Getting Started

So, you are a backer of and are getting ready to step into New Britannia for the first time? Where do you start? What should you do?

This article will help you take those first steps into Pre-Alpha Release 16!

Installation
Download and run the Portalarium installer here:
 * PC: https://d2sx9mrt4zumaq.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/SotAInstaller.exe
 * Mac: https://d2sx9mrt4zumaq.cloudfront.net/Launchers/latestPatcherOSX.zip
 * 1) Linux: https://d2sx9mrt4zumaq.cloudfront.net/Launchers/latestPatcherLinux.tar.gz

Download and install on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/326160/

Read the Player Instructions and Known Issues.

After this is installed, run the game from the shortcut. It will patch to the latest version and launch the game when done. Hereafter, you do not need to reinstall the program for each release; simply run the patcher to update to the latest version before launch!

Login
To log into the game, enter the Username and Password you created for your account on the website. Note that this *may* be different than the login information for the SotA Forums. You can also select what mode to play the game in. Currently, the available modes are:


 * Single Player Online: In this mode, only your character appears in the world.
 * Multiplayer Online: All players can appear in this mode, although only a limited number may be in a single instance.

Character Creation
After logging in the first time, you must create a character. Select your appearance and provide a character name. Don't worry too much about this now, other than trying out the various options. Characters will be deleted regularly between each Pre-Alpha test, and you can delete and recreate the character yourself at any time.

Subsequent logins will allow you to continue with the existing character, or delete them and create a new character.

Basic Controls
Lets take a look at the most basic things in ; how to move around.

You move using standard "WASD" controls, with a few additional options:
 * Pressing "W" will move you forward. Pressing "NumLock" will cause you to continue to move forward until you tap "S" to stop. You can also use your left mouse button to move forward.
 * Pressing "A" will cause you to move to your character's left.
 * Pressing "S" will cause you to move in the oposite direction your character is facing.
 * Pressing "D" will cause you to move to your character's right.

You can also turn your character using the "Q" key (to turn left) and "E" key (to turn right), or use the right mouse button and move the mouse to turn.

Finally, general speech is controlled by pressing "Enter" to put focus in the text box, typing what you want to say, and pressing "Enter" again to say it. You do not need to target someone to speak with them, although you can do this to ensure you are talking to the correct person (otherwise the game assumes you are talking to the person closest to you. Another way to start speaking with an NPC is to double-click them, which will begin a conversation. Targeting is controlled by left clicking them with the mouse, or pressing "Tab" until they are highlighted. Note that characters are leery of speaking to adventurers who bear weapons threateningly; press "Z" to sheathe or unsheathe your weapon.

Tutorial
You first appear in an instance of Solace Bridge where a great battle has taken place. Complete the tutorial by following the hints provided, or click the link above a quick walkthrough.

Enter New Britannia
You have just stepped through a Lunar Rift and arrived in the village of Soltown. Only a few buildings form the village proper, but more are available for players to purchase and place. Around town are portals to the Challenge Dungeon and PvP Team Arena, as well as the Tour Guide.

Questing
Quests are the bread and butter of the adventurer. In various locations throughout New Britannia, NPCs seek your aid in accomplishing a wide variety of tasks. To get started, double-click on the Tour Guide to start a conversation with him. He invites you to join the Grand Tour, and promises a reward. Press "Enter" to bring up your interaction window and introduce yourself. Ask him about the "grand tour" to hear about the requirements again; you can also click and of the highlighted words to quickly learn more.

Press "J" to display your Journal (a shortcut key will be added to open this in its own UI soon). Note that there is an entry there from your conversation with the Tour Guide. Many items that can be followed up with are automatically noted in your Journal; you can use these notes to help you recall what you need to do or ask about in your travels. In future releases, some keywords may be clickable from within the Journal, allowing you to quickly start a conversation with your currently selected NPC about that item. Not all characters will know about any specific subject, however, and not all have your best interest in mind. For now, close the Journal and you can start on this quest.

Additional quests can be unlocked by speaking to other NPCs in various locations. Be sure to check your Journal occasionally to keep track of your current progress, but note that this game is unlike many MMOs; you will have to remember to do things on your own!

Overland Travel
Once you are done in Soltown, turn around and travel through the archway to exit the village. As you pass the boundary of the town, you will see the screen darkening like the iris of a camera. This indicates a zone change is coming, and if you do not want to leave a particular area you can stop and turn back.

You will find yourself on a zoomed out map of the area. The same controls are used in this view, so press "W" to travel north, "A" to turn to the west "D" to turn east, and "S" to turn south". In the future, you may also be able to travel just by clicking where you wish to move.

For now, follow the road west along the coast. When you approach the town, a button will appear at the bottom of the screen to enter the town. Click it, and you will find yourself outside of the city of Owl's Head. Travel up the path until you find a bridge protected by Guard Michael.

Greet Michael and he will reveal that the town is mostly closed to outsiders, mostly those from the mainland. He questions your arrival. Answer how you choose and he will allow you entrance.

(Note that while you can just run past Michael, failing to talk to him will result in most other NPCs within the town refusing to deal with you until you do.)

Things to Do in Owl's Head
While you can certainly explore the town and its environs, the main things to do in Owl's Head involve housing, crafting and quests.

Housing
To test housing (we are here to test, after all), click on the sign in front of any of the player lots. If it is owned, you will see who owns it, otherwise you can claim it for a modest sum, and purchase a house to place there. Smaller lots with a wooden fence are Village lots, those with a low stone wall are Town lots, and ones with crenelated walls are City lots. Outside of town is a Castle lot which can be claimed. Houses can be purchased from Thomas Strongbeard in the Fire Lotus Tavern.

Additionally, you can find basement accesses set in some houses and NPC shops; double-clicking the entrance will allow you to enter the basement. Basements will be available for placement in player homes in a future release.

Crafting
Crafting involves gathering resources, refining them at a workbench, and then producing the end result. In Owl's Head, a crafting station can be found in the outer village near Fire Lotus Tavern.

You can find Handac in the crafting pavilion, who will happily sell you some crafting gear. While there, make sure to purchase a Harvesting Axe and any other gathering tools you might want. There are also some chests nearby with the basics you will need to get started.

To perform crafting, double-click on a station to approach it. Your inventory and the contents of the station itself will be displayed. Press "R" to display your recipe book. You can click on any of the section names to jump to that section of the book. Double-click on a recipe to place the items for that recipe in the crafting station.

Questing
Additional quests can be started in Owl's Head. To get started, head to Peddler's Row, which forms the southern Owl's Head Market. You will find an NPC named Myra selling vegetables there.

Double-click on Myra to start a conversation with her. Since she is a shopkeeper, you will also see her merchant inventory. Press "Enter" to bring up your interaction window and introduce yourself. Ask her about her "farm" to learn more about Myra, and then about her "brother" to learn of her troubles. Agree to help her and you will be given a well-worn key for the Clink.

Press "J" to display your Journal (a shortcut key will be added to open this in its own UI soon). Note that there is an entry there from your conversation with Myra. Many items that can be followed up with are automatically noted in your Journal; you can use these notes to help you recall what you need to do or ask about in your travels. In future releases, some keywords may be clickable from within the Journal, allowing you to quickly start a conversation with your currently selected NPC about that item. Not all characters will know about any specific subject, however, and not all have your best interest in mind. For now, close the Journal and continue on this quest.

You can find the entrance to the Clink just past the guardhouse nearby, through a door set into the town wall. Make your way into the lower levels, where you will find Myron hanging in a gibbet. Give him the key so he can free himself, and then make your way out of the prison. If you so desire, there are several secret tunnels with a good amount of available loot, that can be found within the prison. Take care in your explorations, however; there are known to be dangerous criminals within the cells!

Journey Onward
When you are done in Owl's Head, head out of town. Move to a nearby forest and double-click to enter. You will find yourself in a forested area with a stream nearby.

Things to Do in the Wilderness
Exploring the various wilderness areas can be exciting. There are two main things to do in the wilderness: gathering and combat.

Gathering
To aid in crafting, you can gather your own supplies out in the wild.


 * Mining can be done wherever a vein of metal can be found, and requires a Pickaxe.
 * Forestry can be used to fell some trees and gather wood, but requires a Harvesting Axe.
 * After slaying an animal in combat, using a Skinning Knife for Field Dressing will yield hides.
 * A Sickle can be used in Foraging to gather cotton, herbs and other wild ingredients.

You can purchase gathering tools from Handac in Owl's Head. There are a couple ways to use tools: either locate them in your backpack and double-click it to activate, or drag the tool to the toolbar at the bottom of the screen and us the corresponding number to active it. Either way will attempt to use the tool on a nearby available target.

Locate a tree with red leaves. Approach the base of the tree and use your harvesting axe. The tree will fall and you can loot a few logs to use in Carpentry back in town.

Combat
Also in the forest area, you can find aggressive enemies. Approaching the elves, wolves, or spiders will cause them to attack. You can also attack stags and other animals.

Combat is initiated by double-clicking the enemy you would like to engage, or using a combat skill from the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

Basic combat involves you automatically attacking your target with the equipped weapon. How quickly you attack and how much damage is done depends on the equipped weapon. These will be modified by the passive skills you select. Some weapons will also draw on your Focus, such as enchanted wands or staves.

In Release 5, active combat skills were introduced. Skills are managed by assigning skill points in the Skill window, accessed by pressing "K". Any learned skill appears on your Skill List (press "L"), which can be placed in the hotbar at the bottom of the screen, and activated using the designed number on the keyboard. Assigning more than one point in a skill allows multiple copies of that skill on the hotbar, allowing you to use them with separate cool-down timers. Using skills costs Focus.

The Deck builder is accessible by pressing the "Y" key. Drag items from the Skill List to the Deck window, which was added in Release 8. The minimum hand size is 20, so if you have fewer skills in your deck, the remainder will be filled with "slugs". Additional slugs are added for heavy equipment. Click Equip to use the selected deck, which you can then utilize in combat.

Player vs Player
PVP scenes include the following: The Brave Coat (accessible from the Kingsport dock, outside of Kingsport from the northern guard tower, in Owl's Head northeast of FireLotus Tavern near the gate to the town center, within the weapon shop near the Owl's Head barracks, under Bridget’s house in Braemar, and two forest road scenes on the overworld map. Additionally, the PvP Team Arena is a special group PVP scene accessible from a portal in Braemar.

Explore
Now that you know the basics of the game, feel free to explore and start testing. Remember to submit bugs and feedback on the Forums. Here are a few places you might consider visiting in the Hidden Vale:


 * The oceanside town of Kingsport to the east.
 * The bandit's cave of Owl's Nest, just east of Owl's Head. Travel down the path past the spiders and take a left at each intersection to locate the caves.
 * The forest village of Braemar to the south.
 * The dungeon Ravensmoor, south of Braemar. Travel deep into the ruins past the undead to find the crypt's entrance.
 * Several player housing villages throughout the isle.
 * Ruins inhabited by satyr can be found in some southern hexes.

Videos
This video by The Mad Hermit provides basics about how to play.