Abandoned Realms is a text-based roleplaying game where the new adventurer explores over 100 areas, acquiring experience points to gain 50 levels. Along with the levels come new abilities to master. Players kill tough creatures to obtain better equipment and proceed to the next area for better loot. Along the way, the player meets others IN CHARACTER who are doing the same, and will have to choose to either ally with them, be hostile or just avoid them.

Getting to the 50th level (the pinnacle) is where the real game begins for our veterans. Politics and war are rife amongst the elite players, who need to co-operate to get the best loot in the game from our challenging "end game" areas. However, it is limited in quantity on the server, which means trading for, begging, stealing, and in some cases fighting over it. Many players join cabals for both protection and power.

Finally, a note about losers. This is a roleplaying enforced game with playerkilling to up the ante, so expect to die and get accustomed to dealing with it, with help from your friends if need be. However, that does not mean that we harbor losers who pick off our new players. If you get murdered and fully looted with no roleplay in your first two months on this game, please let us know so that we can deal with that person to the harshest possible degree. Do keep in mind as well, you will earn yourself a TON of respect for toughing it out to a high level and being in the graveyard !

So you've decided to rank. Congratulations! Rank 50th is where your sights should of course lie, but much practice and hardship will be in your path. Try not to rank too high too fast, as the experience can often be overwhelming, and you lose access to newbie chat (and usually enter PK) at rank 10. Here are some places that will get you past rank 5, which you can easily attain in the Academy of Learning.

Levels 5-8 (difficulty : easy)

All aligns can rank in the goblin village south of Seringale. Also, your first opportunity to upgrade equipment will come here. Begin with the lowly goblins, working your way up to goblin guards, and finally the powerful goblins that reside in the clay huts.

Levels 8-15 (difficulty : medium - group recommended)

Lightwalkers (GOOD align characters) may rank on the spiders and oozes of Drkshyre wood. This area is west of town, north of the colossal tree. It is very IMPORTANT that you take a recall potion with you. You may get lost your first couple tries.

Evil characters may rank in Emerald Forest, on farmers. You can easily rank here, but be on guard, for Emerald Forest is the most dangerous area to rank in, with the highest death rate of any area. Beware the boogum. This area is found at the south end of the Commons, south of Seringale.

Neutrals may tag along with anyone, but they won't gain experience as quickly. Beyond these ranks, you will have to get groups. Don't forget to have description completed by the 10th level.

As your character levels, you will unlock access to new abilities that are usable once you have practiced them. To see these, you may use the commands SKILLS and SPELLS. Bards can view their SONGS. Practicing can only be done at your guildhall, which will be somewhere within Seringale. Keep in mind that your guildhall is also protected by a guild guardian, which will shield you from many would-be murderers all the way up into the high levels. However, some guilds (most notably thieves) have in-fighting, so this is no sure guarantee of safety. Nevertheless in the low ranks it is the only easy place you will have to hide in. Use it.

You will also receive training sessions which you can use to enhance yourself. This may be done at the Training Grounds, northwest of the North Square of Seringale. You can train your strength, dex, and so forth, up to your racial maximums. You may also train health, mana and movement. Spend these trains wisely, you will receive precious few of them.

Abilities like skills and spells will improve as you use them. Mastering them alone is by no means a guarantee of victory in every fight, and you should worry about taking the right decision first (FLEE is generally best thing to do if you are unsure). When you decide to spend time on skills, keep in mind that they improve through USE, meaning use them to make them get better. But be warned, being caught training is being caught at your most vulnerable, so try to do this discreetly. Carry recall potions at all times, and always be ready to use it.

Getting into a fight with another person of the realms is inevitable eventually, and once you past the 10th rank, you will need to be prepared. Here is a checklist for you to look at, to make sure that you are.

Weapon - You must have a weapon wielded that you know how to use.
Shield - If you are able to learn shield blocking, then do so.
Armor - Don't be walking around naked, you won't have a chance.

Here are some enhancements you can gain with magic:

Sanctuary - Lessens the damage you take. Find the purple potion.
Detect invis - Very important!! Search elemental canyon for dusts.
Recall - Buy recall potions. Use them to shake off attackers. (But you will have to run further to stop them finding you again)
Gyvels - These potions from north of Seringale cure blindness.

Remember, if you are attacked and you aren't ready, FLEE. Never stay in a fight you haven't started. You must be prepared. Learn towns well enough to run them blind, you may need to.

Exploring the realms is vital to your success, and should be your first priority as a new addition to the realms. This knowledge will stay with you permanently and benefit you for the rest of your days, compared to the fleeting nature of equipment and lives, so don't be worried to put yourself at risk to do it. That said, it is still a good idea to use SCAN before you enter a new room for the first time, and CONSIDER before you attack an unfamiliar monster. And of course, have a recall potion handy, incase you should fall into the dreaded no-exit trap.

To get the most out of exploring, keep the following things in mind:

Any objects you find should be identified, to see if they are useful. Make a note of anything interesting, and where you found it.
Figure out where areas begin and end, the boundaries are all you need to check to take a look at the whole area with WHERE later.
Walk into the walls. It may give you a nasty bump, but you will know a door if you stumble into one. No point exploring an area and missing out an entire part of it.
Inspect rooms closely for hidden clues. This may be the most boring part of the task, depending on how interesting the surroundings are, but you will uncover a lot of secrets if you are persistent.
Don't just wander aimlessly. You don't want to end up sitting at the pit because you don't know the way back. Be sure to keep a general idea of where you are. Mastering an area's layout will take practice, but you should always be able to retrace your steps when you've died.