Taking your first steps in Durango can be a bit intimidating, especially if you’re a newcomer to the genre. This game is not like any other survival game in the sense that you have to juggle much more resources than your other run-of-the-mill title. In this sense, it’s easy to get caught up on trivialities and lose sight of your goals at the beginning. There’s simply so much to do; so many skills to level; so many things to craft, and so much fun to be had in the islands!

If you’re like us, you probably spent the first two or three hours in Durango Wild Lands running around the starter island, exploring every nook and cranny, looking under every stone, and fighting every dinosaur that crossed your path. However, while this is a good way to pass the time, it’s definitely not necessary for advancing in the game. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t hurt to engage in some extra gathering and fighting to get acquainted with the game’s controls, as well as gain a few levels in several skills.

Regardless, in the spirit of keeping your eye on the ball, we’ll be explaining how to swiftly advance in the beginning so that you can establish your own foothold in the world as soon as possible.

Completing the Prologue

There really isn’t much to do in this part. In fact, you can even skip the prologue entirely by opening the main menu, and clicking on “Skip Prologue.” However, while we recommend using this feature if you’ve already seen the events unfold, we suggest sticking around for the story if you haven’t. Durango isn’t like other games in that it has a cool backstory, including an interesting description of every character, which can set the tone for the game and give you context for the events that are unfolding. If you appreciate a good story, then we recommend completing the prologue.

Other than context, the only other significant part of the prologue is choosing your character. There are currently 7 classes to choose from, all with different attributes and proficiencies. You can choose the one that suits your playstyle the most. However, don’t worry too much if you can’t make up your mind; the character you choose will begin with a head start in a specific skill, which you can obtain later by grinding, anyway. If anything, we recommend choosing the character whose backstory interests you the most.

Alternatively, feel free to check our guide on the classes in Durango to read more about your choices.

Meeting K

After the events on the train, you’ll be thrown into a field in a mysterious world. This new land is known as, you guessed it, Durango. Specifically, you landed in an island called Ancora.

Severely bruised and incapacitated, you lie on the ground waiting for the inevitable to happen. However, the day is saved when a young woman called K finds you and provides first aid. Once you’re back on your feet, K leaves you with her trusty dog companion, who guides you to a safehouse.

Along the way, you will learn how to interact with nature, gather resources, wash yourself, and much more. Also, this is when you will craft your first tools, including a knife that you’ll use to cut through some thickets. Crafting is easily one of the best aspects of this game. The attribute system that the developers created gives so much more immersion and depth to a system that has already been played out in many other games. As a result, putting together objects to create new stuff in Durango feels both realistic and engaging.

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This part is very short, only taking a few minutes, but it’s very important as an introduction to the game’s mechanics including status conditions and crafting. If you want to learn a bit more about these systems, please refer to your beginner’s guide for Durango Wild Lands.

Acquainting Yourself With the Company

Once you arrive at the main camp after cutting your way through with your trusty knife, you will meet the company. These adventurers have lived in Durango for a while, and have become familiar with the islands and the struggle to survive. They’re happy to provide insight on many mechanics if you ask, so be sure to learn as much as you can. Regardless, your real objective here is the Communications Center, from which you can pick up new missions from K and Lamar, one of your new acquaintances.

Your First Few Missions

Visiting the Communications Center will grant you several missions, which will teach you more about surviving in the islands. During your first few quests, you will learn how to gather from certain sources such as trees and boulders, as well as how to fight against the dinosaurs that are wandering about. Make sure to learn some combat skills as they will help tremendously in ensuring that everything goes smoothly in your first few encounters.

After completing several missions, and crafting your very first outfit (made from leaves), K will show you how to leave the island to reclaim your own piece of land in Durango. But first, she needs you to gather leaves and branches, which serve as fuel for her hot air balloon, the main means of transportation out of the company island. Once you pick up some of these materials from the nearby wilderness, you’re free to take off into the uncharted world.

Establishing a Foothold

Leaving the island is your first big step as a pioneer in Durango. However, before you start colonizing your own island, you’ll need to choose one from a selection of predefined layouts. These layouts have no bearing on what you can find on your island and serve only aesthetic purposes. Feel free to choose whichever tickles your fancy.

This tamed island will be your new home for a long time. However, before getting comfortable, you’ll need to build a tent that you can use as a waypoint. Waypoints are important since you can immediately teleport to them from anywhere in the world. Consider them as your home in this game.

However, before you start burning materials on buildings and constructions, keep in mind that resources in tamed islands do NOT replenish, which means that they are limited. In order to fund the development of your colony, you’ll need to venture into untamed islands to gather resources and bring them back. But that’s a topic for another article, so stay tuned!

And with that note, we’ve covered essentially everything you need to know to create your own base in Durango Wild Lands. After the deed is done, you’ll need to continue completing missions, gathering resources, and leveling up to learn new skills and become a powerful pioneer.

Good luck!

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