How To Get The Best Start In Of Ash And Steel

Of Ash and Steel is a choice-based RPG inspired by franchises like the Gothic series. If you recently played Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, then you are most likely going to enjoy this entry. Though I must warn you, this is not going to be a simple game, as there is little to no hand-holding, and you are on your own most of the time. For more information regarding the title, head over to its Steam page.

As with any other RPG, there are many items scattered around Grayshaft. There are also quite a lot of mechanics you need to understand. So, to have the best start, you need certain items and knowledge about the game. Here, I will tell you everything you need to know about how to get the best start in Of Ash and Steel.

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Learn How To Fish

I have a complete guide on how to fish in Of Ash and Steel, so make sure to give it a read. In this game, you need to eat to survive. If you do not eat and your character is hungry, his health will deplete over time. That is the last thing you would want in the wild, since there are many monsters and other enemies. So, if you do not want to get one shot, you need to eat.

To get the best start in Of Ash and Steel, you need to set up a good source of food. The best source of food you can get at the beginning is the fish. You can find a few pieces of bait lying around the fishing spots and then use them to catch some fish. After that, you can use a campfire to cook the fish and eat it. A cooked fish increases a lot of your health and reduces almost all of your hunger.

Also, make sure to drink water regularly, since sprinting can make your character thirsty. You can get water pretty cheaply from Radim, one of the NPCs in the early areas. If you are having trouble catching a fish, read my guide on how to catch it, since I have tried to simplify it as much as possible.

Unlock The Shadow Boxing Perk

As you may already be aware by now, the game does not tell you much about what to do, unless you look very hard. However, spending time to look for clues can be exhausting. There is one extremely useful perk that you can unlock early on. After you have finished the camp quests and you are attacked by some mysterious people, you will wake up in a stranger’s house.

This is now the main hub for you to rest and craft different things, as there are many workstations here. After collecting your belongings, exit the house, go left, and then follow the path ahead. There you will find a fishing spot, and just behind that will be a dummy.

Take out your weapon and start attacking the dummy until you unlock the Shadow Boxing Perk. It is really that simple. Not only will you unlock a perk, but you will also get +3 pretty useful attribute points. Now move to the location the puppet is facing, west of the fishing site. There, you will notice a shovel. Pick that up and take a couple of steps ahead. Then use the shovel to dig up a treasure. Inside the chest will be a dexterity potion, a legendary item, three lockpicks, and 34 gold.

Unlock The Nimble Perk

Now, the way to get this perk is extremely funny, but believe me, it is one of the most useful perks in the game. You may have experienced falling on the ground while sprinting into a puddle or an object. I have experienced this quite a lot of times now, enough to unlock a certain perk.

If you have not unlocked the Nimble Perk, believe me, you should. When you fall down due to sprinting into a fallen branch on the ground or due to the puddle, it takes quite a lot of time for Tristan to get up. That, to me, is a little annoying. However, if you slip enough times, you will get the Nimble Perk, which allows you to sprint through these obstacles without any problem.

To unlock it, head over to the puddle north of Nerest’s house. The puddle is pretty near his home, so get there and sprint through it. Do it as many times as it takes to unlock the Nimble Perk. Sure, you will fall down a lot, but doing it intentionally for a certain period of time will save you much more trouble.

Pick Up The Old Claymore

If you want to go with the strength build, then the Old Claymore is the best weapon for you in the early game. It can be found right where Mix is, an NPC. To reach him, go north from the puddle and take the path to the left. Keep following the path, and eventually you will come across some ruins.

Keep following the path, and to the north, you will see an Old Claymore. It is a two-handed weapon and has 23 slashing damage. You will need 12 strength to use it, so make sure you allocate some points to strength. You can also talk to Mix to start the Knee-Deep in the Ground quest, which, while challenging, is pretty fun.

Get The Best Early Game Rapier

To get one of the best rapiers in the early game, you will need 10 dexterity. That is because a certain part of the way requires you to have this much DEX. Even if you have nine, that is alright, as I will tell you exactly how to get one more while getting this rapier.

Facing Mix, head left and keep going ahead. There will be some enemies who are not that tough to defeat, but if you do not want to fight, lead them to Mix, and he will take care of them. Now, keep following the path until you reach a big cluster of stones to the right. This will appear before the cave on the west side.

Climb the stones and then cross the wooden bridge. Then jump to the other side. Make sure to sprint and then jump. Now jump to the other side again and enter the small hut. You will find a book inside. Pick that up and then open your inventory to read it. Reading it will grant you one DEX. So, if you had nine dexterity, you would have ten, allowing you to progress further.

Now, cross the path and climb the vines. These vines require 10 DEX to climb. Now jump to the other side, enter the small hut, and pick up the Meoran Rapier. You will need 15 DEX to wield this weapon.

Get The Loot From Abandoned Village

If you have not reached the abandoned village yet, head north from the puddle, and you will be there in no time. You will also meet an NPC, Fox, along the way, so make sure to start his quest. Enter the village, go right, follow the path, and then head right. Pick up a barrel from the east side, take it out, and then place it. Get on top of the barrel and then climb the roof to get some loot along with two pouches of gold.

As you have also started Fox’s Flawless Plan, complete it to get a strength potion. Read my walkthrough on this quest to complete it with ease. Fox locks you inside a house, and inside the room in the northwest will be a strength potion and the exit. After exiting, head left and interact with the waste to get the Iron Ring of Tenacity. Now, facing away from the waste, head right and then take another right.

Go ahead, and then up the wooden platform. Jump on the other side and then pick up the Iron Stamina Ring from the skeleton. There will also be a Simple Soldier’s Sword. Now, go back on the wooden platform and head right. Exit the ruins and then take a left.

Go up the stairs and enter the house. At the end, on the right side, will be the Iron Strength Ring. Pick that up, but make sure you do this during the day. That is because at night, the Hermit will be inside his house.

Get More Weapons (A Dagger And A Rapier)

Now, go down the path from where you came and then take a right. Just ahead, you will see a wooden bridge. Crossing that will let you meet Radim, which will start the Bad Neighborhood quest. However, to get the weapons, head to the path on the right before the wooden bridge.

Keep going ahead, and you will see a knight standing in front of a dead body. He seems to have killed the other person with a dagger. If you pick up the dagger, a dialogue interaction will be triggered. So, it is better that you do a sneak attack. If you pick up the dagger and choose the first dialogue option, the knight will disappear. If you choose the second one, he will start attacking you.

So, it is way better to attack him before picking up the dagger. Then continue fighting him until you defeat him. Make sure to keep your distance and manage your stamina correctly. This is a tough opponent and can perform a flurry of attacks. I recommend using a dagger in this fight, as that takes less stamina.

After defeating him, loot his body for 250 gold and pick up the Exquisite Rapier. Then follow the path to the left, and when the inclined path is over, take a U-turn to the left side. You will see a small waterfall to the right. Jump to the top of it and go ahead. Inside the cave will be three gold pouches: light, medium, and heavy. Dive to pick these, but keep stamina in check.

Get Another Dexterity Potion

Now, cross the wooden bridge you saw before and head left from the signboard. Now keep going north. The path will take you to the right, but you have to keep going north to get the potion. There will be an enemy; defeat it and then continue to the north. You will then see a steel gate that you normally cannot pass through.

However, if you get drunk, you can easily go through it. You may have some booze already, as there were a couple inside the house Fox locked you up in. However, if you do not, you can buy some from Radim. Drink a couple of them to get drunk and go through the steel gate. You can get a lightweight gold pouch from the second skeleton and then pick up the Dexterity Potion, a Gold Cup, and then exit.

Get The Protection Ring

To get the Protection Ring, read my walkthrough on how to get to the harbor. When you reach the giant statue, continue heading toward the city, and you will come across a guard. From there, take a right, and you will notice a couple of houses. There will be some monsters; lead them to the guard, and he will take care of them.

On the way, to the right side, you will notice a barrel. Pick that up and take it to the house in the northeast. Place it down wherever you can on the wooden platform, and then go inside and pick it up again. Jump on it and then jump to the upper wooden platform. Jump again to the left, and you will get the Iron Ring of Protection.

Head To The Woodcutters’ Camp

If you have completed the Knee-Deep in the Ground quest, you will be aware of the wootcutter’s camp. You have to go there now. When you are about to enter the city, you will see a notice board. From there, if you follow the northeast path, you will enter the city. However, if you follow the path to the left, you will reach the woodcutters’ camp.

It will be a long walk to keep following the path while ignoring the enemies. At the entrance, you will come across the leader of the woodcutters, Akim. Talk to him, and he will give you his key. There will be a shack on the right side; open that with this key, go down, defeat the rat, and loot everything. Inside the bag (it will be shining), you will get your first proper armor, Woodcutter’s Clothing. Pick that up and wear it.

There is plenty of good stuff that you can loot in the camp, but the most important one is the +4 Dexterity Amulet. From the right side, head up the camp and enter the house. Do this during the day so no one can spot you inside. This is because the woodcutters will be busy with their routine. You can find the amulet inside the room to the left on the table. Pick the Iron Dexterity Amulet from the table right next bed on the left side.

Get The Capital Longsword

Now that you are at the woodcutters’ camp, you can follow the path to the left to find some really good loot. If you have completed the Knee-Deep in the Ground quest, you will already be here. However, if not, then you should follow the path and stay on the right side. Keep going ahead, and you will come across a Rover.

You probably will not be able to beat it right now, so lead it to the woodcutters and make sure to do this during the day. They will make quick work of this abomination. There will also be some rats there, and if you cannot defeat them, then lead them to the woodcutters, too. Once you have taken care of all the enemies, you have to pick up the box from where the Rover was. Pick it up, go up the stairs, and take a right.

Place it down, climb it, and then jump to the other side. Jump again and go forward. Now, there will be a gap in the path, so jump to reach the other side. Just ahead will be an Iron Ring of Protection. However, near that spot will be a hole from which you can drop down. Do so, and you will find one of the best strength weapons, the Capital Longsword.

This sword can be bought from the city but costs 400 gold. So this is a pretty great find, and if you want to go with the strength build, this seems like a perfect choice in the early game. Along with this sword, you will also find a Silver Crown.

Get The Second Half Of Woodcutter’s Clothing

Now that you already have the first half of the Woodcutter Clothing, it is better that you get the second half too. The second half can be found inside the city. Usually, it takes 200 gold to enter the city, and I recommend paying the first time you are entering because it will also complete a quest.

However, paying 200 gold every time can be too much, so there is a way around it. On the westernmost side of the main gate, there are some vines you can climb to get inside. However, that requires 12 Dexterity. If you don’t have enough, you can wear the amulet for +4.

Now that you are inside the city, go right and follow the path. Then, take a left (there will be two paths, one normal and one inclined; go to the normal one). Go up the stairs, follow the path, take a right, head down the stairs, and then head north. There will be a shop, and the owner will likely be at the door. Talk to him and buy Woocuter’s Trousers. This will complete the armor set, and you will get +3 Strength and Stamina.

Unlock New Skills

To unlock skills, you will need to find certain masters. They can teach you different skills, but you will need certain stats to unlock them. If you are ready to go to the city, you will have enough to at least get a couple of new abilities. When you reach the camp on your way to the city, before you start the Take Me By Hand quest, you can unlock some combat abilities.

Talk to someone from the camp and then learn at least the first skill. This will let you do heavy attacks. If you have enough attributes, learn the parry too, as it will come in handy. On your way, right after the Take Me By Hand quest ends, to the left side, you will come across a hunter.

He can teach you survival skills. Learn the basic one and the other one that lets you inflict bleed upon enemies. If you have more money and the required attributes, there is no harm in learning more.

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That is pretty much everything you would want to know about how to get the best start in Of Ash and Steel. Make sure to do some of the side quests first in the early game before going to the city. Also, you can get lost pretty easily, so make sure to be careful and not explore an area you are not aware of, especially during the night.

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