It may not look like much at first, butV Risingscratches the same itch asValheimdid before it.

The sun has set.

Now is the time to venture out into the wonderful world of Vardoran.

A vampire in V Rising sits on their throne and looks toward the camera.

V Rising has all the basic pillars of a great survival and crafting game.

But the depth of some of these systems may surprise you.

Combat is layered and skill-based.

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Buildings require careful planning, particularly on PvP servers.

The day/night cycle is extremely important, because sunlight is deadly to vampires like you.

You’ll be flying ahead (literally) of the other immortals on your server in no time.

A vampire with a spear faces off against a giant grizzly bear in V Rising.

All servers are divided into PvE and PvP.

In PvE servers, you’re free to’t attack other players, or damage or steal their possessions.

So be very careful before you step away from your keyboard for more than a few seconds.

A human enemy in V Rising charges towards the player in the middle of a human village.

But unlike many other such games, you could’t just build anywhere you feel like it.

You first have to place down a Castle Heart, which lays claim to the surrounding area.

But you should also consider your surroundings.

A vampire in V Rising stands next to the stone coffin where they sleep inside their castle.

How close are you to key resource-gathering areas?

It’s well worth expending a bit of early game time exploring for a great location for your castle.

To learn more about the mechanics of building in V Rising, check out the guides below.

A vampire in V Rising prepares to fight an attacking mob of humans.

Use the right equipment for the job

Gear is everything in V Rising.

Your weapons in V Rising are simultaneously your resource-gathering tools.

An axe is ideal for chopping trees for wood.

The player in V Rising feeds on the blood of a mortal in a human village.

A sword is great for cutting down vegetation.

A mace is required for mining stone and ores from rocks.

At the same time, these implements each have different pros and cons when it comes to combat.

A screenshot from V Rising showing the boss Tristan The Vampire Hunter approaching two players. The skull above Tristan’s head indicates that they are far above the current Gear Score of the player.

If you want to learn more about how equipment works in V Rising, check out the below guides.

For example, feeding from a “Worker”-class enemy will give you better mining and gathering yields.

Feeding from a “Creature”-class enemy gives you boosted movement speed and sunlight resistance.

Two V Rising players on horseback ride past a field of cows.

Feeding from a “Rogue”-class enemy gives you increased crit chance and damage potential.

If you stick to one single blood punch in all the time, then you’re missing a trick.

To learn more, check out our guide to the differentV Rising blood types.

A player in V Rising crosses a bridge over a river surrounded by auburn-coloured trees.

Looking ahead really pays off in V Rising.

To learn more about surviving difficult encounters, check out our guide onhow to heal in V Rising.

But it’s not very quick.

Part of the map of V Rising, with the location of a Waygate marked.

But you’ll need to keep it alive and out of danger, which can be a hassle.

Don’t just stick to one method.

To learn more about exploring the world of Vardoran, check out the below guides.

A vampire in V Rising casts a powerful spell while the woods around them burn.

However, even despite the useful pointers on the map, certain resources can be very tricky to find.