Daisho: Survival of a Samurai guide - master your craft(ing) with our top tips for this Japanese-themed action RPG

The life of a Samurai is one fraught with constant danger, especially for those attempting to protect their settlements from the wars ravaging Sengoku period Japan. That however is exactly what you must do in Daisho: Survival of a Samurai, the base building action RPG which launched last week for iOS and Android devices.

If you caught our recent let’s play video for Daisho: Survival of a Samurai, then you’ll not only have gotten a glimpse of how charmingly beautiful it is, but also how in-depth Daisho goes with its crafting and resource gathering features. Whilst there’s plenty of action to be had with its myriad of weapons and enemies, base management and exploration play just as vital a role in ensuring your survival as your skills in combat. So to help you master all of those tasks, we’ve put together the following guide that will see you blast through your enemies and help bring order to the chaos.

Improve your stamina

Whether it’s mining rock, felling trees, or battling enemies, endurance will be required to perform almost every action in the game, so it’s vital that you manage your stamina bar efficiently. So, to that end, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• The first thing you need to be aware of is that every 30 minutes your stamina will replenish by 15 points, so don’t immediately give up if your energy starts running low. You can always visit the Hunting Ground or Rocky Crossroads to farm resources whilst you wait.
• The weight of the items in your inventory will have an effect on how quickly your stamina gets depleted, so don’t attempt to collect and hoard every item you come across; only take the materials you’ll need to complete your next quest.
• There are 3 main ways to restore stamina: through completing a tile-matching 2048 mini-game located near the cooking pot at the estate, by eating the vegetables served at the food stand labelled A Boon of Endurance, or by watching a short advertisement.
• Make sure to invest in the Second Wind talent in your talent tree as soon as possible. This will boost the rate of your stamina recovery.

Make the most of your equipment

Looting your vanquished foes is the best method for gathering new equipment, so playing through Rocky Crossroads (where there are enemies aplenty) will provide a constant source for receiving new pieces.

Also be aware that both your weapons and armour feature a level of durability which depletes each time you attack or get hit. Maintaining your weapons requires spending gold to repair them, so it might be wise to scour the ground on occasion for weapons and armour which can serve you temporarily, rather than relying solely on your best equipment.

After your first visit to Rocky Crossroads, you’ll be able to find the Weapons Master, located on the right side of your settlement. Unlocking and interacting with this particular NPC will allow you to combine similar items of the same quality into a better item; a perfect way to improve gear stats!

Manage your coffers

Much like the Sengoku period in which Daisho: Survival of a Samurai takes place, the main currency you’ll use is gold. Or, more specifically, gold coins. They’ll be used for a good deal of your activities and purchases, so gathering as many as you can should be a constant priority. Here are a few ways you can source them:

• Complete merchant orders: this will require you to head to the Hunting Ground which unlocks early on in the game. Visit this location and start gathering items for your orders in exchange for coins.
• Estate Prosperity: every 4 hours, you’ll earn an amount of coins dependent on the prosperity level of your estate. Improving the quality of your estate by performing repair tasks and clearing duties will see your estate’s prosperity rise, which in turn will increase the amount of coins you receive.
• Enemies: along with being a great source of equipment, the enemies you vanquish in Rocky Crossroads will occasionally drop coins as well.

Maximise your inventory space

As with any other RPG, all resources gathered in Daisho: Survival of a Samurai will take up inventory space. And, with there being so many potential resources to gather, it can fill up fairly quickly, so here are some basic tips on how to manage your stuff without having to throw away your most valuable items:

• Upgrade your backpack capacity with gems. Make sure to check your journal to see if you have any gems as a reward for completed quests and upgrade your inventory capacity.
• Use the Storage function. You can put your resources there instantly with the 'Store' button. They can be used without being directly added to your inventory.
• Some extra storage for equipment is made available next to the weapon master once he’s unlocked, so make good use of that whenever you can.
• Merge similar equipment to free up space and level up your gear. You can also sell unwanted resources to the merchant to free up some space or disassemble equipment for coins.

And that’s that. With all of your resource, currency and equipment bases now covered, the only thing left to do is cut down your enemies and grow your settlement. If you’re yet to try Daisho: Survival of a Samurai and wish to put our tips to the test, then you can download it right now for free from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.