Equipment

So, what might be considered essential items? You'll remember I suggested not bothering too much with the things in the Pumpkin Town Emporium. This is simply because, useful though they are, the selection in the Emporium is very basic, and you won't be in the game for very long before you'll decide you want to kit yourself out with something nicer.

Until recently, your only option was to wander the streets, randomly exploring shops for affordable chic. And most enjoyable it was too, if a little limited. After all, how is a newbie to know where best to shop?

But now we have the immeasurable delight of Kefka's magnificent Items Database:

http://kefka.purplesunset.co.uk/items/

Type the name of a generic item, such as cloak, into the Search box. Then hit return, and have a lovely browse the ever-growing range of interesting things to buy, steal, find, play with or merely oggle - and where to get them.

You may, however, like to direct your initial searches around the following basic items.

Backpack

Adventurer. Just another name for backpacker, really. So, what should one look for this most essential and defining possession?

Sensible persons will have taken the opportunity to purchase a medium satchel in the Emporium. And to begin with, this will be a very sensible investment indeed, since there's a strict limit on how much you can carry in your inventory - exceed it and you'll "fumble" something¹.

Sadly, there's also a limit to how much you can get into any container. And after a while, you may find you need rather more essentials than you can successfully cram into a medium satchel. Besides, "satchellers" just sounds silly.

The Lucky Cat Container Information page - http://luckycat.pbwiki.com/ContainerInformation - gives a comprehensive list of containers with details on how much they hold and how heavy they are.

Have a rummage for something you like, then find out where to get it from Kefka's site. Just because they're humble backpacks, doesn't mean they all have to look the same! Or, indeed, offer the same carrying capacity.

Light Source

As previously mentioned, running around in the dark is the fastest way to get killed: there are just too many opportunities to wander off cliffs, into rivers, or into the paths of dangerous people.

Hopefully you kept your torch from Pumpkin Town, and invested in a few more. Sadly, they burn out far too fast, and for some reason, there never seem to be enough in the general stores.

Lanterns are an option, but they require oil. I've never used one, but I'd imagine they run out of oil fairly regularly, and they look rather bulky and awkward to carry.

The trouble with both torches and lanterns - in addition to their tendancy to expire at inconvenient moments - is that you've got one hand always full. This can soon become a nuisance.

The light source of choice for most players is a yellow stone ring. These are worn, so your hands are free - however, they do consume small amounts of GP. Which means that sometimes, this happens:

The yellow light surrounding you flickers and goes out.

Not only is this rather alarming (it also happens when you die - so seeing it just happen for no apparent reason is scary!), but it means you might find you haven't got enough GP to support your ring and perform certain commands.

But frankly, this is such a small drawback to such an invaluable tool, I mention it only for reference.

My advice to all adventurers is:

1. type yellow stone ring into Kefka's Item Database,
2. find out where to get one,
3. and get one as fast as possible.

NB: In addition to the shops listed, you can often also find them in Player Shops (there's one three rooms East of the Mended Drum. It's opposite a general store, and at the time of writing, it also handily comprises a Player bank counter).

Yellow stone rings are often cheaper in player shops.

Clothes

While there's no rule against running round the Disc completely nekkid, the comprehensive weather system means you'll soon regret it. It is quite possible to catch colds if not wrapped up warmly, and also, more crucially, entirely possible to die of extreme cold or extreme heat (such as you might find near the Hub, or out in the Klatchian desert, respectively).

However, beyond something suitable for protection from the elements, your basic adventuring outfit is entirely up to you; and there are no shortage of exciting shops in which to buy some very fetching and reasonably priced apparel.

Sothis, for example, currently roams the streets of Genua without any problems in a pair of yellow patent sandals and a frilly white dress... although she does have a chainmail minidress for special occasions...

Armour

Generally, the less armour you wear, the easier it is to move around without being impeded.

On the other hand, the less armour you wear, the easier it is for you to get poked with a pointy object.

Decisions, decisions.

Only you can decide how much armour you need to wear - but for expert advice, one need look no further than the excellent Ekko's Armourarium: http://dw.shax.com/armour/.

Have a leisurely browse of all the armour types, and note things such as weight, as this will add to your burden, and whether an item will warm you up or cool you down. That coat of steel plate armour will no doubt protect you from all but the most determined attack... but if it's so heavy you can't move while wearing it, how good is it really?

Personally, I prefer grflx armour. Light, effective and very difficult (thought not impossible) to damage, this stuff is ideal for any adventurer who merely wishes to protect their soft bits, and a reasonable layer 1 for anyone else.

The only drawback for newbies is the cost: basic pieces tend to be priced around AM$75. Well worth the investment, though, so bear it in mind as something for which to save.

Meanwhile, check out The Lucky Cat Guide to Grflx Armour: http://luckycat.pbwiki.com/GrflxArmour for more information.

Weaponry

It's probably a good idea to have at least one good weapon, and to invest time in developing the skills to use it effectively.

But what sort of weapon do you fancy?

Again, this is entirely a matter of personal preference - at least one adventurer, the redoubtable Minimal, relies entirely on unarmed combat.

The rest of us, however, might prefer a nice dagger or sword. And again, there is an excellent site offering expert advice - in this case, Coilla's Weapon List: http://www.geocities.com/dwweapons/.

Coilla's site is slightly out of date now, as a sizeable number of new weapons have been introduced in the last year. But for general advice and a large range of weapons of all types, Coilla's site is still a must.

Last Words on Equipment

The command coverage will tell you which parts of your body are protected by which items, in terms of getting hit by unfriendly folk.

The command vurdere² will give you similar information for just your armour, but unlike coverage, you need to learn to vurdere, and only after acquiring the necessary skills³. Obviously, the more levels of skill you gain, the better you'll get at vurdering your armour.

So! Now you know what you're looking for... how are you going to pay for it? Mmmmmm...

1. Naturally, Sod's Law decrees the item you fumble will be something really important, like your sword or a prized weapon. I lost an elegant stiletto like that once, and didn't notice until the crucial moment in a fight. Most annoying.
2. Vurdere is the Norwegian word for Appraise, according to this site: http://www.dictometer.com/vurdere
3. Five levels of other.evaluate.armour.