Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, and overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, Town of Salem: The Coven is finally ready to expand to an even wider audience. The game has just been released on Android and iOS, and it is already making waves. For those who have not heard of it before, it is a multiplayer strategy game where 15 players are randomly assigned roles. Majority of the roles would be ordinary townspeople with different jobs, while the rest would be divided among the Mafia, Neutral faction, and Coven. The game starts off with most of the players not knowing the roles of the others. All the players will then have to outwit each other in order to push for their individual goals. The game requires complex tactics in order to succeed, so make sure you check out our Town of Salem: The Coven beginner’s guide for tips, cheats and strategies before entering a match!
1. Write On Your Will
On the right side of the chat box is a brown paper icon that you can tap and write on. This is your Will. If you die, it will be displayed for the whole town to see. Most new players do not take time to write on their Will. As a result, they end up taking any information they learn to the grave. Important things to note on your Will are your daily activities. Most characters have a skill that they can use on specific targets. Take note of who you used your skill on each night. This will be the only clue you will be able to leave your teammates in the event of your death.
A lot of players will also ask for your will, in case they suspect that you may be one of the enemies. Having a will that confirms your daily activities will often help clear your name. If you are a member of the Mafia, or any other evil role, taking time to write a fake Will that is consistent with the role you claimed will help maintain your cover.
2. Keep Track Of People’s Stories
Players have limited time to discuss each day, so there may be a lot of talking before the day ends. Make sure you pay attention to what is said and who said it. If you have a pen and paper on hand, that would be useful. Otherwise, you can use the paper with a feather pen icon on the right side of the Will icon. Things you should always note is the roles each player claims. This will make it easy to catch them in case they were lying. You should also take note of pertinent information that has been revealed, and who revealed them. For example, if someone who claims to be a Sherriff says Player 1 is part of the Mafia, you should take note of it in case the town decides to put off lynching him.
It is also important that you read the Will of players who die. When players die, their roles are usually revealed. This will help validate whatever is written on their Will, and who could have possibly killed them. For example, if an Escort tries to role block a Serial Killer, she will automatically be killed. If you read the Escort’s Will, and she left the name of the last person she visited, you will be able to figure out who the Serial Killer is. Even if the Will has been dismissed from the screen, you can go to the second tab with the tombstone icon to check out the names of the people that have been killed. Tap on the name of a player then hit the Last Will button to view their Will again.
3. Know The Different Roles
There are over 40 different roles available in Town of Salem: The Coven, each with their own sets of skills. The roles are divided into different factions, namely the Town, Mafia, Neutral, and Coven. Only the Mafia players will know who the other Mafia members are. Townies normally have the majority in every game. You can see the list of roles in the Roles tab on the top left side of the screen. This will help you keep track of how many members of each faction are left.
Each role has its own strategy when it comes to playing the game. It is also important to know what the other roles are in order for you to determine their importance. For example, if you are a Bodyguard, and you know who the Mayor is, you would want to protect him at all costs since he has the power to outvote the enemy factions. Knowing other roles will also allow you to play effectively against them. If you are an Escort and you know who the Mafioso is, you can role block him at night to keep him from killing. To know more about each of the roles, you can go to the Settings menu, tap on the Help tab, then tap on the View Roles button. This will take you to the Blank Media Games website where all the roles are listed in detail.
4. Have An Open Mind
Another problem most players have is they tend to box themselves into roles. When two or more players claim the same role, the others automatically assume that someone is lying. A lot of players end up getting wrongfully lynched this way. Keep in mind that there can be multiple instances of the same role, especially if you see Random Town listed in the Roles tab. Some games even have three Sheriffs. Instead of lynching the other two, because you assumed they are lying, you could have three investigators confirm the identities of multiple players. Making it easier to know who the real culprits are. The same is true if you are a member of the Mafia, or any other faction. Don’t assume that there are no more armed townies just because you’ve killed off one or two. Vigilantes, Veterans, and Jailors don’t normally reveal themselves until they are sure who to kill.
5. Never Quit
Regardless of the role you are assigned, you should never quit a game. Players who disconnect from the game will no longer be eligible for a win. Even if you feel like your faction is doomed, there might still be a chance, especially if you are a member of the Town. One of the Town roles is the Medium. The Medium can speak with the dead, which means you will be able to help with the discussion if you talk to him at night. Even if the Medium dies, he can still use a séance skill on one of the living townies. If you are a member of the Mafia, you still have a chance to win as long as one member is alive. In a worst case scenario where you have no chances of winning, you should at least get the game count credited to you, especially if you are still within your first 50 games.
6. How To Win As A Town Member
Townies normally outnumber all other factions in Town of Salem: The Coven. As they say, there is strength in numbers. This is why one of the last things you should do is to randomly lynch people. Every time a town member dies, you lose a vote. The daily lynching is one of the few ways the town can fight back since most members do not have the ability to kill. Feel free to use the whisper function to corroborate people’s stories in order to confirm their identities. Once you have confirmed key members of town, work with them in order to weed out the enemies instead of quietly doing your own thing. Keep in mind that time is not on your side. Every day that you adjourn without identifying an enemy will give the other factions a chance to reduce your numbers. Talk a lot and coordinate your efforts before you are all killed off.
Support Townies are able to protect, heal, or revive fellow members of the town. If you are assigned this role, do not reveal yourself except to the people whose identities you have confirmed. Your skills will make you a prime target for the killers, so keep things under wraps unless it is absolutely necessary. For example, if a confirmed Mafia visits someone you healed, then you are free to whisper to that person to coordinate future strategies.
Offensive Townies are those who are able to kill others, but keep in mind that these usually come with a penalty. For example, a Jailor who kills a Townie will no longer be able to execute anyone else but will be able to continue jailing people at night. If you are assigned the Vigilante role, make sure you save your bullets until you are absolutely sure because your character will kill himself from guilt if he shoots an innocent. That means the town can potentially lose two voting members with one mistake.
7. Winning With The Mafia
The Mafia is usually the second largest group in any game. You would also know who the fellow Mafia members are since their roles will be revealed to you. This faction only has two roles that are capable of killing: the Godfather and the Mafioso. Even if both are present, only the Mafioso will kill. The only time the Godfather gets his hands dirty is when the Mafioso is unable to carry out the kill order. That means the Mafia can only take out one person every night.
The primary tactic of the Mafia is to simply confuse the town into indecision. Every day that the town fails to lynch someone is a success for the Mafia. Keep killing off the Townies until you can outvote them. When pretending to be Townies, try not to agree with each other all the time as it will cast suspicion on you. On top of that, if one of you is accidentally revealed, the town will have an idea on who the rest of the Mafia members are.
Just as with the Townies, the Mafia need to be organized and coordinated. A common mistake Godfathers make is not talking to the rest of his team and just randomly choosing a target. Not all Mafia members need to use their skills every night. For example, there is no point in randomly framing people. Your Framer just might end up getting caught by the Lookout or getting killed by a Veteran. Wait until a Townie comes up as a prime candidate for framing. Think about whether or not each skill will actually help the lies the Mafia is building. If not, it is best to stay safe until a better opportunity comes along.
8. Neutral Players Can Win Too
A lot of players hate being assigned a Neutral role. That’s because they are always on their own, making it extremely difficult to win a voting game. Keep in mind, however, that Neutral roles have unique abilities as well. The best way to win is to maintain a good cover. Some Neutral players like to work with the Mafia. For example, if you are a Jester who is trying to get lynched, you can strike a deal with the Mafia that you will vote in their favor if they promise to lynch you before ending the game.
Serial Killers are also notorious for having a low win rate because they are solo killers who can’t really work with anyone. It is true, since the Mafia cannot win while you are alive. At best, you can work with fellow Neutrals, but even then, you will most likely be outnumbered. The best thing to do is to keep pretending to be a Townie then target both the Mafia and the Town members. If you reduce their numbers enough, they will not have the votes to lynch you. You can then take your sweet time killing them since Serial Killers cannot be killed at night.
9. Secure A Victory For The Coven
The Coven expansion is only available to those who purchase it. If you bought the Coven pack, then you have access to unique roles that play a little differently from conventional ones. The good news is, you just need to play the same way the Mafia does. The goal of every Coven member is to simply kill all others. Pretend to be Townies until you can outvote those who are not members of the Coven. Keep in mind that the Necronomicon buffs up your skills if you have it. Make sure you use it to your advantage. Finally, several members have the ability to reveal the role of other players. Use this wisely and target key roles that would cripple the town’s ability to fight back.
10. Try The Different Game Modes
When you start out, you will only have access to the Classic and Ranked Practice games. New players should start out with Classic games since it has the least number of roles, and players will know all the roles that are included in each game. Playing Classic will allow you to master the basic mechanics of the game. Keep playing it until you are confident in your strategies.
The Ranked Practice games have more roles included. You will also often encounter more advanced players in these games. It is a good idea to play a lot of Ranked Practice games since they will not affect your rank. They play exactly the same way as the full Ranked games, only they won’t impact your standing.
The game requires you to play at least 50 matches before you can play Ranked. Out of those 50 games, at least ten have to be Ranked Practice games. Once you are eligible to play Ranked games, make sure you play them often. The best players are in Ranked matches, so you will get to see how veteran players work together in order to execute their goals.
Other game modes include Custom and Chaos games. These play the same way with a few tweaks in terms of which roles are included in the games. They also do not have any impact on your rank, so if you are just looking for a fun way to pass time, you can try these out.
11. Don’t Forget Your Daily Brew
The Daily Brew is available every 24 hours. That means after you claim one, you will need to wait 24 hours regardless of the date. The Daily Brew normally rewards you with just a handful of Merit Points, the regular currency. When you manage to claim 7 consecutive brews, however, you will receive a bigger reward. Merit points can be spent in the shop to buy skins, houses, maps, pets, scrolls, and death animations.
12. Do You Need Scrolls?
Scrolls are the only things that are not cosmetic in the shop. That means all others are just fancy trimmings for your games. Each scroll is worth 200 Town Points, the premium currency, or 800 Merit Points. It is actually one of the cheapest things you can buy with MP. The question is, then, do you need it? That depends on your play style. Most players are fine with getting random roles. Some, however, want to be able to play the same roles as much as possible. If you are that type of person, then you should buy the scroll of the role you want to play. Keep in mind that scrolls only increases your chance of getting a specific role, it is still not guaranteed that you will get it.
There you have it! This ends our Town of Salem: The Coven beginner’s guide. Should you have any other tips or tricks for the game, be sure to drop us a line in the comments!