First off, I understand what it’s like to want perfection in your characters. It can’t happen try as you might. I may be stretching here, but I’m able to get my chars into the thirties and have a dozen PK’s under my belt with out being killed myself.

OH WOW! MY A DOZEN!??? Pfft! I can hear the laughter already. I only get a dozen because I pick my fights, if they go piss poor in a hurry I run. And I can run, better than most.

I have a few areas in the mud that I am absolutely familiar with. I can close my eyes and tap out the proper keys and know exactly where I am. I can run From Seantryn Modan to the Emerald forest and hit the healer therein blinded.

I’m not afraid to type Flee as soon as my Character Yells.

I typicaly go into a fight in stages as well.

I type in murder, and flee after one or two rounds, run off scroll back and see what they were using.
Then I base my strategy off of that.

I WHERE, not WHERE PK, WHERE, constantly. Use where because often Killers travel in gangs, and not all are able to hurt me at any one time. But if they are close to me I assume they have a partnr, especially Muters and Healers.

I have a few secret squirrel places, where I stash gear. I do this not because I will need it (I delete a lot if you haven’t heard.) but because I give it to potential group mates so they can help me rank, survive. I always am sure to remind them over time that I gave it to them.

For instance; I see a fellow a few ranks higher than me after I log back on a day later, “I see that armor I gave you serves you well.” Or I might be blunt and say “Remember who put you there.” And I leave it at that.

It’s useful to have these friends, because they can help you reequip, or act as radar. “I saw your arch nemesis on Eastern.”

(NEVER FIGHT ON EASTERN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

There is a post by Qaledus around here somewhere that shows how an Evil may be trying to help you. I’ve used very similar methods in the past, but often the new guy begins acting like a child. Don’t freak out if an Evil or even a good starts talking smack. Often they are veiled complements, or advice.

Don’t play the part of a prick if you are a newbie. No one will ever help you because you are, well, a prick.

Use the shift key, USE IT, it’s sloppy not to use it, and when combined with a shih-tay description, I take it as a sign that you really don’t give a ####. That being the case, why should I?

Never, ever, trust a duergar. If you get in bed with one, you can never get away. They see everything except for rangers, and two classes they have can summon. Bleh. I wish their detect hidden was more like Wood-Elf acute vision, but hey, what ever.

There is some good advice below, listen too it.

Hope this helps.