You’re going to die. Probably a lot. In the first few hours of Enshrouded, the game basically baits you into overextending. You see a glowing chest across a sea of blue mist and think, "Yeah, I can make that." You can't. You run out of time, the Shroud consumes you, and suddenly you’re trekking back from a flame altar without your loot. It’s brutal, but it doesn't have to be.
Most people play this like Valheim or Minecraft, focusing on the base building first. That's a mistake. While the voxel-based building is incredible—honestly, it’s some of the best in the genre—your priority should be mobility and survival. This isn't just a sandbox; it's an action RPG with a ticking clock. If you aren't optimizing your gear and your pathing, the game will punish you.
Why Your Glider is Actually a Weapon
The Glider is the single most important item you will craft. Period. It changes how the entire world of Embervale functions. Without it, you’re stuck navigating the jagged cliffs and Shroud-filled valleys on foot. With it, you're a god.
You need to get the Grappling Hook and the Glider within the first thirty minutes. Don't wander. Don't pick flowers. Just follow the initial questline until you have these two tools. Once you have them, your approach to Enshrouded tips and tricks should shift toward verticality. If you find yourself in a sticky situation with high-level Scavengers, don't fight them on level ground. Sprint for a ledge, jump, and glide.
Here is something the game doesn't explicitly tell you: the "Double Jump" skill in the Survivor tree is mandatory. It's not a luxury. It’s a core mechanic. When you combine Double Jump with the Glider, you can effectively "climb" mountains by jumping, turning back toward the cliff, and spamming the jump button to regain height. It feels a bit like breaking the game, but the developers clearly intended for this kind of creative traversal.
The Flame Altar and Why Placement Matters
Your Flame Altar isn't just a respawn point. It's your fast-travel hub and your safety net.
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A lot of beginners place their first altar near the starting cave and just leave it there. That’s a waste of potential. You can have multiple altars active at once depending on your Flame Level. Think of these as "forward operating bases." If you're planning to explore a distant spire or a dangerous Shroud zone, carry the materials for an altar (5 Stone) with you.
Drop the altar outside the Shroud zone. Now you have a waypoint. If you die, you aren't running across half the map; you're thirty seconds away. When you're done with that area? Extinguish the flame and get that altar slot back. It’s a nomadic playstyle that keeps the momentum going.
Strengthening the Flame vs. Leveling Up
There is a massive difference between your character level and your Flame Level. Your character level gives you skill points. Your Flame Level gives you everything else. It increases the time you can spend in the Shroud, boosts your attributes, and lets you place more altars.
Prioritize "Strengthening the Flame" at the altar. This requires specific boss drops, like the Shroud Core from the first Elixir Well boss. Don't hoard these materials. Use them immediately. Increasing your Shroud time from five minutes to eight minutes might not sound like a lot, but it’s the difference between finding the exit and becoming a permanent resident of the mist.
Combat is About Stamina, Not Just Damage
Combat in Enshrouded is "souls-lite." If you mash the left mouse button, you'll be out of breath and dead in seconds.
Blocking is okay. Parrying is better. Dodging is usually the best. However, all of these consume stamina. This brings us to the most underrated of all Enshrouded tips and tricks: eat your food.
You have three food slots. Use them.
- Meat (Cooked): Increases your health. Always have this active.
- Fruit/Berries: Increases health regeneration.
- Water/Honey: Increases stamina regeneration.
If you go into a fight without a stamina buff from water or honey, you're playing on hard mode. Water is everywhere. Just find a well in any abandoned village and spam the interact button. It’s a flat buff to your stamina recovery that lasts for ten minutes. There is zero reason to ever be dehydrated in this game.
The Power of the Wand
If you’re struggling with melee combat, switch to a wand. Wands are the "easy mode" of Enshrouded. They don't require mana (unlike staves), they don't require ammo (unlike bows), and they have a slight homing effect. You can kite enemies forever, strafing in circles while clicking away. It’s not the most "warrior-like" way to play, but when you're facing a level 10 Matron while you're only level 5, a wand is your best friend.
Hidden Mechanics and Scavenging Secrets
Embervale is built on voxels. This means everything—and I mean everything—is destructible.
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Stuck behind a locked door? Don't look for the key. Use a pickaxe and dig through the wall next to the door. See a golden chest behind some iron bars? Dig under the floor. The game encourages this kind of creative destruction.
Also, stop ignoring the rubble. Those piles of junk in ruined houses often contain metal scraps. In the early game, metal scraps are more valuable than gold. You need them for your first real armor set and for upgrading your tools. Instead of hunting for high-level enemies to drop scrap, just take a mace to some old furniture or barrels in the first village you find.
The Rested Buff is Not Optional
Go home.
Seriously. The "Rested" buff provides a massive boost to your maximum stamina and stamina regeneration. The duration of this buff depends on the "Comfort" level of your base. Placing a bed, a fire, and some furniture increases this level.
Before any long expedition, stand in your base until the Rested timer hits its max. A 15-minute stamina boost makes a world of difference when you're trying to outrun a Shroud beast or climb a massive staircase in a Sanctum.
Crafting NPCs: Who to Rescue First
The Blacksmith is first because the game forces you to get him. After that, people usually wander aimlessly.
Go for the Alchemist or the Hunter next. The Alchemist allows you to craft health potions and better magical gear. Relying on "found" potions is a losing game; you need a steady supply. The Hunter is crucial if you prefer ranged combat, as she unlocks better backpacks.
Backpack space is the true endgame. Nothing feels worse than finding a rare piece of loot and having to drop twenty pieces of flint because your pockets are full. Focus on the Hunter's quests to increase your inventory slots as fast as possible.
Navigating the Shroud Without Dying
The Shroud is scary, but it’s also predictable.
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Look for the glowing red spores. These are "shroud beacons" or small camps that often have a "Return to the Light" hourglass. These hourglasses refill your Shroud timer. You don't have to leave the Shroud to reset your clock; you just need to find these points of interest.
If you’re deep in the mist and the timer is hitting thirty seconds, look up. Is there a way out? If not, start digging. Sometimes you can dig an "upward" tunnel out of a Shroud-filled ravine. It's a desperate move, but it works.
Also, keep an eye on the color of the fog. Blue is "safe" (as in, you have a timer). Red is "deadly." If you touch the red Shroud, you die almost instantly regardless of your Flame Level. Don't even try to "dip" in to grab an item. You won't make it back.
Step-by-Step Survival Checklist
- Immediate Gear: Build the Grappling Hook and Glider before exploring.
- Skill Tree Priority: Path directly to "Double Jump." It's in the green (Survivor) section but is essential for every build.
- Stamina Management: Drink water constantly. The regeneration buff is too good to ignore.
- The "Forward Base" Strategy: Carry 5 Stone at all times to drop a Flame Altar near dangerous areas for a custom fast-travel and respawn point.
- Voxel Mining: Use your pickaxe to bypass puzzles. If a wall is in your way, remove the wall.
- Scrap Metal: Smash furniture in Longkeep and other early villages to get enough metal for the Blacksmith’s first armor set.
- Comfort Level: Don't just place a bed on dirt. Build a roof and add a rug. A higher Comfort level means a longer Rested buff, which means more stamina for your next run.
Actionable Next Steps
To truly master these Enshrouded tips and tricks, start by securing your "Rested" buff at your base. Once that timer is ticking, head toward the nearest Ancient Spire. These towers serve as permanent fast-travel points and give you a high-altitude jumping-off point for your glider. From the top of a spire, you can reach almost any early-game objective in seconds, bypassing the dangerous Shroud valleys entirely. Focus on completing the "Clear the Elixir Well" quest to get your first Shroud Core, which is the key to upgrading your Flame Level and expanding your reach across Embervale.