Step 1 — Choose a nation (it's not a power choice)
You join one of three nations — Ismir, Midland or Sangmar — locked in a permanent three-way war. They are mechanically identical: no racial stats, no better gear, just different looks and territory. So choose on where your friends play, the aesthetic you like, or whichever is currently the underdog (the game offers free transfers to it and pays bonus coin, loot and XP).
Heads up
You can change nation free once, before any character on your account reaches level 70 — after that it costs a scroll and applies to your whole account. Level 70 can come in a few days, so decide deliberately. See The Three Nations for the full breakdown.
Step 2 — Learn to fight (the real skill check)
Gloria Victis is skill-based, non-target combat — there are no auto-attacks or rotations. You aim swings in four directions, and you block by aligning your guard to the incoming blow, not by holding a button. The two habits that keep you alive:
- Block on time, in the right direction. A late or mis-angled block still takes the hit.
- Respect your stamina — attacking, blocking and sprinting all drain it, and an empty stamina bar means a broken guard. Don't spam swings.
- Drill it in the Arena from level 1 — duel and brawl against training NPCs as much as you like; it even pays character XP.
The fundamentals are worth reading before you ride out: Combat Basics, Attack Directions & Power, and Stamina.
Step 3 — Run the beginner questline (for the gear)
The starting questline eases you in and hands out tier-3 gear along the way — focused, it can carry you to roughly level 50. It's the smoothest early path, but it's not mandatory: you can walk into the Arena or a siege the minute you log in. Craft a pickaxe, axe and knife early, and repair tools before they drop below ~50% durability.
Step 4 — Know the zones before you die
| Zone | What it means |
|---|---|
| Safe zone | Your capital & respawn — your nation can't be harmed here. |
| Non-loot zone | PvP is on, but no one is looted on death. About 70% of the map. |
| War / loot zone | The centre and frontiers — you can be looted when you fall. |
Your minimap shows your current zone — glance at it before committing to a fight you can't afford to lose. The richest resources sit in the loot zone, so the reward matches the risk. Full detail in How to Jump into PvP.
Step 5 — Use your Depot
Your Depot is account-wide, shared across all your characters, and never lootable — nothing in it is ever lost on death. Accessed from Logistician NPCs in cities and forts. The rule that saves new players the most pain: travel light, store heavy. Keep only your active loadout, a tool kit and some food/bandages on your character; bank everything else.
First-session checklist
- Create your character and pick a nation (consider the current underdog).
- Do the opening tutorial; craft basic tools and keep spares in your Depot.
- Spend ten minutes in the Arena learning to block and manage stamina.
- Open the Build Maker, load a starter build, and reshape it as you learn.
- Follow the beginner questline through the early levels — and read Combat Basics.
- At level 15, try the Valley of Death — your first safe taste of real PvP (below).
Mistakes that cost new players hours
Do this / not that
Do
- Bank loot in the Depot before risky trips
- Commit to one weapon type while you learn
- Repair gear before durability gets low
- Join a guild early — the war is a team sport
Don't
- Carry everything into the loot zone
- Spread points thin across every tree at once
- Spam heavy swings until your stamina empties
- Lock your nation at level 70 by accident
What comes next
Once you've found your feet, follow the full route in Leveling 1–100, pick a direction with the Build Tier List, and learn the war itself in How to Jump into PvP.