Your First Days in Puddleby

Your First Days in Puddleby

Sure you've probably read the backstory as to how you got to Puddleby: You've been exiled to the Island of Puddleby for crimes against the Ascendancy. What crimes? Those are for you to decide as you develop your character. You can role play (or not) however you'd like. Being new though you're probably wondering: "Who are these people?" "Why are they so nice?" and most importantly, "What can I or should I do to start playing?"

First off, a lot of people are in the same boat when they join the community. If you haven't read 10 Things for Newbies, then read that. It lists a lot of simple things a new player wouldn't know, such as logging out in the library and why you would want to and what toggling is and how to do it. This page however is dedicated to finding your way around the town and the people.

When you first log on you have to do the newbie walk, where you pick your gender, hair color and complexion. After that you can either visit the tutorial or just walk out into the world and join the game. When you first appear you're in the temple right in the middle of what the citizens of Puddleby (other players) call "tc" which is short for Town Center. There are no other player inhabited towns; this mudhole is now your home.

In the Temple you can select one of 3 trainers: Bodrus, Mentus or Spirtus. There are also a few others that aren't in the temple (Skea Brightfur, Dentir Longtooth, Troilus and The Marsh Hermit or Diggin come to mind) but those don't make you any better at your profession. Bodrus trains your body stats (what fighters need), Mentus trains your mental powers (what mystics need) and Spiritus trains your spirit (what healers need). However anyone can train any of these and train in any order and each has benefits and caveats*.

At some point, you should (1) decide whether you'd like your first character to be a fighter, healer or mystic. Depending on what profession you decide, determines who you should first study with, and put your ranks into. If you're completely new, you might want to make your first character a fighter, unless the idea of killing pixels upsets you. The reason is fighters are easier to play to start, and healers are mostly dependent on others. However if you do decide to play a healer or mystic, there are ways to do that successfully.

Choosing Who to Train First

(2) Choose a Trainer: This depends on what you'd like to be able to to better:

Pros are noted with a plus sign: +. Cons are noted with a minus sign: -.

• If you're going to be a fighter you need to train 10 lessons of anything before you'll be allowed to be a fighter. You don't need to get anything particular for your first ten ranks. Some people suggest you get Bodrus, which contains "fighter" ranks. Other people suggest that the first ten ranks should be something else you may want to have, like pathfinding, troilus or skea. The reason is that it is more efficient for a fighter to wait ten ranks to train with Evus in the fighter hall than to train with Bodrus, who is really a bit inferior.
  • + Bodrus increases accuracy, damage, health, balance and balance regeneration.
  • - Bodrus decreases the number of swings you have as you put more accuracy and force behind each swing.
  • - Bodrus is not as efficient of a trainer as Evus, who trains everything Bodrus trains, only with a bonus. For this reason some would be fighters avoid Bodrus altogether.

• To be a healer you need to find the Healer Hall (in town center) and speak to Master Hekus. He'll tell you what you need to do to become a healer. You do not have to train Spirtus to become a Healer.
  • + For Healers: Spirtus increases your pool of spiritual energy, and your healing speed, and your total health, but unlike Sprite, who is found in the healer temple, does not help your spirit regeneration.
  • + Spirtus decreases the amount of time it takes a healer to heal you.
  • - For Fighters: Spirtus decreases the number of ranks of Rodnus a fighter can train when they become 4th Circle.

• If you're going to be a mystic, part of the quest to be a mystic is just figuring out how to start on your path to be one. A bit of Bodrus training won't hurt you in addition to Mentus.
  • + Mentus increases your resistance to black poppies.
  • + Mentus lowers the amount of damage you take going through the portal (full capability comes at 20 lessons).
  • + Mentus decreases the chance of sunstone wear.
  • + For Mystics: Mentus is claimed to have other subtle benefits.

• Other Trainers:
  • + Skea helps you skin creatures that possess furs for coins.
  • + Dentir Longtooth helps you pull teeth and mandibles from creatures that have valuable ones for coins.
  • + Troilus helps you recover from injury faster without a healer present.
  • - Troilus is largely much less efficient than healer trainers if you're a healer and of questionable value for a non-solo fighter.
  • - Troilus increases your slaughter faster than other trainers.*

• • + Diggun, or the marsh Hermit train pathfinding. Pathfinding allows you to open simple paths and travel through or to certain areas faster.

• • + Bracis, is for non-fighters to increase their fighting powers, but because it is meant for non-fighters it is capped at 50 ranks. (It is thus, not effective on anything larger than large vermine.) If you are a fighter or want to be, you would be better served by putting those ranks into Evus or some other fighter specific trainer.

• *Caveats:
  • - All trainers increase slaughter by varying amounts. Generally the more useful a trainer the more it increases your slaughter.

What to save up for/acquire First

The first thing you should do is get a sun pebble so you can hear Sunstone chatter. It won't let you talk on the network, but listen and get familiar with customs there.

Without a doubt, the first thing any exile should save up for is the Sunstone. In our terms, it is like a Walkie-Talkie (Hand held wireless radio) and Cell Phone. It allows you to both communicate with everyone wearing a Sunstone or Sunstone variant, and send direct messages to people whether they are wearing one or not.

Next, you should get a hold of a dagger. Fighters get one when they become a fighter for free, while others must find fighters that still have their daggers to see if they are willing to sell them. They hit more accurately and do a bit more damage than the club.

You might want to consider clothing changes, kudzu (for planting walls) and an Orga eye (usually free). After that, it depends on your needs and play style. Chains are always a good investment with decent Loovma training as well — but by the time you can get and use them you will know your way around.

Socializing

Once you exit the temple, to the south you will see a fence and most likely a few people milling about in various states of attention. If their name has a brown background they're /sleeping -- what we do to show that we're away from our keyboards. If there are people there and awake say "hello" and introduce yourself to whomever is around. If they don't respond they're most likely preoccupied with something else, or not there either and they just didn't activate /sleep. One thing people are not, is stuck up or snobby. People in this game will acknowledge people they've never seen, and many welcome it.

More often than not you'll see someone and they'll ask if you're "really new," or "FotB" it's usually okay to tell the truth that you are Fresh off the Boat. Many players in Clan Lord will offer you a tour of town and might take you on a quick tour or hunt to the rat towers, the vermine tree, the undine hut or even kitty beach. However, like all social places there are a few that might give you information that benefits themselves more than you. So beware.

One of the biggest misconceptions new players have about Clan Lord is that the other players would feel inconvenienced by a new person asking a bunch of questions or needing help. The opposite is often true: most older players actually enjoy helping new players acclimate to Puddleby. This is a social game after all and if people wanted to be able to keep to themselves, they'd probably be playing another game. Also, Clan Lord is co-operative: people get the most out of helping others. Sharing and thanking people is common here, and it's a good way to make friends.

When you are ready to hunt, let people know you're interested in one. Usually, it is good to take a few fighters and a few healers, but upper level exiles can also take you out of town by themselves safely.

Exploring

The town of Puddleby consists of 5 snells: town center (where you start), west town, north town, east town and south town. beyond these snells is Puddleby ocean to the west, North Farms, East Farms and South Farms.

(3) You can explore town and speak to residents (exiles and NPCs) or try hunting in the rat towers to begin. However, it is much more fun to find people to hunt with and venture off further from town.

If no one is busy, and even if you don't know them, you can try to get a hunt going or have someone show you the way to the university (at the end of the road east of town) and talk to Boostus to get an experience multiplier for your first 3000 ranks by asking in town center or on the Sunstone, if you have one. Once again be polite and realize that some people might not have time. It is common to find people who lounge around in town center before and after hunts to chat with each other, work on macros, and other CL and non-CL related things. Often your best bet is to look for people in tan clothes, like you.

In North, South, East and West town there are 2 towers around each of the gates that protect town from invasions. Inside you'll find vermine and rats to kill. Anyone can kill a rat or vermine fairly easily when they begin. The North and East towers are easier while the West and South towers are more dangerous for absolute beginners because of additional dangers aside from rats and vermine. When your health gets low, run back to town center to look for a healer, or run out of the tower if you're a healer to heal yourself.

After a day or so, you might want to try the Farms North, East and South of Puddleby for a slightly tougher and more rewarding experience, or if you can find people, a hunt in the myrm hive, the west Beaches or the undine hut might be worth the look. If you can get someone to take you to Midpass, the experience there is very good. Remember to share someone, even if they're not with you, so if you fall a rescue can be dispatched to you. After that you might want to move on to Kitty Beach to the southwest, South Forest, North Forest or the Passes (north, south and east) to the East of puddleby (only 5 snells from town if you have pathfinding).

If you fall any place, review toggling and toggle someone for a rescue. If you do not know who to toggle, the last person you saw or people you told where you were going is usually the fastest way to get rescued.

When you fall alone, you have the option to /depart where you lose a bit of experience for departing. However, if you are on Puddleby Island, try to toggle a share or even unshared exile. Like with asking questions, many people enjoy rescuing people. So instead of departing right away, give people time to find you.

After the first few weeks of exile, things should start getting familiar and you will start discussing training with other citizens. The most important thing is to have fun and decide for yourself how you would like to play and progress.

Tips

• When you first start playing, the default method of movement is click and hold. You can go to your preferences and change it to click toggles if you would like. Many people think it's a lot easier that way.
• Save up for a sunstone as soon as you can. A bit of Skea and trips to Kitty Beach will help! But until then have an exile sponsor you for a sun pebble which is given out by Pebbles in the temple.
• If no one is hunting, but there are people in town, try to start a hunt. If there are new exiles about like you it is easier.
• If you aren't sure what race you want to be, don't choose a race right off. Undisclosed exiles have no negatives to their stats like some races do. You can also train out of these negatives.
• Try to find people around your level to hunt with. Often they're wearing light green, tan or dark blue clothes. Healers wear white shirts and white pants often when they're new to signify that they are a healer.
• Don't depart immediately after falling if you're close to town. Often people will wander by and find you if you /yell. Also, toggling the last person that you saw, or a nearby town healer often speeds up rescues.
• If you are the kind of person who likes to keep track of your number of ranks, be sure to mark them down because the trainers in Puddleby will not give you exact numbers. Ranges are visible on The Winds of Dawn’s Site.