Tips / FAQ for new players

Thanks for the guide! The game is downloading right now so this was very helpful :)

Just wanted to throw in a 2 cents after congratulating you on an awesome thread for newbies! Congrats!

on H/C dying really sucks... so one way to increase your odds is simply fighting Hillock (I think that's his name) again and again. Chances are you may find an upgrade, but more than likely just exp and scrolls which are nice to get at low levels. I haven't played through the first difficulty setting, but I am thinking this will also apply in later difficulties.

Was actually looking forward to running Brutus a few times, but it would require a deal of walking and whatnot. If you're on default it doesn't really matter but in hc I think every little edge can help.

give us it
DanAbnormal

*edit* ok, so they nerfed the cheesing-of-hillock a bit, but one could still roll through with temporary characters and drop anything of value, including the scrolls of wisdom they start out with, in the shared stash. no exp gains doing this, but skill gems and stuff that will make your early gaming experience easier.

Thanks for posting this stuff. I just got into the beta today and these tips were really helpful to start out with! Going to read the in depth FAQ now. :)

You should post other interesting little tidbits on the first page, like, the other hotkeys, general gameplay tips etc. Letting people know right off the bat that they can level skills by simply equipping them, not having to use them, can save a lot of time. Recommending people to not use their scrolls, orbs and other currency items too freely can save people grief later.

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Ahhdam wrote:

You should post other interesting little tidbits on the first page, like, the other hotkeys, general gameplay tips etc. Letting people know right off the bat that they can level skills by simply equipping them, not having to use them, can save a lot of time. Recommending people to not use their scrolls, orbs and other currency items too freely can save people grief later.

Good ideas, but which hotkeys did I miss?

Pulling up the different menus, like "U" for Quest Log etc. Also, letting people know what the default keys are for your skills. I find in threads about Tips/FAQs just general advice that seems common sense to some can be immensely useful to others. Here's some examples:
"Don't be afraid to use your potions frequently and keep your hp and mana levels topped off. Your flasks are only replenishing their charges when they aren't already full, so make the most of every monster kill by utilizing the refill on kill feature."
"Items with better stats might seem like the most obvious choice for gearing with, but, in the early stages of the game holding onto gear with the proper slots to level your skill gems will help you much more in the long run. Gear gets replaced, skill gems stay with you for the whole game. Level them as much as you can."
"Spend the time looking at the passive skill web, it can appear daunting, but having an idea of where your character is going to navigate and invest their skill points at future levels will help you in not ending up in a spot with no desirable node to invest in."
"If your just starting out and are unsure how you wish to play your character, avoid the skills that only improve specific disciplines, namely, things that improve one handed weapon damage if you feel you might end up liking to swing a 2hander instead."

Also, a lot of people have already asked some pretty valid questions. Might be worth updating the first post so they don't get asked again. Things like, letting people know that equipping more skill gems doesn't slow down the rate at which they level, like, exp isn't split etc.

Those are all good advice and I've added them under the heading "general gameplay tips".

I am trying to keep the information in the first post as concise as possible, with only the bare essentials for people just installing the game for the first time. Things such as the finer points of skill gem experience gain are covered in the mechanics thread for those that want to know.

Hehe, nice to see it updated as per my suggestions.

Thank you for this guide.

Thnks for this guide, it was really helpful