Solasta 2 Best Start Guide (Early Access)

For those starting Solasta 2 in Early Access, we give players guidance with the most critical decisions in the first few hours: character creation, party composition, best build setup, and what to do with early gear decisions.

After the popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s hard to believe another CRPG is launching into Early Access on March 12th. After spending over 40 hours in game with Solasta 2, with multiple campaigns, we’ve compiled the best way to start. Our goal is to save you countless hours and frustration by making the best choices possible. Whether you’re new to DnD 5e 2024 rules, or these type of games, below are the best tips to get you started right.

TLDR The Best Start in Solasta 2 Early Access

Below is our quick list for best start tips, with detailed explanations following:

1. Pick a Balanced Party
2. Character Creation
3. Ability Score Setup
4. Skills Your Party MUST Have
5. Spellcasting Rules Are Different From BG3
6. Your First Combat Strategy
7. First Town Checklist (Caer Mar)
8. Best Early Spell Combos
9. Exploring the Open World Properly
10. Resting Strategy (Critical)

1. Pick a Balanced Starting Party

Unlike other RPGs, Solasta 2 has players select four character to fill out their party. Your party is the Colwall Family, and this matters because all four characters interact in combat, dialogue, and exploration skill checks. Thus, its best to optimize for a diverse set of skills, playstyles, and combat power.

While we will cover classes, subclasses, and ranking there overall power in a different post, it’s important to think long term about the best party setup and why. Fastest way to start:

Recommended beginner party

• Paladin – Charisma based melee damage dealer that can cast spells and heal. The Fighter is also good in this position because its simpler, but the Fighter lacks high Charisma. Charisma ability score is helpful for dialogue and skills like persuasion, intimidation, and performance. Thus, if you can handle the complexity, pick a Paladin at the start to help fulfill the epic hero high Charisma giga Chad role.
• Rogue – the gold standard class in all things utility and a must have is the Rogue. Rogues main ability stat is Dexterity, used for stealth, disarming traps, and unlocking chest better than any other class. Plus, they are simple, effective from range with a Shortbow, or in melee with dual wielding a Shortsword and Dagger. Moreover, Rogues are powerful at early levels, especially with a cap of four.
• Wizard – Since you already have a Charisma based class in the Paladin, take the Wizard as your DPS spellcaster. They are intelligence based and have a massive spellbook and utility spells. While not as much raw power as the Sorcerer, they help fill the role of Gandalf, the wise Sage that can pass any intelligence check.
• Cleric – this is your Wisdom based spellcaster who can do damage and heal. The two most important exploration skills are Wisdom based, Perception and Insight. Having a high Wisdom character that can also support characters is a great way to ensure good combat performance and exploration.

For Sorcerer lovers like myself, drop the Paladin for a Fighter and the Wizard for a Sorcerer. You will lack in Intelligence based skill, but this can be compensated by selecting the Shadowcaster Rogue subclass at level, and starting that character with a bit more intelligence to help with skills.

The simplest way to get started is using the “Fill Party” button which is a bit random with all of your characters classes, ancestry and so forth. You can also use Quick, Advanced, and Select Premade. Let’s assume you want to make a precise party aimed at dominate, that’s our second most important section, character creation!

2. Character Creation – The Most Important Decisions

After you select your classes and party, realize that character creation choices is much more than appearance and choices are likely permanent (for now). Here are the key areas.

Backgrounds (MOST IMPORTANT)

In the 2024 rules, Background determines your +2/+1 stat bonuses. Ancestry (Race) is now not as important. Background also determines your Origin Feat, Personality, granted skills, mastered tools, and starting equipment. To get the best start, below are the recommended backgrounds based on your class or playstyle:

Ancestry

Ancestry, determines minor, yet still important bonuses to your character. Additionally, the level cap in Early Access is 4, limiting some ancestry bonuses which factors into your decision on selections. At the initial outset for Solasta 2, the developers have four races unlocked: Human, Elf (two kinds), Halfling, and Dwarf. Here’s the best selections based on your builds:

If you don’t know what to pick, go with the Human ancestry. Two origin feats plus Heroic Inspiration is overpowered especially early.

Strong origin feats:

• Savage Attacker (melee)
• Magic Initiate Cleric (Guiding Bolt)
• Quick (movement)
• Robust (HP)

Personality Roles

Your Personality affects which sibling speaks and dialogue outcomes. You will get to pick a family role after a brief tutorial. The TLDR here is, don’t have four characters with Outlaw. Remember background determines your Personality, so you might sacrifice some combat performance with a non-optimal background if you value story.

An example of this on a melee Paladin is not using Wanderer but instead selecting Lawkeeper. Your personality changes to Rule, which might be a better fit for you goodie two shoes Paladins who don’t want to RP as an outlaw. Just realize background determines not only combat power, but many story elements and you should decide which is most important to you as a player. For me, its always combat!

3. Ability Score Setup

As I’ve stated before, the rules in this game are very different than BG3 or DnD 2014 rules. As such, expect feats to be very different. Feats are unlocked at level 4, and often give a +1 and a minor bonus as well. You can always do ability score improvement +2.

Why this matter is, your ability scores only give you a modifier bonus on even numbers. So 15 Dexterity and 14 Dexterity give you +2 Armor Class. You need to think about your end goal, and if you intend to have a +1 feat or stick with the simple +2 ASI at max level of four.

We have fully customized builds that have played through the campaigns. If you don’t want to use ours, I’d highly recommend doing either even numbers, or having two ability scores on odd numbers. That way you can land on even at end-game and not guess which feat you want. Keep it simple, plan to land on even numbers, then adjust once you have seen and experimented with the feats because they can be complex to understand and underwhelming for most players and builds.

Also note on ability score, you will need 13 Strength to equip heavy armor without a movement penalty. Plus, if you intend to multiclass (probably shouldn’t), you will need 13 in the ability score of that class. Meaning, a Cleric who stacks Wisdom, cannot wear heavy armor and not suffer a movement penalty without 13 Strength. Nor can that same Cleric multiclass into Fighter without 13 Strength. Don’t learn it the hard way like me and set Strength to 8 and assume this is BG3, because it’s not!

4. Skills Your Party MUST Have

Another important aspect of ability scores are ability checks which use specific skills that fall into strength, dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. At character creation you can specialize in skills and some classes like Rogue can gain expertise. This gives you an additional +2 to those skills, making it more likely to pass a skill check.

There are no reroll mechanics in Solasta 2 so far, meaning if you miss a dialogue persuasion skill check, you might be forced to fight. Plus, you’ll miss out on important loot while exploring and overall gameplay will suffer dramatically. We won’t go into a huge guide on this, but give you some recommendations based on classes which focus on various ability scores and skills.

• Strength and Constitution – both of these are irrelevant so don’t worry about them.
• Dexterity – Rogues want to prioritize all three, but mainly stealth, and sleight of hand. Acrobatics isn’t as important in the 2024 ruleset, but stealth and sleight of hand are critical to ensure you can ambush enemies and unlock whatever you want on demand.
• Intelligence – Wizard Investigation and Religion. Investigation is an obvious one that triggers frequently while exploring. Religion, however, is core to Solasta 2 and you’ll have tons of opportunities to roll on this and hopefully pass!
• Wisdom – Clerics two most important are Insight and Perception. Medicine and Animal Handling might be more specific to your characters background story, but at least Perception is often times the most benefit to noticing things in the environment like extra loot!
• Charisma – Sorcerers and Paladins want Persuasion and Intimidation as the two most important. Deception and Performance can come in handy, but being able to smooth talk or forcibly talk your way out of a situation will come up a lot!

Next up is skills, which aren’t things you use like spells or abilities, but dialogue and exploration triggers. Just like in BG3, these are critically important and goes back to point one about a diverse party setup.

Last note, it’s okay to have some skill overlap especially on Persuasion, Perception, and even Investigation.

5. Spellcasting Rules Are Different From BG3

BG3 often ignored hardcore tactical rules, but Solasta 2 doesn’t. One such confusing rule is Somatic Components. In this engine, your casters actually need a free hand to wiggle their fingers for spells. This means a Sorcerer can’t just sit behind a Shield and Quarterstaff for a massive AC boost and expect to cast fireballs. Use your “Weapon Swap” effectively. You can draw or stow an item as part of your gameplay, allowing you to cast with a free hand and then “bar swap” back to a shield to end your turn with high AC. While this feels like an exploit that might be patched, it is a lifesaver in the early levels.

Next, pay close attention to Material Components. Unlike other RPGs where a spell slot is the only “cost,” some spells here require physical items. A major trap for new players is picking Chromatic Orb at Level 1. It’s a great spell, but it requires a 50g Diamond to cast, an item you won’t find or be able to afford for several hours. Always check the spell description for gold-cost requirements before you lock in your Level 1 loadout so you don’t end up with a “dead” spell slot.

6. Your First Combat Strategy

Combat can be difficult at first, especially with limited options, spells, and features. Step one is always start in stealth, by crouching everywhere outside of town! You can trigger an Ambush by pressing the button manually or attacking a target. I like to attack with a Rogue using a Shortbow from the high ground as the best way to start combat.

Note that the 2024 rules have reworked “Surprise.” It no longer grants a “free round” of attacks where the enemy stands still. Instead, it forces the enemy to roll Initiative with Disadvantage. This significantly increases the odds that your entire family acts before the monsters do, but it’s no longer a “Gloom Stalker” win-button. You still get the jump, but be ready for the enemies to fight back much sooner than you’re used to.

Make sure everyone in your party has a range damage option. Even a Fighter needs a Longbow because the maps are large and you’ll spend 1-2 turns reaching a target. Expeditious Retreating is a powerful spell for this, and it’s given by the High Elf race at level 3. Allowing you to use a bonus action for Dash, a huge mobility bonus.

Also before combat begins, make sure to pre-buff. Spells that last 10 minutes or longer are critical to cast before engaging so you don’t have to spend an action on turn one. Mage Armor, Longstrider, any shields that give temporary HP, Bless, Resistance and so on. It might be annoying spending 1 minute buffing up, but imagine your team having 6x buffs running at the start of combat! This makes a massive difference if you find yourself about to attack a tough pack of enemies.

7. First Town Checklist (Caer Mar)

After the tutorial you’ll reach the first town Caer Mar. Your main goal is to get quest, stock up, prepare to head into the open world. First step is to walk around town and loot every container, bag, and make sure to pay close attention to your minimap. Talk to every NPC you can and finish the entire dialogue chain in case you get extra faction points or quest. Finish any quest you can inside the town and you should get a companion to tag along.

Now, this version of the game doesn’t have crafting, so feel free to sell your crafting materials. Make sure to do so at a faction friendly NPC ideally with 10% bonus. Purchase these items priority:

• Potions – each party member should have one to heal with a bonus action.
• Rations (10+) – you will need these to long rest and regain movement in the open world.
• Thieves tools (5+) – must have a bunch to disarm traps and open chest.
• Lanterns – this can be turned on for a source of light especially helpful when you lack Darkvision with a Human.

Depending on your gold at this point, you want to upgrade some gear. Important upgrades:

• Studded leather for Rogue – usually they start with a weaker version and this is 1 AC which makes a big difference.
• Heavy armor for Paladin / Cleric – these classes might have medium equipped, and if you have the strength, swap to heavy.
• Better bows – make sure you have the highest damage bow like Longbow on a Fighter vs. a Shortbow.

Now you should be set to start exploring, you can long rest for cheap at the Tavern and get your characters ready to level up. I’m usually level 2, close to 3 by leaving the main town and after a couple of world map encounters level 3. More on this later, but let’s discuss spells.

8. Best Early Spell Combos

You may be unfamiliar with which spells are powerful, and trust me, you want Guiding Bolt number 1 spell! I’ve hit well over 30 damage, with this level 1 spell. An overpowered trick early is to take a Human for the extra Origin Trait. Then you can select Magic Initiative Cleric. Seems odd, but your spell modifier used is whatever is highest, thus a Wizard can fire off 30 damage Guiding Bolts just as effectively as a Cleric. This gives you the most damage possible at level 1, and scales throughout the entire game.

Next up is Mage Armor because it gives you +3 AC as long as you’re wearing clothing. You just need to cast it immediately after a long rest or pre-buff before a fight. Usually I make my spellcasters have 16 Dexterity because your base is 10, +3 for Mage Armor, and +3 for 16 DEX. That puts you at 16, the same as heavy armor! Another OP spell to combo this with is Shield, which triggers +5 AC when you’re about to be hit. Magic Initiative Wizard will let you have this, giving you a big advantage in survival on a squishy spellcaster early.

Don’t overlook simple cantrips like Ray of Frost. While the damage isn’t impressive, it inflicts Hinderer lower the targets mobility. Mobility and keeping enemies at range is huge. Many fights I won just by starting on the high ground, slowing down targets, and firing off range attacks.

9. Exploring the Open World Properly

After you got leveled up, stocked up on items, you’re ready to set off adventure and this is where things get fun! The world map has random encounters and events. You want to prioritize temporary events. As the name implies, they are only around for a limited time. As you move from tile to tile, you will use a resources and require long rest. This is why Rations are critical especially to bring a ton with you initially. That way you can keep resting and knock out the important temporary events before disappearing.

World events temp or permanent are also the best way to gain experience and reach level 4 the fastest. Moreover, they are the best and pretty much only source of rare items. Once you find a rare item, you will need to identify it via a short rest.

10. Resting Strategy

There are two types of rest, short and long. Short rest are helpful to get back some resources like Action Surge and subclass resources, along with identifying items. Long Rest are how you are going to get back spell slots and level up. You can find long resting spots at inns and campfires. The inn cost few gold and is helpful to get leveled up before moving out.

Campfires though are in almost every random encounter map. It’s critical that you long rest immediately following a fight. I have multiple instances where I didn’t rest, only to trigger another fight when I opened a chest or forced marched my team (don’t do that). Then, I had to fight with terrible attack rolls and barely won. Even though it seems odd to long rest inside an encounter, as you travel, every tile has the possibility of being attacked and you need to be prepared!

More Powerful Solasta 2 Builds!

Check out our complete list of powerful Solasta 2 builds to start your next adventure!

• Best Solasta 2 Builds List
• Battle Domain Cleric Build
• Life Domain Cleric Build
• Oblivion Domain Cleric Build
• Aether Warden Fighter Build
• Commander Fighter Build
• Oath Of Judgement Paladin Build
• Oath Of Liberation Paladin Build
• Scavenger Rogue Build
• Shadowcaster Rogue Build
• Mana Painter Sorcerer Build
• Star Child Sorcerer Build
• Court Mage Wizard Build
• School Of Ruin Wizard Build