Hazard Levels Tips: What to Know Before Your First Crawl

Your first Crawl in Hazard Levels will probably end with dented loot, a teammate who has turned into a toilet, and a frantic sprint back to the double-decker bus. These Hazard Levels tips explain the core loop, how to keep your loot's value intact, which drinks are worth carrying, and how to make it out before last orders. With version 1.0 now live on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, plenty of new recruits are walking into The Fox Hole Arms, and a little preparation saves a lot of wasted runs.

Understand the Crawl Loop First

Every expedition follows the same rhythm. Learn it and the chaos becomes manageable.

1. Gear up on the bus. The Gravity Gauntlet, Rift Scanner, Rift Stabiliser, weapons and drinks are all loaded onto the double-decker before you leave.
2. Fill the quota. Find the collection station and drop ingredients into it until the quota is complete.
3. Scan for a rift. Once the quota is met, use the scanner to locate the next rift.
4. Stabilize and enter. Place a Rift Stabiliser in front of the rift to open the portal, then step through.
5. Repeat deeper. Each new dimension has its own collection station and quota. You can't bail early, because the game requires you to reveal more rifts before heading back.
6. Run when it collapses. Eventually the rift starts collapsing. Reach the bus before the countdown ends or the Crawl fails.

When you get back to the pub, a Post Summary Screen added in 1.0 shows your earnings, completed Challenges and rewards.

Early-Game Setup at The Fox Hole Arms

Image: Steam / Wales Interactive

1. Play the new tutorial. Version 1.0 added a fully integrated tutorial and extra signage in the first Crawl, so even returning Early Access players should run through it once.
2. Pick your camera. Both first- and third-person are supported. Switch between them under Preferred View Type in the graphics settings.
3. Fix your mic before you embarrass yourself. Voice chat defaults to open mic. Change the voice activity setting if you want push-to-talk, especially since proximity chat means nearby players hear everything.
4. Invite friends from the pub phone. "Call a Friend" is the in-game invite system, and crossplay works across every platform.
5. Find the hidden rooms. Customization is behind the fireplace. The secret brewery opens from a hidden door by the cash register. The Rift Bestiary is tucked away somewhere in the pub.
6. Grab the free drinks. Perk cocktails are on the house during your very first Crawl. After that, drinks cost money, so experiment while they're free.

Looting With the Gravity Gauntlet

Loot is physical, and every bump costs you.

Image: www.walesinteractive.com

1. Don't throw valuables carelessly. Ingredients lose value whenever they hit walls, doors, floors or teammates, and a few careless knocks can shave hundreds off a pricey find.
2. Wait for doors. Facility doors open slowly. Let them finish opening before you push through with a load.
3. Carry two at a time. By default, the Gauntlet holds two items. Upgrade it at the Upgrade Bench to improve it. The Gauntlet and the scanner each have five upgrade levels.
4. Use charged throws as a weapon, not a delivery method. You can charge a throw for extra force, and the outline color changes while you charge. That's great against monsters and terrible for fragile loot.
5. Smash crates. Glowing supply crates can be kicked open for extra ingredients. Smashing crates and killing enemies also has a chance to drop Power Ups, such as infinite ammo or team-wide heals.
6. Keep an eye out for Foxy. This little helper sometimes spawns in a Crawl. Pay a small fee and you'll get a random drink or piece of equipment. Drink Coolers and Equipment Caches can also spawn mid-run for restocking.

Your banked money belongs only to you, so a teammate's careless throw doesn't drain your wallet. It does make the quota slower for everyone, though.

Drinks, Bar Snacks and Upgrades

Image: Steam / Wales Interactive

Perk cocktails worth knowing

Drink	Effect
Coffin Dodger	Revives you 3 seconds after death; used up on revive
Baldwin's Health Elixir	Restores health
Dynamo	Big speed boost
Teenie Weenie	Shrinks you (teammates can pick you up and throw you)
Shape Shifter	Turns you into a random prop
Magnetonic	Pulls items to you from up to 5m away for 20 seconds, with no item limit
R.A.D.S	Toxic aura that damages nearby enemies

• Drink Coffin Dodger before trouble starts. Carrying it unopened in your inventory won't save you. It has to be active when you go down.
• Throw drinks at teammates. Since 1.0, every Perk Cocktail can be thrown at another Rift Crawler to give them its effect. Use this to heal a downed friend... or to prank them.
• Brew your own. The Brewing Station lets you research recipes with ingredients you've collected. Completing order ledgers levels up perk drinks, and there are over 70 cocktails to discover. If you freehand a recipe, you'll get a failed drink.

Bar snacks

Snacks give stat boosts for your session, and each one has five upgrade levels:

• Iron-Hide Pork Rinds: more HP
• Hoarder's Pickled Rings: an extra inventory slot
• Sharp-Tongue Zappers: more stamina
• Bull-Rush Beef Strips: more speed
• Steady On Nuts: stamina regeneration

If you die during a Crawl, you lose the snack's benefit and have to buy it again. Don't stack snacks on a run where you plan to take big risks.

Combat and Rift Creatures

The game used to be gunless, but the bus now stocks two weapon types. The Revolver launched at £4,000 with 12 rounds, and an assault rifle sits alongside it. Once the ammo is gone, you'll need to buy more, so watch for resupply stations and gun cabinets inside the facility. When you're out of bullets, kick (V on PC), or throw objects with the Gauntlet. Base player health is 200.

Creature	What it does	How to handle it
Kevin	Uses its tongue to steal equipment, drinks, snacks and 20–50% of your money	Bank cash early and keep your distance
The Phantom	Inverts your controls on contact	Steer well clear of it
Wizard	Turns you into a gnome; its name glows above it	Spot the glowing name and focus fire
Tilly	Hides a knife in her trench coat	Run, or kill her at range
Spider	Web attack roots you in place	Avoid fighting it near traps
Hollow Man	Looks like an abandoned corpse until it gets up	Don't poke "dead" bodies
Flying Apex	Mutated shark in the Aquarium that bites and spits whirlpools	Shoot it before it gets close

Use the Rift Bestiary at the pub to study every creature you've met without risking death.

Traps, Rift Surges and Escaping

1. Read trap rooms before entering. Look out for crushing pillars (vertical and horizontal), laser barriers, giant swinging hammers, rotating fire traps and electrified floors in the Aquarium. Time your crossing; don't sprint blindly with loot in hand.
2. Expect Rift Surges. Since 1.0, surges can strike in any rift. Heads can triple in size, floors can turn to ice, and the whole world can flip upside down. Keep moving and adapt.
3. Carry a spare stabilizer. Each rift needs its own Rift Stabiliser. If you only bring one, you'll have to backtrack to the bus or buy another inside.
4. Use the scanner to escape. The scanner can plot a path to the exit, which is a lifesaver when the collapse timer starts.
5. Turn off collapse flashing if needed. A graphics option removes the flashing lights during a rift collapse.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Splitting up too far. It's faster to split up, but finding missing teammates across different dimensions wastes time. Keep at least one partner nearby.
• Spending everything on drinks. Drinks cost money after your first Crawl, so budget for upgrades before stocking up on potions.
• Lingering after the quota. The longer you farm a floor, the riskier it gets, and you still need time to reach the next rift.
• Ignoring the Challenge Room. Challenges unlock cosmetics, and many tie into the game's 45 Steam achievements, including Rift Amateur, Rift Pro and Rift Champion for diving deeper.
• Locked at 30 FPS on a strong PC? Set Fullscreen mode in Options > Graphic Options.

FAQ

Can you play Hazard Levels solo and offline?

Yes. The game can be launched and played offline when you play solo, and it's balanced for 1–4 players. On PS5, online co-op requires PS Plus.

Is there crossplay?

Yes. Version 1.0 supports crossplay across Steam, Epic, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Is there a free demo?

Yes. You can download a free demo, including the Hazard Levels demo on the PlayStation Store, where the full game launched at $12.99.