Dave the Diver does have something of a learning curve, too; diving too deep can see players run out of oxygen and die, losing all but one of the items they’ve salvaged in the Blue Hole. With this in mind, these beginner tips should help beginners adjust to the game in no time at all.
10 Upgrade Dave’s Diving Suit And Weapons
Players can use the gold earned from profits at the Bancho Sushi restaurant to purchase various upgrades to their diving suit and weapons. Doing so is a crucial part of making progress in Dave the Diver - not only does it allow players to dive for longer and deeper, but it also enables them to defend themselves more effectively against the Blue Hole’s more sinister inhabitants.
Being able to spend more time diving in the Blue Hole also makes it more likely for players to find treasure chests and rarer, more valuable types of fish to sell at Bancho Sushi. So, beginners to the game should absolutely prioritise upgrading their in-game gear ASAP.
9 If Players Die, They Should Choose The Item They Keep Wisely
When players die in Dave the Diver, they’ll only be able to keep one of the possibly many items they’ve found or obtained while diving for that day in the Blue Hole.
Because of this, choosing the right item to keep after dying is absolutely crucial. Players should consider whether they’d benefit from keeping a particular fish that is part of a best-selling dish on their menu at Bancho Sushi, or if it would be more worthwhile to keep some treasure that they’ve found. Carefully think about which item to keep after dying before committing to it.
8 Use Dave’s Phone To Maximize Productivity
Dave’s mobile phone in Dave the Diver is full of handy apps and features to help players maximize their success in the game. Players can contact Dave’s friends, who can give him tips and pointers for whichever tasks or objectives he needs to complete on a given day.
Additionally, the Emails and To-Do List apps are handy for gathering information about the various fish available in the tropical Blue Hole. As players progress through the game, they’ll unlock the iDiver app, which Dave can use to upgrade his gear - crucial for getting as much out of the game as possible.
7 Learn To Pour The Perfect Cup Of Green Tea
Green tea is an absolute cash cow in Dave the Diver, as long as players are able to learn how to use it effectively. The amount of gold Dave earns for a cup of green tea is actually based on how well it’s been poured - cups that are too full or not full enough are worth far less than a perfectly poured cup.
Pouring green tea doesn’t take much time, either, so it’s a great way to maximize the amount of gold earned for a night of service at Bancho Sushi. Practicing pouring green tea until players can do it perfectly is well worth the effort.
6 Make The Menu As Diverse As Possible
Learning how to properly fill out the menu for a night of service at Bancho Sushi is crucial for making as much gold as possible at the restaurant. A more varied menu with a wider variety of dishes and rarer kinds of fish will net Dave a far greater profit than a meager selection of a few types of fish.
As such, players should carefully build each night’s menu around the widest array of dishes possible, placing particular emphasis on rarer, heavier fishes. Players who do this should be raking in the gold in no time!
5 Don’t Dive Too Deep In The Early Game
When players are just starting out in Dave the Diver, they’ll be fairly limited in terms of the weapons and gear that they can use to defend themselves. The deeper players dive in the Blue Hole, the deadlier the creatures they’ll come across are.
As such, players in the early stages of the game should be careful not to dive deeper than they’re ready for. Ideally, players should wait until they’ve completed a number of assignments and unlocked some better gear before attempting to dive the darker, deeper reaches of the Blue Hole.
4 Watch Oxygen Levels Closely When Diving
As is probably to be expected, players only have access to a finite amount of oxygen when diving in the Blue Hole. Run out of this, and Dave will, well, die. While this isn’t a game-ending scenario, players will lose most of the progress and items they’ve acquired for that given day of diving.
So, players should make sure to closely watch their oxygen levels while diving the Blue Hole. Taking too many risks isn’t advised, either - it’s almost always better to return to the shimmering surface too early rather than too late.
3 Find Out What The Best Sellers At The Restaurant Are
Arguably one of the things that makes Dave the Diver so rewarding is that the game doesn’t do a lot of hand-holding. One example of this is the top sellers at Bancho Sushi - after each night of service, a stats screen will show up which highlights which item on the menu Dave sold the most of.
However, the game doesn’t tell players where to find more of these items or whether or not they’ll consistently be a top seller. As such, players should keep track of their best-selling menu items, as well as good sources of the ingredients used in each top-selling dish.
2 Choose Staff At The Sushi Shop Wisely
One thing players will learn while running Bancho Sushi is that the different staff members that Dave can roster on have different strengths and weaknesses. Put together a strong enough team, and Dave can more or less sit each service out, other than performing essential duties like pouring green tea for customers.
Of course, players who especially enjoy the Bancho Sushi minigame can take a more active role in each service. Building out the ideal team for the dishes that players are planning on serving, though, is a crucial part of earning the most gold possible.
1 Keep An Eye Out For Treasure When Diving
Fish aren’t the only thing to be found in the Blue Hole; in fact, there are actually a number of treasure chests that Dave can come across which are filled with different goods and items.
Some of these treasure chests are quite hidden, though, so players may need to keep an eye out and even do some exploring in order to find them all. However, it’s definitely worth the effort, as some of these chests contain some pretty incredible treasure. Players struggling to find treasure chests should look out for their yellow lids.
Dave the Diver is available now for Windows via Steam Early Access.
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