This page is the orientation guide for new Lord of Mysteries players. It covers the Crimson Test starting flow and the parts of the loop that are expected to remain stable through global launch. Every numeric and roster claim is build-current; assume the system specifics may shift between test rounds and through the early live-service period.
Step 1: Character creation
New players begin at character creation. The character creator covers face, build, hair, clothing, and a small batch of distinguishing features (scars, tattoos, piercings). The created character is the player's own original Beyonder. They are not Klein Moretti; Klein appears in the campaign as a separate NPC and as Mr. Fool's history layered over the player's experience. See Player Character for the broader scope of what the player controls.
Step 2: Pick a pathway and draw the first potion
After character creation the player picks a pathway from the six available in the Crimson Test:
Pathway | Sequence 9 role | Combat style |
|---|---|---|
Ranged DPS | Ritual cards, divination, debuffs at distance | |
Magic-damage assassin | Sleight of hand, mobility tricks, opening-strike burst | |
Healer | Telepathy, hypnosis, mental crowd control | |
Melee DPS | Twilight Giant entry; weapon-and-armour fundamentals | |
Tank with melee sub-DPS | Sun pathway entry; durable melee presence | |
Mystery Pryer | Occult knowledge and mystery prying utility |
All six pathways receive Mr. Fool grafting treatment that gives the player borrowed copies of higher-Sequence abilities at reduced strength. The first potion is drawn under the eye of a senior Beyonder; the recipe and ingredients vary by pathway. The Hunter Pathway and Assassin Pathway are explicitly NOT in the Crimson Test.
Step 3: Tingen orientation
Starting content takes place in Tingen, the player's home city for the campaign's first Act. Three landmarks anchor the early game:
Iron Cross Street Market: low-tier and mid-tier ingredient vendors plus a brewing-system tutorial.
Gandren Department Store: civilian-side cosmetic shopping and the Acting Method social-stealth tutorial.
Evildoers' Tavern: Sequence-9 underworld contacts and the introductory dungeon encounter.
The player's introductory residence is in West Borough. Most early quest-givers are in Central Tingen or the West Borough. The Nighthawks branch in Tingen, run by Captain Dunn Smith, recruits the player's character into early supernatural law-enforcement contracts.
Step 4: Acting Method basics
The Acting Method is the game's central character-progression loop. It covers four mechanics:
Cover identities: the player adopts a Beyonder cover identity (a Tingen tailor, a freelance investigator, a clerk) and conducts mundane life through it. Time spent in cover stabilises sanity gains from each Sequence's ability use.
Performance practice: acting practice fills a gauge that, when full, accelerates the next potion's digestion.
Sanity discipline: see Sanity System. The player monitors a sanity bar and applies counter-measures when reading occult texts or consuming potions.
Sequence digestion: after drawing a Sequence 9 potion the player must spend in-game time digesting the new abilities. Acting Method performance is the primary digestion accelerator.
Step 5: First group content
Group content opens after the player completes the introductory tutorial line. See Multiplayer and Co-op for the full system. The Tingen introductory dungeon is a 4-player encounter that surfaces the holy-trinity (tank / healer / DPS) loop. AI companion fill is available when the player cannot find a full human group; partial-AI groups are the expected pattern at low Sequence.
See Dungeons and Raids for the full instance roster expected during CBT and Combat System for the action-combat fundamentals.
Step 6: Sanity management
Sanity is a permanent character resource and the most common cause of CBT-build group wipes. Watch for these behaviours:
Reading a sealed-tier text without prior preparation can spike sanity loss.
Casting a Sequence 9 ritual at full sanity is fine; casting at low sanity escalates the failure consequences.
Sanity recovers slowly through cover identity time, Tingen civilian content, and tea-brewing rituals taught at the Mysticism and Rituals tutorial.
Group content has shared-sanity consequences when reading shared occult texts. Coordinate reading order with the group.
Step 7: What's next
After Tingen the player progresses through the campaign:
Mid-Act content extends the Sequence-9 ladder toward Sequence 8 advancement.
Pathway-specific quests open Sequence 7 advancement candidates. Pathway 'beyond Sequence 7' is post-CBT content.
Backlund preview content is unlocked late in the introductory campaign but most Backlund mass-content is gated for later test rounds and the live-service patches.
Faction reputation with the Seven Orthodox Churches, Tarot Club, and the supernatural law-enforcement bodies opens secondary quest lines.
Common new-player questions
Is there gacha for characters? No. The player creates and progresses their own Beyonder. See Monetization.
Can I switch pathways? Pathway change is sold through premium currency and is intentionally rare and expensive.
Do I have to pay to progress? No. The campaign and all six CBT pathways are accessible without payment.
Is the global client out? Not at the time of the Crimson Test. See CN vs Global.