Getting Around in Oceancrest. Some hints to surviving through the perils of Oceancrest. If you haven't done so already, you are strongly advised to obtain a map of the city. drop me a line at: rwilson@cerritos.edu or send mail to me through Mordor at any of the many post offices. If you mail me a self-addressed, stamped envelope, I will mail you a copy of the map. Roy Wilson Cerritos College 11110 East Alondra Blvd Norwalk, Calif 90650 First Level Strategies When you first enter the game, you have nothing. This should be remedied as soon as possible. The easiest way to do this is to enter one of the numerous pubs or taverns in the eastern part of town. Note that some of the pubs in the western part of town are rather dangerous. Inside most of the pubs, there will be stuff lying on the floor. Take what you can use to wear and sell the rest of the stuff. There are pawn shops around the town that will buy stuff that is useful to them. However, some of the items you encounter, the pawn shop will not buy, so you should deposit them in the recycling centers, where they will pay you five gold pieces for each item you drop. This will get you some initial cash to purchase better armors and weapons, or to buy potions, etc. Work in the pubs or wander around the streets and you will find monsters that you can kill for experience. Always look at the monster before attacking it. The description will tell you if you can handle him. Some monsters are exceptionally difficult for lower level characters, and should not be attacked until you have advanced in levels. Spell System The spell system in Mordor is relatively simple. You are given a pool of magic points (hereto refered to as heka) which can be used to cast spells. But first you must learn the spells before you can cast them. If you find a scroll that you haven't seen before, study that scroll so that you'll be able to cast it from memory if you have enough spell points. As you advance in levels, your heka will increase. All classes of characters may cast spells, but some of the more powerful ones are limited to certain classes. Your ability to cast a spell is based partially on your ability scores, your class and the amount of heka required. Death Death is in integral part of life. You will no doubt die from time to time, but hopefully that will be rare. When you die, you will end up in Limbo, the place where all lost souls wonder the earth. You have a choice in Limbo to go through the green door or the blue door. The green door leads back to the Tree of Life, where you first started the game. The blue door leads into a coffin in the southwestern part of town. The blue door is a convenience to higher level characters so that they don't have to walk all the way from the tree of life to the more powerful areas of the city. If you haven't already noticed, the city is very large. When you die, you also lose experience points. You will lose a percent, of your total experience points at the time of your death. This doesn't seem like much right now, but when you reach higher levels, this can be important. You will never lose more than one level of experience when you die, though. Advancement As you gain experience, you will be able to advance to the next level. In order to do so, you must first find the proper training location for your class. A list of the training centers is listed below. Your job will be to find them. The little match girl can help. All the thieves' and assassin's guilds are well hidden. The progression of experience is simple. You require 512 xp to get to level 2. The amount of xp doubles for each additional level up through level 9, so level 3 == 1024, level 4 == 2048, etc. You also need to pay to advance. You must pay an amount equal to half the experience points needed to level. Places of Interest As time goes on, this list of interesting and exciting places will be added to. You should check this list if you encounter a new area before entering it. Also, be sure to read all LONG descriptions to the roads and rooms around the area. The long descrpitions will provide vital information to your general well being. A number of places are very dangerous and should not be entered until you have reached a certain level. - The Dragon's Claw Tavern and Grill, The Chug-A-Lug Pub, The Thenardier's Inn, The Rusty Nail Saloon These saloons are places where first level characters should start. Of course, some monsters are harder than others, but if you look at the monster before attacking it, you should be able to figure out whether or not you are able to defeat him. - The DeNail Corn Fields The Klondike Wheat Fields The Chateau Richland Grape Orchard Bushman Farms The Gypsy Camp - (Probably the most popular place) Although not all these locations are complete, they are ideal for low level characters who grow weary of the bars and taverns in town. These rural farming lands are located within the town and are more than willing to have people come in and kill the vermin who steal their crops. - The Melbourne Entertainment Arena This arena is specifically geared for lower level characters, but not really recommended for first level characters. After obtaining second or third level, you may wish to try this arena. - The Ivanhouse Sporting Facility This arena is different from the other two arenas in that it primarily tests characters in one-on-one combat. That being, you cannot "group" in this arena, and you must fight gladiators by yourself. The arena is not recommended for levels lower than six. - The Oceancrest Central Arena This is the main arean in Oceancrest, located off of Marina Way in the southwestern area of Oceancrest. There are three arenas in this facility: The Central Arena, the Pits of Doom and the Gaming Pit. The Gaming Pit is not yet complete. The Central Arena provides activity for many players fighting anything from easy bowyers to deadly harpies. The Pits of Doom are not recommended for any character under level seven. Within the pits roam dragons, (although on one of the levels, the dragons will not attack until you do. These are the 'metallic' dragons.) vampires, liches, sand worms and other very dangerous and deadly monsters. - The Manor of Natasha de llisk The Manor (or Haunted Mansion) is usually a fairly good place for middle level players to get used to playing in groups and for clerics to practice their skills with turning undead. You should enter the Manor with a group of people if you plan to go ghost hunting. Behind the Manor is the Werewolve's Den. This is a particularly dangerous place and not recommended for characters below level 7 by themselves. - The llisk Labyrinth The llisk Labyrinth is hidden near the Manor, and is the home of many wierd and mysterious creatures, including flying snakes and minotaurs. This is a relatively good place to gain experiece for middle level characters, but it is not suggested that you venture into the labyrinth alone. If you can map out the Labyrinth, you will be able to figure out some of the secrets within its walls. - The Pirate Ship Widow Maker The Widow Maker Pirate Ship is docked in the Nylandian Bay. The pirates are rough, but relatively easy to handle at middle to high level. It often sails to Uland Island, a place you cannot get except by ship. - The Barbarian Pits This area is ideally suited for barbarians and some fighters. The barbarian training locations are found here. Half-giant characters may also find some of the stronger armors that will fit them here. Being so large, it is hard to find armor to fit them. - Etolos Etolos is the mystical land of the Etolian Druids, a strange cult of clerics who find a balance between all of nature. The druids are one of the few clans in the world who are stictly neutral. The Etolian Druids range from the inexperienced to the powerful. You should watch who you attack, as you might be in over your head. - The Adrilite Museum The Museum has exhibits that will interest everyone from the level one beginners to the most powerful characters in the game. The diverse scattering of exhibits can also be dangerous, so please read the long descriptions before venturing into some of the more dangerous places in the Museum. - The Bendine Aquarium This is a particularly dangerous place in town. Although all the sea monsters are safely within the confines of their tanks, people have been known to go in the tanks to play with the octopi or the sharks. Middle level characters will find the Kiddie Pool a challenge while some of the more higher level characters will find the shark and octopi tanks interesting. The pirahna pool is another dangerous tank filled with deadly pirahna that attack in swarms, nibbling a piece of you away each time they attack. - Keslar's Palace Perhaps the most powerful, and therefore the most deadly, place in Oceancrest, the Keslar Mages ruthlessly attack opponents with deadly magic of awesome power. This area is not at all recommended for characters below level 10. The Palace is one of the few areas in town that should be avoided unless you are with a very powerful party. The mages can often be much more powerful than dragons. - The Necropolis The Necropolis is Oceancrest's major cemetery. There are statues and memorials to great heros of the Land of Mordor, and tombs of powerful powerful figures from the past. There is an opportunity for players to gain a great deal of experience here, and some wonderful weapons and items may be found in the Necropolis, but it is also a dangerous place, best explored when in a group. - The Enchanted Forest The Enchanted Forest entrance is on Lelion Way, between Leviathan and Riverdell. There are some strange and wonderful things to be seen there, but the monsters are best suited for players from level 5-10. It's also best to be in a group when you go there. There are very few aggressive monsters in the forest, and you may find it interesting to talk to them.