Best early build path in Enshrouded
For your first hours in Enshrouded, a flexible setup is still your best friend: keep a melee weapon for close fights and a bow for safer pulls (starting fights from range). The open skill tree supports this hybrid approach, so you can adapt while you learn enemy patterns. Early on, build your foundation with survivability and stamina, then add more damage once fights feel under control.
A beginner-friendly order is: survivability first, stamina economy second, then one mobility pick (for example, Runner or Double Jump), and after that invest harder in your main damage path. Stamina economy means using and recovering stamina efficiently so you can keep moving, blocking, and attacking. This order keeps progression steady in and around the Shroud, the fog-covered zones where a Shroud Time countdown limits how long you can safely stay inside.
When to branch your skill tree
Branch harder into one weapon path when your gear starts matching that plan. Melee-first is great for steady, consistent trades; bow-first is great for spacing and kiting (moving while attacking to avoid getting hit). If you want to lean caster, it usually feels better once your mana economy is comfortable, since staff spells consume mana and spell charges.
Quick rule: reassess every few levels and spend points where your last few fights felt hardest, not where the tooltip looks flashy. That one habit makes early Enshrouded progression much smoother.