Dead Cells has some really great reviews on Steam right now, with over 6,000 users giving it an average score of Overwhelmingly Positive score. And it’s not hard to see why. Mixing together ideas from metroidvanias, roguelikes, and the Souls franchise, is a recipe for success when it’s executed properly. Dead Cells‘ reception, despite still being in Early Access, proves just that.
But as is the norm with Early Access games, some pieces of it just feel… not quite right. With Dead Cells, one of those janky pieces is the Cursed Chest. Lots of players have come across this chest and decided to take the risk and open it. But it hasn’t really paid off for anyone.
As you’re exploring the depths of Dead Cells, you’re bound to come across some of the game’s treasure chambers — each with chests in them. So how do you tell the difference between a normal chest and a cursed one? There’s one telltale sign that the chest you’re dealing with is cursed — it talks.
When you get near a cursed chest, it’ll start talking to you. And when you see that chatty chest, it’s time to make a U-turn and get on out of there. What could be so bad about a talking chest? Think back to every mimic you’ve ever encountered and you’ll start to get the picture.
But it’s not just the talking that should make you wary of this chest. The reward promised to you might seem like it’s worth it, but it’s really not.
Don’t do it. That chest is a smooth talker trying to trick you.
What Does the Cursed Chest Do in Dead Cells?
The concept behind the Cursed Chest is simple: you die in one hit for a short while until you kill 10 enemies without dying. If you do kill those 10 enemies… congrats, you win a prize! Sounds great right? It’s not.
The prize sucks. No, really. The only prize you can currently get from a cursed chest is a level 1 weapon from your current area. For the amount of risk that you put yourself at, that’s worthless. Early game, most players aren’t prepared to fight that many enemies — and late-game, it’s much too dangerous to risk setting yourself back all that way just for some piddly weapon when you no doubt have some much, much better gear by that point.
So to all Dead Cells players — until the cursed chest is changed to offer a worthwhile reward, it’s best to avoid any talkative trunks you come across. Hopefully in future updates, Dead Cells can do something to make this interesting idea a meaningful one.
Need more help getting through the dungeons in this Early Access game? Check out the rest of our Dead Cells guides for more tips:
