The First Berserker: Khazan is Neople's souls-like, released on 27 March 2025 and set in the same Arad universe as Dungeon Fighter Online. Khazan is a decorated general of the Pell Los Empire who is framed for treason, crippled, and left to die in the snow until a spirit called the Blade Phantom keeps him alive. The campaign runs 16 main missions across four regions, from the Charnak Mountain Range through the Pell Los Plateau and the Heart of Pell Los to Vitalon, capital of the empire, with 24 bonus missions hanging off the same mission map. There are no character classes. You choose between Greatsword, Dual Wield and Spear, and you can respec every skill point at a Blade Nexus for free, as many times as you like.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Charnak Mountain Range | Brink Guard and Reflect basics | Dual Wield | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Pell Los Plateau | Stamina and stance breaking mastery | Dual Wield | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Heart of Pell Los | Spirit gauge skills + gear | Greatsword or Dual Wield | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Vitalon, Capital of the Empire | Build optimization | Greatsword | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Palemion Citadel | Min-max | Greatsword or Spirit skill build | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Charnak Mountain Range)
The opening region, covering Banished Hero, Trials of the Frozen Mountain, Forgotten Temple, First Act of Revenge and Strange Stench. Yetuga is the first wall most players hit, and the region is where the game decides whether you have understood Brink Guard.
Level/Difficulty: Main missions 1 to 5 of 16 Key Rewards: First weapon choice, the earliest Qazumaka scrolls, and the Blade Phantom fight
What to Do in Charnak Mountain Range
- Learn Brink Guard and Reflect. Holding guard blocks at a heavy stamina cost. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Dual Wield as your starting role. See our builds guide for why.
- Bonus missions are not optional content. There are 24 of them across the four regions and they are the intended source of Lacrima and blacksmith Scrolls, so a player who runs only the 16 main missions arrives at the Heart of Pell Los badly under-geared.
- Acquire your first weapons upgrade: Dual Wield blades or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Brink Guard and Reflect fundamentals
- Dual Wield selected and functional
- Charnak Mountain Range main content cleared
- Ready for Pell Los Plateau
Phase 2: Early Game (Pell Los Plateau)
The second region, running Traitor Revealed, Veiled Knives, Devoured Village and Inconceivable Truth. Traitor Revealed takes Khazan into the city of Palemion for the first act of his revenge, and the enemy mix shifts from beasts to trained soldiers who punish sloppy guard timing.
Level/Difficulty: Main missions 6 to 9 of 16 Key Rewards: Mid-game armour sets, several Crevice NPC recruits, Rangkus
What to Do in Pell Los Plateau
- Work on Stamina and stance breaking. Khazan and every enemy carry a stamina bar alongside health. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Dual Wield blades if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Brink Guard is timed to the moment of impact, not the wind-up. Watch the weapon rather than the character, and count the rhythm of a combo on your first attempt instead of trying to react to every hit.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Heart of Pell Los.
- Consider whether Greatsword might suit your playstyle better than Dual Wield.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Stamina and stance breaking integrated into gameplay
- Dual Wield blades acquired
- Pell Los Plateau fully cleared
- Ready for Heart of Pell Los
Phase 3: Mid Game (Heart of Pell Los)
Witch's Castle, Hermit Mountains, Corruptors' Fortress and Strange Melody sit here. Crowd encounters get much larger, which is where heavy armour builds pull ahead and where under-levelled players should go back and clear bonus missions.
Level/Difficulty: Main missions 10 to 13 of 16 Key Rewards: Late skill tree nodes, high-tier scrolls, large Lacrima payouts
What to Do in Heart of Pell Los
- Master Spirit gauge skills. Skills do not cost stamina. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Greatsword. It's the best weapon and becomes accessible around now.
- Skill points come from landing hits, not from levelling. If a tree feels empty, go clear a bonus mission with that weapon equipped rather than grinding levels at a Blade Nexus.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Lacrima and the Blade Nexus for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Spirit gauge skills mastered
- Greatsword acquired or in progress
- Heart of Pell Los fully cleared
- Ready for Vitalon, Capital of the Empire
Phase 4: Late Game (Vitalon, Capital of the Empire)
The final region: Fall of the Empire, Bloodied Sanctuary and Master of Chaos, ending at Ozma. Enemy stamina pools are large enough that stance breaking is no longer optional, and mistimed guards cost most of a health bar.
Level/Difficulty: Main missions 14 to 16 of 16 Key Rewards: Endgame gear, the final boss, and the completion of all 16 main missions
What to Do in Vitalon, Capital of the Empire
- Finalize your build. You should be running Greatsword or Dual Wield with optimized gear.
- Greatsword should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Respec is free and unlimited. Test all three weapons in the Charnak Mountain Range before you commit, because the difference between Greatsword and Dual Wield is far bigger than the difference between two weapons in most souls-likes.
- Three weapon skill trees optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Palemion Citadel.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Greatsword upgraded to max
- Vitalon, Capital of the Empire fully cleared
- Ready for Palemion Citadel
Phase 5: Endgame (Palemion Citadel)
The citadel section of the Pell Los Plateau where Rangkus, the sixth boss, waits at the end. Rangkus has a twin, Bringkus, which is the game's first hint that beating a boss once does not mean you are done with that moveset.
Level/Difficulty: Reached during main mission 6, Traitor Revealed Key Rewards: Rangkus set materials, Soulstones hidden along the citadel route
What to Do in Palemion Citadel
- Palemion Citadel tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Some heavy attacks cannot be blocked at all. Guarding them drains the entire stamina bar and leaves you open, so learn which moves in a boss set demand a dodge and treat guard as the wrong answer to them.
- The endgame loop: run Palemion Citadel, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Spirit skill build for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Three weapon skill trees mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Palemion Citadel fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Treating guard as a hold-to-block button. Holding drains stamina fast, and the punish window opens the moment the bar empties.
- Levelling Strength on a Spear or Dual Wield build because it sounds like the damage stat. Spear scales off Proficiency and Dual Wield off Willpower.
- Skipping all 24 bonus missions and then blaming the difficulty curve when Vitalon enemies take three times as long to kill.
- Dodging everything. Brink Dodge does far less stamina damage than a Brink Guard, so a pure dodge run leaves bosses at full stance and fights running twice as long.
- Hoarding Lacrima into a boss arena. Death drops it on the floor, and boss runbacks are exactly where players lose the largest piles.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Bonus missions are not optional content. There are 24 of them across the four regions and they are the intended source of Lacrima and blacksmith Scrolls, so a player who runs only the 16 main missions arrives at the Heart of Pell Los badly under-geared.
- Brink Guard is timed to the moment of impact, not the wind-up. Watch the weapon rather than the character, and count the rhythm of a combo on your first attempt instead of trying to react to every hit.
- Skill points come from landing hits, not from levelling. If a tree feels empty, go clear a bonus mission with that weapon equipped rather than grinding levels at a Blade Nexus.
- Respec is free and unlimited. Test all three weapons in the Charnak Mountain Range before you commit, because the difference between Greatsword and Dual Wield is far bigger than the difference between two weapons in most souls-likes.
- Some heavy attacks cannot be blocked at all. Guarding them drains the entire stamina bar and leaves you open, so learn which moves in a boss set demand a dodge and treat guard as the wrong answer to them.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More The First Berserker: Khazan Guides
- The First Berserker: Khazan The First Berserker: Khazan Overview
- The First Berserker: Khazan Best Builds
- The First Berserker: Khazan Tier List
- The First Berserker: Khazan Beginner's Guide
- The First Berserker: Khazan Tips & Tricks
- The First Berserker: Khazan Weapons Guide
- The First Berserker: Khazan Combat Guide
- The First Berserker: Khazan Boss Guide
- The First Berserker: Khazan Maps & Locations
- The First Berserker: Khazan Crafting Guide
- The First Berserker: Khazan Classes & Characters
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