Serious Sam 3: BFE: Complete Guide

How to survive Croteam's 2011 prequel on higher difficulties: the full arsenal and when to use each gun, enemy priorities, melee finishers, secrets and achievements, co-op and survival modes, and where BFE fits alongside the newer Serious Sam games.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the standalone Steam build (the game is also playable through Serious Sam Fusion 2017). The newest franchise release is Serious Sam: Shatterverse (August 31, 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

Keep moving backward. Serious Sam is about circle-strafing and backpedaling while firing. Standing still is how you die.
Health and armor don't regenerate. Collect pickups scattered through levels, and remember where they are for big fights.
You carry every weapon at once. Switch constantly to fit the enemy in front of you.
Sprint as much as you want, but you can't shoot while sprinting. Use it to reposition, then stop and fight.
Iron sights work on the pistol and assault rifle for accuracy at range.
Melee finishers save ammo. Get close to certain weakened enemies and trigger a hand kill (ripping out a Gnaar's eye, tearing off a Kleer's head, and so on).
The Sledgehammer is your melee weapon, replacing the knife and chainsaw, with three attack modes.
Secrets matter. Two weapons, the Lasergun and Sniper Rifle, are secret-only pickups in the campaign, plus loads of health, armor and ammo.

The Arsenal

BFE has 13 weapons. Five of them need manual reloading.

Weapon	Best use
Sledgehammer	Melee, three attack modes. Great vs. small fry and for ammo saving; spin attack hits a circle of enemies
Pistol	Accurate starter with iron sights. Infinite ammo
Pump-action Shotgun	Close range; early workhorse
Double-barrel Shotgun	Huge close-range damage. The go-to against Kleers and Werebulls up close
Assault Rifle	Accurate mid-range fire with iron sights
Minigun	Holds back hordes. Spin up and hose
Rocket Launcher	Splash damage against groups and big targets
Devastator	Heavy explosive-piercing shots; can go through several enemies
Lasergun	Secret-only. Fast, high-damage bolts
Sniper Rifle	Secret-only. Long-range precision, great vs. snipers and far-off threats
Cannon	Flaming cannonballs that plow through lines of enemies. Charge for more power
C4	Remote explosives. Set traps in chokepoints
Serious Bomb	Screen-clearing panic button. Save it for emergencies

Weapon rules of thumb

Double-barrel Shotgun for anything that charges you (Werebulls, Kleers).
Minigun or Assault Rifle for long streams of mid-sized enemies.
Rocket Launcher/Cannon for big targets and packed groups.
Sniper Rifle for Beheaded Rocketeers and other long-range threats.
Devastator for lines of enemies; one round can pierce multiple (achievement "Skewer" for five).
C4 in corridors or near spawn points before a big wave.

Enemies and Priorities

Enemy	Threat	How to handle
Beheaded Kamikaze	Screams, runs at you, explodes	Shoot them early; kill them in groups for chain explosions
Beheaded Rocketeer	Fires rockets from range	Snipe or rifle them first
Kleer Skeleton	Fast, leaping, hits hard	Double shotgun; strafe sideways as they leap
Gnaar	Redesigned, larger, walks on all fours	Close-range shotgun or rip out its eye
Sirian Werebull	Charges in a straight line	Sidestep at the last moment, shoot the side
Khnum	Big, tanky, fires projectiles	Heavy weapons; decapitation achievement "Headsman"
Scrapjack	Heavy, rocket-firing	Rockets or cannon; rip its head off in melee when weakened
Arachnoid (Hatchling, Juvenile, Adult)	Spiders with ranged attacks	Hatchlings die to melee; bigger ones need heavy weapons
Biomechanoid (Minor/Major)	Walking laser/rocket platforms	Keep moving; rockets and cannon for Majors
Witch-Bride of Achriman	Lifts and throws you	Priority target; kill it before it grabs you
Cave Demon	Flying	Rifle or minigun; the "Clay Pigeons" achievement asks for five killed in the air
Soldiers	Human enemies with guns	Assault Rifle or pistol headshots

General priority: long-range threats (Rocketeers, Scrapjacks, Witch-Brides) first, then whatever is about to reach you (Kamikazes, Kleers), then the rest.

Movement and Survival

Circle-strafe around big enemies.
Backpedal while firing into a horde, but check your escape route first.
Sprint to break line of sight, then turn and fight at a range you like.
Use cover sparingly. There's no cover system; walls are for breaking rocket volleys, not camping.
Save pickups for later if you're full; remember where the health is when an arena starts.

Melee Finishers

Several enemies can be finished with a hand kill when you get close:

Rip out a Gnaar's eye ("Ophthalmologist" for 10).
Tear off Kleer heads ("Kleer Wrestler").
Rip out Rocketeer hearts ("Cardiac Surgeon").
Break Arachnoid necks ("Scorpion Slayer").
Break soldier necks ("Chiropractor").
Rip off a Scrapjack's head ("Load of Scrap").
Perform every finishing move for "Kung-fu Fighter".

Finishers save ammo and are fun, but don't go for them in a crowded fight.

Campaign Overview

BFE is a prequel to The First Encounter. Sam fights through a war-torn, 22nd-century Egypt during Mental's invasion, starting in the ruined streets of Cairo and heading into ancient temples, the desert and pyramids. The campaign has 12 levels. Key beats include rescuing Professor Stein ("Wanted Dead or Alive"), securing a helicopter ("Get the hell off my ride!"), solving the riddle of the Sphinx ("Problem solver"), and powering up the Time-Lock at the end ("Mission completed").

Difficulty levels

The game offers Tourist, Easy, Normal, Hard and Serious difficulties, with a harder Mental mode on top. "Are You Serious!?" requires beating the single-player campaign on unmodified Serious.

Secrets and Achievements

"Look, it's a secret" needs 50 secrets; "Top Secret" needs all of them.
Egyptian texts: decipher one for "Apprentice Egyptologist" and all for "Master Egyptologist".
"Classic Outfit": find Sam's classic outfit.
"Vista": find the Vista secret.
"Old School": beat the game in single player without manually reloading, aiming or sprinting.
"Serious Run": complete each level in half the estimated time.
"Wall of Bullets": kill 20 enemies with the Minigun without releasing the trigger.
"Chain Explosion": kill five Beheaded Kamikazes with one explosion.

Secrets are often behind breakable walls, on rooftops, or reached by climbing. Explore every corner of big arenas before clearing the last wave.

Multiplayer and Other Modes

Mode	What it is
Standard Co-op	Campaign with up to 16 players
Classic Co-op	Old-school co-op rules
Coin-Op Co-op	Shared lives, arcade style
Beast Hunt / Team Beast Hunt	Score points by killing enemies
Survival	Wave-based arenas; earn medals (achievements for any medal and gold)
Team Survival	Two teams fight enemies and each other
Versus	Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Last Man Standing, Last Team Standing, Instant Kill, My Burden

DLC and Versions

Jewel of the Nile (October 16, 2012): a new single-player campaign plus multiplayer modes.
Legend of the Beast: another campaign expansion (both expansions are bundled in the Switch Serious Sam Collection).
Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE (November 9, 2017): a VR version.
Serious Sam Fusion 2017: the hub that also runs BFE content with modern features.
Consoles: PS4, Switch and Xbox One versions arrived November 17, 2020.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Standing still to aim. Keep strafing.
Using the Serious Bomb too early. It's for real emergencies.
Ignoring Kamikazes. Their screams mean trouble; shoot them before they reach you.
Wasting heavy ammo on small enemies. Use the Sledgehammer or Pistol.
Skipping secrets. You'll miss two whole weapons.
Clearing a wave without finding health first. Know where pickups are.

Advanced Tips

Sprint and turn to buy distance from a pack, then face them with the right weapon.
Use the Cannon on Werebull lines. Cannonballs plow through multiple enemies.
Plant C4 at arena entrances before triggering a wave.
Use the Devastator for Khnums and Scrapjacks at medium range.
In co-op, split roles: one player with heavy weapons, another handling small fry.
Sledgehammer spin attack is excellent when you're surrounded ("Circle of death" asks for 3 kills in one spin).
Iron sights slow you down. Only aim down sights on the pistol or assault rifle when nothing is closing on you.
Watch for chain kills: Kamikazes near other enemies make great explosive bait.

FAQ

Is BFE a sequel or prequel? A prequel to Serious Sam: The First Encounter.

Do I need Serious Sam Fusion to play BFE? No. The standalone BFE is on Steam. Fusion 2017 can run BFE content if you own it.

How many players can play co-op? Up to 16 players online.

How do I get the Lasergun and Sniper Rifle? They're secret-only weapons in the campaign. Explore thoroughly.

What's the newest Serious Sam game? Serious Sam: Shatterverse, a roguelite co-op shooter developed by Behaviour Interactive with Croteam and Devolver Digital, released August 31, 2026.

Is BFE worth playing before Serious Sam 4? Yes. It's a good introduction to modern Serious Sam and ties into the series' story.