Just picked this up in the flash sales, and while I like what I see so far, I'll admit to being a little lost. I just tried rolling a Paladin, but stamina (and its regen) I'm finding to be a bit of an issue. I'm also not sure sure what exactly is optimal for a first runthrough; what should I be prioritizing to begin with, at least while I'm learning the ropes?

Also, a question on the wording of Divine Strike: is it just a boost to overall attacks, or is it just an increase in the chance of criticals?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, stamina is an issue at the beginning. Just stock up on stamina potions and try to buy yourself some items that regenerate it (slowly, but steadily). Poison could also be an issue for paladin at the beginning because there are some enemies that can poison you quite easily (to deal with that, visit a Friar in Hillbrandt's Place of Execution or Dominicus in Hillbrandt's church). Get yourself some companions (there is Diabolus the dog in the jail (in the basement of the house with swords on the map), there is Olfghard in Asherbalt (in the house), and also Hugo Montesque will appear near the Brotherhood's house in Hillbrandt at some point).

The first thing I did, after killing the bats and getting into the town, was to talk to everyone in Hillbrandt. I made one "round around the town" which opened up some new topics, so I made the second one to learn the most information and to open as many new locations in the vicinity of Hillbrandt as possible. You could visit the Hillbrandt's Place of Execution then, the enemies there should be quite easy to kill.

It could be also useful to buy some seals. Since paladin is a lousy caster, they can help him get rid of some enemies from the distance. Of course, the more expensive seal you buy the more effective it will be. Talking about spells, get the Sixth Sense (Inquisitorial Magic) to be able to identify items for free (one point in Inquisitorial Magic is enough) and Levitation (Magic of Miracles) - this will be useful in caves (with lava/acid pools) and also later in the game to get you across various chasms.

As far as the Divine Strike goes, judging from the descriptions in the game and the manual I think it affects only the critical hit chance. But I wasn't playing the paladin which means I don't know how useful this skill is.

Okay, i just finished this game and loved it, though i know it can seem a bit daunting to start with...so I've decided to write some of my thoughts and advice, as it could be useful to someone starting. Just be aware that we all play games differently and what works for me may not suit the way others play.

-I finished the game at lvl 53. So use that as a loose reference for your long term character building plans. I'd like to know what lvl others finished up at to get an average.

-Never destroy a white item, it has some use in the game. Don't destroy it, even if you think it's use has passed...you never know. You don't have to carry it all around with you though. Find a nice little chest somewhere you won't forget and dump anything you think you may need for later. That way you can always come back for it.

-Much has been said in other threads about lack of balance between the classes. Well so what? In an RPG different classes should give a different experience, but not necessarily an experience of the same difficulty. Even in D&D the classes are not equal in a combat heavy CRPG- some classes are more about role playing in the table top game. So think of the classes in Inquisitor like those in Demons Souls/Dark Souls- just another layer of challenge. Play a Priest if you want easy.

-I feel that the magic system is central to the game and cannot be ignored even if you're playing a Paladin. I mean, even as a Priest you won't be using the two higher tier of spells until Act 3, as you need to be lvl 35 and 45 to use them. The early spell levels are quick to build up and don't cost much in either gold or skill points and have heaps of useful auxiliary spells and even useful damage spells, and all can be used by every class.
Spells you really want, regardless of class: Levitation and Sixth Sense (for identification). I'd also suggest "Shatter"- invaluable for opening chest, barrels and doors at a safe distance to avoid the traps and the pack of enemies waiting just behind doors. If you're having trouble with some doors then use "shatter" with something to increase your spell penetration.
Every class probably should also grab and use one of the early level attack spells for pulling enemies at long range out of groups to then deal with them one at a time. I mostly used the spell "Word of an Angel" as it has good damage and medium speed.
And one last spell useable by any class that I'd suggest is the raise dead spell to bring back your companions when they get their stupid ass killed (which they do often, but better them than you).

-Recruit companions. Get Diabolus early as he's not fussy who else he works with. Then get one other and later in the game you should be able to also recruit an extra as well. These guys draw the heat off you, though keep in mind they are stupid. Really stupid...they run forward and draw enemies that you're not ready for. So use the Guard command "G" on the keyboard, to keep the morons back at a safe distance...then pull enemies back using your bow or spell one at a time to where your group is waiting. Then repeat. Luckily the enemies are just as dumb as your companions. A group of enemies will happily just stand there as their mates are lured away one at a time to their death.

-Equipment. From my experience look for gear that gives you across the board boosts to your attributes first, followed by skill bonuses. For me, i found resistance bonus gear to be less useful, but people that love charging into crowded rooms may find otherwise. There are items in game that give plus 13 (a white quest item!) to ALL attributes. You get 4 solitary points every time you level...so you can see how equipment WAY surpasses level up points when building your character. Likewise items that give plus 1 to all magical or non magical skills may not sound like much. But it takes as much as 4 points in a skill just to get one skill level increase at the higher levels and you only get 4 points per level up. So for example...a ring of plus 1 to all magical skills used to take your skill levels from 18 to 19 across all magic fields saves anything like 20 skill points or in other words you'd need to go up 5 character levels to achieve the same result.

Very nicely written! This should be really useful to new players. My priest was lvl 54 at the end.

Hi to everyone, I got some more newbie questions about Paladin (the only character I try to play, just want to concentrate on one playstyle).

I read here and there that there are the must-have skills in Inquisitor and the absolutely useless ones. Have someone experienced some of these two categories?

Is Enemy Estimation useful?
Is Smithing useful?
Is Identify Item useful (don't remember its precise name)?
Is Perception useful?

(all of the above from the Paladin's POV).

Thanks in advance.

I wasn't playing as paladin much, but I know that Smithing will be very useful for paladin because there are some enemies in dungeons that can destroy your equipment easily. With Smithing, you do not have to return to a town, get the equipment repaired for gold and go back to the dungeon. On the other hand, Identification is worthless, it is far better to put one skill point into Inquisitorial Magic and buy Sixth Sense. That should allow you to identify all items you will ever find. Enemy Estimation displays enemy's statistics (health, attack, defense, damage, resistances) which could be useful if you like to know these things prior to attacking your opponents. Perception allows you to find hidden stashes, buttons or doors which can be very useful from time to time.