How to play, Chapter 2

First steps

Account and hero

On the home page you create an account: a login name, a password and your language. The email address is optional and only helps if you forget your password. Then you create your hero. You choose a name that all of Greyford will know you by, whether your hero is a man or a woman, and one of three classes.

Your class decides your special skill. The Sellsword hits hard, the Runecaster casts spells and heals in battle, and the Cutpurse strikes from the shadows with full force but sometimes misses. All three start with the same stats, and any of them can reach the dragon. More in The classes.

Your first ten minutes

• You are standing on the village square. Every place has a letter that you press or click.
• Press F for the forest, then L to look for loot. Most of the time you find a monster, sometimes something else.
• In a fight, A attacks. If things go badly, R runs away. K uses your skill.
• When your hit points are low, visit the healer with H, in the forest or in the village. She heals you completely, for gold.
• The first weapon costs 200 gold, the first armour 200 gold. Buy them as soon as you can, from Brann (W) and Hilde (A).
• When the village says you are ready for your master, press T for the training grounds and take them on. Win, and you go up a level.
• Before you stop, press B to put your gold in the bank and rent a room at the inn (I). Then you are safe for the night.

You are protected for a while

Nobody can raid a new hero for 3 days, counting the day you were created. During that time you cannot raid anyone either. Use those days to gather gold and experience in the forest.

Worth remembering

• You get 15 forest fights a day. Every search with L uses one, whatever you find.
• Die in the forest and you lose the gold in your pocket and some of your experience, and you stay down until the next day.
• Gold in the bank is safe from monsters and thieves. Gold in your pocket is not.
• At the bottom of every screen is your status line: hit points, gold, forest fights left and level.

How a whole day works is explained in A day in Greyford.