Dawn of Defiance Beginner’s Guide: Tips for New Players

by Fernando Diaz / Game Guides, Tips & Tricks / 17 Aug 2024

Just landed on the underworld’s shores?

Charon must’ve been feeling generous (or maybe a bit mischievous). Don’t worry, life on these legendary islands isn’t too hard… once you get the hang of it, indeed. Don’t fret, we’ve got your back (as the MGW team always does). This quick starter guide will walk you through everything from your first steps to becoming a famed hero in Dawn of Defiance – so let’s get Started!

Starting Out on the Island

First Steps

You start on the beginning island. Talk to the statue near where you appear. It helps you get going. Follow the path with pillars and fire bowls. These show you key spots to check out.

Building 101

As you move on set up a home base. Make must-have items like a thatch bed and work tables. Hold a hammer and right-click to see what you can build. After you make the bed, be sure to claim it. This gives you a place to come back if you die and lets you skip time faster.

Day-Night Cycle

Day vs. Night

The game’s day-night cycle has a big effect on gameplay. You’re safer during the day, but when night falls dangerous creatures called the Lost come out. You can get some resources, like Ambrosia dust, at night. Ambrosia flowers, which you can’t see in daylight, become visible and ready to harvest after sunset.

Ambrosia Dust and the Lost

Farming Ambrosia: Ambrosia dust plays a key role in your progress. As we mentioned before; you gather it at night from certain flowers or by beating the Lost, who drop Ambrosia and other useful stuff like resin. A good spot to collect Ambrosia is in a cave up north on the island. Keep in mind tho, you need 550 Ambrosia dust to leave the island—150 for the statues and 400 for the portal.

Combat Tips

You need to get good at using your shield to block attacks. When you fight against the Lost, use a spear for its reach. Try to dodge after every two hits to avoid quick counter-attacks.

Bow and Arrow

Stop drawing with ‘E’/’X’ if you need to. Switch arrows by holding ‘R’/’DPAD Up’ while you aim.

Shield Use

Your shield blocks damage up to its rating. Anything over that hurts your stamina and health. Block at the right time to parry attacks and make enemies stumble.

Melee Attacks

Do heavy attacks with ‘Middle Mouse Click’/’Y’. Kick when you don’t have a weapon. Sprint to charge at enemies.

Dodge and Sneak

Roll with ‘Left-CTRL’/’B’ to avoid attacks. Crouch (‘C’/’R3’) to sneak and be less visible. This also helps you hear better.

Gliding and Building

Shoot arrows while you glide. Remember, hammers use less stamina than other tools when you build mid-air.

Buffs and Debuffs

To avoid getting wet, stand near a fire for about 20 seconds.

Fire and Fauna

Set enemies and animals on fire with a torch to cause lasting damage.

Repair and Crafting

Use repair cordage to fix your gear instead of making new items.

Inventory Management

Press numbers 1-8 to assign items to your hotbar for quick access.

Blocking Tips

Keep an eye on your stamina when you block. This helps you stay guarded and avoid weak spots.

Statues and Abilities

Statue Repairs

As you explore the island, you’ll come across statues that need fixing with specific stone weapons (spear, bow sword). You can make these weapons at a crafting bench. Once you fix the statues, they give you strong abilities, like better dodging, gliding, or doing a ground pound attack. If you’re stuck finding the statues, look up at the night sky. You’ll see green light beams showing where they are.

Unlocking the Portal

Once you fix all the statues, you’ll be able to get to a portal that takes you to the mainland. To turn it on, you need to collect 200 stone, 200 wood, 50 bones, and 400 Ambrosia dust. Get ready for a boss fight when you activate it—watch how it attacks and respond by dodging and hitting at the right times.

Making Stuff

Hunting and Gathering

Keep cooked meat with you at all times… It boosts your max health and stamina. Make healing salves and stamina potions to stay strong in fights. Watch your stamina . Don’t let it run out during battles.

Resource Tips

To get bones, hunt deer, boars, and wolves. Then, use a butcher block to process the carcasses. Stone and wood are easy to find, but bones might take more work. Once you know how to make a pickaxe mine Ambrosia crystals in caves. This gives you more Ambrosia dust.

Gearing Up

Before you leave the island, make and improve your equipment. A basic spear works well, and leather armor gives good protection. Watch out with food and potion boosts, because using a new one will kick out an old one. Handle your boosts wisely to get the most out of them when it matters most.

Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.
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