One of the very first things you do in The Forgotten City is choosing your background. This will influence the advantages you have throughout the rest of the game, and it’s impossible to know what will benefit you most. This guide covers what each choice is and how it affects your time in the game.

Archaeologist

The Archaeologist background is one of the most powerful in the game. It opens up unique dialogue choices with characters through the rest of the story and allows you to read ancient Latin. Both of these may not sound that great, but for those who care more about the story than action, this is the only background choice for you.

Soldier

The soldier background might sound useful, but it’s not that fantastic in practice. It gives you a firearm with ten bullets, but you have no way to find more. The game provides you with a bow that you can defend yourself with, so there’s not much point in this weapon other than to have a slightly more powerful weapon in a pinch. Anyone who feels like they need some added protection should take it for a spin, though.

Fugitive

The Fugitive background is useful if you’re going to be committing a lot of crimes. A golden warrior will chase you when you do this, forcing you to make a swift retreat to the portal. With a 25% boost to sprinting speed, you’ll easily outrun any enemies you encounter. But it’s not that useful for moment-to-moment gameplay.

Amnesiac

The Amnesiac is the final background choice you have, offering a massive 50% boost to resilience. In practice, this makes you much harder to kill, which can be a good thing if you’re planning on making a lot of trouble for yourself. Your first playthrough will certainly be easier with this background, but it might end up feeling unfairly balanced in your favor.