How to play guide for Nine Parchments

This page will serve as a basic **how to play guide for *Nine Parchments***. Feel free to edit this guide with any tips, tricks, and suggestions.

*This article is a stub. You can help Nine Parchments Wiki by expanding it.*

## Game start

When starting a new game, players can choose which mode they like to play *Nine Parchments*. There is the option of Singel Player and Multiplayer. From there, the players can choose the difficulty they would like to play.

Other options here are Unlocks, Options, Credits and to Exit the game.

### Difficulty

* **Easy** - There are no Elite Monsters. Suitable for casual gamers.
* **Normal** - Elite Monsters appear. Normal XP gain. This is the recommended difficulty for new players.
* **Hard** - Enemy spawns are randomized and more difficult, challenging even the seasoned players.
* **Hardcore** - Whole team dying results in complete Game Over. Gilded characters, which raise the level cap to 60, can be unlocked.

Difficulty can be changed at any time in the game, although "Hardcore" is only available when starting a new game.

## Basic gameplay

The game leads you through a series of levels to regain the missing parchments lost from the Astral Academy. In each of these levels you will fight various monsters with your current spells. As you progress and beat bosses, you gather parchments to grant you the ability to cast new spells. Each character has different affinities for certain spells and different starting spells.

Defeating monsters can be done by casting spells, which can be channeled or thrown, or by simply whacking them with your staff (melee). Throughout the levels you can gain experience by killing monsters, gathering staves and opening chests (which grant you hats and/or experience points). The experience accumulates in levels and leveling up gives you a skill point to assign in one of the three skill trees.

Some levels contain quests which are signaled by a statue and are sometimes only reached by dividing paths. The statues give hints to undergo the quest and unlock further characters.

In each level you get a "Last Chance" where upon death one player is revived with a little bit of health. In multiplayer, players can revive another by standing in the circle that appears where they died.

## Controls

**On PC:**

* WASD to move
* SPACE to jump
* Mouse pointer to aim spells
* Left click to cast spell (hold to channel, click again to smash area spell down)
* Right click for melee
* SHIFT for "blink" movement (allows you to dash through enemies and attacks but not terrain)
* TAB for opening the skills menu, where you can also swap out your hats and staves
* Arrow keys for preset phrases for multiplayer
* T to type in multiplayer (also to view last messages)

**On PS4:**

* Left to move
* X to jump
* Right to aim spells
* R2 to cast spells (hold to channel, click again to smash area spell down)
* L2 for melee
* Square to blink
* Triangle for skills menu, where you can also swap out your hats and staves
* Directional buttons for mood, phrases
* R1/L1 to swap spells

## Tips and tricks

Using the option Gameplay (Esc) you can alter your player sprite, such as contouring it when it is behind terrain or enemies. Switching off character circles for all but local players also reduces confusion. If friendly fire then becomes an issue, try the arrow option to highlight your own sprite.

## See also

* Release date
* System requirements