Apprentice's Guide to Getting Started

What’s the point of the game?

The basic point of the game is to compete against other warlords by building an army and using it against other warlords to improve it further (by stealing their gold). The ultimate aim, or goal, is totally up to you - for some it’s about seeing themselves on the Top 15 players scoreboard, for others it’s about trying to get your clan to the top or you might want to be the person with the best defense or can do the most damage. There are many options and the choice is yours!

Irrespective of your goals, you’ll have to build up an army (after choosing a particular race) and also your power - the higher your power the closer to the top of the player rankings you’ll be.

How do I start? What's first?

First you need to register and choose a 'Main' or Forum name, this name can also be your character name. Then you can choose what race you would like to play - see race details for further information on the different races. You can also change your game name, so that you can play the game under a pseudonym.

If you do not like the start you had, or feel you could have done better, you can reset yourself up to three times before you reach level 1.

You’ll start play with 40,000 gold, a few troops and a number of APs (Attack Points). The attack points are what you will use to claim money from other warlords who are also playing the game when you run out of these you’ll have to stop attacking.

Until you make your first attack on another warlord, you’ll be invisible so don’t worry about getting attacked straight away - there’s plenty of time to read and think about this guide and/or what you’ve read on the forums before getting started!

When you first begin play, you’ve got three real options. You can:
a) jump in and start attacking or;
b) wait for a day or so to build up some more attack points and a bit more money or;
c) buy the market and wait or;
d) use the invisibility strategy

The advantage to beginning strategy B is that you’ll gain some overnight troops therefore making your attacks a bit easier on the second or third day.

Using strategy c) is good if you cannot log on much in the first few days. Using the 40k you start with, buy the market. Leave the game for a while and just log to check your gold occasionally. Once you hit around 45k gold saved (this takes 2-3 days), get the loan (5k) and buy your barracks (or building to house level 2 troops). You are invisible until you have made your first attack and once you do, you'll have plenty of AP to start getting mercenaries with! It may leave you at the bottom of the pile in terms of power where there is more gold but you'll close that gap quicker with the same or less AP. It's a little slower than making your move straight away but I started a day or two after most people then used this strategy. When combined with knowing who to hit and when, I was able to get into the top 100 in the early game, even though I'd started a few days late.

Strategy D is generally used by old players who find that they want to take it a little easier because they don't have a lot of time to play but still enjoy the game. It too has merits which are often discussed in the game forum and you can find out about it in more detail over there.

Getting money for the first building

When you’ve decided that you’re ready to go for your first building, you’ll most likely have to start attacking people to get the money together - don’t worry, this is normal, attacking is the name of the game!

Tips on early attacks:
1. Aim for people that are your own level or lower if possible.
2. Aim for those with half your power (if possible) - if you have 48, aim for the 24s or maybe 25s. These will be the people on the last page or two of the attack list (the highest numbers).
3. Try not to target anyone early on who has bought a Fortification, these add to their defences.
4. Attack those with the most gold - you’ll earn more from them.

You’ll also receive a newbie (or start) bonus to any gold you receive when attacking which should help you get started. This lasts until you hit level 1.

What building should I aim for first?

You can now aim for one of three buildings when you first begin playing. You have a choice of a fortification, a market or the building which houses your mercenaries and other troops (named differently for each race: barracks, quarters, digs, sorority, tomb, cantonment, billet or dormitory). The first level fort costs 50k, same with the barracks and the first level market is 40k.

Fort: This will grant you 25 defense against any attacks, will add 25 to your power and will give you extra troops over what you normally receive each day. However, it doesn’t grant you anything when attacking and you won’t be able to spend any money you earn on other things until you have a barracks for your men.

Market: This building will roughly double your daily income overall. When you purchase it, you’ll also get a one-time bonus of 10 AP. It’s nice to have all the extra money but again you’ll need something to spend it on.

Barracks: This building will allow you to start buying your mercenaries. It will also house ALL units above level 1. You won’t be able to buy ANY mercenaries until you’ve bought this building.

Personal Choice: It really depends on how much you can log on. If there are long periods of time where you can’t (ie a weekend) or you can only log in once a day, you might be better off with the fort first. Otherwise, most people begin with the Barracks first. My favourite choice would be Market then wait until gold builds up enough. From there, Barracks and then Fort last.

The attack process

Have a look through the last few pages of the attack list and open up those warlords with the most money in new windows (or tabs if you have Firefox/Opera/new IE), 5-6 or so should be enough to start with. Attack with 10 AP at a time until you reach 50,000 or as close as you can get (it helps to set them all up before you begin attacking). If you run out of Attack Points, you’ll receive a few bonus ones to help you keep going - it may take a little get started, you’ll probably win about 1/2 - 2/3 of your attacks if you’re lucky - don’t be discouraged. If you haven’t quite reached the target 50k, make use of the 5k loan option to get to the money needed to buy a building. Then buy that building quick as you can before you become a target!

If you’ve bought the barracks (or the equivalent for your race) first, then you can use any money left over to start buying mercenaries. This will raise the amount of gold you receive every 30 minutes and make up a good proportion of your army.

How NOT to lose gold (by Scragger)

The way I see it there are 5 danger zones for having your gold taken off you. I'll list them and then tell you how I tackle each danger zone individually.

  1. Sitting on high gold
  2. Making building runs
  3. When you're attacking (especially if ya catch a runner)
  4. Getting hit by mistake.
  5. War Hits and other low gold hits

How to tackle each danger zone:

1. Sitting on high gold
This one is simple! DON'T SIT ON HIGH GOLD!
When your market is open (assuming you are using the 8 hour market) it is only ever safe to stay away from the pc for about 3 market tics...any more and you will be entering into UNSAFE GOLD! So if you know you are going to be away from the pc for up to 3 full tics...spend down completely before you go...if you are going to be away for longer make sure you take a loan out before you go...then cross your fingers and hope for the best. ;-) When your market is closed you are usually safe to be away for up to 7 hours but your gold will probably be looking appealing by the end of the 7 hours so once again...take a loan out if you know you're going to be away from the pc for longer.

2. Making building runs
Making Building runs is dangerous...anyone can be unlucky and get caught running...the trick is to run quickly and if you do start to get hit...SPEND DOWN IMMEDIATELY!

Before you run you want to be on good gold...but not extremely high gold...there are run busters out there who know what you usually sit on and if they see you on unnusually high gold they WILL know you are about to run...so let your gold go high...but not too high...and try to sit on that same amount for a couple of turns to put the run busters off!

When running make sure you have just logged into the game...(you don't want to get logged out half way through your run!)...look at your bottom attack pages and select your targets...open each target in a new TAB...once you have the targets then go through them one by one selecting 'prepare to attack' and then 10 APs...check they are still on good money!...Once you've done this you are ready to start running...go back through all your tabs and click attack...then go back to your original attack page and click build...you should have just completed your run in well under 20 seconds!

3. When you're attacking
When you're attacking and you start getting good gold results it's easy to not notice how much your gold is going up by and your chances of getting hit increase dramatically...especially if you catch yourself a good runner!

If you know you have a few minutes between tics to hunt for runners then a simple trick is to spend down completely before you go hunting...That way you can maximise your take and still minimise your losses...make sure you know what you will be able to spend down on if you are successful cos the chances are that there will be NO mercs to buy between tics...so make sure you know how much you need for a building or if you don't need the treasury money for a run then you can spend down quickly on armour.

If you do need the treasury money for a big building and you don't want to blow those savings on a random little building or armour then your only option is training...so make sure you have some lev 4 or 5 units to train cos you can spend down very quickly on those!

4. Getting hit by mistake.
Believe it or not, getting hit by accident happens quite frequently!

People click on a warlord who's on high gold and they don't realise they actually opened the wrong warlord till they've sent a couple of attacks their way...there is absolutely nothing anyone can do about this! This is where pure luck comes in...if there is a trick it's to feel lucky!

5. War Hits and other low gold hits
Now this is a hard one to avoid completely as none of us can be on 0 gold all the time and half of the fun of the game is going to war!

If you have managed to keep your gold losses down throughout the round that probably means you will have had to spend down on armour and weapons many times...this is a good thing as it deters people from whacking you too hard during wars...if you also manage to keep your gold as low as possible when wars kick off you will find that people prefer to hit targets with gold and when they can't find the gold targets they tend to go for warlords who they will get maximum kills against and minimal losses so being well armed and armoured will help here!

It is very difficult to ensure that you don't get whacked hard during war times...but if you have a strong army...have gained good power...and have not made yourself too unpopular by busting peoples runs during the round you might just get away with it. ;-)

There is no way to avoid getting hit by people who will hit low gold targets for the sake of it...so don't be too disheartened if you do get hit...if your gold is low at least they won't have taken too much off you!

By following these simple rules you should be able to minimise your losses drastically! How do I know this works?

Well...these are the simple steps I followed a couple of rounds ago...I started using the invisibility strategy to 999 APs...and in the end I came ranked 25th overall...2nd in my race and even after having fought the top clan before taking the win for our clan...I still ended the round on 0 gold lost! :-D

However, as I could not always access the home pc I also gained internet access through my pay as you go mobile phone so I could spend down while I was out...Remember, not everyone can do that...it sure is a handy trick for those of us who can though!

There was also a great deal of luck involved in my never getting hit (and losing) a fight! I doubt I could achieve the 0 gold lost again...however, it never hurts to try!

What Else do I Need to Know?

What are the midnight and daily tics?
The midnight tic takes place at midnight game time. When this time is reached, if you have used 50ap on another single warlord, this limit is reset. This is also the time that your market times come into effect for the next day. The daily tic actually occurs around 02:30am Game Time. At this point, you’ll receive any daily troops you’re entitled to (according to the level of your fortification). Any database updates are also made at this time so if someone has deleted from the game the account will be removed at that time.

How do I support LoL?
In the top left corner of the game screen, you’ll find a button titled ‘Support LoL’ which will take you to another screen. By clicking on 5 links and voting for Lords of Legend you’ll receive an extra 7 AP each day.

What’s a Warlord Seeing Stone?
A Warlord Seeing Stone is a one-use item that will allow you to look at the details of someone’s army such as their troop composition and their armory. It will also tell you roughly what chance you have of beating the person you use it on (this is a very varied result though and isn’t guaranteed to be accurate.

What about an Eye of Prosperity?
An Eye of Prosperity is also a one-use item. It will allow you to see the attack lists in order of how much money people have (rather than in power order). It will work until you go to a specific warlord’s attack page so it’s usually a good idea to open new windows to attack warlords while leaving the sorted Attack Page in the background.

Caution: Hitting refresh after using an EOP will use up another one unless you’ve already attacked someone.

How do I make or join a clan?
This can only be done in the Clan game (not the PVP). Once you are set up in the clan game, you will then need to reach level 5 and acquire your first level Headquarters (20,000 gold). From there, you will be able to join a clan or make your own. We recommend joining a clan for at least the first round you play as other players can give you a lot of advice and tips on playing in the Realm of Legend.

How many AP should I use?
Depends on preference. 10ap is wise for people on very high gold or if on a building run (to get the gold needed quicker). Less AP at other times and 1ap at a time if just 'skimming' gold from those with the highest. During war, it varies. Find what allows you to kill high numbers of troops but keeps your losses as low as possible. This may vary from opponent to opponent.

What do all the buildings do?

At first it might seem like there are so many but they can be easily broken down into three types: Fortifications, Military and Special.

Forts:
Each level in fortifications will grant more defensive protection and extra troops each day. The highest level you can get will have a ‘++’ on the end. e.g. Castle++ for Humans.

Special:
Treasury - The treasury will store a small amount of money each turn that can be used to purchase armor and weapons for your troops. 1% of your unspent gold will go into the treasury each turn but it is EXTRA money rather than taken from your usual earnings (rather like the interest on a bank account).

Market - We’ve already talked about the first market level but each further level of Market will raise your income over and above the income cap (the maximum money you can earn each turn). The cost for each Market goes up in 50k increments each time after the second e.g. 40k, 50k, 100k, 150k, etc. The market also grants you and other people in your clan extra money each turn.

Military:
Blacksmith (also called Armory, Metal Mill, Workshop, Smithy or Shadow Forge) - Allows the purchase of weapons and armor. Each level of Blacksmith bought will allow you to equip another level of troop. A level 1 blacksmith may only allow you the purchase of level 1 & 2 weapons for example and no armor at all.

Archery Range, Siege Workshop etc - All other buildings in this category will allow you the purchase of level 3, 4 or 5 troops accordingly. For example the siege workshop will allow the training of level 5 (or siege) troops. Each of these buildings (like the barracks) has a set capacity and once the building fills up you’ll need to purchase the next level up. Each of these buildings goes up to level 20 and at that point become unlimited in size!

NB: All units that occupy a space in one of these buildings also occupies a space in your barrack building.

How much armory is too much?

This is more a question of balance. Too few suits of armor and you’ll make for an easy target (and lose many troops on the way). On the other hand, weapons and armor don’t provide quite as much power as troops do, so while you’re buying these you’ll slow down in the rankings letting others get ahead of you in power. There are three values involved in weapons and armor - weapon adjustment (WA), weapon bonus (WB) and defense adjustment (DA). See below for definitions.

After playing for a little while, try using some seeing stones on those players around you of the same race to see how they’re playing - it’s generally a good way of comparing how you’re doing.

What do weapons and armour add?

Depending on the type of weapon or armour and your class, you will gain a small amount of power, weapon adjustment, weapon bonus and/or defense bonus. Values often change from round to round and the most up to date are often posted in the game's forum.

Weapon Adjustment (WA)
Added to attack roll giving a greater chance to win and kill opponents troops.

Weapon Bonus (WB)
Seems to increase kills/damage done to opponents.

Defense Adjustment (DA)
Reduces your opponent's roll lowering their chance to win the fight.

Links to Other Info

Tips and FAQ
Armoury Statistics
Detailed Armoury Info (ignore stats)

Any further questions and/or comments, don’t hesitate to come into the LoL forums and visit the Apprentice Lords section. You may find your question answered there or you could just pop in and introduce yourself, we’d love to see you!

Last updated May 2008

Extra thanks to Cunningmark for updates and corrections as well as the links on help for armory and other tips. Also thanks to WuYen for an extra clarification and to Scragger for the Gold Guide. Thank you CM, WuYen & Scragger, much appreciated!