If you’re diving into No Rest for the Wicked, there’s a good chance you’ve already discovered how punishing yet rewarding the game can be. With its Souls-like combat, evolving mechanics, and constant loot drops, it’s easy to make decisions early on that can cost you hours down the line. After reaching level 25 and completing all available content, this guide reflects on the most critical things to know, what not to do, and powerful tips that can reshape your playthrough.

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1. Secure Early Storage and Inventory Expansion

One of the first things you’ll need is storage space. Items—especially resources and gear—pile up quickly. While it might be tempting to sell off early materials, many are vital for crafting, food preparation, and gear upgrades.

Head to Sacrament early. Unlocking the town opens up The Rookery lodgings, where you’ll find a community chest for shared storage and four beds (non-functional, but part of your house layout). You can access the upper Rookery via stairs and bridge, or unlock a shortcut door later. This chest becomes invaluable for offloading rare gear and ingredients.

Also, you can unlock more inventory and equipment slots by speaking to Rowan and The Watcher at the top of the Rookery. Use Plague Iore, obtained by defeating named bosses, to unlock space for gear, items, rings, weapons, and tools. Prioritize the resource inventory tab first, as it fills up fast and is essential for cooking and upgrades.

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2. Buy and Customize Your House for Long-Term Utility

Whitaker sells small chests and cupboards—store up to 10 items each for a small fee. But they’re useless unless placed in your personal house. To buy a house:

• Complete the “Of Rats and Raiders” quest.
• Defeat a minor boss across the bridge.
• Rescue a jailed NPC by retrieving a key from a downed soldier at the fountain.
• Complete the Black Trench sewer dungeon and post-boss cutscene.

Three homes are available, ranging from 20 to 30 silver. The recommended house is the 25-silver home near Doos and vendors, offering optimal convenience. Once bought, fill it with chests and customize it to your liking. Use it as your personal storage hub.

Additionally, invest in projects like Caroline’s Inn, which lets you rest in a bed and gain rested XP after 4+ hours offline. It’s a passive bonus that helps you level more efficiently.

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3. Manage Gear Wisely – Don’t Sell Too Quickly

Avoid the urge to mass-sell equipment. While early-game coins are tempting, once you’re past the midgame, silver won’t be your bottleneck—storage and enhancement options will be. Instead, dismantle or repurpose gear for runes.

Use Elenor at the market to:

• Extract runes from weapons (single-use only).
• Transfer them into preferred weapons.

This lets you combine your favorite skills (like Ice Throw or Heal Aura) with gear that matches your playstyle. Be aware: you cannot extract or modify legendary weapons, and once a rune is used, it’s consumed.

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4. Fallen Embers Are Crucial – Never Sell Them

Fallen Embers might seem like easy cash, but they’re a key currency for The Crucible, a high-end activity offering waves of enemies and a final boss with some of the best loot in the game. With No Rest for the Wicked still in Early Access, The Crucible will likely expand. You’ll need these embers to keep running it—so hoard them.

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5. Prioritize Gathering Tools – Always Bring Extras

Many upgrades require large amounts of ore and wood. It’s easy to forget this if you run past nodes or only carry one tool. Always bring:

• A pickaxe for ore.
• An axe for wood.
• Spare tools for longer journeys.

You’ll regret being deep in the wilderness with your only axe broken.

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6. Cook Your Own Meals – Don’t Buy Pre-Made

Instead of buying food from Gordon, buy ingredients and cook them at the fireplace in the Rookery. It’s cheaper, and the recipes are easy to manage. To check what you can cook:

• Go to Known Scrolls > Food.

Crafting your own meals saves silver and keeps you battle-ready with cost-effective healing.

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7. Do Your Bounties and Challenges—Daily and Weekly

Captain Randolph offers:

• 5 daily challenges and 2 weeklies.
• 5 daily bounties and additional weekly bounties.

These are free to accept and provide silver, XP, and gear. Some tasks are as easy as killing enemies with fists or completing builder projects. Bounties place a marked enemy on your map—hunt them down and return to Randolph for rewards. Some players have even gotten legendary weapons through these.

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8. Master the Combat: Parrying, Rune Usage, and Canceling

• Parrying is overpowered. Well-timed blocks leave enemies vulnerable and boost posture damage. Great against bosses. Use shields to increase parry frames.
• Rune canceling: Holding an attack leaves you open. Cancel a charged attack by pressing Left Bumper (block/off-hand), letting you avoid punishment.
• Use runes to finish combos when stamina is low. It’s more efficient and safer.

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9. Don’t Obsess Over Rarity – Stats and Modifiers Matter More

Higher rarity isn’t always better. Here’s what to know:

• White Gear: 4 gem slots, no modifiers—great for full customization later.
• Blue Gear: 1 gem slot, moderate modifiers.
• Purple Gear: 1 gem, stronger modifiers—including a downside (less healing, exp loss, etc.).
• Yellow Gear: Rare, post-boss drops. Unique runes, static setups, great stats—but no rune swapping.

Damage scaling and modifiers matter more than rarity. Sometimes, a lower-rarity item outperforms a purple or gold one. You can also enchant white gear at Elenor for a chance at better modifiers—but be aware that you can lose gems in the process, and rolls can be bad.

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10. Final Advice: Watch Your Stats and Test Everything

Stat requirements can be misleading. Two daggers with different dexterity requirements might end up dealing similar damage depending on your scaling. Always check your stat sheet for accurate output. Turn on damage numbers in the settings to compare weapons in real time.

Also, hang onto white gear with 4 slots for future customization once you have gems. Don’t throw out potential just because it lacks flair.

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With these tips, you’ll avoid the biggest missteps and maximize your time in No Rest for the Wicked. Between cooking smart, hoarding embers, and building a personalized house filled with gear and crafting options, you’ll create a character that’s not only powerful—but well-prepared for future content drops.

The game’s evolving fast, so now’s the perfect time to lock in good habits. Keep parrying, keep gathering, and keep stacking those embers—your journey is just beginning.