The author does not claim to have the ultimate truth; all recommendations are based on both his own experience playing solo and his experience in guilds in the world of MO1 and MO2, as well as his experience in teaching newcomers from scratch within guilds created by the author.
The author assumes that the player didn't just jump into PVP and then leave but wants to stay in this world for a long time.
More info about community for solo players and small teams - https://bit.ly/solowayguild
First and foremost, it's essential to understand that playing MO2 is not a sprint; it's a marathon. You can't quickly master it; you'll end up burning out. It's better to play steadily and gradually work towards a plan rather than rushing and getting nervous.
You'll have to put in a real effort, a lot of it. If you want to achieve something in the game, rather than just exploring cities and landscapes, trying out different weapons and moving on.
There are many different build guides available. First and foremost, choose who you are - a tank, a damage dealer, a supporter (healer), or a fast killer/hunter.
You can find examples of builds, for instance, in our Discord: https://bit.ly/solowaydis - in the #builds channel.
This choice will affect your character's race, weight, height, armor weight, preferred weapons, and many other things.
Attributes like strength, dexterity, intelligence and psyche can be adjusted, as well as skills. However, it's better to set your character's race, parents, grandparents, height, and weight correctly from the start. So, pay attention to the build you want to play.
If you're unsure, create a character based on any HUMAN build and play as them. Turn them into a mage or a melee fighter; you can easily switch back and forth until you figure out what suits you best. But be prepared to later delete that character and create one that better suits your preferences.
Don't skip Haven, especially if you're a complete beginner. It's not there for no reason. In my opinion, if you skip it, you'll significantly hinder your progress in the game. Go through the tutorials. You'll learn how to craft and more. Head to the graveyard and defeat zombies. Learn how to parry and attack quickly. Then take on bandits and go hunting animals.
Pass the exam - in Haven's dungeons you should feel at home, no matter your build.
It's highly recommended to collect at least 10 Clade Gifts, or even better, 16. Do this in dungeon with bandits by simply running around in circles.
If there are other players in the dungeon, find an empty Haven.
In Haven, it's recommended to level up as a melee fighter, even if you plan to develop a mage character. It's just faster. Later, reallocate all your points from strength to intelligence and psyche. Using animals in Haven against bandits in the dungeon is useless; they'll be killed quickly. But for fun, you can tame whoever you like, even a bear.
Read books in Haven. Start with combat, then move on to crafting.
If you intend to specialize in crafting, such as weapons or armor, you can start right in Haven. Although for dungeon runs with bandits, the sword and armor that drop from skeleton in the mountains are sufficient.
When transitioning to the open world, many people don't know what to do.
If you want to join a guild, go straight to a guild. You can even look for one while still in Haven. In a guild, they will explain and show you everything.
If you want to go solo for a while, it might be a bit more challenging.
In any case, you need to work on four components:
3.1 Combat skills of your character.
Choose what you're going to fight with in PvE, PvP, the most viable combinations:
- Melee weapon + mounted archery
- Magic + mounted archery
In other words, the game suggests that you should primarily focus on archery, both on foot and while mounted. I went through this path from scratch, and others quickly learned to do it using my method. But practice is essential. Hint: start on foot with pigs and zombies, and while mounted, practice on gaurs. Pay attention to shooting speed and headshots.
Of course you may use other builds, for example just full mage. But it may be not easy / too long to farm in PvE for example.
3.2 Crafting.
Choose 1-2 professions that you want to engage in, ones you enjoy. Ones you are ready to stick with for 1-2-3 months of play. Don't try to do everything and provide for yourself completely; it won't work. What you create will be of poor quality. The game is social. You can buy what you need. Trade. If you're in a guild, they'll help you obtain what you need, especially if you help guild members with a particular profession.
Read books about your chosen profession and start crafting something, even if it's not very effective at first. It will speed up your skill development. For example, while reading a book about armor crafting, make armor on a bench from the cheapest resources of the worst quality. Then discard it. You'll notice that your armor crafting skill grows faster, as well as your lore of the materials you use.
If you want to engage in ore processing, set up books and go mine ore. Then gradually process it, even with low lore levels. You'll save time.
Almost any skill can be leveled up through the combination of a book and action. Use this method.
3.3 Player Skill.
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT. The game is skill-based.
I would say that at the initial stage, it doesn't really matter what character you have. You need to develop your motor skills, get the timing right. You can do this with any character.
You must learn to block and parry, REGARDLESS of the character build you're playing, even as a mage, at least in PvE. When it comes to PvP, it's a different story, where your failures might be more related to the game's network code, your FPS, animation desync when you see an attack coming, but the damage registers before you can react. Unfortunately, this is a common issue in PvP, but it doesn't apply to PvE.
So, master some form of melee combat in PvE, focusing on timings, strike angles, acceleration, and the like.
AND DEFINITELY learn archery, both on foot and on horseback. There's no need to rush this; don't spend days and nights on it. Gradually, take your time to learn. Remember, it's not a sprint; it's a marathon.
3.4 World Knowledge.
If you get killed or if you die, don't quit the game. Don't rush back to town unless you need to report a PKer. Don't stay in town, afraid of getting killed in the world.
Here's some news for you - you will get killed. Many times. Even if you're peaceful. Even if you live in a town with many peaceful players.
Here's the second piece of news - initially, in 90% of cases, you'll be killed by the same person over and over. He is your reflection on the mirror
The game requires mastery. It's skill-based. You must be able to use some form of weaponry, at least at a PvE level. You must understand how to avoid fighting mobs if you don't need to, using geography, mechanics, player houses, etc. You need to know the world's geography, hidden paths, and spawn points. You must be able to use the terrain, landmarks, and compass effectively. You must know where different guilds live, who's peaceful, and who's hostile, and their prime time. You must learn how to use a horse to maneuver and stop in time, rather than blindly charging forward.
Explore the world as much as possible, initially as a ghost, and then travel on horseback in the same areas. Learn the roads and alternative routes through forests and mountains. This knowledge can be invaluable for transporting valuable items and moving around, improving your overall survivability.
The author assumes that the player didn't just jump into PVP and then leave but wants to stay in this world for a long time.
More info about community for solo players and small teams - https://bit.ly/solowayguild
First and foremost, it's essential to understand that playing MO2 is not a sprint; it's a marathon. You can't quickly master it; you'll end up burning out. It's better to play steadily and gradually work towards a plan rather than rushing and getting nervous.
You'll have to put in a real effort, a lot of it. If you want to achieve something in the game, rather than just exploring cities and landscapes, trying out different weapons and moving on.
1. Decide on your build
There are many different build guides available. First and foremost, choose who you are - a tank, a damage dealer, a supporter (healer), or a fast killer/hunter.
You can find examples of builds, for instance, in our Discord: https://bit.ly/solowaydis - in the #builds channel.
This choice will affect your character's race, weight, height, armor weight, preferred weapons, and many other things.
Attributes like strength, dexterity, intelligence and psyche can be adjusted, as well as skills. However, it's better to set your character's race, parents, grandparents, height, and weight correctly from the start. So, pay attention to the build you want to play.
If you're unsure, create a character based on any HUMAN build and play as them. Turn them into a mage or a melee fighter; you can easily switch back and forth until you figure out what suits you best. But be prepared to later delete that character and create one that better suits your preferences.
2. Don't skip Haven
Don't skip Haven, especially if you're a complete beginner. It's not there for no reason. In my opinion, if you skip it, you'll significantly hinder your progress in the game. Go through the tutorials. You'll learn how to craft and more. Head to the graveyard and defeat zombies. Learn how to parry and attack quickly. Then take on bandits and go hunting animals.
Pass the exam - in Haven's dungeons you should feel at home, no matter your build.
It's highly recommended to collect at least 10 Clade Gifts, or even better, 16. Do this in dungeon with bandits by simply running around in circles.
If there are other players in the dungeon, find an empty Haven.
In Haven, it's recommended to level up as a melee fighter, even if you plan to develop a mage character. It's just faster. Later, reallocate all your points from strength to intelligence and psyche. Using animals in Haven against bandits in the dungeon is useless; they'll be killed quickly. But for fun, you can tame whoever you like, even a bear.
Read books in Haven. Start with combat, then move on to crafting.
If you intend to specialize in crafting, such as weapons or armor, you can start right in Haven. Although for dungeon runs with bandits, the sword and armor that drop from skeleton in the mountains are sufficient.
3. Open world
When transitioning to the open world, many people don't know what to do.
If you want to join a guild, go straight to a guild. You can even look for one while still in Haven. In a guild, they will explain and show you everything.
If you want to go solo for a while, it might be a bit more challenging.
In any case, you need to work on four components:
3.1 Combat skills of your character.
Choose what you're going to fight with in PvE, PvP, the most viable combinations:
- Melee weapon + mounted archery
- Magic + mounted archery
In other words, the game suggests that you should primarily focus on archery, both on foot and while mounted. I went through this path from scratch, and others quickly learned to do it using my method. But practice is essential. Hint: start on foot with pigs and zombies, and while mounted, practice on gaurs. Pay attention to shooting speed and headshots.
Of course you may use other builds, for example just full mage. But it may be not easy / too long to farm in PvE for example.
3.2 Crafting.
Choose 1-2 professions that you want to engage in, ones you enjoy. Ones you are ready to stick with for 1-2-3 months of play. Don't try to do everything and provide for yourself completely; it won't work. What you create will be of poor quality. The game is social. You can buy what you need. Trade. If you're in a guild, they'll help you obtain what you need, especially if you help guild members with a particular profession.
Read books about your chosen profession and start crafting something, even if it's not very effective at first. It will speed up your skill development. For example, while reading a book about armor crafting, make armor on a bench from the cheapest resources of the worst quality. Then discard it. You'll notice that your armor crafting skill grows faster, as well as your lore of the materials you use.
If you want to engage in ore processing, set up books and go mine ore. Then gradually process it, even with low lore levels. You'll save time.
Almost any skill can be leveled up through the combination of a book and action. Use this method.
3.3 Player Skill.
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT. The game is skill-based.
I would say that at the initial stage, it doesn't really matter what character you have. You need to develop your motor skills, get the timing right. You can do this with any character.
You must learn to block and parry, REGARDLESS of the character build you're playing, even as a mage, at least in PvE. When it comes to PvP, it's a different story, where your failures might be more related to the game's network code, your FPS, animation desync when you see an attack coming, but the damage registers before you can react. Unfortunately, this is a common issue in PvP, but it doesn't apply to PvE.
So, master some form of melee combat in PvE, focusing on timings, strike angles, acceleration, and the like.
AND DEFINITELY learn archery, both on foot and on horseback. There's no need to rush this; don't spend days and nights on it. Gradually, take your time to learn. Remember, it's not a sprint; it's a marathon.
3.4 World Knowledge.
If you get killed or if you die, don't quit the game. Don't rush back to town unless you need to report a PKer. Don't stay in town, afraid of getting killed in the world.
Here's some news for you - you will get killed. Many times. Even if you're peaceful. Even if you live in a town with many peaceful players.
Here's the second piece of news - initially, in 90% of cases, you'll be killed by the same person over and over. He is your reflection on the mirror
The game requires mastery. It's skill-based. You must be able to use some form of weaponry, at least at a PvE level. You must understand how to avoid fighting mobs if you don't need to, using geography, mechanics, player houses, etc. You need to know the world's geography, hidden paths, and spawn points. You must be able to use the terrain, landmarks, and compass effectively. You must know where different guilds live, who's peaceful, and who's hostile, and their prime time. You must learn how to use a horse to maneuver and stop in time, rather than blindly charging forward.
Explore the world as much as possible, initially as a ghost, and then travel on horseback in the same areas. Learn the roads and alternative routes through forests and mountains. This knowledge can be invaluable for transporting valuable items and moving around, improving your overall survivability.
