FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
This FAQ is NOT the official FAQ for Legends of Kesmai. IF you want to check out the official FAQ straight from Kesmai, go to the GameStorm Home Page.This is a set of questions that I think are essential for anyone starting Legends of Kesmai, but are not covered in their FAQ. These are the many pearls of wisdom that I gained from playing LOK, and to
see them, click on the links below to jump to that question on the page. Enjoy! :)
1. How is Legends of Kesmai any different from other online games?
2. OK, I want to play, what do I need, and where do I get it?
3. What can I do if I need help with something not covered here or in the manual?
4. What does this game cost, and where is it available?
5. What does a recall ring do, and how do I use it?
6. How many different areas are there, and what level do I need to be to go to them?
7. I keep hearing about monsters like "Daisy." What are these?
8. I don't know what an item does. How can I see what it does, and how much it is worth?
9. Which profession is the best?
10. What items are the ones I should I try to get first?
11. I see names like "Stryker...DOOM", what does the "DOOM" mean?
12. How many different guilds are there, and which one should I join?
13. I've gotten powerful enough level to leave Kesmai... where can I go?
14. What are some of the Quests that I can complete?
15. How do I kill a Presence?
16. Is that all the info??
Legends of Kesmai is an adventure/role-playing game that provides enough gameplay that you can play it for months without getting bored. New areas are added to give higher level people new areas to explore, and the world in Kesmai is always changing. One of the best things about LOK is the community. People in this game will drop whatever they are doing to help you.
Depending on what operating system you are using, you need different things. Go to the LOK Download Page to find the specific things you need. If you are using Windows 3.1, you must also download WinG to be able to use the FE. Once you have those, you are ready to begin playing!
Although the manual is pretty thorough in the way it covers things, some thing aspects such as strategy can only be learned from experience. If you are having trouble with a situation, ask someone that seems higher level...usually in the locker room people chat about stuff. If you ever see me and have a question, don't hesitate to ask! :)
Legends of Kesmai is available through Compuserve, Earthlink, Prodigy, and America Online. LOK costs differently per hour depending on which service you are using it on, for more information visit their site. LOK can also be accessed through the Internet using GameStorm. GameStorm currently offers a flat rate program of $10 a month for all of their games.
As its name suggests, a recall ring is used to recall from one point to another, usually to avoid a long trip or to escape danger. Recall rings can be bought in Kesmai from the ring seller by the Sage, in Oakvael just north of the bank, in Leng in the SW corner of town, and in Axe-Glacier SE of the statue on the bridge(I think). To use one, put it on your finger when you are standing where you want the ring to recall to, then when you are in danger, switch the ring display, take the ring from your finger and put in your sack, ground, hand etc. and you will be teleported back to safety.
In Legends of Kesmai, there are 5 distinct planes: Kesmai, Oakvael, Leng, Axe-Glacier, and the Underkingdom. Each one has different monsters, different difficulty, and higher level requirements. Kesmai is where everyone starts, and anyone can fight on -1 or -2, and -3 or -4 is for level 8-10. Oakvael -1 is relatively easy, except for scorpions and snakes which can both poison. Oakvael -2 is also relatively safe, except for the occasional spectre. Oakvael -3 is tougher, and be very careful around the serpent. Oak -4 is for level 10-13 level, and Oak Undead shouldn't be tried unless you are level 14 or above. Leng -1 is pretty tough, with wraiths, NPCs, spectres, and other nasties. Don't wander around in Leng until you are at least level 9. Leng Griff Cliffs has griffons and lichs, and should not be attempted before level 12. Leng Undead is tougher, and should not be tried until at least 13, better if 14. Axe-Glacier has many different platforms, with the easiest being level 6+, and the highest being only the highest levels. The newest addition, the UnderKingdom, is intended for very advanced players, and anywhere but the surface a lower level character will be slaughtered. For the lowest levels of the UK, you must be at least level 16. But remember, adventure at your own risk :)
Daisy, affectionally named so, is the dragon that is part of the knight's quest for agate. The other lair monsters include the Leng Drake, which usually has a DP (hence the name drake potion), the Axe-Glacier Drake which the is the first part of the trio of Axe-Glacier. The Ice Dragon of Axe-Glacier, also known as Mama, is the second of the trio of Axe-Glacier, but is easily the most difficult. The Yeti, which is the third part of the trio, is one step in the second knight's quest. Trog, a beefed up troll, is not that difficult, and has a couple diamonds for treasure, and is most people's first lair crit. The Ninjas, who have their lair in a hidden area in Leng, are not one crit, but several ninjas with one master ninja. They are a part of the MA's Crystal Gauntlets quest. The Leng Dragon, also known as Kosh (hehe) used to have a stun/death ring in his loot, but that was removed. He now only has FF boots and a NV helm, which is still not bad, but not much for that big a crit. The Serpent, which lives in Oakvael, doesn't have a lair but instead wanders around on Oakvael -3. There is a 50% chance that he carries a DP, but be careful because he stuns and poisons. The Doom.Orc is not an all that tough lair crit, but getting to his lair is. Thieves seek him out for his +4 crossbow. The Iron Lichs, which live on Oak Undead, are two lichs that cast fire, and punch HARD! They will knock you against the walls if you are not careful. Their treasure is FF boots, and a mana restore pot (very rare).
Nothing feels better than searching for hours to find a dp, and finally finding one (except for when you hear
that your friend found one in 5 minutes). But how can you tell what is rare and what is not? How do you know you are not passing up a rare item because you don't know what it is? If you find an item and you are not sure what it
does, one way to find out is to use a vermeil ring if you have one. Hold the item in your right hand, and double-click on the ring. It will tell you what the item does, but not how much it is worth. Be careful when leaving items,
because some very rare items look like normal items sometimes, so if you find a suspicious item it is better to check it out to make sure. The other way to tell what an item is is to go to a shopkeeper and say "name, appraise - "
when it is sitting on the counter. They will tell you what it does, plus how much it is worth. They usually value rare things extremely low, such as saying a dp is worth 2000. I don't think so! :)
This is definately one of the most controversial questions in LOK. Many people have one profession that they find to be the
most fun to play, whether it be for the challenge, the uniqueness (like Thieves) or just because they like it. My personal favorite profession is the Thaumaturge, and some other peoples are too, but other people like Knights,
or Thieves, or anything. The best profession depends on your style of play and how much of a challenge you want. Thieves may be the hardest profession to play, because there are so few of them, and being neutral can be difficult
at times. First time players should usually try a fighter for a little while to get the feel of the game, and after that pick the profession for your permanent character, maybe a Fighter, which is great if you like to get in the
face of huge monsters and large groups of crits. Martial Artists are good if you like Knights with a more strategic approach to fighting, and that have an excellent range attack. Wizards are hard to play also, because of a lack
of physical strength, but later in levels get the most deadly spells in the game. I like Thaumaturges because of the ability to raise and heal others, and the cross of a fighter and knight, but Thaumaturges are also difficult to play. But most of all, have fun! :)
The first items to get are a good armor and sword. Depending on which race you are, you may have started out with anything from a dagger to an axe. If you do not want to use the weapon you are given, go to the weapons shop (directions are given earlier) and buy your weapon of choice. I recommend a greatsword or another type of sword. After that, try to kill a troll and have yourself or someone else carry it up to the tanner to get a troll leather suit of armor, which is better than plate. After that, you will either want to work on spells or weapons skills depending on what class you are. Other items to always carry are flasks with healing potions and a recall ring. Although any profession can wear them, robes are most often sought out by MUs like wizards or thaums for their ability to double the regeneration rate of mana. Thieves should try to get the Doom.Orc crossbow as soon as possible, because it is the best weapon for any thief. All other professions will want to get a returning weapon as soon as they can, to help kill running crits and to attack from a distance. Keep in mind, however, that every player has a different style of play and may find different ways to begin their character.
The name that comes after a few periods in a name shows the person's guild status. In this case, it shows that Stryker is a member of the Nod guild. Guild members use this to be able to recognize each other when they are playing with different characters other members don't know about. This can also lead to problems when someone would name themselves Stryker....Nod with 4 periods instead of 3, and some people could mistake them for the normal Stryker...Nod. There are many different ways to join a guild, but a good way to find info about a guild is to find a member of a guild and ask them for information. Most people will be glad to give you information and will be glad to recruit a member.
There are many different guilds in LOK, and they also differ depending on which service provider you are on. If you are interested in joining a guild, find one that seems interesting to you and ask a member for information. There may be requirements for joining, such as a certain level. Some other guilds are class-restrictive, such as an all MU guild or just wizard guild. Guilds are a great to way to make some new friends in the game, and have people who you know will be able to help you in dangerous areas. If you are newer and able to join a guild it can help greatly in learning about the game and meeting new people. Sometimes guilds will evaluate you by asking others what you are like. So, if you plan to join a guild, you better behave! :)
If you're feeling pretty strong, there are 3 other lands to explore in LOK. The easiest one after Kesmai is the first level of Axe-Glacier, which is much like Kesmai -1 and -2. Oakvael -1 has the same types of monsters as Kesmai -1 and Kesmai -2, but they are much stronger. In turn, they also give much more exp, which is why Oakvael is a great place to hunt after you get too strong for upper Kesmai. Leng is the hardest land, as Leng -1 has spectres, wraiths, and other monsters that reside on Kesmai -4. In Leng though, they are more powerful than in Kesmai, and appear in larger numbers. But, if you take a look at the Monsters Page, you will see that Leng monsters give much better experience, which is why experienced LOKers hunt in Leng often. Oakvael Undead and Leng Undead are two of the toughest areas in the game, along with the Leng Tower. These areas should not be ventured into until you are of moderate level, and for your first couple trips have a friend with you.
There are many different quests in LOK, but many of them are class-specific. Quests are things were you get an item, take it someone, fight a monster and then do something, or something that you need to complete a series of events for. Knights have 3 quests, 1 to become a knight, 2 to get 37 more hps, and a 3rd for 16 more hps. MAs have one quest, which is the quest for the +4 gauntlets, an MA's best weapon. Thieves do not have any real quests, except for killing the Doom.Orc to get his +4 crossbow. Thaums and Wizards do not have any quests yet, but Kesmai is hoping to add more quests in the future... at least that is what they have said for a while :) For more detailed info on areas, what to do and how to do it, see my Quests Page.
Presences are only found in a couple places throughout the game, one of them being the Leng Mausoleum. You can NEVER see the Leng presence, whether it is on your hex or 3 hexes away. The other presences can be seen. The Leng Presence will always cast Fear, followed by about 10 Curse spells. The Axe Presence will cast Ice Storm, and the Doom.Orc presence will cast Stun. Once they run out of mana, they run after you but don't attack, just follow. The only way to kill one is to cast an area spell in the direction you think it is in, and hope it gets caught in it. If you don't have an area spell, there is no other way to kill a Presence that cannot be seen.
Absolutely not! :) Along with all the other specific information pages found throughout this site, I will be glad to answer your questions! If you feel you have a question many people want an answer to, mail me and I will add it to this FAQ! If you have a question that relates to yourself, feel free to mail me and I will answer your question via e-mail. Good luck and happy hunting! :)