Quick start guide

(Version 0.2, author: Kuhbaner)

A new game, how do I get started, which things will help me and which won't?

When you launch a new game, there are typically numerous questions right from the start about how best to proceed and what to avoid. Are there goals that I should achieve and how can I do so? These questions aren't so easy to answer, since each player is different and will enjoy certain aspects of the game play more than others.

In Days of Evil there are a variety of different gaming aspects that you can explore to discover which are most of interest for you. This guide seeks to introduce you to the world of Days of Evil and show you what awaits and how you can climb up the ranks. There is however one thing this guide won't do: eliminate the fun of playing the game yourself, since that's why you're here in the first place.

 

Quests

When the game first starts you're faced with a variety of options. Instead of taking a scattershot approach to it all and simply building this or that for the sake of building something, the smart approach is to read through what is needed and where. The 'Dailies' (found under Quests) are a good opportunity to gain some experience and level up. Be forewarned, though: they'll eat up much of your income in the early stages, although later they're typically much more easily mastered.

 

The same applies for the story quests. Here too you should consider carefully whether you want to dive right in from the start, and whether you can afford to accept the quest at all. We recommend that you start slowly, since in the early stages in particular it's difficult to make good estimates of your expenses and there are few things more frustrating than ending up just a couple of gold pieces short for an important piece of expansion for your production buildings.

 

The bottom line:
Only take on quests if you can afford them.

 

Your army

Your initial army is weak. Puny even. It doesn't matter. Send them out to bring you back some plunder. Those raids bring in valuable resources, and when you're first getting started it's important to do them regularly to ensure a strong source of income. The longer your troops are on the move the better, so keep sending them out.

 

The raid may also bring you a serf. That's good, since you need them for your army. More on that in a minute. Dungeon exploration provides even more plunder. But it's only advisable to enter dungeons that are labeled as "This place represents no threat to your army."

 

The dungeon provides you not just more resources and gold, but also in particular weapons and equipment for your troops.

 

Your army can hold up to 50 units. Above and beyond this you can command epic units, which you can acquire in four ways. The first two involve purchasing them from the Beastmaster or beating one of the bosses. The other two ways will come much later in the game, but for the sake of completeness we'll mention them here.

 

The third path to an epic unit is through achievements, the fourth through the attainment of a certain point total. For the start though the first two paths are the ones that you're likely to achieve. As with dungeons, a boss fight should only be launched if the text appears in dark green. Bosses provide a certain sum of gold, although not always enough to heal the damages to your army, and epic units.

 

You can and should outfit your army with weapons and equipment that you find as well as with weapons, equipment and potions that you can buy on the market or produce yourself.

 

In short:
put your troops to work for you, that's what they're there for. Always keep them occupied... the less idle time the better.

 

Battle and Honor

In the beginning you're destined to do nothing but lose. It's a prime opportunity to see how things work. Each day your ferocity level is reset to 100; each battle costs you 10 points, so each day you can enter into ten battles. There's no downside to it, other than the fact you should be clear that you'll lose in the beginning. Don't worry about it. You're troops won't be permanently damaged, and all it costs are those ferocity points.

 

Once you've finally built up your army's strength, don't be shy about attacking... it will earn you not just honor, but also gold. Honor is important because you'll need it to shop at the elite merchant. Stop in and check out his wares. The objects he's got on offer can make your troops much more powerful in a hurry. But remember: you'll need gold, and lots of it. Your best bet may be to think carefully about when exactly you'll clear a certain threshold in the elite merchant's eyes and get access to even more advanced goods. Save up gold and buy souls (either on the market using gold or from the soul dealer for real cash) in advance so that when the time comes you can buy everything you need and outfit your army right.

 

Since there's also an achievement to reward defeats, always be sure to use up your ferocity points. It's certainly quite easy to get defeats in the beginning. Once your army is more established they'll be much more rare.

 

Summary:
Honor is nice, but not decisive in battle. If you're planning on really becoming a player in the arena, then you'll first need to make your army strong and then use souls to refresh your ferocity levels.

 

Production

This is where the majority of time is invested, both in the beginning and later as well. That's because this is where you ultimately produce gold as well as valuable equipment and components for your mech. Give some thought to what you'd like to produce and then think about precisely where you'd like to get started. Your options are inherently wide open. In the early stages basic materials (wood, water, stone and ore) are particularly attractive since they're easy to sell on the market or through contracts.

 

The profits should be first and foremost plowed back into upgrades of your production buildings and buying imps. Both are important to earn even more gold. And what should you do with the new stacks of gold you earn? Exactly! More imps and more production facilities, so that more gold flows in. A virtuous circle, so to speak, except earned in vicious ways. There are plenty of different options to spend that money (as stated above.)

 

Summary:
in the early stages this is where you should spent most of your time. The more you produce, the quicker you grow. Mind the prices on the market (and at the troll merchant).

 

Trade

There are a variety of ways to turn the products you produce into gold. The marketplace is sorted in the same way as your inventory. Check what your products would earn and contemplate what price you'd need to part with them. It's recommended that you calculate in advance how much a product costs to produce so that you don't sell it for less than it costs to make.

 

In the same way you can also buy things fast if you require them for the expansion or initial erection of a building. Beyond the marketplace, there's also a travelling merchant, whose prices tend to fluctuate. Be sure to check in frequently and sell your products if the prices are high. The greater the number of items you're trying to move, the longer the travelling merchant will need. He's not helpful if you need cash in a hurry.

 

The troll market is better for that, although the products that you can sell there change from time to time. That means that what you've got to offer may not be in demand when you happen to be looking to sell. As such, it's not a great solution for fast gold, but can be profitable if managed carefully over the long run.

 

One very quick way is to sign a contract with other players; if they happen to need something you've got, then you can earn some serious cash in a hurry. Prices fluctuate, so keep an eye on the announcements.

 

The Beastmaster sells you Epic units, while the imp dealer sells imps. You're almost certain to be a regular customer at the imp dealer.

 

Summary:
Buying and selling is a key gaming element in DoE. It's highly recommended that you watch the market and try to earn as much money as possible for your products.

 

Research

There are two main areas of research, for your army and for your mech. It's recommended that you keep up your research in each of them, since this provides better units and better equipment (for your mech). The process does of course cost gold and resources. But be cautious, especially in the beginning. Research finishes quickly and the next round always costs more.

 

Summary:
When first getting started only do as much research as you can afford.

 

Achievements

You'll find the achievements in your fortress. Look through them carefully, as they bring you gold and experience. It is sometimes highly advisable to focus on one specific achievement to make sure you get it. Remember that most achievements cost more than they bring in.

 

Summary:
Important to get ahead, so always keep them in mind.

 

Souls

Souls are a secondary currency alongside gold in DoE. You can buy them on the market or directly from players, or from the soul dealer for real money (euros).

 

It's always a question of whether you want to have a given thing or not and whether you can afford to invest real money or not. Souls will help you progress much quicker in certain parts of the game, while at other places they only bring a slight advantage.

 

Because souls can also be bought and sold for gold, players who don't use real money also have a path to acquiring the objects only available through souls. That said, it takes longer.  

 

We'd like to express our thanks to the player Kuhbaner, who took the time to write this guide!