Released into Early Access in 2022, V Rising is a thrilling vampire survival ARPG where you can live out a power fantasy as an immortal vampire, conquer the land of the living, and build your own vampiric empire. With both PVE and PVP content, this game offers hours of immersive gameplay. As V Rising approaches its full release on May 8th, it’s the perfect time to dive in, and we’ve compiled essential tips for beginners to ensure your journey to vampire lordship is as smooth as possible.

1. Castle Location: Choose Wisely

Your journey begins by completing the tutorial and gathering resources, but one major mistake you want to avoid is building your castle near the edge of the map, especially close to the starter zone. This can cause a lot of backtracking and frustration as fast travel is limited.

Ideal Castle Location

• Centralized Position: Place your castle closer to the center of the map. This minimizes travel time and makes farming more efficient as you gather building and upgrade materials.
• Open, Elevated Space: A spacious, elevated area is easier to defend, especially on PVP servers. While this is less of a concern on PVE servers, you still want room to expand as you grow.
• Avoid Crowded Areas: Building your castle near other players or bandit camps can limit expansion opportunities. Choose a location that leaves room for your empire to grow.

Relocating Your Castle

If you do make the mistake of placing your castle in a bad spot, you can craft a Castle Relocation Heart to move it. However, this process requires significant effort and resources, so it’s better to get your location right from the start.

2. Fast Travel: Master the Vampire Way Gates and Horses

Exploring the map in V Rising can be a time-consuming task, especially with the absence of robust fast travel options.

Vampire Way Gates

• Fast Travel: Use Way Gates to quickly travel between locations. They are great for returning to your castle after completing a farming run.
• Limited Resources: Be aware that you can’t carry all crafting items or resources through the Way Gates. Plan your farming runs accordingly.

Horses for Speed

• Dunley Farmlands: Look for horses in the central region called Dunley Farmlands. Once mounted, you can increase your speed significantly. Press E to gallop and cover more ground in less time.

3. Day-Night Cycle: Adapt to the Sunlight

The sun is not your friend in V Rising—its deadly rays will burn you alive if you’re caught out in the open during the day.

• Stay in the Shade: If you need to travel during the day, make sure to stay near trees or structures for shade to avoid taking damage.
• Avoid Combat: Combat during the day can be difficult due to the sunlight damage. It’s best to wait for nightfall or use your shade advantages strategically when engaging enemies.

4. Combat Strategy: Think Before You Strike

Combat in V Rising is all about strategy. Charging headfirst into a group of enemies isn’t always the best choice, even for a vampire.

• Pick Off Enemies: Instead of engaging a full mob, try to lure and isolate one or two enemies at a time. This makes combat more manageable, especially against tough foes.
• Eliminate Smaller Enemies: Before taking on a boss, eliminate the smaller enemies to make the fight more manageable. For instance, when facing an Ice Archer boss, clearing out her minions made the battle easier.

Bosses and V Blood Carriers

Defeating V Blood Carriers is a core part of V Rising. These bosses drop valuable rewards, such as new spells, weapons, and crafting recipes. Early on, target the first three V Blood bosses to gear up for the challenges ahead.

5. Feeding: Optimize Your Blood Types

As a vampire, feeding is essential, but the type of blood you consume can significantly impact your abilities.

• Blood Types: After dropping an enemy’s health, you’ll see an option to feed on them. The higher the blood type, the better the buffs you’ll receive, such as increased movement speed, sunlight resistance, and health regeneration.
• Keep Your Blood Pool Full: A full blood pool is essential for surviving. However, if your blood pool is already filled with a high-ranking blood type, feeding on lesser enemies won’t change your blood type unless you want it to.
• Cancel Feeding for Strategic Purposes: If you don’t want to change your blood type, cancel feeding before the meter fills. This kills the enemy but keeps your current blood type intact.

6. Crafting and Resource Gathering

Resource gathering is vital to crafting stronger gear and expanding your castle. Early on, you’ll need to gather bones, copper, and other resources to create useful items and build up your stronghold.

• Essential Early Resources: Bones, thread, paper, and copper ore are critical early resources. You’ll use them for crafting, building, and fueling various structures like Mist Brazers (which block the sun) and crafting stations.
• Crafting Gear: Start by crafting basic bone armor and weapons. As you progress, switch to copper gear to increase your gear score and prepare for tougher battles.

Important Stations

• Sawmill: Converts raw wood into planks.
• Tannery: Converts animal hides into leather.
• Ore Refinery: Turns copper ore into ingots.

These stations will automate resource conversion, letting you focus on other tasks while they passively run.

7. Resting and Castle Management

While resting in a coffin isn’t a flashy aspect of V Rising, it’s crucial to survival, especially when logging off.

• Coffins for Safety: Resting in a coffin ensures your vampire remains safe and stationary when you log off. This avoids being killed by stray creatures or hostile players while you’re away.
• Castle Heart Management: Keep your Castle Heart fueled with Blood Essence to prevent decay. If left unfueled, your castle will deteriorate and become vulnerable to attack. On PVE servers, other players can still destroy your castle if it’s neglected for too long.

Mist Brazers and Resource Management

While Mist Brazers are essential for blocking the sun, there’s no need to keep them constantly fueled while you’re away. Conserve resources like bones, as they’re crucial for your progression.

8. General Tips

• Resource Farming: Collect bones at every opportunity. They’re a versatile and essential resource that will support both your Mist Brazers and crafting needs.
• Log Off Safely: Always make sure you’ve secured your vampire in a coffin before logging out. You’ll thank yourself when you return to a safe character instead of a dead one.

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V Rising is a deep and engaging game that requires both strategy and preparation. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a powerful vampire lord and conquering the land of the living. Whether you’re playing solo or on a PVP server, these essential tricks will ensure your success as you traverse this dark and dangerous world. Ready to begin your vampire reign? Jump into V Rising today and start building your empire!