So I have been playing CF off and on for almost 7 years now and it seems that every time I start a new charecter I end up deleting right around rank 20 (25 being my personal best) There are a number of things I would love to get involved in and learn, for instance some form of active Cabal. I also think it would be great to try getting a tattoo. And last but not least some knowledge about any preps in game. I am not asking how to be handed all these things, but I would love recommendations on being able to get my first hero ranked char and gaining more knowledge about the game. Anything invovling what kind of char/class would be easy to explore and learn with, to what kind of things I can roleplay in game to help gain more knowledge and become associated with a cabal.

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone that has contributed, its help me alot so far and I hope sometime in the future I can talk to you all post-heroed char. Thanks again!

I'm not sure if this was said already or not, because I didn't take the time to read all the responses. Something really important you have to remember is that people will WANT to group with a person who is competant in what they do. If you can't fulfill the basic necessities of your guild, then you'll get dropped like a bad habit.

An example of this would be a transmuter who cannot keep his group mate with metabolic quickening, or slowing. Or a healer that has to be asked to heal the person taking hits. Or a bard that has to be told to sing a group of six dark arial guards. Or a warrior who isn't taking that SHOULD be dual wielding weapons, even if they are a spear/staff or polearm specialist.

If you can learn your class, and how to use the skills properly and swiftly, then you'll be a desirable group mate. And being a desirable group mate is important.

If you are trying to hero, quickly or at a leisurely pace, transmuters, healers and bards are always in demand for groups. Just remember, when a group mate has to sit there and ask for stuff all the time, they probably aren't going to want to group with you, unless they have to.

As an aside, keep the roleplay mentality. There are things that are blatant out of character terminology that people use, that they think is within the bounds of "Role-playing". Roleplaying is encouraged here, you know, so talk to your group mates.. Try and get into the feel that you REALLY are killing zombies. If you want to yell "Hi-yaaah!" in the middle of the fight, because you're an assassin, go ahead. Someone will probably get a chuckle out of it.

Anyways, good luck.

It took me quite a while to get my first Hero, and then every character after that was easier and easier to get through the vast number of ranks in between 1 and 51. I like to look at each character as trying to learn something...any little thing. And subsequently all those things wrapped up into one make every character of mine that much better. I am actually really low on the totem pole as far as PK knowledge, uber secret game knowledge, and various other things. So it really isnt all that so called l33t knowledge that gets you to Hero and gets you the tattoo and all that.

As far as Heroing goes, I would reccommend sticking with one class for four or five characters. It usually takes me about 5 characters of one class to really sink into the skills and what not. Its just getting to know the class and get a feel for how that particular class is supposed to go. You'll find yourself speeding through the ranks, and knowing where to go next each step of the way. Regearing also becomes a breeze when you start to replay the same classes because you remember that basic set.

Religions and tattoo's are different things altogether. For me..when I watch followers. They need to be exemplifying the religion and you can honestly do that at level 11, or level 51. Its just a matter of finding a role you can really step into and eat sleep and breathe the character. That will totally come through in your playing and you will be recognized for it.

Another tip for getting your immortals religion is to figure out unique and pertinent ways to make yourself known to your god. If your god is Qaledus then I dont think shouting it from the rooftops is a good thing, but you can think of sneaky little concealed ways to let your god know that you are a good follower. Find someway to sing your praises to your Lord, and you will get noticed. I can't count the number of times I've heard the old line,

"My god doesnt notice me.

Then I ask, Have you prayed to him/her/it?.

Answer: Imm's don't like excessive praying.

In truth we don't. BUT, if you are following a religion a normal amount of praying is expected. Don't just assume that if your of my sphere Im watching you all the time.

That is why I suggest finding ways of getting your Lords attention in ways that are pertinent to your religion. There are a lot of you down there and unless you are doing something to get noticed, you will likely be unnoticed.

Cabals are good choices and have to fit the character obviously, but what it means is you automatically have allies which can help you rank or get gear with. It also means you have a responsibility to defend and retrieve which can result in more deaths for you. If you've already shrugged off the death anxiety then no problem.



And because I started rambling way back up there, Im going to stop.

Corrlaan

Here is what I would suggest.

Play whatever you want, but make sure you have a ROLE you enjoy actually playing. I.E one that is easy to get into char with, and basically rps itself. That way you will keep the char even when things are pointless.

Then, rank. Make ranking your number one goal. Rank with anygroup, no matter how crappy, rank till your eyes bleed, till your fingers fall off. Have crappy gear? Screw it, go rank.

Now, during all this time, rp while you rank. Seems, difficult, but really it works well. RP while resting, rp while fighting, rp after you take a mobdeath in the Maus at rank 22, what ever, rank always, and rp while while you do it.

Rank rank rank.

I know what it's like to be in your shoes. I played CF for about 4 or 5 years (on and off) without breaking 25, mostly because I had no clue what I was doing. I still don't, but my chars since then have been (mostly) successful, do some degree. Here are my suggestions:

1)Play a neutral/neutral non-mage. This minimizes your natural enemies, and you'll be able to group with just about anyone. Just don't sink into the goodie-neutral or evil-neutral role. Be really, really neutral (not an easy thing to do for most people, even though it may SEEM easy).

2)Make friends IC. Get some groups going, and don't be afraid to ask questions. If you don't know how to get somewhere? Ask. Need a better sword? Ask. And don't let one or two bad experiences discourage you.

3)Group, rank, and roleplay. Even if you're not very experienced, you should be good to go. Try not to group with two other unexperienced players, unless you feel confident in leading where you plan to rank. Although, it can be fun to get totally lost with a few other people. Usually, though, an experienced player will know if you're unexperienced, and give you some help. They'll tell you who to attack, and which skills and weapons you should use. Maybe they'll even give you some better gear. Remember - they want you in their group for the same reason you want them - to rank. So, they're going to do whatever it takes to maximize THEIR experiences, even if it means getting you better gear, or telling you what to do.

4)Join the Heralds. I know a lot of people won't agree with me on this one, but as far as learning the ropes of the game, if you pay attention* to roleplaying, you can be pretty successful as a Herald. You might not churn out a killing machine, but you'll put yourself in a pretty good position to learn some of that game knowledge. Why Heralds? Because they're usually not in it only for themselves. It's a very newbie-friendly cabal, and since they rarely have to deal with cabal politics (not on par with the other cabals, anywho), they can focus their energies on other things. Like helping other people, etc.

5)Play a healer. They say not to play a healer until you're a bit more experienced, but what the heck? Try it! You won't learn anything in the way of PK, but you'll have the opportunity for everything else. Everyone wants a healer. And it's a great explore class. It can be a bit boring at times(which is why I like Heralds as a cabal for neutral healers), and it can also be a lot of work (remembering to keep people sanc'd, etc), but you get all sorts of neat supps (locate item, word, gate, etc, etc) that are great for exploration and survival. They also put you in a prime position for a title and tattoo (being that you're all religious-like).

6)Read everything. Helpfiles. Logs. Descriptions. Roles. And especially immortal comments on the PBF. Want to know how the IMMs think? Well, there you go.


*Pay attention, pay attention, pay attention. I think that's the key thing to be successful. Keep getting smacked-down? Well, next time, roll what's killing you. Can't find your way somewhere? Ask someone to bring you there once, and take note. Look everywhere and at everything. Log** your fights and pull them up to read later. As long as you keep your eyes open, you'll learn a whole lot.

**I log everything. I need a something (maybe for a quest, maybe for whatever), and I know I've seen it before, but can't seem to remember where. What do I do? Search my logs.

I agree with everything Mostly Harmless posted above, for the most part. He's got some great points. Keep in mind you'll still get PK'd by people - Imperials will kill you for not being one of them, for instance...but his suggestions minimize your enemies as much as possible.

One other piece of advice - only play one char at a time. Even if you get a great idea for this really cool race/class combo...write it down or something and save it for after your current char. Make a rule for yourself that unless you con-die, age-die, or simply *can't stand* to play your current char, you never roll up anything new. It sounds like it won't be fun, but trust me, it makes for a great time.

That's a question that is generally asked often. Getting your first hero in my opinion is one of the hardest things to do on CF. It has been said many times, the learning curve is steep, and until you can get over the hump it tends to be the same thing over and over, and repition can become very boring. As for Advice from me, play something you enjoy. Don't try to accomplish everything at once. Focus on heroing first, exploring and competing at hero range are both very large goals. After you hero and get the swing of things in the high ranks, then start making characters to accomplish those goals. Cabals, in my opinion, are a great way to hero. So trying to get a cabal is a reasonable goal to start with. Do you like Politics? The roleplay? You like to be goofy, tell stories? Every cabal has their ups and downs. While all cabals have politics, they all are vastly different depending on your spot in the Cabal. A leader will always have more to toy with, though Tribunal, there can easily be plenty of politics for Seantryn Magistrates. Go with what you like to do. If you can't enjoy a character, you can't take the hours to hero. No point in being bored. Just do what you like to do and never give up. Make it a goal with your next character to reach level 30, no matter what. Have 4 con left, and you're level 29, have the option of getting to level 30, but guaranteed to die? Shoot, go for it. You won't get to experiance 30, but you hit that goal. Baby steps are often the most reliable. While they can be slow, they can still get you to where you want to go. Have fun and set realistic goals and don't throw them away, no matter how frustrated you get. And ALWAYS have fun, don't let people ruin that for you, just follow the rules and go at it. Hope this helped, and good luck!

I just heroed my first char(Aryze...well not just but recently). I usually get bored with my char around...level 35(hah!). Well each time I roled a character, I told myself, I will get higher level this time, yep!(this was after a string of level 25 chars). So it was pretty much: Inea level 39, Nyrka level 40, Zoel level 46...and then Aryze at level 51(I did have characters in between, but I got bored with them, like Shurrik). And, well with the preps, for some reason I knew aura and shield with my first character(with little or no help...maybe I am just lucky). So in any case, all my characters from now on should be hero, unless I get...bored out of my mind(like I did with Ayra).

I would suggest playing what you want to. I like shifters because I could be...naked and still be a decent ranking partner(this is true for most of the mages, actually), but you have to deal with ragers wanting to kill you. Healers and transmuters everyone wants(and try not to alienate yourself, unless you want to).

Cabals: Well, to reduce enemies if any cabal Heralds. As a neutral you can go tribby or outtie(but then you have enemies! *GASP*). But you can go any cabal you want, if you really want, just make sure you have a role you like!(Zoel...well was a herald and I con died him for...well that was funny, long story). Ayrze had to be an outlander because I wanted to. Outlander is the best cabal(in my opinion, everyone has their preferences). Anyway, good luck!