[GameSpot] - Frozen Flame Tips: 9 Ways To Stay Alive In This Mash-Up Of Valheim And Breath Of The Wild

[343iBot]

Frozen Flame is a new survival adventure game that puts players in the dying world of the Dragons. The game has now launched into early access for Windows users on Steam after a recent beta period. First-time players will be thrust into a land of the unknown, where they only know a little about the combat and exploration the game has to offer. While Frozen Flame does offer some tutorials along the way, the first hour or two will be challenging for players trying to navigate the landscape. Luckily, we've compiled nine beginner tips for players so they don't feel so lost at the start of the game. These tips won't contain any spoilers for the game's campaign or gameplay loop. However, they will give starting players an edge as soon as they step into the survival world.

1. Pick up all crafting materials early on

Emerging from nothing and willing yourself to prevail is the special ingredient of any good survival game.

As with any survival game, your crafting items are key, especially when you first start out. Frozen Flame is no different, and there are a plethora of resources ripe for the taking in the game's first area. While you don't want to go too overboard, it's vital that you pick up any resource you see during the process of completing your first few quests. Whether it's branches, stones, apples, or anything else, you want to pick it up if you're just walking by.

All of these resources will play a role in the building of your shelter as well as your simple survival in the world. You can eventually become over-encumbered and slow to move, but before then you should be building your first few survival supplies anyway.

2. Unlock the right skills for your play style

Three main playstyles are available early on, but later you'll find a lot more nuance.

At some point within the first 20 or so minutes, you will gain a level in Frozen Flame and be prompted to an Altar, where you can access your character's skill tree. There are dozens of skills and upgrades to pick from, but you'll be limited to only a few early on. Before you start picking random skills that simply sound useful, explore the skill tree in-depth. This is important because you want to see what skills appeal to you the most.

If you see a section that looks like it will help you, like the super jump skill, then unlock early skills close to that section. Unlocking those certain skills will allow you to gain access to the skills you really want much faster. This gives you the freedom to explore the world and play how you want. Of course, if you're more of an open-minded player, then picking skills all across the tree might be the way to go.

3. Apples are your friend

An apple a day keeps the boars away--or at least it may keep them from killing you.

Referring back to the first tip on our list, you will especially want to collect apples in the early portions of Frozen Flame. Not only do apples alone give you a healing source (3 points per apple), but they let you create even stronger healing items later on. Even if you just have an excess of apples for their three points of healing, that's better than having nothing.

Though there will soon be better healing options available, like standard health potions and meals made of animal flesh and foraged items, those are relatively tough to come by in the early going. As you're figuring out combat, you're likely going to need to heal more than once. That's where apples come in very handy. Later, you'll be able to turn apples into fruit pies, which offer huge healing rewards and they can be crafted in a flash.

4. Dodging is usually better than blocking

Stay nimble to stay alive.

Speaking of figuring out combat, the dodge button should be your go-to move in Frozen Flame. While your first instinct might just be to run at enemies and swing your axe repeatedly, without any armor yet, you're just asking to be killed. Your dodge button is an extremely powerful maneuver that you want to remember to use. You can dodge by using the dedicated dodge keybind or by pressing space and moving your mouse in the direction you want to go.

Either way, you'll quickly learn how strong dodging is in Frozen Flame. You can evade just about any enemy attack in the early part of the game just by dodging. Watch out for the green stamina bar, though, as dodging drains that meter quite fast.

5. Look for resources where they're most likely to be

Use common sense when foraging and you'll likely fill your pockets with what you need.

One of the more challenging aspects of the beginning part of Frozen Flame will likely be trying to find enough resources to craft everything that you either want or need to make. For example, one of the early quests requires you to make a Workbench and a Stone Pickaxe. However, this requires a good amount of branches, logs, and stone. While branches and logs are readily accessible in the starting area, stone is more difficult to find.

Of course, that's only if you're looking for it in the wooded areas. There's a bounty of stone to be found in the rocky portions of the map. The same goes for most resources in Frozen Flame; if you think a resource should be in a certain location, it's probably there.

6. Be mindful of your carrying weight and weapon strength

Repairing is always cheaper than crafting anew.

Since Frozen Flame is a survival game, players are going to have to manage their inventory quite extensively. This involves ensuring that you don't go over a certain carrying weight and replacing your weapons and tools as they wear down. While there are ways to improve both your carrying weight and weapon strength, it will be a nagging annoyance for the early part of the game. For reference, you can acquire skills and clothing options to gain a higher carrying weight and with the right resources, you can repair weapons. You can see your current "Max Weight" if you open your inventory and you can see the current strength of a weapon by hovering over it in the inventory. Be sure to fix a weapon before it breaks, as it's always cheaper to repair than to make something from scratch.

7. Explore every nook and cranny

The world is yours to explore.

One of the best parts of any survival game is the thrill of exploration. Developers of these games reward players that go out and fully explore the map. Frozen Flame is no different, as there are secrets hidden all over the place. Most of the time, these secrets come in the form of treasure chests, which offer varying rewards. One of the most common rewards from chests in the early game is health potions, which are extremely useful in a pinch. However, there are also bits and pieces of the story that are hidden throughout the world, which provides an interesting background to the game's lore.

If you think an area or part of the map can be explored in Frozen Flame, it most likely can. It's very Zelda-like in that way. So set out and find the map's secrets, because there are a ton of them. Just know that the game is happy to let you stroll into an area where you're outmatched pretty much right away, so don't go into every fight thinking you can prevail.

8. Take advantage of the jump attack

Charge up your special attack, then clear a small mob of early-game enemies.

During your first few fights in Frozen Flame, you'll likely be swinging your axe, dodging, and trying to survive the encounter itself. If you're looking for a way to spice up the combat and end fights quicker, try the jump attack. This is simply done by jumping into the air and then pressing the attack button once a meter above your stamina bar fills, and it fills pretty quickly, which is a nice surprise. Your character will swing their axe down to the ground, dealing more damage than a standard attack. While not a game-changer, the jump attack does allow you to possibly deal a fatal blow that could save your life.

9. Making your first shelter

Make your house a home early on and you'll reap the benefits quickly.

Simply put, your first shelter in Frozen Flame doesn't need to be a masterpiece. It doesn't need to require you to spend hours chopping down trees so you can build an extravagant settlement before you really dive into the game's story. Your first shelter should be something simple that has a roof, four walls, and all of the resources that you need, like a Workbench, bonfire, etc. Basically, you need your shelter status to tell you that you are safe and warm. Keeping a roof over your head--literally--will also prevent your bedroll from taking wear and tear damage.

Later on, you'll have plenty of chances to make a huge and fancy shelter. For the first few hours, though, focus on exploring the map, gathering resources, completing quests, and leveling up while inside of your simple shelter.

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