Early game

Common Tethren Long Blade and the default Courage starter after Rise, Envoy. In Preludes 15, obtain a whole Wulder from Rise, Envoy, Crypt Crawlers, Ghost Knights, The Circade, Dendrit Weapon Racks, Skylantern Crates, or the Rank 1 Alca's Children and Silent Rose offerings (1,000 Standing). The legacy forge recipe uses Scrap Iron×15, Sproutfolk Frond×20, and Quenching Acid×25 (4h, 1500 Dracs); no Virtue gate. Post-Preludes 15: 46 ATK, 92 charged, 24 stagger, 3% smite. P15 preview flow: pick up ground previews in Nightfold, dismantle for resources (P15 HF2 also added a minor chance of a matching Chordstone), refine at Tuvalkane when you want Temper rolls. Upgrade path on pure Courage Tethren lines: Vetch (11 Courage) or Falx when virtue allows; compare Oryn-Umbr if you want a throwable shield hybrid. Current P16: Refine is now Enhance Craftwork; use Strike for learned compatible Tempers on a Level 30 target after The Steelsinger and Tuvalkane Rank 3. Inspect unlearned Tempers before dismantling; ground dismantles and recently picked-up Inventory dismantles before Nightfold are documented, including Client pickup dismantling. P16 renames Enclave Standing to Favour; the earlier Rank 1 / 1,000 price record is not independently confirmed for current vendor stock.

Oscelda is the recommended starter pact for new players — a Spirit kit that combines crowd control, healing, and damage in one flexible loadout. Bestone petrifies enemies (Courage-scaling CC that you can break early for bonus damage), Elderbloom summons a healing plant restoring Life to all nearby Envoys (Spirit-scaling), and Phantom Flock sends phantom songbirds that damage and stagger targets (Grace-scaling). The unique passives Tendrils and Vernal Pool round out a support-oriented identity that never feels one-dimensional. In Preludes 15, Virtue is free per loadout (no Virtue Lith), so you can shift emphasis between CC, healing, and damage without respec friction. Best for beginners who want a forgiving first pact: you bring real utility to any group while learning the game's combat rhythms. The beginner difficulty rating means no demanding execution barrier — Elderbloom healing gives you sustain, Bestone gives you a panic-button CC, and Phantom Flock adds offensive pressure. In solo play Oscelda is self-sufficient; in group dungeons it is a premier support pick. After the tutorial, all pacts unlock at Tuvalkane — Oscelda remains a strong fallback for any Virtue loadout. Start on Gwylen for Spirit weapon scaling, The Alder for a forgiving Grace blade, or Seathorn if you prefer ranged pressure. See the Oscelda melee-spirit and magick-spirit builds on the Builds hub (filter by pact) for Virtue spreads and Pact Art naming after Preludes 15 renames. Review Pact Arts names before respeccing — several abilities were renamed in the Preludes 15 update.