Enshrouded is a deep and rewarding game, but navigating its progression system efficiently can be daunting. To ensure a smooth journey, here are some of the most crucial tips and strategies that will help you gather resources, craft better gear, and progress through the game at an optimal pace.

Understanding Material Locations and Crafting Basics

Gathering materials is the backbone of progression in Enshrouded. Many of the items you need must be crafted from raw resources, and knowing where to find these materials can save you a lot of time. Simple resources like wood logs and dirt are easily obtained by cutting trees and mining the ground with a pickaxe. Animal fur drops from wild animals and some enemy mobs, particularly those that resemble bears. Salt, another essential crafting material, can be mined from specific locations.

One of the best areas to gather mid-tier resources is Revelwood Fast Travel Spire. This location provides access to mines rich in copper, clay, flintstone, and more. Exploring this region is a great way to amass the materials needed to advance to the next tier. Additionally, the Spire areas contain vases and containers that may drop loot, sometimes granting you materials required for your current progression tier.

Resource Farming Tips for Early to Mid-Game

Once you reach Revelwood, head west to the cliffs—even with the basic glider, you can safely reach them. This area is valuable for gathering hazelnuts, which are excellent for melee builds, as well as strawberries, which provide strong regeneration effects.

Nearby, you’ll also find Flame Shrines, which serve as teleportation points. Be sure to activate them whenever you encounter one. Just past the shrine, you’ll find De Adwin, a village-like settlement containing useful loot and flax and indigo plants, both of which are valuable crafting resources. These materials play a significant role in crafting cloth-based gear, so don’t overlook them.

Efficient Gathering and Amber Farming

One common bottleneck in progression is acquiring Amber, which is found inside the Shroud. Look for orange, web-like rocks, which can be mined using a pickaxe to obtain Amber. Given its usefulness in crafting, stockpiling Amber early can be beneficial.

Craft Everything to Unlock New Items

Crafting is an essential mechanic in Enshrouded, and unlocking recipes requires actively crafting items as soon as they become available. Many crafting stations, such as The Alchemist, provide access to important items like bug dust. Without crafting bug dust, you won’t unlock the ability to craft goo, which is a key component for various upgrades and constructions. Many players overlook this step, which can unintentionally stall progress.

Maximizing the Comfort Mechanic

Increasing Comfort in your base provides longer rested buffs, which enhance stamina regeneration. The easiest way to improve Comfort is by adding fireplaces, furniture, rugs, and decorative items to your base. As you progress, crafting at the Carpenter’s Workbench unlocks better furniture options that provide even greater Comfort bonuses.

The higher your Comfort level, the longer your rested buff lasts. For example, a Comfort level of 37 can grant up to 42 minutes of rested buff time, which significantly improves stamina efficiency during exploration and combat.

Early Farming for Long-Term Gains

Farming in Enshrouded is straightforward but essential for resource sustainability. Craft Seed Beds as soon as possible and start planting useful crops like chamomile, flax, and indigo. Many crops require water and sometimes bone meal, which you can create in a grinder.

Stockpiling flax is particularly useful since it’s required for crafting linen. Early in the game, linen is produced using the hand spindle, which requires two flax per linen. However, once you unlock the upgraded spindle, it reduces this to one flax per linen, improving efficiency.

Using the Rake and Alternative Land Flattening Methods

The rake is an essential tool for terrain shaping, making it easier to prepare land for farming and building. However, some players encounter a bug that prevents them from crafting it immediately after unlocking it. If this happens, a workaround is to mine into the ground and use the building hammer to manually level terrain using dirt blocks.

Efficient Water Collection and Respawn Mechanics

Water is a critical resource, and the best way to acquire it reliably is by building a base near a well. Wells can be accessed every two hours or upon restarting the game/server, making them a steady water source. If a well isn’t nearby, placing a Flame Altar near one allows for quick teleportation.

Destructible Environments and Lockpicking Alternatives

Many structures in the game are destructible. If you find a blocked area but don’t have a lockpick, you can break through walls using a pickaxe or explosive powder bombs. This method is useful when encountering locked doors that require metal scraps, which may not always be readily available.

Lockpicks should always be crafted at the blacksmith, as this method requires only one metal scrap per lockpick, whereas crafting them manually consumes two scraps per lockpick—a small but impactful resource-saving trick.

NPC Quests and Progression

NPC quests are crucial for progression. They often unlock new crafting stations and blueprints, so if you ever feel stuck, checking your quest log can provide the next objective necessary to advance.

Improved Lighting and Wisp of Light Utility

Dark environments can be a hassle, but throwing torches on the ground can provide temporary lighting. However, a better long-term solution is crafting Wisp of Lights, which are bright floating lights that follow you around for five minutes. These are available at The Alchemist’s crafting menu and require bug dust, glow dust, and resin.

Fast Travel and Ancient Spires

Ancient Spires function as fast travel points and provide high vantage points for gliding. Activating them early is beneficial, as they often indicate the entrance to new zones. Additionally, breaking vases and barrels at these locations often yields valuable loot, so make sure to check every container as you climb.

Magic Chests: Optimizing Inventory Management

At a later stage, crafting Magic Storage Chests at the Carpenter becomes possible. These chests allow stored items to be used directly from any crafting station within your base, eliminating the need for constant material transfers. Stacking multiple magic chests ensures that all your important resources are readily accessible.

A handy inventory trick: Pressing Shift + R in a storage chest will automatically deposit all stackable items, preventing clutter in your backpack.

Loot Respawn Mechanics

Loot chests and enemy drops reset if you stay outside of a chunk for two hours. However, if any player enters the chunk before that timer expires, it resets the respawn timer. A faster way to refresh loot is by restarting the game or server, which immediately resets chests for looting.

Placing Flame Altars Strategically

Since fast travel is limited, placing Flame Altars in key areas is a smart way to establish teleportation hubs. This is especially useful when farming resources or exploring distant locations.

Weapon Upgrading and Combat Tips

Upgrading weapons is always worthwhile, as it increases damage, critical hit bonuses, and special effects. Salvaging unneeded weapons provides runes, which are required for upgrades.

For melee-focused players, always carry a ranged weapon, as some enemies and puzzles require distance attacks. Wands are a great choice since they don’t require ammunition and can be paired with a shield for defensive play.

Conclusion

Progressing efficiently in Enshrouded requires smart resource gathering, optimizing crafting, and utilizing every advantage the game provides. Whether it’s farming, upgrading gear, or navigating the Shroud, these tips will ensure a smoother and more enjoyable experience. Follow these strategies, and you’ll be well-equipped to handle any challenge Enshrouded throws your way!