Nightingale is a challenging survival game that pits you not only against nature but against supernatural creatures as well. I've spent several hours playing this gaslamp fantasy game and have learned several things that I wish I would have known before starting my playthrough. Now, I'm going to spread this wisdom to you.
So without further ado, here are seven Nightingale tips and tricks for beginners I wish I would have known before starting this fantasy survival game.
1. Purchase as many blueprints as possible from Traders
As you travel through the Realms, you'll come upon various Essence Traders. These are key NPCs who can sell you materials, potions — and most importantly — blueprints in exchange for Essence.
You need to purchase all of the blueprints you can from these figures as quickly as possible since building workstations with these blueprings determines what kind of materials, tools, and gear you can craft. Often, you will need to craft some sort of material at one workstation in order to craft a tool at another workstation. The more you craft, the more powerful you'll become.
2. Gather extra materials to get Essence and make your recruited companion carry items for you
In order to purchase anything from a Trader, you will need Essence. This is basically something that dwells in all things within the Realms. As such, you can sometimes find Essence after harvesting materials or killing wild animals. However, the fastest way to acquire Essence is simply to run around gathering low-level materials (like crude fiber and crude sticks) and then open your inventory, right-click on the material, and select Extract to exchange the material for Essence. You'll then have plenty of Essence on you to purchase things from Traders.
Obviously, carrying too many items will quickly weigh you down and make it harder for you to traverse the Realms. That's where your recruited companions come in. You should find your first one near the Site of Power when trying to work on getting the Antiquarian Card. To hand some of your heavy inventory off to a companion, simply go up to them and press E. Then click on the Item Management button and put things in their inventory to free yourself up.
3. Umbrella + Hunting Knife make you move faster
There is a lot of ground to cover when exploring the various Realms, so you want to be able to move as fast as possible. Unfortunately, mounts are currently not a part of the game so you're stuck running around on your feet. The fastest way to move is to hold an Umbrella in one hand and a Hunting Knife in the other. Once your character is holding these tools, run and jump to traverse land more quickly than you would simply by running.
4. You can fast travel to your Respite Estate area
The Realms are dangerous and you might find yourself wanting to get back to the safety of your Estate in an Abayence Realm where any houses, workstations, or items you've built will stay put. You can always fast-travel back to your Estate without having to use Realm Cards by opening the Map and clicking on the button that reads "Return to Respite."
5. Be selective with the materials you use when crafting
While not a critical thing at first, it's important to know that even though multiple materials will fit the bill for a crafting requirement that some materials will provide different perks to the final product.
For instance, choosing between using Bones (Tier 1 Prey) or Bones (Tier 1 Predator) when crafting a Weak Human Seal changes what kind of resistance the final product will have. With the Predator bone it gives the seal Miasma Resistance 5.0% but with the Prey bone it gives Poison Resistance 5.0%.
As you continue on through the game, you'll be able to make your weapons and gear more powerful if you choose to craft with better materials. So, don't just rely on the autofill button. See what specific attribute multipliers different materials provide for a crafted item and then go with the one that helps you the most.
6. Shelter your workstations to increase production
Workstations will run more efficiently when producing materials, tools, and items if certain requirements are met. For instance, having a roof over any workstation is bound to make it work faster. Additionally, some workstations like the Simple Spinning Wheel, produce faster if they are near light sources and a fire. Make use of these perks to craft faster.
7. Pick Minor Realm Cards carefully to apply specific effects to Realms and choose Realm difficulty
Minor Realm Cards can be found in treasure chests, can be rewarded to you after completing puzzles, or can be purchased from Essence Traders. You can also craft cards from Enchanter's Focus stations. These cards provide specific effects when placed into the portal mechanisms and also determine the difficulty level of a Realm you are traveling to.
For instance, some Minor Realm Cards can make you move faster, jump higher, or can make it so enemies won't attack when you are fishing. As such, you want to unlock as many card blueprints as possible and want to read their effects to see if they can help you achieve your latest goals.
Note, that you can also adjust Realm Difficulty from a portal mechanism by interacting with the drop-down menu below and to the left of the Open Portal card imagery. For instance, in the image above, Realm Difficulty is set to Medium.
Dive in, Realmwalker!
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The Fae Realms are full of treasures, materials, creatures, and horrors. If you want to survive then you need to do all you can to craft efficiently and make yourself more powerful. Make sure you unlock as many blueprints as possible and build every workstation you can at your Estate so you can easily craft materials or create weapons and gear. Doing so will make you stronger and allow you to take on additional challenges.
Puck and the Fae Realms have plenty of curiosities in store for you, so continue on your way and keep an eye out for mechanics and items that will make your experience easier. Remember, there are currently no mounts in the game, so if you want to travel faster, whip out an Umbrella and a Hunting Knife to traverse the land at a quicker pace.
