At the beginning of Kingdom Hearts III, Sora is asked "What do you desire?." This confusing choice will actually have a huge impact on the rest of the game, so players will want to understand the implications of each choice. It is perplexing why the question is phrased the way it is without indicating what each choice means.
Nonetheless, every gamer can choose one of the three options, Wisdom, Vitality, and Balance. This guide will cover each of these desires and explain the pros and cons of each. Additionally, power choices will be explained, as they will have an immense impact on gameplay as well.
What Do You Desire
Wisdom
Depending on which option gamers chose, they will have different health and mana stats to begin the game. Wisdom will grant players 90 health and 120 mana to begin the story. Gamers that enjoy using magic attacks and fighting from range will prefer the Wisdom desire.
Vitality
Vitality is the opposite of Wisdom, players will begin the story with 120 health and 100 mana. The Vitality desire is best suited for melee characters and beginners. Having the added health will make it easier to survive but at the cost of 30 less mana. Hack and slash gamers will enjoy using the Vitality desire.
Balance
Balance will, of course, give Sora balanced stats to start the game. The Balance desire gives Sora 105 health and 110 mana. Choosing the Balance desire will give players 215 total stats . This is the best option for players that want to use both melee and magic attacks. Balance is the safest choice for gamers that are unsure of which option to pick. The versatility of the desire makes Balance the obvious choice for most gamers. Regardless of which desire is chosen, each character will have 15 strength, 8 magic, and 28 AP to start the game.
What Power Do You Seek
After picking a desire, the game will ask "What power do you seek?". There are three power options in Kingdom Hearts III, Guardian, Warrior, and Mystic. Each power option will have an effect on the playstyle gamers will have to use, as well as the order in which their character can learn abilities. These choices will have no effect on progression speed, but some do cater to a faster-paced strategy. It should also be noted that difficulty will not impact the speed of progression either. Gamers can choose how difficult they want Sora's journey to be.
Guardian
The Guardian power option suits players that want to prioritize defense in the early game. Guardian is a great choice for beginners and players that would like to make it as far as possible without being killed. Vitality and Balance desires mesh well with the Guardian power. At level two, Sora will get the Damage Control ability, which makes surviving hectic battles far easier. Guardian can be useful for players that are starting the game on a higher difficulty as well. With more health and more defensive abilities, Sora can withstand more damage and survive challenging encounters.
Warrior
The Warrior power allows Sora to learn melee attacking abilities first. Players that get tired of using the same attacks should choose this option to keep the attacking gameplay fresh. Either Vitality or Balance should be used in conjunction with the Warrior power. Which choice gamers make will depend on their preferred gameplay style. Although, Vitality will work the best with the Guardian power.
At just level two, Warriors will receive their first Combo Plus ability. The ability will deal more damage and string together more hits than Sora's base attacks. Warriors can shut their brains off and spam the attack button early in the campaign. It is not for everyone, but the up close and personal power is effective, at least in the beginning of the game.
Mystic
The last power, Mystic, will allow Sora to prioritize magic abilities and attacks before the others. The power is obviously best when paired with the Wisdom desire. Magic attacks use mana, and Wisdom will provide Sora with additional mana points. Higher skilled players and ranged attackers will prefer the Mystic/Wisdom combination. Mystics unlock the Magic Combo Thrift ability at level two, which is one of the most useful abilities in the game. Magic Combo Thrift allows Sora to use rapid-fire magic attacks against enemies. The ability makes Mystics very powerful offensive characters at lower levels.
Speedrunners should always choose the Mystic power. While Sora will be more vulnerable, magic abilities can take out a lot more NPCs than melee abilities can. Rapid-fire magic abilities will decimate hordes of enemies quickly, allowing gamers to cut corners and progress as fast as possible. For many players, spamming magic abilities is the most enjoyable way to play through the game.