New Player Asking Questions

[Tsurei 0]

So, I was doing some JumpChain stuff and landed on Sao, wondering if there were any rpg systems to set it up with, I ended up here and down the rabbit hole I went. Now I want to give this whole thing a try to get a deeper understanding of the system, so I started on making a Journal but I'm unsure about a few things. I figure that the answers may be out there somewhere, but i felt directly asking a question to the more veteran people might be a quicker way than me scouring for hours not sure where to look, sorry.

1. Katana? - So... I need 1H Curved Sword Rank 1 before I can start on Katana things? Why is that? I see the connection, but why is this an in-game requirement? I feel a little peeved about ending up having a dump skill slot. The Guide said something about a Katana Acquisition Thread, is there something I'm supposed to specifically do for that, apart from just buying one?

2. Buying things - So, with the starter packs, you start with 2,500 Col and 10 Tier one Materials, from what I can see, doesn't that mean a starting character can quickly get 2 [T1] [Perfect] gear if browsing Player Run Store prices are anything to go by? What did I miss?

3. Buying things, again - How do I buy things? I mean, from NPCs, and NPC Players, I see the Player run shops on the forum and the whole system goes through the banker system which I haven't looked at much yet, but how does buying things from NPCs work out? Can I choose the Enhancements like a custom order? Since out of all the npcs and couple thousand in world players, there's bound to be something that matches what my character's looking for.

4. Starting Setting - So, the current frontlines are at Floor 23 or so, and with new players like me coming in, when does our story begin? It seems unlikely to be at the Canon begining, did we just lay about for a few months down on the first floor before we decided to do something? Without ever fighting a single monster or doing a single thing for several months?

Edited December 25, 2019 by Tsurei

[Pinball 1]

First off, welcome to the site! I hope you come to enjoy it as much as I have in the past few years. 

Even if my interest has started to wane a bit- 

Regardless, enjoy your stay! 

                                                                                                                                                                   

1.) Because we hate you. And you, specifically. Dork. Just kidding. Honestly, I'm not sure, but in the end it probably chocks up to be a balancing thing. Currently, katanas have the highest dps output with the least amount of energy drain - and personally, I think that's worth the 5 SP dump. I can promise you right now, that at higher levels, you won't even notice the SP is missing. Plus, from my experience; unless you're getting Rank 1 in a bunch of skills you don't need, a lack of Skill Slots won't ever be an issue. Trust me. 

As for the Katana Acquisition thread, it can be as long or as short as you want it to be - it's mainly to give the player something to RP with. In character, the Katana is supposed to be one of the more rare weapons. So, for an acquisition thread, you can RP finding a katana hidden deep in the depths of some gloomy dungeon, for instance. Or, if you want, you can find it buried in the stockpile of old tabloids granny keeps locked in her shed. It's all up to you, really. 

2.) You read right! Didn't miss a thing, champ. Staff don't moderate the selling and buying of items in the shops - meaning a player can sell whatever they want for however much they want to. As a newbie, your first stop will probably want to be at a Blacksmith, Tailor, or Artisan. Col and Materials stack up over time, but you're going to need them as you level up tiers - or maybe you decide you want to change your build. Whatever the reason, the starting Col and Mats are supposed to be used for just that. Consider yourself lucky. I didn't get jack [censored] when I started. 

3.) Short answer: you don't. Long answer: it's a bit complicated? As of now, there aren't any staff run NPCs you can buy items for. Occasionally, there's an event where you can do just that - but for the most part, you'll only really be purchasing items from your fellow players. That isn't to say there aren't any NPCs in the game; it just means that it's up to you to RP it. You can 100% purchase Vanity items from an NPC in a thread - however, it won't cost any Col and the Weapons/Armor you purchase won't have an Enhancement. 

Now, if you want an item Enhancements, you'd want to order from a player. Also, just a note: when you purchase from a player, you'd send the Col/Materials to the player themselves, not the Banker. Crafting is done through the Banker system, but you'll figure that out when you get there. 

4.) ahaa ha  h aa a 

So, this is has been a problem for a very long time. In the upcoming major update (hehe), staff plans on addressing that issue and offering a solution. For now, though, all I can say is to - again - be creative? Maybe your character prioritized charity work, helping the children stuck in the Town of Beginnings, holding onto that shred of hope that the game would end soon. Maybe they just didn't want to fight, for whatever reason, and made their money picking herbs and selling them to the NPCs throughout the floor. Or, maybe, they stuck their nose into a place they shouldn't have, and ended up trapped by a monster or enslaved by a group of orange players. Just keep it PG-13, 'kay? (you get 1 F-bomb) 

                                                                                                                                                                    

That's pretty much it, I think! Don't forget to join the Discord, if you haven't already. You can do that by going to the homepage, clicking the [Social] tab, and then choosing [Discord]. It'll give you a link, and that should be that! There, the Player Support Team will be more than happy to answer your questions in #ask-staff, and it might be a little easier to find partners for threads in #general. 

Again, welcome! I'm looking forward to what sort of story your character gets themselves involved in. 

[Cordelia 0]

Uhh, basically what he said. ^

Wow, Pin, you were actually helpful. （ΦωΦ）

If you need any more help feel free to ask a staff member on site or on the discord!

[Tsurei 0]

Alrighty, thanks for the answers, looking forward to exploring the system and seeing where things take me.