V Rising is a deceptively complex survival ARPG, and progressing through it will require a lot of time and work, especially as a solo player or a small two-person clan. In this guide, we will give you a few pointers to keep in mind in order to help you progress through the game a little more smoothly.
Complete Progression Guide (Solos & Duos)
Before we begin, it should be noted that I mainly only play on PVE servers with my group (we don’t have time to deal with raids), so some of these tips may not be as helpful if you have to account for base raids or hostile players.
This is also tailored towards newer players, as more experienced individuals will have their own priorities and strategies already set. This isn’t a definitive guide, so feel free to veer off the path whenever you want. With that said, let’s get to it!
Starting Out – Early Progression
At the start, assuming your server isn’t absolutely packed, I recommend choosing a base location right on the border between Farbane Woods and Dunley Farmlands (red square in the map below). This will make it easier for you to transition to the next region before you unlock the waypoints there.
You can create your own teleport waypoint at base later on, so this isn’t an absolute requirement. It’s just more convenient to settle in the aforementioned border, in my opinion.
If you are feeling extra brazen, you can set up in my group’s favorite early-mid game spot within Dunley Farmlands. It’s at the blue square in the map below, and it is very close to free horses, iron, and cotton. You will be massively under-leveled for a while in that region.
Unlocking Wolf Form
At the start, you will want to work on building up your base and unlocking all of the early recipes as fast as possible. Get the Alpha Wolf’s V Blood immediately, because wolf form will be a huge mobility boost and will be extremely useful throughout your entire in-game career.
Even if your gear score is still a bit on the low end, consider taking him on as soon as possible. Its attacks and summons are very easy to deal with, and if you have a partner, it will go down much faster. You can even get it before you make a base, if you want.
Rushing Errol the Stonebreaker – Getting Copper
So, funny thing is, the spell unlocking system has been completely revamped for the 1.0 release. Back then, I would have recommended that you try to kill Lidia the Chaos Archer for her Chaos Volley spell.
Now, you can get Chaos Volley much earlier by taking on Errol the Stonebreaker in the bandit copper mine zone. He is significantly easier than the previous option and you can abuse his attacks to break copper nodes in his arena.
While you’re here, gather up as much copper as you can carry. You’re going to need a lot of it at this stage of the game.
Other Resources and Goreswine the Ravager
During the early stages of your vampire career, you will want to unlock the Merciless weapons and the next tier of armor as soon as possible. This means searching for recipes through killing bosses or buying from the shady book dealer (if he has them on stock).
Goreswine the Ravager is also worth killing as early as possible if you have decent enough gear to take him on. This will let you unlock Ward of the Damned, which is one of my favorite shield spells that has become way easier to acquire in 1.0.
Entering Mid-Ish Game Stages
By the time you start venturing into Dunley Farmlands, your next priority will be to gather as much iron as you can. This is, as you would expect, done in the large iron mine where you can find two V Blood units.
When you go on an iron run, consider luring Meredith the Bright Archer and Kriig the Undead General towards the each other. These two typically fight each other in the mines, and if they are engaged, you can potentially get easy kills on them for their drops and V Blood.
If they are roaming separately, skip fighting them for now unless you are confident in your ability to beat them and their constant summoned minions. Kriig is particularly desirable due to his Reaper unlock, which is a fantastic weapon to have.
Other Mid Game Stuff to Consider
At this point, as you collect more unlocks from other V Blood carriers, you should go on regular cotton farm runs and gather as many as you can. Just be mindful of the garlic debuff, as staying in these farms will make you rack up a ton of stacks.
Don’t forget to keep refining as much iron and cotton as you can, as this will take a long time depending on your server settings. You are going to need a lot of these when you have to raise your gear score, as well as other stuff later on.
By now, you should be aware that killing certain bosses that you’ve already beaten can get you the necessary recipes for gear upgrades. Keep racking up more resources and recipes throughout this period.
If you are also confident in your ability to fight bosses, I would recommend going after Jade the Vampire Hunter even if you are under-leveled. Killing her will unlock pistols, which has been my personal favorite weapon type in the game ever since its inception in early access.
Late Game Stuff to Consider
As you press on towards the Cursed Forest, Gloomrot, and beyond, this is where you and your partner, if you have one, should start forging your own path forward. Some tips to keep in mind include rushing the Wanderer within the Cursed Forest.
This V Blood carrier is a pain in the rear to kill, but taking him down will unlock the Shroud of the Forest cape, which is absolutely essential for Cursed Forest content. He doesn’t fight back, but he will run through various deadly enemies and occasionally ensnare you.
From there, start going after Foulrot the Soultaker, Ungora the Spider Queen, and Cyril the Cursed Smith. In my opinion, only Ungora is a real threat here if you are unfamiliar with her mechanics. Getting these bosses will get you started with the next tier of resources and workstations.
If you have pistols, I would recommend sneaking into Silverlight Hills and killing Baron du Bouchon the Sommelier even if you are under-leveled. This will get you an early unlock of Blood Merlot, which will come in handy if you have started imprisoning 100% blood units.
Ziva the Engineer is right on the 60 mark and should be hilariously easy to beat once you figure out her moves. Killing her will get you the essential late game resource power core’s recipe.
At around the gear score 60+, I would even suggest going after the later bosses at Gloomrot as well. I’m talking about carriers like Henry Blackbrew the Doctor and even Voltatia the Power Master. With a bit of pattern memorization, you can reliably beat them way before you reach their level.
Past that point, feel free to explore the endgame content on your own pace as you continue to grind up your gear score and other new features, such as passive abilities. By this stage, you will be farming the new Rift Incursions and more.
I personally have not had early access to the 1.0 content, so you will have to discover the new endgame stuff on your own, just like the majority of players right now.
And that is pretty much all of the general advice I can give you that will hopefully help smoothen your path forward as a solo player or duo team in the game. While you’re here, check out our guide on passive abilities in V Rising, as it is an entirely new feature that will be incredibly useful later on!
