The quick answer
Start with the task you want to finish. Develop changes your combat setup; Bag holds items; Quest tracks your next objective; Journal records wider progress; the map handles travel; and Wandering Paths contains activity entrances. You do not need to clear every notification or understand every system before continuing the story.
On this page
Open the main menu and follow names, not screen positions
On the default PC layout, Escape opens the main menu. On a controller, use the assigned menu button and the on-screen tab prompts. These instructions use English menu names: the arrangement can differ between platforms and updates, and a feature can remain hidden until its introduction is complete.
A route such as Develop → Abilities → Inner Ways means open Develop, choose the Abilities tab, then select the Inner Ways area. It is a sequence of menu choices, not three separate features to unlock. When you enter the wrong branch, back out one level and check the selected tab before reopening the whole menu.
The first five places to learn
| Your immediate goal | Open | Finish when… |
|---|---|---|
| Continue the story | Quest → Main Chapter | The intended objective is tracked. |
| Get to that objective | Map → a discovered Boundary Stone | You have travelled to a useful nearby starting point. |
| Check your current fighting setup | Develop → Abilities | You can name your two Martial Arts and equipped passives. |
| Replace or enhance equipment | Develop → Gear | The intended piece or slot has changed. |
| Find a reward you already claimed | Bag → Item | You have inspected the reward item and used it if needed. |
Practise one complete trip through these menus: track a quest, travel near it, inspect your active setup, then return to play. The point is to know where to come back when a particular problem appears. Opening every tab in one sitting usually makes similar labels harder to remember.
Character development: which screen changes what?
| Screen | What it controls | Common mix-up |
|---|---|---|
| Develop → Abilities → Martial Arts | Your weapon techniques and their development. | A new sword item does not level a sword style. |
| Develop → Abilities → Inner Ways | Equipped passive effects. | Learning a passive does not mean it is equipped. |
| Develop → Abilities → Mystic Skills | Additional techniques and their unlocks. | Knowing a technique does not remove its use conditions. |
| Develop → Gear | Equipment, slot enhancement and gear systems. | Changing an item and enhancing a slot are different actions. |
| Develop → Talents | Basic, Arena and Boss development. | A bonus for one mode is not automatically universal. |
| Develop → Path Guide | Suggested combinations and tutorials. | A Path is not the same thing as joining a sect. |
| Develop → Details | Detailed attributes, including exploration information. | Exploration requirements differ from combat stats. |
| Solo Mode → Upgrade | Solo advancement and breakthrough requirements. | This is separate from upgrading one Martial Art. |
- Walk through Develop from the beginning
- Understand Martial Arts and weapon swapping
- Choose and equip Inner Ways
- Learn, equip and use Mystic Skills
- Understand Talents and their three branches
- Choose a Path and practise its basics
- Equip and improve gear
- Read your combat stats
- Understand character and Solo Mode progression
World progress: Quest, Journal, map and Compendium
Use Quest when you need the next action in a story. Use Journal when you want to inspect an activity or a broader completion record. Use the map for the actual journey. Compendium is a collection reference; discovering an entry is not the same action as acquiring, equipping or upgrading everything it describes.
For example, seeing a technique represented in a collection does not establish that it is ready to cast. Open its actual development entry and check whether it is learned. Similarly, arriving at a quest marker does not complete a dialogue, interaction or final hand-in that the objective still requests.
- Follow quests and resolve missing objectives
- Read Journal, Compendium and reward screens
- Use the map and plan an exploration route
- Reveal areas and use fast travel
- Understand the regions and their entry requirements
- Collect Oddities
- Exchange Oddities through Melodies of Peace
- Raise exploration attributes and unlock world skills
Items, money and the four different resource questions
| Question | Where to start | What you need to identify |
|---|---|---|
| Where did my reward go? | Bag → Item | A chest, currency, material or learned unlock. |
| Why can’t I buy this? | The selected shop item and currency balance | The currency, price, stock and unlock condition. |
| Why can’t I claim more activity loot? | The activity reward panel | Energy cost and separate reward allowances. |
| Why can’t I craft this? | Bag → Craft | Recipe, ingredients and any Stamina cost. |
| Why can’t I dodge? | Your combat resource display | Endurance and the actions spending it. |
| Why can’t I cast this Mystic Skill? | The skill entry and combat display | Vitality, cooldown, target and current mode. |
Energy, Stamina, Endurance and Vitality are different resources. Buying a crafting ingredient will not refill a combat bar, and a reward-claim refill will not cure an illness. Name the resource shown by the failed action before looking for a solution.
Social and lifestyle menus: separate choices
| Menu or system | What you are choosing | First useful action |
|---|---|---|
| Social | Friends and supported social relationships. | Find the intended player before inviting. |
| Mode Switch | The kind of world session you enter. | Choose the mode needed by the activity. |
| Wandering Paths | Activities, challenges and competitive play. | Read the selected activity’s entry and reward rules. |
| Guild | A player organisation. | Read its schedule and expectations. |
| Sects | An in-world faction. | Inspect the entry clue and code. |
| Profession / Careers | Treatment and debate progression. | Complete the career’s introduction. |
| Homestead | Your estate and its management. | Follow the current restoration objective. |
| Companions | Your animal companions and bond progress. | Choose a companion and read its interactions. |
| Appearance | How your character and cosmetics look. | Preview the change and inspect any cost. |
- Start multiplayer and understand shared progress
- Join or leave a guild
- Choose a sect without confusing it with a class
- Start Healer or Scholar careers
- Learn the Homestead management loop
- Unlock and manage Companions
- Change outfits, face and hair
- Prepare for your first PvP matches
- Understand the Transdust Ruins extraction loop
What are the remaining buttons for?
| Button | Purpose | Beginner approach |
|---|---|---|
| Events | Activity objectives and rewards. | Read the dates and claim completed goals. |
| Season | Season information and related entrances. | Check the actual season rule before assuming anything resets. |
| Battle Pass | Its own objectives and reward track. | Separate earned rewards from paid-track offers. |
| A Warrior’s Journey | Guided introductory objectives. | Use it when you want a small suggested task. |
| Shop / Draw | Purchases and cosmetic draws. | Inspect the item, currency and confirmation before spending. |
| Profile / portrait | Character presentation and achievement access. | Check this when searching for an achievement. |
| Letter | Mail and delivered items. | Read the attachment and any expiry before claiming. |
| Time | In-game time controls. | Use for a quest’s stated time condition, not a real-world cooldown. |
| Photo / Emotes | Pictures and character gestures. | Use when you want to capture or communicate something. |
| Settings | Controls and game options. | Find the binding or setting you want to change. |
| Feedback | Reporting a problem. | Include the menu, objective and exact failure. |
Menus that sell things are not a prerequisite for understanding your character. You can learn a working combat pair, explore and complete the story without treating cosmetic offers as a development checklist.
Three complete routes through the interface
| You want to… | Follow this route | Check the result |
|---|---|---|
| Make an equipped style stronger | Develop → Abilities → select the equipped Martial Art → inspect Upgrade or Break Through. | The selected art’s development changed; the other art was not the target. |
| Use a gear reward | Find its chest in Bag → inspect the choices → use it → compare the resulting equipment in Gear. | The chosen piece is actually equipped, not still a spare in the bag. |
| Continue a blocked quest | Quest → select the exact title → read the unmet objective → inspect the map and mode. | The objective text advances after the required action. |
If a route stops at a grey button, copy the requirement in words: “character level too low,” “need three of this material,” or “quest not completed.” Each points to a different guide. “The menu won’t work” leaves out the most useful clue.
A manageable order for learning the systems
- First outing: learn Quest, map travel, your defensive controls and the two equipped Martial Arts.
- First upgrades: learn Gear, Inner Ways, Basic Talents and the missing-material panel.
- First exploration loop: learn Oddities, their collector and the regional reward screen.
- First group activity: learn invitations, mode selection and the activity’s reward rules.
- Optional projects: choose a career, sect, Homestead or competitive mode because you want to play it.
You can stop after any stage and return to the game. A successful beginner session might be one completed quest and one understood menu. Clearing every badge is not a condition for making progress.
What to read next
Common questions
Do I need to understand every menu before playing?
No. Start with Quest, map travel, Abilities, Gear and Bag. Learn another system when an objective or a feature you want leads to it.
Why does my menu look different from a guide?
Platform layouts, translation, updates and unlock progress can change what appears. Follow the named feature and your displayed button prompts; if an entry is locked, inspect its stated requirement.
Does a red dot mean I need to buy an upgrade?
No. Inspect the action behind it. It may point to a reward, a new entry or an available improvement. A notification does not decide whether that improvement is useful to your current setup.
Sources & verification
Source research is separate from in-game testing. Recommendations are identified as editorial advice.
- Official: May development and map changes
Path Tutorial, purchase-aware Quick Enhance and saved-plan replacements; not a claim of current costs.