The Beginning

Your first steps in Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth! Learn about difficulty settings, guild creation, class selection, party setup, and your first mission.

Alright, let's get you started on your adventure in Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth! When you boot up the game for the first time, you'll be faced with a couple of choices right off the bat, mainly concerning difficulty. You can pick between Basic and Advanced. Think of Basic as your Easy Mode, and Advanced as the standard Normal Mode. The cool thing about Basic is that it gives you a 1.2 EXP boost, which can really help you get going. Don't stress too much about this choice, though, because you can change the difficulty at any time later on.

After you've sorted out the difficulty, you'll find yourself at the Forest Entrance, where the game will give you a quick rundown of the story. Then, it's off to the city, Urbs Septem Collium - City of Seven Hills. You can't really explore much else at this point, so your first stop is the Explorers Guild.

Inside the Explorers Guild, a friendly Man in Armor named Egar, the guildmaster, will greet you. He'll suggest you start your own guild and help you recruit your first party members. You'll get to choose from four races: Earthlain, Celestrian, Therian, and Brouni. Each race has unique classes associated with them:

Earthlain	A widespread race with many classes. Well-rounded in general, though they're known for their endurance.
Fencer: _Frontline speed/offense._ Adept swordfighter that can dodge enemy attacks and deal dazzling combination strikes.	Dragoon: _Backline defender._ Knight clad in armor as hard as dragonhide. Equally at home with a shield or a cannon.
Pugilist: _Frontline burst offense._ Warriors trained in martial arts. Their precise strikes can seal enemy limbs.	Harbinger: _Frontline ailment offense._ Manipulators of miasma. They weaken foes with it, then use scythes to cut them down.

Celestrian	This race has spent eons studying magic in frigid Sidonia, They're known for tall stature and sharp intellects.
Warlock: _Backline element offense_. Wielder of ancient spells. They manipulate fire, ice, and lightning to attack.	Necromancer: _All-purpose summoner_. A summoner that calls upon wraiths to defend and attack on the party's behalf.

Therian	Dwellers of a city beyond the great woods, at the base of a mountain. Legend says they descend from beasts.
Rover: _Ranged offense/summon_. Hunter skilled in archery. Works with hunting animals to attack and bind foes.	Masurao: _Frontline offense_. Warrior of the katana. Some say true masters can wield multiple blades at once.

Brouni	A diminutive people from the land of the great plains. They worship nature, and many work as herbal physicians.
Shaman: _Backline support_. Acolyte who communicates with beings beyond mortal sight. Heals and channels blessings.	Botanist: _Backline healer_. A canny naturalist that uses herbs and poisons to heal or hurt with their concoctions.

After picking your character's race and class, you'll get to customize their appearance further, like hair, eyes, and skin color, plus their voice. Honestly, you can just stick with the defaults and pick a voice if you want, since you can change most of this stuff later. Don't get too bogged down here!

You can have up to 30 comrades in your guild, and there are 10 classes in total. It's a good idea to recruit at least two of each class to start, maybe even three, just to have options. You can always dismiss them later if you need space. Once you've got your crew, you'll need to set up your active party. Go to PARTY - Arrange and pick 5 members, deciding whether they'll be in the front or back row. Generally, Fencers, Pugilists, and Masuraos do best in the front, while Warlocks, Necromancers, Shamans, and Botanists are better in the back. Dragoons, Harbingers, and Rovers are flexible and can fill in where needed.

When your party is set, leave the guild. A Loud Man will announce that all new guilds need to head to the Council Hall to accept their first mission. Head on over there.

Inside the Council Hall, you'll meet Ramus, an Earthlain Royalty. This is where representatives from all four races gather. You can take on missions here, and later on, register monster and item information. For now, just select MISSIONS and accept the first one, the Iorys Qualification Exam. The mission objective is to create a map of the first floor of Yggdrasil and collect root and soil samples.

After accepting the mission, you'll get a Map of the first labyrinth. Ramus will give you a hint about where to find the items, and a big red square will mark the spot on your map. Before you head out, Ramus suggests visiting the Iorys Marketplace to grab necessary gear. So, let's do that.

In the Iorys Marketplace, you'll meet Syrik, a Brouni merchant. He sets up shop here because of the treasures in Yggdrasil. Any materials you find in the labyrinth can be sold to him, and he'll update his inventory with new equipment and items. You can also forge equipment here later to improve its stats, but that's not a priority just yet. You start with 300 en, and it's highly recommended to buy equipment for all your party members to get a nice defense boost before you dive into the labyrinth for the first time.