Next Steps

OK. Now you know your way around a little. It's time to actually make progress. I think there are four things the new player needs to do as quickly and efficiently as possible:

  1. Get some decent gear.
  2. Level up to Level 25.
  3. Expand inventory capacity.
  4. Stock the Stronghold with Minions.

One thing to be aware of as you play the game, and read this guide: DH5 is geared to make you spend money. Even changing your character's name costs currency. There will be times when spending real is unavoidable in order to get some things accomplished. The approach I'm recommending here will allow you to get to an effective point in the game with the least cash layout and the least frustration.

1. Get some decent gear

  • Once you have your "Adventurers Pack", buy either $20 or $50 worth of Gems. It's worth it. If you'd spend $40 on a standalone game, may as well spend a similar amount on DH5 since you'll be playing it a lot.
  • Next, buy some Chests. Most of the time the "Kinoshi" chests will be available - these provide better gear. If you can wait a few days for these to be available: do so.
  • Get yourself one Tier 3 ("T3") or better armor, ranged weapon (crossbow or staff), and skirmish weapon (sword or glaive). Once you have these, you can stop spending currency.
    • If you also get a "skill item" (a belt, pack, or gauntlet) more's the better.

At this point in your DH5 career, do not worry about getting one set of equipment for each color. Just build one good set and put everything into it until you get further along.

2. Level up to Level 25

Getting to L25 has some real advantages:

  1. You can carry a "Trinket" which gives you additional armor/attack rating.
  2. You can join a Guild which gives you people to help you along.
  3. You can carry enough decent gear to be able to try some of the more difficult missions and events.

3. Expand inventory capacity

As you progress early on, you'll collect gear you want to hang on to. You'll also need to collect "Evolution Materials" so you can improve your gear. All this requires expanding your "Inventory". This costs gems. It's a worthwhile investment. Just bite the bullet and expand as needed.

4. Stock the Stronghold with Minions

The Stronghold is explained later on. At this point, all you need to know about it is what advantage having a decent Stronghold provides:

  1. A well-stocked Stronghold generates Gold 24x7 - you need Gold to improve your gear.
  2. If you can do 5 Raids per day that helps you get the "Daily Bonus" which is 5 Gems.
  3. When people Raid you and lose, you get "Fusion Boosters" which help you improve your gear faster.

So if you have some Gems left over from your initial purchase, it's worth spending some on a couple of good Minions.