How to play

Boz Universe has no levels and no classes. You start with nothing and get better at what you do. This guide covers how each part of the game works, with the keys for mouse and keyboard and the buttons for a PlayStation controller side by side.

The few things to know first

• Everything starts somewhere. Bare hands first, then wood, then stone, then metal. A donkey before a horse. Your first fire before your first forge.
• Skills rise by use. Swing a sword and Swordsmanship rises. Chop a tree and Lumberjacking rises. Your best skill gives you your title. See Skills.
• What you hold decides what you get. Bare hands snap sticks from a tree; an axe takes logs. A harder pick finds a harder ore. See Gathering.
• You discover what you can build. Pieces and recipes open up as you do things. Build three walls and you work out a window.
• Your magic is an element. Fire, water, earth or air, chosen in your first hour. See Elements.
• Dying costs time, not progress. You become a ghost, walk to a healing stone or a healer, then go back to your body for your things.
• Mouse and keyboard, or controller. Everything can be done either way. The game shows the button pictures for whichever you used last.

The guide, page by page