TL;DR – Quick Summary
- Chapter 1 is called Blood Ties and acts as the tutorial for the whole game.
- You play as young Sophia first, then jump forward in time to an older, combat-ready version of her.
- The chapter has 4 sub-chapters: A New Home, Faro’s Cabin, The Search for the Key, and The Fighting Pit.
- There are only 2 collectibles — the Rusty Sword (auto-unlock) and the Handled Cross artefact.
- You learn all the core controls here: attack, sprint, jump, crouch, block, parry, and dagger use.
- Completing the chapter unlocks the Blood Ties achievement.
The Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy Chapter 1 walkthrough covers every step of Blood Ties, the opening chapter of Asobo Studio’s new action prequel. Resonance is a very different game from its predecessors — it’s combat-focused, faster, and puts you in control of Sophia, a young smuggler with a troubled past and mysterious visions. Chapter 1 eases you in slowly, teaching you the controls step by step before throwing real enemies at you. If you’re just starting out, don’t skip anything here. Every skill you learn in this chapter is going to matter later. If you want a broader overview before diving in, our beginner’s guide for Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy has you covered.
Chapter 1 Blood Ties – Quick Overview
Before jumping into the walkthrough, here’s what to expect from this chapter at a glance.
- Sub-Chapters: A New Home, Faro’s Cabin, The Search for the Key, The Fighting Pit
- Collectibles: 1 Blade (Rusty Sword – automatic), 1 Artefact (Handled Cross)
- Missables: None – both can be grabbed later via chapter select
- What you learn: Attacking, sprinting, jumping, crouching, blocking, parrying, dagger, critical strike
- Achievement: Blood Ties – unlocked on completing the chapter
The Story So Far – What Happens Before You Take Control
The game opens with a flashback. Sophia is being held at a convent, where a Sister named Astrid has been forcing her to draw strange pictures while in a trance. Her father, Alec, and his companion Faro break her free. This moment sets the whole story in motion.
After that, Alec visits Sophia in her room, asks for her drawing book, and leaves with Faro to investigate what the strange statues in her drawings might mean. Six months pass. The village spots Alec’s boat coming back. Sophia rushes to the docks to meet her dad — and this is where you take control.
Sub-Chapter 1 – A New Home (Meet Dad at the Docks)
Walking to the Docks
Once you get control of young Sophia, just follow the path ahead. The area is very linear. You can stop and chat with some NPCs along the way if you want, but it doesn’t affect anything. The main route takes you through a market and into a crowd of people. Squeeze through the crowd and you’ll reach Ezra.
Training with Ezra – Attack and Sprint
Ezra won’t let Sophia pass without a quick sparring session. This is your first tutorial.
- Attack: Square (PlayStation) / X (Xbox) / Left Mouse Button (PC)
- Sprint: Hold R2 (PlayStation) / Hold RT (Xbox) / Hold Shift (PC)
Hit Ezra a couple of times as prompted, then sprint when the game tells you to. This part is completely guided.
Beat Ezra to the Pit – Jump and Crouch
After attacking and sprinting, the game adds two more controls.
- Jump: X (PlayStation) / A (Xbox) / Spacebar (PC)
- Crouch: Used when you reach the Pit
When you reach a blocked door, turn right and jump through the open window. Keep moving until Ezra catches up, then continue to the Pit together. At the Pit, Sophia learns that her father didn’t make it back — only Faro did. She has a vision during the embrace and then wakes up in Faro’s cabin.
Blade 1 – Rusty Sword: This unlocks automatically during this sub-chapter. You don’t need to do anything extra. It just appears in your chapter tracker.
Sub-Chapter 2 – Faro’s Cabin (Look Around)
Sophia wakes up in Faro’s cabin. Faro immediately wants to know if she dreamed about the treasure. You can look around the cabin now. There’s a few things to interact with:
- An ornament Sophia likes near the window
- Sophia’s drawing book on the desk
- Drawers that can be opened
- A table where you can sit next to Faro
None of this affects progression, but it gives nice story background. When you’re done, head back to bed to continue.
Training with Faro – Learn to Block
The next morning, Sophia trains with Faro. This is where you learn blocking.
- Block: L1 (PlayStation) / LB (Xbox) / Right Mouse Button (PC)
During the training, Sophia’s sword flies away after one of Faro’s swings. Ezra shows up — and at this point, the game does a neat time jump. Sophia is now grown up, more experienced, and ready for tougher fights.
Sub-Chapter 3 – The Search for the Key (Desert Village)
Show What You’ve Learned – Learn to Parry
Before you head out, there’s another training session. You now face a sparring partner and have to parry their attacks. Parrying is different from holding block. You need to block right at the moment of impact, not in advance. Get the timing right and your opponent gets stunned. Do it three times in a row and they lose their balance completely. Then defeat them to move on.
After that, Irene arrives and brings Sophia along on a mission — searching for a mysterious key in a nearby desert village. This is where the chapter gets more action-focused. Understanding how the fight system works here will help you throughout the whole game. You can read more about how combat and stealth stack up in our combat vs stealth guide.
Loot the Bodies
You spawn in a desert. Head forward into the courtyard. There are bodies scattered around and two marked ones you need to search. But before you do that — grab the artefact first.
Artefact 1 – Relic of the Present: Handled Cross
This is the only artefact in Chapter 1, and you can’t miss it if you look before looting. In the courtyard, look for the white tree branch in the middle of the area. The Handled Cross artefact is on the ground directly underneath it. Pick it up before you touch the bodies.
Once you have the artefact, loot both marked bodies. Then follow Yvan, who puts up a ladder to the next area above. Climb up and head toward the door on the left side of the courtyard. When Sophia tries to open it, you get ambushed by bandits. Fight them off until Irene steps in with a cutscene.
Training with Irene – Dagger and Critical Strike
Irene introduces two new mechanics after the ambush.
- Dagger: Used to follow up a stun with a finishing hit
- Critical Strike: A powerful finishing move that triggers after the dagger follow-up
The key combo to remember: Parry an attack → enemy gets stunned → use dagger → critical strike. This chain becomes very important in harder fights later. Getting it down now will save you a lot of trouble. If you want to know how to build on these skills, check out the best skills to unlock first in Resonance.
Sub-Chapter 4 – The Fighting Pit (Final Boss of Chapter 1)
What Happens Before the Fight
Time jumps forward again. A new character, Leni, is introduced. You and Leni are watching a Mercenary fight in the arena. The crowd turns its attention to Sophia. She steps into the ring.
Fighting the Mercenary
The fight is split into two parts, and both are manageable if you use what you’ve learned.
Part 1 – One vs One: It’s just you and the Mercenary. Block and parry when he attacks, then follow up with your dagger. Don’t go in swinging wildly. Watch his movements, wait for your window, and punish him. He doesn’t have huge health, so a few good parry chains will take him down.
Part 2 – Mercenary goes rogue: After you beat him, the Mercenary kills the arena host and calls in backup. Now you’re fighting multiple enemies at once. Stay mobile. Don’t let them surround you. Use parries to stun one, take him down with the dagger, then reposition. They’re weaker individually than the Mercenary, but the numbers can overwhelm you if you stand still.
Defeat everyone to trigger the final cutscene. Faro calls a meeting on the main deck. Chapter 1 is done.
Completing this chapter unlocks the Blood Ties achievement/trophy.
Chapter 1 Collectibles Summary
Here’s a quick recap of everything collectible in Blood Ties so you don’t miss anything.
- Blade 1 – Rusty Sword: Automatic unlock. Tied to the story. No action needed.
- Artefact 1 – Relic of the Present: Handled Cross: Found in the courtyard during The Search for the Key. Look under the white tree branch in the middle of the area. Pick it up before looting the bodies.
Good news — there are no Resonance Points in Chapter 1, so you don’t need to worry about those here. If you missed the artefact or blade, you can go back through chapter select to grab them later. For a full breakdown of every collectible across all chapters, see our all chapters and collectibles guide.
Controls Learned in Chapter 1 – Full Reference
By the end of Blood Ties, you’ve been taught every basic control in the game. Here’s a full reference for what you’ve picked up.
- Attack: Square / X / Left Click
- Sprint: Hold R2 / Hold RT / Hold Shift
- Jump: X / A / Spacebar
- Crouch: Circle / B / C (or designated key)
- Block: L1 / LB / Right Mouse Button
- Parry: Block right at the moment of impact
- Dagger (follow-up): Triggered after stunning an enemy with a parry
- Critical Strike: Follows the dagger hit for maximum damage
Tips for Getting Through Chapter 1 Smoothly
- Don’t rush the parry timing. It’s about precision, not speed. Wait for the attack to almost connect, then block.
- Pick up the artefact before looting the bodies. The objective triggers after you loot both, so get the collectible first or you might miss it in the chaos.
- In the pit fight against multiple enemies, pick them off one at a time. Try to separate them if possible and use the parry-dagger combo on each one.
- Explore Faro’s cabin fully. It’s optional but gives you useful story context that will help the rest of the game make more sense.
- Talk to NPCs at the docks. Again, optional — but they add flavour to the world and Sophia’s life before things go wrong.
Sophia’s fighting style in this game is built around reading enemies and punishing them. If you want a deeper breakdown of how her combat works, the Sophia combat breakdown guide goes into full detail. You can also get the game on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X|S. More info is also available on the official Focus Entertainment website.
What Comes Next – Chapter 2 Preview
After Blood Ties ends, Faro gathers everyone on the main deck. The expedition has a destination: a mysterious island. Chapter 2, called Felons, picks up from here and starts throwing real combat encounters and exploration challenges your way. The training wheels come off. Make sure your parry timing is solid before moving on.
If you want to understand more about who Sophia is and how she connects to the wider series, the Who is Sophia guide is worth reading. And if you’re curious how this game fits into the full A Plague Tale timeline, our A Plague Tale timeline explained piece covers everything from Innocence to Resonance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many collectibles are in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy Chapter 1?
There are 2 collectibles in Chapter 1 Blood Ties. The first is Blade 1, the Rusty Sword, which unlocks automatically during the story — you don’t need to search for it. The second is Artefact 1, the Relic of the Present: Handled Cross, found in the desert courtyard during The Search for the Key sub-chapter. Look under the white tree branch in the middle of the courtyard before you loot any bodies.
Can you go back and get missed collectibles in Chapter 1?
Yes. Both the Rusty Sword and the Handled Cross can be collected later through chapter select if you miss them during your first playthrough. The only exception is Resonance Points, which do not carry over between sessions — but Chapter 1 has no Resonance Points, so there’s nothing to worry about here.
How do you parry in Resonance A Plague Tale Legacy?
Parrying is not the same as holding block. To parry, you need to press the block button — L1 on PlayStation, LB on Xbox, or Right Mouse Button on PC — at the exact moment an enemy attack connects. If you time it right, the enemy gets stunned. Follow up with the dagger and then a critical strike for the most damage. Getting three consecutive parries will knock an enemy off balance entirely.
Do you need to play previous A Plague Tale games before Resonance?
No. Resonance is a prequel set before the events of A Plague Tale: Innocence and Requiem, so it works as a standalone entry. If you’ve played the earlier games, you’ll recognise some connections — including Sophia herself, who appears briefly in Requiem. But new players can jump straight in without missing anything important. If you’re curious, our guide on whether you need to play previous Plague Tale games explains it in more detail.
