In 'Dragon Flight 2' (hereafter 'DF2'), gold is your lifeblood. You have to physically collect every scrap that drops from fallen monsters, which means if you want to hoard a decent stash, you are in for a serious grind. Naturally, many players find themselves fretting over how to spend their limited gold efficiently or which characters are actually worth the investment. To save you the headache, KookminTree has compiled the essential tips for beginners, from gold prioritization to character trials.

Q. How should I spend my gold?
A. Prioritise buying 'Daily Dragon Breath' and 'Luna Cell' above all else.

Gold is one of the primary rewards in DF2, but since you have to manually pick up every coin dropped during stages, it is quite a chore to accumulate. It is no surprise that the most common question we hear is, 'Where should I dump my gold first?'

Your gold is primarily split between character levelling and the shop. Specifically, the 'Daily/Weekly' tab in the shop—where you can grab 'Daily Dragon Breath'—is your absolute priority. You can snag up to 200 of these at 100 gold each. Don't forget the weekly version either, which costs 50 gold per unit (again, up to 200). You are looking at a 20,000 gold sink for the daily and 10,000 for the weekly. While you might pick up bits of Dragon Breath via stage rewards or events, the shop is the only place to buy them in bulk. Once your coffers are stable, look into purchasing character 'Will' tokens from the weekly shop to power up your current picks like Shasha and Nari.

Next on the list are your combat consumables. The shop offers six items: 'Bomb, Luna Cell, High Potion, Magic Missile, Magnet, and Solar Cell,' all priced at 100 gold apiece. My top recommendations are the Luna Cell and Solar Cell. The Luna Cell grants you 5 seconds of immunity, while the Solar Cell absorbs a single hit. The Luna Cell is essentially the superior item, perfect for pushing through those nasty final stages. However, the Solar Cell is a lifesaver against sudden threats like meteors. Since you can only use one of each per stage, it is best to equip both and see how you fare.

Q. Is there any way to test characters before investing resources?
A. You can get a feel for them via the Character Story mode once you have unlocked them.

DF2 locks character potential behind specific levels or tiers, meaning you usually need to commit to levelling and awakening before you can really see what a character is capable of. However, there is a handy way to preview performance: the 'Character Story' mode. Just keep in mind that you need to own the character first.

Click the book icon on the right side of the character screen to access their profile and story. Every character has a three-chapter story, and you can test out their 'Hyper Skill' starting from Chapter 2. You do not need hearts to view these, and you earn 100 Crystals for each first-time clear. That is 300 Crystals per character. Give their kit a whirl here before burning your precious resources.

Q. As of December 26, which characters are the top picks?
A. We recommend Adeline and Hyacinth for their spread-type projectiles.

DF2 categorises characters by their projectile types: 'Piercing' (straight line), 'Spread' (fan-shaped), 'Basic' (standard straight line), and 'Focused' (narrow but high power).

One month into the game's life, the community consensus is that 'Spread' types are the way to go. They may deal lower individual damage, but you can easily patch that up with wing attack upgrades. The two main stars here are Adeline (the first pick-up character) and Hyacinth (the pre-registration reward). Hyacinth is significantly easier to build because you get her for free, and you can snag 20 of her 'Will' tokens through the 'Sea Treasure Collection' event.

Furthermore, many stages feature water-weak enemies, giving Hyacinth plenty of chances to shine. Adeline, meanwhile, is no longer on pick-up, so you will have to rely on daily 'Will' purchases in the weekly gold shop or lucky gacha pulls. To unlock a character, you need 50 'Will' tokens or a direct pull, so keep an eye on that shop. You might even pick up some extra Hyacinth tokens along the way to help with her awakening.