Bellwright: Beginner Tips

Bellwright starts you off with nothing but the clothes on your back and a burning need for vengeance. Even if you're used to survival games, you might find yourself getting off to a rocky start if you aren't careful. Bandits, wolves, and Mother Nature all seem to have it out for you, and it will be a while before you're ready to take them all on.

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If you're just starting your journey in the land of Karvenia, these tips will help you get acclimated. Soon, you'll be an invaluable part of the Lowlands, with food in your belly and an army at your back.

This guide is based on the early-access version of Bellwright, which may be different from the final product. Information here is subject to change as a result.

Plan Your Day

There's a lot to do in Bellwright, and there are only so many hours in the day. Taking trips to far-off towns or to set up a resource outpost can eat up lots of your available daylight, so you may not accomplish everything you wanted to before bedding down for the night.

It helps to have an idea of what you want to accomplish at the start of each in-game day. You don't necessarily have to write down a proper to-do list, though this can help. At the very least you should pick a quest and track it, focusing on completing its objectives. If you need to build a new structure or research a new tech to make it happen, prioritize those projects.

The big thing is to not get sidetracked; taking extra time to chase down a deer or gather materials you don't need will slow you down in the long run.

Always Fight On A Full Stomach

Ideally, you should always have at least one of your food slots filled at any given time. Even rudimentary edibles like Berries and Mushrooms provide a boost to your Health and Stamina. If you're running on empty, you'll be stuck walking everywhere and be extremely vulnerable if you get ambushed.

Once you're in a position to have cooked meals regularly, try to make sure you've always got a full stomach. That means carrying extra rations or knowing where to forage a quick snack wherever you are.

Food that goes uneaten for too long will spoil, becoming useless. Throw spoiled food awayin Outhouses. This is the only way to permanently delete an item, as opposed to leaving it lying on the ground.

Talk To Wandering Townsfolk

If you're like me, you've come to rely on quest markers to know who's worth talking to. In most games, if an NPC doesn't have an exclamation mark or other symbol over their head, you'll get some minor lore at best and a comment on the weather at worst. That's not the case in Bellwright.

Villagers going about their day in towns are willing to join your settlement if you have enough favor with the locals. They'll only do so if you ask them directly, so it pays to greet everyone and see if they're a potential hire.

Townsfolk require more trust in order to join you the more skilled they are. Beggars have low stats but are eager to join you, while talented specialists will be reluctant to leave their established trade without a good reason.

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Carry Only What You Need

You'll quickly discover that your inventory fills up very quickly. It may look like you have a lot of slots at first, but bulk items don't stack and larger resources like logs and ores take up multiple spaces. It pays to have room to pick up a few extra Sticks or the like, since you can always use them.

Items can stack in chests and crafting stations, but each box has a limited amount of space. Larger items take up that space just like they do in your backpack. Oddly, your private stash in your house doesn't work this way, instead operating the same way as your backpack.

Take A Companion When Hunting

You might like the idea of being a lone hunter bringing down a mighty stag with a well-placed arrow, but Bellwright doesn't really work that way. Even rabbits can usually survive an arrow shot, and will run away at the first sign of trouble. Bringing a Companion, also equipped with a bow, can help you bring down deer quickly without having to chase them through the woods.

This goes double for boars, who are large and aggressive. You don't want to fight one alone.

Death Is Annoying, But Not Debilitating

Bellwright is much, much more forgiving than most survival games. There's no permadeath, and unless your camp is currently under attack you can instantly respawn at your house. The only real drawback is that you'll drop everything you had in your backpack at the spot where you died, which usually means you'll have to make a trip back to a dangerous area to recover it.

Your weapons and other equipped items, though, stay with you when you respawn, so you won't be going in empty-handed. This means that you can afford to take risks without gambling your entire campaign.

Followers who fall in battle become Injured, reducing their productivity until they recover. If an Injured Follower goes down again, they die permanently. This is fairly easy to avoid as long as you don't conscript Injured characters for raids, but pay attention to everyone's status!

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