DEEKIN'S PIT REVISITED
Advice
You can find some of this advice in game on the shelf in the Glorious Tent. The advice on Starter Dungeons is only available here. Spoilers are light. If you aren't sure what to do, this should point you in the right direction. You can also ask questions in the discord.
Starter Dungeons
Deekin's Pit
Deekin's Pit is a connector to other places. While some encounters happen here (at particular hours), it is generally safe for beginners to explore. Two dungeon entrances are obvious, the "Mine" and "Cave - Behind the Waterfall". Others must be discovered.
Cave - Behind the Waterfall
For players new to this module, I highly recommend trying the Cave - Behind the Waterfall. Find it marked on your map in the North-east corner of Deekin's Pit. It has a few set piece challenges. The first of these embodies your fear of the dark. While the darkness must be fought, it can neither kill you nor be killed by conventional means, so this is also a puzzle. After you defeat it, don't forget to search for treasure. You'll need this particular treasure to progress.
In general, this cave is more puzzly than hack-and-slashy. While the other monsters can kill you, you do not need to kill them to win treasure. Usually you can avoid them, go around, or neutralize them in some way.
Mine
At the west end of Deekin's Pit you'll find an entrance to the mine. It's also marked on your map. Bring a hammer and chisel, and look for things to mine.
Avoid the dark corner on the north side for now. Turn on detect mode. Poke at stuff. Examine things. There's usually more to find than you expect. One thing to look for are the stationary crystals that light up when you approach. Their caretakers, the living crystals, are not hostile to begin with so you can safely explore around them.
When exploration gets boring, you can try mining. To mine a resource (that's the glowing crystals in this area), use a chisel on it, then bash it with a hammer. As you might expect, this will piss off the living crystals within earshot. Be prepared to run. If you kill them, they will drop more treasure, but the group will hold a grudge.
Catacombs
The Catacombs are not marked on your map, and the entrance from Deekin's Pit is hidden. Once you find your way in, you'll discover many graves. That is where the treasure is. Some graves have small treasures. Others have big ones. The big ones can only be looted once in your character's life. The graves are defended by various means, and the challenge level accelerates the deeper you explore. Going it alone at low levels will get your character killed. Tackling this with a party of other players is recommended. I also suggest that you agree on a signal for when to run before robbing your first grave.
If you are interested in exploring the depths, bring rope. Use the rope on the climbing pegs before descending. It is almost impossible to climb back up without rope or other means of escape (like being able to fly). To retrieve your rope when you are done, emote *take rope*. This is necessary because clicking on the rope initiates the climb.
Cave
Also hidden in Deekin's Pit is another cave. This one you can hack and slash at low levels, but it can overwhelm a reckless player. Know when to run and you'll be fine.
This area is fairly large. In it you'll find a variety of monsters, resources, treasure, and NPCs with schedules. Most of the monsters you encounter will be level appropriate for beginners, but keep on your toes. If you accidentally turn an NPC hostile, run away, and come back later. You usually want to maintain a good relationship with characters that you can talk to. If you kill them, you will probably ruin your reputation with their group.
The resources available here range from mineables to monsters. You need a knife to carve up a monster's corpse. Points in crafting help to improve the quality of the resource harvested. These are low value treasure for the Glory Box, but some merchants want them. Ask merchants about their business to find out what they want. Selling to them (in conversation rather than the store interface) will earn you gold. Quality goods earn more, and your bargain skill will help too.
General Advice
Join a Party
We recommend playing with others, and when you play with others, you should join together in a single party.
Many treasures multiply the number of coins in the horde by the number of player characters in the party. PCs in a party also bleed out more slowly so as to give the other players time to save them with a first aid kit.
Loot
Some treasures can be looted once per visit by your PC, others can only be looted once ever. You will have to figure out which is which, but generally the larger treasures can only be looted once in a PC's lifetime.
Killing the monsters is often not a requirement for obtaining the loot. I recommend looking for the most efficient means to get the treasure, and risking the least amount of combat. Stealing the loot and sneaking away is totally valid - especially if you are worried about the NPCs discovering that you robbed them. Just ripping and running can also work, if you have a clear path to the exit.
The point is that treasure is the prize. Everything else is just in your way.
Dying and Respawning
After "dying", you will usually respawn to the Glorious Tent. Beginners (levels 1-3) respawn without penalty. You can take advantage of that by rushing in, grabbing a bunch of treasure, and allowing the monsters to kill you to send you back here. But I wouldn't get too used to it. At levels 4 and up, your PC's pocket will be picked (50gp per level) when they respawn. They first take your coins, then items. Some starting equipment will be spared, but that is it. While it is possible to restart from nothing, this is "playing on hard mode" as they say.
Read Everything Carefully
While much of the text that shows up in the chat window is flavor text, it also contains useful information. I try to write clear messages and descriptions, but sometimes I can be obtuse. Read the text carefully, and look for hints.
Item descriptions are also often just flavor, but there's plenty of useful hints there too.
Look Around
Just running around while holding the Tab key won't reveal everything. Many objects require a PC be close to them to be interactive.
You can also emote *looks* or *look around* to detect some things that are not obviously interactive. When you do this, you will receive some general description text along side a list of objects which you may investigate further. These objects can be examined for more information by emoting *examine (object name)*.
Other good methods for discovering hidden objects are: walking around with detect mode active and also periodically emoting *searches*. Clicking on objects with detect mode active also can give more information.
Use Your Map
Pin the locations on your map that you want to remember. The pin and the first 50 characters of its text are stored in the database. They will be there the next time you login.
Talk to the NPCs
NPCs can be useful. Some have things to sell, information to share, or can be persuaded to help your PC.
How receptive they are to your PC depends both on your PC's reputation with their group, and on how the individual reacts to your PC. Charisma and Influence can help with reactions, as can a charm spell.
Maintain Your Rep
Many creatures do not start off as hostile, but they will become hostile to your PC, if they are attacked, robbed, or otherwise pissed off by something your PC does. This is usually temporary.
However if your PC kills an NPC, their reputation with the NPC's group will suffer, and the group will remember this across server resets. Sometimes if there are no witnesses, your PC can get away with it, but this is dangerous to rely on as you don't always know if your PC is being watched.
Consider carefully the groups of NPCs with which you want to remain on good terms.
Henchmen
Some NPCs (like the goblins) can be convinced to work for your PC if you Charm them or succeed on an Influence check. Most expect to be paid for the venture.
Ask an NPC for help and see if you can convince them to join you.
To manage your henchman, the best way is to use their rotary menu. Right click them and look for it.
Also, keep in mind that if your PC leads henchman to their death or abandons them far from home, your PC's reputation will suffer. For a better reputation, return them safely, and reward them.