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Godot Node Essentials (Godot 3 LTS)

$79.95
We’re all here to make games, and Godot is an excellent engine for that.

It’s packed with so many time-saving features to code game mechanics that feel great.

However, to enjoy them, you need to learn and master its many nodes.

Nodes are central to Godot, but there is an overwhelming amount of them, with literally thousands of functions, many of which you won’t need.
Which are the most important nodes? How do I use them in practice to create game mechanics that feel great?

To answer these questions, you have to spend weeks enduring dozens of hours of tutorials.

Even then, you only get to scratch the surface and you're left on your own.

You may slowly collect gold nuggets here and there, but it’ll take you years to get all the power of Godot's node system.

Or you could use Godot node essentials and save dozens of hours.

A carefully crafted cookbook

Node Essentials is a deep cookbook you can come back to again and again as you build your games.

Unlike your good old code reference, it focuses entirely on real game mechanics and how to use the nodes in practice.

You’ll learn things like using the AnimationPlayer node to sequence a monster's attack patterns, saving you many lines of code.

Or how to make objects interact, like having a character push rocks with KinematicBody2D and RigidBody2D.
Or how to use an Area2D node to attract collectibles to the player.
And so much more.

You’ll also find all the most common uses, which you’ll use in almost every project:
  • How to create hit and hurt boxes with areas.
  • Creating smooth top-down movement with kinematic bodies and steering.
  • Using a procedural noise generator for a beautiful camera shake.
  • Giving your AIs a line of sight with raycasts.

2D, UI, 3D, Godot Node Essentials covers everything.

The cookbook comes with over 100 demos to play straight in Godot with a convenient in-game navigation.

Load years of experience from the most dedicated Godot tutors

Node essentials is a fast-track created by experienced Godot developers to make the most of Godot’s nodes.

It is dense with valuable practical applications, shortcuts to learning Godot, and kernels of truth to create your games.

The perfect resource for developers

We designed node essentials to be as convenient as possible for you, as a Godot developer:

  • Text-based guides for fast search and easy code copy-paste.
  • All guides follow the same optimized format: scan them quickly and jump straight to what you're most interested in.
  • Complete Godot demos with fast navigation to see the examples in action.
  • The code is MIT-licensed so you can reuse it in all your projects, even commercial ones.
We put hundreds of hours into it so you don't have to.

Node Essentials grows with you

We all know how quickly software evolves, and Godot is no exception.

Nodes, which are Godot's building blocks, have and will continue to evolve with the engine.

With over 100 nodes to cover, Node Essentials has the potential to teach you more than any other course.

We'll keep it up to date and cover a ton of material over time.

All this makes buying into Node Essentials early an excellent way of staying in the game.

Pre-requisites

While Node Essentials is a learning resource that'll grow with you, it is  not a resource for absolute beginners.

As a cookbook, it requires a good understanding of GDScript, Godot's programming language.

We recommend it to developers or people who already have some experience with Godot.

If you're new to Godot or development, you can get started with our free 5-hour beginner Godot course.

Get started with the free edition

You shouldn't have to buy without being sure this is the right resource for you.

That's why we are giving you 3 complete free guides and Godot demos to get you started at no cost.

Just enter your email and you’ll get one every day for three days, straight in your inbox.

Level up with Godot node essentials for Godot 3

If you’re ready to take your Godot skills to the next level, you will get dozens more guides and examples in the full product.

It also comes with exclusive bonuses:

  • A detailed cheatsheet to find the nodes you need, and which one you should start with.
  • Ask your questions on any node conveniently, straight from this website
  • Complete navigation system for the Godot demos to jump to the one you want anytime.
  • Lifetime free updates. All new node guides come at no extra cost.
  • Download everything, DRM-free!

Master the nodes, effortlessly

Take a shortcut to mastering Godot's nodes.

60 days refund warranty

If you don’t like the course or you didn’t learn anything, send us a message within 60 days after your purchase to get an instant refund!

Just send us a message with your Mavenseed account's email and the product you'd like to refund.

Your questions

Below, you'll find answers to the most common questions on Node Essentials.

How long can I access the course?

You get lifetime access to the course and its DRM-free downloadable lessons and Godot demos.

Also, once you bought it, you’ll get every update at no extra cost. Even if we decide to increase the price in the future.

Will you cover every node?

We will probably not cover every single node available in Godot, but we're working towards covering the dozens of most useful node for you.

Rather than covering every node you won’t use superficially, we focus on giving you depth on the nodes that you need.

Godot ships with over 100 node types, most of which you will never need.

That’s more than you’ll find anywhere else, and in much more detail!

Does my purchase come with a free upgrade to the upcoming Godot 4 remake of this course?

If you purchased this product before Nov. 30, 2023, yes, your purchase comes with a free upgrade to this course's upcoming Godot 4 remake. We will migrate your account at the end of 2023 to our new website, https://school.gdquest.com/, and automatically unlock the new course there. You do not have to do anything.

If you purchased on Nov. 30, 2023 or later, your purchase only includes the Godot 3 course. If you'd like to pre-order one of our Godot 4 courses instead, head to our new website: https://school.gdquest.com/

How will I access the course?

You will get access to the course on this learning platform. To access it, you need an account with an email address and a password, which you can create at checkout.

You can also download the course to enjoy it on any device. Once you bought it, Godot Node Essentials comes with DRM-free downloadable files, available under every guide.

Will this course teach me the basics of Godot and programming?

No, node essentials requires some Godot and programming skills.

I invite you to check the free sample guides to see exactly what you’ll get if you haven’t already.

To get started with Godot, you can start with our free 5-hour course: Getting started with Godot in 2021.

What if I have more questions about a node?

We’re here to answer all your questions on the node guides.

This website has a slick question and answer system built-in: at the bottom of every guide, you can directly post your questions.

When we answer you, you get a notification via email.

You will also see every existing question from fellow students, with our answers, so everyone benefits!

Will you make a C# edition of node essentials?

For now, we don’t have plans to make a C# version of node essentials.

We will focus on the GDScript programming language because it is simpler, tightly integrated in Godot, and the most widely used in the Godot community.

Why should I pay that price?

With months of research and experimentation, you may slowly figure out the hidden features and tricks we cover here.

It took us years.

Aren’t months or years of your time worth this much?

A single node essentials trick can save you hours of headaches.

And if you’re not learning anything, you have an instant, no questions asked refund warranty.

Note we offer discounts for all Latin and Central America, Africa, the Great Middle East, Eastern Europe, and a fair part of Asia.

To learn more, click here.

Course Curriculum
5 Reviews
  • N
    Natey214 ·

    Extremely useful references to help expand on the documentation. They act as a simple, more intuitive, guide for those unused to breaking apart stale text blocks. 

  • I
    Italianes ·

    Good nodes, but not all understand how to mix it with your project !

    You have errors in lesson navigation, can you fix it? 

  • a
    alandove ·

    This is an amazing resource. I was hesitant to spend the money for information that seemed redundant with the built-in Godot code reference, but based on the description and reviews, and with the reassurance of a refund if it wasn't worth it, I went ahead and bought it. If you're in the same situation, all I can say is "go for it."

    The free Godot documentation is quite good, but if you've spent any time reading it, you realize its comprehensiveness is a drawback for newcomers. Yes, all of the nodes are documented in there, but which nodes do you actually need for a particular game mechanic? In many cases, there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing; why choose one or another? This course - which is really more like a reference tool - answers those questions and then some.

    In addition to text guides with deep dives on the most useful nodes, explaining how and when to use them, there's the amazing demo project that shows these things in actual game environments. Because all of the code is MIT licensed, I anticipate cannibalizing those scripts for my own games well into the future.


  • n
    nodeg ·

    This is the a great resource regardless of skill level.  Not only does it have a great program for visualizing all the node effects discussed, it also has great written tutorials on their implementations. I've been using Godot for awhile now, and I was still surprised by some of the node use cases presented on this course. As usual, the code is clean and formatted with a clear standard that complies with recommended Godot standard practices.

    Customer service on these courses is top-notch, and while I've never asked for help on this course specifically on the other courses I have purchased I don't think I've waited more than 24h for a quality response from GDQuest staff. Everything is updated frequently as needed, and I believe the intent is to update this and many other courses for Godot 4.0 when it comes out.  

    • author Nathan Lovato() ·

      I confirm we will do a free update to this cookbook when Godot 4 comes out.

      Thank you very much for the positive review and feedback. I'm glad you're finding value in node essentials!

  • b
    Tom Boyles(bombadilio) ·

    What an awesome way to create a reference tool. From the start, the UI is amazing and easy to navigate and then, with each node, there a several examples of how the node works and what you can do. Then, top that off with the code right in Godot to allow you to reference the exact code and tweak it as needed for your own game.

    Reading reference manuals, good tutorials and books is great and still necessary, but the GDQuest Node Essentials brings it all together in an absolute perfect way.

    You're doing yourself a disservice not purchasing this. I'm thrilled that I made the purchase.

    Buy it now! 

    • author Nathan Lovato() ·

      Thank you very much Tom, glad to hear you like the early access! We'll keep improving node essentials on our way to v1.