HORIBU1: Merge Debian/Arch/Fedora Lich install into one Linux guide

2026-11-14T17:38:49Z

Merge Debian/Arch/Fedora Lich install into one Linux guide

New page

{{3rd-party}}
{{Lich install nav}}
This guide installs Lich on '''Linux''' and on '''Chromebooks''' (through ChromeOS's Linux environment). Only the first step is different for each distribution. Every other step is the same for all of them. You will type commands into a terminal; copy each block, paste it, press Enter, and let it finish before you go on. Allow 30 to 60 minutes, most of which is spent waiting for Ruby to build.

{{blue|These instructions are for GemStone IV. DragonRealms players: see the [https://elanthipedia.play.net/Lich_script_repository#Setup_and_Installation DragonRealms Lich setup guide] on Elanthipedia.}}

* '''Already have Lich?''' See [[Lich:Software/Installation/Upgrading|Upgrading Lich]] instead.

==What you need==
* A Simutronics account.
* A Linux system that you can run <code>sudo</code> on.
* A front end. On Linux that is [[Saga]] (official, in beta), [[Lich:Profanity|Profanity]] (in the terminal) or Warlock. You set it up at the end, in [[#Step_7:_Set_up_a_front_end|step 7]].

==Step 1: Install the required packages==
Run the commands for your distribution only, then go on to step 2.


===Debian, Ubuntu and Chromebook===
On a Chromebook, first turn on Linux: open '''Settings → About ChromeOS → Developers → Linux development environment''' and click '''Turn on'''. Then open the '''Terminal''' app.
<pre>
sudo apt-get -y update
sudo apt-get -y install autoconf bison build-essential curl libssl-dev libyaml-dev libreadline6-dev zlib1g-dev libncurses5-dev libffi-dev libgdbm6 libgdbm-dev libsqlite3-dev git unzip libcairo2-dev libgirepository1.0-dev libgtk-3-dev gobject-introspection
</pre>

===Arch, Manjaro, EndeavourOS and other Arch-based distributions===
<pre>
sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel openssl libyaml readline zlib ncurses libffi gdbm sqlite git unzip curl gtk3 gobject-introspection
</pre>

===Fedora===
Fedora's own Ruby is too old for Lich ({{Lich version|ruby-series}} or newer is required; Fedora 41 ships Ruby 3.3, and Fedora 42 and 43 ship Ruby 3.4). Install these packages, then step 3 installs a newer Ruby alongside Fedora's.
<pre>
sudo dnf -y update
sudo dnf -y install git autoconf bison cairo-devel curl gcc gdbm gdbm-devel gdk-pixbuf2-devel glib2-devel gobject-introspection-devel gtk3-devel libyaml-devel libffi-devel make ncurses-devel openssl-devel readline-devel redhat-rpm-config sqlite-devel unzip zlib-devel
</pre>

==Step 2: Install rbenv==
'''[https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv rbenv]''' is a Ruby version manager. It lets you install the Ruby version Lich needs without changing the Ruby your system uses. These commands download it, add it to your <code>PATH</code> so the terminal can find it, and set it to load each time you open a terminal:
<pre>
git clone https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv.git ~/.rbenv
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
</pre>
:These lines assume the bash shell, the default on all the distributions above. If you use another shell such as zsh, add the two <code>echo</code> lines to that shell's startup file (for example <code>~/.zshrc</code>) instead.

==Step 3: Install Ruby {{Lich version|ruby}}==
Download '''ruby-build''', the rbenv plugin that builds Ruby. Then install Ruby {{Lich version|ruby}} and make it your default. Building Ruby takes several minutes.
{{#tag:pre|
git clone https://github.com/rbenv/ruby-build.git ~/.rbenv/plugins/ruby-build
rbenv install {{Lich version|ruby}} -v
rbenv global {{Lich version|ruby}}
ruby -v
}}
The last command should print a line that starts with <code>ruby {{Lich version|ruby}}</code>. If it does not, close the terminal, open a new one and run <code>ruby -v</code> again.

==Step 4: Download Lich==
This puts Lich in a <code>Lich5</code> folder in your home directory (<code>~/Lich5</code>):
<pre>
cd ~
curl -L "https://github.com/elanthia-online/lich-5/releases/latest/download/lich-5.zip" -o temp.zip && unzip temp.zip -d ./ && rm temp.zip
</pre>

==Step 5: Install the gems Lich needs==
Lich lists the gems (Ruby add-on libraries) it needs in a file named <code>Gemfile</code>, and '''Bundler''' installs them for you. The first line below stops Ruby from building documentation for each gem, which is slow, and the documentation is online anyway. The <code>bundle config</code> line skips gems that only Lich's developers need (the <code>development</code> and <code>vscode</code> groups).
<pre>
echo "gem: --no-document" > ~/.gemrc
cd ~/Lich5
bundle config set --local without 'development vscode'
bundle install
</pre>
When it finishes you should see a line that starts with <code>Bundle complete!</code>. This also installs the gems Profanity uses.
:Older guides use <code>bundle install --without ...</code>. That option was removed from the Bundler that comes with Ruby {{Lich version|ruby-series}}, so use <code>bundle config set</code> as shown above.

==Step 6: Start Lich==
<pre>
ruby ~/Lich5/lich.rbw
</pre>
The Lich login window opens. The first time Lich connects to the game, it downloads its map files; wait for that to finish. How you log in depends on your front end, which is the next step.

==Step 7: Set up a front end==
Lich needs a front end to show you the game. Follow the setup for the one you want on the [[Lich:Software/Front ends|Front ends]] page:
* [[Lich:Software/Front ends#Saga|Saga]]: the official graphical front end. Saga can start Lich for you.
* [[Lich:Software/Front ends#Profanity|Profanity]]: runs in the terminal.
* [[Lich:Software/Front ends#Warlock|Warlock]]: a third-party graphical front end.


==Getting help==
Ask in the #scripting or #help channel of the [https://discord.gg/KF9Wr8u GemStone IV Discord]. Say which distribution you use and which step failed, and copy the exact error message.

{{Third-Party Software}}
[[Category:New Player]]

Lich:Software/Installation/Linux - Revision history

HORIBU1: Merge Debian/Arch/Fedora Lich install into one Linux guide