This guide is intended to be a roadmap for aspiring Free to Play (F2P) players. It contains little in the way of spoilers, how to play, or how to do specific things; rather, it offers advice on how to advance and build better equipment, and perhaps more importantly, how to enjoy Spiral Knights. It assumes you have completed Rescue Camp objectives and reached Haven. Personally, I don't think using a hold-by-the-hand walkthrough is a good way to advance through Spiral Knights; it is much better to set some goals and directions and be spontaneous while trying to get there. Of course, browse the wiki a little so you are prepared, but don't pore over the forum for advanced techniques before you've even ventured into the Clockworks. A large part of the fun is to work out your own techniques, only going to written sources when you can't manage to figure out for yourself (for example, many people look up how to deal with Fiends because the main methods for dealing with them can be a little counterintuitive to standard techniques that emphasize shielding). So without further ado, let's get started:

Part One: Getting Started
Goal: Acquire 2* gear
Your first order of business is to get 2* gear. There are many recommendations on the forum, but here is a good sword-based starter set:
Wolver Cap/Coat (defends normal/piercing and freeze; sword DMG low)
Bristling Buckler (defends normal/piercing; sword DMG low. Obtained at Brinks for Frumious Fang tokens)
Brandish (normal DMG; upgrades to elemental OR shadow damage.)
Snarble Barb (piercing DMG. Obtained at Brinks for Frumious Fang tokens)
Prismatech Alchemer (elemental DMG. Any elemental alchemer works- the other choices are Firotech, Voltech, and Cryotech)
Gear rationale: This sword-oriented starter set is very easy to use, and it will cover all of the useful damage types. Remember that certain types of damage are highly ineffective (or effective) against certain types of monsters (see the Wiki). The Brandish sword can be upgraded to deal elemental OR shadow damage, so you'll want two eventually; initially, it deals normal damage, which is moderately effective on everything. The more damage options you have, the smoother your Clockworks expeditions will be.

Any non-token items should be purchased on the Auction House. Be sure to sort by Buy Price (top right corner); you should be able to get individual pieces of equipment for under 2000 crowns, often as low as 1000 crowns.
To earn crowns and Frumious Fang tokens for this equipment, go into the Clockworks and join parties in Tier 1 of whichever gate the Snarbolax is on. You can determine this by walking up to an active Gate in the Arcade, which will pop up a map of the levels available there. You will only have access to Tier 1; scroll down a little to see the levels in the second Stratum. They should be beast-themed, and titled "Gloaming Wildwoods". At any point, if you have questions about how to do anything or get anywhere, ask nicely in Zone chat (use "/1 Can anyone tell me where/how ..."). Being polite (NEVER beg or harass) and asking newbie questions is a great way to make friends with helpful older players.

For a F2P player, this is the first frustrating step. You only have 100 mist energy per 22 hours, and playing a level costs 10 energy. Take your time in the levels and avoid going Rambo- in Tier 2/3, your survival depends on your ability to dodge and shield enemy attacks. Tanking does NOT work. If an experienced player offers you advice during a Clockworks dive, do consider following it. Sometimes it is just a matter of opinion, but usually they mean well, and are trying to help you out. Once you have the necessary Frumious Fang tokens, go to Brinks (southwest area in the Haven Bazaar) and trade them in for your 2* shield and piercing weapon. When you run out of mist energy, go take a break and come back the following day. Assembling your 2* set will take a week or two- less if you are an astute businessman, and take the time to read the Wiki and Forums.

Part Two: Finding Your Path
Goals: Discover your preferred playstyle
In part one, we only covered a basic sword-based set of gear. However, Spiral Knights is far more than hack-and-slash: there are all sorts of neat bombs and guns you can use. If you are entirely satisfied with the swordsman style, you can skip ahead and ignore this. However, if you were intrigued by older players using cool guns and bombs, you may want to spend a little time experimenting to find the playstyle you enjoy the most. The ultimate goal is to have FUN. Try out your new styles in Tier 1, occasionally venturing into Tier 2 if you are confident.
While experimenting takes time and may slow your progress, you will undoubtedly be happier working your way to 5* gear that you have fun playing with. To this end, here are some other weapons and gear you may want to try. This list reflects only a snapshot at this time; Spiral Knights is a constantly evolving game.
Spiral Demo Helm/Suit (2* gear for bombers; defends normal/elemental; bomb CTR low- reduces time needed to charge bombs)
Fiery Vaporizer (2* bomb, inflicts minor Fire)
Freezing Vaporizer (2* bomb, inflicts minor Freeze)
Spine Cone (2* bomb, deals piercing damage in a radius)
Blast Bomb (2* bomb, deals normal damage in a radius. Note that the explosions are bright and distracting, and have lots of knockback; you may be unwelcome in many parties)
Blaster (2* gun, deals normal damage. Useful early on when you only have 2 weapon slots)
Shadowtech Alchemer (2* gun, deals shadow damage.)
Magnus (3* gun, deals piercing; not recommended unless you know you want to be a pure gunslinger)
Gunslinger Hat/Sash (3* gear for gunners; again not recommended except for pure gunslingers)
Owlite Shield (2*, defends normal/elemental, Fire and Shock. If you are a much more defensive player, you might want to consider this or Plate Shield. They lack the sword DMG bonus of Bristling Buckler, but are significantly stronger)
Plate Shield (2*, defends normal and stun. See above; Plate shield specializes in extremely high normal defense)

You can mix and match; for example, sword-bomb, gun-bomb, all swords, or classic sword-gun. All guns is a difficult path, but can be rewarding if you really like it. All bombs is similarly workable, though a little less difficult. An important piece of advice is, whichever path you choose, make sure to build weapons that cover at least two of the special damage types, ideally all three. For a swordsman, this usually means a Blaster paired with a Snarble Barb, Nightblade and Fire/Iceburst Brandish. If you are strapped for cash (and you will likely be), it is usually safe to pass up one of the special damage types- usually shadow or piercing, because the most problematic enemies are generally weak or neutral to elemental damage. Once you have settled on a favored playstyle, move on to part three.

Part Three: The Grind
Goals: Build your chosen gear to 5*, and above all HAVE FUN
This is by far the longest part of the game for a F2P player. Buy crystal energy (CE) for crowns using the Market tab whenever you can, unless you are saving up to purchase a particular recipe. Do most of your runs on mist energy, only dipping into CE when you are hankering for some extra time (for example, playing with friends on a weekend). Once you've honed your skills a little, start making regular forays into Tier 2, so you can reach Basil the recipe vendor at depth 13. If you are with a good party, or confident, go deeper and try to reach Emberlight at depth 18. Upgrade your equipment as you gain enough crowns and CE to do so. The recommendation is to try and upgrade your equipment together, always starting with weapons first. Though you can upgrade all your weapons to 4* before starting on armor/shields, I would advise getting full 4* armor/shield before starting on 5* weapons. If you have trouble overcoming a particular enemy or level, ask around on the forums.
Once you have 3-4* gear, running Tier 2 should be a piece of cake, and with full 4* gear, you can start making tentative forays into Tier 3. Be warned, Tier 3 is extremely unforgiving and if you get hit, you will probably lose a quarter (or more) of your health. Enemies also gain improved attacks in Tier 2 and Tier 3- for example, Rocket Puppies have dumbfire (non-homing) rockets in Tier 1, homing rockets with a moderate turning radius in Tier 2, and in Tier 3 their homing rockets can literally turn on a dime. Regular turrets have the number of projectiles increased from one to three to five bullets in each tier, respectively.
Going from 2* gear to 4* gear will take anywhere from two weeks to a month depending on how much you play, and another month perhaps to reach full 5*. At some point you may want to consider purchasing a third weapon slot from the vendor Boost. Although it costs 250 energy (you can subsidize it with mist energy on days you don't play) for 30 days, it is well worth it by the time you start venturing into Tier 3. Carrying three (or even four) weapons allows you to specialize against multiple types of enemies in a level, or use an extra slot to heat a weaker weapon. You may also wish to consider a trinket slot or two- you can easily buy materials to craft Heart pendants that add between 2-6 HP each, and once you near completion of your 5* set, you may also want weapon modules that offer DMG/ASI(attack speed increase)/CTR boosts.
If you find yourself geting sick of the grind, take a break! It won't be fun for you, and it won't be fun for the people you are playing with. You can leave for as long as you like- your character will still be there in a week, two weeks, or two months. Some tips that will help you speed up this stage or make it more enjoyable:
-Find a good guild. This is probably the best thing you can do- it gives you access to recipes, more profitable strata, and most importantly, people to chat and have fun with! There are lots of good guilds that emphasize character and personality over gear.
-If you had fun chatting or running with someone, send them a friend request. Again, this broadens your network, and helps you enjoy the game
more.
-Use the Auction House to sell popular recipes and materials. Although it takes a 10% cut, buying a Dusker recipe for 4k crowns and selling it for 5-6k nets you a profit of 500-1400 crowns, which at this point may be a fairly big deal. Popular materials such as monster bones and green shards can also be sold for extra cash- current prices as of this time are roughly 200 and 75 crowns, respectively. Using the Auction House requires patience- don't expect instant cash flow.
-Additionally, if you are the business type, you can bid on items to buy low and re-sell high. This can be risky, and requires some business sense so it's not recommended.
-Try to join people at more profitable strata- the lower half of a Tier always yields more crowns and heat. This means Strata 2, 4 and 6 (depths 5-7, 14-17, and 24-28 respectively). Of course, be polite and ask before randomly joining someone on your friends/guild list, unless they explicitly say you're welcome to hop in anytime, anywhere.
-Wait for profitable levels- each depth has up to 5 level choices that rotate; before hopping on the down elevator, check your gate map to see what levels are in rotation (click on the gear in the top left, and go down to Gate Map). Arenas are the most profitable in terms of crowns and heat, but the third room may be quite difficult initially. Other good levels include Aurora Isles: Jelly Farm II, and Graveyards (although you have no control over getting the latter). The Royal Jelly Palace levels are also quite profitable. Avoid Deconstruction Zones, and Treasure Vaults (although again, you can't control the latter).
-Do your research and use the resources! Unsure of whether to get a particular piece of gear, or strategy for taking on a particular type of monster? Check the Wiki for information questions, or pose your question on forums or in game. So long as you are polite, you are sure to get a flood of helpful answers.

Part Four: Endgame?
Goal: Have fun!
By the time you manage to obtain full 5* gear, you will have little need for this guide. Try out new styles, craft different armors/shields to counter specific strata, attempt a Shadow Lair, deck out your character in accessories, craft equipment for costume purposes, start a fresh character, set personal challenges... find a way to have fun. For me, SK is all about the fun people I chat with; there are also those who live for the thrill of PvP, or setting records, or being a merchant. It is different for each person; if you find that Spiral Knights is not fun anymore, then by all means quit- a game should be enjoyable, not a chore.

A note on P2P
At any point, should you decide that things are going too slowly and you want a jump start (or you want to support OOO), you can buy CE for cash, or an elevator pass, or both. In fact, a great way to get started is to put in $27 for an elevator pass and Starter Pack. You will get heat amplifiers to help you level up equipment, CE to help you craft higher level equipment, and unlimited Clockwork dives so you can experiment freely. You can also sell a little CE for fast crowns to buy recipes, but unless you plan on purchasing more CE with cash, you should reserve the majority of it for crafting. You should easily be able to reach 5* gear within a month, probably just a week or two if you play a lot. You will still have to hone your skills to get the most use out of your gear, but you will have more flexibility when it comes to trying new gear and styles.
Is it worth spending money? By and large, I think so- for myself, I would place the value of Spiral Knights at about $30-40. I have made some good friends and had a lot of fun this past year, and I'm grateful there is a F2P option. I would buy a game off the shelf for this amount if it provided me with this much entertainment. At the same time, remaining F2P is one way to challenge yourself and extend the playtime of Spiral Knights. If I had paid $30-40 for CE initially, I feel that I would not have enjoyed the game as much as I have. The decision to become a paying player is something you'll have to decide for yourself.

fin