Some hints / tips for new players and low levels...

[Kranodor]

The original post was from July 29th, 2020, after some 10-15 hours of playtime, just having made time chamber level 100.
I revised it on May 2nd, 2021, now with roughly 55 hours played, character level 50 and just a bit shy of making time chamber level 600.
The revision aims to include some more insights from later time, but also updates made to the game. I mostly kept to my old hints, as these are more focused on beginning players.
With the recent update (writing this on March 5th, 2022), a lot of stuff about Mining has changed, and since I don't really have experience with the new system, yet, let alone experience as a new player with it, I'm putting all old hints below a new separation line, only keeping the tips up top that I'm still fairly sure about:

Make arrows in batch, first lathering the shafts, then attaching ALL feathers, then the tips. This will allow your fletching level to increase before finishing the arrows, creating a higher yield.

Don't buy weapons in the shop. They're expensive and you can craft better ones yourself. Except arrow tips. Absolutely do buy arrow tips once you've passed their "trivial" threshold.
You can buy arrow tips for the money you'd get just selling the ore that you'd need to forge the arrows. (So you save the coal, unless you need the smithing levels...)

Higher level weapons tend to be longer. Longer weapons make the game easier. Don't perfect your dagger, get to the crude sword. Also, just have a look at the durability scaling... most of the early weapons are very transitional (sidenote: Always make sure that your weapon queue contains your best weapons. If you change your sword by putting it into the sheath, you just replace the weapon in slot 1, without changing the rest of the queue. I tend to go from weakest to strongest weapon.)

If a bow level isn't too hectic, try to score bullseyes. It'll yield more coin.

If a melee level isn't too hectic, practice throwing your sword. It can lead to awesome moments and it can save you some troubles. (Plus, being good at this is basically a requirement for the newly added Relics...)

And, last but not least: Do buy armor. Pick up the gloves from your armor carousel and put them on and get the other pieces from the shop. Buy them all, the whole set. It'll enable you to progress much quicker and further and will make the time chamber both more entertaining and rewarding.

I hope this helps some people.

--- BELOW HERE IS OLD TIPS, LIKELY OUTDATED AS OF MARCH 5th, 2022 ---
The first bit (2 paragraphs) of my advice was focused around ores, selling ores, and value increase by refinement. Most of this was outdated, so this I had to rewrite completely:

Avoid my mistakes: Try to not sell the "higher" ores once you get them. While you will get lots of the appropriate ores later on, that first nickel or iron ore you get might be the difference between being able to craft a sword with a higher tier blade and double or higher durability a time chamber run or ten earlier - and you can't buy it back.

As long as you maintain a healthy reserve (some 10-30 tin and current / higher types), you can sell lower tier ores. If you do have the time, do try to refine them, though. Ingots are now always worth more than ores, and finished swords are fabulously more valuable. The most profitable way to get rid of copper once you're past nickel is to craft the last sword that can be crafted with a copper blade and sell that. Don't be afraid to do that, once you get to that point: copper and nickel - at least as of now - only have a limited lifetime.

As long as money is an issue, buy the small green fuel crystals for 2 crude coin, and use them to keep the mine running at all times. Depleted crystals sell for 1 crude each, so they basically cost only 1 crude, and they'll yield a handful of tin and a copper or two each.

[Kranodor]

Since this topic has been pinned (oh, the responsibility!), some information and addenda:
This is written as someone looking back at his first 10-15 hours of gameplay, which were fairly recent, and within the current version (mostly). I'm not some endgame busting expert who's seen it all. It's just a compilation of:
1. Things that helped me get ahead when I got stuck.
2. Things that I did that I figured worked out alright.
3. Things that I did that have (at some point) come back to haunt me.

Once you progress past time chamber level 100, if you have the first set of upgrades for your mine (which you can easily afford by then) and maybe a few of them on the second... using only blue fuel crystals because you can afford them... having sold nickel or iron ore won't be as much of an issue anymore.

If you feel like you can't progress any further due to sword breakage, go back 10-15 levels. Due to the scaling, the first few levels won't deal as much damage, you won't get further ahead, but you'll have a bow level or two more (to get money) and you'll earn a fair bit more experience. The run will take a bit longer, though.

The best way to make money of tin and copper at this point - with the second smithing book - is to craft Knight Swords. It's the last blade that uses copper, all support parts are tin, and it sells for over 10 times its material value.
Also, you'll probably need to craft some of these to get to the required level for the next one, it feels like there's a bit of a gap, there.


---
For purpose of history, here's the removed / altered paragraphs of the original advice post from July 2020:
As of right now - July 29th, 2020 - tin ore is worth more than any ingot you can make from it.
(Sidenote, I did a run to get from from 90 to 100 today, and my second sword broke on the second target in level 100. That was merciful timing on the games end...)

Don't get me wrong - you'll need some tin, as most support parts are made of it (even in the second smithing book...), and as long as you can use Bronze to create a blade, it's a good way to mitigate losses while training your smithing level. Also, if a sword has Bronze as its lowest material (the first two swords of the second book, for example), the finished sword will sell for a fair bit more than its material costs.

Do not be afraid to sell a bit of tin ore every once in a while. You can buy arrow tips for the money you get selling the ore that you'd need to forge the arrows. (So you save the coal, unless you need the smithing levels...)

From copper onward the ingot is worth MORE than the ores - and by quite a bit. The ore value of a large copper ingot is 21, but you can sell it for 30. Unless you have a really good reason to do so, don't make the same mistake I made. Do not sell copper, nickel or iron ore. The time chamber will take care of you soon enough, monetarily. Only sell ingots in a pinch, too. With copper you can craft blades for weapons that sell for a fair bit more than their material value, but it takes a while. (Look for swords that have blades crafted from Copper, Nickel or Invar.)

[Neo]

Good information here. As a new player climbing up the rungs currently I can verify that this is all good advice, especially the armor bit! It's a life saver. Thanks for putting the effort into making this.

[jimmy]

yeah - its all valuable information. I pinned it because i get asked the same questions over and over and this covers a lot of the answers. Will eventually unpin, but you could copy paste it into a guide if you like.

[MXMissleGX]

can someone help me i'm trying to make my first sword but for some reason i can't make the handle i have the right blade B-S3S9 i put the block of wood in it says success but nothing happens the block stays as a block i don't know if this is a glitch,bug or if i'm missing something any help would be appreciated

[Kranodor]

Originally posted by MXMissleGX:

can someone help me i'm trying to make my first sword but for some reason i can't make the handle i have the right blade B-S3S9 i put the block of wood in it says success but nothing happens the block stays as a block i don't know if this is a glitch,bug or if i'm missing something any help would be appreciated

You have put the blade onto the lathe, and the block of wood on top, and closed the lathe, so the wood is over the blade? It says more than 0% success? If so, you need to spin the lathe (there should be a wheel to the right of it) and that should make the handle.

[MXMissleGX]

You have put the blade onto the lathe, and the block of wood on top, and closed the lathe, so the wood is over the blade? It says more than 0% success? If so, you need to spin the lathe (there should be a wheel to the right of it) and that should make the handle. [/quote]

I have done that already but the only thing it says is success but nothing happens it still a block

[MXMissleGX]

thanks for your help kranodor for your help in the end i started again did everything the same and it worked so my first save must have glitched
appreciate the help

[Stonie]

Haha, I've been selling Nickel and Iron as fast as I get it, won't be doing that anymore! Thanks for the tips!

[jimmy]

note: as of the latest update the sale price of things have been reworked.

ore is now worth less money and ingots and selling crafted weapons are worth more money.

value chart here:

https://masterbladesmith.fandom.com/wiki/Ore

however some of the things in this post remain relevant, so i will leave it pinned for the time being.

[Kranodor]

I should probably update it anyways. ;)

[jowillis78]

I got an item called a crank on my second run through of the time chamber as a reward. It has gold accents and a red 5 on it. Does anyone know what this is because i haven't seen anything on it at all

[Kranodor]

Originally posted by jowillis78:

I got an item called a crank on my second run through of the time chamber as a reward. It has gold accents and a red 5 on it. Does anyone know what this is because i haven't seen anything on it at all

I'm not sure if you're joking, but you should have gotten a crank before, during the tutorial:
The crank is attached to the Time Chamber door, you get one every five levels you complete in there, and you can turn the crank to change which level you start the time chamber on.

[eweiler419]

Forgive me if you said this earlier. Is there any way to affect the quality of your swords? One minute I will be forging a sword and it comes out as Average, and on my very next blade I manage a pristine without doing anything different. Are there things I should be mindful of that can help me stay consistent?

[Kranodor]

Originally posted by eweiler419:

Forgive me if you said this earlier. Is there any way to affect the quality of your swords? One minute I will be forging a sword and it comes out as Average, and on my very next blade I manage a pristine without doing anything different. Are there things I should be mindful of that can help me stay consistent?

There is an amount of RNG, but it can be severely reduced by leveling your skills up. It depends on two skills:
Smithing determines the quality of the blade (part).
Crafting determines the quality of the finished sword. Same rules apply.
The closer you are to trivial, the more likely it'll succeed, be of better quality (up to pristine). Above trivial, it basically always comes out pristine.

[eweiler419]

Thanks! Wasn't sure if something like spreading your swings evenly over the blade had an effect. Much less of a headache if all I need to do is level up my skills.