Underkeep First Party: Safest Blind-Run Setup
The Underkeep first party for a blind run: four heroes, race picks, early skills, gear priorities, and the first purchases that keep the run alive.
The safest Underkeep first party is a Human Warrior, a Dwarf Paladin, a Human Wizard, and a Human Voidcaller. It gives you two frontliners, two healers, four sources of elemental damage, and no racial trap that punishes a new player.
Who should be in your first party?
| Row | Hero | Race | Why this pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Warrior | Human | Simple damage, taunt, no gear restrictions |
| Front | Paladin | Dwarf | Heals and tanks, extra elemental resistance |
| Back | Wizard | Human | Fire and ice damage, freeze control |
| Back | Voidcaller | Human | Healing, cures, party auras |
This is the classic community starter with Human and Dwarf swapped in for safety. The XP bonus on three heroes keeps the party leveling at a steady pace, and the Dwarf's resistance helps the Paladin survive the elemental rooms that punish a low-WIS frontliner.
If you want more damage, swap the Warrior for a Thief and accept a squishier front row. If you want more control, swap the Wizard for a Ranger. Do not swap out the Voidcaller on a blind run; the cure coverage is too valuable.
What skills should you take first?
Take the cheap, reliable skills first and ignore the flashy level 6 options until you have a working rotation.
| Hero | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Flurry Thrust | Provoking Shout | Riposte or Shield Bash |
| Paladin | Lay on Hands | Divine Guard passive | Righteous Strike |
| Wizard | Fire Spark or Ice Shard | Feel the Flow | Dragon Arcana |
| Voidcaller | Void Mend | Aura of Blades | Void Lance |
The Warrior needs a sword for Flurry Thrust. Buy one in the village before the first dungeon; a Warrior with an axe and a sword skill is a Warrior with no skill. The Paladin's Divine Guard is a passive, so it costs no action and turns every heal into armor.
What should you buy first?
Buy food, a sword, a pickaxe, a shovel, and two healing potions. That order covers survival, access, and recovery. Armor upgrades come after the first dungeon, when you know which hero is taking the most damage.
| Priority | Purchase | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20+ food | Resting and grave digging both consume it |
| 2 | Sword for the Warrior | Unlocks Flurry Thrust |
| 3 | Pickaxe and shovel | Opens blocked rocks and graves |
| 4 | Healing potions | Free actions in combat |
| 5 | Armor for the front row | Reduces attrition between rests |
Do not buy every tool on day one. Lockpicks and the Golden Chisel are useful, but they compete with food and potions for the same gold. Buy them when you find a locked chest or a gold vein you cannot open.
How should you place the party?
Warrior and Paladin in front, Wizard and Voidcaller in back. Most enemies can only hit the front row, and the back row can still cast and shoot. If an enemy has Reach or a ranged attack, the back row is not automatically safe, so keep the Voidcaller's barrier available.
Swapping rows costs the hero's action. Do not swap every round; decide before the fight who needs to be forward. The front row and back row page→ explains the exceptions.
If a backliner drops below half HP, swap them forward only if the frontliner can survive alone. Otherwise heal and kill the threat.
What are the first-run mistakes?
Four mistakes account for most early wipes. Resting with a patrol nearby, spreading damage across three enemies, ignoring the combat log, and entering a boss room with no cures.
The first boss, the bandit chieftain, is a preparation check. Rest, buy cures, and focus the boss instead of the adds. The spider boss beyond the tunnels is a control check: freeze or stun the boss and kill the adds before they stack status effects.
The beginner guide→ walks through the first two dungeons in order. Read it alongside this page if you want a route rather than a roster.
When should you change the party?
Never, if the run is going well. The game does not advertise a party swap or respec system, so the four heroes you create are the four heroes you finish with. If you dislike the composition, restart early rather than drag a broken party into the mid-game.
For a second run, try the Hunter's Pack or the Holy Order from the best party page→. Both are stronger in specific situations and less forgiving in general.
FAQ
What is the best first party in Underkeep?
Warrior, Paladin, Wizard, Voidcaller. It covers tanking, healing, cures, and elemental damage with no fragile specialist.
Which race should the first party use?
Human on the Warrior, Wizard, and Voidcaller, Dwarf on the Paladin. Human's XP bonus is always useful, and Dwarf adds resistance to the hero who takes the most hits.
Do you need to grind in the first dungeon?
No. Equipment, cures, and full food matter more than one extra level. Clear the dungeon, return to the village, and upgrade before the first boss.
Official source: Underkeep store page ↗
Community source: Steam community player guide ↗
Official source: Underkeep official site ↗
More Underkeep Guides
All seven Underkeep classes explained: main stat, resource, front or back row, weapon requirements, and the race that fits each one.
How Underkeep combat works: one action per hero, free actions, damage and armor math, crit and evasion formulas, status effects, and turn order.
What is confirmed about Underkeep endings: multiple outcomes, the quests that matter, why special dialogue is not always best, and how to save for branches.
Underkeep equipment explained: weapon types per class, armor slots, how armor and sharpness change damage, which tools share the budget, and when to upgrade.
How Underkeep exploration works: which tools open which obstacles, how to search walls and graves, food and resting, and Waystone fast travel.
How Underkeep front row and back row positioning works: who can melee, when Reach bypasses the rule, what swapping costs, and the safest four-hero layout.
What to do when the four gargoyles get stuck in Underkeep Gravewood Crypt, why there is no reset lever yet, and how to recover without losing the run.
A spoiler-light Underkeep guide hub: what to do in the first hours, which systems matter, and which of our 25 pages answers your question.