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Temtem is a creature-collecting, monster-battling MMORPG. Explore the Airborne Archipelago alone or with a friend, capture monsters, and become the best Tamer. Although it takes inspiration from other creature-collecting games like Pokemon, Temtem has carved out a place of its own in the genre with its unique combat mechanics and monster designs.
If you're just starting your journey in Temtem with its official launch, you may have questions on where to begin. Let's take a look at everything you need to know when first starting out in Temtem, and a few beginner tips for getting started.
Updated September 18, 2022 by Jacob Whaling: Temtem has officially launched with patch 1.0, and the game has undergone quite a few changes since its early access release. With that, we've updated this guide with some new tips and tricks for getting started in the world of Temtem.
Choosing The Right Starter
Shortly after starting the game, you will need to decide on one of three starter Temtems to choose. This can be a difficult choice, especially if you are used to the grass/fire/water starter choices in the Pokemon games.
In Temtem, you will have the choice between Crystle, a Crystal-type, Smazee, a Melee-type, and Houchic, a Mental-type. The most important factor to consider when deciding which starter to pick is which one you like the most. The design of each starter may appeal to different players in different ways, and there is no wrong choice.
If you want a more technical breakdown of each starter, here's the information you're looking for. Based on sheer type advantages, Houchic will be the strongest on the first island, as Mental-type is strong against Neutral and Melee-types, both of which are found in abundance on Deniz. Crystle and Smazee are on equal footing in terms of advantages, as neither learn moves that have clear type advantages against Temtems found on the first island.
Ultimately, Houchic is the "best" starter to choose, but both Crystle and Smazee will have their own strengths on later islands.
Complete Side Quests For Unique Items
As you explore each island, you will come across other Tamers and characters in need of aid. If you speak to them, they will ask for assistance, usually by gathering an item, showing them a Temtem, or searching for another NPC.
Completing these quests are often simple, and they provide several important resources to help you along. Some quests reward Pansuns, the in-game currency that seems to always be in short supply. Other quests reward useful items or gear that can be equipped to your Temtems for certain advantages in battle.
While running around exploring the islands and doing main and side quests, make sure to search everywhere as well. Loot can be found virtually anywhere, so embrace your inner hoarder and pick up everything that isn’t bolted down.
Pair Up With Co-Op
Temtem is an MMO, and although this aspect isn't as prevalent as other MMOs on the market, there are still plenty of social interactions to be had. For example, the entire game can be played in co-op mode with a friend. You can encounter and tame wild Temtems together, battle other Tamers and fight in dojos, or complete side quests together.
In co-op mode, each player controls a party of three Temtems, and you will need to work together with your partner in battles. Additionally, side and main story quests can be progressed together, and challenging dojo and tamer battles can be tackled together.
If you're having a tough time with a particular fight, invite a friend, or a random player, to help you.
Breed For Powerful Temtems
After reaching the second island, you will unlock the ability to breed two Temtems together to produce an egg. The offspring will have stats and abilities taken from its parents, which can lead to creating stronger Temtems than the ones you started out with.
Breeding is a complex process that takes a lot of factors into account when creating powerful Temtems, but it can be great for creating an incredibly strong creature early in the game. If you want to dive deeper into breeding, it will definitely be worth it.
Learn Type Strengths And Weaknesses
In Temtem, you may notice that there is no RNG in battles, meaning that your attacks will do exactly what they say. Things like accuracy or critical hits don't exist in this game, placing more emphasis on battle strategy. Managing your stamina and playing to type advantages are far more important in Temtem than in other monster battling games.
Because of this, it's important to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each type. If you are familiar with type advantages in Pokemon, some match-ups in Temtem may surprise you. For example, Wind-type is strong against Toxic-type, while Electric-type deals double damage to Mental-type.
If you're having a difficult time when battling other Tamers, be sure to brush up on your type advantages.
Tame A Variety Of Temtems
Learning what types of abilities are strong against what is only half the battle. If you're completely new to Temtem, you will also need to learn the actual typings of each new Temtem you encounter. To that end, we recommend taming as many new Temtems as you can.
When you tame a new Temtem, you will learn its types. Then, when you encounter that Temtem again in battle, targeting it with an attack will show whether the attack will be strong, neutral, or weak against the Temtem. Amassing a large collection of different Temtems will give you an advantage in battle as you learn each monster's strengths and weaknesses.
Swap Out Attacks Often
As your Temtem levels up they will gradually learn new attacks, but unlike other creature-collecting games, players are not forced to abandon old techniques forever in favor of new ones. Once your Temtem has learned a new technique it is added to their overall catalog of available moves.
This adds yet another layer of strategy to the game, both for PvE and PvP, because you will always have access to a broad range of abilities as your roster grows and overall level.