Start From an Archetype You Can Change
On this page
New World: Aeternum offers seven unique starting archetypes, each with its own play style, and the publisher states you can choose and change at any point in the game.
The examples sit far apart
The store names the Destroyer, a mighty slayer brutally executing foes with a massive great axe and war hammer, and the Mystic, a scholar-warrior who seeks to master the forces of life and death. Those two are a fair summary of the range on offer.
Changing is part of the design
Because changing archetype is explicitly allowed at any point, the first choice is not a commitment. That makes early experimentation cheap: you are testing how the game feels rather than locking a long-term build.
You start with nothing
The setting begins with you shipwrecked and without supplies or allies. Since the archetype is the main thing you bring ashore, it is worth picking one that suits how you expect to play before the island starts making decisions for you.
The combat behind those archetypes is covered in building around weapons and powers. For the travelling side, read training a mount.