I sat on the title screen for ten minutes before I even started my first game of The Scroll of Taiwu. Not because I was hyped — because I had no idea what I was about to get into. And when I finally clicked "New Game," I spent the next 3 hours creating a character with absolutely no context for what any of the stats meant.
This game has the worst tutorial of any game I have ever played. It doesn't hold your hand — it doesn't even point you in the right direction and say "good luck." It drops you in a world with zero explanation and expects you to figure out everything from martial arts skill books to village management to arranged marriages.
I have 200 hours in this game now. I still have no idea what I'm doing half the time. But the other half — when everything clicks — it's one of the most unique RPGs ever made. Here's what I wish someone had told me before I spent 20 hours wandering around a village accomplishing nothing.
The world map — it looks open and inviting but the game gives you zero direction on where to go
Character Creation: Don't Make My Mistakes
You'll face a wall of stats, traits, and starting conditions. The game explains none of them. Here's what actually matters:
- Start near the Sword Forge or Hundred Flowers faction — These two schools have the most beginner-friendly martial arts. Sword Forge gives you straightforward sword techniques. Hundred Flowers gives you healing arts that keep you alive.
- Don't min-max too hard — I made a character with max strength and zero intelligence. Couldn't learn any advanced skills. Balance your stats. Constitution and Intelligence are both important.
- Pick "Sharp Blade" or "Swift Hands" trait — The first boosts weapon damage, the second boosts healing. Avoid the flashy-sounding traits — most are useless for a first playthrough.
- Set lifespan to the shortest option (16 years) — This sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out. In Taiwu, when you die, your child inherits your skills. Short lifespan = faster inheritance = faster power growth.
Character creation — every stat matters but the game explains nothing
First Steps: What to Do in Your First 3 Days
Most new players (myself included) wander around clicking on everything hoping something happens. Don't do that. Here's the actual priority order:
- Stay in Taiwu Village — Talk to every NPC, especially the ones with special icons. They give you your first skill books and resources.
- Go to the training hall and READ your skill book — You start with a "Taiwu Skill Book" in your inventory. Open it. Read it. Then equip the skill. If you don't equip it, you haven't learned it.
- Demolish useless buildings — Some buildings in the village are junk. Tear them down for materials to build training halls, storage, and a clinic.
- Visit the nearest city to learn medicine and general skills — Medicine keeps you alive. General skills let you earn money. These are the two most important skills for the first 10 hours.
I spent 5 hours my first run waiting for a "quest" to trigger. There are no quests. Not in the traditional sense. You decide what to do, and the game reacts.
How Skills Actually Work (The Game Doesn't Tell You)
The skill system is the heart of Taiwu, and it's needlessly complex. I'll simplify it:
- Reading — Open a skill book in your inventory. This starts a mini-game where you need to balance "comprehension" (progress) and "patience" (resource). Reading consumes patience, comprehension adds progress. Use "review" to restore patience without progress. The goal is to finish the book before you run out of patience.
- Training — After reading, go to a training hall and spend experience points to level up the skill to 100%.
- Breakthrough — At 100%, attempt a breakthrough mini-game. If you succeed, you learn the skill permanently.
- Equipping — Go to the equipment screen and slot the skill. If it's not equipped, you're not using it. I made this mistake for 8 hours.
5 Noob Traps to Avoid
1. Starving to death
Your character needs to eat, drink, and stay warm. I died on my first exploration trip because I ran out of food and couldn't make it back. Always bring rations. Always.
2. Thinking strength is everything in combat
Taiwu's combat is not a stat check. Your skill selection, weapon, footwork, and internal energy all matter. Stacking strength alone will get you killed. Level up your footwork — it makes boss fights 10x easier.
3. Refusing to get married
Marriage seems like a distraction. It's not. If you don't have children, your bloodline ends when you die. The game ends. Marry someone early, have a kid, and pass down your skills.
4. Fighting everyone
NPCs have relationships and factions. Attack someone from a school and the whole school hates you. In the early game, make friends, not enemies. You can be a menace later.
5. Ignoring skill requirements
Every skill has attribute requirements (strength, intelligence, etc.). If you don't meet them, you can't learn the skill. Don't force it — go read books to raise your attributes first.
Combat system — it looks like a turn-based RPG but it's actually a position-and-timing system
Boss Order: Which Sword Tomb to Tackle First
There are 7 Sword Tombs (main story bosses). The order matters — a lot. I picked the wrong one first and got destroyed for 6 hours before I realized I could just go somewhere else.
Recommended order: Prisoner Wood → Phoenix Cocoon → Ruined Formation → the rest in any order
- Prisoner Wood first — The easiest tomb. Simple mechanics, less HP. Good to test if your build works.
- Phoenix Cocoon second — Slightly harder but manageable if you beat the first one.
- Ruined Formation third — If you can beat the first two, you can beat this one.
Before attempting any Sword Tomb, check three things: Is your main skill maxed out? Is your weapon upgraded? Did you bring at least 10 healing items? If the answer to any of these is no, you're not ready.
Verdict
The Scroll of Taiwu will make you want to uninstall it in the first 10 hours. The translation is rough, the UI is confusing, and the game assumes you already know how to play. But if you push through the initial wall, you'll find a martial arts RPG deeper than anything else on the market. Just remember the golden rule: read your skill books, get married, and don't starve.
What I'd Tell My Past Self
What I'd tell my past self before starting Taiwu: "You're going to fail your first three characters — that's normal." My first guy died of starvation in month two because I spent all my money on a skill book I couldn't read yet. My second got murdered in a random encounter because I didn't know I could run away. My third actually lived for two years before a boss wiped my entire party. The game doesn't tell you anything, and that's the point. Eighty hours in, I finally had a character who built a village, learned twelve skills, and defeated the final boss. The sense of accomplishment was unlike any game I've played. If you're struggling, focus on survival first — food, shelter, a weapon that works — then worry about the deep mechanics later. Also, save often. Like, every 10 minutes. Trust me.
— Written from experience, not a wiki.