If you’re a beginner to the game, you may not know how to use the Altar when you find it empty. I must have completed about 50 runs before I realized that you could actually interact with the altar in Enter the Gungeon. More often than not, I’d click on the altar, be left with the option “do nothing”, and then be on my way.
There is a way to interact with the altar, though, and we’ll take you through it here. Read on to find out what to do in Enter the Gungeon if the altar is empty.
Related: What does the Prime Primer do in Enter the Gungeon?
Page Contents
Step 1 – Find The Room With A Fireplace
The first thing you’re going to want to do is find the room with a fireplace in it on the 1st chamber, Keep of the Lead Lord. Sometimes there will be enemies in here, other times it will be empty. Once you’ve found it, you need to extinguish the fire with a source of water. This can be done by using a water barrel or with a water gun (such as the Mega Douser).
After extinguishing the fire, you’ll be able to walk behind the fireplace, where you’ll find a switch. This switch will unlock a secret room which you’ll be able to see on the map. The secret room contains a trap door which requires 2 keys to open (see picture below), so you’ll want to be conservative with your use of keys if you’re planning to do this.
The trap door leads to a secret chamber called the Oubliette, where you’ll encounter a number of different enemies. You should be fine clearing this extra chamber, but it might be wise to go and fight the Keep of the Lead Lord boss before heading into the Oubliette in the hopes of getting a nice weapon to help out.
Step 2 – Enter the Gungeon Oubliette
Once you’re ready to go into the Oubliette, simply jump down the trap door in the secret room and you’ll be taken there. The Oubliette has a sewer-like appearance and is full to the brim with toxic waste and other poisonous features. Within the sewer dungeon you need to look for the Old Crest, as this item is essential in making use of the empty altar.
The Old Crest is located within a special treasure room (as indicated in the map in the picture above) and will be on top of a plinth ready for you to take. Make sure you’ve cleared the rest of the Oubliette before taking it, though, for reasons that will become clear in the next section.
Related: The 5 best games similar to Slay the Spire.
Step 3 – Reach the Altar Without Taking Damage
Once you’ve cleared the secret Oubliette chamber and defeated the Blobulord boss, go back and take the Old Crest from the Special Room and head on up to Chamber 2 – Gungeon Proper.
You’ll have to be on top of your game here, as you can’t take any damage now before reaching the empty altar. Taking any damage at all will result in you losing the Old Crest and the armor that it provides.
Use your Blanks liberally if you have to in order to keep damage away. When you do eventually make it to the altar with the Old Crest still intact, place the item on top of the altar and a secret stairway will appear beneath the nearby bullet coffin. Head down the stairs and you’ll have just entered the Abbey of the True Gun.
Step 4 – Abbey of the True Gun
Now that you’ve made use of the once empty altar, you’re in with a chance of finding some powerful upgrades in the Abbey of the True Gun. This floor is difficult, so make sure you’re as prepared as you can be before heading on down. Keeping at least one key until the end of the Abbey of the True Gun chamber is recommended.
If you make it through the chamber, you’ll be tasked with defeating a rather difficult boss in the form of the Old King. Without a good gun, you won’t be able to defeat him, which is why it’s best to wait until you have a powerful run before aiming to come down through the altar into the Abbey of the True Gun.
If you do defeat the Old King, though, the reward is worth it. You’ll get given one ordinary boss item reward and one synergy chest, so it’s worth doing if you think you have a run capable enough.
Enter the Gungeon Water Barrel – How Do I Push Them?
Pushing a water barrel is easy, just head up to it and interact with it using the same key that you would use to pick up an item or flip a table (e.g. ‘X’ on the PS4, ‘E’ on the PC). Barrels can only move in one direction at a time, so you’ll have to push it and run in front of it to stop it in order to change directions.
It’s not pushing the water barrels that is the hard part, though it’s identifying them. If you’re aiming to get behind the fireplace and into the Oubliette, you’ll need to keep your eye out for water barrels as soon as you enter the room otherwise you’ll risk destroying them.
Get in Touch
Have you managed to make use of the empty altar in Enter the Gungeon’s second chamber? And have you defeated the Old King yet? Let us know in the comment section below! If you’re new to roguelikes and are looking for other similar games to play, check out these roguelikes for the PS4.
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