Blue Prince: Beginner's Guide

Welcome to the enigmatic world of Blue Prince, where every day brings a fresh challenge within Mt. Holly Estate's ever-shifting walls. You'll step into Simon P. Jones' shoes as he navigates his grandfather's mysterious inheritance puzzle, where reaching the elusive Room 46 requires more than luck, it demands strategy, patience, and careful resource management.

This guide will transform you from a bewildered heir into a master estate navigator, revealing the secrets behind room drafting, puzzle solving, and the countless mysteries hidden within these walls.

Blue Prince's Core Mechanics

The Room Drafting System

Mt. Holly Estate operates on a unique Draw system where you approach any door and choose from three randomly selected room blueprints. This isn't a decision you can undo, once you interact with a door, you must commit to one of the three options presented.

Blue Prince Drafting

The estate grid consists of 9 ranks (rows) and 5 columns, creating space for up to 45 rooms. However, your path to Room 46 isn't about filling every space—it's about strategic placement that maximizes your resources while avoiding dead ends.

Managing Your Most Precious Resource: Steps

You begin each day with 50 Steps, and every room entry costs exactly one step unless modified by special effects. When your steps reach zero, the day ends automatically, resetting all rooms and removing collected items.

tip

Never rush toward higher ranks early. Lower ranks offer better resource-gathering opportunities without the locked doors and gem costs that plague upper floors.

Essential Currencies and Resources

The Four Pillars of Progress

Resource	Purpose	Best Sources
Steps	Room movement fuel	Food, Bedrooms, Sleep Mask
Keys	Unlock standard doors	Storerooms, Metal Detector, shops
Coins	Purchase items/food	Scattered throughout rooms, Coin Purse
Gems	Access special rooms	Puzzle rewards, Terrace rooms, shops

Food: Your Lifeline to Extended Exploration

Food directly converts to additional steps, making it invaluable for long runs. The Kitchen offers a purchasable menu, while the Dining Room provides a free hearty meal once you reach Rank 8. The Pantry guarantees food spawns, making it a reliable early-game target.

Blue Prince Food

Strategic Room Selection

Priority Rooms for Early Drafting

Blue Prince Rooms

Resource Rooms should dominate your early strategy:

Storeroom: Guaranteed gem, key, and coin
Empty Closet: Two random items
Walk-In Closet: Four random items
Attic: Eight random items (jackpot room)

Utility Rooms that provide ongoing benefits:

Observatory: Increases stars for constellation bonuses
Coat Check: Stores one item between runs
Security Room: Modify keycard door frequency

Rooms to Handle Carefully

Some rooms carry risks alongside their rewards. The Chapel steals all your coins upon entry, draft it early when you're broke, or position it as a dead-end you'll never revisit. The Lavatory offers no benefits and creates dead ends, so place it strategically in corners where it won't block important pathways.

warning

Red-colored rooms typically have negative effects. Plan their placement carefully to minimize impact on your run.

Advanced Strategies and Hidden Mechanics

The Power of the Directory

Press R1/RB to access your comprehensive Directory, which catalogs every room, item, and mechanic you've encountered. This becomes your strategic bible for planning future runs and understanding room effects.

Item Synergies and Combinations

Certain items work brilliantly together:

Shovel + Green Rooms = Maximum dig spots
Sleep Mask + Multiple Bedrooms = Massive step regeneration
Metal Detector + Dead-end rooms = Efficient resource gathering
Coupon Book + Shop rooms = Discounted purchases

The Workshop Revolution

Once you access a Workshop, you can craft advanced tools by combining basic items. A Sledgehammer + Shovel creates a Power Hammer with enhanced capabilities. These crafted items often provide permanent benefits worth the investment.

Blue Prince's Workshop

Puzzle Mastery and Secret Discovery

Progressive Difficulty Systems

Many puzzle rooms like the Billiards Room and Parlor increase in difficulty each time you solve them. Early completions are easier, so tackle these when you first encounter them rather than saving them for later runs.

Blue Prince Billiards ER

Documentation is Everything

Blue Prince doesn't provide an in-game journal, making external note-taking crucial. Document:

Safe combinations from paintings
Document contents and their room locations
Puzzle solutions and their variations
Recurring themes across multiple rooms

important

Screenshots organized by room or theme will save hours of frustration when you need specific information weeks later.

Path to Room 46 and Beyond

Building Your Route

Room 46 sits in the Antechamber at Rank 9, Column 3. However, rushing there guarantees failure due to resource requirements in upper ranks. Instead:

Ranks 1-3: Focus on resource gathering and utility rooms
Ranks 4-6: Balance progression with continued resource collection
Ranks 7-8: Navigate carefully around locked doors and gem costs
Rank 9: Make your final push with accumulated resources

Security System Manipulation

The Security Room lets you adjust keycard door frequency. Counter-intuitively, if you have a Keycard or disabled the system via the Utility Closet, set security to High. This creates more electronic doors (which you can open freely) and fewer standard locked doors (saving your keys for chests and special areas).

Pro Tip: Reaching Room 46 isn't the end—it's merely the beginning of Blue Prince's deeper mysteries. The real adventure starts after you achieve your "objective."

From Heir to Estate Hacker

And there you have it,your survival guide to the ever-shifting chaos that is Blue Prince. Getting to Room 46 is the goal, sure, but the real fun is in the weird turns, the perfectly placed pantries, and figuring out how to outsmart that one damn chapel that keeps stealing your coins.

Whether you're the type to plan every step like a spreadsheet wizard, chase the mystery bits scattered around the estate, or just enjoy getting lost in its bizarre logic, there’s a spot for you here. Just remember: every run is a reset, every door is a gamble, and no, lavatories still don’t do anything useful.