New Player Guide

Survive your first hour in Stoneholm.

Free-to-playOnboardingFirst Hour

Welcome to Stoneholm

Gloria Victis is a realistic medieval MMORPG built around non-target combat, open-world territory war and a player-driven economy. As of June 17, 2026 it is free-to-play under gamigo, relaunched as the "Season of the Phoenix" update (V1.5.0). This guide walks you through your first hour: creating a character, learning the controls, gathering, eating and banking your loot before you wander into the contested lands.

There are no rigid classes here. Your character is defined by three attributes, your weapon skills and your passive perks — so nothing you pick in the first hour locks you out of a different path later. New players are funnelled through an onboarding tutorial called the Path of the Recruit.

First-Hour Steps

Path of the Recruit

1 — Create your character & pick a nation. Creation runs a questionnaire that auto-suggests one of six combat styles from your answers; answer honestly for the best fit, or manually pick a different one. Then choose a nation (Ismir, Midland or the Sangmar Empire). The choice isn't permanent — your first nation change is free before any character reaches level 70.

2 — Follow the Path of the Recruit. The onboarding quest line teaches the basics and points you toward your faction's capital.

3 — Learn the controls. Press Alt to toggle the mouse cursor so you can click UI icons; the cog icon on the hotbar opens the full menu and keybind list. There are many menus and chat channels (guilds, rankings, events, arenas).

4 — Grab the right gathering tools. Use a pickaxe for stone, a hatchet for wood, a sickle for crops and a shovel for clay; herbs and flowers need no tool. The wrong tool just gathers slower.

5 — Watch your hunger bar. Eat good food to buff health, stamina and regen — ignoring hunger penalises all three.

6 — Craft at stations and bank your loot. Craft at dedicated stations in towns (not just from your inventory) for better gear and more XP — a green result means improved output. Deposit valuables in your personal depot in your faction's capital, where the market keeper also lets you buy and sell on the player marketplace.

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Combat in a nutshell: mouse direction = attack direction, left-click = fast light attack, hold left-click until the bar turns red for a heavy attack, and right-click + match the incoming swing's direction to block. Stamina drains from running, swinging, parrying and even holding guard — manage it or you'll be cut down. Full breakdown on the Combat page.

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New players gain the most by joining an underdog nation: the game offers free transfers and bonus coin, loot and XP for fighting on the weaker side. You can also master up to two of the game's crafting professions.

First Look

Where to Go Next

Combat System

Directional attacks, stamina, shields

Stats & Attributes

STR / CON / DEX explained

New-Player FAQ

Is Gloria Victis free to play?

Yes. The medieval MMORPG relaunched free-to-play on June 17, 2026 under gamigo as the "Season of the Phoenix" update (V1.5.0). Install it from Steam, launch and create a character — it also runs on Windows, Linux and macOS.

Does Gloria Victis have classes?

There are no rigid classes. Character creation runs a short questionnaire that suggests one of six combat styles based on your answers, but you can override it and build however you like by distributing attribute points (Strength / Constitution / Dexterity) and leveling weapon skills and passive perks.

How do I toggle the mouse cursor to click the UI?

Press Alt to toggle the mouse cursor on and off so you can click menu icons and hover modifiers. The cog icon on the hotbar opens the full settings and keybind list.

What is the hunger mechanic?

Gloria Victis has a hunger system. Staying well-fed — ideally on high-quality hunted, cooked or innkeeper food — buffs your health, stamina and regeneration. Ignore it and those same stats take a penalty.

Which nation should a new player pick?

Pick on vibe — no nation has unique mechanical perks. The game actively nudges newcomers toward an underdog nation (the side with the fewest players) with free transfers and bonus coin, loot and XP, so a brand-new player loses nothing by joining one. Your first nation change is free before any character hits level 70.