New Players Guide
Contents
Quick shard info
Thank you for reading this new player guide. You might find some things here you already know, but probably most of these are custom to our shard. Take a look at the FAQ as that may answer many questions you may have. The Survival Guide is something else you should check out, it has quite a few very good tips. Make sure you read the rules in our codex before you get started. There's also a ton of information written on our forum, as well as important shard news and general chit chat - come join us!
Player Vs. Player (PvP)
We are a No-PK (player killing) shard, with PvP only possible in a special dungeon, near Britain Bank, in Trammel. You can also PvP with your guildmates, but doing so in, or near towns is frowned upon.
Edit: As of May 03, 2012, a new style of PvP arena Has been added to compliment the origonal PvP Dungeon. You can access this new area through the Origonal PvP Dungeon area. Thunderdome PvP For more information.
Warning: As you may not have to worry about getting your corpse looted from players in these areas, these areas are free-for-all, meaning you can be attacked by anyone at anytime.
Stat and Skill Caps
Stat cap is 300, and can be raised to 350 with scrolls from the Harrower. The maximum you can have in a single stat is 125, but that can be raised by special scrolls. There is no skill cap; you can get all of your skills to 120 or even higher - special essences can raise your fighting skills up to 130.
Public Chat
You can talk to other Players in Public Chat by typing [c -text-, also you can see who is online, check the Chat Options by simply typing [c. To send a PM, type [pm followed by the person's name, and then your message, or you can simply type [pm followed by the person's name and hit Enter to open up a PM window.
- Guild chat (if you're in a guild) is [g -text-.
Commands
Cleric spells
Type "I pray to the gods". List of custom spells. You do NOT need a book for these. Spirit Speak acts as Magery for these spells, so level up SS, only takes a few hours. ALSO: SS will heal you a bit when you use it, heals more if there's a corpse nearby. For reagents, you must tithe at an ankh, just like Chivalry.
Touch of Life: The best heal in game. Nuff' said
Sacred Boon: A HoT, heal over time spell, that heals 10-15 every few seconds. I avoided adding this one initially, because Touch of Life outranks it on cast time, mana and amount healed. I wouldn't advise using it to heal pets, but SB can be nice if you're running through Paroxy or other nasty places.
Angelic Faith: Turns you into an angel, boosts your stats. At 100 Spirit Speak you get +20 to str/dex/int. Every 5 points of SS = 1 point to each stat, at a max of +24's. Will also boost your Anatomy, Mace Fighting and Healing, following the same formula as stats.
Restoration: Best resurrection in game. Brings back the rezzee with 100% mana/hp.
Purge: Quick poison cleanse
Smite: Best spell to use against umms. Causes energy damage.
Trial by Fire: At the behest of Anarchy. This spell is like Thorns from Everquest or WoW. Attackers receive damage when they strike you, sort of like a temporary RPD buff.
Basic Commands
[claim: Will auto loot some items from a corpse, including Gold, Ointments, Fertile Dirt, Arrows and a small reward for claiming
[claimall: Will auto loot all items from a corpse.
[safebet: You can bet on how the World Saves are (every hour). Enter how many seconds you think it will be (i.e. 5.5). Its a 5k bet and the house takes 500 gold per bet. Whoever is closest takes all.
[exex: Custom system used to trade items/stackables. Check http://uoex.net/wiki/ExEx for a guide on how to use it.
[cs: You can macro any spell with [cs {spellnamenospaces}. So an example would be "[cs enemyofone]" or "[cs consecrateweapon]", without the "s. Some spells aren't in the macro list, this lets you easily macro spells, without scrolling and scrolling.
[bandself: will bandage you. [band will open the gump to bandie. The Alt+O macro for healing doesn't work. Razor works nicely tho. EasyUO users, see Blaze Budd[le]'s HealR script.
Chat Commands
[c - To open the Chat Menu
[c <insert text> - To chat in Global Chat
[chatoptions - To open the Chat Options Menu
[g - To open your Guild Menu
[g <insert text> - To chat in guild
/ <insert text> - To chat in party
[pm - To open your PM inbox
[pm <persons name> - To send a private message
[e - Emote List
[e <emote> - To bypass the Emote List
[account - To add another account to your IP address
a. One account per person, multiple allowed per IP (for multiple people in a household).
b. Having more than one account per person is forbidden.
[tourthankyou - For a young player to thank another player for touring them
[time - Use this to check the shard time
[lottery - Use this to see information about the current (and previous) drawing
[help - Lists the commands in game
[band - Use a Bandage
Phrases
"I must consider my sins" - This will show you your character's fame, karma and time your character has spent online
"I pray to the gods" - This will bring up a menu for the cleric spells (can also be cast with the [cs command), which require tithing points and skill in Spirit Speak
I resign from my guild - Saying this while guilded will remove you from it
Vendor buy - When said near a Vendor NPC, this bypasses clicking them and selecting "Buy"
Vendor sell - When said near a Vendor NPC, this bypasses clicking them and selecting "Sell"
I will take thee - When said near a Noble NPC, this bypasses clicking them and selecting "Accept Escort"
Destination - When said near a Noble NPC, they will tell you where they wish to be escorted to
Bank - When near a Banker or Bank Stone say this to open your bankbox
Balance - When near a Banker or Bank Stone this will display the available Gold in your bankbox (does not count checks or Mithril Ingots)
Withdraw <Amount> - When near a Banker or Bank Stone this will withdraw the <Amount> specified from your bank box (provided you have the funds), ranging from 1 to 5,000
Check <Amount> - When near a Banker or Bank Stone say this to place a check in the <Amount> specified into your bank (provided you have the funds), ranging from 5,000 to 1,000,000; When near a Banker this can be shortened to "Check 50k", for example
Guards - When you are under attack and in a Guarded Zone, say this and your foe will be vanquished so rapidly that it won't even leave a corpse
Cross - Say this to use the ferry to cross between Skara Brae and the Mainland
Stable - When near an Animal Trainer NPC, this will allow you to put a pet in the stables (only really useful for Bio-pets)
Claim - When near an Animal Trainer NPC, this will bring up a menu of all Stabled pets, allowing you to take them out
Recdu - Say this while standing on the pentagram in Encyclopedia Magicka (North side of Moonglow Island) to be taken to the Papua Mage shop
Recsu - Say this while standing on the pentagram in the Papua Mage shop to be taken to North Moonglow
Doracron - When said near the Serpent Pillars in Brittania, this will teleport you (and your boat) to the Lost Lands
Sueacron - When said near the Serpent Pillars in the Lost Lands, this will teleport you (and your boat) to Brittania
Pet Commands
All Guard - All pets will Guard you, attacking the nearest enemy that has attacked you, note that your pets will not engage the enemies you have attacked
<Name> Guard - <Name>d pet will Guard you
All Follow - All pets will follow the creature you target, can say "All Follow Me" to bypass the target cursor
<Name> Follow - <Name>d pet will follow the creature you target
All Come - Same as "All Follow Me"
<Name> Come - Same as "<Name> Follow Me"
All Kill - All pets will engage the creature you target (non-player unless in the PvP Dungeon) <Name> Kill - <Name>d pet will engage the creature you target (non-player unless in the PvP Dungeon)
All Stop - All pets will Stop following any previous commands and begin to wander around
<Name> Stop - <Name>d pet will Stop following any previous commands
All Stay - All pets will stay in their current spot (unless attacked)
<Name> Stay - <Name>d pet will stay in its current spot
<Name> Drop - <Name>d pet will unload its backpack onto the ground
<Name> Release - Brings up a gump allowing you to release <Name>d pet back to the wild
<Name> Transfer - Brings up a Trade Screen between you and the targeted player, allowing you to transfer the <Name>d pet to them
<Name> Hire - When said near a Hireling NPC (usually found in the Jhelom Dueling Pit) the <Name>d NPC will tell you how much gold their services require
Boat Commands
For these to work you must be standing on a boat.
Raise Anchor - Raises the anchor, required before setting off on your journey
Drop Anchor / Lower Anchor - Drops the anchor, required before you dry-dock the boat
Forward / Unfurl Sail - Move the boat forward
Stop / Furl Sail - Stop the boat from moving
Turn Left / Port - Turn the boat left
Turn Right / Starboard - Turn the boat right
Turn Around / Come About - Turn the boat around
Back / Backward / Backwards - Move the boat backwards
Right / Drift Right - Move the boat right
Left / Drift Left - Move the boat right
Forward Right / Forward Left / Back Right / Back Left - Move the boat in the specified direction
Slow (Direction) - Move the boat slowly in the specified direction
(Direction) One - Move the boat one tile in the specified direction then stops
Start - After plotting a course on a map or sea chart and handing it to the Tillerman, say this and he will move the boat along that course
Goto (Number) - After plotting a course on a map or sea chart and handing it to the Tillerman, say this and he will move the boat to the specified Nav Point number, then continue along the course
Single (Number) - Same as above, but the Tillerman will not continue the course after reaching the desired Nav Point
Nav - The Tillerman will tell you what Nav Point you are heading to
Continue - If the boat is Stopped while on a course, this will resume following it
House Commands
For these to work you must be standing in a house you own (or co-own, or are friended to, for some).
I wish to lock this down (Co-Owner+) - Say this to 'Lock Down' an item, preventing it from decaying or people from taking it
I wish to secure this (Owner) - Same as above but works better with containers, allows you to set the 'Security' (Owner, Co-Owners, Friends, Anyone) on a container
I wish to release this (Co-Owner+) - Say this to release an item that is Locked Down, only the Owner can release Secured containers
I wish to place a trash barrel (Co-Owner+) - Creates a trash barrel at your feet, which has a 3-minute timer on when inserted items are deleted
I wish to place a strongbox (Co-Owner) - Creates a strongbox at your feet, which only can be accessed by the person who's name is on it
Remove thyself (Friend+) - Ejects the target from the house
I ban thee (Friend+) - Puts the target on the house's Ban List, preventing them from entering the house until they are removed
Felucca
Our Felucca is different. It is under trammel rules, which means you cannot get killed by another player there. However we've made it pretty interesting: You cannot mark a rune there, therefore you need to travel by foot. There are some special creatures in Felucca as well, both good and evil, and we advise inexperienced players not to travel there. There are very few resurrection points.
Character Tips
A few tips on building your character
Skill balls
When starting out, keep in mind that you will have one +60 skill ball in your bank. While it may seem like a good idea to use it as soon as you begin, you may find it a wiser decision to play for a bit and get an idea of which profession you'll prefer to stay with, and how difficult it is to raise without aid. Also, keep in mind that for a small gold fee, you can raise most skills up to around 30 at the proper NPCs. You may have up to 5 characters. Your additional characters will have one skill ball a piece that can only be used by that specific character. You will also start with a Young Player Ticket, a check for roughly 10k gold, a Pet Bonding Deed, a 30% LRC helmet and 5 free skills to raise from NPCs (please note that's 5 skills total for your entire account, not for each character).
Stat distribution
Strength: In addition to the amount of weight you can carry, and the requirement for equipping armor and weapons, strength also determines your character's Hit Points. The number of HP you will have can be calculated by dividing your strength in half and adding 50. You can also equip items to raise your HP.
Dexterity: Dexterity determines the amount of stamina your character has. Stamina is important when dealing with your attack speed, how quickly you are able to perform certain actions, and how quickly you will heal. Your stamina will be equal to your dexterity, unless you have an item equipped that boosts it.
Intelligence: If you plan to use magery often, your intelligence will be very important to raise. Intelligence determines how much mana you will have to cast spells, as well as your spell damage. Raising your intelligence will boost your mana, however raising your mana will not help to raise your intelligence, which therefore does not increase the amount of spell damage you distribute. Higher level magery also requires a minimum amount of intelligence.
See Stats Guide to figure out which skills you may want to work on to raise particular stats.
Starting
Starting point
You start out at Town Center. Walk on over to that little red shield on the floor, it's a teleporter! Take that to Britain and check out the 3 stones and Ankh (a cross with a circular head) directly West from the teleporter.
- Red Stone - you can resurrect your dead Pet (only bonded pets can be resurrected, and you must have their ghost with you).
- Blue Stone - "pet summoning stone". Occasionally you may be forced to leave your pet behind to flee monsters, or you recalled and they did not go with you. This stone will retrieve your pet, or its ghost if it died, for a price, which will be taken automatically from your bank. (60k gold)
- Grey Stone - Corpse retrieval stone. It will give you your last corpse back (but only your last one), this service also comes at a price! (20k gold) **If you die multiple times without getting your corpse back, you will have to find the first corpse that has all of your items still on it. So if you know you have no chance of surviving the trip back, retrieve your corpse the first time you die. To quickly gather your items and equipment from your corpse, double-click it. As a side note, it's a great idea to train your hiding and stealth skills early on, this way if you die you can stealth back to your body worry-free!
- Ankh - You can resurrect yourself and tithe gold for Chivalry and Cleric spells. You can also lock/unlock your karma. When your karma is locked, you can no longer gain positive karma, but you can still lose karma.
Young Player status
While you have Young status, monsters will not attack you unless you attack them first or wander into a dungeon. Because of this, you may wish to explore the shard to discover where dangerous areas are, so that you may either avoid them until you are stronger, or try your luck with one monster while others ignore you. Since you will start out with a mount, you will be able to move quickly around the shard. Just remember, if you have a pet commanded to guard you, it may choose to attack creatures and be killed. If at any time you get lost, you will be able to teleport immediately to Haven as long as you have Young status. To do this, open your Paperdoll and click the Help button. Click the arrow next to "Young Player Haven Transport" at the top to be teleported.
The Excelsior Town Center
At the town center (also referred to as "TC") you can find a large number of player vendors.
There's a blue and yellow gate near the Excelsior Halls world teleporter, which leads to the Newbie Donation room. There are five boxes in this room with different sets of items in each. Please read the books on the desk for more information. Remember to only take what you need for the sake of other new players!
Trinsic
The vendor stones can be found here, right in front of the bank by the teleporter.
- Reagent Vending Machine (red stone) sells bulk reagents for magery, necromancy and druid spells.
- Vendor Stone (golden) sells the more expensive/custom items you can purchase with gold. It also sells the Trash-4-tokens bag, and the Token ledger should you misplace or loose your originals.
- Token-Stone (turquoise) sells rewards which you can buy with tokens. Tokens are gathered by killing monsters, and turning in Bulk Order Deeds. You can also get them by trashing items using your Trash-4-Tokens Bag. Keep your token ledger in your top-level backpack, or in a blessed item bag (which is purchasable with tokens from this stone) at all times, so you can receive tokens.
- Excelsior Dollar Reward Gate (white gate near other stones) This gate leads to the 'Excelsior Dollar Reward Stone's', which sell special items that you can purchase with ED's (Excelsior Dollars).
- UO Excelsior Websites (blue stones, found in multiple locations) opens a list of UOEx's website, Wiki, Forum, etc.
- The Vote stone (yellow and gold table ,with twin stones) is used to vote for this shard on the UO Gateway, thus keeping it as it should be recognized as. As one of the better if not best Free UO Shards. Voting also keeps the EX shard in the top 5-10, and brings us newer players to join in and maintain the fun. So keep voting and if we are lucky, more friends will join us here.
Training Room
From the World Teleporter, click Custom -> Training Room
This is our training room, with trainers inside, which you can gain your fighting skills from. The training room is a special area, where you cannot be damaged. However, your equipment will still wear out normally with continued use, therefore you are advised not to wear anything that can take durability damage, or use weapons you plan to fight with later; unless you are able to obtain repair deeds.
You can train your skills up to 75 skill points here, and are allowed to train while AFK. Your Pets can also train here, but may not be left unattended. Leaving pets unattended can result in a simple warning or the loss of said pet permanently. Pets may become wild and attack other players (while they can't hurt anyone in the training room, it is still considered a nuisance), this is the reason they are not allowed to be trained unattended, so follow the rules, its just that simple.
There's also a Yellow Gate that leads you to our Newbie Dungeon. The monsters aren't the easiest in existence, but they won't attack you. You can kill them and they won't attack back. They will, however, attack your pets.
Echees
These squirrel-like creatures don't take any pet slots, but you can only have one of them - if you have two they will kill each other instantly. If it is alive and the owner is alive, it heals the owner (echees cannot resurrect players), depending on how experienced the owner is (based on Points). Points = str*5 + dex*5 + int*5 + total skills*10 . It will heal only if you have under 3000 skill points, and the less points you have, the more it will heal and even restore your mana. The restoration will not happen instantly, but will cause your health to increase quicker. Echees are non-breedable, and already come as lvl 40 with a set of ability points you can distribute.
Tokens and Excelsior Dollars
Tokens: They look like turquoise gold coins, a token check looks like a turquoise check. You get tokens by killing monsters - the harder the monster, the more tokens it will give. To receive tokens from kills, your token ledger MUST BE in your backpack. You can also get tokens by trashing items. But do not put tokens, token checks, or your token ledger in your TrashForTokens backpack. You cannot get more tokens by trashing tokens. You can spend your tokens on special items and deeds that can be purchased at the Token Stone in Trinsic.
Excelsior Dollars (ED's): These look like white scrolls. If you hover your mouse over them, it should display " : Genuine : ". You can primarily get them with a donation, however you can also get them in events and by buying them from fellow players. You can use them for donation rewards, and there are also certain player services that require an amount of ED.
Advice
1. Remember the names of the people you talk to about important things. For example, staff members or other players that are causing problems.
2. Remember the exact date/time Type [time to get the exact server time. This way we can find what was going on very easily.
3. Take screenshots There are things that cannot be logged or described with words... if you feel like taking a screenshot, do it. It might also be good laughing material. :) To take a screenshot, hit Prt Scrn (Print Screen) on your keyboard. Then paste it into any image editing program, like Paint.
4. If you die and believe you were PK'd, contact a staff member On 18th May 2006 we implemented a system that logs certain ways of player killing, that can be done even in Trammel rules. Just don't get yourself killed again until a staff member investigates and takes notes on the matter.
5. Insure your items, bond your pets You never know when you might get disconnected in game, or when the server might be disconnected... Many unpleasant things can happen st random times, so it is advised that you insure your valuable items and bond pets that are precious to you. Staff will try to restore as much as they can if there is a server problem, but are not held responsible for items you lose on your own. DO note: Events can be lag filled, and there may be several corpses stacked on top of yours at any time during a battle. The corpse stone can only do so much, and multiple deaths during an event can lead to lose of uninsured items.
