V Rising takes place in a dark, fantastical world where blood-suckers are abundant and the land is ripe with unholy creatures. As a vampire awakened from a lengthy slumber, players must navigate this dangerous world to restore their strength and rise to power.
Death lurks around every corner as a formidable foe, and daylight threatens an already difficult path. While many will struggle to master the game’s blend of survival and open-world role-playing, you’ve already taken the first step toward rebuilding your once-stately stronghold—and increasing your odds of success.
Welcome to our V Rising beginner’s guide, designed to help you prepare for the adventure ahead. Use the following tips and suggestions to get past the early game and see the best this open-world survival title has to offer.
V Rising isn’t the type of game you want to head into blind. Just one slip up, and it’s back into the dirt with you. Follow this guide, though, and you may just survive.
Choose Your Server Wisely
There are two core server types in V Rising: one where you can team up with others to battle AI-controlled forces of evil, and one where a player can come along and completely wreck your evening.
PvE servers are what you can consider the “solo and co-op servers.” In these servers, players can only attack AI opponents. As with most games with a PvE option, it’s a good launching point to help familiarize yourself with the mechanics.
PvP, on the other hand, is a complete free-for-all. Players can still team up, but it’s also quite possible your so-called “friends” will betray you and kill you. PvP is a real challenge, as the difficulty isn’t dictated by AI, but by actual players. These players may have scores of hours more logged into the game than you. Everything you build can be ransacked by human players, and when killed, your body is free for looting, though your equipment and tools remain behind.
If you enjoy the punishment, “Full Loot” PvP takes the typical PvP experience and adds the sting of losing everything you’ve worked for upon your death. “PvP Duo” is a little more forgiving, as you’ll be able to ally yourself with a friend to take on this unforgiving world.
Choose Your Home Carefully
If you’re playing in a PvP server, never drop your castle in the middle of a busy pathway. While you’re out gathering supplies, someone is sure to come along and do their worst. You have to be careful with your placement, especially since you can only have up to two castles at a time.
Look for an area that’s easily defensible, particularly with a chokepoint that can be used to funnel enemies into a trap. However, you also want to consider proximity to resources. While being closer to a cluster of materials may make you more of a target, the convenience is unmatched.
Explore the starting area of Farbane Woods extensively until you believe you’ve found the perfect place to call home. Consider what your primary focus is going to be, and make the decision that best suits your play style.
Don’t Underestimate Servants
Even Dracula needed an ally. Your servants, of which you can have nine, are there to do your bidding. They’ll fight for you and keep your castle tidy, hunt for and gather resources, and offer their blood when you’re a little thirsty. Recruit as many as you can and backfill quickly should one die.
Remember, Sunlight Is Deadly
When you first start out in V Rising, it’ll be easy to forget that sunlight is bad. Though the sun will kill you, it does cast shadows that move as it rises and sets, which you can use to still be productive during the day.
Just don’t forget the warning signs that you’ll soon take damage. It starts with an orange spark, then a beam of light that focuses solely on your character. Even if you miss those cues, it should be difficult to overlook the increasing brightness and ominous sound effect.
It only takes seconds for the sun to kill you, so if you are out scouring for supplies or farming for resources, pay close attention to the shadows and stay within them at all times.
Get To Know Your Gear
Though you’ll have a host of supernatural powers at your command, your vampire does best when equipped with the proper tools. V Rising has quite the selection of weapons, including swords, maces, spears, and crossbows. What’s important to remember is that some of them, like axes, double as tools to mine for resources.
While any weapon can be used to gather materials, some are better at it than others. For example, swords are perfect for chopping down vegetation, while maces will chip away at minerals quicker. Axes, on the other hand, are perfect for chopping down wood.
Especially if you’re in a PvP server, you don’t want to linger gathering materials, so it’s best to know which weapon to use on which resource.
Know Your Blood Types
This is the only time ever in your life you’ll be advised to comingle different blood types. And that’s because, in V Rising, blood types dictate your attributes. When you suck the blood out of your prey, you’ll take on some of their attributes.
Creature blood buffs health regeneration, sun resistance, and damage reduction while improving movement speed. Rogue blood increases movement speed and critical strike while reducing the Travel Skill cooldown. There are six blood types in total, and each will make you a more formidable foe.
Experiment with each blood type and know which to drink based on your situation. For example, if you’re out mining resources, Worker blood increases yield and makes your mount faster. Unfortunately, only one buff can be added at a time, so manage your blood types well.
Be Careful When Logging Out
Unlike with a traditional offline game, when you log out of V Rising, your vampire waits for your return wherever you left them, and the game continues on around them. If you’re not careful about where you leave your vampire when you log out, you’re definitely going to come back to a dead character.
Hide your vampire in a coffin, and they may just survive in your absence.
As Always, Have Fun!
There is a lot to pay attention to in V Rising, but when everything clicks, it can make for quite an entertaining experience. Follow this guide, and you’ll bypass the horrors of being the “new player,” allowing you to make some progress and get the most out of your time in the moonlight.
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