Stoneshard is a challenging turn-based open-world RPG with a brutal pain, injury, and permadeath system. You control a lone mercenary navigating a medieval world, taking contracts, clearing dungeons, and managing a complex health system where injuries affect gameplay — broken arms reduce accuracy, leg wounds slow movement, and untreated infections can kill. The caravan management system lets you build a trading empire between adventures. Stoneshard is still in early access but already offers 50+ hours of punishing RPG content for players who want consequences.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
pain and injury system
Beyond HP, Stoneshard tracks individual body part injuries: head trauma causes dizziness, arm fractures reduce attack accuracy, leg injuries slow movement, and torso wounds increase pain. Pain itself causes skill penalties — at high pain levels, all actions become less effective. Managing injuries with splints, painkillers, bandages, and medicine is as important as combat.
caravan management
You manage a caravan that travels between towns, trading goods and hiring mercenaries. The caravan generates passive income and provides storage between dungeon runs. Investing in caravan upgrades (guards, wagons, trade goods) creates a growing business that funds your adventuring. Caravan routes between towns have different profitability based on supply and demand.
open world exploration
The world map connects towns, dungeons, camps, and wilderness areas. Travel takes real time and exposes you to random encounters, weather, and fatigue. Each dungeon is procedurally generated with increasing difficulty as you delve deeper. Contracts from tavern boards direct you to specific locations for rewards.
skill trees
Ten skill trees cover weapon types (Swords, Maces, Axes, Daggers, Bows, Staves) and magic schools (Pyromancy, Geomancy, Electromancy). Each tree has active and passive skills unlocked with skill points. Specializing in one weapon type is more effective than spreading points across many trees. Respec is available but expensive.
permadeath
Death is permanent — your character dies, you lose all equipment and progress on that character. Saving only occurs at inn beds or campfires. The permadeath system makes every combat encounter consequential and every dungeon dive a genuine risk assessment. Preparation (potions, bandages, food) determines survival.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swordsman | A | Switch between offensive and defensive stances based on enemy strength, use shield for tough fights. | Strength, Agility, Vitality |
| Archer | S | Kite enemies at range, use aimed shots for critical damage, switch to melee backup in tight spaces. | Agility, Perception, Vitality |
| Mage | A | Cast AoE spells from range, use Geomancy barriers for protection, manage mana carefully. | Willpower, Perception, Vitality |
| Dual Wielder | B | Evade attacks with positioning, apply poison for DoT, strike rapidly during enemy recovery frames. | Agility, Perception, Strength |
| Two-Handed | A | Stagger enemies with heavy hits, cleave groups, use armor to tank damage during slow attack animations. | Strength, Vitality, Agility |
Swordsman (A-Tier): Swords offer balanced offense and defense with good accuracy and moderate damage. The Sword skill tree includes Stances (switching between offensive and defensive postures) and Counter abilities. Paired with a shield, the Swordsman is the most forgiving melee build for beginners.
Archer (S-Tier): The safest combat build — Bows let you kill enemies before they reach melee range. The Archery tree includes skills for rapid fire, aimed shots, and retreating shots. Ammunition is craftable from wood and feathers. Archers struggle only in tight corridors where kiting space is limited.
Mage (A-Tier): Mages use elemental magic (Pyromancy, Geomancy, Electromancy) for ranged AoE damage. Spells cost mana and have cooldowns. Pyromancy burns enemies with DoT, Geomancy creates stone barriers, and Electromancy chains lightning between targets. Mages are powerful but fragile — one melee hit can end a run.
Dual Wielder (B-Tier): Dual-wielding daggers or swords provides the highest attack speed but lowest defense. The Dagger tree includes poison application, backstab bonuses, and evasion skills. High risk/reward — hits fast and hard but dies quickly if hit. Requires excellent positioning and dodge usage.
Two-Handed (A-Tier): Two-handed weapons (Greathammers, Greataxes, Greatswords) deal massive single-hit damage with stagger effects. The Two-Handed tree includes Cleave (hit multiple enemies) and Stun (prevent enemy actions). Slower than other builds but each hit is devastating. Pair with heavy armor to survive the slow wind-ups.
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Stoneshard builds guide.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Longsword | The balanced melee weapon with moderate damage, good accuracy, and versatile skill tree. | Swordsman build for balanced combat approach |
| Warbow | The strongest bow type with highest range and damage per shot. | Archer build for maximum ranged safety and damage |
| Staff of Flames | A magical staff enabling Pyromancy spells — Fireball (ranged AoE), Flame Wall (area denial), and Ignite (DoT). | Mage build for AoE fire damage and enemy control |
| Twin Daggers | The fastest weapon combination with attacks that apply bonus effects (poison, bleed) on each hit. | Dual Wielder build for speed-based critical damage |
| Greathammer | The highest stagger weapon — enemies hit by a Greathammer are stunned for 1-2 turns, preventing their action. | Two-Handed build for stun-locking individual tough enemies |
Longsword: The balanced melee weapon with moderate damage, good accuracy, and versatile skill tree. Longswords have stance-switching abilities between offensive (more damage) and defensive (more block) modes. The most forgiving weapon for learning combat mechanics.
Warbow: The strongest bow type with highest range and damage per shot. Warbows require arrows (craftable) and the Archery skill tree. The charged Aimed Shot ability deals 2-3x normal damage with increased critical chance. The safest weapon in the game for avoiding damage entirely.
Staff of Flames: A magical staff enabling Pyromancy spells — Fireball (ranged AoE), Flame Wall (area denial), and Ignite (DoT). The Staff provides +magic damage when equipped. Pyromancy is the highest-damage magic school but sets the environment on fire, which can backfire in tight spaces.
Twin Daggers: The fastest weapon combination with attacks that apply bonus effects (poison, bleed) on each hit. Daggers have the lowest per-hit damage but the highest attack speed and dual-hit mechanics. Critical strike chance is higher with daggers than any other weapon type.
Greathammer: The highest stagger weapon — enemies hit by a Greathammer are stunned for 1-2 turns, preventing their action. The Greathammer's Stun effect trivializes 1v1 fights but the slow speed is dangerous against groups. Deals crushing damage that ignores a portion of armor.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Osbrook | Level 1-4 | Starter contracts, basic equipment, save point access, caravan start |
| Brynn | Level 4-8 | Advanced equipment shops, high-paying contracts, caravan upgrades |
| Mannshire | Level 3-6 | Mid-tier equipment, moderate contracts, wilderness dungeon access |
| Bandit Camps | Scales with area | Equipment drops, gold, bandit bounty contracts, ransom opportunities |
| Crypts | Scales with depth (deep levels = high difficulty) | Best equipment drops, rare crafting materials, boss loot, high contract payouts |
Osbrook: The starting village with a tavern (contract board), inn (save point), and basic shops. Osbrook's surrounding area has entry-level dungeons and camps suitable for fresh characters. The tavern contracts here pay modestly but provide manageable challenges for building your character.
Brynn: The major city with advanced shops, a larger contract board, and caravan trading hub. Brynn is where you sell valuable dungeon loot and buy advanced equipment. The city's contracts send you to harder dungeons with better rewards. Reaching Brynn is a mid-game milestone.
Mannshire: A town between Osbrook and Brynn with mid-tier content. Mannshire's contracts bridge the difficulty gap between starter and advanced areas. The surrounding wilderness has mid-level dungeons with challenging but manageable enemies.
Bandit Camps: Procedurally generated outdoor camps with organized bandit groups. Camps have lookouts, fighters, and a leader. Clearing a camp provides equipment, gold, and occasionally prisoners to ransom. Camps are easier than dungeons but offer less valuable loot.
Crypts: Underground multi-level dungeons with undead enemies, traps, and boss encounters. Each crypt level is procedurally generated and gets harder with depth. The deepest levels contain the game's best loot but are deadly for unprepared characters. Save at a campfire before entering.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Save at inn beds and campfires — death is permanent and losing a 10-hour character to an avoidable fight is devastating. Save before every dungeon and risky encounter.
- Pain affects all actions — at high pain levels, your accuracy, damage, and dodge chance all drop. Carry painkillers (herbs, potions) and use them when pain exceeds 30-40% to maintain combat effectiveness.
- The contract board in taverns gives direction and income — take contracts matching your level and equipment. Dungeon contracts pay best but require preparation. Camp clearing contracts are safer income.
- Don't fight more than 2 enemies at once early on — Stoneshard's turn-based combat punishes being outnumbered. Lure enemies into corridors for 1v1 fights, or use AoE abilities to soften groups first.
- Splints fix broken bones but slow your movement — a broken arm splint reduces accuracy temporarily while healing. Carry splints and bandages on every expedition. Running out of medical supplies mid-dungeon is a death sentence.
- Rest at campfires in dungeons to save and recover some health. Campfire rest costs firewood and food but is essential for multi-level dungeon dives. Always carry 2-3 pieces of firewood.
- Hunger and thirst affect performance — eat cooked food from your inventory regularly. Eating raw food can cause illness. Cook meat at campfires before consuming it.
- The caravan system provides passive income between adventures — invest in trade goods and routes. A profitable caravan funds equipment upgrades without requiring dangerous dungeon runs.
- Weapon skill trees reward specialization — putting 15 points into Swords gives powerful late-tree abilities that 5 points in three different trees can't match. Focus on one weapon type.
- Retreat is a valid strategy — if a dungeon level is too hard, retreat to the previous level or exit entirely. Living to fight another day with your loot is better than dying and losing everything.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Ignoring the pain system — high pain from injuries reduces all stats. Players who push through pain without painkillers fight at 50-70% effectiveness, turning winnable battles into deaths.
- Not saving at every opportunity — permadeath means one bad fight erases hours of progress. Save at every inn and campfire, even if it feels excessive. You'll thank yourself later.
- Fighting multiple enemies in open areas — being surrounded means taking hits from multiple directions with no escape. Use corridors and doorways to create 1v1 chokepoints.
- Entering deep dungeon levels without medical supplies — one serious injury on level 3 without bandages or splints means a slow death from bleeding or infection with no way to heal.
- Spreading skill points across multiple weapon trees — a character with 5 points in Swords, Axes, and Bows is worse at everything than one with 15 points in Swords. Specialize for power.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stoneshard finished?
Stoneshard is in early access with regular content updates. The current build offers 50+ hours of content including multiple regions, dozens of dungeons, and the caravan management system. The developers actively add new areas, skills, and mechanics. The core gameplay loop is polished and enjoyable in its current state.
How hard is Stoneshard?
Very hard. Permadeath, the pain system, and limited saving make every decision consequential. New players should expect to lose several characters before learning enemy patterns and resource management. The difficulty is intentional — the developers want combat to feel dangerous.
Is there multiplayer in Stoneshard?
No. Stoneshard is a single-player RPG. The turn-based combat and permadeath mechanics are designed for a solo experience. There are no current plans for multiplayer.
What class should I start with in Stoneshard?
Start with Archer (Bow) — ranged combat lets you kill enemies before they reach you, reducing the risk of permadeath. Once you understand enemy patterns and the pain/injury system, try melee builds (Swordsman is the safest melee option). Avoid Dual Wield and Mage until experienced.
What to Read Next
- Best Stoneshard Builds — Detailed breakdowns with gear, stats, and playstyle guides
- Stoneshard Tier List — Current meta rankings
- Stoneshard Walkthrough — Step-by-step progression from start to endgame
- Stoneshard Beginner's Guide — First session essentials
- Stoneshard Tips & Tricks — Advanced strategies and hidden mechanics
