So how do you start off now?

[Martyn van Buren]

So I seem to fall into the category of players who left the game for a few months and am coming back more confused than I was the first time. I see that X is working on some in-game help for this, but in the meantime can anyone explain what the heck I'm supposed to be doing now? I don't get how you're supposed to make yourself more powerful or how often.

So I started a new world on default difficulty, and I went straight to a basic rescue mission. It didn't really seem like I needed to upgrade my loadout (for that matter I'm not clear on whether you can without completing missions, and basically I got my ass handed to me. I tried again without better results, and again, and now I have two missions available that aren't tier two and one has one vengeful ghost in the battleground while the other has two. Is it possible to get out of this situation in the current version? Was I supposed to do some exploring and upgrading before my first mission?

Few more questions:

I've been through four characters now, and three of them have had all four stats above average (green). I've never seen a character like this before, is this a feature or a Mantis issue?

I gather from the update notes that spells like energy pulse don't go through multiple enemies in missions. Is this meant to apply to the new staging areas where you have a few tiles to explore before entering the mission as well? I think it is.

Where do I go to spend these snazzy new vitality stones?

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At any rate I'm looking forward to figuring things out (and maybe lowering the difficulty) and having a go at the new version. It sounds like the game has made some big steps in a good direction

[Toll]

Vitality stones can be used in the settlement. Just use it like you would a scroll, and your health will increase (if you have enough). Boosting your max health up a bit is possibly vital before a mission; it's certainly not the only way to beat it, but it makes it far easier to have to worry less about your health.

[TerraSleet]

The crafting system has probably changed a lot since you last played (as it has for me - I stopped playing a few months ago and decided to play again and actually get involved with the community). Have you equipped all your starting spells? If not, go to the spellgem crafting workshop and choose "Equip Known Spell".
The game focuses a lot more on dodging now instead of tanking the hits and gouging on potions (they're replaced by health orbs dropped by the small monsters for about 5% HP a kill).
If you're doing the team fight missions, stay behind your allied skeletrons and let them take the hits (watch their HP though, they're very weak compared to the enemy)

[Hyfrydle]

Another tip which took me a while to work out when in a building enter the stash rooms and grab the gear then escape. for some reason I kept wanting to stay and kill all the mobs. Since I worked this out i find surviving much easier.

Also before tackling any missions stock up on platforms and vitality stones so you are fully prepared it's easy to find you don't have access to some high ledge and as the game is now the only thing to do is abandon the mission which increases the EP towards the higher tiers and the Overlord destroying the continent.

[keith.lamothe]

Also before tackling any missions stock up on platforms and vitality stones so you are fully prepared it's easy to find you don't have access to some high ledge and as the game is now the only thing to do is abandon the mission which increases the EP towards the higher tiers and the Overlord destroying the continent.

Just in case you didn't know, the EP increase from abandoning or failing is equal to that of one death; which is about 1/40th that of succeeding a mission.  Also, abandoning does not remove the mission (failing does), in case you want to retry.  But if you retry it will be regenerated from the mission type, so abandoning after defeating all but one boss in a tower and coming back means having to fight the full number again.

[Martyn van Buren]

So how do you get new spells now?  Am I right to think that you start off with some spells unlocked but not in your inventory, and for those you have to get spellgems as before, and then you can add more spells to your crafting repertory via missions?

[tigersfan]

So how do you get new spells now?  Am I right to think that you start off with some spells unlocked but not in your inventory, and for those you have to get spellgems as before, and then you can add more spells to your crafting repertory via missions?

Not quite, there are some spells that are unlocked from the start, but you don't need gems to get them. Just head to the crafting bench and "Equip known Spells", and you get them from there.

The missions don't give you spells directly, but they will give you the materials you need to make the spells.

[Martyn van Buren]

Okay, thanks!  And pending enchantments the only ways to grow stronger are vitality stones and higher-tier spells?

[tigersfan]

Yep, that's about it for now.