New Player Guide
Ok, so you are ready to get into the game, but where should you start?
There are a number of great sources of information, including the game manual, websites, strategy guides, guild web pages and message boards that will only grow in number as the game matures. But what do you really need to know to get the most out of Return Home? This guide aims to give you some essential wisdom and tips to get into this exciting game.
We will cover:
- Character Selection
- Questing
- Hunting: Monsters and Guards
- Food and Water
- Equipment and Repair
- Friends, Chatting and Fun
Character Selection
Have you ever read a fantasy novel and put yourself in the hero's shoes? That's what Return Home is all about. Some players may talk about one class being "better" than another, but the many race and class combinations have all been balanced so that no single combination overshadows the others. Choose based on how you see yourself in a virtual world and go with it!
For detailed information on classes and races, visit the Character Creation area.
Questing
When you first enter the game you will be presented with dialogs that tell you a bit about your starting location and the class you have chosen. These dialogs will direct you to your guild master who will start you on your journey in Norrath.
In the course of talking with your guild master or other learned members of your chosen profession, many things will be revealed to you. The most important information will be captured in your quest journal for your reference later should you need it. Keep in mind that the journal will only capture the essentials; when questing, you may wish to keep your own notes to supplement your quest journal. This is not a necessity, but you may find it helpful.
Also, should you find that you cannot continue a quest with the information you have gathered, or you are not clear on the next step in order to proceed, you can remove a quest from your journal and revisit the individual who originally assigned it and start over.
Lastly, be sure to complete the tasks your guild master has for you before you begin hunting monsters. The experience and equipment you gain will prepare you for the foes you will soon face.
Hunting: Monsters and Guards
Alright, you are ready to venture forth to slay the vile vermin that roam the outskirts of your home city. Before you dive in, be sure to read through the in-game dialog that will come up when you enter the areas where you may encounter such beasts. Your weapon and any armor you have obtained should be equipped and at the ready. Likewise, be sure that any spells or abilities you have are prepared, for you will surely need them!
As you approach your intended foe you will need to be sure to consider the fight carefully. You can gauge your enemy's toughness relative to yourself based on the color of your targeting circle. Be sure to check this before every fight, as taking on a monster beyond your abilities will only provide you with a quick trip back to where the Spirit Master bound your soul!
 | A powerful foe that you should not attempt to engage. |
 | This foe is more powerful than you. Should you engage it in combat, you will likely lose. |
 | This foe is serious challenge, but you have a chance against it. Bring friends in a group to tackle such enemies to increase your odds of winning. |
 | A fairly doable encounter with slight risk. |
 | This should be a relatively easy fight. |
 | You should easily overcome this foe, but you won't receive experience for killing it. |
Ok, say you attack a monster when you are not fully rested and it looks like you are going to lose. What do you do if you get in over your head?
The answer: Run! Monsters will only chase you so far before giving up pursuit and returning to what they were doing before you disturbed them.
If you are near a city there should be guards that can slay pesky critters and save you from a nasty thrashing.
Food and Water
You have overcome several vermin, bats, rats and whatnot near your hometown. Phew, that is work! You are tired and hurt from the fight. What you need now is some food and drink!
Every character starts out with a parcel of food in their inventory. This can be used to reduce your down time while waiting for your character to rest and be ready for another fight.
Click start to see your inventory. In the Magic section you should see a bag of rations. Hit 'X' to use it and--"munch, munch, yumm!"--you will start to heal faster.
You may also choose to prepare the food so that you can use it from your tool belt. Go back to your inventory, Magic section, select the food and hit 'X'. Instead of using it, choose "Prepare" and select where on your tool belt you want it placed. Then, use the D pad to select it from the main screen, and then O will use it. You can use this method to make other items you acquire easy to access, so you won't have to rummage through your inventory.
One thing to keep in mind with food and water is that you cannot use it during a fight. Once you take a swing or start to cast a spell, the effect will vanish. Before you use your supplies, make sure you are out of harm's way so you will receive the full effect.
You can find vendors, usually named grocers, who sell food and water. Water is of particular benefit to the healthy adventurer. Having ready access to a supply of fresh water will increase the rate at which your Power regenerates--a benefit both spell casters and melee types will appreciate. Always be sure to have enough food and water in your pack before you leave town.
Equipment and Repair
As you adventure you will begin to gather more gear. Weapons, armor, robes, staves, etc., will soon adorn your character as symbols of your success. However, equipment can decay and fall into disrepair, especially the more you use a particular item or the more your armor is hit.
You can check the condition of your gear in your inventory. Once the cursor is over an item, its statistics will appear to the right. The item's hit points, or HP, indicate its state. If it is at full hit points it will perform for the full listed value of damage or AC, for example. As the item's hit points decrease, so will its effectiveness. An item will never break and disappear, but at minimum hit points it will barely function, and you might as well go without it for all the good such a broken down item will do you!
In order to keep your gear in top shape, be sure to visit a blacksmith. The old warrior's saying holds very true in the lands of Norrath: "Take good care of your weapon and it will take good care of you." Keep your equipment in good shape and you should do well!
Friends, Chatting and Fun
One of the exciting things about EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers is the fact that you are not alone in this huge virtual world. Thousands of other players can be connected to the same server where you play. Be open to meeting new people. Working together with others as a team to overcome a powerful monster can be very satisfying and a lot of fun!
Many players find a traditional keyboard more comfortable to use when conversing with others online. While EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers plays great with the PlayStation 2 controller, it will also support a USB keyboard. The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system has two USB ports on its front and is a standard connector for most computers. You can find USB keyboards at most any computer store. Just plug the keyboard in and you're ready to type it up!
You can also make use of the Buddy List and Mail features found in the Community section of the main menu to keep in touch with the friends you make through the course of your adventures. More details on these features can be found on page 20 of the EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers manual.
We hope this guide helps to jump start you into the wondrous world of Norrath!
Additional Information
Once you're set up and ready to play, you will need to create your character. Part of the appeal of a game like Return Home is the ability for you to take on a completely different persona you create. Plus, you can have up to eight different characters on each server! So, there is no shortage of possibilities of who you can be.
Keep this in mind when you make your character. Don't be afraid to experiment to find a character that truly captures your imagination and you identify with. Ultimately, playing a character you really like as opposed to one that someone told you was "the best" holds the promise of a much more rewarding gaming experience.
The first step in character creation is to select your character's race. There are nine different races to choose from, all of them with their own flavor. Take a look at our races section for an in-depth look of your choices. Also, keep in mind that different races start in different locations on the continent of Tunaria. Take a look at maps to get an idea of the different starting locations.
In the process of choosing your race you can also choose your character's gender. Neither gender has any advantages over the other; the difference is only cosmetic.
Next, you will choose your character's class. A class is what most determines your character's capabilities. Visit our classes section for more thorough information on each class.
What classes are available to you is based upon your chosen race. If you do not see the class that you're interested in, you may wish to rethink your race selection. Some races are just not adept at certain classes. For example, the chaotic, vile Trolls lack the necessary intelligence and patience to master magic, thus are precluded from most of the caster classes, though shamanic-style magic is within their ken.
Below is a chart that will show you which races can become proficient in which classes and make your choice of race-class combination easier.
Once your class is selected, you will be given the opportunity to customize your character's physical and mental statistics by distributing bonus points. You will want to place these bonus points into statistics that are important to your class. You will notice two statistics that are flashing; these are your class's primary stats and are always good bets for effective spending of your starting points. For your reference, here are the descriptions of statistics from the game manual: Attributes
Each character is described by a rating in each of seven attributes. As these numbers grow, your character's performance will improve.
Each class has two primary attributes. Primary attributes will flash while you are assigning training and bonus points during the game. However, you may find many reasons to increase other attributes on your character. Each attribute is described below.
Strength - Strength is the character's physical might. Strength affects the damage your character inflicts with melee weapons (such as swords).
Stamina - This represents the character's physical fortitude. Stamina is used to calculate a character's hit points.
Agility - Agility is a measure of your character's quickness and nimbleness. Agility affects your character's defense in combat.
Dexterity - This represents your character's hand-eye coordination. Dexterity affects your character's ability to land blows in combat. Dexterity also factors in to the damage potential for range/thrown weapons.
Wisdom - Wisdom is the measure of your character's willpower and faith. For every seven points of wisdom one point is added to all of your resistances. Wisdom also affects your character's ability to land blows with range/thrown weapons.
Intelligence - This represents your character's intellect and problem solving ability. Intelligence will factor into how likely you are to execute a "proc" (a rare spell effect) while affected by a beneficial spell (commonly referred to as a "buff"). An additional 1% is added to the proc chance for every 10 points of intelligence.
Charisma - This is your character's physical beauty and personal charm. Charisma is useful when using certain spells (such as charm). Charisma can also influence healing spells to a degree.
Depending on your class, two of these attributes will determine the amount of Power your character possesses.
Power -- The amount of energy your character has to perform special abilities; it is based on your character's two primary attributes (dependent on class):
| Class | Primary 1 | Primary 2 |
| Alchemist | Intelligence | Wisdom |
| Bard | Agility | Stamina |
| Cleric | Wisdom | Charisma |
| Druid | Wisdom | Dexterity |
| Enchanter | Intelligence | Charisma |
| Magician | Intelligence | Agility |
| Monk | Dexterity | Stamina |
| Necromancer | Intelligence | Stamina |
| Paladin | Stamina | Strength |
| Ranger | Dexterity | Agility |
| Rogue | Dexterity | Agility |
| Shadowknight | Stamina | Strength |
| Shaman | Wisdom | Stamina |
| Warrior | Stamina | Strength |
| Wizard | Intelligence | Dexterity |
After your character's bonus points have been distributed, you will need to select a name for your character. Choose a name you like, as you will have it for the entirety of your character's existence. Also, people may need to type it out to send you private messages, so you might keep that in mind when deciding on a name.
If you need some name ideas to help jump-start your creativity, make use of the name generator for ideas of high fantasy roleplaying names appropriate to your character's race. Additionally, names will need to conform to the Naming Policy.
Lastly, you will have the ability to adjust your character's appearance. You can choose from different faces, hair styles, hair length and hair color.
Now, you are ready for adventure!
CLASSES AND CLASS TYPES
When starting out in Return Home one of the most important decisions you will take in forging your online persona is that of which class you will play. This step will most shape your characters abilities and what tools they have available to overcome adversity and progress in the lands of Norrath.
You have a choice of 14 different classes that fall into 4 general arch-types: Tanks, Melee, Priests and Casters. Each class has its own unique abilities that make it stand out from any other and serve to define the role they usually play in an average group.
Tanks: The Warrior, Shadowknight and Paladin classes make up this arch-type. Tanks, aptly nick-named after the real world mechanized war machines, are there to get into the thick of physical combat. They have access to the heaviest of plate mail and the most hit points of any class to allow them to withstand a lot of punishment. Tanks also have access to a wide array of weaponry and abilities to deal out damage.
Melee: The Bard, Monk, Ranger and Rogue classes make up this arch-type. The Melee classes are skilled fighters, not only in the many offensive capabilities they have, but also in the ways they have to control the flow of combat around them. They work with their group mates to support Tanks in overcoming the group's foes while assisting in protecting the groups Casters and Priests.
Healers: The Cleric, Shaman and Druid comprise this arch-type. Healers, in groups, generally function to support the Tanks and Melee and insure they are surrounded by protective and healing magic that allows them to survive intense combat. Alone, a Priest can also call upon the power of their gods to aid them in their endeavors.
Casters: The Wizard, Alchemist, Enchanter, Magician and Necromancer make up this arch-type. Casters overcome foes through the use of worldly magic rather than the divine spells of the Priests. Each casters spells serve unique roles within a typical group and while they may share some common abilities, each has a different play style.
Part of the fun of the game can be exploring the capabilities of different classes. Do not be afraid to try out different ones, or even the same class character with a different race. You have eight character slots available on any one server so feel free to explore different combinations. Also, the various techniques and group roles discussed include many different play styles. There are a lot of ways to overcome the foes faced in Norrath. Talk with your friends about what they find works or read up on it at the many different fan sights
Characters can be male or female. Choose whichever you prefer, there are no penalties or rewards based on the gender of your character.