With Corepunk now officially in Early Access, many new players are setting foot into the fog-covered world for the first time. As immersive and rewarding as the experience is, it’s also filled with systems that can quickly overwhelm those who don’t know where to begin. This guide offers a rich list of early game tips and insights to help you survive the harsh opening hours, optimize your growth, and build a solid foundation for your adventure.
Rush to the First City and Load Up on Quests
After grabbing your first quest from the large mech at spawn, sprint north along the path toward the starter city. Stop by key points like Maxwell Sterling’s log pile and Zar’s rat extermination quest along the way—they’re fast and rewarding. Once you hit Goldenfield, your priority should be to talk to every NPC you see. Corepunk’s quests often overlap in location and objective, meaning grabbing them all early will let you clear multiple tasks simultaneously. Some of these quests even reward you with valuable implants, food, or items necessary for other quests.
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Use Campfires Strategically for Health and Mana
Your health and mana regeneration is extremely limited in the early game. Campfires are a key survival tool. They not only restore resources over time, but also enhance the effectiveness of consumables like bread or baked pumpkin. With the “Campfire Warmth” buff active, food provides 50% increased healing and mana regen. Use your limited supply of free campfires wisely—save them for heavy combat zones or tough quests. Regular food can keep you going between skirmishes.
Choose Implants and Buffs Wisely
Early quests reward you with implants that significantly boost your performance—attack power, spell power, or bonus HP. In the beginning, the HP implant is a solid pick, providing around 25% more survivability. However, offensive buffs can help you kill enemies faster and take less damage in return. In addition, short-duration buff items (like bio-steroids or titanium ointments) dramatically improve your combat performance. Use them liberally during tougher fights or while grinding enemies in high-density areas.
Gather and Break Everything
Corepunk rewards curiosity and interaction. Click every crate, chest, barrel, scarecrow, and crop field you come across. Some of these containers drop rare items, quest components, or even complete consumables that save you time. Gathering materials like eggplants or carrots can fulfill multiple quests instantly. Just as important, many quest items only drop from destructible objects once you’ve accepted the corresponding quest—so loading up on quests beforehand lets you collect everything in one go.
Optimize Inventory and Bank Use
As you progress, your inventory will fill fast. Resources, quest items, consumables, and implants all take up space. Speak to Oswald in Goldenfield to access your personal bank. You’ll want to deposit high-value or rare items to avoid losing them on death, especially since Corepunk drops random inventory items when you die. It’s a smart habit to bank items you’re not immediately using.
Prioritize the Returner and Local Travel Tools
Your “Returner” item allows you to teleport to a designated safe zone every 30 minutes. Set it to Goldenfield by talking to Big Mama and selecting “I want to stay here.” You’ll use this constantly to reset after resource runs or when you’re low on supplies. Additionally, look out for Sentinel 4.1 near town—he roams the map and offers a quest to kill boars, which gives great early experience.
Master Resource Zones and Quest Stacking
Corepunk’s world contains resource outcrops with higher spawn rates for mining, herb gathering, and logging. Use the map marker tool in the bottom-left corner of the screen to tag these hotspots, then revisit them regularly. When gathering, aim to collect at least three of every dropped material—Heartwood, Mana Resin, Soft Crystal, etc.—as many quests ask for specific quantities of each. Efficient farming can let you complete multiple quests in one trip back to town.
Respect the Forest—And Use Buffs to Survive It
The forest beyond town is rich in resources but also home to some of the game’s most punishing early enemies. They have AoE attacks, ranged spells, and can easily overwhelm unprepared players. Always approach with full HP and mana. Buffs become essential here—pop your steroids, ointments, and use food wisely. Don’t be afraid to auto-run (press Z) while moving between nodes or backtracking from a wipe.
Understand Crafted Quest Items and Enemy Drops
Some quest items like Cosmetic Fat must be crafted from animal fat, not looted directly. Likewise, processed materials like Biomaterial or Zode Process are used for more advanced quests. Kill and loot everything you can, even if it seems random—often the next step in a quest is already in your bag or bank. Enemies also drop multiple quest items at once, so stacking quests tied to the same zone is key.
Reach Level 5 ASAP for a Major Power Spike
Level five is when your character really begins to shine. You unlock specialization trees via the K menu, enabling passives that increase crit, haste, shields, or healing. These passives often define your entire build direction. Additionally, visit Zara, west of Goldenfield, to purchase a universal skill for 20 gold—blink, heal, shield, or mana restore. These drastically increase your tactical flexibility in combat.
Don’t Delay Your Ultimate or Mastery Progression
Level six unlocks your ultimate ability—a high-impact spell or skill that can turn the tide of any fight. Hitting this milestone quickly can make higher-level zones, elite enemies, and tougher quests significantly more manageable. Keep rotating between town and forest to gather XP, turn in quests, and gradually progress through your skill tree.
Final Thoughts
The early game in Corepunk is tough but incredibly rewarding. It challenges you to think ahead, experiment with systems, and make smart choices from the very beginning. If you embrace its slightly retro, hands-off design philosophy, you’ll find that every bit of progress feels hard-earned and meaningful. Now go out, light a campfire, break some barrels, and carve your legend into the fog.
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