1. Item Pickups: If you pick up any loot, it will be listed on the left side of the screen for a short time.
   
2. Compass: The top center of the screen is dedicated to the compass. Aside from showing the direction you're facing, it will also highlight any major points of interest (such as Spirit Anchors[techraptor.net] or boats[techraptor.net]) and any waypoints you've marked on the map.
   
3. Time: The circle to the right of the compass shows you a rough estimate of the current time of day.
   
4. Knowledge Points Alert: If you have new Knowledge Points[techraptor.net], you'll be notified by an alert in the top right of the screen.
   
5. Encumbrance: The bag in the circle on the bottom left of the screen shows how much you are encumbered in your inventory. If the circle becomes full, you gain the "Encumbered" debuff and you lose the ability to move at full speed, use a Skimmer[techraptor.net], or launch yourself from the ground with a glider[techraptor.net]. (You can still use a glider to slow your falls from a greater height.)
   
6. Temperature: The meter with blue and orange marks on the bottom left shows how hot or cold you are. Being too hot or too cold can result in debuffs which negatively impact your stats.
   
7. Food: Any food[techraptor.net] you've eaten will show in the two circles to the right, below the health bar. The circles will slowly count down as the buffs from the food expire.
   
8. Health Bar: Your health is displayed with the standard red bar. As always, you'll die if your health drops to 0. Any buffs or debuffs you have will be shown above the health bar.
   
9. Alerts: Any important information (such as a Guide Spirit[techraptor.net] being nearby) will be shown in the bottom center of the screen, just above the hotbar.
   
10. Experience: The blue bar directly above your hotbar shows your progress to the next level.
    
11. Hotbar: The icons at the bottom of the screen show the eight equipped items you are currently using. Only usable items can be placed on the hotbar.
    
12. Stamina: The circle to the right of your character is a stamina wheel, similar in style to the stamina wheel in Breath of the Wild. It vanishes when you have full stamina.
    
13. Spirit Form: Your equipped Spirit Form[techraptor.net] is shown in the circle to the right of the hotbar. This is a special transformation that gives you buffs for a short duration. You won't gain access to a Spirit Form until you've completed the first three ruins in The Embrace, the first major region on the map[techraptor.net]. Spirit Forms are equipped at a special elemental shrine that must be crafted after rescuing an Elder Spirit.
    
14. Major Abilities: The two Major Abilities you have equipped are shown to the right of your Spirit Form at the bottom right of the screen. These are active abilities that you can use once you've unlocked them by rescuing Guide Spirits and equipping them at a Spirit Anchor.
    
15. Controls: The bottom right of the screen shows you hotkeys for certain functions, such as entering Build Mode[techraptor.net].
    

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    Now that we've explained the HUD, it's time to get to the meat of this Voyagers of Nera Starter Guide! This Walkthrough section will help you figure out the basics of the early game and guide you to tackling your first ruins.

Your very first step in Voyagers of Nera is to create your character. This is a purely cosmetic affair; the base stats and abilities of all characters are the same regardless of how you look.

Don't worry too much about getting everything perfect; you can change the appearance of your character later (including your sex) by unlocking the Looking Pool on the Knowledge Tree[techraptor.net] after you've found the correct Guide Spirit[techraptor.net] in The Embrace.

With your character created, it's time to enter the world. You'll appear in some rooms after a bright flash of light; it's time to get moving!

Make your way through the temple. A short distance ahead, you'll encounter your first Guide Spirit. Guide Spirits are mystical beings that you must rescue as you explore the world, and this is your first one.
While a handful of Guide Spirits are simply chilling in peace, the majority are essentially held hostage by leveled enemies. Use your fists to punch the enemies that appear until they're defeated. Then, rescue the Guide Spirit by interacting with it.

Once that's done, rescue the Guide Spirit by interacting with it, then move forward — it's time to head outside.

Leave the Awakening Chamber and you'll find yourself in a small cove by a beach. Don't worry too much about heading out and exploring just yet; instead, you should get started on building your first base[techraptor.net]. (Don't worry, you'll be able to build elsewhere later without too much trouble!)

You can pick up loose Wood and Stone on the ground by collecting Sticks and Loose Stones on the ground, respectively. You'll want to get a minimum of 15 Wood and 15 Stone total.

Once you've collected those items, open up the Knowledge Tree[techraptor.net] by pressing K. The Knowledge Tree is used to unlock new crafting recipes and other important items by spending Knowledge Points; you can earn Knowledge Points by leveling up or by finding Monuments on the map.
Unlock the Workbench and Stone Pickaxe; if you have spare points, you can unlock other items on Level 1 of the Knowledge Tree. Build a Workbench on the ground, then use the Workbench to craft a Pickaxe. Look for a large stone and get to work hitting it until you have a total of 35 Stone.

You should also collect another 5 Wood by picking up Sticks. When that's done, unlock the Stone Axe on the Knowledge Tree. Craft it at the Workbench, and now you'll be able to chop down trees to get Wood in higher quantities along with a new crafting material: Resin.

Now that you can get Wood and Stone more easily, it's time to set up a basic base[techraptor.net]. The first thing you'll want to do is build a Spirit Anchor[techraptor.net]; this essentially designates your base as a safe zone and provides you with some buffs as long as you're within its radius.

Next, unlock the Makeshift Building Kit on the Knowledge Tree[techraptor.net]. This will allow you to make very basic buildings. At the minimum, you'll need a Wood Frame, a floor, and a roof above it; this will allow you to place a Makeshift Bedroll (which is also unlocked on Knowledge Tree Level 2). Using a bed allows you to skip the night.

Don't worry too much about building a complex base just yet; all you need is a single room to hold a bed for now. You can't build much until you've conquered your first ruins and leveled up a little more anyway.

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Continue reading this guide at TechRaptor, and check out our other Voyagers of Nera guides on our site!

[techraptor.net]

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