How to Stop Sucking at Cuphead - Five Tricks you might not know

Back when I started Cuphead, no one sucked more than me. Do you know how many hours I spent dying to almost every boss? But through hours and hours of playing, I am now a semi-average-decent Cuphead player who now sucks a little bit less. Here's five of the tricks I've used to get where I am today.
This video assumes you know the basics like... "Buy new weapons, change your controls until it feels comfortable, actually SHOOT the boss, etc." You're not a noob. We both know that.
I've looked at a few popular "Cuphead tips and tricks" videos on KZbin and I've tried to put stuff that wasn't already repeated too often.
Note that I'm not following a guide or stealing someone else's stuff. These were all tips that I learned on my own.

[@JustoAllDay]

Let me help you out there, friend. Tip 1 - 0:52 Tip 2 - 1:58 Tip 3 - 3:59 Tip 4 - 5:01 Tip 5 - 5:39

[@ectono]

My favourite boss is Werner Werman he looks neet also I use homing shots shot a also charge shots shot b

[@shanelemler4695]

Hi

[@suseyesus8096]

@@shanelemler4695 hi

[@wolfygames3390]

@@suseyesus8096 hi

[@amiyasahoo4717]

Here's 1 more tip: Sometimes staying still is the best. Few bosses have blank spots that they don't attack. Exploit that.

[@sle2470]

Thank you for specifying the RIGHT weapon instead of the best weapon! All of the videos and reddit posts I've seen tend to overlook the fact that if you're playing for the first time from scratch, you don't have access to the "best" weapons or charms early in the game.

[@pantheman2842]

Plus, some weapons are better than others heavily depending on the boss. For example, the Lobber is awesome against Grim and Rumor, but not Baroness and Phantom Express.

[@RammansPizzas]

@@pantheman2842 it also depends on the person sometimes

[@michaelangelomcfly3910]

ExXxactly TF Lmsao Riiiiiiiiittttttteeeee We Don't Have Any Of Those Weapons Starting The Game So how about a video that explains how to get those weapons Einstein 😭

[@azimmeme9994]

@@pantheman2842 Tbh I’ve only had to change my weapons once for Grim Matchstick

[@kris_something]

Yes, I use converge when I don’t have to use the joystick very often, and use spread shot for better dmg, and chaser for homing

[@Patricio4Christ]

One thing that I observed about Cuphead is that you watch the body cues from the bosses. They aren't necessarily telegraphing their moves. They set up for the attacks. You should prepare to dodge the moves. For example, Ribby (whichever wears the white outfit) leans backwards before throwing a quick barrage of fireballs. Goupie (whatever the bouncing character is) pulls his head back before attempting to headbutt you. He pulls out a boxing glove (after taking the growth pills) before trying to punch you.

[@Nitroglycerinconsumer]

One of the ones I see most people mess up on is in grim matchstick’s Boss where he opens his mouth before he turns into a flamethrower on the third phase

[@danielc9509]

@@Nitroglycerinconsumer It's really easy to overlook since your eyes try to focus on avoiding fireballs and platforming and also all 3 heads are constantly moving. I focus more on sound cues in that case

[@kokorodachiofficialchannel5062]

Goopy*

[@Diwasho]

Sometimes there are fakeouts. Probably not always intentional, but for example in Sally Stageplay's transition from the first phase to the second she teleports to the background using the same parasol mouth animation that signals one of her phase one attacks where she's about to make a fast drop on you. And more often than not you can tell when it's the attack and when it's a transition but sometimes she can pull a fast one on you and make it seem like she's transitioning, however it actually turns out to be her drop attack and only after she finishes it she finally moves on to phase 2. Very sneaky.

[@Patricio4Christ]

@@danielc9509 yeah, you can also use the sound cues.

[@SuperBazsle]

Oh my. I would have never beaten the game without the weapon lock. It's really useful, especially since I used Peashooter and Spread my first time fighting basically every boss.

[@berksusezen837]

Oh god we are the same peashoter main and spread secondary weapon is the best

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

What is weapon lock? And how do you do it? He didn’t explain that in this video.

[@blixten635real]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 go back to the tutorial, that’ll help (I can’t tell you which button it is, cause I don’t what console you use)

[@kashifsheikh4744]

I just beat the game earlier today before having watched this video just now. All of these are extremely valuable tips and probably the most important advice for the game. I definitely increased my playtime by a lot by constantly restarting if I took a hit early, racked up over 100 hrs on my first playthrough so I still sucked but I got a lot better throughout. Some of the later bosses I found myself being pretty good with and not having as steep a learning curve with. It's a great game and a great feeling to have beaten it

[@JustoAllDay]

Nice work!! That's awesome!

[@theonewhoknocks382]

I restart as soon as i take a hit early too but we know its because we are gonna need that health for the later boss

[@HOP805]

You're the only youtuber that helped me beat expert mode. Thank you so much I can die happy now 😂

[@JustoAllDay]

Aw shucks! Glad I could help buddy

[@danielc9509]

DLC dropping in 2 months... really excited!!

[@jacobh3554]

@@JustoAllDay hey pls help. what tips do you have for fighting plane bosses? I can’t beat them fast enough for an S rank. The plane boss in world 1 makes me look like a clown. Whether I utilize the device relic or ms chalice, I can’t beat them fast enough.

[@gilililili]

@@jacobh3554 when you use the divine relic whetstone his ass. Helped me speed a lot of phases

[@letsgoblues21]

choosing the right layout is absolutely key. that said, I don't think I have encountered a level where roundabout isn't a huge asset

[@Bouldinger]

Da dragon third phase

[@theonewhoknocks382]

@@Bouldinger Peashooter is better for the flame attacks and lobber is better for the flamethrower

[@stephenclaridge5654]

i just use crackshot and charge for everything, its a combination of two of the most useful weapons for every boss, and if the boss is hard to hit, i use crackshot, if the boss is still, i use charge.

[@gabrielc249]

@@stephenclaridge5654 now with crackshot available, pairing it with charge is hard to argue with.

[@alexcotter3159]

6:21 I actually find chaser really good against the first phase, because it targets the eye balls and it destroys them before you even get hit, also in my opinion Ms chalice is good for it too

[@ibrahimatteya5630]

@WhiteManCandyVan use converge

[@pacifistichuman82649]

@@ibrahimatteya5630 Converge was literally the reason I could even beat Phantom Express.

[@pantheman2842]

Chaser is actually pretty good for Phantom Express in general despite its weakness.

[@glenhaven721]

The peashooter is the best for me, since it does decent damage, and if you start shooting at the right time, it can destroy all the balls before they even get on the cart.

[@titanfightin7640]

@@pacifistichuman82649 I used converge

[@eshansingh1]

Trying to s-rank grimm... These tips helped a lot, thanks!

[@JustoAllDay]

Great!! I'm happy I was able to help you out 😁

[@MonkeyMationsYT]

Same with me but im tryna beat it lol

[@arturolealsolano5159]

Yo, I love your vids! This is so underrated! You certainly deserve more views

[@himignicest1571]

mAN, U ACTUAL LEGEND, BRO, IM SO GLAD U COULD EXPLAIN EVERYTHING SO WELL IN DETAILL (especially the dashing section, eVERYONE NEEDED THAT)

[@noahjustnoah6474]

thanks so much for making a good video about this topic

[@tempbotdied3767]

3:13 I have the the exact same problem with this. she has cost me so many runs because that happened so many times. Thanks for the help.

[@tempbotdied3767]

5:01 I also had this problem, with Wally Warbles or Dijimmi the great. When every I saw some pink sword or bird, it was instinct which was costing me ALOT of time

[@Zaxzis36]

I love the way you present it. And love your comments

[@Ivyxd1]

thanks for the tips!

[@ectono]

I've finished cuphead it's pretty hard also thanks for commenting and liking my video! 😆

[@nocontext1115]

I’m a pro and it gets easier but I’m sure you’re a god now because we’ll 2years ago

[@nocontext1115]

I’m a pro and it gets easier but I’m sure you’re a god now because we’ll 2years ayo

[@jaxandavashowoff]

Also just so people know the weapon lock is good for Cagney carnation because when he goes across the whole screen I sometimes accidentally fall through shooting him by jumping and the weapon lock prevents that.

[@Mr_Alen]

Bonus tip: Use dash to go through narrow passage. For you see, when Cuphead dashes, his hitbox gets shorter. So you can dash in stead of ducking sometimes.

[@stephenclaridge5654]

he mentioned that

[@Rare_Creature_]

Good show mate, quite nice indeed! So nice in fact that I'm feeling cheeky and typing with a bloody English accent!

[@joannaline]

On djimmy the great I got past the tomb stone wave bc I spammed pause giving me time to react. The problem is that there is a menu in the way but I still manage to dodge the attacks

[@Elkins82ify]

Great tips and I employed the dash on Briney Beard in the exact same fashion as you did-I like your style, dude-when I’m trying for an S rank yeah man 3 parry’s and I forget about it. CupHead is the most creative, punishing/rewarding game I’ve ever played! I had to pre-order the collectors edition. Thanks for sharing, man!

[@NerdyGamerReacts]

Subbed, just starting the game, big help, thank you! 🙏💯😃

[@CSCS20]

Congrats on the 900 subs

[@someoneay]

This is first time i see an actual person who has chat rules

[@jmcnamara82]

Oye...this game..I love it but it frustrates me so Thanks for the insight! I have a few more tricks up my sleeve now :)

[@JustoAllDay]

No problem! Hope it helps you out 😁

[@ryanwest6163]

The tip about using the right weapon can also be applied with charms. For example, my go to charm is smoke dash and I use it for as many bosses as I can. However, for some bosses, using a different charm can save you a lot of trouble. For example, I found that using the parry sugar charm or whatever it is in phantom express is better then smoke dash because there is a lot of parrying in that level. And for airplane levels, smoke dash doesn’t do much, so something like coffee is much better as it will help you defeat the airplane bosses quicker.

[@mal2138]

Just to note, the smoke bomb charm during the airplanes actually gives a bit of invincibility when going small.

[@ryanwest6163]

@@mal2138 Oh, I never knew that! Thanks for telling me that!

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

I have been trying to figure out how to buy/get the coffee charm, and I can’t figure it out because it isn’t available at the shop lol.

[@birdlord4210]

This is good to hear RIGHT (not even five minutes ago) after I beat the entire main story and every boss in the DLC except for salt

[@Celeak2763]

Ok I found lobber really useful for the first two parts of grim matchstick, but more useful for stage 2 because your in the sky especially since the lobber goes down when u shoot and kinda bounces, and grim matchstick is on the bottom left corner of the screen and it does good damage. I also think peashooter is best for his 3rd stage, u could make some shots on lobbet but when one of the heads isn’t shooting fire on the middle row I totally recommend peashooter. So if your having trouble on grim matchstick like I did use lobber and peashooter

[@brighthelios4284]

charge might be better for the final phase just so that you dont explode the fireballs

[@ImpDemous]

For number 2 you could also use smoke bomb if you have it equipped

[@DreamHarmonyHub]

Helped me extremely by remapping the buttons

[@bland8903]

Nice advice my boy

[@H30000]

I have no idea how i missed some of these

[@haydenadams4850]

It's good to switch weapons, unless you have dlc then you use crackshot the whole game, it's really good

[@babvi2009]

Exepct Grim on the last phase

[@ellaclarissatabangay8361]

For ribby and croaks i used roundabout and spread shot too

[@KatboyKirby]

Ahh, stopping the succ. My only obstacle so far to a successful life.

[@Autisz15]

Never played cuphead but thank's for the tips😁

[@BurReToe]

Not even lying, I self taught myself all this during my first play through!

[@ny8332]

great vid i lovee it

[@JustoAllDay]

Thank you!

[@gdbluec6962]

with the dlc there are 2 tricks to be good 1 equip the crackshot 2 equip the smoke dash charm

[@gamby4932]

I’m a cuphead pro but u just make this good to watch

[@sweeneybartlett3247]

I have a feeling that if this guy suffered what I did I’d give him respect

[@TheKazooka]

I saw this video and then beat cuphead two days after, this tutorial was amazing!

[@dewmmd]

h-how!?!?

[@TheAlienHasArrived]

Despite how difficult this game is, I wouldn’t call it “unfair” because the obstacles stay consistent and go in a pattern, so once you learn from your mistakes you can beat the bosses fairly easily

[@NickAndriadze]

Justo: ''Stop sucking at Cuphead get gud ya idiot and stop calling Dr. Kahl's Robot a hard boss!'' Also Justo: Struggles with what's quite literally the easiest boss in all of Cuphead: _The damn Pawns._

[@shayne537]

I never knew how to play Cuphead, but now I’m learning, I’m getting better, but I wanna find new Ability’s to have a better Shooter, and more Health.

[@gemxofficial5098]

Bro this is actually funny to watch the way you talk hahahahha

[@Quagsire_rl]

Tip 6: activate chameleon mode and see 2 places at once

[@egg326]

before dlc: use right guns use right ults and use right charms after dlc crackshot + ms chalice = s rank

[@gloweyegaming7887]

I used to be a god at the game, killing dr kahl in 2 or 3 tries, but after 3 years of not playing, I even forgot the controls, so I am trying to get good again

[@s.a.t.a.n6216]

Dr kahl is ez

[@PugsAreCool262]

@@s.a.t.a.n6216 Yea cus I bet u literally just started playing when DLC came out, so you can cheat and use the new weapons.

[@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA]

@@PugsAreCool262 well, new weapons aren't that great against him, especially the new EX moves on chalice in air fights, they're far more situative and aren't very useful in Dr Kahl's robot

[@PugsAreCool262]

@@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA Dude, the comment’s a year old….

[@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA]

@@PugsAreCool262 yes, and?

[@paigelux4819]

if someone wants a combination, here: boomerang , Lobber, bullets/ now charm< smoke or Automatic PARRY/ Super art 3 / i know this is a noob combination

[@reemotb2690]

Spread in Sharjah are the best weapons but if you don’t have charge just use p-shot

[@arturodomnisor]

I'm doing all of these, playing since 2020 and I'm pretty good. I got cuphead 4 days ago and I'm fighting murine. It's not that it's hard, it's the fact that I battled him last time long time ago and I forgor his attacks. Only murine and the train left.

[@h4ertsf0ry0u]

Tysm

[@xxnekoxx606]

The only thing I do is practice and I mean practice! I will spend an hour or more on one boss to get the hang of beating them! So far it's worked and if I can't I just do the simple version and come back to the regular when I'm ready

[@Volksy]

Also for the dash u could use smoke bomb

[@8enthegreat]

First: get lobber and boomerang to use glitch Second: congrats you did it!

[@eidkristo6107]

They patched it my man

[@eidkristo6107]

You dont even know that much if you say that

[@h4ertsf0ry0u]

I got this game like two weeks ago and I’m almost on the Devil Ty Ty

[@calebt9418]

Can you please tell me the easiest way to get passed junkyard jive please ? He is the last person I need to beat to get the king dice

[@jayevans9664]

JSAB players when they play airplane levels in cuphead: *ultra instinct dodging time...*

[@that0n3guymobile58]

Sending this to my big brother.

[@danielkeslerjr4407]

I was using smoke bomb all the time when I first picked up cuphead. But now every time I play I try my damn does not to use it, I feel like it's a crutch

[@Breh047]

Little tip for anyone you can dash under some crouchableobject

[@abdulmuizmohdjamaluddin122]

get the right weopen and use dash at the right time me who is just trying to beat hilda berg and either of those working: spongebob popsicle user has stopped working

[@pacifistichuman82649]

I literally ALWAYS die for trying to parry.

[@luisbobadilla7411]

For the dash part I feel like you can just Yule smoke grenade but I dosent let you stay in the air for to long

[@s.a.t.a.n6216]

or for 3:30 you use one of the most useful charms smoke dash.

[@bennmakesminecraftmappings]

how did you do those insane parries in ribby and croaks?

[@ZeKingDicePlushie]

Parry Sugar I think

[@dgeeklingsquad358]

thanks i was just doing my expert run

[@mendeno6]

Do you play cuphead on switch? If so, can you tell me how to get it to yt?

[@UnderCoverr]

You know whats funny, On The robot. The other day I just decided to start being good and I just one try it now😭

[@brainpickpotatoman2319]

In my opinion the bests weapons on the bee fight is the boomerang thing and lobber

[@joshua_alvarado8624]

How are you so good you need to teach me your moves

[@PWood-gh5cq]

This game is truly a great. And an absolute nightmare. Lol

[@nay5783]

It's been a whole hour of me trying to kill the freaking carrot, I'm putting the blame on the slee0

[@randomzergling]

Sc2 player here, I immediately thought that macro dodging was making a solid eco

[@IceIceBaby100]

i love how i watch this video then i immediately beat cagney. lol.

[@kimsparks9278]

I literally die everywhere in this game I play a lot of games but this is the hardest one by far

[@abody_teko3912]

what controller do you use

[@retropixel1272]

Actually. I did learn some trial and Error. and to learn how to improve

[@Mumble8988]

Isn’t Cuphead one of those games that was more or less designed from the ground up to be extremely challenging and difficult? 😐😑

[@RyBlooGuy]

Yes but that doesn’t mean advice isn’t needed

[@parkerretzer6287]

Dashing I'd good in some situations but if you were me trying to get the max relic ITS SO HARD

[@FlashGlove]

0:10 he killed the thingy with a uncharged shot

[@hue_dave4357]

Cool Tipp: just being good at the game

[@nightshade1589]

ive beaten every boss on regular except for junkyard jive the robot

[@S0me_Ann0ying_Guy]

Cool thing: weapon lock lets you shoot down

[@izakgta5]

King Dice 2nd boss name is Chips Bettigan

[@epictrollfacegamingyt]

Wow justo how did you get so good at cuphead could you teach me some teach me some tips and tricks

[@Jerebees-Digital-Space]

Holy shit I needed this. McThankies. Also, hhh I wanna give fan art but I can't send it to you. Do you got discord or something.

[@JustoAllDay]

Not a public discord, no! But you can email it to me at [e-mail] if you want to send me anything :). Hope this vid helped!

[@Jerebees-Digital-Space]

@@JustoAllDay Sweet, and it will!

[@barryredfield]

I just recently picked up the physical version of this game for the Switch. I've completed only 2 bosses on the regular difficulty on the second island and I'm constantly getting my ass handed to me. It's really becoming frustrating, even after following the tips in this video. I wish there were checkpoint sections within boss encounters, so that I didn't have to repeat from the VERY beginning each time I made a hint of progress. I love the game and even the little bonuses that came with the physical edition, but I think I may have to return it very soon and get store credit. It is just TOO punishing! Why make a game with such an overwhelming visual presentation and musical score, to make it so damn difficult, that you just want to smash your controller?

[@miraculous_lady_noir2179]

I feel ya. I have two bosses left before I can get to Isle 3, and I am so f**king annoyed.

[@barryredfield]

@@miraculous_lady_noir2179 Using other various tips and advice throughout the net, I FINALLY finished the main story and the included dlc. Wow was that ever a trip! I was able to use the Devine Relic to help me out and it was a game changer for sure, especially considering the steps that I had to follow in order to acquire it. I strongly suggest going through the effort necessary to earn it as it may prove beneficial to you as well. The Roundabout and Crackshot are probably the best weapons in the game. I definitely will not get all of the achievements for the Switch version and frankly I don't care. After running through this gauntlet of a game, I am going to take a looooong break before I consider going back to pick it up again.

[@miraculous_lady_noir2179]

@@barryredfield Whoa. Ok, may I just say that you, sir/ma'am/tiz, are legendary.

[@barryredfield]

@@miraculous_lady_noir2179 I am definitely NOT legendary. With practice, patience and a boat load of luck I managed to pull it off after dying exactly 740 times. It's a good thing that the game can rub in how bad you stink at a game by keeping tally this way. I am not a pro player by any means; I play as a source of recreation. If I can beat this game, I am confident that you can as well.

[@miraculous_lady_noir2179]

@@barryredfield Wow. I'm at 50% and I've died a thousand times already.

[@chasesheridan3109]

for some reason i completed wally warbles easily but beppi the clown is so freaking hard for me

[@albertorivera355]

How do you switch weapons mid game like that

[@josephtowsley971]

I suck more than he did most likely I had trouble beating any boss or even a run and gun level and would love to know how to just be able to get to inkwell isle 2 and would need to be able to survive

[@ozcanguler5333]

Wow good information what else is new

[@sprite2.058]

Had to wait 4 years for teh doc wepons and the new character before I could the the normal game

[@raspyt6969]

Me: Sees Justo playing spread challenge Me again: Hey! I did something similar! But it weakens my attack power and it took so frickin long

[@CallytheCalicoCat]

Nice tips! Unfortunately, I do not have spread I'll have to suffer through the dragon with roundabout Edit: I beat it with only lobber lol

[@Wassuuppbitches]

don’t worry, I beat that dragon with lobber and charger if you’re gonna fight him using these weapons I recommend in the first phase you should use charger, the second phase you use lobber and the third phase you use the two weapons depending on the dragon attacks like if he was throwing fireballs at you, switch to charger, and if he was doing his other attack I recommend using lobber but don’t get too close or you might get hit

[@CallytheCalicoCat]

@@Wassuuppbitches I beat it, just use lobber the whole fight but be careful on the last phase

[@berksusezen837]

You can use chaser on his second phase too but dont forget to switch back to peashoter in thir phase or else you will start to shot fire balls and they will explode

[@slydoge491]

Pros at cuphead usually use the crack shot maybe lobber or like spread

[@jackaghion9824]

Can you help me understand how to beat djimmi in his puppet stage please

[@JustoAllDay]

Check out my Djimmi guide here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zn3Qin6lgNl8nNk It's a really tough stage but stay as far away from the turban as possible and try to use a Super on him when he's not firing. Good luck!

[@ggwithfe4540]

imagine watching this as a newbie in cuphead and you get the whole game spoiled

[@OfficialHappyFace_KoKo]

Very funny

[@elliottsintas30]

He talks about switching weapons but uses spread and roundabout for most fights shown