The training grounds is the place where you will learn the basics of the game. Here you will find monsters to battle, shops and vendors to buy new equipment from, and NPCs who will reward you for performing tasks for them. There are also guards present who will protect you if you get in trouble, though only if you’re close by.The ICC exit takes you through the ICC shuttles that run the Alien blockade in orbit over Rubi-Ka and get new citizens down to the planets surface itself. If you chose to affiliate with Jobe Research, you will be brought to training facilities in Shadowlands. Note: You must have the Shadowlands expansion to enter the Jobe new player areas, if you don’t have the Shadowlands expansion you must take the ICC shuttle exit.

The facilities

The Shadowlands training facilities consist of one single large area, also called a playfield. You will start on a platform elevated above most of the area. On the platform you will find several helpful NPCs, including Drake Rodrigues, who will have several tasks for you to perform. You are allowed to leave the training facilities by an elevator located across the bridge at any time. You should have plenty to do here until level ten though.

If you choose to start on Rubi-Ka by taking the ICC exit at the shuttleport then you’ll get caught up quickly in the alien attacks on Rubi-Ka and end up at the ICC shuttleport, but possibly not in the manner you imagined. The ICC shuttleport training area also consist of one single playfield that introduces you to the gameplay aspects of Anarchy Online, speak to the NPCs when you arrive and you will be given directions on how to proceed.

Map and compass

To help you navigate the playfields you are given a map and a compass. The compass shows on your screen at all times, while the map can be opened and closed by clicking the “Map” button on the right-hand menu. You’re represented on the map by a yellow dot, and map upgrades available later will allow your map to display other humans, monsters and machines nearby.

Starting in the Shadowlands, you will actually be outside the training facilities at first. You will not have a map of this area, but the only way you can go is through the door to the facilities. As soon as you arrive in the facilities, you’ll have a map of the area. To get a map of the area outside the training facilities, perform some tasks for Scientist Drake Rodriguez (see below).

Camera modes

You enter the Arrival Hall with a first-person view of the world, i.e. looking through your character’s eyes. If you prefer a third-person view, there are three different versions available. You can locate the different camera modes on the Action Menu, opened by clicking the “Action” button on the left-hand menu. Click the “Camera” button on the action menu to get access to the four camera modes:

• 1st Person: Looking through your character’s eyes.
• 3rd Person Locked: The camera will follow the character as if tied to the character by an invisible line.
• 3rd Person Trailing: The camera shows your character from the same angle all the time. Default position is straight behind you.
• 3rd Person Rubber: As 3rd Person Trailing above, but the camera moves more softly, taking some time to adjust after you make sharp turns. Default position is straight behind you.

The 3rd person camera’s position can be adjusted by using the Num Pad. The even numbers (except 0) move the camera around, and you can zoom with + and -. Pressing 5 will bring the camera to its default position.

Chatting with other players

The training facilities are shared by several players, and upon entering them you will also gain access to chat channels that connect all new characters of the same affiliation. The default channel is “Vicinity”, which means everything you say will be heard by all characters nearby. Everything you say, and everything others say on channels you listen to, will show in the Default Chat Window et the bottom of the screen.

To say something, hit enter, type what you want to say, and hit enter again to say it. The text will show below the Chat Window while you type it.

To talk in other channels, hit enter to activate the chat input then tab to get a list of the channels available. Select a channel and type what you want to say.

You can send private messages, called “tells”, to other characters too. To tell John “Hi. How are you doing?”, type “/tell John Hi. How are you doing?” (without the “”). People who send tells to you will show up on your list of friends, and you can click their name to open a priuvate chat window where you can chat with them without having to type “/tell name” in front of the message every time.

Note that the chat system is very customizable, and it’s recommended to take some time later to get to know it better (You can find a full guide to the chat interface here . For now, lets focus on the game-play.

Missions

Missions are tasks you carry out for others. They usually include a reward of some kind - items, cash and/or experience points. In Shadowlands, your first source of missions will be Scientist Drake Rodriguez. On Rubi-Ka you’ll want to talk with the Guide, or check the mission booth in the backyard. Right-click them to talk to them, or to open the mission booth interface.

Missions from NPCs are normally conducted outdoors, while the mission booth will direct you to an auto-generated indoor area, which will be exclusive for you, and exists until the mission is completed or failed. When you get assigned a mission, an icon for the mission will show up in your Mission Window, which is opened by left-clicking on the “Missions” button on the right-hand menu.

Note that players often refer to missions given by humanoid NPCs as quests and those from the terminals as missions, both can be found in the same mission window though.

Sometimes the mission has a specific known location that you can be guided to. To locate the entrance to a mission area, hold down the right mouse button while pointing at the mission icon. This will bring up a small menu with some options. Move the mouse pointer to the icon with a grid and an X, and release the right mouse button. You will now get an X on your map, and a waypoint indicator (yellow line) on your compass, indicating where the entrance is.

To read the description of a mission, or check how much time you have left to complete it, hold shift and left-click the mission’s icon.

Both the new player areas (ICC shuttleport and Jobe research) have some starter missions to get you started. The Nurse who greets you in the ICC area will point you in the direction. When entering the Shadowlands, you will be about ten yards away from Scientist Drake Rodriguez. You can’t miss him. Right-click the NPC to talk with them (well the Nurse will actually start speaking to you right away so eager is she to help!), and you’ll learn where you need to go and what you need to do