Diagnose whether darkness, damage, or restart distance ended the run, then spend coins and perks on that specific constraint.
Spend a torch pulse only when new information changes your next move. The initial five seconds reveal the floor, but the climb includes holes, crumbling surfaces, overhead and floor spikes, moving platforms, lifts, and especially dark seventh floors. Re-lighting an already readable section wastes the resource meant for an uncertain one.
Diagnose the failed climb
- If unseen geometry caused the fall, improve light duration, pulse count, beam width, or draft a light-producing perk.
- If you saw the hazard but could not survive it, favor Shield, Extra Life, Blunt Spikes, or another verified survival tool when offered.
- If the route is understood but replaying early floors consumes the session, save coins for a checkpoint.
- Preserve at least one pulse when entering a floor whose layout or hazard pattern is still unknown.
- In Speed Run mode, stop applying endless-mode assumptions. The five towers are fixed and ranked, so repeatable execution matters more than long-run resource preservation.
The App Store confirms perks such as Ember, Guide Beam, Echo Flash, Shield, Extra Life, and Blunt Spikes, plus permanent torch upgrades and checkpoints. It does not publish fixed perk weights or upgrade costs in the description, and version 1.9 was updated on August 16. Advice should stay tied to the current build.
Return to the 5 Seconds of Light guide for the distinction between Levels and Speed Run modes.
Recheck the current version notes before treating any upgrade cost as fixed.
Sources
QUICK ANSWERS
Questions players ask next
When should I use a torch pulse?
Use it when the next action depends on unseen geometry or hazards. Avoid spending several pulses on a floor you can already traverse safely.
When is a checkpoint worth buying?
Buy one when repeated early floors consume more attempts than the new section you are trying to learn; current prices must be checked in your version.