Visions of Manais a cozythird-person action RPGthat can quickly become overwhelming for new players with its interwoven mechanics, confusing item names, and unclear combat mechanics.
Luckily, the initial hump is the only hard part aboutVisions of Mana, and it becomes easier and easier to progress as the story unfolds and new characters are unlocked. This list covers some key tips and tricks to make the start of this lengthy journey just a little bit easier for beginners.
9Pick Up Everything
Grizzly Syrup, Chests, And Golden Items
At the beginning ofVisions of Mana, items and pickups might seem plentiful, but progressing into the game reveals how important and useful the items players obtain from these pickups really are.
Chests contain useful consumables, Lucre, and sometimes even gear, which can come in handy quite often. Golden Sparks are the main source of Gold Clover, the item used to level up the Elemental Plot of new classes for each character. Lastly,Grizzly Syrup can be used at the Grizzly Exchangeto obtain powerful consumables and items.
8Different Difficulty Settings
Can Be Changed At Any Time
Combat inVisions of Manais the hardest part of the game and dictates how hard the enemies hit the player and how much damage the player deals. The developers offer the player the choice between four different difficulty settings: Beginner, Easy, Normal, and Hard.
The difficulty selector pops up at the start of a new save, butit can be changed at any time, and the AI will adjust accordingly in real time. This game is meant to be a power fantasy; there is no reason to make it harder if the gameplay doesn’t feel fun.
7No Fall Damage
Just Don’t Jump Into The Abyss
Visions of Manaoffers players a semi open-world to explore, split into different maps and continents. Exploring these regions is key to finding new items and rare resources and leveling up.
What new players may not realize is that the world of Mana doesn’t have any fall damage, no matter how great a fall. The only way to die during exploration is either by being defeated in battle or by jumping off the map. See an item while standing at the top of a cliff? Jump down and grab it.
6Understand Enemy Weaknesses
Every Enemy Is Weak Or Resistant To Different Elements
Enemies inVisions of Manaeach have a natural element depending on their nature, which dictates what type of elemental damage they are weak, resistant, or immune to. A fire-type enemy, for example, will likely be resistant or immune to fire-type elemental skills but weak to water types.
Additionally, every playable character inVisions of Manacan deal two types of physical damage: slash or strike. Just like elemental damage, certain enemies will be resistant or weak to a certain type of damage. Knowing the ins and outs of how an enemy works is especially useful during boss fights. To make things even easier, whenever a character in the party attacks an enemy, a floating damage number appears overhead. If this number is yellow, it means the attack was supereffective; if it is blue, it means the enemy is resistant, but if it is grey, it means the enemy is immune.
5Run Away From Hard Fights
Sprint At The Fight Border To Escape
The monsters inVisions of Manaare deleveled, meaning their level is decided at the start of the game and reflects how hard an area is supposed to be. If a map is meant to be cleared by a level 40 party, the monsters there will be level 40, and trying to fight them at level 5 will yield no results.
In cases where the enemy is clearly stronger than the party, it’s always a good idea to run away and come back later with more levels and items. Simply aim your character at the edge of the fighting arena and run. If the border is yellow, escape is possible. If it’s red, fighting till the end is the only option.
4Save Lucre For Weapons And Armor
Good Gear Is Expensive
Lucre isVisions of Mana’sequivalent of gold and is the main currency that is used to purchase items from most shops. Some specialty shops take unique forms of currency, but by and large, Lucre is what decides how rich a player is.
At the beginning of the game, players will be presented with different types of shops located in towns and villages, some selling weapons and armor, while others selling consumables, XP+ items, and more. Unless it’s a dire requirement, players should always aim to save up their Lucre for good gear bought from shops that unlock in later chapters of the game. Earning Lucre might seem easy at first glance, but it is the main bottleneck players will face when trying to up their party’s power level.
3Experiment With Classes
Changing Classes Is Quick And Easy
As players progress throughVisions of Mana, they’ll obtain Elemental Vessels. In the world of Mana, Elemental Vessels serve as reusable class change items that allow characters to completely switch their playstyle and abilities on the go.
Each Elemental Vessel unlocks a different class for each of the playable characters, though if one character has the Wind Vessel equipped, others in the party will not be able to use it. Different classes have vastly different playstyles, and it’s worth giving each character every vessel for at least a little while to see if the change is worth it.
2Break Pots
To Recover Health, Mana, And Class Strikes
Health and Mana inVisions of Manado not recover naturally, forcing players to rely on consumables to top up. What new players may overlook is that scattered across the world are breakable pots, and destroying them will allow them to recover their gauges to full.
A pot with a green outline will heal all members of a party by a certain amount, a purple pot will recover Mana, and a blue pot will increase the CS (Class Strike) gauge. Pots without any colored markings drop consumable items like cookies and oils.
1Use EXP Cookies
Make Leveling Easy And Fast
During their playthrough, players will come across items that increase the EXP boost for defeating enemies by a certain percentage for a limited period of time. A lot of players may be tempted to hoard these items to use them at a later date, thinking they are super rare or valuable. Don’t.
These items are meant to be used frequently and often, making leveling up easy and fun. They often last up to 10 minutes at a time and can be found lying about as golden, glowing pickups. Nemesis enemies give even more EXP than normal monsters, so it’s always a good idea to pop a cookie before defeating one to take full advantage.
