're ever stuck. The big help is that you can pay her 30 crystals in the Haven to give you a tip on where to go next, but you can also find her in various spots throughout the world, where you can pay her 50 crystals to fill in your map of that area, an incredibly useful feature. Make use of both services whenever you're not sure what to do next.
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