HoloCure: Save the Fans! Beginner Tips

HoloCure: Save the Fans! is a free Windows bullet-heaven action roguelike developed and published by KayAnimate where Hololive-inspired characters fight waves of fans, collect EXP, build weapons and items, and spend HoloCoins on future runs. It first appeared as a public itch.io Windows release/build in 2022 and later arrived as a full Steam release in 2023, so either storefront points to the same game.

This guide is for your first clears and early upgrade path. It avoids exact tier lists, final character rankings, and 0.8 predictions because major systems can change.

Essential Tips

1. Treat Stage Mode as Your First Goal

Stage Mode teaches the real rhythm of HoloCure: survive the growing waves, keep leveling, and beat the boss that appears at the end of the run. Clearing stages opens more places to play, improves your coin flow, and gives you a cleaner progression path than chasing endless survival immediately.

Endless Mode is fun once you understand your character, but it keeps scaling until you lose. Time Mode asks for faster routing. Start with Stage Mode clears, then branch out after your shop upgrades and weapon planning feel stable.

2. Spend Early Coins on Permanent Strength

HoloCoins buy Character Gacha rolls and permanent shop upgrades, which means a weak run can still move the account forward. Early on, put coins toward permanent stat upgrades that make every attempt less fragile and expand your options.

New characters are tempting, but do not ignore basic upgrades. A familiar starter with better stats often clears more reliably than a fresh character with no support behind them.

3. Pick a Character and Learn Their Shape

Every character has a starting weapon and unique kit. A character whose attacks cover the front plays differently from one with wide area control, summons, or delayed hits. Give one character several runs before deciding they are weak.

Watch what your starter weapon naturally solves. If it already handles close enemies, add range or boss damage. If it fires forward, build coverage around your sides and back. The goal is not to copy a perfect build early; it is to cover the gaps your character actually has.

4. Level Weapons With a Collab in Mind

Weapons can be upgraded through level-up choices, anvils, and boxes, and basic weapons can reach level 7. Two compatible max-level basic weapons can combine through a Golden Anvil into a Collab. That matters because Collabs are major power spikes and free a weapon slot after the combination.

Do not spread levels across every shiny option. Choose a few weapons that fit your run, push them toward max level, and keep enough flexibility to pair them. Starting weapons are different: they can Awaken at max level, but they are not part of Collab recipes.

5. Use Movement as Defense Before Damage Saves You

Beginner deaths often happen because the player cuts off their own escape route. Keep moving toward open space, circle dense groups instead of backing straight into them, and avoid grabbing every pickup the moment it appears if doing so traps you.

Food, drops, coins, and EXP are valuable, but staying alive is worth more than a risky pickup. Let the wave stretch, move through safer gaps, then collect when the path opens.

6. Choose Level-Up Rewards for the Next Minute

The best long-term weapon is not always the best current pick. If the screen is filling, a defensive item, coverage weapon, or immediate upgrade may save the run. If you are stable, then it is safer to aim for a planned Collab or a scaling item.

Ask what will fail first: damage, area control, speed, sustain, or boss pressure. Your level-up choice should patch that weakness before it becomes a death spiral.

7. Respect Anvils as Timing Tools

Anvils can upgrade or improve weapons without waiting for the next level-up roll. That makes them especially useful when a weapon is close to level 7 or when a Collab plan is nearly ready.

Do not click through an anvil automatically. Check whether upgrading a key weapon now creates a stronger run than slightly improving a side option. When a Golden Anvil appears, make sure the two weapons you combine are the pair you actually want.

8. Let Holo House Wait Until Runs Are Stable

Holo House and its side activities add variety and extra ways to interact with the game. They are worth exploring, but they can distract from the main loop if you are still struggling to clear early stages.

Use the first stretch to understand combat, coins, stage clears, weapon slots, and shop upgrades. Once your runs regularly reach bosses, side content becomes a reward instead of an escape from fundamentals.

9. Check Patch Context Before Following Old Builds

HoloCure 0.7 added characters, stages, weapons, collabs, stamps, shop items, Holo House areas, and other systems. Later official posts changed leaderboard and Time Mode behavior, and update 0.8 is planned to adjust main-game systems further.

Old build advice can still teach principles, but be careful with exact rankings, stamp routes, achievement instructions, and character-specific claims. Use them as ideas, then trust what the current client shows.

Early Upgrade Priorities

Your first shop purchases should make runs easier to complete, not just bigger when everything is already going well. Permanent stat upgrades build a stronger baseline while you learn the game’s movement, weapon, and stage rhythms.

Character Gacha opens more play styles and favorites, but do it alongside upgrades. If you spend everything on rolls, you may have more characters without the baseline stats to support them. If you spend everything on stats, you may get bored before finding a kit you enjoy. Split the difference until you know your favorite route.

Use the Armory as a memory aid. When you unlock a new weapon or item, check what it does and think about which characters benefit from it. HoloCure rewards build familiarity more than blind collection.

Stage and Mode Priorities

Stage Mode should be your default when learning because each clear has a concrete finish line. The 20-minute boss gives your run a test: did you build enough damage, coverage, movement, and sustain to finish?

Endless Mode is better when you want to push a strong build until it breaks. It is also useful for testing late scaling, but it can hide weak early habits because the goal is simply to last as long as possible.

Time Mode is a different skill check. Since it focuses on defeating a target count quickly with standardized upgrades, it values routing, kill speed, and familiarity. Save it for when you understand how weapons cover space and how enemies flow toward you.

Higher stages can reward more coins, but they also expect more upgrades. If a new stage feels impossible, step back, clear earlier stages cleanly, and buy permanent help before forcing it.

Build Habits That Scale

Think in roles. A good run usually wants close-range safety, wide-area clearing, focused boss damage, movement control, and enough sustain or defense to survive mistakes. You do not need one item for every role, but you should know which role each pick is serving.

Avoid taking too many unrelated weapons just because they are new. A smaller set pushed toward high levels often outperforms a scattered inventory. Collabs make this even more important because they reward commitment to specific max-level pairs.

Starter weapons deserve attention too. Awakening a starter can change how a character handles pressure, and because starters are character-specific, they often define the run’s identity. If your starter becomes strong enough to solve one side of the screen, your other picks can cover the rest.

Finally, keep adapting. If the game offers a useful defensive item during a messy run, take it. If a planned Collab is not appearing and the wave is getting dangerous, stabilize first. A clear with an imperfect build is better than a perfect plan that ends on minute twelve.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Do not chase every EXP drop through a crowd - Wait for safer gaps instead of turning a small reward into a failed run.

2. Do not spread upgrades across too many weapons - Collabs and max-level weapons need commitment, so scattered levels delay your power spikes.

3. Do not spend all early coins on character rolls - New characters are fun, but permanent upgrades make every character easier to use.

4. Do not ignore your starter weapon - Awakening a starter can be a major part of a character’s strength.

5. Do not combine weapons blindly at a Golden Anvil - Make sure the Collab fits the build you are actually playing.

6. Do not jump into harder stages just because they unlocked - Buy upgrades and clear earlier stages consistently before forcing progression.

7. Do not treat Endless Mode habits as Stage Mode habits - Stage clears need boss readiness, not only long-term survival.

8. Do not follow old rankings without checking your current client - Active updates can change stamps, achievements, balance, and build priorities.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
First goal	Clear Stage Mode before grinding Endless
Coins	Split spending between upgrades and characters
Characters	Learn one kit for several runs
Weapons	Push planned basic weapons toward level 7
Collabs	Use Golden Anvils for intentional power spikes
Movement	Stay near open paths and collect safely
Modes	Treat Time Mode as a later routing challenge
Updates	Recheck exact builds after major patches