Zenblack has already covered a lot of the important basics, so here is some minor detail stuff:


Use the grenades at the start of the game in the first fight. You'll get some more for the next fight after the bridge. If not both your mains survive this fight, you permanently loose xp on the dead guy and this will haunt you for the first levels. Having both mains alive during a kill is very important.

If you don't know an encounter/enemy always right click it and check it's resistances to certain damage types. In EE the enemies are different than in vanilla.

Some skillbooks (level 6 to 10 range) are not available in Cyseal, so it might be a good idea to open Silverglen as early as level 7, to get all the skills possible to your class at that point. Even if you stick to the storyline closely having all skills available will help a lot back in Cyseal.

The dedicated crafter does not need to be a party member, there will be a talent that uses the crafting ability for damage, but you have to make a certain build for this, and it has to be a main character to get the full potential out of it. If you don't want to make this build it is better to have a dedicated "craftbot" in the halls of heroes.

Around level 4/5 the items that give +1 to blacksmithing and crafting will start appearing on vendors and as drops (belt/bracers). If you are lucky you can get both with +1/+1, so a mere 3 skillpoints (skill lvl 2), plus items plus talent (+1smith/craft) will bring your craftbot to 5. If you are not able to get these items and need money badly, prioritizing crafting will make you more money, converting eyes into perception potions yields the best results, but the skill has to be level 5 to get the good version. Potions have a flat price, while weapons and armor become more expensive the higher level they are. The second best income, after other potion variants, is scrolls, buy blank scrolls from Victoria, inscribe them, and if you are lucky you get a high level version that yields good money. The earliest inkpot for the enchanted ink and quill can be stolen from Arhu, if you don't want to steal, there is one in the second room in the end of time. Buying small health potions and upgrading them to higher versions will make you loose money.

There is no need to waste a skillpoint on blacksmithing, if you only need it for repairs. 1 point is enough to repair anything and having a belt to switch to for repairing is all you need. So keep one of these at an early level and you can sell higher level versions later for better money. You can put an item on a hotbar for convenience.

Fleeing and waiting is neccesary sometimes, but there is no need to put these skills on the hotbar. There are dedicated UI elements at the right/middle screen during a fight, with the same effect.

Food is great, early and lategame, apple pie, mashed potatoes, pumpkin soup, all good stuff. In the upcoming version will be some changes to make crafting food easier. Tea herbs are great for an early health regen too, and they are dirt cheap.

The character that opens boxes, barrels etc. and possibly do last hits should have lucky charm 6 for best item results. You can use ranger karma for the plus +2, but constantly having to recast it gets old really fast. Better to have some gear that gives lucky charm and switch to it befoe searching all these containers.

Vendors are basically containers, so initiate the conversation with the merchant with the lucky charm 6 guy, then open the trade inventory for best item results there too. It's tedious, artificial and annoying but it does make a noticeable difference during the whole game.

There are some chests in Cyseal that have "level appropriate" loot, meaning they will generate loot of the level of the character who opens it. Brachus Rex magically locked chest is one, but also the reward chests for Brolli, Victoria quest (both), philosophy of death dude. So, for max money in the long run, do not touch(!) these reward chests until level 20 and above. You "could" get something amazing (mostly its vendor tosh though).

Nick can not be respecced, think twice who will get the "summon Nick" ability.

Later to be rogues really do work best as archers in the early game, use up these special arrows early on, some grenades too, they become less and less useful the higher level mobs you will fight. Even without ranger skills it's better to have a surviving rogue at long range, than a close quarter dead one.

Don't ever sell world items (artifacts), instead convert the ones you do not want tinto shards and use them to upgrade the ones you are using.

Don't forget you can improve drops you intend to sell, for a better selling price. Put that purple sword on a whetstone wheel and it is immidiatly worth more cash.