Beginner's Guide

Gloria Victis relaunched in June 2026 as a free-to-play medieval MMORPG where directional combat, territorial warfare, and nearly one thousand crafting recipes define every hour you spend in Stoneholm. If you are opening the game for the first time—or returning after the 2023 shutdown—this guide gives you a structured seven-day route so you never wonder what to do next. Follow it in order, cross-reference our Controls and Map pages when mechanics feel unclear, and treat the first week as onboarding rather than a race to endgame.

Why a Seven-Day Route Matters

Unlike theme-park MMOs that funnel everyone through identical zones, Gloria Victis opens most of the world quickly. That freedom is a trap for newcomers who wander into partial-loot territory, burn durability on the wrong tools, or skip the Depot before their first death. A day-by-day plan prevents those setbacks while still teaching the systems you need for Leveling, Combat & PvP, and eventually Guild & Siege Prep.

Day	Primary Goal	Key Wiki Pages
1	Tutorial, Depot, first crafting	UI & Interface, Depot & Economy
2	Professions tour, tool management	Professions, Tool Durability
3	Non-loot exploration, first group content	Loot Zone Map, Fast Travel
4	Gear crafting, food buffs	Workshops, Consumables & Food
5	Horse or market travel	Horse Taming
6	Bastion logistics intro	Bastion Logistics
7	Review build, join guild events	Build Tier List, Guild & Siege Prep

Day 1: First-Day Checklist

Your first session should end with a character who understands movement, combat basics, safe storage, and at least one crafted item. Work through this checklist before you log off—every item exists because hundreds of new players skip it and regret the decision later.

Character Creation and Nation Choice

Pick a nation based on friends or aesthetic preference, not population charts. All three factions—Ismir, Midlanders, and Sangmar—access the same core progression. Read our Nations & Territories page for cultural context, but do not agonize over “the best nation.” You can only switch to an underdog nation without deleting characters; starting on the populated faction is fine for learning.

Complete the Starting Tutorial Chain

Follow every quest marker in your capital’s safe zone. The chain teaches:

1. Directional attacks and blocking — covered in depth on Combat Controls. Practice light swings before heavy attacks; stamina management matters from level one.
2. Gathering and inventory — pick up rocks, herbs, and wood. Note how weight affects movement speed.
3. First combat encounters — boars and wolves outside the capital are intentionally forgiving. Pull one enemy at a time.
4. Depot access — open the Depot through the Logistician NPC or UI. Deposit everything you do not need for the next quest step.

Open and Use Your Depot

The Depot is account-wide storage that cannot be looted from your corpse. This is the single most important system on day one. Move these items in immediately:

• Spare weapons and armor (even gray quality backups)
• Crafting materials you are not actively using
• Recipe scrolls and event rewards
• Gold and premium currency items

See Depot & Economy for market and stall details once you have surplus goods.

Locate Every Crafting Station in Your Capital

Walk the capital and pin these workshops on your mental map:

Station	Primary Use	Related Profession
Blacksmith	Weapons, armor, nails	Blacksmithing
Carpenter	Bows, shields, furniture	Carpentry
Tailor	Cloth armor, bags	Tailoring
Alchemist	Potions, bandages	Alchemy
Cook	Food buffs, morale items	Cooking
Tanner	Leather armor, straps	Tanning

You do not need to craft endgame gear today. The goal is knowing where to return when quests demand specific items. Workshops grant a green-quality bonus when your profession level matches the station tier—details on Workshops Guide.

Set Keybinds Before Habit Forms

Open settings and confirm attack directions, block, dodge, interact, and Depot hotkeys. Our Keybinds Reference lists every default binding. Rebind dodge and block to comfortable keys now; relearning muscle memory at level 40 is painful.

Days 2–3: Crafting, Tools, and Safe Exploration

Day 2: Profession Basics

Gloria Victis allows every profession on one character. On day two:

1. Craft a full set of gathering tools (pickaxe, axe, knife, fishing rod if available).
2. Gather coal and iron near your capital using Resource Locations as a reference.
3. Repair or replace tools before durability drops below 50%—gathering slows significantly on worn tools (Tool Durability).
4. Complete any crafting-training quests that appear in your log.

Keep one spare tool set in your Depot. Losing your only pickaxe in a fight wastes more time than the spare costs to craft.

Day 3: Leave the Capital Safely

Travel into the non-loot zone surrounding your nation’s territory. PvP is enabled here, but enemies cannot strip your equipment—only partial stacks of certain materials in edge cases. This is the training ground for real fights.

• Accept escort or patrol quests that force you to read the map.
• Use /unstuck only when genuinely trapped (Chat Commands).
• Learn Logistician fast-travel points for your nation (Fast Travel).
• If attacked, practice blocking and directional counters rather than panic-running.

Do not enter the central Loot Zone yet. Read Partial Loot System first.

Days 4–5: Gear, Food, and Mobility

Day 4: Craft Your First Real Loadout

By now you should craft green-quality weapons and at least mixed armor. Reference Weapons and Armor & Shields for nation-specific variants. Cook tier-one food for stamina and health regeneration buffs—hunger mechanics punish players who skip meals (Consumables & Food).

Deposit your old tutorial gear in the Depot as backup. Never walk into contested territory with only what you are wearing.

Day 5: Get a Horse or Buy One

Mounts dramatically reduce travel time between resource nodes and battlefields. Either tame a wild pair (Horse Taming) or purchase from the player market (Depot & Economy). Budget one full session for taming: pairs respawn on roughly thirty-minute timers and competition is common near capitals.

Days 6–7: Logistics, Guilds, and Review

Day 6: Introduction to Bastion Logistics

Nations require supplied bastions to maintain structures and morale. Even as a solo player, one wheelbarrow run teaches the loop:

1. Speak to a Siege Engineer for a small wheelbarrow.
2. Check a location’s Greatest Need on its detail card.
3. Pick up matching resources from your nation’s main supply warehouse.
4. Deliver to the architect table crate at the destination bastion.

Full walkthrough: Bastion Logistics. Logistic profession points unlock faster carts later.

Day 7: Build Review and Guild Recruitment

Audit your passive skill points against Passive Skills Ranking. Join a guild recruiting in nation chat or Discord. Introduce yourself, ask about supply runs, and sign up for any arena or border event. Guilds earn Fief points from active members—being useful early makes officers remember your name.

Crafting Stations Deep Dive

Understanding station tiers prevents wasted travel. Capitals host all stations at baseline quality. Captured towns may upgrade workshops through bastion investment, reducing material costs and improving output quality. When a quest requires “craft at a green workshop,” return to your capital unless your guild controls an upgraded town.

Recipe acquisition follows three paths: quest rewards, Glory quartermasters, and looted scrolls (Recipes Overview). New players underestimate scroll drops from world events—always loot defeated enemies in PvE events even if PvP is not your focus.

Common Mistakes That Waste Hours

Mistake 1: Loot Zone on Day One

The central Loot Zone holds the best resources and events, but partial loot rules apply. One death can cost a armor piece and thirty seconds of enemy looting time you cannot take back. Stay in non-loot territory until you have backup gear in the Depot and understand interrupt mechanics.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Durability

Gear and tools decay through use and death. Fighting with cracked armor reduces effective protection. Repair at blacksmiths before durability hits critical levels. Some veterans carry two complete loadouts and rotate.

Mistake 3: Hoarding in Inventory

Overweight characters move slowly and die faster. The Depot exists precisely so you can travel light. Rule of thumb: carry one weapon set, one gathering kit, food, bandages, and repair materials. Everything else stays stored.

Mistake 4: Skipping Food and Alcohol Buffs

Food is not optional flavor. Meals provide combat-relevant buffs. Alcohol donations also satisfy bastion morale needs—craft or buy ale before supply runs (Bastion Logistics).

Mistake 5: Solo Everything Forever

Gloria Victis rewards group play for mining veins, world bosses, and border captures. Use nation chat. Ask “LFG mining” or “border patrol.” Even one regular partner doubles your survival rate.

Mistake 6: Chasing Meta Builds Before Level 60

Read Build Tier List for direction, but do not respec obsessively during the tutorial. Points are limited early; focus on one weapon type until level 45 quest completion (Leveling).

What Comes After Week One

Once the seven-day route is complete, transition to the level 46–60 quest chain, daily repeatable events, and structured PvP practice in the arena. Re-read Combat & PvP before your first deliberate duel. Monitor Patch Notes Hub for relaunch balance changes that may adjust tutorial rewards or zone boundaries.

Stoneholm is unforgiving but fair. Players who deposit gear early, respect zone boundaries, and learn crafting stations in their capital outperform rushers within two weeks. Welcome to Gloria Victis—see you on the wall.