Your first steps in Deskrawl

Deskrawl combines automatic combat with equipment, abilities, companions and town progression. The checklist below is an editorial starting routine, not a tested speedrun or a promise of specific drops.

Before your first session

1. Update the game and Steam. The September 28 hotfix addressed online connections with older Steam clients. Updating Steam is the developer’s recommendation.
2. Read the character-creation mode carefully. That hotfix made Online Mode the default. Choose deliberately; this guide does not assume characters can be transferred between modes.
3. Make the desktop layout comfortable. Keep the game readable at your normal display scale. Check that you can inspect equipment and notices while using your other applications.
4. Read your starting abilities. Identify what your current setup is trying to achieve before following somebody else’s item list.

A simple progression loop

Treat this as a decision aid. It deliberately avoids assuming a particular level, drop, or skill unlock.

Keep the first experiments small

Choose a familiar encounter, note the result, and change one thing: an item, an ability choice, or a companion. Try the encounter again under similar conditions. If you change everything together, it becomes difficult to tell what helped.

Keep the old item until you have compared the result. A quick note such as “survived longer, slower clear” is enough; you do not need a spreadsheet to make a useful comparison.

Keep your inventory manageable

Patch 1.0.0g added Stash All and Take All controls to storage. Read the control labels and check what moved before selling or spending anything. Keep items you are actively comparing separate from items you have already rejected.

Where to go next

Read class selection before creating more heroes, gear and upgrades before a major spend, and minion basics when you encounter your first Rein.