Getting Started
Installing
For a quick video guide on installing ArcheAge Classic, watch: Installation & Donation Guide
To download the client go to aa-classic.to and make an account. Once you have made an account, click your profile name in the top right and navigate to the Download tab.
Linking to Discord
First Steps
If you're still deciding what class you want to play, take a look at the Skill Trees page.
Settings
You'll want to get your settings in place before you start playing. It's recommended that all players take a few moments to set up their hotkeys/action bars, preferred functions etc. Once you do this, you will want to go to character select and then exit the game completely to ensure all of your settings are saved. If you forget this and crash, ArcheAge is notorious for resetting any changes you made but did not save by going to character select.
Here are some QOL setting changes:
- Game Settings
- Name Info
- Disable Friendly and Enemy Pet/Summon Names
- Uncheck Display Nation Name
- Game Info
- Check Show Health Stats
- Check Show Mana Stats
- Check Close Tutorial (maybe not for brand new players!)
- Check View Frame Rate
- Set Quest Details Map Display to Unlimited
- Functionality
- Skill Deployment Location (This is a preference for many players, see what it does and decide if its for you)
- Disable Camera Shake Effects
- Disable Quest Dialogue Close-ups (Unless you're roleplaying/reading Lore)
- Learn where the "Disable Travel Through Other Players' Portals" option is, you'll want to use it when fighting against players trying to grief you.
- If your PC is slow, Show Default Player Appearances can be helpful for your gameplay experience.
- Disable Chat Filter, the game's innate filter makes a lot of words censored for no reason and its more harm than good.
- Name Info
After that, set your Hotkeys how you like them, adjust your chat windows if you want. Then, go to character select and then exit the game (you will be glad you did).
Step 1: Start the Main Story Quest (Green Quests)
This server has modified the Main Story Questline (green quests as many players will call them) compared to other servers to give players a few boosts as needed to propel them more quickly towards the more interesting part of the game.
What you will want to do here is find your first GREEN quest for your chosen race and only do those. We've added everything you need as rewards to them so there's nothing to worry about in regards to missing something from the optional side quests ("Yellow Quests").
We've also added adventurer's growthstones to certain quest milestones to make sure your character can appropriately level out of the zone while skipping the yellow quests.
Each race usually throws a small "gotcha" during the main story quest, if you get stuck, feel free to ask in our community help section on discord, your friends, or read the quest flavor text as it usually has context on where you need to head next. If you've lost your green quest, try changing the Set Quest Details Map Display setting under Game Info to Unlimited. Also, when talking to Recruiter NPC's for quests, the Crimson Omen's Quest will have to be accepted first before the Green Quests you need shows up.
Keep doing these quests until you've completed the "Heading to Halcyona" Quest!
- For Haranya, there is a Portal in Caernord (Ynystere) that will Teleport you to Halcyona
- Nuia races can just walk south to Halcyona as needed
Once you've Arrived in Solisa, you should be around level 37.
Use all the Adventurer's Growthstones and open the last Equipment Gear Box of your choice before moving on!
Step 2: Do the Main Story Quest Until Level 50
All of the quests here on forward are the same for every race and mostly a few quick "find this NPC" quest. You'll want to continue completing these Main Story Quests (Green Quests only) through Halcyona, Hellswamp and then Sandeep until you've completed the Quest: Across the Sea
WARNING: These Zones (especially Halcyona) may sometimes be randomly littered with PvP and the Halcyona War Event, so your safety is no longer promised in these zones going forward.
Once you complete this quest you'll be left staring out over the ocean (see image to the right).
Use the rest of the Growthstones provided by the quest completion now until you are at least Level 45.
Now you can use your Teleport Book to teleport straight Kroloal Cradle (Teleport Book -> Dungeons) for the next Green Quest!
The next quest will require you to zone into Kroloal Cradle and a quick interaction. You can zone in solo here no worries. Sprinkle the Petals on the fire place just inside the entrance and continue following the Green Quest Line along.
A later green quest, Arra's Ingriedients, has had the flowers requirement removed (aka Poppy Gate). Once completed there is a portal at the top of the Tower to Karkasse Ridgelands.
Use the new Growthstones given to you again now before moving on to the next step. Once you're done with that you should at least be Level 50 depending on what other activities you did while leveling.
Step 3 - Claim Your Catch Up Gear
Congrats on reaching level 50 - now what you will want to do is claim your catch up gear by going to aa-classic.to
Note: You only get to claim this gear on ONE CHARACTER.
- Log in to your account on the top right of the website and then go to your Profile.
- Once you are one your profile, go to the Services (cart) tab
- Hit Redeem on the Catch-up Gear Box and then select your character to have the gear sent to.
- Once the claim is done (you may get an error, its fine)
- Go back to in-game and check your marketplace mail and claim the package.
- Equip all your gear and use what you want!
Step 4 (Optional) - Continue the Main Story Quest (Getting to Auroria)
As a new player, you could go about your business however you want at this point, but we've made a few more changes to assist players in leveling if they choose to move on with the Main Story Quests.
At Level 51, you will have no restrictions from playing normally - but we recommend continuing the questline for some extra boosts in leveling.
Continue your questline until You've Reached the Following Quest: The Riven Gates
I recommend you complete this quest as it now rewards a large amount of additional growthstones on top of opening up a few other quests that give you a head start into crafting your new gear.
It will take about 3-4 hours to get to the Riven Gates Quest with a moderate pace. Quicker if you have someone teleport to locations instead of having to make the walk.
After that, you're all set to continue your adventures on AA Classic!
If you ever have any questions regarding anything else feel free to stop by the discord and ask the Player Helpers.
Moving Forward
The catch up bundle enables you to get started with almost any activity you want without the initial grind. Before you dive in too deep though, it's generally a good idea to get level 55.
Leveling to 55
Levels 50-55 take significantly longer than 1-50. Level 55 unlocks key abilities and skill points for many skill trees.
Some good ways to get XP at higher levels includes:
- Using labor ( higher proficiency in the skill you use will result in more xp!)
- Sign Quests (daily, kill x mobs) in Golden Ruins
- Ayanad Library Dailies / Bosses
- Grinding mobs in Auroria
- Completing World Event quests
- PvP in War / Conflict zones
- Killing world bosses (growthstones as a reward)
Making Gold
The primary method of making gold in ArcheAge is using your labor to farm, craft, do trade runs, and much more.
There are many different viable ways to make money. Some may be more labor efficient, but take significant time investment, while others may burn through your labor faster, but net you less profit. You can explore different options in the folio (default keybind: "o").
Below is a list of some common money making methods. Take some time to figure out what fits your playstyle.
The more labor you invest into a given proficiency, the more labor efficient you will be doing those tasks are in the future.
World Events
ArcheAge has many different events going on all throughout the day. World events are essential to progressing by earning honor and items such as Warrior Medals. They are also an important part of ArcheAge's gameplay, so make sure to try them out. Each faction will generally start a raid for each event and you will see peoplg x'ing up in faction chat for each given event.
To see when each event is, check out the Event Calendar.
PvP World Events
The main focus of these events is PvP. Be ready to buff up and die.
PvE World events
PvP may not be the main focus of these events, but it can still happen at some. If it does, enjoy it!
Gearing Up
The various gear options can be found in the Equipment Encyclopedia (default keybind "shift-i").
For more specific information about gearing, check out the Gearing Guide
The gear you receive from the catch up bundle should suffice while you get started on the server. Since it's pretty good gear, upgrades to it may be a bit expensive. Before spending a bunch of money on gear, make sure you have a reliable way to make more money.
There are various ways to acquire and improve your gear.
Crafted Gear
This gear is crafted and tiered up in various ways, but generally with mana wisps and resources. Each time you tier up a piece of this type of gear, it has a chance to have one of many rolls which determines the stats the gear gives. Each piece has a specific roll that allows you to upgrade it to the next tier.
This type of gear is tradeable at all times.
Obsidian Gear
This gear is crafted and tiered up using mana wisps and mob drops. There are no obsidian waist or arm pieces. At higher tiers, each type of obsidian armor splits into 2 trees you can pick from when tiering it up to provide different stats or passives depending on what your class wants.
Obsidian gear binds on equip, but can be unbound by tiering it up.
There are no obsidian accessories.
Dungeon / Honor Gear
The gear in the catch up bundle is generally better than dungeon gear. However, there are specific dungeon pieces that are essential for different classes.
Most notably, almost every class is going to want "serp sleeves" for their arm slot. These are crafted by getting a full set of your class' from the dungeon Serpentis in Exeloch and combining them into a single piece that goes in your arm slot.
Generally, you will use a mix of each type in your eventual gear set.
Weapons
For most classes, it's generally a good idea to improve your weapon before your armor.
Armor
There are 3 types of armor: cloth, leather, and plate. Mages and healers usually go cloth. Melee and archer usually go leather. Some tank classes can run plate, but it's less common.
Accessories
Certain dungeon / quest line accessories are best in slot for certain classes such as:
While working towards these pieces or to fill your remaining slots, use crafted accessories or accessories dropped as loot from mobs.