Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds beginner's guide: tips and tricks to get you started

Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is a whimsical journey on mobile that features breathtaking visuals, a gripping narrative and a world that's all about the magic of Studio Ghibli. The massive game might seem overwhelming at first, but immersing yourself in the title is an absolute delight whether you're a fan of the franchise or not - you are, after all, a Soul Diver, and diving into worlds is what you do best.

Picking your character class

From the very beginning, you'll be asked to pick your character class among the Swordsman, Witch, Rogue, Destroyer and Engineer. You can preview the stats and moves of each class before you choose them, but don't feel pressured to make the right choice the very first time - you can always pick a different class later on if you feel like switching up your playstyle.

The progression of the narrative (as well as your experience and weapons) won't be shared across characters, but certain things like Familiars, accessories and armour are shared between classes. If you're eager to defeat enemies and clear quests faster during the first few hours, it's best to pick either the Swordsman or the Witch to make sure you defeat early foes with ease.

Accepting quests and dailies

Speaking of quests, the only way you can really level up while you're starting out is to follow the main storyline, which is peppered with quests you need to do to either get info from someone or raise your Reputation level to certain ranks. You can set the auto-navigate function of the game to help you travel to waypoints automatically - do note that not all quests can be cleared in auto mode. Some quests - like kicking barrels - will require manual controls. The dialogue also requires you to tap through lines of text, so you can't just leave your device on auto and forget about it for the rest of the day.

Still, setting your battles and quests to Auto can help you speed through the first few hours of gameplay and level up quickly. Don't forget to collect the many, many rewards you're showered with after completing each quest - these will come in handy when you're upgrading your gear or your Familiars in the menu.

The right kind of spending

When you're starting out, you might find it difficult to acquire resources to level up your gear, which is why it's important to save them for 3-star or 4-star equipment when you can. You'll get enough gold to spend, however, and you should do so to upgrade your chosen low-level weapon. You can use dupes to upgrade weapons and equipment quickly as well.

Of course, if the RNG gods are in your favour, you might just pull a 4-star from the gacha - in that case, it's best to invest your resources there. As for Familiars, you'll get a chance to summon from the gacha pool and reroll multiple times as a beginner, so it's a cost-effective way of saving your currencies for more important stuff later on.

Unlocking your Kingdom and fighting field bosses

When you reach level 18, you can unlock Field Bosses that you can challenge via the Menu>Challenges>Field Boss. You can take part in these high-reward fights four times a day every 06:00, 12:00, 18:00 and 00:00.

Playing through the main quests will eventually task you with boosting your Evermore reputation to Grade 3 – halfway through this, you can talk to Christine for a special side quest named “Kingdom”. Clearing this quest unlocks the Kingdom feature, which is the guild system in Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds. Even if you're not into socialising or engaging in GVG, you will still benefit from the Kingdom you're in as you can score valuable resources, upgrade materials and the like for a limited number of times each day.

When you reach level 25, you can unlock the Chaos Field. Here, you can put your skills to the test by trying to take down aggro monsters for tons of valuable loot like gemstones, magic pages, experience, gold and so much more. To maximise your time in the dungeon, be sure to take consumable item buffs that increase your drop rates, gold and experience.

That said, it's easy to get the hang of the game as the tutorial system is quick and painless - it doesn't meander too long, nor does it shower you with complicated information right from the get-go. Features are unlocked gradually, so you can take your sweet time enjoying the lush environment and deep gameplay Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds has to offer.

Ready to give it a go and experience the magic yourself? You can download the game on the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store as a free-to-play game with in-app purchases.