The number on the left is how many movements to get to the area, the portal counting as one, it also lists what gameload portal can be used to shorten these already. I didn’t list any areas under 7 movements as thats a lil over kill. 7 probably is as well, can easily be fine buying everything 10 movements or above. Anyhow this is the list for those who might want to start buying Trivia Portals.

27 infamy [a two-way mirror];run 6e2s3edw3n3e4s3w
26 uprising run 2ndndu4e5n4w4n2ed
23 logging [Glad Arena];run sd6s13e;enter fog
22 necro run 4swnd2es2e5se4s
21 annwn [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run 3s16eu
20 hodgepodge [starburst];run ds8es2w6n
19 jenny [a wooden yoke];run w2n4e5n4wnu
17 jotun run 13s2wsd
16 elemental [A Small Crystal Tree];run d13ne
16 fireswamp [starburst];run d3n3w3n3e2n
16 gallows [black volcanic glass];run sw12ne
16 helegear [a mirror showing Deneria’s past];run s13es
16 paradise [a Cracked Wooble-nut];run se12ne
15 ascent [Honeycomb];run n4e4n4w;climb the chain
15 fantasy [an apple press];run sw4n3en3e;sleep
15 monastery [Honeycomb];run n4enunuw2ene
15 newthalos [Sir Lauren’s Despair];run 12s2e
15 quarry [Sir Lauren’s Despair];run s6w7s
15 skeletal [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run u2s6w4su
14 conflict [Cowlina’s Trust];run se3nd3nu3n
14 imagi run wuwus5w4s
14 radiance [Time Capsule];run 9s3e;explore woods
14 rebellion [a Chip of Willow Bark];run 5s5enws
14 remcon [a two-way mirror];run 6e2s3edw
14 sahuagin run 2ndnunese2s3e
14 vale [Sir Lauren’s Despair];run 8s5e
13 dhalgora [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run s10en
13 dungeon [Queen Melosa’s Mirror];run w2s9e
13 fractured [a wooden yoke];run 6w6s
13 gnomalin [Enchanted Spellbook];run s5w6s
13 nursing [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run e4ws4wsu
13 peninsula run ndwusd2esdnds
13 vlad [Queen Melosa’s Mirror];run w5n6e
13 wildwood [a Cracked Wooble-nut];run s2w9n
13 yarr [Hot Wok of Qong];run d6w5n
12 atlantis [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run s6n3es
12 cineko [Sir Lauren’s Despair];run s7w3s
12 diatz [a Passage to Gwillimberry];run d9wu
12 dortmund [Honeycomb];run n4enunuwe
12 lidnesh [a wooden yoke];run 9w2s
12 sendhian [Aethelswyth’s Visions];run s6w3n;moonrift
11 astral [Time Capsule];run s4w4su
11 beer [Broken Curse];run en8w
11 cathedral [Honeycomb];run n4enunuw
11 damned [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run un3w4se
11 dundoom [Queen Melosa’s Mirror];run w8nd
11 earthplane [Honeycomb];run n4enunun
11 fortune [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run uew6se
11 ftii run 8s3e
11 glimmerdim [a Chip of Willow Bark];run 5s5e
11 infest [an apple press];run sw6nen
11 oceanpark [Wizard’s Prism];run us3w4su
11 origins [Honeycomb];run n4enunue
11 raga [Bell Tent];run sw3swn3w
11 scarred [Backstage Pass];run 2sen3w3n
11 slaughter [a demon school handbook];run 4s3w3s
11 songpalace [Enchanted Spellbook];run s3w5sd
11 thieves run sw2nwus4e
11 times [a Passage to Gwillimberry];run d3w6n
10 aardington run 2nwdeususe
10 alehouse [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run u6s2e
10 asherodan [Aethelswyth’s Visions];run sw6su
10 canyon [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run n4s4e
10 caravan [Enchanted Spellbook];run s6wsw
10 cats [an apple press];run sw5n2e
10 chantry [Broken Curse];run en5ws;cross the kettermoor
10 diner [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run 2us4wsw
10 firenation [Compendium of Fal’Shara];run 3s6e
10 maelstrom [a demon school handbook];run 4se2n2e
10 minos [a two-way mirror];run w8s
10 mudwog [Enchanted Spellbook];run s2w6n
10 spyreknow [a wooden yoke];run 8wn
10 stone [Wizard’s Prism];run u2ne3ned
10 tombs [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run u2s3w2s;jump shaft
10 woodelves [a two-way mirror];run w4s4w
10 xmas [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run n8e
9 avian [Goblin Warplans];run u6su
9 blackrose [a demon school handbook];run 6seu
9 camps [Sir Lauren’s Despair];run sen5e
9 chessboard run 2s5es;watch game
9 crynn [Hot Wok of Qong];run ds3w3s
9 fury [the orb of the stars];run us3w2s;join the crew
9 kerofk [a wooden yoke];run w2n4en
9 kingsholm [a wooden yoke];run w5n2e
9 longnight [Compendium of Fal’Shara];run s6wd
9 melody run 2s5ws;dance
9 winter run 6sune
8 arboretum [a mirror showing Deneria’s past];run s6w
8 carnivale [Honeycomb];run nes4e
8 childsplay run 4swndn
8 earthlords [Compendium of Fal’Shara];run s6e
8 farm [an apple press];run sw2n2en
8 graveyard run 4swnde
8 hawklord run 4swndw
8 hoard [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run uwusw2s
8 horizon [the Tiger of Kai];run 6su
8 lab [a Cedria];run 6ws
8 manor [Sir Lauren’s Despair];run s5ws
8 northstar [the Gate Rune];run w2n3eu
8 nulan [the badge of the Draconic Intelligence Service];run 2e2n3e
8 orlando [Broken Curse];run e3n2en
8 salt run 4swnds
8 sandcastle [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run 2u4se
8 siege [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run uwuw3n
8 tanra [Enchanted Spellbook];run sen4e
8 tilule [Permanent Peace];run ds2w3s
7 afterglow [a Majestic Orb];run ndus2e
7 bliss [Sir Lauren’s Despair];run sw4s
7 cove [A Black Pendant];run s3w2n
7 dunes [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run e2w2su
7 empyrean [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run e5w
7 hedge run 2nwdeus
7 kobaloi run wusu2es
7 landofoz run 2nwde2u
7 laym [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run w3s2e
7 nenukon [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run ew3se
7 promises run 2nwdeuw
7 shadowsend [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run e3w2n
7 shouggoth [the Amulet of Aardwolf];run es4e
7 volcano [x|| A MAGIC SCHOOL BUS ||x];run u2s3e
7 weather run 2nwdeue
7 werewood [Queen Melosa’s Mirror];run w4se
7 zodiac [Compendium of Fal’Shara];run s4ws

AKA, “I wish I knew this before I bashed my head into my desk”. Also, like 90% of this applies to campaigns as well, so think of this as a supplemental to the Campaign Guide.

Intro

So, imagine this. You’re brand new to the world of Aardwolf and, with a twinkle-sparkle in your eye, you keep seeing these messages roll past your chat window:

Global Quest: Global Quest # 1234 has been won by Player1 - 999th win.

And you, in your naivete think to yourself, “Oh maaan, global quests?” Those must be sooo coool!” And then, the moment happens:

Global Quest: Global quest # 1235 has been declared for levels 10 to 30 - less than 25 wins only.
The quest will start in 4 ticks and will last for xx ticks.

“Oh boy! I’m between levels 10 and 30! And I don’t have any wins! A global quest made just for me? This must be my lucky day!”

So you, again in your naivete, type gq join 1235 and sit patiently waiting for the starting gun. Now little padawan, let me tell you what’s about to happen.

“Hrm, let’s see… The first one is in Nalondir. Well, I’ve never been there before, but let’s go check it out! Okay, I need to kill… a sewer rat. Hrm, I don’t know where that is but let’s runto nalondir and just have a look around… Well, I found some sewers… Ahah! Sewer rat is dead! Awesome! Next is… The Fire Swamp. Cool, I’ll just runto fire, and look for An osprey… Found it! Next is…”

Global Quest: Global quest #1235 canceled due to inactivity.

“What. What? NANI~!? But I was…!!!”

This was the point in my Aard career where I proceeded to write a 30 page manifesto about how Global Quests were absolute BS, not newbie friendly, bad UX, and so on. But what really happened was that you were too slow, too inexperienced, and not equipped with the proper tools. Allow me to show you the way.

Before you start

Before you even start thinking about taking your first, precious little baby steps into the world of Global Questing, please, please, heed these tips:

1. Don’t. If you are very new to your Aard adventure, just… Don’t. Seriously, the amount of time allotted to low-level GQuests is tiny, and you will fail. Your time will be much better spent:
2. Explore. You want to see as much of the world as possible. Doing regular quests, and especially doing campaigns, will more or less force you to explore the world and the areas within it. Seriously, you want to get your explore count as high as you can.
3. Use the official Aard/MUSH client. I know, I know, you really really like using telnet inside of your tty. And, if you don’t know what either of those words mean, you should DEFINITELY be using the official client. It runs perfectly under WINE, so “Waaa, I use a Mac” isn’t a valid reason not to. “I am blind and play with text to speech,” IS a valid reason and… I… I don’t know how to help you. Sorry.
4. Have this site open in a browser window. We’ll get to that later.

Mapper is your friend—AKA, the Aard Konami code

If you are using the official client, then it not only includes mapper functionality, but it is preconfigured to mostly work out-of-the-box. What it does is, every time you enter a room for the first time, mapper is recording the room name, connections to other rooms, and building a run path to that room.

Now, that run path may or may not be the most optimal path, but it will try to get you there. Also, mapper doesn’t really take into account closed doors, locked doors, portals, that one weird room where you have to do the chicken dance to get ported… But it will still get you most of the way there.

And even then, it is possible to manually configure mapper to handle some of those edge cases but, that’s a topic for a different day.

Actually doing Global Quests

If you tl;dr-ed from the start, welcome.

If you are using the Aard/MUSH client, and have been exploring like you should have been, then, when you take on a GQuest (or a campaign—like I said, most of this applies to both), then when you bring up gq check, you might see something like:

You still have to kill * a dwarven officer (A Dwarven Garrison)

Now, if you have 30,000 hours logged into the game—why are you reading this?—you probably know exactly where that is and are speedwalking there already. For the rest of us going “where the hell is that?”, allow me to introduce, mapper find.

> mapper find garrison
Found 2 targets matching '%garrison%'.
+------------------------------ START OF SEARCH -------------------------------+
[1] Remains of a ruined garrison (The Shadows of Minos) (20474)
[2] A Dwarven Garrison (Swordbreaker's Hoard) (1697)
+-------------------------------- END OF SEARCH -------------------------------+

If, in your earlier exploration, you happened upon a room called A Dwarven Garrison, then that is the result that you would see from running the command mapper find garrison. Since we were specifically told it was A Dwarven Garrison, we want the second one. So, you will follow that with:

> mapper goto 1697
Going to: A Dwarven Garrison
run 6sununw11s13wen2eu2wueunds2ednwn

And you’re there! Just type mapper find xxxx, where ‘xxxx’ is whatever number shows up to the right of the room name in search. Note that, your number will almost certainly NOT be 1697, so be sure to use whatever mapper find tells you. Here’s some more tips about using mapper:

• Manually typing mapper goto isn’t strictly required. With Aard/MUSH client, you can actually click on the room name in the search results, and mapper will start speedwalking for you.
• If you know for a fact that you’re already in the right area, for example: Swordbreaker's Hoard, then you can use mapper area to just search your current area.
• mapper goto doesn’t require you to start from recall. It will attempt to route you to your destination from wherever you currently are. Maybe that’s bad if you’re on a different continent, but it’s great if:
• mapper will get interrupted if you get into combat, encounter a closed or locked door, need to enter a portal or use a pass phrase, etc. In these cases you can manually deal with whatever the interruption is, use mapper goto xxxx again, and it will start continue routing you from wherever you are.

Having the passdoor effect active negates a lot of issues with doors and mapper goto. Thieves get it at 48, Psionicists get it at 50, and the Seekers clan sells a passdoor potion at 48 as well.

Found 0 targets – AKA, I’ve been slacking on my homework

If however, the mob is in an area that you have NEVER been to before (or just never found that room), then mapper find will probably turn up 0 results. In this case, it’s time for your backup weapon. Remember that link I told you to have open?

https://rooms.gaardian.com/

On that page, you can enter the name of the mob you’re looking for. Using the previous example, a dwarven officer:

This tells you that the mob you’re looking for is located in the zone, Swordbreaker's Hoard. With this you can, at the very least, runto hoard, and start looking for the room you need with Gaardian map. Since we already know the room name A Dwarven Garrison, and the Gaardian maps are text searchable, you can use CTRL+F and get something like this:

As a side bonus, you might look at that map and recognize some room that you have been to before like, “Oh yeah, I remember Nanna from that one absolutely horrible, vile, disgusting area goal…” So…

> mapper find nanna
Found 1 target matching '%nanna%'.
+------------------------------ START OF SEARCH -------------------------------+
[1] The Home of Nanna Dwarf (Swordbreaker's Hoard) (1710)
+-------------------------------- END OF SEARCH -------------------------------+
> mapper goto 1710
Going to: The Home of Nanna Dwarf
run en2eu2wueunds2edne

And that’s all I can teach you about questing. Beyond that, you’ll need to ask Mr. Owl.

Congrats on making it to 200 for the first time.   There’s a whole lot of mechanics you’re about to be interacting with for the first time and I’d like to walk you through them a little.  There’s a lot to learn, but I’m going to focus on the stuff I think you need to know now (at your first SH / remort) and gloss over the rest.

TLDR: Regardless of your primary class, you will want to put everything you got into STR with a little in DEX if thats cheap.  Read on to find out why.

Super Hero

Once you hit 200 you’re at the end of leveling.   Super hero is the process of switching from leveling mode into late game mode.  Don’t get too comfortable, you won’t be here long.

For your first time at SH, your current character will become a SH, keeping all of the stats.  You just pick up a few extra spells and skills.  The one exception is that your unused practices are lost (more on this at the end).

There are some activities at SH like epics but as a baby SH with low stats you’ll likely not be invited unless it’s a speical event.  Most people will dive back into leveling via remorting.

Loud vs Quiet

Normally when you SH you can either do so quietly for 500qps or loudly for 750qps.   Loud has some benefits including giving everyone a double exp for a bit and then everyone loves you more than ever.

However for your very first SH you get another option, SH free.  For your very first SH use the command “superhero” with nothing extra for zero qps.

Regardless of if you plan on being frugal or fame seeking in the future, for this first time save the QPs and spend them at level 1 on quest items.

Remort

Remorting is the process of resetting your character to level 1 and doing the whole thing over again.   When you do, your SH character is put “on hold” and all your stats are set to level 1.

When you remort you get to “add” a class.   But you will mainly remain whatever class you were before.   Your first class is called your primary class and it will always be your strongest (by a long shot).   So for example if you were a mage before, and then remort to warrior, you’re now a spell caster who can also kinda hit things.  Your pclass skills / spells are stronger than all of your others, so if you are a pwarrior, and picked up mage, don’t waste trains on int.

If you want to change your primary class, thats a different mechanic that can be done at any time “help classchange”.

As you level, you will auto re-learn your primary classes spells/skills as you hit the appropriate level.  In addition you will have the chance to practice the skills/spells for the new class.

As you level you will train and practice with what you earn during the leveling process, just like the first time around.

Super Hero Redux

When you’re ready to SH for the second time the game has a problem, which stats to use, the ones from the first or second mort?   The answer is (metaphorically) your leveling character is melted down into trains and practices, then your converted back into your SH char and given all those trains/pracs.  There’s details to the this process that I’m glossing over, but the gist is there.

Also it doesn’t matter if you used a train or saved it, so spend your trains as you’re leveling in whatever fashion makes leveling easier.

Item / Weight

While leveling, nothing about your SH stats matter, that character is on hold, with one major exception.

Characters were struggling to carry all of the stuff they had amassed during 200 levels with the stats of a level 1 char.   So item capacity and weight limit are calculated based on your current STR/DEX or SH STR/DEX whichever is better.   This is the only part of your SH char that will make your leveling life easier.   Weight and item limits can really make leveling a pain.

Item / weight is determined primarily by STR.  Even if you are a primary mage and have been pumping INT so far, put everything you’ve got into STR.

The formula for carry capacity (number of items you can carry) is “str + (dex / 2)”.   So spend on STR, but if strength costs more than twice dex, spend on dex instead.

At 201, if you remove all your gear and all your spellups, you will see what your new item/weight limit will be when you remort.  Here you can see if you are going to be over after remort.   An aard-bag is a solid purchase if you’re struggling with weight, but your qps may be better spent elsewhere.

Rebuild

Now that you know that STR and DEX are what matter at SH you may be frustrated because your class has pushed you to spend all of your trains elsewhere.    Firstly don’t worry about it too much, as you progress this hiccup will seem small.  Secondly consider doing a rebuild.   If you haven’t changed class in  7 calendar days then you can use “classchange” to reset all of your trains and reallocate them.  If you’ve used classchange recently then you can consider rebuilding which will burn 5% of your trains, but may be a decent choice regardless.

Again, don’t worry too much.  The amount of trains you’re dealing with now will feel comicaly small later in the game.  There’s really no way to “mess up”, you always progress and can rebuild things often.

Low level campaigns

Campaigns that you get below level 50 are very easy in comparison to later in the levels.   So much easier that it’s often worth using the noexp to prevent leveling to ensure you can use your 1cp per level before leveling again.

Level 1 Quest items

You will be back here at level 1 many many more times.  As such many people recommend buying several aard items at level 1 so they are available right after remort.  Ask on clanchat for a raging debate over what to buy, but my personal suggestion (since I got you here anyway) is Helm of true sight.

Counter point from Epsilon:

buy aura -> breastplate -> helm. Aura’s going to give you the most protection for your QP, breastplate’s a fairly solid incremental increase, helm is great for detects but there’s some pclasses where it’s not nearly as useful as the others. The helm is a massive quality of life increase. I’m not going to deny that. But it doesn’t make your character able to kill things better or make them less likely to die.

First SH / Remort Checklist

Putting it all together, here’s my list of what to do when you hit 200 for the first time:

1. Celebrate
2. Convert spare pracs into trains: “train convertall” at a trainer
3. SH via the command “superhero” (without loud or quiet)
4. Optionally: classchange or rebuild to reset your trains.
5. Train STR and DEX as much as you can, heavy on the STR.
6. Remort – the remort chamber walks you through this pretty well
7. use the “noexp” command to ensure you hang out at level 1 until you’re ready
8. Buy whatever level 1 items you were hoping for.
9. Start campaigning

Summary

A good overall guideline for joining any clan is to get to know people. Get a drag from them, join a powerup group at superhero, chat on gclan or other channels (probably preferably other channels, heh,) do some epics with folks, etc. Note that this has been a common thread from discussing this directly with clan leaders. They want you to talk to them. Also note that a lot of clan leaders (and members, of course) were in Boot themselves – they know how it is.

How you apply to a clan varies – if there’s no information in the helpfile or on the website (or no website – not all clans have them,) you should be able to talk to pretty much any member of the clan and get a pointer on how to do it – whether it’s talking to a leader or if they have specific instructions for you.

Getting into a clan isn’t likely to be a simple task. You’ll need to do some research on the clan, check their website if they have one, and often you’ll be expected to reach out to clan members yourself for interviews (similar to how you were expected to get an interview for Boot.)  The clan helpfiles (e.g. “help boot”) often point to further resources (in the case of Boot, it was “help boot-application” for example) – this should actually be your first step in finding out how to apply to a clan.

Other commands to use are “clist” (which gives an overview of all clans) and “claninfo” (which gives information on a specific clan.) This can help you, for example,

Note that some clans have minimum requirements. These will be mentioned either in their helpfiles or on their website as well. Additionally, the majority of clans will allow you to apply while still in Boot, even if their information says you must be unclanned – that’s actually a common thread, and part of Boot’s mission as a “feeder” clan so to speak.

I’ve asked for some basics from various clans, and summarized things below. Any clan with no apparent comment probably didn’t reply, or didn’t reply before I published this at least. This is a work in progress, so don’t read into anyone not replying.

Twinlobe
They take people based on getting to know them, interviews, and general MUD knowledge. Talk to someone from the clan if you’re interested in joining – they don’t have a website.

Watchmen
“We’re just a small homely clan” – no specific requirements, just get to know folks in the clan.

Seekers
If you can’t Seek further information on this clan, you may not be a good fit.

Emerald
Built on friendship, helpfulness, and community. Not required to participate in PK.

Light
Like many other clans, Light encourages you to get to know their members. Send tells, group up, get on a friend list, etc. Of note is that they do NOT require you to participate in PK.

Ba’al
Applicants to Ba’al should already be proficient in Aard, or at least getting close. You’ll want a minimum of 1500 campaigns to apply. They’re willing to teach advanced concepts, but you should have mastered the basics.

Hook
Hook is basically a bunch of individualists that identify as a weird family. When asked for further comment, Hook replied with a crude drawing of a dick and threatened to stick me in the barrel. This is in line with what you can expect from joining their clan.

Bard
Bard is looking to try to resurrect itself, if you’re interested in various artforms, and want to help set up regular events, feel free to apply to the bard clan!

Crusader
Chill and quiet, not a lot of clan chat. Great for folks who want to be in a clan and just go do their own thing.

Xunti
—

Imperium
—

Crimson
PK-oriented, though they welcome explorers, killers, achievers, and social sorts. Members are free to develop their characters as they desire.

Retribution
PK-focused clan – looking for folks who want to grow their skills and support them and their allied clans.

Druid
—

Amazon
—

Pyre
—

Masaki
Laid-back and close-knit, but also very “choose your own path.” PK clan, but no expectation to PK. Just don’t get mad if you get PKed.

Rhabdo
Do your research on this clan, and understand why you’re applying.

Perdition
Not strict about how you develop your character. Close-knit group that’s willing to welcome you and help you progress though.

Loqui
A close-knit clan, a high priority for membership is getting along with the other members. Bonus points from being good at coding, PK, or holding a high rank/metarank in the game though.

Gaardian
A clan for those who don’t take themselves too seriously and can appreciate a good pun. Main requirement is that you can form multiple coherent sentences at a time.

Tao
Pretty much “do whatever you want, we help each other if needed” No PK/rank/social/etc. requirements, just enjoy yourself.

Touchstone
“A relaxed clan of friends enjoying the game.” No specific gameplay requirements, freely share knowledge, don’t be a jerk.

Note: Clan helpfiles were removed from this page, since it’s difficult to keep them up to date. Refer to the game for the clan helpfiles!

The link below is a spreadsheet with bits of information I’ve collected and put together.  Copy it and modify it as you

see fit.

HelpfulSpread

This guide was created to help players—especially newer ones—understand which mobs in Aardwolf are armed with vorpal weapons and how the mechanic works. Vorpal weapons have a small chance to instantly decapitate a target, killing them outright regardless of health, level, or defensive power. Because of this, encountering one of these mobs without proper preparation can lead to sudden and unavoidable deaths.

The goal of this guide is to help players identify dangerous zones and specific mobs so they can avoid them until they acquire the Novorpal Wish, which provides immunity to the instant-death effect.

Vorpal Mechanics and Player Impact

How Vorpal Works

• Instant Kill Effect: A weapon with the vorpal flag has a small random chance to instantly decapitate its opponent, resulting in an immediate kill.

• No Level Protection: The vorpal effect ignores level differences. Even a weak mob can instantly kill a high-level player if the effect triggers.

• Respects Immunities: If the weapon’s damage type is one the mob is immune to, the vorpal strike cannot occur.

• Chance: The trigger rate is unknown but extremely rare.

Defense

• Novorpal Wish: Grants complete immunity to decapitation. The weapon still deals normal damage, but it cannot instantly kill.

• Practical Advice: This wish is considered important for high-level players or anyone spending time in zones with known vorpal mobs.

Mobs Wielding Vorpal Weapons

Summary

• Vorpal mobs are found across many zones, from early areas like Gnomalin to endgame regions such as Terra, Dungeon, and Wyrm.

• High-level zones contain the majority of mobs with vorpal weapons, making them especially dangerous for players without the Novorpal Wish.

• Even low-level mobs can cause unexpected instant deaths if the vorpal effect triggers.

This list was generated using data pulled from the ADB plugin during regular play. It is not a complete record of all vorpal-armed mobs, but it should cover the majority of known encounters for lower level zones. The guide will be updated over time as new data becomes available or verified.

Fractals is considered an mud wide event that happens a little more than every 3 days. It was designed to scale to the player as far as damage done and received. The mobs themselves do not hit very hard at all, it’s the mprog damage that has to be considered to be the real threat. Because of this scaling and low damage everyone can take part in Fractals. Level 1-201, Tier 0 or Tier 9.

Fractal will usually be announced on epic channel, or if you are in Boot and Madrox is online, he has a colorful alias that says Fractal is up. What this means is that 3s from global recall a mob named Fractal Wanderer will be there. It also does not hit hard and must be killed by everyone in order to begin the actual Fractal. Once it dies, you enter portal and the real fun begins. The basic thing everyone will tell you is to have the yell channel on as someone is usually running a plugin that will give you general directions on what to do during the games. Also if you die at anytime during Fractal you can heal up and come right back and keep playing. Just be careful on re-entry. At every 10% the Fractal Anomaly will attempt to play a game. I say attempt because if you can push his percentage passed the 10% you can do what we all call a skip. So he will attempt to play these games at 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20 and 10%. 10% being the last game possible. If you skip one of these via high damage and/or stunning you will not get a game until the next %. So if the room pushes the Fractal from 91% to 89% next game will be at 80%. Once all games are exhausted and he is below 10% you just kill the Fractal.

********************************************
*** The weave is calm again. ***
*** The anomaly reconstructs itself ***
*** into a being of light ***
********************************************

Once you do, you will NOD;UNKEEP FRAC;GIVE FRAC FRAC to get your reward. You can choose to just nod and keep your fractal weave and turn in at level 201 for a chance at a good bit of more trains. Some people prefer to do that. You can turn in multiple weaves if you are handy at turning in one and running back 3s entering portal and turning in a second one as you have 3 minutes to get rewards. Once you do get your reward you will be transported to a set of shops selling really expensive items. These items are tokens to allow players to pop a punching bag mob that when killed everyone can nod at and get a random reward. These are usually purchased by players to have clan sponsored events and not recommended for newer players to waste gold on.

Games:

Now here is where we will discuss all the games that are possible during a Fractal. I will list them and a general idea of how to avoid death.

Pylons:

^^/ ODD, MALIGNANT STALAGMITES COME INTO BEING \^^

This is a game where a pylon will load in all 4 corners. Anyone who stays in the middle with the Anomaly will begin receiving damage, so it is best to go assist killing pylons. Once all 4 are dead, you return to the middle and continue on.

Fake Anomaly:

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~
~~~~ THE FRACTAL ANOMALY STEPS BACK ~~~~
~~~~ SPLITTING INTO FOUR ILLUSORY ~~~~
~~~~ PHANTASMS ~~~~
~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~

This is a game where 4 fake Anomalies will spawn in the far nooks all e w n and s from middle. Only one of them is “real” the rest are fake. Players will go to these mobs and look at them and the one with the phrase “Despite being somewhat unique” in the description is the one everyone has to kill. It will usually be yelled which is correct. Once it is dead, back to middle.

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~
~~~~ A PHANTASM SHATTERS INTO ~~~~
~~~~ HUNDREDS OF GLASS-LIKE ~~~~
~~~~ BUTTERFLIES ~~~~
~~~~ THEY RETURN TO COALESCE ~~~~
~~~~ INTO THE FRACTAL ANOMALY ~~~~
~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~

Tidalwave:

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!! A TIDALWAVE OF FLAME RUSHES IN !!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This game is a game where a wall of fire will spawn. You will have to flee from the middle and depending on which map you use you will literally see a wall of symbols and be able to know to go in the opposite direction. If not, someone will yell which direction and you will go into one of the nooks far e w s or n from middle.

!!! THE FLAMES DIE OUT. THE AIR SIMMERS STILL !!!

Once the message echoes that it is safe, you return to the middle.

Fire Blossoms:

!!!!——>> A SHRILL WHINE PIERCES THE AIR <<——!!!! This game is announced via a message about a whine piercing. This will make it so only 2 of the 4 corners are safe. You can tell which based on the map if you use that version and someone will usually yell which ones are safe. Get to one and wait for the message for it to be safe and return to middle. !!!!——>> THE INFERNAL PETALS FALL AND THE AIR COOLS DOWN <<——!!!! Clock: ——> A VAGUE, INCORPOREAL CIRCLE OF SMOKE BEGINS TO CIRCLE THE BATTLE <—— This game is very simple, you will see a message about a clock appearing. ——> A LARGE, ETHEREAL CLOCK APPEARS BENEATH THE BATTLE <——

You want to flee out of the middle and stay out of the middle until it is safe. Once it is safe, return to middle.

<——————————————>
< THE CLOCK EXPLODES WITH A >
< MASSIVE FORCE! >
< THE ANOMALY SHIFTS BACK >
< IN TIME! >
<——————————————>

Lamp:

*****************************************
** ONE BY ONE THE COMBATANTS **
** ARE SUCKED AWAY **
** INTO A LAMP OF STONE **
** TOWARDS A PLACE **
** THEY MUST NOW CALL HOME **
*****************************************

During this game, half the players will be transported into a section filled with fog and one lamp core. The goal is to kill the lamp core before the other players kill the lamp which will be randomly somewhere around the fractal.

*** THE LAMP CORE BLAZES BRIGHTLY, THEN FIZZLES OUT ***

If the lamp dies before the core, everyone inside dies. It is also good strategy if 201 to strangle the fog inside the lamp as they do mprog damage.

*****************************************
*** THE LAMP BURSTS OPEN ***
*** EXPELLING ITS BURDEN ***
*** AND SPARING YOU ANY ***
*** MORE BAD POETRY ***
*****************************************

Fae:

~~ THE ANOMALY CASTS YOU TO THE UNSEELIE COURT ~~

This game is dedicated to the former clan of Daoine, it involved having to kill Archfey Xaludar who is always at room 35501 so if you have it mapped you can xrt 35501 repeatedly to get to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~ THE FAE CHITTER, EXCITED, ~~
~~ AS THEY BEGIN TO JOIN THE ~~
~~ FRAY, POURING FROM THEIR ~~
~~ DENS ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mprogs will block some of your movements and eventually fae will spawn casting petrify farther making navigation more difficult. If you keep spamming xrt 35501 you will eventually get back to Xal’s room and you can help kill him where once you all do you will be returned to the middle and restored full hp and mana.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~ WITH THE ARCHFEY FELLED ~~
~~ THE COMBATANTS ARE ~~
~~ DEPOSITED BACK ONTO ~~
~~ THE BATTLEFIELD ~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raiders:

~~~ You find yourself escorting a caravan of travelers. ~~~

This game is dedicated to the former clan of Romani. It involves killing raiders and riders before they get to the middle and kill all the citizens. Once the players kill all of them eventually Medusas show up and also have to be killed. All the mobs do decent mprog damage and flee a lot and require webbing. Once everything is dead and not the citizens you will be returned to the middle at full hp and mana. Failing this game will send you back to the middle and no restore with needing to do 10% more damage to Fractal.

!!!~~~ THE CARAVAN HAS BEEN SAVED! YOU ARE RETURNED TO THE FRAY! ~~~!!!

Vorel:

/\/ THE ANOMALY CASTS YOU INTO BATTLE AGAINST VOREL /\/

This game is dedicated to the former clan of Dragon. It involves killing Vorel. This might be the most intense of all of the games and the one where most people die.

/|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|/|/
/\/ VOREL INHALES AND BREATHES A CONE OF WHITE FLAME /\/
/|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|//|/|/

Vorel will breath fire out over the playing field and some rooms will now have white flames and such that deal mprog damage. Your goal is to find a room that has nothing in it but players. Keep an eye out because the mprog damaging items can enter your room at anytime.

/\/ VOREL FINISHES EXHALING THE WHITE FLAME /\/

Once Vorel stops breathing, everyone will return to the middle to keep damaging Vorel.

^’.’^ VOREL’S WYVERNGUARD FLIES IN, BREATHING FIRE INTO THE BATTLE ^’.’^

Eventually Vorel will spawn 4 wyvernguards in the corners. Everyone will go and kill each of these wyvernguards until they are all dead. Then it is back to killing Vorel when he is not exhaling. Once he dies, players will be sent back to the Fractal Anomaly with full hp and mana.

/\/ VOREL FALLS FROM THE SKY AND THE STORM SUBSIDES /\/

Bypass is a skill that gives a chance to skip a specific area for either quests or campaigns. It can save some frustration from endless searching of no scan mobs in the gauntlet or help prevent you have some to wait for a specific time in masquerade. Bypass will lead to much faster campaign times and a result will fill our pockets with qps.

Navigators can bypass 2 areas as soon as the skill is obtained and once total int + wis is 400 or higher another area can be added to the list.  There is also newer wishes which can add 2 more areas for bypass for navigators or a total of 2 areas for non-navigators. Navigators also have the ability to buy bypass instinct. Bypass instinct works unique from other instinct by having a max of 100 and 1-100 acts as what percentage that bypass slot operates at. 17 bypass instinct means you will have 17% chance at bypassing that area. Getting it to 100 instinct would make that bypass slot act the same as the bypass wish at 100.

There are a few plugins that help manage bypass by auto setting areas as you level, I stumbled on to Nohh’s which can be found at Nohh’s Github. I did have to modify the script slightly to account for new areas added since the script was written.  It’s pretty easy to do: Open the script in any text editor and find line 46 or just use the find function search for “area_keyword” to find the variable that needs to update.  You should see a bunch of areas names set to = 1.  Just follow the pattern that already exists in the variable.  You’ll know you need to do this when trying to add an area to the list and get an error that it can’t be found.

Below are some suggested bypass areas and the levels to have them at.  It is by no means a complete list and there are some overlaps that prevent all from being set.  Keep in mind that some goals make areas much easier to navigate, pun intended, and may not be a good area to pick.