Chapter 1 funnels you through a string of decisions that lock in XP, gear, faction standing, and sometimes whole quest lines. Most cannot be undone once they resolve, and a few quietly close off joining the New Camp. This page lists each documented choice, what every option actually gives you, and the path the guide recommends. Save before the riskier ones, especially anything tied to camp admission.
Should you give the List to Lares or Diego?
This is the decision that defines which faction you can join. The 
List of Requirements of the Old Mine sits at the crossing point of the New Camp admission line (
Lares) and the Old Camp line (
Diego, via Test of Faith). Once you commit, there is no taking it back.
- Hand it to Lares first - 1,750 XP total, completes Something the Matter?, earns Lares's trust, finishes Casting Shadows, advances Admission to the Old Camp, and unlocks The Raid. You can still hand Diego the altered list afterward, so both camp paths stay open.
- Hand it straight to Diego - 750 XP total, finishes Casting Shadows and Test of Faith and pushes Admission to the Old Camp toward its end, but fails Something the Matter?, loses a route to Lares's trust, and permanently shuts off New Camp admission since you never reach The Raid.
Recommended: Give the List to Lares first. It is the only route to The Raid, it leaves the Old Camp path fully reachable through the altered list to Diego, and it pays 1,750 XP against Diego's 750.
Should you pay Bloodwyn?
In the Old Camp, 
Bloodwyn shakes you down for protection money any time he catches you wandering near his patch.
- Pay him - he leaves you be for now, but charges another 10
Ore Nuggets every time he catches you again, right up until you join the Old Camp. No fight, but a recurring cost. - Refuse - he sends a digger after you. You keep your nuggets but pick up a hostile attacker.
- Call his bluff - he just explains it is a gentleman's agreement. This is a dialogue branch only and resolves nothing.
Recommended: Pay him the first time so he leaves you alone, then stay out of his area to dodge the repeat 10-nugget demands. The shakedown only stops for good once you join the Old Camp.
Should you pay Jackal?
Jackal runs his own district in the Old Camp area and demands a protection fee when he catches you nearby. Unlike Bloodwyn, his is a one-time charge.
- Pay him 10 Ore Nuggets - he stops extorting you and steps in if a New Camper or Loon turns hostile. If you clash with someone who also pays him, he sets up a one-on-one duel instead.
- Refuse - no retaliation, but no protection either if someone comes after you.
- Ask about benefits - he explains the perks; dialogue only, no cost or effect.
Recommended: Pay Jackal the 10 Ore Nuggets. It is a single payment that buys lasting backup, which makes him a far better deal than Bloodwyn's repeating demand.
Should you kill Mordrag?
During the Out of Sight quest for 
Thorus' approval, you are told to get 
Mordrag out of the Old Camp by any means. There are three ways to handle him.
- Let him escort you to the New Camp - he leaves peacefully and clears wildlife on the way for bonus XP. You get 200 XP on arrival plus that wildlife XP, and he hands over
Mordrag's Ring (+5 Dexterity). Easiest and safest for new players. - Beat him up and send him off - completes the Out of Sight step without killing him for 100 XP and progress on Admission to the Old Camp. Lowest XP of the three, and no ring unless you still let him escort you afterward.
- Kill him - completes an Admission to the Old Camp step and drops his full loot:
Sting Mace, Mordrag's Ring, 
Rider's Bow, 11 Ore Nuggets, 2 
Lockpicks, Rice, Plate, Arrows, and 2 Torches, for 200 XP. Killing him only after he escorts you to the New Camp stacks an extra 200 XP, but the New Camp guards then help him and he fights with his bow.
Recommended: New and early players should pick the escort, since it still pays 200 XP plus the ring with no fight. Killing is for players who want the best loot and the highest XP via the escort-then-kill trick and can handle a hard fight.
Should you keep Mordrag's Ring?
Once you have Mordrag's Ring (+5 Dexterity) from the Out of Sight choice, the New Camp admission line asks whether you hand it to Lares or hold onto it.
- Give the ring to Lares - advances Admission to the New Camp and unlocks A Piece of the Pie, but costs you the +5 Dexterity ring and its sale value.
- Keep the ring - equip it for +5 Dexterity or sell it for a high price. You can still finish the entire New Camp admission line by giving Lares the List of Requirements of the Old Mine instead of the ring.
Recommended: Keep the ring and give Lares the List of Requirements of the Old Mine instead. That path covers New Camp admission in full while letting you equip the +5 Dexterity or sell it for a hefty sum.
Should you kill Grim?
In The Amulet quest, 
Grim lures you out of camp claiming he needs to recover a stolen amulet, then ambushes you alongside two diggers. After you beat him, a cutscene offers a kill-or-spare choice.
- Kill Grim - he turns hostile and you fight him again; killing him gives 60 XP and his loot but removes him as a possible ally.
- Spare Grim - he stays alive and can be called on later as backup in fights, but you get no XP or loot from him.
Recommended: The guide leans toward killing Grim for the 60 XP and loot, though sparing him keeps a backup ally on hand.
Should you keep Whistler's Sword?
The 
Whistler's Sword side quest runs through the merchant 
Fisk and the owner 
Whistler, and it ties directly into Old Camp admission points. Save before talking to either of them, since most outcomes break the quest.
- Return the sword to Whistler - 200 XP and Old Camp admission points. This is the only outcome that succeeds the quest, and there is no hostility.
- Keep the 110 Ore Nuggets from Whistler - he turns hostile and attacks two days later; you can knock him out for 80 XP and his loot. You keep the cash but the quest does not complete as intended.
- Keep the sword - the quest fails and admission points are deducted, but Whistler does not turn hostile.
- Return the 110 nuggets but keep the sword - same result: quest fails, admission points lost, no hostility.
- Pick the "Weren't you going to sell it for a hundred?" line with Fisk - he refuses to sell the sword, making the quest impossible to finish.
Recommended: Return the sword to Whistler for the 200 XP and admission points. The guide explicitly warns against keeping the 110 nuggets (Whistler turns hostile) and against keeping the sword (quest fails, points deducted), and says to save before talking to Fisk and Whistler.
Should you give the Amulet to Sly?
During The Vanished Warder, you loot the 
Amulet of the Dead Guard from a corpse in a cave and decide whether to turn it in to Sly or keep it.
- Give it to Sly - completes The Vanished Warder for 250 XP, but you give up the amulet.
- Keep it - equip for +5 Blunt and +5 Edge damage. The quest stays open and Sly keeps searching, but the guide notes there are no negative consequences beyond forgoing the 250 XP.
Recommended: Give the amulet to Sly for the 250 XP and to close the quest, though keeping it for the +5 Blunt / +5 Edge damage is consequence-free if you prefer the gear.
Should you give the Letter to Milten or Torrez?
A Letter from the 
Fire Mages is your very first mission. Inside the castle, Milten stands in front of the temple and 
Torrez sits on a bench to its right. The reward depends on who you deliver to and whether the seal is still intact, since reading the letter breaks the seal and cuts the XP.
Sealed letter to Milten - 400 XP and your choice of one Torrez reward: Essence Potion (+2 permanent Mana), 3 Scrolls (Fireball, Ball Lightning, 
Transform into Fire Lizard), Ring of Dexterity (+5 Dexterity), or 
Ring of Power (+5 Strength, -5 Dexterity). This is the best outcome.- Broken-seal letter to Milten - same path and the same Torrez reward choice, but only 300 XP because the seal was broken.
- Sealed letter to Torrez - 200 XP and a fixed Ring of Power (+5 Strength, -5 Dexterity), with no reward choice.
- Broken-seal letter to Torrez - 100 XP and an
Elixir of Healing. The lowest-value path.
Recommended: Hand the sealed letter to Milten for the maximum 400 XP plus your pick of a Torrez reward. Do not read the letter so the seal stays intact, and note that Milten's deliver option is the second dialogue choice, so do not button-spam or you may hand it to Torrez by mistake.
Should you take the Healing Rune or the Firebolt Rune?
In The Price of Magic, after you deliver the required materials to Torrez, he lets you pick one free rune. Learning magic from him costs 5 LP. This choice is not missable: he then opens his shop so you can buy the other rune later.
- Healing Rune - recovers health and is the more valuable of the two. Torrez then sells the Firebolt Rune for about 322 Ore Nuggets. The Healing Rune itself sells for 401 and buys back for 536.
- Firebolt (Fire) Rune - ranged damage that is strong early game. It is the cheaper one to buy (about 322) and has the lower resale value; buying the Healing Rune back later runs about 536.
Recommended: It depends on your needs, Healing for HP recovery or Firebolt for ranged damage. For nugget optimization, take the Healing Rune since it is the more valuable one: sell it to a rich enough merchant for 401, buy the Firebolt for 322, and pocket about 79 nuggets.
Should you kill Shrike?
In A Roof Over My Head at the New Camp, 
Gorn sends you to teach the bandit 
Shrike a lesson so you can claim a hut. After you knock him out, you choose whether to finish him off.
- Spare Shrike - the only path that completes the quest. Report back to Gorn for 200 XP and the hut.
- Kill Shrike - the side quest auto-fails and you forfeit the 200 XP.
Recommended: Spare Shrike to keep the 200 XP and the hut, and loot him while he is knocked out (before he gets back up) for Sting Mace, Rider's Bow, 2 Torches, 2 Rice, 2 
Rice Schnapps, 
Essence of Healing, Razor, 
Tumbler, 
Grilled Meat, 21 Arrows, 2 Lockpicks, Bread, and 15 Ore Nuggets. Sparing still lets you take all of it, so killing is strictly worse.
Casting Shadows: should you spar against Kirgo or Kharim?
During Casting Shadows you choose a sparring opponent, then report the result to 
Scatty.
Kirgo - the easier fight. 80 XP for the win, then 150 XP when reported to Scatty, who is impressed. Lower total XP and a weaker reaction.
Kharim - the tougher fight. 140 XP for the win, then 200 XP when reported to Scatty, who is very impressed. More XP overall and a stronger standing boost.
Recommended: Fight Kharim for the higher total XP and the stronger reaction from Scatty, as long as you can handle the harder opponent.
Test of Faith: should you buy the map from Graham or threaten him?
Test of Faith requires getting a map from 
Graham, which you can do peacefully or by force.
- Pay 20 Ore Nuggets - you get the map with no confrontation, at the cost of 20 nuggets.
- Threaten him - he hands the map over for free under pressure.
Recommended: Either option works. Threaten Graham if you want to save the 20 Ore Nuggets; pay him if you would rather avoid the intimidation route.