Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
With a pivot to a Metroidvania structure, and all that entails, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown isn’t for the faint of heart, pitting you against tough enemies, unforgiving platforming sections, and asking you to sleuth out some very well hidden secrets and shortcuts.
To help you set off on your adventure on the right foot, we’ve pulled together eleven tips and tricks that struck us as useful when we played through for our review. Once you’ve made your first steps into Mount Qaf, you may want to track down all the Lost Warriors locations or peek at the full quest list.
This is a Metroidvania
Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is a Metroidvania, which means a whole lot of backtracking once you acquire new powers and abilities. You won’t be able to access many areas (ledges, blocked doorways, platforming sections, etc.) the first time you visit. This is by design, so don’t sweat it if you can reach them. Push on with the story to unlock new powers and revisit areas later.
Use Memory Shard markers often
As an extension of the above, Ubisoft made the wise decision to have markers, known as Memory Shards, that you can plop down wherever you want on the map. We recommend using them liberally to mark the spots of areas, chests, ledges, puzzles, and so on that you didn’t quite figure out during your first visit. The map is a sprawling labyrinth and it’s best not to rely on your memory given how much there is to discover.
Train with Artaban for free Time Crystals
Once you reach the Haven in the Lower City, you’ll have the option to to train with Artaban (he’s on the ledge on the right above the merchant tent. By training, you’ll complete challenges, which reward you with Time Crystals, 50 per challenge to be exact. In the early game, a hefty bunch of Time Crystals are hard to come by so taking 10-20 minutes to complete Artaban’s challenges should give you enough to buy a weapon upgrade or two. Completing all the basic training also unlocks the Vayu’s Wave Athra Surge skill, which releases a powerful, unfurling wave of Athra that pushes back the enemy.
Equip the Ecbatana Seal Amulet
Speaking of Time Crystals, it’s worth equipping the Ecbatana Seal Amulet when you find it. It makes Sargon automatically collect Time Crystals from a distance, removing the need to manually approach them after killing enemies, saving you time and making sure you collect every last one.
Disarm enemies carrying shields
Shielded enemies are a pain, seemingly immune to Sargon’s attacks unless you catch them off guard or from behind. Charged basic attacks used on an enemy carrying a shield will send their shield flying, allowing you to go in for a combo and take them out much faster.
Xerxes
If ever you’re short of Xerxes to buy an item from the Scavenger down in the Depths, you can purchase them for 200 Time Crystals from the blacksmith up in The Haven. It’s a bit steep, but useful if you need one last one to buy a useful item.
Vary your attacks
Every time you repeat the same combo on an enemy, you’ll cause less damage so vary your attacks and combos by launching enemies into the air, parrying, using charged attacks, and dodging as much as often as possible. Prince of Persia The Lost Crown rewards variety.
How to save
Interacting with a Wak-Wak Tree saves your game. Note that exiting without visiting a Wak-Wak Tree will dart you back to your last save so be sure to visit one before closing down your game. We learnt this the hard way and lost a good hour of progress.
Equip the Prosperity Bird Amulet
If you happened to have forked out for a pre-order then make sure to equip the bird amulet. A colourful avian friend will follow you around, chirping happily when you close to chests, jars, crystals, and other collectibles.
Prosperity Bird Amulet
The Prosperity Bird Amulet also tracks Xerxes pieces, useful if you want to buy an item from the Scavenger in the Depths.
Recharge arrows
Your stock of arrows (marked in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen) is replenished by interacting with the arrow racks with a blue flag scattered around Mount Qaf, but also whenever you interact with a Wak-Wak Tree, much like potions. Enemy archers will also typically drop an arrow or two when killed, so remember to hover them up.
Stuck on a puzzle?
If you hit a deadend trying to solve a puzzle, a good approach is to always think about what abilities you have at your disposal, especially the most recently unlocked one. Typically, puzzles rely on your combining what abilities you do have to get through a platforming section. Shadow of Simurgh in particular is a favourite for solving a huge portion of the puzzles in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown.
These 11 tips and tricks should set you up nicely for your playthrough of Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. If we come across any more useful nuggets, we’ll add them here. In the meantime, we have guides covering all the sand jar locations, all the Moon Gatherer locations, and all the Architect puzzle locations and solutions in Mount Qaf.
