This Little Nightmares 3 beginner’s tips and tricks list will help you escape the eerie Carnivale, the gloomy Necropolis, and even the Candy Factory — which isn’t nearly as fun a place as it sounds. If you’re new to this game, chances are you’ll find yourself stuck on a difficult puzzle sooner or later, so it’s best to come prepared.
From escaping bosses to finding hidden exits, here are our best beginner’s tips to escape The Nowhere.
Understand each other’s abilities
Whether you play Little Nightmares 3 co-op or solo, remember that both characters’ abilities are needed to proceed through the adventure. Don’t just think of what you can do, but also what the other character can do. This is especially important in solo mode, as the CPU companion may not use their ability unless you ask them to.
Here’s how to use each character in Little Nightmares 3:
- Low uses a bow, which means he can hit creatures and things in high places, but without much power.
- Alone uses a wrench, which means she can break heavy objects and destroy obstacles, but she only has a small melee range.
Put your weapon away
With your weapon drawn, you can’t sprint, jump, or grab anything, making it harder, more time-consuming, or even impossible to proceed to the next room. So, unless you need your weapon, whether it’s Low’s bow or Alone’s wrench, it’s best to put it away.
To draw or remove your weapon, press F on a keyboard, B on an Xbox controller, Circle on a PlayStation controller, or A on a Nintendo controller.
Look for breakable walls
It’s perfectly normal to get stuck while playing Little Nightmares 3, but the solution is often simpler than you think. If you see no exits, scan your surroundings for breakable walls or hidden buttons and levers. Here’s a list of things you should check:
- If there’s a brick wall, do any bricks appear loose? If it’s solid stone, are there any porous sections? Try to pull them or hit them with the wrench.
- Do you see any wooden planks? If so, can you and your buddy pull them?
- Scan the room for small openings you might fit through. Perhaps near the ceiling? Don’t forget you can crawl through smaller gaps.
- Certain wall types are suitable for climbing. A ladder may be obvious, but a wine rack less so — if it looks even remotely climbable, give it a try!
Use a puzzle checklist
What if you find the exit, but you can’t reach it? Or you find a puzzle, but don’t know how to solve it? In Little Nightmares 3, there’s a limited set of actions you can take, including jumping, climbing, hitting, carrying, and pulling things, which translates into the following “what to do when you’re stuck on a puzzle” checklist:
- Check for any buttons, levers, and ropes. If there are any, chances are you’ll need to use them.
- Are there any objects you can move? You may need two players for the heavier ones.
- There may be no walls to break, but what about objects? It can’t hurt to smack them with the wrench or hit them with an arrow.
- Look for items. While most are useless, any relevant ones should visually stand out, such as light sources.
- If nothing else works, try the most straightforward possibilities once more. Perhaps you thought you couldn’t make a certain jump, but you actually can.
When stuck, call the AI
If you’re playing solo and you’re stuck in a room, use the “call” button to ask your CPU companion for help, even if you don’t know if and how they may help you.
Sometimes, the CPU companion will assist you without being asked, but this isn’t always the case, especially when the game wants you to discover things on your own, such as a well-hidden button that can be activated with an arrow. In this case, even if you don’t see the button, standing nearby and calling Low would prompt him to shoot at it. Problem solved!
To call a companion, press Q button on a keyboard, Triangle on a PlayStation controller, Y on an Xbox controller, and X on a Nintendo controller.
Ignore loose items
Although some items are part of the Little Nightmares 3 achievements, such as the collectible dolls, they usually don’t play a role in your progress, so there’s no need to pick them up. If an item is required to exit a room or solve a puzzle, it will stand out from the rubbish.
So, even though many areas are littered with shoes, balls, lollipops, and even limbs, you’re free to pick them up in pursuit of achievements, but you’re also free to ignore them — and don’t bother trying to use them as puzzle solutions.
Be patient around bosses
In Little Nightmares 3, you don’t usually fight bosses; you hide and flee from them. Whether a boss will catch you depends on your stealth skills. It’s best to look at the boss’ full movement pattern before you leave a hiding spot — especially if they use a search light. Take note of all the spots hit by this light — it may be more than one! If they walk into a room, wait until they’ve finished all their activities, or, with a bit of luck, until they’ve left the room.
Sometimes, proceeding from one hiding spot to the next changes a boss’ movement pattern, so don’t be too hasty. In co-op, it’s best to proceed one-by-one instead of running for the next safe spot together, as you may bump into each other. In solo, the CPU companion will wait automatically.
