The Combat Rungs
Work your way through each stage in order. Each one prepares you for the next, and rushing past any of them shows when things get serious.Roger's Cellar Rats
Your very first fight. Roger hands you a pipe wrench and points you at the rats under his cabin. There’s no risk here — it’s a hands-on lesson designed to get you comfortable with swinging before anything fights back properly.
Training Yard (Millside)
Head to the training yard in Millside and practice on the dummies. This is where you lock in your timing and technique with zero danger — no enemies, no stakes, just repetition until movement feels natural.
The Backlot (Millside)
Find the Backlot off a dodgy alley in Millside and take on the local toughs. These are your first real opponents, but the stakes are still low — if you get knocked down, you wake up nearby with nothing lost. Use this to test everything you learned on the dummies against someone who hits back.
The Drains
The real thing. Live enemies, genuine risk, and loot worth fighting for. Once you’re ready, the Drains are where combat ability turns into actual reward. Head to The Drains when you’re confident in your footing.
Weapons
Every fighter in Gritlands leans on two broad weapon categories. Knowing the trade-offs between them shapes how you approach every encounter.Melee
Wrenches, bats, and blades. Melee weapons are reliable, always ready, and never run out of anything. Your starting pipe wrench is melee — and it’s more capable than it looks.
Firearms
Unlocked as you progress deeper into the city. Firearms hit hard and at range, but they burn through ammo constantly — and ammo has to be crafted, bought, or found. Never carry a gun you can’t feed.
Weapons come in tiers, and each tier is gated by your Combat skill level. You can’t simply buy your way to the best gear — you have to earn the level that unlocks it. No weapon makes you untouchable, and skill and positioning will always matter more than what you’re swinging.