The Queen's Domain tips that actually pay off are about reading the game, not about pressing harder. Six habits cover most of the early game: stop face-tanking, circle the enemies that cannot track you, throw daggers while your meter refills, save at every Crystal Monument, swap weapons instead of upgrading one, and buy the Azure Torch the moment the shop opens.
Do not trade hits, trade the meter
The Power Meter decides your damage, so backing off and letting it refill is stronger than swinging into an enemy whose bar is flashing red. A hit at a full bar does full damage; a hit at an empty bar does almost nothing, which is why mashing attacks loses fights.
Enemies also differ sharply in how well they track. Rats and mosquitoes track so badly that you can simply circle them. Chickens and skeletons track much better but attack slowly, so they can be baited into swinging at empty air. The rusty sword's special attack is a spear backstep that works as a dodge in its own right. Throwing daggers give you free damage while the Power Meter refills, which makes them the cheapest way to keep pressure on. The exact loop is in the Power Meter guide.
Queen's Domain tips for saving and re-fighting
There is no autosave, so a death in a hard area costs you the entire run back to your last monument. Save whenever you pass one, and remember that resting at a monument heals you and clears debuffs but respawns every enemy in the area. Enemies also return on their own after a while, so a spot you have cleared is rarely cleared for good.
Because the game has no difficulty setting, this habit is the main way you control how hard the game feels. The difficulty guide explains why that matters more than it sounds.
Swap weapons instead of upgrading one
Each enemy type resists some damage types and is weak to others, and that is worth more than a weapon being two levels higher. Skeletons are weak to blunt impact damage and resist swords. Plant and bug enemies are weak to swords. Carry two weapons and swap instead of committing to one, and let each weapon level on its own in the background.
Food and accessories are permanent stat gains, so collect them as you go rather than saving them for the end. The damage type and speed rules behind all of this are in the weapons guide.
Buy the Azure Torch early
The Azure Torch burns enemies over time and is one of the strongest early damage dealers you can get — and it is also the item used to light the beacons on the Obmuer Temple tower, so it opens a door as well as winning fights. It sits at the temple door, next to a tablet that tells you to light three beacons by shooting the statues.
Search the corners of ruined rooms, the niches of crypts and the tops of stone towers for Ancient Coins and better weapons, since the shop only opens once you have beaten the first boss. The route to that point and everything after it is in the walkthrough.
Photo Mode finds the walls you cannot see
Hidden walls have no outline and the game does not highlight them, so the crosshair lighting up is the only reliable tell — and a wall marked by a skeleton pointing at it or by vines growing out of it will not be highlighted by any lens either. Photo Mode is the practical way to scan a room for them. The in-game Challenges menu tells you how many secret walls exist in total, so you always know when you have found them all.
The early ones, plus the Stone Cube and the skull collection, are in the secrets guide.