Getting Started in Freeport...

So, you're fresh off the boat from the Isle of Refuge. Things on the Isle were pretty straightforward; an introduction to questing, plenty of goblins to slay, even a bit of tradeskilling too. But now, now you've decided to pledge your allegiance to the Overlord, and things are feeling a little unfriendly around Freeport. No worries, this guide is here to help you on your way.

First of all, your race determines what "racial village" you'll land in when you step off the boat:

• Big Bend - Ogres & Trolls
• Stonestair Byway - Kerra & Erudites
• Temple Street - Ratonga & Gnomes
• Beggar's Court - Half-Elves & Humans
• Longshadow Alley - Dark Elves
• Scale Yard - Barbarians & Iksar

Once you step off the boat, you'll see one or more racial mentors. These quests have replaced the original citizenship and the majority of the running around quests that used to be in the game. These will provide some money as well as get you acquainted with your new home.

Spending Your Hard Earned Money

I know there's a certain allure to spending virtual money, but in your early days, you simply won't have much to spend. My advice: don't upgrade much at all until you hit tenth level. The reason: most fighters and some scouts get an armor and weapon skill upgrade at level 10, and its worth saving for. Mages and priests might want to look at buying an apprentice 2 (from the village scribe on your map) of their favored nukes, pets, and heals, but upgrading spells just for the sake of upgrading is a good way to run through your coin quickly. Food and drink don't become very important until the early teens too, so you can certainly use what you quest for while adventuring and save the coin for later. Also, keep in mind that a good many of the low level villiage quests are meant to provide you with most of what you will need. The rates of spell drops have increased as well, and with the tradeskill changes in effect, spell upgrades are cheaper than ever if you go through the broker. Money isn't as scarce as it once was, although still not exactly sparkling in the streets.

Questing for Fun and Profit

Your first unofficial lesson starts now, learn to use the mariner's bell! It's the fastest way to get around Freeport. It should appear on your map quite clearly, and if you go there you'll see two different bells: one for "Travel Within Freeport " and one for "Travel Outside of Freeport" (which includes the Commonlands, Sunken City, and The Ruins.). The only pertinent zones you cannot reach with the bells are the Graveyard (whose landlocked entances are in Stonestair Byway, Longshadow Alley, and through the Sunken City), the Sprawl (can be entered through Big Bend and the Ruins), and Thieves' Way (which can be reached from any sewer grate).

The best way to get started is to go through the whole of your racial quest. You'll then be sent on to secondary zones to further your education and make your name in Freeport. Before heading off to the second level of quests, make sure you run through each of the villages and pick up the quests there. The major quests (ones which don't involved a lot of zoning about for no good reason) are still there and have a lot of mobs in common. You can make progress on a few at once as you go along.

The City-Adventure Zones

The ugly thing about the city-adventure zones is that there's no auto-map provided. I've included some notes about the zones themselves however, plus player drawn maps that will help you find your way around. One other introductory note, on harvesting: take the time to keep your harvesting skills up, no matter where you go! In the endgame, harvesting is a great way to earn a lot of money (your rare finds can also be crafted into great equipment).

I've also provided some quests for each of the city adventure zones. I've not included the quests you'll find in the adventure zones themselves nor quests that require you to be level 10 or higher; this is essentially a "shopping list" for your first run around the village zones.

Don't stress out over these quests, by any means. Most of the mobs are readily found as the zones are fairly small, but if you can't find a mob, skip it. You can always delete these quests if you outgrow them, or come back later when the mobs are trivial to you to touch up your quest journal.

The Ruins (map): These quests are available for the Ruins, a zone which is reached through the Stonestair Byway. This zone in particular seems quest update-rich.

These quests are available for The Spawl (map here):

These quests for the Graveyard (map here).

These quests for Thieves' Way (map here). The sewers are a good place to group, but a nasty place to solo. If you're like me and get lost easily, save these quests until you're level 10 or so.

And finally, here's the kill quests for Sunken City (map) found throughout the villages.

What Lies Beyond...

Now that you're a full fledged Freeport citizen, you'll want to start in on your "class quest" - both to unlock new abilities and to be able to reach level 10! You'll need to first talk to your class trainer:

• Fighters: Commander Tychus in the North Freeport Temple of War (on the second level of the city, near the middle of the map)
• Mages: Arcanist Sonius in the North Freeport Academy of Arcane Science (the southeast part of the zone)
• Priests: Priest Kelian in the Temple of War (on the second level of the city, near the middle of the map)
• Scouts: Emissary Millia, on the 2nd floor of the Jade Tiger Inn in North Freeport (in the southern portion of the zone).

Good luck! And though you might be tempted to venture out into the Commonlands, remember that the city-adventure zones are a great place to level through the early teens!