Salt and Sacrifice is a2D Souls-like, a fantastic platform gamethat was created by Ska Studios as a follow-up to Salt and Sanctuary. This title introduces you to an action-packed journey through the Kingdom of Alterstone, where you can explore up to five regions. While playing as a Marked Inquisitor, your goal is to hunt through the kingdom, craft exceptional armor and weapons, and combat the mages that wander throughout.

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Comparison screenshots of the cleric class and paladin class characters from Salt and Sacrifice

As a new player, Salt and Sacrifice can seem a bit overwhelming, especially with the lack of a map to guide you. Nonetheless, there are some specific key points that every new player should know about. Here are some valuable beginner tips to ensure you get the most out of your playthrough.

10Class Options: Choose Cleric Or Paladin

When starting fresh in Salt and Sacrifice, the game allows you to choose from a variety of eight different classes, each with its own play style. Though you are encouraged to choose the class that you feel most comfortable pursuing, it can be difficult to tell which would be best. For new players, the Cleric or Paladin classes are highly recommended.

The Cleric class is by far the best for beginners, due to its simplicity. This class starts you out with a ranged weapon and a melee weapon, as well as decent stats, healing spells, and light armor. Unlike the Cleric, the Paladin class is able to withstand heavier damage. This class starts you out with a Vanguard-class shield and sword, heavy armor, and greater stats.

Screenshot of six of the runic arts logos from Salt and Sacrifice

9Pay Attention To Runic Arts

The Runic Arts, though you may look past them at first, are very important in Salt and Sacrifice. While playing as a Marked Inquisitor, you will not have the ability to cast magic; however, you can use your Runic Arts to discover which weapons hold defensive and offensive abilities. Runic Arts are available to every player, regardless of their chosen class, though some classes may benefit more from specific ones. The Cleric and Paladin classes, for example, can utilize all varieties of Runic Arts; however, Clerics will not need Cure Wound due to their healing abilities.

Runic Arts do require focus points or rage in order for you to cast them. You will also need to unlock the branch of your skill tree that corresponds with them. Once you’ve done that, you can hover over each one to view its stats and discover which ones will work best with your weapon and play style.

Up-close in-game screenshot of Salt and Sacrifice skill tree

8Skill Points Can Be Reused

At first glance, the skill tree may seem a bit complicated, but it’s actually quite simple to learn. Every time your Marked Inquisitor levels up, you receive a Black Starstone. After you’ve increased a couple of levels, you’ll receive a Gray Starstone. Black Starstones can be used to unlock different skills, while Gray Starstones can be used to retrieve the Black Starstone.

Spending your Black Starstones is not a must; you can choose to save them up. Although, if you choose to spend them, this feature ensures that you can get the Black Starstones back if you decide to use them on another weapon.

Screengrab of Marked Inquisitors upgrading weapons at the enhance table in Salt and Sacrifice

7Upgrade Your Weapons And Armor Frequently

Oftentimes, defeating mages and other enemies will cause them to drop Ashpyrs, which are the materials needed to upgrade your weapons and armor. There are five levels of Ashpyr elements, all of which can be used on both the weapons and the armor upgrades. Because Ashpyrs can only be obtained as loot, it’s best to work your way through mage hunts to get them.

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Weapons and armor can be upgraded in the east of the town using the enhance table. It’s suggested that you use your Ashpyrs only on weapons you think you’ll be using for a while, due to how difficult they are to find. Depending on what you’re upgrading – a weapon or a suit of armor – the required Ashpyr level and elements may differ.

6Always Keep An Eye On Your Stamina Meter

One particular aspect of Salt and Sacrifice’s mechanics that can be difficult to manage is the stamina meter. Stamina is used during any and allcombat-related activities in this Souls-like platformer, such as sprinting, rolling, and attacking, as well as the use of ranged weapons. Therefore, the more foes you take on, the faster your stamina meter is going to drain.

If the stamina meter drains entirely, your Marked Inquisitor will become very weak and powerless. By that point, you will need to wait it out while the meter recharges. Due to this, it is important to keep an eye on the meter throughout the adventure and not overreach.

Up-close screengrab of Salt and Sacrifice green stamina meter under the red health bar

5Seek Out And Collect Shimmering Buds

Shimmering Buds are one of the many collectibles you’ll find throughout the game. These buds are beneficial in that they provide you with free healing while you’re in-between obelisks. Shimmering Buds recharge your Hearth Flask to boost the number of times it can be used until you reach the next obelisk.

Although Shimmering Buds are a rarer collectible and it takes some seeking to obtain them, new players can find their first one after reaching the Bol Gerahn walkthrough. During this stage, you’ll be able to follow a set of stairs to the right of your path. Up those stairs, you’ll find a big tree with a Shimmering Bud placed at the top.

4Ranged Weapon Ammo Should Be Carefully Conserved

Despite the class you choose to play, every Marked Inquisitor will get a projectile launcher, which can deal out great damage to enemies. You ou should look out for additional ranged weapons like firebombs too, though, and collect those when you get the chance.

Ammo for ranged weapons can be crafted at any time by mining the white crystals in the wall. Though, as a beginner, it can be difficult to craft the ammo needed, considering that one crystal only makes one piece of ammo. Therefore, when using ranged weapons, make sure you are conserving as much ammo as possible for when you encounter a stronger enemy.

3Equip Your Artifacts

Marked Inquisitors will also find themselves obtaining Artifacts. Salt and Sacrifice boasts three types of artifact: defensive, offensive, and utility artifacts. Theyrange from mystery-shaped objects to pieces of jewelry, and they each have their own benefits. For instance, some artifacts are good for increasing melee damage, while others have potential magic abilities.

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Marked Inquisitors have three slots that are reserved for artifacts. While some of the trinkets may not look like they’re important, don’t disregard them just yet. Instead, it’s important to open your inventory and check their stats to see if they would benefit any of your weapons.

2Don’t Forget To Spend Your Silver

Players will accumulate silver from defeating enemies and selling their unwanted items. The silver can then be spent in town at one of the multiple merchants' shops, where you can purchase things like weapons, armor, consumables, and even bags of silver.

If you’re carrying silver and an enemy defeats you, the silver will be dropped, and you will have to re-visit the place you were defeated to get it back. If you get defeated a second time, you’ll lose it entirely. Due to this, it’s highly recommended that you take regular trips back to the town to spend it.

1Make Efficient Use Of Health Items

When a Marked Inquisitor’s health or stamina meter is low, the hearthen flask is typically the first way you would heal them. However, you may need an alternative if the flask isn’t available. A quick solution would be to head to the many red trees located around the paths. These trees possess valley herbs, such as bloodberries, which can be used to recharge your hearthen flask.

Although bloodberries won’t heal you as quickly as other alternative medicines would, they are a great consumable to keep stocked up in your inventory. Additionally, if you may’t find the valley herbs, you can purchase them from Pardoner’s Vale.

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