If you’re just downloading Enshrouded or a few hours into your first run, you’ve probably wondered how long to beat Enshrouded before you commit to a full playthrough. It’s a unique mix of survival crafting, open-world action RPG, and dark fantasy exploration, so there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to playtime. I’ve logged over 80 hours across three separate runs of the game, from rushed story playthroughs to a current 100% completion grind, so I can break down exactly what timeline you can expect based on how you like to play.
How Long to Beat Enshrouded for Main Story Only Runs
If you only care about experiencing the core narrative and don’t want to waste time on side content or unnecessary building, you can wrap up a main story solo run in 18 to 22 hours on standard difficulty. Co-op runs with 2 to 4 players go even faster, usually clocking in at 15 to 19 hours, since you can split objectives like resource farming and boss damage to cut down on downtime. You only need to complete the main questline beats to roll credits: clearing the first starter shroud zone, rescuing the four core artisan NPCs, defeating the four major world bosses, and restoring the central Spire of Embervale. You don’t need to build anything beyond the basic required crafting stations, and you can skip almost all side quests and optional dungeons if you’re focused. I tested a rushed solo run earlier this year and finished in 19 hours, though I did have to pause for 2 hours halfway through to farm better armor for the Warden boss fight, since I skipped so much loot along the way. If you’re brand new to survival combat, add 2 to 3 hours to account for learning boss patterns and basic mechanics.
Average Playtime for Casual Players Who Mix Side Content
Most first-time players don’t rush through the main story, and that’s the way the game is intended to be played. If you stop to do most side quests, build a comfortable base with all the core crafting stations, explore random shroud zones for cool loot, and mess around a bit with build experimentation, you can expect a playtime of 35 to 45 hours for a solo run. Co-op runs for this playstyle land between 30 and 40 hours, though that number can jump up a lot if you and your friends get distracted by building giant shared bases or doing random exploration detours. This is the most common playstyle for first-time players, as you don’t feel pressured to rush through the world’s unique lore and hidden secrets. You’ll probably spend a few hours just testing out different skill builds or decorating your base, which is totally normal. Don’t feel like you’re wasting time if you’re not making constant progress on the main quest. Some of my favorite moments from my first run were when I stumbled on hidden chests with rare weapon skins or spent an hour building a little treehouse base in the forest biome just for fun.
How Long It Takes to 100% Complete Enshrouded
For completionists who want to unlock every achievement, collect every item, and clear every piece of content the game has to offer, you’re looking at a much longer playtime. Solo 100% runs usually take between 70 and 90 hours, while co-op 100% runs land between 60 and 80 hours. A full 100% run means checking off every single one of these boxes:
Factors That Can Shorten Or Extend Your Enshrouded Playtime
Even if you fall into one of the playstyle categories above, there are a few key factors that can make your run significantly shorter or longer than the averages I listed. First, play mode makes a huge difference. Co-op is faster for objective-focused runs, but if you and your friends spend hours messing around with base building or PvP duels, you can easily add 10+ hours to your total playtime without even noticing. Difficulty level also changes the timeline. If you’re playing on hard mode, enemies deal more damage and have more health, so you’ll need to spend extra time farming resources to upgrade your gear and practice boss fights to avoid repeated deaths. Expect to add 10 to 20% to your expected playtime if you’re playing on hard. If you’re using wiki guides to find collectibles or boss strategies, you can cut up to 15 hours off a 100% run, since you won’t waste hours wandering around looking for hidden items or trying to figure out boss weaknesses on your own. That said, a lot of players prefer finding things on their own, so it’s totally up to what you find fun. New content updates add extra quests, zones, and items, so your playtime will increase if you play through every new piece of post-launch content. The devs have already announced several free major updates coming in the next year, so players who stick around for all new content can easily log 150+ hours in the game without running out of things to do.
At the end of the day, how long to beat Enshrouded is entirely up to what you want to get out of the game. If you just want to experience the core story, you can wrap it up in under 25 hours, but if you want to sink into every piece of content it has to offer, you can easily spend 100+ hours without getting bored. Don’t rush your run unless you specifically want to. Take time to explore, build something cool, and mess around with your friends if you’re playing co-op, that’s where the real fun of the game lives.