Is this game right for me?

For the most part, I agree with what Kage said, though I do have some differing opinions.

For example, it's my personal experience that clerics are indeed very capable of solo work if they choose (I'm a cleric, and I recently soloed a boss 5 levels over me b:victory ), but their main strength is in group play. We don't hit quite as hard as other ranged classes, though our ability to heal does boost our survivability.

That said, we're not really tanks. In fact, typical squad protocal is to make sure the cleric doesn't get hit, ever. Because we're pretty squishy, and if we go down, the rest of the squad is probably going to go down shortly after. For solo play, I'd recommend an Archer or BM, and tanking is, as outlined above, Barbs and BMs.

But don't be embarrassed about wanting to avoid Venos because they're female only. I know a lot of people who feel the same. In fact, that's one of the main reasons I haven't rolled a Barbarian: because I don't want to be forced to play a guy (also, very limited cosmetic customization b:chuckle ). There are plenty of other options you might try, and you do get 8 character slots per server to experiment!

I'm a casual player myself. I'll play in binges, then stop for months at a time. I've found a nice, friendly faction who is entirely ok with that... but you still might find yourself having to "faction-hop", as more ambitious factions rarely want their players MIA, because Territory Wars (the endgame gameplay, essentially) require large amounts of active members.

That said, there are plenty of factions that simply exist to give aid to one another, so I think Kage's assessment of "most facs have a level requirement" is inaccurate. The ones with level requirements are usually jsut more visible, because they advertise in World Chat.

The cash shop is nice because you can get either a little or a lot, or nothing at all. You do usually have to grind more for the money to afford charms, fashion, and other items that cash shoppers can get for a couple real life bucks. It helps to check the Auction House and catshops for cheap deals, and work both avenues to your advantage.

I do some minor cash-shopping, and the gold exchange (real life money for in game money) is a nice little cheat for when I need that extra 100k for the magic weapon I want... but the cash shop is definitely not necessary to enjoy the game. Seriously, go your own pace, and ignore all those oraclers who say anyone below 95 is a "total n00b." There's nothing wrong with experiencing the game to its fullest. Because PW really is a beautiful game, with a rich backstory. There's a lot to explore. b:victory

As for the community, it varies. The pvp (player vs player) servers tend to be a bit more competative, whereas you'll find a lot more "let's help EVERYONE!" type people on the pve (player vs environment) servers. Granted, children and jerks do play this game, so you can't escape some immaturity and general dastardity, but there are also plenty of people who are willing to lend their fellow players a helping hand.

Community-wise, compared to other MMOs I've played, I'd give this game about a 7.

These are nice, well-informed questions. Already, I have to say... you maybe a newbie... but you're no n00b. b:chuckle

Hello Asclepius,

Regarding your armor info, most of these may be read at the PWI website. Here are two links I found that answers your questions about socketing and "plused", known as refining:

Socketing: http://pwi.perfectworld.com/advinfo/imbue

Refining: http://pwi.perfectworld.com/advinfo/refining

The level you saw means the level of the weapon. It is only important to understand this when you're adding sockets or imbuing gems into your armor/weapon. An example would be (not accurate info):

a level 7 weapon requires 140 socket stones to add another socket slot, however, a level 4 weapon requires 60 socket stones to add another socket slot.

The lower the level of the weapon/armor, the cheaper it costs. Also, some of the gems require your armor/weapon level to be higher than the stated level on the gem. Hope this clarifies you.

Regarding your Genie concerns, I'm not exactly sure what you want to know about them, but to keep it concise for you, they are small fairy-like creatures that assist you in your battles. Genies are also like, what I call a mini pet. They can learn skills at the Watcher of Earth located in major cities in PW. Some skills can give you buffs for a short period of time, some do damage, some of them even heals you. Before managing your genie, I made a recent post about Genies to someone on this forum, to prevent double posting, I'm going to re-direct you to the post located here: http://pwi-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=7469122#post7469122

Exp points are just Exp points that levels you. It has nothing to do with your skills/spells. Spirit points and coins are needed to learn or upgrade skills that are available for you at your trainer. May I also suggest that you should pick up everything you slay and sell them at any vendor for money. Those lime stones from the level 1 monsters makes you quite a good amount. (Blacksmiths, Tailor, Merchant, etc..) Also, collecting and storing potions and materials needed for your crafting skills while you journey throughout the game would also be helpful. (Things like cotton thread, animal furs, grease, and organic glues at your level for now, are needed to make gear/weapons)

crafting info here: http://pwi.perfectworld.com/advinfo/crafting

I hope I've provided a handful of information for you and hey, take it easy and learn at your comfortable pace. Good luck and have fun. :-)

Ascelpius - Lost City wrote: »

Oh and, some things really confused me that weren't made clear... at all. How the heck does gear work!? I see a name that could be colored and socketed and plused. Then there's a levelx which has nothing to do with the level requirnment to wear it, and some other stuff that makes my head spin. Like the whole herb/rock/wood gathering thing. I got the 4 things to level 1 when I hit level 5
And the genies.. oh jeez. Not even sure.
So when you kill things... you get exp AND spirit. And the spirit is used to upgrade skills while the exp is used to upgrade level.
There's just... so much stuff. All the cubes and materials and and and and and @.@!
All the termonolgy is confusing me!

Sage and demon is a level 89 cultivation choice (so you have a LONG time to make up your mind which path to take.) The get improved versions of the lower level spells, with the improvements different for each cultivation. Generally, demon is more attack oriented, sage more defense oriented, but you'd need to read the class subforums for the pros and cons of each as it pertains to that class.

I gotta agree with DarkSeph, you have to play very frequently and use real money (buy gold) to enjoy your game. PW is a free to play, although some people call it "free to play, pay to win" game. A year ago not so much talk was about cash, but more about the game itself. Nowadays, every other topic is about money or somehow related to that. That, sadly has made people greedy and arrogant, and because of that, the community has suffered. I'd say 40% of the people here are nice and helpful, 40% are selfish and think they're the coolest people in the world, and 20% who are quite neutral, not too helpful but not evil either.

I've heard that the situation is even worse on PvP servers, so think about which server to join. I'd suggest a newer PvE server, because as you said that you're a casual player, you might not be prepared for PK at low levels.