Of Ash And Steel – Beginner’s Tips And Tricks

Of Ash and Steel is a medieval open-world RPG inspired by the likes of the Gothic series. If you, like me, are a fan of open-world medieval RPGs, then this may be a must-play title for you. That said, do note that the performance is abysmal and needs quite a lot of work. Even with the upscaler, it will not offer optimal performance, so keep this in mind before making a purchase. For more information, head over to its Steam page.

Usually, in an open-world RPG, you are on your own. There will be a few clues and hints for you, and in the worst case, not even a map. Similar is the case in Of Ash and Steel, as the game will not hold your hand; therefore, a beginner would definitely need some tips to get started. That is why, in this guide, I will tell you some of my advanced beginner tips and tricks.

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Always Listen To The NPCs

Of Ash and Steel will not hold your hand at all. The objectives of the quests will not be marked on your compass, and there will not be a trail to follow. You are completely on your own, so if you do not want to spend most of your time looking for the item or the NPC you want to talk to to progress the quest, listen to the dialogue.

NPCs will usually give you hints on where you can find the item or the other NPC you must talk to. While you can skip the dialogue, I highly recommend listening to it. If you do not, then there will not be any marker or a hint for you to follow. Initially, it may not be hard to follow through, but later on, it will become a chore.

Additionally, you do not have the map from the outset, so you will need to rely on the contextual clues.

Attributes Are Important

Like any other RPG, attributes are crucial in this game too. You need to focus on them and select one area in which you want to excel. Of course, you can add points to all of them, but you also gain attribute points depending on the dialogue you choose in the conversation. So, choosing the attribute you want to excel in is important. Normally, by each level up, you will gain three stat points.

The following are all the attributes with a brief explanation:

• Strength – Helps in dealing higher melee damage, lifting heavy objects from the get-go, and wielding strength-based weapons that you will not be able to wield if you do not add points in this stat.
• Dexterity – Allows you to deal more damage with weapons like bows, swords, and rapiers, and of course, wield dexterity-based weapons.
• Stamina – If you allocate more points to stamina, you will, of course, be able to sprint longer and swim for longer. This will also enable you to engage in combat more effectively.
• Insight – This increases your chance of hitting crits and, most importantly, it unlocks persuasion options in your conversation.
• Fortitude – Adding points to this attribute will grant you increased health and resistance.

Focus More On Combat

Combat in this game, while it is similar to the other RPGs in some aspects, may feel a little clunky at the beginning. So, it is better that you get the hang of it from the start. You can get a sword and some other weapons quite early in the game, after the raid. So using them early will be better for you.

You should keep in mind that in Grayshaft, bandits, robbers, or other faction enemies are not the only threat to you. This world is filled with creatures that can crush you pretty easily. Luckily, you get stronger with the help of magic, but that is still pretty far away. So, for now, in the beginning, Tristan is extremely weak.

He starts as a cartographer, so his combat abilities are no more than an average person who has never wielded a sword before. You may even have trouble defeating the rats or the goblins. If you see a goblin, it is better to run away, especially if you are at level one. However, if you are at level three or four, fighting a goblin is viable. There are also other creatures, like orcs and undead, so you need to be very careful.

Unlock Your Skills From Time To Time

If you want to progress in this game without much worry, you need to spend some time figuring out which skills you need to unlock. However, before that, you need to know that your skills depend on your attributes and trainers. That is why it is crucial to select an attribute you want to master.

Also, you cannot unlock skills without a trainer, as they help you learn them. Each skill will have a requirement you will need to meet before unlocking it. For example, if you want to unlock more blacksmith skills, you will need higher insight and strength. Similarly, if you want to unlock weapon honing skills, you need higher fortitude and strength stats.

Aside from that, you will need gold and trainers that can help you learn the desirable skills. The following are the three categories in which you can unlock different skills:

• Survival – As the name suggests, this will improve your chances of survival in the wild as it will allow you to set up camps and skin animals, and much more.
• Crafting – This will let you craft new gear, improve the current one, and mine ores.
• War – From here, you can learn parrying, heavy strikes, and different combat abilities.

Workbenches Are Your Allies

There are quite a few different types of workbenches that you can use to make your experience better in-game. With their help, you can create new items and improve the ones you already have. However, it will not be easy, and you will need to understand them; the best way to do that is by experimenting.

The following are all of the workbenches:

• Workbench – The normal one that you will get access to pretty early in the game. From here, you can craft consumables, bows, and arrows. You can also craft other gear if you have the required materials.
• Sharpening Stone – This will allow you to hone your weapons for better damage.
• Anvil – To use Anvil, you will need the basic mastery skill that will let you craft different types of weapons.
• Tannery – To use Tannery, you will need the survival perks that will let you turn animal hides into clothes.
• Alchemy – From here, you will be able to create different types of potions.
• Armor Reinforcement – As the name suggests, from here you will be able to improve your armor.

You Can Ask NPCs For Help In Combat

One of the best mechanics I liked in this game is that you can ask NPCs for help in combat. You do not literally ask them to help you. Instead, if you feel uncertain about taking down a weird creature, you can get the help of a villager or a guard by running toward them.

Simply flee the combat area and let the monster chase you. Once you reach a nearby NPC, they will start attacking the monster, so you can then join the combat and be victorious. Even if you do not participate, you will still get the EXP.

Keep A Close Eye On Tristan’s Condition

In the wild, you can easily get injured, and as time passes, Tristan gets hungry, tired, and thirsty. You need to keep a close eye on your character’s condition and make sure he is getting the rest and food. Plenty of campfires can be found in the open, and they can be used to cook meals. You can also set up a camp with basic survival skills.

If Tristan is hungry, his overall health will decrease, so you will need to occasionally feed him. If he is thirsty, his stamina will be reduced. Similarly, if he is tired, he will not be able to perform his best in combat. Most importantly, you need to keep a note of the wounds. A minor injury is usually healed, but if you keep taking damage, it can be turned into a bigger issue.

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That is pretty much everything you need to know about my advanced beginner’s tips and tricks to have a better experience in Of Ash and Steel.

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For more interesting articles related to indie games, check out the links below:

• Into Indie Games Homepage
• Demonschool Complete Walkthrough
• Constance Complete Walkthrough Hub
• Winter Burrow Review
• The Berlin Apartment Review