So, I've played some other IRE Games, even tried Lusternia a long, long time ago, and now I want to come back.

But from the general overview of my previous character, lots and lots of stuff has been added.

So I have a few questions, hopefully a few different forumgoers can provide me with particular insights.

A couple of things to note about me: I don't really intend to purchase credits OOC. I might, but I don't want to lean on it. I don't really enjoy RPing the extremes. Nothing too evil, nothing too goodly. I have maybe a couple of hours a day to devote to the game, with random spurts of powerhouse gaming once a week or so.

1- Bashing/Influencing - Is influencing a proper method of grinding? Is it easier than bashing, or would it serve as a double gain of XP (influence everything in an area, then kill it all) if I went that route? I want some fairly easy bashing, with a low lesson investment, as the majority of my time spent will be PvE (with the endgame goal of PvP).

2- Guilds - So it looks like all the archetypes are pretty close to the same thing, it breaks down on skill flavor and roleplay. Is this a fair assumption? Are Gaudiguch and Hallifax ever getting their own bards/monks? I assume it's a playercount thing.

3- Skills - I can find all this out IG, but I don't really wanna commit, even to a throwaway character, just to skim help files. What do I need, and what is fluff? There are a lot of skills, and some of them seem kinda superfluous to the common newbie. I don't wanna dump lessons into something I'll use once before I'm level 90.

4- Races - Clearly some races are superior to others for certain roles/archetypes, are there any benefits with going outside the norm? If I was a Orclach Pyromancer, for example.

5- A system - As I said, mostly PvE here, how coding intensive are Lusternia's mobs? Could I get by with basic outr/eat macros, sip aliases and on-balance-bashing? Or do I need to be a bit more cunning?

Thanks for any answers you decide to give me, and if you have any further advice or hints, feel free to throw them around -- I feel I'ma need all the help I can get.

I can't decide if your profile picture is the best thing I've seen for a while, or themost horrifying.

I love it!

It's not true that being enemied to an NPC org prevents influencing them. You can still influence mobs you are enemied to as long as they are not aggro (ie you can influence UV kephera and be fine unless the aggro sentries walk into the room).

Also, for influencing, I think there have been a few people who influenced all the way to demigod, so its do-able. The general consensus is that influencing is fine up until level 80 or so when you start seeing increased crits while bashing, which makes bashing faster from that point on. Influencing doesn't have to deal with curing, so you'd only have to buy bromides to support that. Bashing is going to require curatives. On the opposite side, you can bash pretty decently with one low-level attack in your guild skills, but influencing on the higher end requires a good investment in the influencing skillset (and dramatics, if you want some of the influence support skills).

As to benefits for going outside the norm, unless you enjoy the RP of those non-normal races, you're probably best to stick with what's usable for that class (ie high int races for casters, high str races for warriors, etc.).

It does prevent village influencing, just not any other sort.

Influencing up to 90, tbh, unless by then you hate influencing. It depends on your class but as a guardian bashing speed rather sucked before that point. And I had trans guild skills already ~_~ It can vary, and it certainly depends on being able to find a good bashing route and be as efficient as possible about it. Kirigami for the increased crit and DMP boost is lovely, and grab some con food if you feel squishy. Memorize the rooms at the start of your favorite bashing spots and then use PATHS to get to each of then. Be careful not to run through hostile territory like that though (if you'd use the Mudlet client, the mapper for that will let you block out areas you don't want to run into)

Also, you kinda need all three "attacks" per type these days by the time you step down into Undervault, trans is even better if you can get it. CharismaticAura is pretty damn sweet. Always get your guild skills first, after that resilience for extra tanky and check the skill web for what boosts you damage output. For city Guardians that is highmagic, you will want to check the skillweb for it (parent pool boosts child pool).

No. It is Planar that boosts damage for Guardian and Mage bashing attacks.

Does charismaticaura help a lot with influencing denizens?

Yes.

Yes. Best boost to influencing you'll ever access, by far.

EDIT: Ninja'd .___.

GFDI. Some day I'll get it right. Promise. Sorry about misleading info >_<

I think the confusion stems from the fact that Lowmagic boosts the bashing damage for Wicca, as they ditch nature curse and use Nightkiss/Moonburst instead which are in Night/Moon, which are child pools to Lowmagic. Highmagic however bends of into Rituals, in which there are no bashing attacks. At least none that I am aware of.

Anyway, the skill diagram should be available here if you want to make use of it.

You can also use the easier-on-the-eyes (at least for me) diagram here, at http://old.lusternia.com/skills.php