A general walkthrough and strategy guide for players jumping into Scott Pilgrim EX. This guide focuses on combat basics, progression tips, assists, and shops that are actually worth your money.
The goal here is not to give a perfect “speedrun route,” but rather explain mechanics in a way that helps new players understand how the game works and avoid some of the common mistakes.
This guide will likely evolve as more secrets and strategies are discovered.
Preface
Before getting into mechanics, a quick note about this guide.
Everything here is based on personal playthroughs and experimentation. Some information may change as the game gets updated or if more players discover better strategies. If something feels different in your playthrough, that’s normal.
This guide is also written primarily from a solo play perspective. Multiplayer strategies can differ slightly, especially when it comes to crowd control and assist usage.
The game itself draws heavy inspiration from classic River City Ransom style beat ‘em ups, meaning stats, shop upgrades, and exploration all matter just as much as combat skill.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the basics.
Gameplay Basics
Understanding Character Stats
Like most RPG-inspired beat ‘em ups, your character’s strength depends heavily on stats.
Vitality (VIT)
Vitality determines your maximum health.
More vitality means:
- larger health pool
- slightly better resistance to getting stunned
However, it does not reduce incoming damage. It simply allows you to survive longer.
Strength (STR)
Strength increases damage dealt by:
- normal attacks
- combo finishers
- thrown objects
If you want to clear enemies faster, Strength should be one of your main investments.
Agility (AGI)
Agility affects:
- movement speed
- roll and dodge speed
- critical hit chance
A high agility build feels noticeably faster and is helpful when dealing with large groups of enemies.
Guts / GP
GP (Guts Points) is your special ability resource.
It is used for:
- Super attacks
- Assists
Higher GP means you can perform more special abilities during fights.
Combat Basics
Combat is fairly straightforward but mastering a few mechanics makes the game much easier.
Grabbing Enemies
Grabbing is extremely useful against enemies that like to block.
Once you grab an enemy you have several options:
- throw them immediately
- punch them several times before throwing
- jump and perform a stronger aerial throw
A common strategy is:
- grab enemy
- punch twice
- jump throw into a group
This deals good damage and knocks multiple enemies down.
Weapons
Weapons replace your standard attacks.
They are useful because:
- charged attacks break enemy guard
- thrown weapons scale with Strength
- weapons can hit multiple enemies
Holding the grab button charges a weapon throw, increasing both speed and damage.
Blocking and Dodging
Blocking should only be used when necessary.
Even though blocking reduces damage, it also leaves you stationary, which can allow enemies to surround you.
Better options usually include:
- dodging
- quick stepping
- repositioning
Parrying
Parrying happens when your attack connects with an enemy attack at the same moment.
This pushes both characters apart and cancels the enemy attack.
Parries happen naturally during combat, but experienced players can intentionally use them to interrupt enemies.
Super Attacks
Super attacks are one of the most important mechanics in the game.
They cost GP but provide several advantages.
Panic Button
Super attacks grant temporary invulnerability.
This makes them extremely useful when surrounded by enemies.
If a fight starts getting chaotic, using a super attack can immediately clear space.
Escape Combos
Super attacks can also cancel hitstun.
If you get stuck in a combo from multiple enemies, activating a super attack can break you out instantly.
Combo Finisher
Because the attack hits both sides of your character, it can be used to finish combos and deal damage to surrounding enemies at the same time.
Assist Guide
Assists are special abilities that summon characters to help you during combat.
Each assist provides a different effect.
Gideon (Cat)
One of the earliest assists available.
The cat dashes forward and knocks enemies down.
It’s simple but effective for creating space.
Wallace Wells
Provides a defense buff.
This is especially helpful during boss fights or difficult encounters where enemies deal heavy damage.
Lucas’ Stunt Team
This assist stuns every enemy on screen.
It works well as a crowd control ability and gives you time to repositionDemon Hipster Chick
Fires multiple projectiles forward.
These explosions can damage several enemies and occasionally stun them.
Todd Ingram
Teleports your character away from danger.
In theory this sounds useful, but in practice most players will find dodging or rolling easier.
Julie Powers
Provides a temporary attack boost.
Good for boss fights or situations where you want to maximize damage output.
Young Neil
Arguably the strongest assist in the game.
He summons multiple clones that damage enemies across the screen.
This assist can trivialize large enemy groups and deal huge damage to bosses.
Shop Guide
Money is limited early on, so knowing where to spend it is important.
Some shops provide far better value than others.
Chez Robot++
This is the first shop players encounter.
It sells early healing items and basic accessories.
The Energy Pak is a good early purchase if you need extra survivability.
Happy Avocado
One of the best early game food shops.
Two items stand out:
- Veggie Burger
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
Together they restore a large amount of health and GP for a reasonable price.
This combination can carry players through a large portion of the early game.
Honest Ex’s
This shop sells useful badges.
Two notable items include:
Protein Powder
Increases healing from snacks.
Wallace Plushy
Allows you to regenerate GP by landing hits.
Both can significantly improve survivability.
Ice Guys
This shop becomes available later and sells some of the best healing snacks.
The Banana Split restores both HP and GP, making it a strong mid-game healing option.