new-player-guide
Latest
Shroud of the Avatar enters Steam early access today
There's a certain feeling that you get when you walk around in a game with a new hat, as if you're making a statement: "Hello, world, I have a new hat." And you can get a new hat by logging into Shroud of the Avatar and doing the Grand Tour quests added in the game's most recent release. The new pilgrim hat will be available only during Release 12's testing schedule, so you'll want to get the hat soon if you want that new hat. Release 12 does offer more than just a new hat, though; the update offers a comprehensive new user experience, 15 new skills, 50 new weapon and armor recipes, 40 new songs, new maps, guilds, and other improvements. Studio boss Richard Garriott has also weighed in on the state of the game and updates for the solo play version of the game. Check out the full update on the official site for more details and community news. SOTA officially enters early access on Steam today.
EVE Evolved: Top five tips for new EVE players
I often hear people say that EVE Online is a lot more fun to read about than actually play, and I've even caught myself saying it jokingly to friends and writing it in articles. But the truth is that amazing stories like the recent world record-breaking Bloodbath of B-R5RB are a hell of a lot better when you're a part of the action or have the first-hand experience to put the event into a wider context. All of EVE was impacted by that battle, with its effects rippling through the in-game markets and reshaping the political landscape of New Eden. But to read about it, you'd think the carnage in B-R5RB ended when $310,000 US worth of titans went up in smoke. EVE has seen a huge influx of fresh faces since that colossal battle at the end of January, with thousands of new characters being created and the Rookie Help channel bursting at the seams. Whether you've always been a closet fan of EVE who has finally been convinced to take the plunge or you just want to join the ranks of the warring alliances you've read so much about, starting out can be a daunting experience. The sheer amount of information there is out there to absorb and sort through is overwhelming, and not all of it is up to date. CCP released a great new player guide recently to help newcomers assimilate, but I've still received several emails asking for advice on getting started. In this week's EVE Evolved, I delve into the new-player experience with a 14-day free trial and reveal my top tips for starting out on the road to creating your own sandbox story.
Blizzard's New Player Guide covers human starting zones
If you know a someone who's eager to get started with WoW, first you ought to hit them up with a Recruit A Friend invitation -- but your next step should be to send them to Blizzard's New Player Guide. The latest installment walks newbies through the human starting zone, and though it may seem awfully basic to you and me, for a brand new player this can be just the sort of information necessary to get their gaming experience off to a good start. Especially handy are the tips scattered throughout, explaining simple -- but important -- concepts like tapping monsters, how to see your equipment, and why you should travel on roads. It even warns players about murlocs, which, having lived (and died) through numerous murloc invasions ourselves, we find a bit unfair... though we suspect newer players probably appreciate the warning. The guide currently covers the human starting zone, broken into levels 1-5 and levels 5-10 -- just enough to launch players into the big, wide world of Azeroth, but with the tips to help newbies land on their feet.
EVE Online assembles a new guide for new pilots
Getting started in EVE Online can be a daunting task. Most of what people know about the game comes from secondhand sources -- there's a lot of money being thrown around, there's an atmosphere that makes a prison shower seem welcoming, there are plenty of people who will blow up your ship because it's there and they can. But what do you do? How do you start? Hopefully, your questions can be answered via the new FAQ for new pilots. The FAQ clocks in at around 38 pages and covers everything from death and respawning via clones to what you can actually do in the game for content. For veteran EVE players the information will probably seem like old hat, but for novices or those who are just curious it can provide plenty of insight. So if you want to learn more about the game, go ahead and take a gander at the full new player guide.
Scattered Shots: Getting started with the hunter class
Every Thursday, WoW Insider brings you Scattered Shots for beast mastery, marksmanship and survival hunters. This week, your host Adam Koebel, aka Bendak will be discussing how to get started with the hunter class. Before we get into this week's column, I wanted to give a shout out to the Hunting Party Podcast. All good things must come to an end, and this Saturday, January 18 at 2 p.m. EST will be episode 200, aka the final episode. Retired hosts will be returning as well as some special guests. It should be a fine send off to this awesome hunter-specific podcast. If you miss the live show you will find it on their front page or Youtube. Now, back to your regularly scheduled huntering. So you've finally decided to roll a hunter. Congratulations on coming to your senses and choosing the best class in WoW. Whether you are a veteran of one of the other 10 hunter-support classes, or a brand new WoW player, there are probably important questions burning in your head like which color of sporebat should you tame? Such questions will all be answered in due time, but first you should meditate on whether or not this is truly the class for you. I think you'll have a hard time fully enjoying your hunter if the idea of hunting down and managing pets doesn't get you excited. Some players are just looking for that classic archer archetype and unfortunately WoW does not have that. There are other pet classes, but none compare to hunters. We get to choose from literally hundreds of different pets in the world (with many more added each expansion). We name them, fight with them, choose their specialization, and can collect up to 55 of them on a single hunter. We're the only class which can bring almost any buff or debuff to our groups. Oh, and we can play dead to avoid repair bills.
Welcome to World of Warcraft blog series debuts
There are a variety of guides and resources available to new WoW players out there, including the official new player help forums and our own WoW Rookie column, but Blizzard's just added a new one to the mix. "Welcome to World of Warcraft" is a blog series that provides exactly what it says: a welcome for new players, with detailed information on how to get the hang of the game. The title of the first post is "Basic Movement and Combat". As you might imagine, it instructs players on how to use the keyboard and mouse to get around in the game, how to use and read the map, and the basics of dealing with hostile mobs, including attacking, healing, rezzing, and finding your corpse. It's been several years since I personally have needed resources like this, and reading them over always brings a rueful smile to my face as I recall the many rookie blunders I made. Falling off of Teldrassil is, I believe, a common one for those of us who started with night elves. I'm not ashamed! Considering the age of World of Warcraft, it's sometimes easy to forget that there are still new players starting who need all this information. I'm glad Blizzard is keeping these folks in mind, and for all the new people out there, I hope your introduction to WoW is a good one and I look forward to seeing you in the game!
EVE Evolved: Mining 101 -- The basics
Although it's not everyone's cup of tea, mining is one of EVE Online's oldest and most easily accessible professions. Sitting down to clear out a few asteroid belts or put a dent in a massive ice asteroid can be a very relaxing way to make ISK. Mining is a very low-activity process that can be done at the same time as other tasks, much in the same way that hauling items for trade or running courier missions can be done in the background. In all the time that the EVE Evolved column has been running, it struck me that I had never really written a guide for mining. Mining can be a good way to make some extra ISK during a lull in corp activity or while you're busy doing other things. Busy EVE players will often set themselves up to mine solo while reading a good book or watching TV. On the other end of the scale, corporations and alliances will sometimes run large co-operative mining operations for war funds or personal profit. Mining as a group is usually a more efficient use of the time of each player in the group and can make a great bonding experience for a corporation. In this week's EVE Evolved, I give a run-down of the basics of mining for new players. I look at the entry-level ship requirements for efficient mining and popular strategies for both solo and group mining.
Getting around in Final Fantasy XIV
In addition to the blogging and character database functionality of the Final Fantasy XIV Lodestone site, Square-Enix has been using the player site to post a series of guides for players of all skill levels, with more advanced questions on Friday and more new-player-friendly ones on Mondays. This time around, the topic of discussion is something central to every MMO -- the question of how to get from place to place. While players do not yet have access to the more traditional series methods of transit (airships and chocobos), there are still transport methods available to players, and a lot of ground to cover at that. The guide covers the basics of aetheryte and aetherial gates, with the former linked to the latter and allowing fast transit through a given area. It also runs players through the procedure of visiting all three capital cities -- a useful method to gain access to more levequests and a greater variety of guild benefits. Players who know their way around seamlessly might not need to know how to get to Ul'dah, but anyone new to the game can benefit from the latest dispatch. And even veteran players might be enticed by the maps of Final Fantasy XIV's less-traveled regions, like the forbidding Mor Dhona.
Everything you wanted to know about LotRO but were too busy fending off an invasion of Uruk-hai to find out
It can be scary and intimidating to enter an MMO for the first time, especially if that game's been out for a number of years. So many possibilities, so many unknown factors, so much to learn -- we wouldn't blame you if liquid started pouring from your ocular sockets. With so many new players giving Lord of the Rings Online a test drive these past few weeks, it stands to reason that there are a few who feel utterly, completely lost. Who will ever save us from this lack of knowledge? Look! Up in the sky! It's a new LotRO dev diary! In the eloquently titled "New Player Tips and Hints," Turbine provides four pages of need-to-know info about how to survive and succeed in Middle-earth. While some of the tips are common knowledge to any MMO player, there's still enough here to recommend to an experienced MMO vet who might be new to LotRO. The article covers how to gather information, basic tips and hints, integrated system tips and combat tips. You can read the whole shebang over at LotRO's site.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Back to basics
With all the talk of Guild Wars 2 these days, many players are beginning to pay attention to Guild Wars, something they've not done before. And there's good reason to jump into Guild Wars right now. It serves as the backstory to Guild Wars 2; the entire Guild Wars trilogy plus the Eye of the North expansion can be had for a song these days; and there's no subscription fee. Players who are a little burned out on their previous games of choice are thinking that maybe there's something to this game after all, and I've been getting more than a few emails with general questions about starting this five-year-old game. So while we've been focusing pretty heavily on Guild Wars 2 in Flameseeker Chronicles lately, I decided to take this week to discuss why it's never too late to start Guild Wars while you wait for GW2 to arrive.
Starting out in Vana'diel: The Fields of Valor
Hello there Adventurers! I hope everything is going well for you in Final Fantasy XI since we last spoke. Where we last left off, we were speaking with the initial NPC trainer and getting through the opening "tutorial."However, as reader Dana noticed, "They want me to go out and grind dagger skill... so... more endless grinding." Well, you're right and wrong, Dana! You're right, they do want you to go out and level up your dagger skill and that can be a bit boring. But the endless grinding has been lessened by the advent of a new system -- one that could easily be missed by long-term players. Today's article will be focusing on that brand new system, the Fields of Valor.What makes this system so good? How does it help you in the lower levels? How do I use it? These answers and more are a short distance below, across the divide manned by the pretty blue "continue reading" link.
WoW Rookie: Your first steps in the World of Warcraft
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic. Hi there, new player -- welcome to WoW and the WoW Insider family! WoW Rookie helps you get off to a great start with all sorts of crunchy bits and nuggets of wisdom. Here's our spin on all the nuts-and-boltsy tips you won't find in the box or in the game.One note: If you've already begun your journey through Azeroth and run across something in game or in our resources below that makes you rethink your approach, don't be afraid to make a fresh start. Blizzard makes it easy for today's new players to zip through the early levels. It's much better to make adjustments early on, before you've invested significant time and effort in your character.
Lord of the Rings Online new player guide wrapup
We've created a nice range of guides for Lord of the Rings Online so far, from the very basics to some rather intermediate. While these guides will continue to get more advanced, we wanted to take this opportunity to catch readers up on where we stand so far. We hope this wrapup will serve as an effective introduction to the game and gateway to our future advanced articles. Choosing your race in Middle-earth: Man and ElfIn many ways, picking a race for yourself in an MMO is very much a personal choice. However it can help to have some tips and an overall viewpoint on the subject. This guide is here for old players or new players that are unsure of the the finer details of each race in Lord of the Rings Online. The goal isn't to answer the question of which race is best, but rather to give a few tips and some advice on the strong points of the races in Middle-earth. Finding the perfect name for your HobbitLooking for a name for your little halfling? Unwilling to settle for "Frodow" "Samwizze" or "Bihlbo"? Have you already named your character one of these but are looking to change it to something decent and lore-abiding? This guide will help you to find the perfect name for your hobbit and avoid the wrath incurred when you turn on your role-playing flag with the name "Kneestabberxx".Also see:Finding the perfect name for your Man (Or Woman)Finding the perfect name for your DwarfFinding the perfect name for your Elf LotRO guide to Roheryn: Getting the most from the preview serverWe realize that sometimes downloading what is essentially an entirely new game for the sake of previewing content may not be your cup of tea, so we've put together this extensive visual guide to let you know just how useful this preview server can be. For example, did you know that you can instantly level to 20, 30, 40 or 50 quiet easily? A guide to the new rare crafting trophiesIn many MMOGs, there appears to be a plague of seemingly useless items you find along your travels. These usually include various animal parts in some disgustingly descriptive state. Many of these items are simply merchant fodder, but there are a fair majority of them which are used in crafting. The frustrating part is discovering which ones are worth the 25 copper the merchant gives you, and which ones are worth 5 gold to another player at the auction house. PvP guide: The basics of Monster PlayIn the realm of Tolkien's Middle-earth, the ideals of general PvP get a bit complicated. For instance, you would never see bands of Hobbits battling with Elves, or vice versa. It's just not something Tolkien ever envisioned. This is a sticky situation for the developers of an MMO based on Tolkien lore, as PvP is a staple in the massively multiplayer genre. The solution, of course, is to allow players to play as the evil creatures that inhabit these lands.
Guild Wars new player guide wrapup
We've created a nice range of Guild Wars guides so far, from the very basics to some rather intermediate. While these guides will continue to get more advanced, we wanted to take this opportunity to catch readers up on where we stand so far. We hope this wrap-up will serve as an effective introduction to the game and gateway to our future advanced guides. It's never too late to start playing Guild WarsHaven't had a chance to play Guild Wars yet? You're thinking maybe three years after launch is a bit late? Nah, you're just in time! Guild Wars has so many enticements for people who are just getting into this new-fangled MMO scene, but also for people looking for a change from their regular game. We're here now to explain a bit about ArenaNet's masterpiece, targeted at someone who has only heard of Guild Wars, but never actually played it. A PvEer's guide to PvP in Guild WarsSo you think you want to get into Guild Wars PvP. Maybe you've taken a look at Observer Mode and thought, "Hey, I can do that!". After almost three years of playing against mobs and spawns with predictable patrol patterns, you're looking for something new to spice up your favorite game. A guide to Pre-SearingThe name "Pre-Searing" comes from the fact that everything in this tutorial area of GW:Prophecies occurs before the Searing, when the evil Charr burned the lands of Ascalon to the ground. Because of the fact that it precedes the rest of the storyline by two years, the area cannot be accessed again once you leave. A guide to HeroesGuild Wars has been an innovator in so many different aspects of the MMO genre, but none more than the introduction of ally NPCs to fill out a party and make soloing easier. It started out simple enough, but it eventually evolved into something much more advanced (and exciting) with Heroes. A guide to the Hall of MonumentsWho doesn't love to brag about their accomplishments and show off their stuff? Luckily for Guild Wars players, the addition of the Hall of Monuments with last year's Eye of the North expansion allows a new way to show off what you've achieved in game and the very best high-end items you've obtained. However, the Hall of Monuments is so much more. It's also a way to transfer these items into the future for all of your descendants in Guild Wars 2 to enjoy.
