Valdrys
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Guide

How to play

The whole manual, on one page

Getting in

  1. Valdrys is on Steam, and its free playtest runs from Thursday 24 September at 6 PM EDT (22:00 UTC). On the store page, press Request Access under “Join the Valdrys Playtest” — you can ask now — and Steam lets you know when you are in. Wishlist it while you are there: Early Access follows in late 2026 (see the Play page).
  2. Launch it from your Steam library. There is no launcher and no website account.
  3. Pick an account name and a password, then hit Register — next time, Sign in with the same pair. Then forge your hero: a name, a class and a face.

The client and server move together — Steam keeps your build current, so a "version mismatch" only ever means an update is downloading.

Controls

  • WASD / arrowsWalk.
  • Right-clickWalk to a spot — the server routes you around obstacles.
  • Left-clickSelect whoever is under the cursor; on an NPC, talk. Clicking bare ground clears your target.
  • Mouse wheelLean the camera in for a closer look, and back out to the normal view.
  • TabTarget the nearest enemy.
  • 1–9Your ability bar (Shift+1–9 for the top row).
  • Space / R / FAlways-on shortcuts for bar slots 1, 3 and 5.
  • ELoot, open a chest, gather a node, or talk to an NPC.
  • Shift+Right-clickOn a monster: call the kill order for your party.
  • EnterChat (Esc cancels).
  • EscClears the screen: closes any open windows, then drops your target, then opens settings — volume, fullscreen, HUD editing, and rebinding every key.

Windows: K Abilities · C Character · I Inventory · L Quest log · M Map · G Skills · O Friends · U Guild · P Party invite / accept · T Trade with the nearest player.

Building your character

Five classes are playable today, each with its own kit — every ability and every technique choice is listed in full on the Classes page. The cap is level 30, and abilities unlock as you climb; the book (K) shows what is still coming and when.

  • Attributes. Every level gives points to spend (C): Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, Spirit and Valor. Every 50 total points in one column rings a milestone with a real bonus, so a splash into a second attribute is a decision rather than a waste.
  • Path. At level 10 you choose one of two permanent specialisations — the Mage becomes a Frostweaver or a Pyromancer, and so on. It is worn as a title over your head.
  • Techniques. Every 5 levels you pick one of two upgrades that rewrite a specific ability. The Abilities window shows which techniques change whichever ability you are looking at.

Both are permanent until you drink a Tome of Clarity, sold in town.

The world

You spawn at the Outpost. Warden Maros near the spawn starts the hunt (talk with E) — The Warden's Road, a twenty-two-step story with cutscenes that ends with you clearing the Ossuary alone. Beyond the walls is the Thornreach, one continent arranged outward by how much it wants you dead: hunting grounds named for whatever lives on them, and doors down into the Hollow Deep (level 5) and the Frozen Grotto (level 10). Furthest out is the Bloodgrounds at level 25 — open PvP, and you drop what you carry. The gate warns you before you step through it.

Waypoints unlock as you find them: stand on one and travel to anywhere you have already been. Chests have lids you open, and supply caches move between hiding places rather than sitting on the same square forever.

The Ossuary

One door, three destinations — the key decides which. A Lone Sigil opens the Ossuary to you alone (level 20), a Twin Sigil opens Fort Amir for two (level 22), and a Warband Sigil opens the Stormrock Ruins for five (level 24). They are different maps, and every camp inside relevels to the party the key expects. Keys drop; they are not sold.

Inside you have one life — die and you are out, and the monsters you killed stay dead, so the run is spent either way. Out in the world, dying costs nothing but the walk back. The Ossuary in particular is an interrupt fight: its bosses cast things worth stopping, and each of those casts carries its own window, so no single class is required to break them.

Bosses drop a personal prize to everyone who earned it, and loot you roll on is reserved to you for a moment before anyone else can take it.

Town

  • The Quartermaster buys and sells, and re-rolls her shelf every few hours.
  • The Provisioner has food and scrolls — real buffs, worth the detour before a dungeon.
  • The Broker is the player market: list anything you own and let someone else pay for it.
  • The Banker rents you a vault.
  • The Aether Forge upgrades gear: enhancement stones, gems, sockets, and re-rolls.

Potions share a one-minute lock — one drink buys back one mistake, and then the fight is yours to win. Everyone also has Second Wind: stand still for three seconds to recover, and any hit scatters the attempt. And be careful with poison: while it is on you, everything that heals you — potions included — does noticeably less.

Playing together

  • Party. P invites whoever you have targeted. Experience is shared and the whole party shows on your left. A member's row dims when you could not heal them from where you stand — too far, or a wall in the way. Right-click a row to give that member a role (tank, healer, melee, ranged); the icon appears over their head for everyone in the group. Shift+Right-click a monster to call the kill order — skull first. Marks belong to your party alone.
  • Friends. O opens the list. Add by name; right-click a friend to whisper, invite, inspect, or leave yourself a private note.
  • Guild. U. Founding one costs a 25,000 gold charter, so it is worth doing together. A guild has a crest, a shared bank, ranks, and its own chat channel.
  • Channels. The realm runs as parallel channels — three today, more as the population needs them — picked from the minimap. Your character is identical in all of them — only the world around you differs — so hop if one is busy, and hop to the same number as a friend to stand beside them.
  • Chat. Click the tag left of the chat box to choose who hears you — Say, Party, Guild, Global, or a whisper. The choice sticks until you change it.

Peaceful by default

Every zone is safe between players, and the most another player's blow can do is stagger you — with three exceptions you choose: a duel you accept, the Ember Lists (ranked 2v2 and 3v3), and the Bloodgrounds past level 25, where the gate warns you first.

Read the class kits Join the playtest