New to Faelduum and need a helping hand? Fledgling Inquisitors like you deserve a few tips and tricks as you make your way through Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree. Find out what you need to know to battle, survive, and discover new secrets along the way.
1. The Basics Of Surviving (And Doing It Well)
Once outside the Crimson City, the dangers of Faelduum are everywhere: bandits, wolves, monsters, and traps are legion.
Monsters and bandits are the most expected threat, but as an Inquisitor, you must defeat them to make the world safer for the people within it. Bosses are often monstrosities far stronger than your average bandit. Not only are they deadly, but you will need all your wits and strength to defeat them.
Traps are less common, but watchful eyes are still necessary. Swinging Axes, Spike Traps, and Arrow Traps are among the many pitfalls out there. While some can be easily dodged with good reflexes, some will require you to prepare with the right timing.
Many Inquisitors and travelers discovered it the hard way, but the ground can hurt if you fall from high enough. Make sure to check your landing point before jumping off a cliff!
2. No Hacking And Slashing Here!
The skirmishes in Faelduum require tactics and patience. Bosses are challenging—dexterity and mastery of the enemies patterns is key, second only to gear, abilities, and level.
An attack is a commitment, especially if you're wielding a heavy weapon. Pay attention to your stamina: if you run out, just wait a brief moment to let it regenerate quickly.
You don't want to trade blows, especially when you have to fight your way through a den of monsters. Learn each enemy pattern, then time your attacks and spells for more efficiency.
Some Bosses have more resistance to certain types of damage, so don’t hesitate to equip a different loadout before trying again!
3. Resistance & Vulnerability
The attributes you choose have an impact on how resistant or vulnerable you are against certain damage types. This means that depending on the build and Class you have chosen, you might be (for example), more resilient against poison but vulnerable to bleed. Pick your gear wisely!
4. Don't Underestimate Consumables
A full backpack of food is an adventurer’s first aid kit! Potions will save you, but you may not always have enough with you.
Be sure to eat something whenever you can and stock up on consumables before going out.
5. Level Up Your Camp
Characters known as Artisan Vendors can get you anything you need to continue your adventure, be it a proper map, more potions, food, enchantment, or better armor.
If you find a schematic for armor and can't craft it, you may have to use their services and have them craft more items to increase their Artisan Skills to make sure they can suit your needs!
6. Blocking, Dodging, Running, Parrying
Agility is key to exploring Faelduum. Blocking is recommended (when you have a shield), but parrying is even better (if you have a light shield and can time it right). Dodging is also recommended—all the time. Running is the best option if you want to save on consumables, avoid death, and go through traps that are too fast to be simply dodged.
7. Don't Save Your Essence
It’s tempting to save up your Essence (XP) for the big spend, but while Essence can be used to level up and for weapon enchants, it may be lost if not used (for example, upon death).
Be sure to level up whenever you can and if you lack Essence, double check your Inventory—you may find some missing Essence there (tip: consumables are not lost upon death, including Coalesced Essence).
8. Locked Out? Come Back Later
Some areas can be locked by a pit, a door, or a wall. If you can't destroy these or find a lever, take note of this area and come back later. You may find a key, a tool, or unlock a special movement like Double Jump or Glide that will help you progress after completing further Quests.
9. Focus On One Style
Unless you are a high level, you will want to focus on one type of weapon and one Talent Tree, as your stats will not always work for other weapons. Getting the most out of the Class and playstyle you’ve chosen is crucial, and a good strategy is to ensure that you’ve picked the right gear and weapons to complement this.
If you want to play a hybrid style, try to focus on two adjacent Talent Trees to get the best of both worlds.
10. Check The Glossary
If you're unsure how a particular game mechanic or attribute works, just open the in-game Glossary and check it out—you should find all the info you need there.
11. Respawn & Restart
Upon reaching a Witch Stone, you can then use it for fast travel and as a respawn point. If you die, you will drop your current Essence (XP) and respawn to the most recently used Witch Stone. You can recover your Essence by reaching the site of your most recent death. (Hint: If you’re not sure where that was, you can see it on the map!)
12. Dabble With Difficulty
There is no Easy or Hard Mode in Mandragora, but you can set your difficulty! Access the Accessibility menu via Options. From here, you can scale Enemy Health, Enemy Damage, and your Skill Stamina cost to suit your skill level.
13. Traverse The Talent Tree
Talent Trees can evolve. Starting as a Vanguard doesn’t mean you can never learn the skills of a Spellbinder! The Talent Tree links each Class to other Classes, meaning you are free to combine various Talents (and if you’re unsatisfied with the result, you can reset it). For more details on Talent Tree progression, read our dedicated guide.
We hope these tips and tricks will help you adventure through Faelduum!
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