Renown is now in Early Access, and it boasts a world filled with excitement and peril. Your initial moments are critical for establishing your foothold. Swift action to complete various tasks during the game's early stages is essential for survival. So, let this Renown Beginner's Guide help you endure and win in more ways than one in this game.

Renown Beginner’s Guide: The First Steps

Your first hour in Renown might also be your most important time in the game. In this period, you must gather bearings, farm resources, and build a base while watching your back for surprise attackers. So, here’s what you should know to ensure your survival in this medieval realm.

Basic Controls

Generally, the game defaults to a third-person point of view (PoV). Changing this PoV is possible by pressing the “O” keyboard key (by default). Doing so shuffles the PoV options, which also include a first-person mode. Pressing Tab (by default) shows the inventory screen. Note that Renown labels your person’s inventory as “Pockets” and the equipped items as “Gear.” The top of the inventory screen also shows the Crafting and Research tabs. Next, traversing the map on foot can be quite slow when walking. So, press and hold the "Shift" key to sprint. Sprinting in Renown doesn't cost stamina, but attacking and jumping do. Alternatively, press the hyphen (-) key to run automatically without holding the sprint button. Press the hyphen key again to stop the auto-run feature.

Gathering Resources & Tutorial Quests

After spawning at a random location on the map, the “Gathering Resources” tutorial quest appears. Completing this quest requires you to gather 100 units of Lumber, Stone, and Fiber. At this point, you can use a stick or your fists to hit trees for Lumber and boulders for Stone. As for Fiber, look for tall, purple flowers around the area. Then, hit those plants to gather the material. The “Gathering Resources” tutorial quest automatically completes upon gathering the last item. Then, the next task appears. Note that it’s not a requirement to complete the tutorial quests. If you wish to go about your way without following these objectives aimed at beginners, hide the quests using the Page Up/Down keys.

Crafting Equipment and Tools

Hitting trees and boulders for Lumber and Stone using a stick or your fists isn't the most efficient way of farming the materials. Instead, enter the Crafting tab and click on the right tools for the job: the Stone Axe, Stone Pickaxe, and Stone Sickle. These tools increase the amount of resources gathered per hit. However, each tool and equipment in Renown has durability, which is shown as a gauge below the item. The item breaks and becomes unusable if this durability gauge drops to zero. Don't forget to craft the Primitive Spear if you encounter a hostile player during your resource-gathering run. Next, drag the items to the appropriate Gear slot to equip them. Alternatively, hold Alt + left mouse button to automatically place the item in the right slot. Tip: Chop small stumps instead of large trees for Lumber. Otherwise, other players might see the falling tree, giving away your position.

The Map

Press the “M” keyboard key (by default) to view the in-game map. Note that Renown’s base map is fairly large. Thankfully, it shows a grid system, allowing players to call their locations accurately. For example, if you’re in Winterhold at the boar den, you can say you’re at I7 on the map.

Building a Base

Regardless of the server's chosen game mode, it's all about survival in Renown. So, it's important to build a base for you and your allies in the same Renown server to significantly increase your survival rate. Do so by crafting a Stone Mallet using 10x Stone and 20x Lumber at the Crafting screen. Note that the Stone Mallet must be equipped to build structures in Renown. Next, craft a Banner, allowing you to claim an area of land. Do so by using 100x Lumber on the Crafting screen. Also, don't forget to craft a Bed using 50x Fiber, which serves as your respawn point. Without it, you’ll always respawn at a random spot on the map after death. Press the right mouse button with the Stone Mallet equipped to open the Build menu. Then, select the structure to build with the left mouse button. At this point, start with a Scaffolding Foundation for your first base. Place that structure on relatively flat land to reduce building issues. Also, you must have the necessary materials in your Pockets to build structures. Note that the Scaffolding Foundation and other frameworks only last 15 minutes before they decay completely. Upgrade these structures using the “G” key and the necessary materials to increase the decay time significantly. Then, place additional structures to develop and secure your base, such as doors, walls, and stairs. Place your Banner at a secure spot on your base once you're satisfied with the base's design. Interact with the Banner to store resources for upkeep, so you don't have to highlight each structure to refresh its decay timer.

Combat

Don’t think for a second that you’re always safe in Renown. Challenges lurk in every corner, so always prepare yourself for a fight. Combat in Renown is fairly straightforward, albeit with some intricacies. For instance, damage is calculated using different elements, including the location of the hit, the weapon used, and the armor worn. Fighting with melee weapons generally only requires you to press the left mouse button to strike. Otherwise, equip the Bow and Quiver for long-range attacks. Then, press and hold the left mouse button to nock an arrow. Keep the left mouse button held while pressing the right mouse button to aim. Release both mouse buttons to let loose the arrow onto your target. With enough practice (and perhaps a lot of deaths), you'll graduate from this Renown Beginner's Guide, as you build and rule over your kingdom.