DragonSword: Awakening Beginner Guide and Tips

DragonSword: Awakening is a fast-paced open-world action RPG with team-based combat. In this guide, we will explain who to upgrade first, which teams to build early on, how Status Ailments, Signal Skills, Hero Tickets, and Karma work. We will also cover fast leveling, Shelter progression, mounts, and farming gold, materials, Moon Keys, and your first difficult challenges.

At the start, choose your main trio of heroes and invest resources into them first. In the Tower of Trials and on higher difficulties, the lack of synergy becomes critical.

For active play, the team of Charlotte, Johnny, and Raina works well. Charlotte is mobile, fights in the air, and summons a shadow clone, while her teammates apply states that let her continue attacking. This squad deals high damage, but requires precise dodges.

A simpler ranged option is Ceres, Othello, and Dana. Another useful combination is Renia, Lute, and Alex. Renia applies Freeze, Lute activates Break the Ice, and Alex sets up Knockdown. Lute is useful thanks to his healing, but he does not have to be your main fighter.

Optimal upgrade order for beginners:

Status Ailments weaken enemies and open up team attacks. These include Freeze, Bleed, Knockdown, Airborne, and other states. When the active hero applies the right effect, an ally's portrait lights up and their Signal Skill becomes available.

Basic rotation:

Successful hits reduce skill cooldowns, so attack in short bursts and back off in time. The white bar under an enemy's health shows their poise. Once it is broken, the target becomes easier to stun, knock down, or launch into the air. Enemies with super armor resist these techniques, so you first need to break through their protection.

Switching heroes gives you a brief moment of invulnerability. When building a team, check which Status Ailment each character applies, who can trigger it, and what the chain ends with.

DragonSword: Awakening does not use a regular gacha system with random character acquisition. Completing story chapters gives you Hero Tickets, which let you choose and unlock a character yourself in the exchange menu.

Additional tickets and rewards can be obtained from personal quest chains. For example, Theresia's and Ornette's tasks reward you with a ticket and an exclusive Karma fragment. Unneeded Karma can be dismantled to recover part of the currency and receive a point that can be exchanged for another hero's item.

Do not spend a ticket immediately. First, decide which character will complement your main party and interact with its Status Ailments.

At the very beginning, do the following:

Treat your first expeditions as resource runs, not attempts to reach the boss as quickly as possible. Fill your inventory, return to the Shelter, place your loot in storage, and then head out again.

Mounts unlock as you increase your rank and progress through the story. Each mount has its own skill. Getting a second variant of an already available mount usually transfers its additional ability to your other mounts.

Deluxe Edition owners receive a small dragon with an aerial dash right away. Everyone else needs to reach the Rookie Mercenary rank and unlock the Bright Raven. To transfer this ability to other mounts, complete 20 mini-games and obtain the second variant of this mount.

Exploring underwater locations requires a separate mount. It unlocks relatively early, so first progress through the main story, then return to flooded areas and inaccessible caches later.

Do not rush to spend all your money on equipment from merchants. Upgrade the Shelter first: its improvements are permanent.

Start by expanding your storage. If you die outside the Shelter, you can lose some unsecured materials, so regularly place valuables in the chest. Extra space lets you explore the world longer and return to base less often because of a full inventory.

Upgrade order:

Do not hoard low-level materials without a purpose. Turn them into medicine and consumables: they are more useful than temporary gear.

At the start, focus on the main story. It unlocks heroes, mounts, new areas, resource sources, and ways to explore the world. Do not try to clear the entire map immediately: some caches require abilities that appear later.

For fast leveling, complete these activities daily:

Regional missions reward medals, which can be used to buy materials and Skill Scrolls. Choose a world boss according to the element of your main hero to increase the chance of getting useful Karma. This route covers most of your resource needs. Save Moon Keys for blue and purple chests with a golden aura.

At the start of the game, it is important not only to defeat enemies, but also to know where to get the resources you need. The lower-left part of Orbis contains zones for farming equipment materials, character experience, and Karma, making this area convenient for regular expeditions.

Sacred Light Fragments drop from chests and mini-bosses while exploring the world. Enemies refresh daily at 9:00 local time. It is best to spend this currency on scrolls needed to raise skills to level ten and forging molds that let you choose the main stat of high-level equipment.

Medals are awarded for clearing missions. They can be used to buy most materials, including Skill Scrolls. The exception is rare late-game resources, which must be farmed separately.

Karma drops from world bosses available in the Mercenaries menu: Regional Bosses, then World Boss. The reward is random, so choose an enemy whose Karma matches your main hero's element. This increases the chance of getting a useful item and lets you save currency for other purchases.

One suitable enemy is the Ruination Dragon in the Orbis caldera. In co-op, fighting it allows you to reduce its poise efficiently and create conditions for Freeze-based combos.

Moon Keys are awarded for world exploration, completing quests, and progressing through story chains. They can also be obtained in exchange for Adventure Emblems in the Materials, then Special section. Use keys first on blue and purple chests surrounded by a golden aura: they contain the most valuable rewards.

If you do not have much time to play, complete regional missions daily, defeat mini-bosses that drop Sacred Light Fragments, and fight world bosses. This route gives you medals, scrolls, Karma, and basic materials without long farming sessions.

Below, we have collected answers to common beginner questions in DragonSword: Awakening: who to upgrade at the start, how to unlock new heroes, what Status Ailments are for, which Shelter upgrades to get first, and where to farm resources.

At the start, it is better to choose your main trio of heroes and invest resources into them. For active play, Charlotte, Johnny, and Raina work well, while Ceres, Othello, and Dana are better for calmer ranged combat.

New heroes are unlocked with tickets awarded for completing story chapters and certain personal quests. Before exchanging a ticket, it is best to decide in advance which character will strengthen your main team.

Status Ailments apply Freeze, Bleed, Knockdown, Airborne, and other states to enemies. They unlock allies' Signal Skills and let you build team attack chains.

Upgrade the Storage Chest first, then the Campfire and Workbench. This will help protect resources after dangerous expeditions, prepare for bosses faster, and craft useful consumables.

Complete regional missions daily, defeat mini-bosses that drop Sacred Light Fragments, and fight world bosses with suitable Karma. Moon Keys are best spent on blue and purple chests with a golden aura.