Beginner field guide

Where Winds Meet Best Settings and UI Basics

A first-pass setup for players who cannot read combat yet: make difficulty reversible, turn assistance on when it teaches something, steady target selection, and reduce HUD noise.

SettingsAssist DeflectionTargetingHUD

Maintained byHeavenskiss

Pinned answer

Change the settings that affect reading combat before judging the build.

Checked · 2026-07-13

Start with Recommended difficulty, enable Assist Deflection if parry timing is unreadable, set enemy targeting to the nearest target with center-screen priority, choose damage-number detail based on whether you are learning or testing, and enable automatic item switching for empty medicine or food slots. Keep more guidance until the Main Chapter and map make sense; Free Exploration is a preference, not a skill test.

Difficulty path

Menu > Settings > Game > Combat Difficulty

Parry help

Assist Deflection on Story / Recommended

Assist Deflection is available on Story and Recommended, but Expert and Legend remove it. It is also disabled in multiplayer. Legend itself is creation-only: once lowered, it cannot be selected again on that character.

Action plan

A five-setting first pass that takes less than ten minutes.

1
Set Combat Difficulty for the session you want
Use Recommended for the balanced baseline or Story when learning enemy tells. Expert removes Assist Deflection. Select Legend only during character creation and only when you understand that lowering it is permanent.
2
Use Assist Deflection as a teaching tool
Turn it on when normal attacks blur together. The brief slowdown and prompt help connect an animation to its parry timing. Turn it off later if you want uninterrupted combat; multiplayer will disable it regardless.
3
Make target selection predictable
Set enemy lock to the nearest target and prioritize the target near the center of the screen. Use Auto Lock if keeping a target selected is the problem; disable it if the camera keeps choosing a target you did not intend to fight.
4
Choose readable damage numbers
Use Simplified when numbers hide enemy cues. Use Detailed when comparing upgrades or checking whether a skill hit the intended target. The best option changes with the task, so do not treat either setting as permanent.
5
Enable safe item fallback
Automatic switching for empty medicine and food slots prevents a dead shortcut during combat. Review automatic Divinecraft item use separately because consuming a tool can be a deliberate resource choice.

Decision table

Match each setting to the problem you are trying to solve.

What happened

What to do

Why

Parry timing is unreadable

Use Story or Recommended and enable Assist Deflection.

The slowdown and prompt teach the timing; Expert, Legend, and multiplayer remove that assistance.

Camera jumps to the wrong enemy

Use nearest-target lock with center-screen priority; test Auto Lock both ways.

Predictable selection matters more than copying another player's camera preset.

Damage numbers cover attack cues

Switch to Simplified damage numbers.

Enemy animation and color cues are more important than seeing every small hit while learning.

You are testing an upgrade

Temporarily use Detailed damage numbers.

More detail helps confirm hit registration and relative changes without making the everyday HUD permanently busy.

Medicine shortcut becomes empty

Enable Auto Switch Medicine When Empty.

The shortcut can move to an available replacement instead of failing during the next damage window.

Quest markers feel overwhelming

Keep clearer guidance until the Main Chapter and map layers make sense.

Free Exploration is enjoyable after orientation; hiding help before learning the symbols only creates route friction.

Problem fixes

Settings that seem missing usually have a mode restriction.

Assist Deflection is unavailable

Check Combat Difficulty and multiplayer state. The assist is intended for Story and Recommended; Expert and Legend disable it, and it does not operate in multiplayer.

I lowered Legend and cannot select it again

That is the current rule, not a menu bug. Legend can only be entered at character creation. Lowering it keeps your progress but permanently removes Legend from that character's difficulty list.

Health

Life remaining

At zero Health, the encounter ends or moves into its failure state.

Defense and stagger

At zero Qi, you become Exhausted and lose normal defensive safety.

Guidance

Use what helps

More markers are useful while learning; fewer markers are useful after orientation.

Controls

Read your own prompts

Keyboard, controller, mobile, and remapped inputs can display different buttons.

Sources and questions

Where the current rules came from, plus the next useful route.

Current settings guide

Assist Deflection, guidance, targeting, damage numbers, auto lock, and automatic item-switch options.

Current difficulty rules

Combat Difficulty menu path, Story through Legend differences, assistance restrictions, and Legend's one-way downgrade.

What are the best settings for a new player?

Start with Recommended difficulty, enable Assist Deflection if parries are unclear, use predictable nearest-target locking, simplify damage numbers when the screen is busy, and keep guidance visible until the map makes sense.

Where is Combat Difficulty?

Open the main Menu, enter Settings, choose the Game section, and change Combat Difficulty. Legend follows separate creation-only rules.

Why is Assist Deflection not working?

It is available on Story and Recommended. Expert and Legend disable it, and the assist is also unavailable during multiplayer.

Should damage numbers be Detailed or Simplified?

Use Simplified while learning enemy cues and Detailed while testing upgrades or hit registration. Switch based on the task rather than forcing one permanent answer.

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