If you’re stepping into Wartales for the first time and looking for a reliable game plan to learn the ropes while making real progress, this guide breaks down a practical and methodical route through the Tiltren region. It’s not necessarily the best start in terms of power-gaming, but it teaches key systems and gets your mercenary company going strong with sustainable income, access to essential professions, and solid early crafting potential.
The First Steps After the Tutorial Fight
Immediately after completing the tutorial battle, head southeast toward the Tiltren Jail. This is where your capture-and-profit strategy begins. Purchase two to three sets of chains right away—four if you’re in co-op so each player can have some. You’ll need these to capture enemies, which becomes a fundamental source of income and progression.
Once equipped, you’re ready to start using the prisoner mechanic. Capturing outlaws and bandits nets you significant crown rewards (over 60 crowns per unit depending on level), helping you fund food, wages, gear, and recruitment. You’ll return to this tactic over and over—learn it well.
Unlocking Professions at the Salt Mine
Next, travel southwest past the drunken NPC group (don’t bother fighting them yet) to the Tiltren Salt Mine. Spend 15 influence to unlock mining access—this lets you mine iron forever and unlocks the Mining profession, which becomes invaluable for blacksmithing later. You’ll get the influence back after mining, so it’s a zero-sum investment.
While inside, unlock the Thief profession by interacting with the salt container and choosing to steal it. It’s optional whether you actually take the salt, but unlocking Thief early opens another avenue of gameplay. Iron replenishes weekly, so this becomes a recurring resource point. From here, begin collecting resources and travel west through the woods.
Hunting and Gathering: Wolves, Boars, and Outlaws
As you move north through the woods, aim to encounter wildlife (wolves or boars) or Outlaws. If you find animals, focus on collecting meat and hides. This prepares you to unlock the Cook profession once you acquire or build a cooking pot—cooked pork and wolf sausage become sustainable food sources. If you encounter Outlaws, capture them and head back to the jail for more bounties and gold.
This fork in the path (wildlife vs. human enemies) determines your next move. Either way, you’re gaining early resources and setting up valuable professions.
Stromkapp and Profession Unlocking
Upon reaching Stromkapp, pick up bounties at the tavern and unlock the Blacksmith and Alchemist professions. Click on the anvil at the blacksmith to unlock Blacksmithing, which should be assigned to a melee DPS (not a ranger) for the Strength stat bonus. Leveling this profession grants access to gear crafting, armor upgrades, and a steady stream of saleable items.
For Alchemy, gather comfrey, snow iris, and empty vials to create medicine. This is a better long-term solution than buying pre-made medicine, especially when you need a stockpile of 10–20 for long expeditions. You can temporarily pay an Alchemist to heal until you’re self-sufficient.
The Lumber Mill Refugee Questline
Once geared up, head north to the Tiltren Lumber Mill. There’s a hidden ornate key in the rafters—grab it and use it to unlock a trapdoor leading to imprisoned refugees. Free them, grab the Knowledge Book in the room, and exit. On your way out, avoid combat by spending crowns and influence to pacify the bandits.
They’ll task you with capturing refugees, which you can do by heading west along the road near Stromkapp. Capture as many as possible—but avoid capturing the named leader, who cannot be turned in. Sell the others to the Lumber Mill for influence, wood, and crowns. This opens another steady income stream that complements the jail bounty system.
Second Iron Mine and Expanding Resource Control
Head west from Stromkapp, past the Fisher Hut, to find another iron mine. Defeat the deserters there to gain access—expect two or three iron nodes, refreshed weekly. Between this mine and the salt mine, you now have reliable weekly iron income, perfect for feeding your blacksmithing projects and item crafting needs.
With enough materials, you can now build a cooking pot. Doing so not only unlocks the Cook profession but boosts your food value per unit—cooked meals provide 6 food units instead of 4 from raw meat. This saves weight, improves resource efficiency, and supports long travels.
Smart Knowledge Point Spending
By now, you’ve likely leveled up once or twice. Time to spend those hard-earned Knowledge Points:
- Career Plans – Always take this first. It lets you control stat growth during level-ups and spends 10 influence per use, which you now easily offset by selling refugees.
- Run – Gives you a sprint option to escape unwanted fights. It’s an incredibly useful mobility perk early on.
- Blacksmithing Recipes – Invest in these next to expand your gear crafting options. This helps bridge gear gaps when drops or caravans aren’t offering what you need.
When unlocking cooking recipes, prioritize Cooked Mutton first—it’s widely available from markets and easy to produce. Then go for Cooked Pork and Wolf Sausage to keep your food stocks high with the animals you regularly hunt. Also, stockpile salt whenever possible; it’s a key ingredient for all cooking.
Conclusion: The Tiltren Starting Route in Wartales
This starting route teaches you more than just survival—it teaches you how to build sustainable economic loops, unlock critical professions, and interact with the game’s morally grey systems. You’ll know where the two main iron mines are, how to make money from both bandits and refugees, and how to craft your way into strength.
If you’re just beginning your journey in Wartales, following this guide will introduce you to core gameplay mechanics and help you scale comfortably into higher challenges. From here, you’re ready to explore deeper regions, unlock new paths, and evolve your mercenary company with knowledge and control.
Until next time—good luck out there, and may your contracts pay well.
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