Bunch of starting tips good enough to get you started and vague enough to not spoiler you.
An Introduction
Book of Hours plays a lot like cultist sim. It is better that you engage in as little discussion until you finished the game at least once. While this game is significantly less panicky as cultist sim, there will be few things that can go out of control if you don’t pay attention.
General rule of thumb is to play it safe and explore every possibilities until you grow enough confidence to tackle greater challenges.
Where can I go?
Scroll around, there are going to be 2 main place you can visit.
- Hush House: Where you’ll be doing most of your work. New rooms of the hush house can be opened with an Assistance
- Village: Where you can get the assistance needed. You can visit the tavern to get some work in exchange for some cash
- Tree of Wisdom: Right of the clock is a shortcut to access the tree of wisdom. You can lock a skill into a slot to get more soul cards. New tier in the tree require higher level of skills that you haven’t used yet
What can I do?
Left of the screen is the two action. Considering and Talking. You should already know what you can do with that. Here is the less obvious things you can do.
- Fireplace: There are campfire throughout the hush house. You can use it to brew something or to burn away thing (this will mostly make the item disappear forever)
- Bed: You can use the bed to restore damaged souls with the right combination of aspects. You can move to a new bed which have different compatible aspect
- Writing Table: Tables can also be used to catalog and read books simultaneously. Each table have its own aspect compatibility
- To Serve: There is a serving set in the keeper’s lodge. Drinks with to serve aspect can be portioned to get more uses out of it
- Studies: Scattered around the hush house are crafting station containing aspect from the tree of wisdom. You can use these to combine a soul into a more powerful version of it
Who can help?
You can hire people from the Village. Only one of your friend would work for free, the rest require a shillings or two. You can always offer them one of each type of card just once. They will disappear each use or the next morning.
- Memories: You can discuss a memory, lesson, or just talk about the weather
- Soul: You can work with them using soul
- Sustenance: You can serve them food
- Drink: You can serve them drinks
- Tools: The many tools found on the hush house can be borrowed to (this won’t consume the item)
- Other: Check the aspects of your follower, they may have unique specialty that allow them to add aspect from other type of cards
Once few days, someone will make visit.
You’ll first need to mail back the letter you got from the post office. The visitor have various interaction available
- Discussion: Talk about incidents. Offer the right book in exchange for sprintrae
- Tutor: There are many language you can learn from them in exchange for a sprintria
- Hospitality: Offer them an unoccupied bed to extend their visitation
While exploring, you can find beasts. These creature can be talked with to provide unique memories but only when the are being cooperative. Otherwise you can also feed them. You can throw away unwanted pets at the ocean (why would you do that though). Beasts can be dropped off at a garden, you don’t have to keep them at all times
How can I remember
Memories, like soul and skills have many uses. There are couple of ways to gain memories. Main rule is that you can’t have two of the same memories.
- Reading: This is the most common way. Reading a book for the first time grants a memory, reading the book again can regain the same memories.
- Weather: Weather changes from time to time and you get one every day
- Beast: Talking to beast can consistently provide you with memories once a day
What will I find?
Almost everything you can find in the house, can also be scavenged from various other sources. You need a right aspect, usually Heart soul (Health or Chor) and a Skill containing Heart or Nectar. This is the main way to get new items
- Foraging in the Woods: In the rightmost corner just by the village. The result depends on season
- Combing the Beaches: Just below the bridge is the beach. Result also depend on season
- Harvesting the Gardens: Along the Hush house will be gardens with harvestable plants that changes with seasons. Different garden beds have different rotating set of plants to gather
What can I make?
What you can’t scavenge, you can perhaps craft using the many tools found around the hush house. Item you can create have an increasing level of quality depending on how much of a single aspect you used in the craft, going from 5, 10, and 15 (This requires a unique reagent). Check the station’s aspect at the top right corner.
Generally you can always use soul, memory, and skill to make the most basic things. The result often have the same aspect as what you’ve spent to make it.
- Brewing: The most basic thing you can do is to brew something on one of the fireplaces. No aspect is required, just have the right item.
- Writing: You can create something at the writing table. Optionally, use some paper and ink
- Music: You can play with an instrument to create something.
- Shrine: You can pray at an altar to create medicine, drinks, among other things. You can bring a pet here for some reason
- Alchemy: At the laboratory where you can interact with the alchemy set to make something.
- Others: There are unique crafting stations found all over the house. The observatory on the tower and the Training dummy on the garden are two example.
What is next for Me?
The main goal is to write histories with your journal.
I haven’t seen any endings either since i’m also just getting started playing. Good luck librarian. Don’t lose your journal