The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu Beginner’s Guide#

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu is a 1–4 player co-op first-person extraction horror shooter: set out from the sailing ship Tempestad, push into a cursed jungle to loot treasure, and bring the spoils back to the ship alive. No skill trees, no gear rarity — all growth comes from what you carry out. Get that idea settled first and the early game gets much smoother.

Your First Expedition: A Six-Step Starter Route#

Step	What to do	Key points
1. Board the ship	Enter the sailing ship Tempestad	The ship is your hub for regrouping, payouts, and gear swaps — everything starts here
2. Sign a contract	Sign a Contract with the Captain	Start with a mid-level contract; completing one unlocks the A Dire Commission achievement
3. Assign gear	Draw and hand out starting equipment and weapons	A hatchet paired with a musket is a dependable baseline combo
4. Test voice	Confirm your mic and proximity voice work	No minimap, no radar — every position call is spoken. Broken voice means playing blindfolded
5. Head out and loot	Pick a stretch of jungle and move in	Work the loot points near the outer edge first; don’t rush the deep areas
6. Extract on time	Carry treasure and expedition records back to the ship	One expedition runs about 20 minutes, and it only counts once you’re back aboard

Step 4 deserves its own spotlight: spatialized / proximity voice chat isn’t just a handy chat channel — it is the game’s only navigation and callout tool. Spending a minute before departure to confirm your voice works beats any extra supplies you could haul.

Three Principles for Splitting Gear#

Melee first: Axes and poleaxes carry the routine fights, and musket ammo is limited — when dividing gear, make sure every player has a melee weapon in hand before anything else.
Hand muskets out by formation: A squad doesn’t need one musket per player; the slow reload makes it a better fit for whoever holds the back positions.
Pack consumables for the worst case: Run-ins tend to happen on the heavily loaded walk home — bring more healing supplies and lures than feels necessary, because running dry on the return leg is how runs die.

For the full equipment loop (sign a contract → assign gear → upgrade at payout), see Items & Equipment.

What to Call Out on Voice: Beginner Cheat Sheet#

Moment	Three things to cover	Example phrasing
Enemy spotted	Target, direction, distance	“Contact, two o’clock, close range”
Before and after firing	Whether you’re shooting, how much attention it draws	“Taking the shot, moving right after”
Something looks off	Describe only what you see, no conclusions	“I’ve got something over here — anyone else see it?”
Getting ready to extract	Rally point, time left	“Fully loaded, heading back, rally at the wagon”
Teammate down	Location, nearby threats	“Someone’s down, I’m going for the revive — watch both sides”

None of these lines are an in-game feature; they’re a general callout framework for teams playing without a minimap. There’s no marker system to do the talking for you, so every scrap of positional information travels by voice.

Five Mechanics Every Beginner Must Know#

Sound gives away your position: Running, gunfire, and even worn armor attract enemies. Default to walking while you’re new, and save shots for high-value targets.
Friendly fire is always on: There is no toggle. Crossing a teammate’s firing line or swinging an axe inside a brawl is a real risk — treat it as one.
Madness is per player: The hallucinations you see are invisible to your teammates, and vice versa. The “who’s lying?” distrust is part of the design, not your friends sabotaging you.
Downed teammates can corrupt: A fallen teammate may corrupt and return as an enemy. Be decisive with revives, but never bet the whole squad on one rescue.
Failure has a price: A failed expedition may not preserve items you didn’t successfully bring back (the guide site 9puz’s take — weigh it cautiously), so extracting on time always beats fishing for one more item.

Solo or Squad?#

Solo play is supported: You can head out with an AI companion (official description); details of companion behavior aren’t documented, so trust what you see in-game.
Up to 4 players in online co-op, full cross-play across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
The game leans hard on voice communication and is at its best with a regular squad; playing alone, be ready to run with no callouts.
Verified: the game is not in the Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass catalogs, so buying it separately is the only way in (standard edition US$29.99 / deluxe edition US$39.99, noted as of 2026-07).

Beginner FAQ#

Question	Answer
How long does one run take?	About 20 minutes per expedition — a good fit for short sessions
Is there a minimap?	No, and no top-down radar either. Use spatial voice callouts and your memory of the terrain
Is it an RPG? Any skill trees?	Neither. Power comes from 7 playable characters, contract weapon upgrades, and team play (see Skill System)
How do you get gear?	Sign contracts to change gear and upgrade at payout — it doesn’t drop from kills (see Items & Equipment)
Can you hit teammates?	Yes. Friendly fire is always on
Is there official Chinese?	No official Chinese name has been announced; check the Steam store page for supported interface languages
Can I play with friends on other platforms?	Yes. Full cross-play
Is there a squad size cap?	Up to 4 players online co-op; solo players can bring an AI companion
Is it on Game Pass?	No. Verified absent from both Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass
Can difficulty be tuned?	Difficulty scales through contract tiers (mid-level / advanced / legendary); exact numbers per tier haven’t been published
Which achievement should I chase first?	A Dire Commission (complete one mid-level contract) and Pulled from the Brink (revive teammates 10 times) — both fall out of normal play

The Most Common Beginner Mistakes#

Mistake	Consequence	The right move
Sprinting across the map to save time	Noise drags whole packs onto you	Walk for the most part, and slow down further the deeper you go
Clearing trash mobs with the musket	Long reloads leave you surrounded once dry	Melee as your default; keep the musket for priority targets
Pushing extraction back for “one more item”	Everything in your pack can be forfeited	Set a hard line: fully loaded means leaving now
Fighting hallucinations head-on	Ammo spent on enemies that were never there	Cross-check with teammates before you open fire
Going deep alone	No one to verify visions or pick you up	Operate in pairs at minimum
Ignoring outpost logs	Missed permanent starting points	Recover the ship logs at Abandoned Forts first
Firing with teammates behind you	Friendly fire is always on	Confirm where teammates are before moving and shooting

Reasonable Goals for the Early Game#

Stage 1: Complete one mid-level contract (A Dire Commission) and get comfortable with the full loop of signing, looting, and extracting.
Stage 2: Master sound discipline and extraction rules until “fully loaded means leave, in too deep means pull out” becomes reflex.
Stage 3: Start banking collection goals — ship logs and Creature Codex pages — to open up deeper runs.

Don’t set your pace by someone else’s progress anxiety: the achievements and goals here are built for the long game, and the 20-minute run loop will pull you toward the depths on its own.