Step into the shadowed world of Embervale, where a deadly shroud threatens all life, and only the Flameborn can push back the darkness. Before you embark on your perilous journey in Enshrouded, mastering the essentials-from crafting your first base to wielding the powerful Glider and Grappling Hook-is crucial. This beginner’s guide will equip you with the key tips and strategies to survive, explore, and thrive in this vast open-world survival RPG, ensuring your flame burns bright against the encroaching fog.
Our Enshrouded beginner’s guide will give you tips from our 50 (or so) hours with the game to help you get started exploring Embervale.
Enshrouded is a survival crafting game through and through
Enshrouded is a survival crafting game through and through, blending traditional survival mechanics with deep crafting and building systems. Players must gather resources, craft gear, and construct bases to withstand the dangers of the Shroud, a toxic fog that threatens the world of Embervale. The game shines with its intuitive voxel-based building system, allowing for highly customizable and intricate structures that serve as safe havens and crafting hubs. Survival involves managing exploration time within the Shroud, upgrading your Flame Altar to extend this time, and rescuing NPC survivors who unlock advanced crafting options and quests. Combat is dynamic and skill-based, requiring quick reflexes and strategic use of weapons and abilities. Overall, Enshrouded offers a rich survival experience anchored by crafting and base-building, encouraging players to explore, build, and fight to reclaim their world.
If you’re familiar with the genre, you already know nearly all of the beats to Enshrouded. That’s not meant to be disparaging – it’s not the old derivative vs. homage distinction. Enshrouded just hews to the genre in ways that make it familiar.
You pick up materials to make workbenches to make new items to make new workbenches to make better items, lather, rinse, and repeat. Enshrouded has its own takes on the genre and mixes in some elements from other genres as well, but the basics are there. Basics like.
Pick up one of everything to unlock new recipes
To unlock new recipes in Enshrouded, make sure to pick up one of every item you come across during your exploration. Gathering new resources and key items automatically unlocks crafting recipes, provided you have met the necessary prerequisites such as researching related materials or unlocking certain craftspeople. This approach encourages thorough exploration and resource collection, rewarding you with a wider range of crafting options and materials essential for progression in the game.
You’ll start your journey as the (a?) Flameborn with a few recipes for things like torches and a simple axe. The first way you’ll unlock new recipes is to just find new resources. Pick up (at least) one of everything you find – the first time you place these new items in your inventory, you’ll unlock new recipes.
The other way you learn new recipes (and progress the game) is by finding other survivors.
Progression in Enshrouded is tied to survivors and their quests
Progression in Enshrouded is closely tied to rescuing survivors and completing their quests. Early in the game, you save five survivors, each unlocking unique crafting abilities essential for advancing your base and gear. These survivors send you on quests to build workshops and gather resources, which in turn unlock new crafting options and gear upgrades. Additionally, character progression involves gaining experience through various activities like mining, combat, and quest completion, with skill points awarded for leveling up and defeating special enemies like Shroud Roots. This intertwined system of survivor quests and character development drives your advancement through the world of Embervale, making questing and survivor management key to progressing effectively in Enshrouded.
You’re not alone in your journey through Embervale. There are other survivors – five of them – who will aid you. In the story, these are other Flameborn (like you) who you have to journey around and wake from their magical slumber. Waking them up means traveling to their Ancient Vault, doing some light dungeoneering, and then summoning them to your base.
Functionally, these other survivors are a lot like quest-giving workbenches. Finding the Blacksmith, for example, allows you to start working with metal. The Hunter unlocks furs. The same goes for the Farmer, Alchemist, and Carpenter.
As you add survivors to your base, they’ll all come up with new quests for you. The Blacksmith needs a crucible. The Hunter needs her hand spindle. The Alchemist needs his mortar. The Farmer needs her kettle.
Their quests aren’t just busywork, though. They’re how you progress through the game. They’ll unlock new technologies and materials for you, add new workbenches, and send you out into the world to explore new locations and new biomes.
Getting to those places means walking across Enshrouded’s giant map, and that means.
You’re going to walk a lot in Enshrouded
In Enshrouded, expect to do a lot of walking as you explore its vast and intricately designed world. Walking is not just a means of getting from point A to B; it allows you to immerse yourself fully in the environment, discover hidden paths, secret items, and engage with the world’s subtle details. While the movement animations can feel a bit stiff or floaty to some players, walking remains essential for stealth, strategy, and careful exploration. Managing your stamina while on foot is also crucial, especially during long journeys or when evading enemies. Overall, walking is a fundamental part of the gameplay experience that encourages thorough exploration and interaction with Enshrouded’s richly crafted landscapes.
Yes, Enshrouded has some very cool traversal tools like the wing suit-like glider and a grappling hook. Your opportunities to use those, though, are going to be fairly limited. Instead, you’ll be doing most of your exploration on foot.
When you’re on one of these hikes, stick to the roads as much as you can. First, it’s just easier to see where you’re going and it’s less likely you’ll run straight off a cliff. But, more importantly, being on a road makes your stamina drain more slowly – the “on the road” condition means your stamina drains 90% as fast.
The other reason you’ll be walking so much is.
There aren’t many fast travel points
Enshrouded offers a limited number of fast travel points, with only five Ancient Spires scattered across the vast map that can be unlocked and used for quick travel. Additionally, players can set up Flame Altars as customizable fast travel locations, but initially, only two can be active, requiring upgrades to increase this number. Fast travel is only possible outside the hazardous Shroud areas and to locations that have been discovered or cleared. This scarcity of fast travel points encourages exploration and careful planning of routes, making movement across the expansive world more strategic rather than instantly convenient.
For as vast as the world of Embervale is, there aren’t many fast travel options. There are only five permanent ones, in fact. There’s the Cinder Vault where you begin the game, and then an Ancient Spire in each of the four biomes – the Springlands, the Low Meadows, the Revelwood, and the Nomad Highlands.
You can also fast travel to any Flame Altar – basically the starting point for a base – you’ve built. You start off able to build two of them, but can increase that number eventually with upgrades to the Flame Altar, but early on it means that you can have a base and an outpost and that’s it. You can always destroy a Flame Altar and build a new one elsewhere after hiking there (see above).
Flame Altars are cheap to build – they only require 5 stones that you can find just lying around on the ground. And that means you can make your own (temporary) fast travel network.
The only place you can’t build a Flame Altar is in the eponymous Shroud. Speaking of which.
Treat the Shroud like another biome
Treat the Shroud like another biome by recognizing it as a distinct, hazardous area within Enshrouded that requires careful preparation and respect, much like any other biome you explore. The Shroud is covered in deadly fog that can instantly kill you if your Flame Altar protection is insufficient, so upgrading your Flame Altar and using potions, skills, and gear to extend your time inside is essential. Approach the Shroud as you would a new biome: learn its dangers, plan your exploration carefully, and use available tools like Ancient Spires for quick travel and safe zones near Flame Altars to survive and thrive in this challenging environment.
The Shroud is, as the game says, a “ruinous fog.” You’ll usually find it in the low-lying areas of the map, but it pops up in random locations as well. Entering the Shroud means you become Enshrouded (hey!) and a timer starts counting down. When the timer runs out, you die.
And that all makes the Shroud seem worse than it actually is. Sure, there are (slightly) nastier enemies there and your time there has a limit, but it’s not an instant death sentence. In fact, there’s a lot of useful stuff that you’ll only find inside the Shroud – like Shroud wood and torn cloth.
With a little time and not too much work, you’ll increase the timer up to nearly 10 minutes. And that means you can treat the Shroud like just another biome. Respect the timer, but don’t avoid going there out of fear.
When you’re not traipsing through the Shroud or marching off on a quest for one of the other survivors, you’ll need a home base. Which brings us to Enshrouded’s best feature.
Spend some time on your base
Spending time on your base in Enshrouded is crucial for long-term survival and progression. Your base acts as a safe haven where you can rest, craft essential items, and upgrade your equipment. Strengthening your flame altar not only extends the time you can spend within its protective benefits but also unlocks higher-level areas and fast travel points, making exploration safer and more efficient. Investing effort into building and upgrading your base allows you to stockpile resources, plan your next moves, and prepare for the challenges posed by the Shroud and its enemies. Taking the time to develop a well-equipped and fortified base will greatly enhance your gameplay experience and resilience in the world of Embervale.
There’s just something super satisfying about Enshrouded’s building mechanics. There are a ton of pieces to assemble in a variety of sizes. Play around with the shapes and how they fit together. Building up (and out) your base is just as satisfying as the exploration and combat.
What are the most crucial survival tips before exploring Embervale in Enshrouded
Before venturing into Embervale in Enshrouded, several crucial survival tips can significantly enhance your chances of thriving in this challenging world:
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Craft the Grappling Hook and Glider early to navigate the vast and vertical terrain efficiently, unlocking new areas and accessing hidden treasures.
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Unlock the Double Jump skill promptly to improve mobility for both exploration and combat, allowing you to dodge attacks and reach otherwise inaccessible spots.
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Upgrade your tools regularly to increase resource gathering speed and efficiency, freeing up time for other survival activities.
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Build and upgrade your base strategically, focusing on shelter, campfires, and comfort items to activate the Rested Buff, which boosts stamina regeneration and maximum stamina.
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Carry lockpicks at all times to open locked chests and doors, ensuring you don’t miss valuable loot; crafting lockpicks away from base requires double materials, so stockpile them in advance.
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Manage your inventory wisely by prioritizing essential resources such as food, potions, and crafting materials, and use storage chests to avoid clutter.
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Master dodging and parrying in combat, as timing these defensive moves can stagger enemies and create openings, making battles more manageable.
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Focus on a specific skill branch to develop a potent and tailored playstyle, whether it’s melee, ranged, or magic combat.
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Leverage fast travel via Flame Altars to save time and quickly move between key locations, expanding your exploration range safely.
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Rescue key NPCs like the Blacksmith early, who provides essential crafting recipes, weapon upgrades, and lockpicks, greatly aiding your survival and progression.
Following these tips will prepare you to face Embervale’s dangers effectively, allowing you to explore, craft, and fight with confidence in Enshrouded’s immersive world.
How important is unlocking the Double Jump early for exploration in Embervale
Unlocking the Double Jump skill early in Enshrouded is critically important for exploration in Embervale. It significantly enhances your mobility, allowing you to reach hard-to-access ledges, traverse the varied terrain more easily, and dodge enemy attacks effectively. This skill is widely regarded as the best early exploration ability for every build and class, making it a top priority after a few initial level-ups. Without it, navigating Embervale’s expansive and vertical world becomes much more challenging, limiting your ability to discover secrets and efficiently move through the environment.
