Howdy. This short guide is to introduce you guys to some of the basics of Grimoire while Pa works hard on the manual. I'll update it over time.

To Grimoire enthusiasts, welcome! I hope I can make your experience a bit easier and more enjoyable.

To trolls and SJW conniption-kids, I'll try not to overstimulate you with too many bright colours or loud noises.

Your party composition is one of the most important decisions you'll make in the entire game. It will determine how difficult the first few areas are, your late game potetial, and your spell repertoire.

You also want to create characters with a sick backstory that you made up in your head, because you're going to be spend hundreds of hours playing with them and likely start hearing them talking to you after binge-play induced delirium sets in.

Here are some tips and things to consider when making a party:

1. What is my fighter-to-caster ratio?

Fighters (classes like Warrior, Beserker, Ranger, etc) stay up front, soak up damage, deal most of your damage per turn, and have lots of options in terms of what armor and weapons they can equip (whereas casters usually can't even wear armor).

Casters (Wizards, Necromancers, Sages, etc) are low-hp, high damage, and basically sit at the back of your party flinging spells at monsters while the Fighters tank damage.

You should have three fighters minimum, and two casters minimum, and then put in whatever other roles you'd like.

2. You need a Sage.

Every party must have a Sage. Sages are basically a jack-of-all-trades caster that has tons of utility early game and becomes just as badass as a necromancer or wizard late game. You can potentially even omit a necromancer, cleric, or wizard from your party and have your sage fill that position instead. Obviously, they won't be as effective as that actual role. But that extra slot would allow you to stick an additional fighter in your party. Make sure you get Detect Secret as one of your Sage's starting spells. An Aeorb or Human Sage is a must.

3. You need an Aeorb character.

Every party should have an Aeorb. Their Mind Flay ability kicks ass early game. An Aeorb Sage is a powerful combination.

4. Bards are pretty great, too... in fact, they should probably be nerfed in an upcoming patch.

A Bard basically does nothing except shoot crowd-control effects at enemies each round, which can make combat a lot easier.

5. You need a pile of massive muscles.

You need a guy who literally is just there to get punched in the face so that other party members won't. Make him a high HP race like Wolfin, Naga, Giant, etc.

Here's a couple tips that will instantly make you a better Grimoire player:

1. F1 shows all hotkeys.
2. Holding down ENTER will fast-forward through combat
3. Save constantly. Grimoire has NO autosave system and it's as hard as hell.
4. Whenever you're exploring a new area, try to use Detect Secret to scan tiles. If the eye starts to twinkle, the tile you're on has a secret, and that probably means treasure. Alternatively, get a character high in the Scout skill to achieve the same effect.
5. Great early-game spells include: Magic Missile, Poison, Insect Swarm, Blinding Flash, Cure Light Wounds/Condition, Shrill Sound, and Knock Knock.
6. Sleep often.
7. If the item is evil-looking, it's probably cursed.
8. If you get an ominous message about hearing something in the darkness ahead, brace yourself for a mini-boss.
9. Recruiting Little Rosy will make the early game a lot easier. Your dismissed party members will wait for you in the tomb in Shrine of the Raptor at the beginning of the Briarpatch Woods start.
10. There is a secret way in Aquavia to make the fight with Shiva Han Goromu way easier... but I'm not going to tell you what it is :D !

Happy Trails!