Seraph: In the Darkness, or simply Seraph, plunges players into an ARPG (adventure RPG) set in a mystical world of gods, demons, monsters, divine weapons, and much more. The gameplay and art are reminiscent of popular titles such as World of Warcraft, mixed with the setting and plot of the Soulsborne series. This guide will get you started with Seraph, so let's plunge into the darkness, shall we? 

Seraph: In the Darkness is now available on multiple platforms (Windows, iOS, and Android), though for peak performance, I suggest you play on PC. Once installed, you can sign into the game using their digital asset wallet called ActPass. You can easily link your ActPass wallet to your game account via an email code sent to you for verification. 

You get started with Seraph by choosing the class/profession of your character. The initial official release of the game features four classes: Barbarian, Valkyrie, Sorceress, and Necromancer. Barbarians possess exceptional strength and proficiency in a wide variety of weapons and fighting skills. Sorceresses can manipulate the elements of frost, fire, and lightning to attack enemies.

Valkyries are proficient with bows and spears. Necromancers excel in poisons and summoning spells. Each class has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, sorcerers and necromancers excel in dealing high damage to multiple enemies, but the downside is their low health and immobility. On the other hand, barbarians and valkyries are more tanky but don't deal as much damage. These concepts of character classes are much more useful in team-based dungeons.

Once you've selected your preferred class, you'll be introduced to the rich lore of Seraph, which goes like this: In this world, the planet was forged from flames, where angels and demons waged war over the formidable Crown of Life. The chief deity wielded the Crown to cast demons into the abyss, paving the way for humanity to thrive. As time passed, humans lost touch with their history, sparking new conflicts and the eventual shattering of the Crown. Now, with demons resurfacing and judgment day looming, players step into the role of a hero. Guided by purity and strength, your mission is to mend broken oaths and forge a new covenant, rising as the new leader of humanity in a realm where evil prevails..

When you enter your first dungeon, Seraph's HUD might look complicated and overloaded, but let's simplify it. Instead of the classic health and mana bars, your HP and mana pool are indicated in the form of liquid-filled crystals. If you are damaged or consume mana, the liquid level will fall and can eventually be emptied. Your character has two types of weapon attacks, which are the basic attack (click on target with LMB) and a secondary attack (RMB click). You can hold either of these buttons while attacking to continuously input the attack command.

Aside from the weapon attacks, your character also has secondary skills; think of it as similar to MOBAs. The default settings of these skills are the Q, W, E, and R buttons, respectively. On the left side of your screen is the quick item bar, where you place certain consumables that you often need quickly, such as health and mana potions. The default settings to consume said items are the number keys 1 through 4. Upon leveling up, you can allocate skill points to your character's skill tree(s). As you level up, your character will also gain stat points you can allocate to core stats such as strength, dexterity, vitality, and energy. Be careful in allocating these points, as you will need a specific item to reset these points if you ever need to.

The story begins in a village where you start your journey by helping various NPCs through quests that will further expand the map. The default movement key in Seraph is the left mouse click button, with which you can click on a location and your character will go there. You can also continuously hold your left mouse click and your character will follow its movement. You can press "L" on your keyboard to check out your current quests and side quests, the info about them, and their location. You can also view the map by pressing "M" and checking for exclamation points, which indicate a quest is supposed to be done there.

Similar to various MMORPG games, mobs killed in Seraph have the chance to drop valuable loot such as in-game items like weapons, consumables, armor, and other stuff. Certain parts of the game, especially the endgame modes (which open once you finish the main story quests), are more rewarding for NFT holders, as there will be a chance for NFT item drops. 

Take note that just about every item in Seraph can be placed in your inventory. Your inventory is presented by a rectangular grid filled with smaller squares. Each item is represented by a specific number of squares it takes up in your inventory. Weapons and armor usually consumes more space, while consumables like potions only occupy a single square. You can expand your inventory further by obtaining bags. Just a beginner tip: when you start, you might feel like picking up everything that drops, but eventually, it will consume your entire inventory space, so you can choose not to pick up items you don't need. For example, if you are a sorcerer, you can neglect picking up items specific to other classes.

As you progress into the story and reach higher-level dungeons, you will loot better gear dropped from the mobs. But take note that gear (weapons, armor, accessories) items in the game have a specific characteristic called "level requirement," which needs to be fulfilled before your character can use said gear. Most of the requirements include character level and specific stats. You can equip items by opening up your inventory and dragging the wearable items into their respective slots.

That's just about it for the core basics of the Seraph game, but before we conclude, let's go over some useful beginner tips:

• When taking on an adventure in a newly found dungeon, it is advisable to try and find the dungeon's "portal" location. Finding the portal lets you travel through the said dungeon through other portals in other locations.

• Use your return scroll to escape or quick travel. The return scroll opens up a portal straight to the nearest base camp. Use this when escaping an angry horde of enemies or if you just want to quickly upgrade your items via the blacksmith and jeweler. Take note that this portal is a two-way portal, so you can quickly go to and from the dungeon and base camp as many times as you want until you open up a new return portal, as it will close the previous one you used.

• The NPCs that will provide you with essential game progress are the blacksmith and jeweler. The blacksmith is where you can buy/sell gear, and enhance items (make them of higher rarity). The blacksmith also deals with adding/rerolling "Affixes," which are basically added attributes for your gear. He can also salvage (destroy an item in exchange for other items) items. On the other hand, the jeweler NPC deals with items called "jewels," which basically add a new trait to your gear. This can include advanced attributes such as elemental damage/resistance, HP regen on hit, movement speed, and others.
  

• Choose your skill tree wisely and master your profession. Your chosen skill tree will impact your playstyle; choose it wisely, as you might have trouble reallocating skill points since you will need specific items to reset it. For example, if your chosen skill tree for the sorcerer is the Lightning skill tree, you might want to keep gear that you loot that has certain buffs for your lightning damage.

Great job on making it this far! You're now ready to jump straight into the world of Seraph: In the Darkness. With the tips and tricks from this guide, you're all set to conquer dungeons, take on demons, and start building your legend.

Remember, the game is about discovering your unique playstyle and having fun. Experiment with different classes and skill trees, and don't worry about making mistakes they're part of the journey. Keep in mind that this guide covers just the basics. As you advance, Seraph's endgame features more complex, skill-based dungeon runs like Void Realms and Trials of Seraph, perfect for team play. We'll cover that in the next edition of our Seraph guides, so stay tuned, traveler!