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Hi everyone. I’m Bartosz Kapro, Creative Director at THE PARASIGHT. We’re an indie studio based in Poland, and we’re so pleased and honored to bring you BLACKTAIL, a game born from our team’s passion for the dark side of fairy tales. Now that the game is out, it’s up to you to experience this modern take on Baba Yaga, a classic figure in Slavic folk tales… but we want to help you with a handful of our best tips. 
You play as Yaga, a 16-year-old girl accused of witchcraft and expelled from a medieval Slavic settlement. Unravel your own mystery as you track down living memories of your past that have returned as foul, walking spirits.
Of course, you’ll have to venture deep into an eerie forest, where sinister creatures await your arrival… We wouldn’t want you to be an easy target – so we’ve got a few tips to get you started.
Explore
There’s plenty to explore in the forest of BLACKTAIL and you’ll go a long way by keeping your eyes wide open as you roam the world. It’s filled with charismatic characters for you to meet, in friendly or aggressive encounters, so you have no shortage of interactions to look out for.
You’ll also want to stock up on resources, particularly Teeth that let you unlock skills. These can be found inside the many chests you’ll discover by thoroughly inspecting the nooks and crannies of your surroundings. Some chests are even invisible, but won’t be able to slip from your grasp once you’ve gotten acquainted with the special powers some flowers can hold. Just keep an eye out for red roses…
The world has many interesting and valuable items for you to find on your adventures. Some of them you should carry home, others give a Kiss. 
And, psst: some say there’s a network of caves and galleries where plenty of treasures and mysteries await the bold explorer.
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/03.21.23%20GAP%20Newsletter/blacktail1.jpg" alt="" />
Search for Lost Pages
Beating bosses and completing side quests will grant you Lost Pages. Each of these items will reveal a new Skill for you to unlock. Whenever you get your hands on one of these, take it back to your Hut to reveal the skill. Such skills could add space to your inventory, increase your broom’s powers, add new types of arrows, or enhance your resistance to poison. If you want to activate the skill, you’ll need to provide the required resources: teeth, twigs…
Healing
While exploring the land you’ll encounter mobs, so you’ll need to heal at some point. Healing can be done by picking Berries. They are scattered everywhere and easily visible. Hunting deer and cooking its meat will fully replenish your vitality and leave you with a regenerated status for a while. Try hitting a deer with a Sticky-Arrow – it might slow it down and make the chase easier.
Have a Read
Look into your Player Info menu for some insights to help you along your way.
Page through the Almanac, check your Inventory items, look over your quests in the Journal, navigate using the Map, find out your Morality status, or explore the Skill Tree to plan your next move.
Choose Your Weapon
The Bow is Yaga’s best and most reliable friend. The Gauntlet has been with Yaga ever since… an event that remains a bit blurry in her memory. But it is an essential weapon, as important as the bow and broom.
Yaga can perform “Hocuses”, and by combining the power of The Gauntlet with her marksmanship prowess, she can pull off maneuvers far beyond any ordinary hunter’s ability. For example, the Deflect Hocus can be activated while holding the Powershot. Use it to perform a Special Treat and to push back certain enemies. 
Don’t forget to cast your Broom once you get it. This will distract your opponents and make encountering mobs more interesting.
Expand Your Inventory
Your inventory is limited by your backpack’s capacity. It’s possible to extend this limit by getting a larger backpack, through a skill that’s available from the beginning of the game. Don’t waste any time – unlock this skill as soon as you can. Carrying as many resources as possible allows you to craft potions and arrows on the go, making sure you never run out of your precious survival tools. 
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/03.21.23%20GAP%20Newsletter/blacktail2.jpg" alt="" />
Use Your Environment to Your Advantage
Making it through the forest means knowing its every detail and making good use of it. Although dangers abound that you should watch out for, you can get the upper hand by turning them into opportunities.
Take Will O'Wisps, for instance. These giant wasps will cause you harm – get too close to them and BOOM! You can, however, use this to your advantage if you manage to bring the Will O'Wisp near an enemy and inflict damage on them instead. Hungry Plants and poisonous mushrooms are other hazards you’ll want to stay away from, but these could turn into weapons if you can make sure your enemies are the ones feeding voracious plants or taking damage over time from the proximity of toxic fungi.
One part of your environment that you’ll want to be extra cautious about is the waters. Yaga cannot swim. She will make it back to dry land, but not unharmed. So, make sure to stay ashore.
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/03.21.23%20GAP%20Newsletter/blacktail3.jpg" alt="" />
The Hut
The Black Cat is a fast return to The Hut via “cataportation”.
Don’t forget to return to The Hut often. In fact you’ll create your first skill there – Vitality Elixir (Heart) will increase your health. Upgrade other skills at The Cauldron or hand in any collectibles you may have found. Take a stroll through the yard, pet the cat, you know, like on any ordinary day.
It’s now your home.
Don’t Forget to Dash
Note that you’ll also encounter some big and creepy slugs called Vodniks. The blue kind will slow you down while the green kind will poison you. Don’t fret too much and focus on the bright side: you can eradicate Vodniks by dashing over them, and you’ll even get a crystal (resource) in the process.
Dashing allows you to dodge the attacks and get rid of the Vodniks at your feet at the same time So, I really can’t stress this enough: make sure to dash as much as you can during combat.
You’ll have to manage a cooldown of a few seconds, which an unlockable skill can reduce by half later in the game. Other than that, you can dash in any direction, and it has no effect on mana or stamina levels, so go ahead and dash your way through battle.
Save Your Progress
On top of the auto-save option, it’s possible to save your progress by using shrines. You’ll find them here and there, and their locations are also visible on your map. All you’ll need is a Red Herb that can usually be picked close by and placed on the shrine. Make sure to practice this little ritual from time to time, that way you’ll avoid any unpleasant losses.
These woods are unpredictable, with danger lurking around every corner… one can never be too cautious.
Keep an Eye on Your Morality
BLACKTAIL’s morality system keeps a record of all your good and bad actions, and changes your abilities depending on it. For instance, if you’re leaning towards the evil side, your magic Gauntlet will affect your enemies by having them fight each other; but if you’re leaning towards the good side, your enemies will freeze and take regular damage all the while. So be aware that your choices have repercussions. Interactions with NPCs and the way in which you perform an action, all count towards that moral record.
Aside from your abilities, the characters you’ll encounter as well as the outcome of the story will also vary depending on some choices you make, so don’t take anything lightly as it all shapes your path. Morality tip – you can always switch your morality – just do enough good/bad deeds and visit the Hut every so often.
If there has been a change in your morality, the world reacts to it.
<img src="https://2085555.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2085555/03.21.23%20GAP%20Newsletter/blacktail4.jpg" alt="" />
Some Final Advice
<ul>
<li>You can rebind almost any action on a gamepad</li>
<li>You can change tracked quests in the Journal</li>
<li>Gather resources even if your inventory is full. You will be able to collect them later from the toadbag, near one of the campfires. </li>
<li>Read the tutorials – they will help you in your adventure</li>
<li>Roses point you to a hidden treasure or passage, but be gentle with them</li>
</ul>
So here we are. You can now run into the not-completely-unknown and take things into your own hands. Be good or be evil… but be on top of these tips.

Tips to Make It through the Enchanted Forest of BLACKTAIL

Tips to make it through the enchanted forest of BLACKTAIL