Uhhh, let me give this a shot.
- Don't skip the tutorial, you can get some free gear from it (the Blade Staff in particular is nice for mages) and if you want to gain Corruption the easiest way to get a good chunk of it in a hurry is to get it from Kasyrra.
- There are three companions you can recruit after the tutorial without needing to get into a single (serious) fight, two without even having to leave Hawkethorne. As a creepy old man who lives in a cave famously said: IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE
- On that note, I've found that companions are generally pretty smart if you let the computer control them (especially when it comes to Cait and healing) and it helps combat flow faster but switching to manual is really helpful if you want to target a particular enemy or otherwise need a particular strategy and don't want the computer to mess it up. Also once you've learned Ultimate powers, manual control is the only way to use them. But for a lot of the earlier content you can let the computer take care of things for you.
- The starting areas outside Hawkthorne (Old Forest to the north, Foothills to the east and Harvest Valley to the south) are all set up for low-leveled parties but the Old Forest is probably the safest to explore at the start
- Explore everywhere until you've unlocked the complete map for an area, you can find a lot of nice things this way. On that note...
- Not everything you can find on a first visit is meant to be completed right away. If it looks too hard at first, it's probably because it is. There's no shame in running if you have to.
- Use the Sense ability, really. It can make encounters go a lot faster once you know what makes a particular enemy tick. And don't skip over what the enemy is doing in a fight; knowing what they can throw at you will help if you're figuring out which ones to prioritize taking out first.
- There are usually multiple ways to resolve the more involved quests like Dog Days or to bypass certain encounters within them so don't be afraid to try several options and bring different companions along.
- If you want a nice early boost, Berwyn's recruitment quest (find him wandering in the Foothills) gives good rewards to players who explore thoroughly.
- Don't worry too much about hoarding money, you'll eventually end up with more than you know what to do with.
- Purchase the storage expansion from Garth early so you can keep more items you find in case you need them later or want to experiment with different setups. You can obtain three expansions in total right now, the other two are gated behind a boss battle and a high-level quest.
- Have fun, stay safe and always remember to hug your elf!
