Things I Wish I had Known Earlier

Some of the advice below are geared specifically for the clerical crowd.

    Other Tidbits

    Don't even Think of Dropping Valued Items on the Ground
    As my friend, Delgareth, said: Five things can happen when you drop something on the ground, and four of them are bad. Actually, there are six things, and five of them are bad. :)

    The five bad things would be:

    • Theft - People can walk in and grab your stuff. Guarding is far from fool-proof. Someone can (and have) walk in, pick up your "guarded" item and walk off.
    • Getting punted/dropped or Crashing - ISPs and game servers are hardly 100% stable. I don't think I need to explain what happens if your item is left unguarded while your character is gone from the game. If the game crashes...say bye bye to your stuff. Policy will usually NOT replace the lost item.
    • Forgetting and leaving the room without it - It happens!
    • Automatic Janitor - There are many areas in the game which have automatic janitors. If your stuff is on the ground long enough, the janitor can come in and sweep it all away. It will NOT be replaced by GMs.
    • Character Janitors - Rangers can compost items on the ground, they can also beseech for a vacuum cleaner effect in the room. There are enchanted and magical items that can do similar things as well. Bards have an enchante called Desert Maelstrom, and Moonmages have something called Ripple. Things on the ground will go bye-bye!


    There is one exception. Wayerd Pyramids lost in a game crash will be replaced. (Items in it not necessarily included)

    There Are Thieves Everywhere!
    Yes, there are thieves in Elanthia. They can steal your coins right from your pockets, and if you have gems in an open container, they can steal those gems from you as well.

    One well-known tactic is hiding in the tanner's shed or in the gem shop, stalking you out and stealing all your money. When my ranger roommate was younger, she had an entire gold stolen from her after she sold her bundle of cougar pelts. Be very careful.
    • Close your gem pouch - Use a separate container to keep your gems in. Any container will do. Make sure it is always closed. For added protection, you can put your gem pouch inside your backpack. That way if you forget to close it, your backpack will work as an added security against gem theft. (Note: this may or may not fool-proof. There are whispers in the wind that it may be possible to steal from an open container inside an open container. Who knows how much truth there is to it?))
    • Deposit your money - Do not wander around with money jangling in your pockets unless you absolutely have to. Always deposit your money at a bank every chance you get.
    • Carry coins in small denominations - When you do carry money around, try to withdraw in coppers or bronze or silver. Do not be an idiot and withdraw in golds and platinums unless you're willing to risk that loss. :) (By the way, make sure to check your burden. Coins can be heavy. If you're squashed try and vary it between silver and bronze)
    • Hiding and Stalking - Occasionally, I like to hide in the gem shop and sneak out. This is believed to prevent someone else from stalking you and stealing your money. Be very careful with this method. Someone could point you out of hiding and steal your money from you anyway while you are caught in roundtime.
    • Perception and Stealing - Working perception will increase your chances of catching the thief when he/she tries to steal from you. The stealing skill will help prevent you from being stolen from. However, do be careful how you train stealing.


    You Should Be Wearing Armor When You Hunt
    I cannot keep track of how many times I've had corpses come in who say "oops, I forgot to put on my armor"! Armor check! Armor check! Armor check! Make it a habit to always check your armor just before you go into battle. Make it a ritual. Do whatever you have to do to make it a reflex on your part to always check your armor before you start hunting.

    My method of checking armor is to [SHAKE] them. If you are wearing your armor, you will adjust it. If you are not wearing armor, you will not find it.

    Another preferred method is to type [inven armor]. It will list all the armor items you are currently wearing.


    Hands-free Box Popping is the Way to Go
    There are creatures that drop trapped and locked boxes which contain treasure inside. You will need to disarm and pick the box with a lockpick to get to the treasure (it helps if you have skill, but goblin boxes are good beginner's boxes). A common mistake among the young is to attempt to disarm the box with their armor still worn.

    Remove your armor when you disarm your boxes! Wearing armor will hinder your abilities and can cause you to get blasted by the trap.

    Another important reason to remove your armor when you disarm your boxes is that some boxes contain acid traps. If you fail miserably, the acid could splatter on your armor and destroy it.


    Digging Another Person's Grave Can Get You Killed...or Worse!
    FOR THE CLERIC: Whatever your intentions, good or bad, digging someone else's grave is always bad for you. It will completely tank your devotion.

    In general, digging another person's grave is bad for everyone, unless that person has clearly told everyone that you are a friend helping them. Graverobbing is a serious offense and can get you killed.

    Sometimes, we try to be honestly helpful. For some reason or another, the owner of the grave is lost, or cannot be found, or needs someone to get his/her stuff from the middle of a hunting ground where he/she died. Misunderstandings can still occur. Try and get the person to come dig his/her own grave if possible.

    For all you Clerics, never ever ever dig someone else's grave!


    I Departed. Where did My Money Go?
    When you depart, you lose all the coins you have on your body. Need I say more?


    Dragging Towards the Exit is Not Always a Good Idea!
    A common mistake for rescuers of corpses in the Water Sprite and Lipopod hunting area is to drag them TOWARDS the exit (trench). BAD IDEA! You will not be able to drag them past the area with Roundtimes. Once you drag them into the room with the roundtimes, that corpse is stuck...often in an area with bad holy mana. Using MoonGate to rescue the corpse will not be possible here. The only means currently to rescue a corpse from the stuck spot is to find a trader.

    These are your options to rescue the corpse:

    • Drag the corpse AWAY from the entrance - Do not go anywhere near the roundtimes. If you can get a cleric to help (it may help to let them know that the corpse is not stuck), drag the corpse to a good mana spot, making sure that it's not anywhere where you need to go through roundtime areas. If you cannot find a cleric to come down, you can try to get a moonmage to MoonGate the corpse to safety.
    • Find a trader with a caravan - Treasure your traders! A lot of people do not appreciate the great help traders can be in critical moments. Traders are able to rescue corpses from areas where normal dragging means fail. Offer to pay for the hire of a caravan that is needed for dragging. Be sure to be properly appreciative for the help. For example, caravans can drag corpses past the roundtime areas in Water Sprites, and also past the barricades in Rock Trolls.



    Gods Barring Your Entry
    Just an interesting home tidbit I read on the boards that I thought I would share. If you try to enter a home and see stuff like this:

    A cow made of strands of light blocks your way. Your body and spirit cringes as you realize the god you have favor with is displeased.

    A Human shaped figure made of strands of light blocks your way. Your body and spirit cringes as you realize the god you have favor with is displeased.

    ...these are messagings for trying to enter a home with an item on you that the system thinks is graverobbed. :) (Ack, I forgot who the people who posted the messagings above were. But thank you for sharing the info)

    Be Careful Who You Trust

    Be careful who you hand your stuff to. Never let your valued items leave your hands unless you are willing to risk the items being stolen. I'm amazed at the level of trust people have for strangers, especially if that stranger is an empath. If someone you don't know well wants to see your item, <SHOW> them only. Do NOT ever <GIVE> your item to them if they ask for it. Remember that gender and profession does not guarantee trustability. A charming female empath can rip you off just as easily as a grungy thief-type with a stupid name. Make sure you know them enough to trust them before you hand over any of your stuff for them to view.

    Thanks to Fyriestorme, Flavius, Delgareth, Sarambor and Sarilya for helping me think of tips and hints.

    This is a work in progress. If there are any more tips you think should be added to this page, feel free to inform me.