The early game is unforgiving, so your first hours are best spent gathering free gear, raising attributes, and learning the lay of the land before you commit to any single path. This guide walks through the opening route, the cheapest things worth your 
Ore Nuggets, and the habits that keep you alive.
Your first steps after arrival
After the opening conversation, follow 
Diego to the Old Camp. It is the closest of the three camps and the natural starting point, and Diego protects you on the way there.
Pick up the free starter weapons scattered along the canyon as you descend. In the area patrolled by 
Juvenile Scavengers beneath the bridge you can find the 
Old Sword (in the ground by a large dead tree with a hanging corpse) and a Club (next to a corpse near a wagon). Also grab the 
Hunter's Knife from a corpse leaning on a tree, then hand it to 
Drax (by a tent) for a free 
Shortbow.
A bow lets you soften enemies from range before they close in. The Shortbow from Drax does 20 Point damage and only needs 10 Dexterity, so it is usable almost immediately.
What to buy and learn first
Ore Nuggets are the Colony's currency, so spend them deliberately. Your first purchase should be the 
Map of the Colony from 
Dexter in the Old Camp marketplace. Dexter's copy is cheaper at 24 Ore; 
Graham at the north gate sells it for 44 Ore, though Graham is the only vendor for the detailed 
Map of the Old Camp.
After the map, raise your attributes before buying weapon skills. Diego trains Strength and Dexterity for Learning Points, and a target of roughly 20 in each opens up stronger, higher-XP fights. Then pick up the One-Handed Weapons skill from 
Scatty around the Old Camp arena, which costs Learning Points and Ore and unlocks parry, combos, finishers, and dodge-cancel attacks.
| Early purchase | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Map of the Colony | 24 Ore (Dexter) | Dexter, Old Camp marketplace |
| One-Handed Combat (first tier) | 10 Learning Points + 50 Ore | Scatty, Old Camp arena |
| Acrobatics (first tier) | 10 Learning Points + 60 Ore | Skill trainer (New Camp) |
Save the rest of your Ore for Chapter 2. Better weapons such as the Judgement Sword (30 Edge damage) or 
Longsword (40 Edge damage) become available then, and faction armor upgrades are a better long-term investment than expensive early armor.
Early survival
Save often. Quicksave before talking to key NPCs, opening locked chests, entering unfamiliar areas, or starting a fight. A failed chest 
lockpick can leave you attacked by the owner or short on lockpicks.
- Never attack groups. Lure enemies away and fight them one at a time.
- Claim the free Old Camp safehouse next to the arena on the upper level, marked by a red canopy. Ask the NPC Guy to confirm its location, then sleep there to recover HP and pass time.
- Sleep through the night, since night exploration is risky due to low visibility.
- Keep meat on hand for healing. Cooked meat restores more HP than raw, and Juvenile Scavengers and
Molerats are easy early sources of 
raw meat. - Complete
Snaf's Recipe to receive three free dishes from Snaf every day.
Grab free armor as soon as you can. Head to the Free Mine south of the New Camp and talk to 
Swiney, who hands over a free 
Digger's Dress in exchange for agreeing to join the 
Scrapers.
Early armor from merchants like 
Fisk in the Old Camp marketplace is expensive. There is no need to buy it when the Digger's Dress is free and faction armor arrives later.
Heading toward a camp
Before committing to any faction, tour all three camps and clear their quests. Doing the rounds farms XP and rewards before the main story locks in, and your choice of camp does not cut you off from story content.
Escort NPCs in the Old Camp can take you to the other camps safely, fighting enemies along the way. Look for 
Mordrag near the south gate (toward the New Camp) and 
Baal Parvez near the marketplace (toward the Swamp Camp). You normally earn no XP for kills made by other NPCs, but escorts are the exception, so you still gain XP while they clear the path for you.
Enemies do not respawn instantly, but they reappear over time, so clear what you can for maximum XP and revisit areas later for more.