Re: "A New Hero" Tips for Starting Anew
It all depends on what you want to focus on in the game. If you've yet to get the Achievement, or just want to do everything again, I'd recommend starting out with Skill. The earlier you can zoom, the less you'll have to backtrack to take out the Gargoyles.
If not Skill, then work at Will. Having a decent level Blades spell will help a lot with the Troll at the end of the Crucible. You'll only get one run through it before going to the Spire. It's not like you won't get another chance to try again for 8 Perfect Rounds, but it can be something you get out of the way early on.
I'd focus on Strength last. That's just my opinion though. Out of the three, it seems to offer the fewest benefits outside of combat. Of course, Toughness is always something to consider, as well as Brutal Styles: Blocking. Just keep your options open though. There's no major irreversible pros or cons to doing one thing or the other.
As far as buying things, start snatching up properties pretty early on. Work the Blacksmith job in Bowerstone until you've got five stars in it. That should be enough to buy two houses, or a house and a few of the stalls around. Keep in mind though that you shouldn't spend yourself into a hole, as it's best to at least upgrade your weapons to iron before leaving for Oakfield. If you have the Knothole Island DLC, you can find an Iron Axe with 3 augment slots, and a Heavy Yew Crossbow with 3 augment slots. The first is found on the left side of the dried up lake after you leave the Ice Temple, and is in a chest. There'll be an opening in the side of the rock face with a hill that leads up to a small clearing. The crossbow is found in a chest beneath the walkway, also to the left, when you are making your way back to the village.
It's also not bad to invest in some clothes that aren't detrimental to your attractiveness, especially if you want to get people to start liking you more early on. Noble clothing is available right when you get to Bowerstone Market, and is dirt cheap compared to a lot of things. Of course, you can always go with less than that. Mostly everything is better than the Pauper clothing you start out with.
Also, potions are available that will give you experience. They're the two lowest, offering only 100 EXP and 500 EXP respectively, but they're quite cheap. Those can be a decent way to get an extra experience kick early on, and the earlier on in the game you develop Strength, Skill, and Will, the less issues tougher enemies should pose. By the time I made it to the Crucible, I had maxed out Speed and Dextrous Styles, had 3 stars on all spell except a 5 star Inferno, and 3 star Toughness. Of course, that's a bit early on to go overkill like that, especially if you enjoy a bit of a challenge.
Furthermore, don't just play straight through the main questline. Always check to see what side things are open. The Archaeologist, for example, is very tedious to do all at once. However, if you start doing it early, and keep doing it until it's not open anymore, you can take it out in nice small chunks. On top of that, you've got fewer areas to keep track of early on. Also keep an eye out for the Bounty Hunter jobs and Slave Rescue quests. Both provide opportunities to kill people/things, which equals more experience for you. The Slave Rescue quests are also great ways to get necessary renown boosts for the main story.
I also think it's wise to read up on some of the Legendary Weapons and the unique buildings. Some of those weapons are useful early on, and not so useful later in the game. They're also free, so that's nice. The unique buildings are also worth looking into because they typically have quests tied to them that offer a decent renown boost, and some can be rented out for a nice amount.
So yeah, hope I didn't kill you with this book haha.
