Welcome to the world of Enshrouded, where there are huge areas to explore, dangerous creatures to fight, hidden treasures to discover, and plenty of resources to collect. If you’re just starting your adventure or returning for the 1.0 update, knowing a few useful tricks can make your journey much easier.
There are many things the game doesn’t explain clearly at first. From finding hidden chests and crafting magic storage to upgrading equipment, choosing the right skills, and surviving in the Shroud, these beginner tips will help you make faster progress.
Enshrouded 1.0 Beginner Guide – Tips You Need to Know for Update
In this guide, we’ll cover some of the most useful Enshrouded 1.0 Beginner Guide, tips and tricks, including resource farming, base building, exploration, combat upgrades, and ways to make your adventures more comfortable.
1. Search Rubble, Graves, and Suspicious Barrels for Hidden Chests
One of the easiest ways to collect extra resources early in Enshrouded is to search your surroundings carefully. Hidden chests can appear in unexpected places, including rubble piles, abandoned houses, graves, and suspicious-looking barrels.
Whenever you explore a farmhouse or ruined building, check the upper floors, lofts, and corners. Some chests are tucked away where you might not notice them during a quick visit.
You should also pay attention to explosive barrels. Destroying them can sometimes reveal a hidden chest underneath. Even when you don’t find treasure, breaking down abandoned structures can provide useful materials such as wood, stone, cloth, and scrap.
Don’t be afraid to demolish abandoned buildings while gathering resources. Structures outside your Flame Altar’s claimed area can regenerate, so you can often return to these locations later.
2. Read Every Glowing Note You Find
Notes and other glowing objects aren’t just background decorations. They can contain important clues, unlock quests, reveal hidden locations, or explain how to find valuable rewards.
When you pick up a note, read it carefully instead of immediately closing it. Pay attention to words written in bold or italics, as these can highlight important details about a quest or location.
For example, a note might hint at a secret cave beneath a nearby mountain. Following that clue could lead you to a hidden area containing a powerful weapon or other valuable loot.
Some notes also provide the information needed to continue an existing quest or discover a new one. If you’re exploring a region and aren’t sure where to go next, checking the notes you’ve collected is a good place to start.
3. Craft a Small Magic Chest Early
Inventory management becomes much easier once you unlock magical storage. Unlike ordinary chests, a Small Magic Chest allows you to access stored crafting materials while working at your base, reducing the need to carry everything around with you.
You don’t need to wait until you’ve rescued the Carpenter to start using this feature. After rescuing the Blacksmith and completing the relevant early progression, you can access your workbench and craft the Small Magic Chest.
You’ll need a Small Wooden Chest, Shroud Spores, and an Active Mycelium to make it.
Here’s where to find the materials:
- Small Wooden Chest: Craft one using the resources available at your workbench.
- Shroud Spores: Defeat creatures inside the Shroud and check their drops. They don’t always drop spores, so you may need to defeat several enemies.
- Active Mycelium: Look for glowing cyan mushroom growths in the Shroud and mine them with a pickaxe.
Elixir Wells are especially useful when you’re struggling to find Active Mycelium, as they contain plenty of this material.
Once you have a Small Magic Chest, use it to store frequently needed crafting resources. It will make building, cooking, and crafting equipment much more convenient.
4. Keep Your Essential Crafters Close to Home
Your rescued NPCs can move around your base independently, which makes your settlement feel more alive. However, it can also be frustrating when you need a specific crafter and can’t find them.
The Summoning Staff and Summoning Staff-related placement options allow you to control where your NPCs stay. Setting an NPC’s roaming range to zero keeps them from wandering away from their assigned location.
This is particularly useful for essential crafters such as the Blacksmith, Alchemist, and Carpenter. Keeping them in predictable locations saves time whenever you need to craft or upgrade equipment.
You can still let other villagers roam around to make your base feel more active. The key is to keep the NPCs you rely on most somewhere easy to find.
5. Understand the Shroud and Its Red Zones
The Shroud contains valuable resources, hidden locations, and important progression materials, but exploring it without preparation can be dangerous.
One of the most important things to understand is the difference between ordinary Shroud areas and deadly red zones. Entering a red Shroud area before you’re prepared can result in a quick death.
Some red zones become accessible as you progress and upgrade your Flame Altar. However, others may remain beyond your current capabilities until you reach the appropriate stage of the game.
The general regional progression route is:
- Springlands
- Revelwoods
- Blackmire Forest
- Nomad Highlands
- Kindlewastes
- Albaneve Summits
- Veilwater Basin
- Cinder’s Cradle
Cinder’s Cradle is the new region introduced with the 1.0 update. As you progress, make sure your Flame Altar and equipment are upgraded before attempting to explore more dangerous areas.
Beginner tip: Don’t rush into a higher-tier region just because you can reach it. Collect the resources available in your current region and upgrade your Flame Altar before moving forward.
6. Extend Your Shroud Timer Before Exploring
Your Shroud timer determines how long you can safely remain inside dangerous Shroud areas. If it runs out while you’re exploring, you can find yourself in serious trouble.
Fortunately, there are several ways to extend your available time.
- Upgrade your Flame Altar.
- Use appropriate potions and food buffs.
- Equip gear that provides Shroud-related bonuses.
- Look for Flame Shrines and other helpful objects while exploring.
Flame Shrines can replenish your Shroud timer when you interact with them. If you spot one during an expedition, take advantage of it before continuing deeper into the area.
It’s also worth planning your route before entering the Shroud. Identify nearby exits, resource deposits, and important objectives so you don’t waste valuable time wandering around.
7. Take Advantage of Rested Bonuses
The Rested buff is one of the most useful benefits you can maintain throughout your adventure. It improves your stamina-related performance, making it easier to run, fight, climb, and explore.
You can rest near your Flame Altar or set up a temporary resting spot while traveling. Abandoned buildings can be especially useful because some already contain furniture that provides Comfort.
To make a temporary resting area, place a campfire beneath a sheltered roof and use a nearby bed or suitable resting spot. This can help you recover your Rested bonus without returning all the way to your main base.
For a stronger and longer-lasting bonus at home, invest in Comfort furniture. The Carpenter and other crafters offer furniture options that can improve your home’s Comfort rating.
When choosing furniture, check its Comfort value in the crafting menu. Better furniture generally provides more Comfort, helping extend the duration of your Rested buff.
Visit the Blue Goblet Tavern
If you’re traveling through the Revelwoods, consider visiting the Blue Goblet Tavern. Its existing furnishings make it a convenient place to rest, and you can establish a base there after clearing out the rats.
A well-furnished location can provide a better resting experience than a basic shelter, making the tavern a useful stop during longer adventures.
The more you improve your Comfort rating, the longer you can explore before needing to return home to refresh your buff.
8. Upgrade Your Weapons and Armor With Runes
Finding new equipment is exciting, but don’t overlook the importance of upgrading the gear you already use.
Enshrouded lets you improve eligible weapons and equipment with runes. These upgrades can make a significant difference when fighting enemies in higher-level regions.
Different crafters handle different types of equipment, so visit the appropriate NPC when you want to upgrade an item. The Blacksmith, Alchemist, and Hunter each support different crafting and equipment needs.
If enemies are defeating you quickly, your equipment may be underpowered for the region you’re exploring. Before moving forward, consider upgrading your main weapon, armor, shield, or other important gear.
Salvage Equipment You No Longer Need
You don’t have to keep every weapon and armor piece you discover. Salvaging unwanted equipment is a useful way to collect coins and free up inventory space.
Use the money you earn to purchase or upgrade gear that suits your build. You can also display armor pieces you want to keep as decorations instead of leaving them unused in storage.
A good habit is to review your inventory after each major expedition. Keep the equipment you actively use, save any valuable pieces you want to display, and salvage the rest.
This becomes increasingly important later in the game, when upgrading equipment can consume a significant amount of resources and money.
9. Use a Musical Instrument to Run Hands-Free
If you don’t want to run around with your sword constantly drawn, try equipping a musical instrument.
Selecting an instrument can leave your hands free while moving around, giving your character a more relaxed appearance as you travel. Similar hands-free behavior can also work while holding certain consumables, such as food, potions, or bandages.
It’s a small quality-of-life trick, but it’s useful if you prefer exploring without constantly carrying a weapon in your hands.
10. Unlock These Useful Skills Early
Enshrouded has several skill trees, and the best choices eventually depend on your preferred build. However, some skills are useful for almost everyone, especially during the early stages.
Here are several worth considering.
Double Jump
Double Jump is one of the most valuable movement skills to unlock early. Enshrouded has plenty of vertical exploration, platforming, and difficult terrain, so being able to jump again in midair makes getting around much easier.
It can also help you reach places that would otherwise require a longer route.
Updraft
Updraft provides an extra lift while gliding, making it easier to cover long distances and reach distant locations.
As you unlock better gliders and explore larger regions, this skill becomes even more useful. It’s a strong choice for anyone who wants to spend less time climbing and more time traveling.
Prospector
Mining ore can take time, especially when you need large quantities for crafting and upgrades. Prospector helps make resource gathering more efficient, so it’s worth considering if you frequently mine.
Lumberjack
If you spend a lot of time building a base or crafting items that require wood, Lumberjack is another useful choice. It can help reduce the time you spend gathering timber.
Mason
Mason is worth considering if you regularly collect stone for construction or crafting. Building projects can consume a surprising amount of materials, so resource-gathering skills can save you time.
Dessert Stomach
Dessert Stomach provides an additional food slot, allowing you to benefit from another food effect when you have enough food available.
Since food buffs can improve different attributes, an extra slot gives you more flexibility to prepare for combat, exploration, or resource gathering.
Well-Rested
You can also invest in skills that improve the duration of your Rested buff. Since staying rested helps with stamina and exploration, extending the buff can make longer adventures much more comfortable.
Choose Your Remaining Skills Based on Your Build
After picking up useful movement and resource skills, focus on the combat tree that matches your playstyle.
- Mage or Battlemage: Invest in skills that support magical weapons and spell-based combat.
- Melee fighter: Focus on skills that improve close-range damage and survivability.
- Archer: Prioritize skills that improve ranged attacks and bow-based combat.
You don’t need to copy someone else’s entire build. Start with the useful general skills, then spend your remaining points on abilities that match the weapons you enjoy using.
11. You Don’t Need to Return Home Every Night
Enshrouded has a convenient sleep system that makes nighttime much less frustrating, especially in co-op.
You don’t always need to return to your main base to rest. Many abandoned houses and ruins contain usable beds, allowing you to stop and sleep while exploring.
If you want a stronger resting setup, place a campfire near your bed to create a warm resting area.
In multiplayer, only one player needs to go to bed to help advance the night. How quickly the time passes depends on the number of players in the world, but you don’t need everyone to be in bed simultaneously.
This is particularly helpful when exploring far away from your main settlement. Instead of making a long trip home just to skip nighttime, find a nearby shelter and continue your adventure afterward.
Enshrouded has a huge world to explore, and learning a few useful tricks early can make your progression much smoother. Search suspicious objects for hidden treasure, read notes carefully, craft a Small Magic Chest, and keep your essential NPCs somewhere easy to find.
You should also make a habit of upgrading your gear, maintaining your Rested buff, and choosing skills that improve movement and resource gathering. These small improvements become increasingly valuable as you enter tougher regions and explore the new content available in the 1.0 update.
Most importantly, take your time exploring. Some of the best rewards in Enshrouded are hidden away in places you might otherwise walk straight past.
