Shiro Games' Wartales is an open-world medieval RPG that sees players take control over a party of companions and lead them on quests with a turn-based combat system as well as crafting and trading, and a variety of mini-games.
In addition to their primary fighting classes, companions can also be assigned a 'Profession' which gives them work to do outside of combat, often providing unique abilities and boons which will help the party overall in different ways. While it is always best to have a diverse set of skills among companions, there are certainly some professions that are more beneficial than others and should be assigned as soon as possible.
8 Woodcutter
One of the less important professions players can assign to a companion is that of the Woodcutter. Wood is a relatively abundant resource in the game world and can be found in a variety of locations.
A companion assigned to the woodcutter profession will be able to participate in the woodcutting mini-game which is available in some woodcutter camps or other encampments throughout the five provinces. Taking part in this will grant additional wood, but really this profession should not be high on the priority list, particularly for a starting party.
7 Miner
Much like the woodcutter, the Miner profession will enable players to extract large ores in several locations throughout the world. These large ores are typically only found in the specifically marked mines but can provide an array of different resources and metals
The resources gathered this way can be used to craft armor and weapons with the help of a Blacksmith, but once again there are plenty of ores throughout the game world and often they can be bought from certain vendors as well. While nice to have, this profession is also not essential in the early game.
6 Angler
One of the main mechanics players will have to be aware of from the get-go is the fatigue bar at the top of the screen during exploration. Over time, the party will fatigue and will eventually need to Rest and eat Food in order to gain full health, as well as gain other bonuses and happiness if the meal is prepared according to the group's needs.
The Angler profession will enable a companion to catch fish at rivers and shorelines, however many types of fish and meat can also be bought from various vendors, and players with tamed bears in their party can also gain a bonus to fish caught when passing near water sources.
5 Alchemist
Perhaps one of the key essential professions to unlock early, in order to fully maximize the potential of the party, is that of the Alchemist. Alchemists are able to craft potions and oils, including plague cures, as well as some weapons such as firebombs and bee hive bombs.
Simply having the ability to craft these potions as and when required can greatly improve the group's efficiency and provide combat and exploration bonuses when necessary, some of these potions and items may be quite difficult to come by in the game world any other way.
4 Thief
In order to achieve 100% completion, and even in order to progress along certain questlines, it will be necessary to assign at least one companion in the party to the Thief profession. This profession will enable players to unlock and steal items from locked chests, but can also enable the picking of locks and freeing of prisoners, as well as various other camp benefits that this profession can produce.
In camp, assigning a thief to the Camp Chest will generate income via the laundering of any stolen goods, but keep in mind that more items stolen will increase Suspicion and make conflict with the guards more likely.
3 Cook
Food is a valuable resource in Wartales as it is essential to keeping the party happy and preventing members from leaving the group. However, carrying around a large enough stock to feed a band of fighting mercenaries can be quite taxing on carrying capacity. While this can be mitigated somewhat through the purchase of ponies and carts, it is also possible to gain much greater efficiency with food by appointing a companion to the Cook profession.
Once a Cooking Pot has been built (in addition to the camp's main fire), the Cook will be able to learn recipes via the Knowledge Points index and craft them using the camp screen. These foods can boost ingredients from providing a mere 2 Food into meals of 14+ Food. Often requiring a range of ingredients as well as a recipe, these meals can be complex to assemble, but there are also many simple options that usually just require salt combined with another ingredient (chicken, venison, etc) in order to create much more substantial and efficient meals for the party.
2 Tinkerer
The Tinkerer profession is one of the first that players will need to unlock in order to craft the bare necessities. From pitons and lockpicks to camp equipment such as Tents and the Cooking Pot, the Tinkerer must be assigned in order to gain access to any of these benefits.
If manually assigned to the Workshop, the Tinkerer will also provide Raw Materials with every Rest, a greatly valuable resource that can be used to repair any damaged weapons and armor. The Tinkerer will gradually unlock more and more complex items, but the sheer variety of things they can produce will open up many more doors in the game, so this profession should really be assigned as early as possible.
1 Blacksmith
Although it is possible to purchase some weapons and armor or win them from vanquished enemies in combat - the easiest and most efficient way of upgrading the entire party's equipment is to assign a member to the Blacksmith profession. Blacksmiths will be able to use Forges in the various towns and cities throughout the game and will be able to craft weapons and armor types for the whole party.
Players can unlock further weapons and armor to be crafted by using Knowledge Points and there are many sets to be unlocked. As for the crafting itself, this is one of the most fun mini-games in any of the professions in which players must time the strike of their hammer as each individual piece lights up. For a bonus to equipment superiority, players can time the strike of the hammer as the object turns to gold, granting the item a special crafting bonus.
Wartales is out now and is available on PC.