Absolum is the perfect blend of a relentless
beat-'em-up and a challenging
roguelike game, offering an addictive loop of combat and progression. In this fast-paced adventure, you'll be constantly fighting through hordes of enemies, pushing deeper into the map to unlock temporary character
upgrades.As with any good roguelike, death is the core mechanic. When your run ends, you lose all the powerful upgrades you collected and have to start your journey from the very beginning. This constant risk is what makes
Absolum so compelling, but the one thing that can break the cycle of repetition is variety—and that’s where the characters come in.While you start your quest with only two heroes, the world of
Absolum has four distinct characters, each with their own unique style, strengths, and powerful abilities known as
Arcanas. Switching heroes is the best way to mix up your runs and find a playstyle that truly clicks with you.Ready to expand your roster? This comprehensive
Absolum character unlock guide will show you exactly how to get all four heroes and dive into the specific Arcanas that make them so special.
How to Unlock All Characters in Absolum
As you progress through the main areas of
Absolum and defeat bosses, your heroic roster will expand. Each of the four characters brings a completely different feel to the combat, making the grind feel fresh with every new unlock.Remember, the right hero can make all the difference in a tough run. If you're struggling to defeat a certain area or boss, unlocking and mastering a new character might be the key to your success.
Character Name | Unlock Method | Core Playstyle |
Galandra | Starting character | Melee Bruiser, close-range crowd control |
Karl | Starting character | Ranged Gunner, focused on bullets and explosions |
Cider | Encounter after defeating the first boss | Trapper and gadgeteer, uses mines and thrown weapons |
Brome | Encounter after defeating The Underking in Grandery | Magic Blocker, uses protective walls and elemental orbs |
Galandra: The Necrotic Bruiser (Starting Character)
Galandra is one of the two characters available from the very start. She is apowerhouse focused on aggressive melee combat and manipulating the flowof battle. If you love getting up close and personal and want to feellike an unstoppable force, Galandra is your hero.
Galandra's Arcanas
Galandra’s starting Arcanas give her a diverse toolkit for engaging and controlling enemies:
- Necrotic Wave: Generate an advancing wave that pushes and damages enemies. Great for clearing a path.
- Phantom Impale: Charge forward, piercing all enemies in your path. Excellent for closing the distance and dealing linear damage.
- Revenge Claw: Execute a claw attack that absorbs and rebounds all incoming attacksfor its duration. A perfect defensive-offensive ability forhigh-pressure situations.
- Burial Smash: After a Run Attack, press X to extend it into a grab and slam. A fantastic finisher for single targets.
Karl: The Explosive Marksman (Starting Character)
The second starting character, Karl, offers a completely different experience, relying on ranged tactics,firearms, and area-of-effect explosions. If you prefer to keep yourdistance and deal damage from safety, Karl will be your go-to.
Karl's Arcanas
Karl's initial Arcanas are all about bullets and blasts:
- Grenade Bullet: Launch an explosive grenade in a high arc. Use this to hit enemies hiding behind cover or in groups.
- Firestorm Bullet: Launch a rain of explosive debris. A great Arcana for massive area denial and crowd control.
- Rifle Bullet: Fire multiple fast bullets in a focused stream, making it ideal for taking down tougher single targets quickly.
Cider: The Mine-Dropping Engineer (First Unlock)
Cider is the first new character you can unlock and is perfect for playerswho love setting traps and controlling the environment. Their playstylerewards patience and strategic placement of abilities.
How to Unlock Cider
Unlocking Cider requires you to prove your mettle against Absolum's first major hurdle:
- Defeat the first boss in Absolum to encounter Cider.
- You must then successfully Restore the bridge in the area.
- On a subsequent run, once the bridge is restored, go into the forest areapast the bridge. You will encounter Cider again, and they will agree tojoin your team.
Cider's Arcanas
Cider’s Arcanas revolve around setting up deadly surprises:
- Spider Mine: Drop a mine that takes a moment to set up and explodes when an enemy steps on it. Excellent for creating defensive chokepoints.
- Tinker Blade: Shoot blades in a wide arc, giving Cider a surprisingly effective close-to-mid-range tool to clear out flanking enemies.
Brome: The Wall of Contempt (Second Unlock)
Brome is the final character you can unlock and is arguably the mostdefensive and strategic hero in the game. Their Arcanas focus on magical barriers, positional damage, and powerful energy constructs.
How to Unlock Brome
Unlocking Brome requires you to venture deep into the game's later areas:
- Defeat The Underking in the Grandery area.
- After this victory, you must successfully travel to Jaroba.
- Survive past the two initial areas of Jaroba and visit the campsite.
- Proceed to the next area (marked with a frog marker) to find Brome waiting. Speak with them, and they will join your roster.
Brome's Arcanas
Brome's Arcanas are heavy on magic and positional control:
- Doom Orb: Conjure an expanding orb of exploding energy. Perfect for delayed, high-damage crowd control.
- Sigil of Hate: Place a sigil on the ground that summons a magic torrent after a briefinterval. Use this to zone enemies or set up devastating combos.
- Wall of Contempt: Summon a magic wall that protects you from attacks and lets you bounceenemies against it. This is a game-changing ability for both defense and offensive positioning.
Mastering Your Heroes and Arcanas
Unlocking the character is only the first step. To truly master the roguelike loop of Absolum, you’ll need to unlock the full potential of their Arcanas.
All characters in Absolum have access to a total of up to seven Arcanas. You can unlock these additional, more powerful Arcanas by speaking to Ederig the Stalwart before you start a run. New Arcanas become available as you increase your overall Radiance Level through gameplay.
Whether you prefer the up-close, aggressive power of Galandra, the long-range safety of Karl, the strategic traps of Cider, or the defensive magic of Brome, there’s a hero in Absolum built for your unique playstyle. Now that you know how to unlock themall, it’s time to jump back into the run and dominate the horde!
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 PS4, PlayStation 5 PS5
Genre(s): Beat'em up, roguelike
Developer(s): Guard Crush Games, Supamonks, Dotemu
Publisher(s): Dotemu, Gamera Games
Release date: October 9, 2025
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