I'm New - What Do I Do?
Classes | Combat | Commands | Getting Started | Skills | Spells | Weapons and Armor
If you're reading this, you've presumably started the game and been through the Mystic Realms College. If you haven't, go do that first! The information here assumes you have already made a character and done at least a little exploring.
Still here? Good. So you're standing in front of the Haven Inn, wondering what to do next. If you're playing the game for the first time, you've already got a class (if you use the CRT generator, you don't automatically get a class, but that's a subject for later discussion). There are a few things you can do at this point:
You can go into the inn and talk to Harold, the innkeeper. He's a valuable source of rumors and information. You can then teleport (using the blue teleportal in the corner of the lobby) to your room and get settled in before exploring Haven.
You could go to the Haven Market and buy gear. This depends on your class, of course; monks don't use any gear at all, and other classes use varying types (see the Classes section for more details on this). All characters should have at least a pouch for money and a sack for loot; some also carry a pack for smaller items. When buying gear, don't get anything too heavy at first, or you won't be able to move. You won't need a lot of armor to start anyway - the beginning monsters are fairly weak.
Once you have some gear, you can go to the Crazed Rabbit Pound (right across the street from the Inn) and test your combat prowess against the rabbits there. These are identical to the ones in the College - they can't hurt you, but provide good training experience.
You can find the trainer for your class. Fighter and mage classes are east down the street; cleric classes are north of the Inn, and thief classes are hidden along a path right beside the Haven Market (refer to the MAP.txt file for more information here).
I've Done All That... Now What?
Now you're ready to hunt. "What's hunting?" you ask. Hunting is, simply put, killing critters. Just to the west of the inn, the road ends at the Kobold Forest. This is an ideal place for new adventurers to start - the kobolds and jackals here are very weak. Kobold Kastle, just past the forest, is full of kobolds and jackals just waiting to test their mettle against new heroes.
When you run into a hostile creature, it will probably attack on sight. You will be given a combat display with a number of options - two or more attack bars, and a defense bar. The highest attack bar typically represents the best attack, and the defensive bar represents how effective you are at defending against your opponent's attacks. Left-clicking on one of the options and then right-clicking will enter that option for you. If you do not enter anything, the critters will attack and the game will decide for you if you attack or parry. See the Combat section for more information.
Once you've killed some monsters and made some XP, it's time to take your loot and go to the trainer to train. First, dump the loot you don't want to keep on the counter, then tell the trainer to DEPOSIT it - this puts money in your account, with which you can BUY training points (TRP). Then go to one of the desks and READ the book there to see how many XP/TRP you have, and what skills are available. What skills you should train depends on the class and what you want to do with it (again, the Classes section will help here). Don't forget to train your endurance stats, too, otherwise you'll run out of stamina too quickly to do anything.
Unfortunately, the hero doesn't always come out on top. Sometimes there are simply too many monsters to handle, or the hero stumbles into an area that's a bit too powerful for him, or his luck (or vits) just runs out. In these cases, you end up dead on the ground. Unless there's a cleric with a Raise Dead handy, or you were hunting with a friend, you'll have to RECALL. This calls the priests of the church to recover your body and take it back to the Haven Church, where you are resurrected. There is a cost for this, though - you lose 1% of your accumulated XP and TRP for dying AND for using recall. The exceptions this rule: if you are raised by a fellow player, or if you RECALL while your body is lying on the altar at the church. In those cases, you do not lose XP for being raised. Also, you lose anything you were holding in your hands - unless it was personalized - and may get completely looted.
On a side note: don't get frustrated if you die - everyone does at some point, even the most powerful characters. Dying is an unfortunate part of the game, but it's not the end of the world. Other players are often very helpful in recovering lost gear, if you ask.
Tips and Advice
Teleportals (TPs) are the main mode of transportation in the Realms besides walking. Teleportals are the glowing blue, red, or green squares that appear in various places. Red TPs are one-way, keyed to a specific location; the one in the Mystic Realms College, for instance, always goes to the Haven docks. Green TPs are only found in inn rooms, and can only be used by the owner of that room.
Stepping on a TP and typing "TP" and the name of another teleportal instantly takes you there. In order to go to that other TP, though, you must first memorize it, and in order to memorize it, you must find it (which is where the walking part comes into play). When you find a blue teleportal you wish to memorize, step on it and type MEMORIZE or MEM (you can also click on the 'G' button at the top of the screen, drag the mouse down to the MEMORIZE command, and then left click, putting this command on the command line). You can now use this teleportal from any other one in the realm, until and unless you choose to forget it using the FORGET command.
When you get into the game, try tuning to the PRIME channel. Most players can be found there; they are always happy to answer questions, and some are specially knighted to help new players. Some higher-level players often give out vits in the Haven Pub, which they announce here.
Once you've got a little experience under your belt and have explored a little, the Sanctuary Market (due east of Haven) is a great place to get potions, like heal, bind, and mend. The Haven Common Room, in the Haven Inn, is also a good place to find all kinds of potions.
When you reach a new town, check the local pub and talk to the bartender about rumors. They can give all kinds of advice about the local creatures.
Find some other players to group with. Hunting is easier with friends, as you can guard each others' backs and carry the other person back if (s)he dies.
Explore everywhere. Many places are hidden behind secret doors, which you can only find by walking into them, so check everything.
Talk to everyone. While NPC interaction is not as prevalent as in other MMORPGs, some NPCs have valuable information and can grant side quests. Also, saying hello to a merchant will let you find out what they have for sale.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. One of the great things about MRA is the players - they are always happy to help new people find their way around. Players commonly help each other recover lost loot or dead bodies, or provide healing when needed, as well as providing information.
Use the terrain to your advantage when fighting. Chokepoints, like doorways, narrow passages, and gaps in walls are great for limiting the number of monsters facing you, especially when they're coming at you in waves. If you are hunting with another player (a spellcaster, e.g.), it is best to have the fighter in front blocking the gap, while the spellcaster stays safe behind, casting his spells. By the same token, if you find yourself beset by dozens of monsters, find something solid to put your back against - walls work well for this purpose. This cuts down on the number of monsters around you, and limits the number of attacks you're taking.
Try attending events. Some people just like to hunt and play the game, and that's fine. If you attend events, though, you gain role playing points (RPP), which grant XP and can be used to buy things from the LORs. Plus, you get to meet other players.
You can fight another player in an arena without losing XP. Arenas, unlike the Badlands, are generally for duels instead of full-on combat, but anyone slain on the floor of an arena (not in the stands or other rooms) does not lose XP.
Know your limits. If you're hunting in an area where you can just handle the monsters and you're out of potions, chances are you should retreat before you get killed, instead of going for "just one more". You can always come back later - the monsters will still be there.
If you die in the Haven Church, or your body is brought there, you can recall without loss of XP. There is one caveat, however - you must be on the altar (the dark brown wood on the other side of the wall from the TP) - no other place in the church will work. This is handy when hunting with a partner who can't raise - your friend can simply carry your body back to the church and drop it there so you can recall without further loss of XP.
Have fun. MRA is a community - the players are friendly and helpful, and the game itself is an experience. It's like a small town where everyone knows everyone else.