Into the Fire Beginner's Guide

This guide is for players who have watched the trailers and wishlisted the game but have not yet sat in an open playtest. If you have already run New Sindra in a test build, skip to the Controls page and the extraction loop.

The store page is honest about the fantasy. What it does not tell you is how the game communicates that fantasy through systems: a daily report that reads like a survival journal, a volcano that reshapes the map while you are mid-run, and an extraction vehicle that leaves whether you are on it or not.

Read this before the first real session. Then read it again after your first failed run.

What you are actually doing

Into the Fire is a disaster extraction game. That means: you leave a safe camp, enter a volcanic disaster zone, find people and items worth saving, and return to the RV before the island buries the route. Everything else in the game — the tools, the upgrades, the camp rooms, the survivor skills — is in service of that loop.

You play Frank. Frank is a professional rescuer. He does not have a character level. He does not unlock a weapon tree. His power comes from the people he extracts and the camp they build together.

The opponent is the volcano. Not a monster. Not a raid boss. The volcano.

Hour-long Open Playtest capture — first city extract and camp loop

The extraction loop in five sentences

You enter a district. You read the hazard meter. You find survivors or items. You manage fire, ash, bombs, and structural collapses. You extract before the RV leaves. You come back to camp. Camp changes based on who you brought and what you left behind. Then you go out again.

That is the entire game.

The daily report — your campaign map

Before every expedition, the camp shows you a morning screen. This is your campaign interface. It tells you:

• How many survivors are in camp and what their morale looks like
• Food and water levels — these tick down every in-game day
• Current threat level — the volcano does not wait for you to be ready
• Available quests and named rescue targets
• Workshop status — what you can craft today

If food is low, your next run is a supply extract. If threat is high, your next run is a racing run, not a loot run. If morale is tanking, pet the dog before you leave. Yes, really.

What to bring on your first expedition

Do not overthink this. The store page lists the tool categories. Playtests show the default kit that works:

• Back-mounted extinguisher — the core tool. Opens flame so you can walk.
• Suppression pistol — precision tool. Handles doors, distant spirits, and planks.
• Extinguishing shotgun — area tool. Use it when the doorway is a wall of fire.
• Water tanks — consumable. Refill at camp before every run.
• Seismograph — reads earthquake warnings.

That is the professional kit. It does not have a sword. It does not have a sniper rifle. Into the Fire is not a shooter.

See weapons tier list for the full ranking and why extinguisher and shotgun are S-tier.

Controls: what the playtests list as the hardest keybind

Kick. The kick key is your most underrated tool. It opens locked doors, breaks weak walls, and staggers fire spirits. If you are playing with a controller, the pad mapping for kick is awkward in early builds. Read the controls guide before you go in.

The other counter-intuitive control is the roll. You can roll through bombs and fire if you cannot get to cover. The timing is forgiving. Do not think of it as a dodge — think of it as a gap-close.

Why the RV is not a taxi

The RV is the timer. It shows up at a location, waits a set time, then leaves. When it leaves, you are on your own. If you are deep in a district when it leaves, you have a new objective: get to the next RV point or the camp emergency exit.

This means: do not be a hero on your first run. Extract with one or two survivors and some supplies. Leave the relic room for run two. The volcano will still be there.

The extraction guide explains RV timing, greed psychology, and the vertical routes on the Ruins map.

The three mistakes every new player makes

Mistake one: treating every survivor as a must-extract. Some extras slow you down past the point where the RV is worth waiting for. The survivor priority guide teaches the triage logic.

Mistake two: bringing a second weapon instead of water. A dry extinguisher is a C-tier stick. The expedition planner has a checklist.

Mistake three: ignoring the camp threat meter. A full camp with high threat is a camp that will be hit by a major event. The camp hub guide explains what the meters mean.

What nobody tells you about the story

Into the Fire has a story. It is delivered through survivor conversations in camp, environmental storytelling in the districts, and the myth layer that Starward describes as science meeting legend. The island has secrets older than the eruption. Rescuing specific survivors reveals them.

Open Playtest no.2 added a Main Quest plus Area and Gate jobs, so you should expect a board now. The mystery still pieces itself together across runs — the log just names the next street. See quests.

What to do right now

1. Wishlist on Steam and GOG if you have not.
2. Sign up for playtests from the Steam hub or the playtest guide.
3. Join the Starward Discord for playtest announcements.
4. Read controls and the extraction loop.
5. Fill the expedition planner before your first real session.

The island is waiting. Frank has work to do.