Starting out
From SpiralKnights
This is a tutorial for starting out in the game.
Creating your Knight
After you've created an account and run Spiral Knights, you need to create a knight before you start playing. You can choose your knight's beginning helmet and armor, as well as the design color of your gear and your personal color. Your design color will be used as the base color in helmets and armor that you wear, depending on the design of the gear. Your personal color will be the highlight color on your helmet and armor, and it will also be the color of your name in game. Once you've created your knight and start playing, you will be able to buy and craft new gear to wear, but your design color and personal color cannot be changed.
You must also choose a single-word name. If you cannot think of a name, there are many random name generators on the web that can make sequences of random syllables to help you come up with name ideas. Knight names cannot contain any filtered words. When you click on the "Confirm" button to create your knight, if the name you tried is already in use by another player, you will get a message saying "Sorry, that name is already in use." and you will need to try another name.
The Game Window
Progress
The Clockworks consist of many Depths, which are grouped into six Strata over three Tiers, is well as two Towns, Moorcroft Manor and Emberlight, which like Terminal cost nothing to enter.
Usually it costs 10 energy to go down a depth, and this is taken from your mist energy first. To progress from the starter area to the game can be done with your starter equipment (all "zero star") and without completing any of the three tutorials (5 energy each).
To be able to enter Moorcroft Manor (depth 8) and progress beyond, you will need (see image) 15 "level tokens" and four 2-star pieces of equipment. These level tokens do not appear in your inventory, you will need to press P to view your equipment, then select the "Progress" tab, and then mouse over the TIER-2 (unlit) star to see what exactly you still need. Alternatively, a gatekeeper just outside town can tell you this.
Tier 1 consists of Strata 1 and 2, which consist of depths 1-3 and 5-7 respectively. Getting the equipment will take long - much longer when trying to progress to Tier 3, which requires 25 "level tokens" of Tier 2, as well as 4-star equipment. By that point you'll have the hang of the game!
For each piece of equipment, there are essentially two choices: buy or craft. For 2-star items, it is probably best to do both: buy an upgradeable weapon such as Brandish as soon as possible, then a helm or armor, then craft the other or a shield. Although all you need to be able to enter Moorcroft Manor is a set of four items, you will certainly want a better pistol if you only still had a Proto Blaster before continuing into Stratum 3.
Although a set of 2-star equipment could reasonably be bought with crowns alone (3750 per piece), 4-star items cost 9 times as much from a vendor, and you will want to use 3-star items before you've saved up that much. Crafting and trading will be more cost-effective, although it may take some CE which needs buying with crowns or otherwise.
Although you may have unlocked a Tier on your Knight, the Gates of the Clockwork move by, and to enter Tiers 2 and 3 costs 200 and 500 crowns respectively, for the first time on any given Gate. Again, a lit star shows where you can go for free, having already been there.
