ARES: THE IRON VANGUARD Starter Suit and Early Path Guide

Choose a starting combat suit based on your preferred combat distance and mobility, as your initial pick does not lock your character into a permanent role. Main story progression unlocks additional suit slots, allowing you to cycle through multiple suits and weapon combinations in real-time combat.

Choosing a Starting Suit Class

Your starter suit determines your combat flow and clear speed during the opening chapter of the story. Because ARES: THE IRON VANGUARD features real-time suit switching, your initial choice serves as an early specialization rather than an inflexible character class.

When evaluating your options, align your pick with your preferred playstyle:

• Warlord: High defensive resilience and close-quarters engagement, ideal for drawing enemy focus and clearing tightly grouped mobs directly.
• Hunter: High mobility and rapid close-to-mid-range strikes, suited for players who rely on aggressive positioning and continuous active dodging.
• Engineer: Tactical combat focused on skill synergy and battlefield control, offering balanced engagement options for solo play.
• Warlock: Ranged tactical damage and skill combinations, allowing you to evaluate elite mob patterns and attack safely from a distance.

If you favor close-quarters combat, select a melee-oriented suit like the Warlord or Hunter to close gaps quickly. If you prefer targeting bosses from range, start with a tactical suit like the Warlock or Engineer.

Early Questing and Progression Priorities

Follow the main story quest tracker immediately after completing the tutorial. Main story missions yield faster experience and higher-quality rewards than farming low-level field mobs.

Keep these operational priorities in mind during early questing:

1. Advance Main Missions: Focus exclusively on main story objectives to open access to essential combat systems, secondary suit slots, and tertiary suit slots.
2. Utilize Jetpack Movement: Use your jetpack to cross terrain quickly and reposition during combat, pairing mobility skills with suit attacks to minimize incoming damage.
3. Rotate Suits in Combat: Once secondary slots open, configure multiple suits to combine weapon skills and adapt to changing target types in real-time.

Managing Early Upgrade Resources

Do not spend all your early upgrade currencies on your starter suit. Progression milestones frequently award higher-tier suits and better equipment shortly after you complete initial zones.

• Keep Starter Upgrades Moderate: Enhance starter gear only enough to maintain smooth quest clearing speed.
• Save Core Upgrade Materials: Reserve primary upgrade items for higher-rarity suits obtained through quest milestones or events.
• Invest in Universal Boosts: Prioritize account-wide stat bonuses or general experience items that benefit your entire suit collection regardless of active class.