Note: This guide will be using default keyboard inputs to describe functions

You start Moonlighter off as a son of merchant family who plans to keep the family business and the town going, with nothing but a broom equipped Will plunges into the dungeon.

Weapons
There are 5 different weapon types to choose from: Sword & Shield, Big Sword, Spears, Gloves, and Bows. Will has two different weapon slots and can switch between weapons using 'Z' and 'C'. Each weapon has two distinct functions as follows; 'J' is the main attack of the weapon and 'K' is the secondary attack that usually has to charge.

In the beginning of the game you have the Broom, which is considered a Spear, and are given the starter Sword & Shield. The Spear can be used to cheese enemies that have a limited melee range. The Sword and Shield is good if you know how to block/parry enemies and then slash in the short range you have, which can be tricky to handle at first. I recommend to get the Big Sword as quick as possible as the wide range and high damage makes the first dungeon pretty easy.

Armor
There are 3 different armor slots where Will can equip a helmet, chest-piece, and boots. Three different armor types are available as well. The first boosts health and speed, the second boost more health than the previous with no speed buff, and the third boosts even more health at the cost of some speed. Having a full set does not add a bonus, so feel free to swap, mix, and match.

Amulets
There a lot of different amulets available to use and all have unique traits to aid Will in his journey, but usually have trade offs, once obtained can be looked at by hovering over the item and pressing 'E'. Amulets are most commonly found in Purple Chests. You can have two amulets equip at once.

*More info about different Chests here[moonlighter.fandom.com]

Potions
There are many different potions to obtain, but in the beginning you have small HP potions. These can be crafted or bought from Eris of The Wooden Hat, which is available through her town upgrade. The basic ingredient is rich jelly (obtained from slimes).

Inventory (Bag)
The top row of the Bag is what Will can carry on him. When defeated in a dungeon Will's bag is ripped open and anything 'inside' the bag is lost. Therefore it is recommended to put all valuable items here such as any; amulets, weapons, and most expensive drops.

These are one time upgrades to the town unlocked by progressing through the game and increasing the town's population by defeating the dungeons bosses. After the second dungeon boss all down upgrades will be available for purchase.

Vulcan's Forge
Available since the beginning of the game for a cheap price, the forge is where Will can create weapons and armor. A key feature that can be used is 'wishlisting' an item you want to craft. This will highlight the drops with a star that are required in wishlisted crafting recipes. This highlight will still show if the item is cursed with Unknown '?'.

The Wooden Hat
Also available since the beginning of the game for a cheap price, The Wooden Hat is essential in surviving in the dungeon thanks to the ability to create potions and enchant weapons and armor. She allows the player to either buy potions or craft them for a discounted price. Enchants can be applied once to armor and three times to weapons and require Empowering Crystals[moonlighter.fandom.com].

Le Retailer
Makes getting any item you have already obtained easier to get, with the trade off of being 4.5x more expensive than the base price of the item. If you buy 11 items from him, you get the Wasteful Merchant achievement. Useful for getting the items necessary for upgrading weapons.

Hawker
Alan, owner of the Hawker, sells decor. Decor can be used to buff various different things at your shop such as tip amount, number of customers, and unlikeliness of thieves. By buying decor and decorating Moonlighter profits will increase and although a bit pricey are worth it.

Banker
When the Banker is purchased he appears next to the town board and gives you a time to visit him. On this day Will can invest an amount of gold in hopes of a return, but this is a hope, not a guarantee and Will can lose money.

The shop, Moonlighter, starts off small and although the outside appearance doesn't change much after an upgrade it's all about what's on the inside.

Moonlighter Expansion
Moonlighter can be expanded once before the first boss and once after every boss. Every upgrade increases the amount of normal chests to store items in, the showroom size with more item selling tables, and more room for additional decor to be added. I recommend doing Expansions first to be able to add more decor to help maximize profits early.

Decorations
Decor can be added after the first Expansion upgrade and can be obtained by buying them
from Alan, owner of The Hawker. The Hawker is a town upgrade.

Sale Box
The Sale Box allows an assortment of items placed inside to be sold at a discounted price to customers. These items are bought on the spot and do not require Will to confirm a sale. When you have excess of low price items this is a great place to get rid of them, but otherwise isn't that useful. Each upgrade decreases the sale amount and allows Will to obtain more profit from dumping items.

Cash Register
Each upgrade of the cash register makes it fancier and requires customers to pay 10% more per upgrade. This bonus combined with assorted decor can make the value of items soar and the growth of shop to continue faster.

Bed
The upgrading of Will's bed seems like a waste of money at first, but is actually extremely useful. With every upgrade of Will's bed he obtains a greater amount of absorption points and shields. The absorption acts as temporary health, that once depleted is gone and can not be re-obtained during the run and the shields will stop any damage from the next attack received and will also deplete without the ability to return during the run.

Chest
The chest at the foot of Will's bed is separate from the 'normal' chests to the left. When this chest is upgraded it adds another section of inventory space.

Things I wish I had known in the beginning.

Tips
You do not need to save every item you get, it is easier to keep 2 stacks of each item in the case of order requests, otherwise sell everything unless you need it/ have it wishlisted for crafting.

When you encounter a thief in Moonlighter, stand in-front of your register to be able to quickly catch them. To catch a thief roll into them, the item or gold they stole from the table or register will be returned to Will's inventory.

Secrets
In the dungeon you are bound to come across holes in the dungeon that Will can fall into resulting in taking 5 damage and returning in-front of the door you entered the room from, but not all holes are like this. If you see a white sparkle when you enter the room there is a secret below so fee free to roll down into the hole.

Various types of secrets await such as:
Empty Room
Just an empty room.

Abandoned Room (has flipped mine-carts and items on the ground)
Feel free to pick-up any of the items left on the floor as they are often the more expensive items.

Book on Pedestal
It is recommended to 'Indiana Jones' the Book on the Pedestal. If you simply take the book without placing an item in it's stead there is a chance to spawn the Wanderer[moonlighter.fandom.com].

Green Chest (an empty stone chest)
The chest is used to send any items put into it to the shop. The items will appear in the 'normal' chests to the left of Will's room. I recommend dumping your inventory into the chest, unless there are transmutation curses in your inventory that allow you to gain more profit if you were to escape the dungeon.

Wave Room (has an activate pillar)
This room is incredible for beginners if they are skilled enough. Every time the wave pillar is activated the chest will go up in tier until it reaches Purple. The tiers go as follows; wooden, iron, gold, and then purple. Therefore the pillar needs to be activated four times. If the chest is ever opened then the pillar will be destroyed and you can no longer continue the waves.

I HIGHLY recommend getting the purple chest every time as you obtain rare loot with good curses and an amulet every time. This can make the users first dungeon catapult them in progress by selling everything and obtaining a ring for future use.

*If you have the DLC you may also see a green sparkle. Falling into these will give you a chance to enter a portal into the Wanderer's Dungeon where you get three chests and an artifact after completing four rooms and a mini-boss.

This is my first Guide and I hope you enjoyed and that I did well. These are just the basics needed for a beginner to get through a majority of the game.

...