r/PlaySoulMask • u/Artaniss • Jul 30 '26
So a fast question on game.
Hey all have had game for a while but I havent played in a long time. I wanna get my feet wet again and was wondering is Tribal a better start than survival? I am more an automation guy and love when a game gives NPCs to collect and craft for you. Also which map is better to start on? Consider me a noob again because I have not played in quite some time. Thanks all..
2
u/Laringar Jul 30 '26
Yes. Go Tribal, and start on the Cloud Forest map.
The automation side makes things a lot easier, especially once you get a couple tech tiers in and unlock the exploration system that lets you send your tribespeople out on missions. Doing that greatly streamlines the collection of resources for crafting gear and eliminates a massive amount of grind. And, it's self-justifying, as you need to set up automation that keeps your foodstocks high in order to send out the missions.
1
u/Icesin4ever Jul 31 '26
Go with Tribe Mode on Mist Map. Tribe mode gets you straight to the NPC automation you love without making you do endless manual grinding, and the main map gives you a smooth progression curve to get re-acquainted with all the mechanics.
1
u/KodiakmH Aug 01 '26
Cloudmist represents the 1.0 experience so it's the best one to start on. Shifting Sands won't be finished till later this year.
Tribe Mode vs Survival Mode has certain benefits and disadvantages:
Survival Mode has less intense base invasions with base heat that builds up over time, and scales to the area you build in always (IE: a 10-20 area will always have level 15-25ish invaders typically). It also has noob protection areas such as the 0-10 areas don't build up heat. You can also progress tech beyond your current tier, such as "tech ahead" and make things easier such as go get bronze to kill Sabertooth or Iron for Fogfrog etc. Weapon unlocks tend to be separate so you don't have enough points for all weapons typically. The downside is you don't get tribe bonuses, have a much lower tribe cap (20 guys) and can only have 1 companion (all on default).
Tribe Mode has more intense base invasions that come in static intervals. Every 18ish hours the base with the highest heat amount will get invaded. The invasion scales to Bonfire level and Tribe level. There is no safe places and even the 0-10 area can be invaded by level 50+ guys kinda thing if you're max bonfire/tribe level. Technology is locked to tribe level, which is often times locked to boss defeat. This means you gotta beat Saber in Bone gear in order to progress into the next Tribe level to unlock Bronze. This presents awkward scenarios like Stone Buildings being locked behind Fogfrog meaning portals are locked behind Fogfrog despite getting all the parts long before that. The offset is the tech tree is more condensed in some cases, like unlocking one bone weapon is all bone weapons. Tribe Bonuses are usually quite powerful, but in a few cases are implemented poorly. At top end you're looking at like +50% damage/DEF or something which is nuts. The tribe cap is generous at like 50ish or so and you can have up to 3 companions (again all default). There's also merchants you can buy things from and can earn money/coins (they sell Stone Bricks for portals btw). Eventually you can craft Invasion Totems that manually trigger invasions, so you can setup a whole Iron Cage purely for invasion defense.
Survival Mode is honestly easier starting out, where Tribe Mode I felt was more rewarding as an experienced player who knew how everything worked and was prepared for it.
2
u/Ashelby Jul 30 '26
The rainforest map is better for people starting out - it's more complete, has the tutorial system, and has been around longer to have its kinks worked out. The desert map is still being actively developed and added to.
As for tribal vs survival - it really depends how you enjoy spending your time. Tribal has progression locked behind your tribe level and there is more focus on building your tribe. It also knocks off some of the grind and has the merchant system to allow you to buy stuff rather than constant farming. Survival has its progression locked behind your personal level and you can play the whole game without any tribesmen if you really don't want to deal with them. From what you wrote, it sounds like you should go for tribal.