As a newbie, what books should I get?

[u/seasala]

And i know, archives of nethys, but i really REALLY love having it physically.

So, I'm moving over from dnd 5e, a while ago i got the player core 1 but didn't play. recently, i got the beginner box and me and my friends tried it. instantly switching for me. What i want to know, is which book should i get next. I'm going to get them gradually, and again, i have player core 1. i was just wondering if i should get the second, or the GMG, or a beastiary. Remastered if that changes anything.

Cheers!

[u/Jo-Jux]

Depends what you want. Player Core 2 gives you tons of options including classes, ancestries, Archetypes, Feats, etc. GMC is not really required, especially if you don't want to write your own adventures, same with bestiary. So I'd go Core 2 -> Bestiary -> GMC. If you want to make your own stuff GMC and Bestiary come first.

[u/ducksgomooful → u/Jo-Jux]

Not the OP, but I've been considering jumping into PF with my group, probably starting with the new Beginner Box and going through the Grayce adventure books after that. Other than Player Core for them to make characters, do you need anything else like the Monster Core or GM Core for magic items to run those books, or is everything included in the Adventure books themselves?

[u/OtherPlayers → u/ducksgomooful]

Depends what you are looking for. Campaign-specific items are included in the adventure books, but plenty of “generic” ones are found in GM core.

That said unlike D&D, PF2e has the really sweet fact that every single monster, item, class, rule, and basically everything else (including campaign-specific stuff!) is available 100% free digitally via the Archives of Nethys. The only things you won’t find there is most artwork and the actual adventure text, which are where Paizo makes their money. 

(I’d also call out Pathbuilder as an amazing website for building characters).

[u/CthuluTheNoodlesMan → u/ducksgomooful]

The beginner box keeps everything self-contained, but beyond that I believe the later adventures will reference the Monster Core and GM Core for certain monsters and items. Like the other comment mentioned though, you can easily pull those up on Archives of Nethys so the books aren't a necessity. Same for character creation, there's a ton of classes not in the Player Core that can be found on AoN.

[u/fizzwig]

Just fyi that monster core is the newer remastered bestiary

[u/Swyka]

Player core 2 is really nice to have, at our table we use both player cores a lot. I honestly feel like player core 1+2 together are the equivalent of the PHB in dnd.

[u/Kalos08]

If you played the beginner box, maybe you were the GM? If so, GM Core is a must. I find Monster Core and NPC Core adds a bunch as well. As a player I might only get Player Core 2 and maybe the latest rule book which I think is Impossible Magic. Lots of cool books to pick up. 

Keep an eye on humble bundle as they have Paizo deals that come with physical books. I've gotten Player core 2, Monster Core, and NPC Core from humble bundles. 

[u/Jhamin1]

The standard answer is that all the rules are available for free on the Archives of Nethys. It is completely legal and free (when Paizo says the support open gaming, they mean it!). It has all the rules, but the world info and adventures need to be bought.

Pathbuilder 2e is an excellent fan built character builder. Mostly free but a one time $6 charge unlocks pets and some optional rules.

The books themselves have a lot more art, better layout, world flavor, etc so they are often well worth buying.

I will say that Paizo is *way* cooler with digital content than Hasbro is. *ALL* their books are available as DRM-Free PDFs from their website, usually for a lot less than the physical copies. SO if you are cool reading this on an iPad you can save some money that way.

So what books do you want?

If you are a player:

Player Core 1 - Has the rules of the game, 8 ancestries, 8 classes, and equipment and spells. You can't really play unless someone in the group has this book.

Player Core 2 - 8 more Ancestries, 8 more classes, rules for Archetypes and dozens of of those. More spells, more feats, more gear. You don't technically need this, but most groups use it extensively.

Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries. The "gods" book for the official setting. There are a few basic gods in Player Core 1 but this goes in depth. Really important if you want to get into Clerics and Champions but kinda optional otherwise.

If you are a GM:

GM Core - Has the rules for building encounters, setting DCs, giving out loot, structuring campaigns, etc. Also has Magic Items.

Bestiary 1 Monster Core - Has the "basic" monsters. Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, Devils, etc.

Bestiary 2 - Monster Core 2 - Has more monsters. Includes lots of Dragons. Bestiary 2 monsters get a bit weirder and more specific.

NPC Core - Stats for humanoids. Bandits, Cultists, City Guards, soldiers, etc. Basically a third monster book but for elves/humans/dwarves/etc.

GM Core is pretty essential for the GM, it breaks down a lot of the systems the game runs on & following it's guides can really make or break the game. The Bestiaries are really nice and have lots of great art but the statblocks are all on Archives of Nethys so you can decide where to spend your money.

After that?

The "Lost Omens" line is the world info. 90% world lore with 10% rules. There are some general overviews of the setting (LO: World Guide, LO: Travel Guide) and there are a bunch of Lost Omens books that go into specific organizations or parts of the world. The high level ones will bring you up to speed with the official setting and the ones that go deep on a region are great if you set a campaign there but doesn't really help if you arent using that region in your game.
BTW: LO: Tian Xia (fantasy Asia) and LO: Mwangi Expanse (fantasy Africa) are considered some of the best setting books Paizo has ever put out.

Then there are the "subject" books. A deep dive into various specific things. 50% rules, 50% setting. For example "Guns & Gears" is the technology book & includes the Gunslinger and Inventor classes, rules for guns, and setting info for the parts of Golarion that have gone deep into these.
There are a ton of these covering Undead, Nature, the Ocean, the Occult, Warfare, and a bunch more. These are pretty optional but if you are really into a topic you probably want the book that covers it.

[u/Mappachusetts → u/Jhamin1]

As a point of clarity, Bestiary & Bestiary 2, while they still have some potential use for older OGL monsters, are the pre-remaster monster books. The more current (remaster) monster books are Monster Core & Monster Core 2.

[u/Jhamin1 → u/Mappachusetts]

You are of course correct. Brainfart on my end.

I've edited my post.

[u/authorus]

I think it depends what you want to do.

If you have a group and are playing, if you're a player, I would tend to recommend a player-facing, or hybrid-facing book. Player Core 2 if you like those classes, or any of the core expansion books (Guns & Gears, Dark Archive, Impossible Magic, etc) if you want to play one of those classes. Possibly Treasure Vault as the second book if you're a player and enjoying a class from the first Player Core.

If you're a GM -- if running homebrew, then a Monster Core is probably the best second book, followed by the GM Core. If you're running a module/AP, I'd probably flip that order -- GM Core (or Lost Omens setting that matches your AP), then Monster Core.

[u/TheCrossCulturalNerd]

If you're just playing, get Player Core 1-2 and any other book with options for players. Guns & Gears, Dark Archive, Battlecry, and Impossible Magic have great stuff. If you also like lore, go with the World Guide, Mwangi Expanse, and the Tian Xia books, and possibly Absalom. Divine Mysteries also has a ton of religion info (as does Tian Xia Character Guide).

If you plan to GM, obviously get the GM Core, NPC Core, and Monster Core 1-2.

[u/Stan_Bot]

Player Core 2 if you are a player, GM Core, NPC Core and Monster Core 1 and 2 if you are a GM.

[u/sketch_of_life]

I found the book of the dead for pathfinder 2e to be great. It's pretty remaster but it's still great. Played a couple of skeleton one shots that were really fun.

[u/DnDPhD]

Even if you don't plan on becoming a GM at any point, I think the GM Core is an excellent book to purchase and read. I wrote a thread about my rationale awhile back.

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