Starsworn's New Player Bullet Guide

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This is a guide, tutorial, or gameplay strategy written by one or more players to better assist others with their gameplay enjoyment. The information presented here may be subject to the personal opinion of the contributor(s), and may additionally require periodic updates to keep current as the game environment changes.

Title: Starsworn’s GSIV New Player Bullet Guide

Author: Starsworn (prime)

Date Published: 2025-08-31

Starsworn’s GSIV New Player Bullet Guide

Game commands are listed in ALL CAPS to show what you type.

You can abbreviate most commands! For example, instead of INVENTORY, you can just do i.

How do I ask for help?

You can speak to other players by prefacing your comment with a leading apostrophe or by typing SAY:

Command Result
'Hello! You say, "Hello!"
SAY hello You say, "Hello!"

Advanced roleplaying tip: You can use TONE and SPEECH VERB to see lists of commands:

Command Result
SAY :happy hello! You say happily, "Hello!"
SAY =laugh hello You laugh, "Hello!"
SAY =laugh :happy hello You happily laugh, "Hello!"

How do I interact with myself, others, and the world?

Things about YOU

  • INVENTORY: shows what you’re carrying and wearing
  • EXP: shows your experience
  • INFO: shows your level, race, stats, and other details
  • SKILLS: shows your training
  • SPELL ACTIVE: shows what spells are currently on you
  • HEALTH: shows your health, spirit, stamina, mana

Things about OTHERS

  • LOOK <name>: see their description
  • PROFILE <name>: view their profile if public
  • Use verbs (e.g., SMILE <name>, BOW <name>) to interact

Things about the WORLD

  • LOOK: see the current room
  • Move by typing directions: N, S, E, W, NE, SW, etc.
  • GO <object> (e.g., GO DOOR): move through obvious exits
  • ANALYZE ROOM: see a list of obvious exits
  • DIR <location>: get directions to a place
  • LOOK <object>: examine details in the room

To reach the thought net (players anywhere can hear/respond), do ESP TUNE HELP twice, then:

Command Result
THINK Hello, I have a question! [You]: Hello, I have a question!
THINK TO JOHN Hi! [Focused to John] You think, "Hi!"
THINK ON HELP Can someone help me, please? [You]: Can someone help me, please?
  • You can freely discuss questions in Help, Merchant, and OOC; the General channel is in-character.
  • Use DIR for directions to Silverwood Manor, then RING the bell to call for a Mentor (experienced player).
  • DIR TOWN SQUARE will lead you to the town center, where other adventurers can help.
  • DISCORD joins the official Discord server (there’s a Help channel where players are happy to assist!).

How should I build my character?

Make whatever you imagine! All combinations are potentially viable, though some are easier than others. Offbeat builds can work!

Stats (Strength, Wisdom, etc.):

  • Stats are based on your race and class, and they grow as you level up.
  • If a stat reaches 100 too early, you miss out on the growth afterwards.
  • The goal is for them to just hit 100 when you reach level 100.
  • You can’t actually have 100 in everything, but you can get close.
  • You can change your stats a total of 5 times before you turn level 20.
  • Good stats to optimize before level 20 are: Logic (speeds Exp absorption), Strength (adds to AS), Agility/Dexterity (reduces roundtime). Spellcasters should check their page to see which stat contributes to their CS.
  • To optimize your stats, use a calculator or ask someone else to help. Calculator options:
  • There are 3 recommended paths (choose by preference):
  1. Optimize for level 19 to speed up leveling to that point, then switch to option 2 or 3.
  2. Optimize for level ~70, then plan to use a fixstat potion (about 15m silver, or 1m bounty points) to optimize for level 100. You can complete bounties as you level up and save your points to use on the potion.
  3. Optimize for level 100: set and forget.

Skills:

  • You can change skills freely and instantly as many times as you like until you turn level 20.
  • Core skills vary by class. Some options to get started:
    • Use the default skills provided in character creation.
    • Use your class’s Beginner’s Guide: https://gswiki.play.net/Category:Guides
    • Ask on the ESP Help channel for guidance.
    • Ask in your class’s Discord channel for guidance.
  • If you plan to try bounties, consider the following (helps with Skinning, Bandits, Search, Herb):
    • Perception 1-2x, First Aid 1-2x, Survival 1x

How should I manage my items?

  • Do these commands once:
SET SORTED ON
STOW SET BACKPACK
  • Now, you can do e.g. STOW AXE, STOW RIGHT, or STOW ALL to put the item(s) into that container.
  • Encumbrance is an ongoing battle; try to stay lean. Don’t carry extra armor sets, dozens of skins, or heavy quartz orbs.
  • If you’re attacking things, try to keep your roundtime under 5–6 seconds.
  • Early on, all you really need is one or two big containers (cloak and backpack), armor, weapon, and shield if you use it.

How do I kill things?

Attack

  • KILL <target>

Stance system

  • In combat, you can set the offensiveness vs. defensiveness of your position with STANCE.
  • STANCE D = defensive (most DS); used by most casters (except wizards).
  • STANCE O = offensive (most AS).
  • STANCE ADV = a middle ground for physical attackers.
  • You will incur roundtime (time before you can act again). If it goes over 5–6s, lighten your load.

Cast

  • INCANT <spell#> (e.g., INCANT 1700)

Special attacks

  • WEAP LIST to see weapon abilities.
  • SHIELD LIST to see shield abilities.
  • [ARMOR LIST to see armor abilities.]
  • QSTRIKE -3 <target> does an attack with −3s RT at a stamina cost; you can use any number.
  • MSTRIKE, largely deprecated in favor of WEAP abilities.
  • GLD for guild skills (later).
  • FEAT for other abilities (later).

How do I level up?

  • Do the introductory quest.
  • Visit each of the DIR areas in your town for a one-time EXP reward.
  • Many towns have an NPC (e.g., Warrior Thraak in Wehnimer’s Landing) who gives an intro speech and EXP after a few questions.
  • Go to the town bondsman or similar NPC and deliver messages for silver and EXP.

Hunt

  • “Hunting” = killing things in the wilds, then resting in town.
  • Check your experience via EXP.
  • Killing grants Field Exp that you absorb over time.
  • You absorb faster on “nodes,” often places like Town Center or a tavern.

Bounties

  • Bounties are found at your town's Adventurer's Guild, at the taskmaster NPC.
  • You can obtain a bounty via ASK TASKMASTER FOR BOUNTY.
  • BOUNTY will then show the details of your task.
  • If it's too difficult, return to the taskmaster and ASK TASK TO REMOVE BOUNTY.
  • When complete, return and ASK TASK FOR BOUNTY again.
  • Rewards: experience, silver, bounty points.
  • Other options (more advanced): Reim, Open Seas Adventures, healing (empaths), raising the dead (clerics after level 18).

What are some tips for early success in combat?

  • If you enjoy videos, check out Jara's, e.g. "Early Level Gearing & Beyond": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju91eW-FOco&t=271s
  • Early strong weapon bases:
    • Two-handed: claidhmore
    • UAC (unarmed combat): gloves + boots
    • Edged: falchion, longsword, handaxe, katana, short sword (ambushing)
    • Blunt: morning star, mace (ambushing)
    • Ranged: longbow, heavy crossbow
    • Polearms: naginata
  • For early levels, consider a drake weapon (periodic fire flares).
  • Armaments can have an enchantment bonus added directly to AS (weapons) or DS (runestaves, shields, armor).
  • Common material bonuses:
    • Mithril +5
    • Ora +10
    • Imflass +12 (lightweight)
    • Glaes +15 (very heavy)
    • Vultite +20
  • Minimum level to use magical metals is half the bonus (rounded up): mithril 3, ora 5, imflass 6, glaes 8, vultite 10.
  • Ask other players for spares or check your town’s pawnshop.
  • Players will cast buff spells if you ask; many last up to 4 hours. Wizards can provide a set of particularly powerful spells. Try these:
    • THINK ON HELP Can anyone please provide some spells?
    • THINK ON GENERAL Can anyone please provide some spells?
    • DIR TOWN SQUARE and ask there.

If you’re a caster, primary attack spells (you can search the wiki for the spell number: https://gswiki.play.net/):

  • Cleric: 302
  • Sorcerer: 702
  • Wizard: 901, 904, 903 (after 20 ranks Elemental Lore: Fire, 903 becomes steam)
  • Empath: 1106; intermingle 1101 and 1700 to save mana
  • Helpful wands: twisted (sorc/empath/cleric), gold, glass, aquamarine, metal, slender blue (wizard)

I got injured or died! Now what?

  • If injured, you can heal in a number of ways:
    • The best is to go to your town center and ask an empath for healing. This gives you both EXP!
    • You can also find the town healer NPC.
    • You can also use herbs to heal! Herbs can be found while hunting, purchased from shops in town, found via FORAGE, or created through spells.
    • Later on, you can buy a high-end item called a Survivalist's Kit (for millions of silver) which expedites the herb munching process.
    • A powerful herb for emergencies: ask someone to forage up some Yabathilium fruit for you (or try yourself)!
  • If dead, ask for help on the Help channel; someone will bring you back to town.
THINK ON HELP I'm dead, can someone please rescue me?
  • Once back in town, an empath can heal you and a cleric can raise you.
  • If nobody's around to help, you can DEPART to be sent back to town. There's no penalty for this before level 10. After that, it causes Death's Sting.

How can I lower my roundtime?

There are many ways to reduce your encumbrance. In order of ease of access, they are:

  • If you're carrying boxes, get them opened at the locksmith pool, and make more frequent trips to get them opened
  • Make sure you're properly trained in Armor Use for your armor
  • Find "a white crystal" (casts Strength (509)) either as loot or in a pawnshop, or ask a Wizard to cast it on you
  • Find a "black crystal" (casts Floating Disk (511)) and use it for your boxes, or ask a Wizard to cast it on you
  • Find a Warrior or Paladin and ask for Armor Support
  • Make sure your Strength and Constitution statistics are reasonably high, keeping in mind you can change your attributes 5 times before level 20
  • AIM CLEAR to ensure you aren't targeting a specific part of your opponents
  • Find lighter containers
  • Ask someone to help you lighten and/or deepen your containers with "notes," or purchase them yourself from player shops (they look like, e.g., "a light yellow note")
  • Drop excess inventory
  • For more experienced adventurers, find enhancive items that boost your Strength and Constitution
  • Buy "a silvery blue potion" from adventurer shops or the SimuCoin store (reduces encumbrance by 100 lbs for 30 days, stackable)

How can I get XP faster?

  • Do bounties at the Adventurer's Guild! The process is straightforward:
    • Find your town's Adventurer's Guild taskmaster
    • ASK <TASKMASTER> FOR BOUNTY
    • Check BOUNTY for details and to see your progress
    • If it's too hard, return and ASK <TASKMASTER> TO REMOVE BOUNTY
    • Otherwise, when complete, ASK <TASKMASTER> FOR BOUNTY to turn it in, and repeat!
  • For a full EXPloration, check the Experience Guide.

Where can I find guides for my profession?

There is a list of Professional Guides, but beware, many are outdated. Your best bet is to ask other adventurers of your profession on the official Discord, which contains a channel for each profession, or on ESP Help (paid accounts only).

What are: ensorcel, sanctify, grit, enchant, and so forth?

A Profession service is a profession-specific service which can provide a benefit to other players. They all follow the same template:

  • Beginning at either level 20, 25, or 30 depending on your class, you'll begin to automatically accumulate a profession-specific resource, such as Essence (Wizard), Nature's Grace (Ranger), Devotion (Cleric), and so forth.
  • You gain 1 point of that resource for each 1 point of XP you absorb, up to 50k each week, and 200k maximum at a time. (Instant XP gain does not count.)
  • You can then spend your resource to provide a "service" to another player, which has a specific, permanent benefit for them, varying by profession.
  • You can also convert some of your resource into "suffused" points, which let you work on more difficult items, via SUFFUSE.
  • You can check your progress via RESOURCE. For information about specific professional resources, see the page above.
  • Your professional service resource is valuable, often in the realm of 1-3 million silvers per full week (for the 50k maximum resource allowed each week), as of the time of writing this article. Use it wisely!
  • Spending your resource will have tiered difficulty, with subsequent tiers requiring higher levels or even specific builds to achieve. Adventurers who can accomplish these higher-difficulty tasks can sell their resource at a higher premium.

What are some more advanced combat mechanics?

Each of these categories allows you to use your skill training to further specialize your character. They add new attacks, defenses, buffs, or other abilities to your character's repertoire. However, they each work a little differently:

  • Combat Maneuvers is a skill (the ones under GOAL) which grants you access to a number of subskills which you can use to further specialize your character. Once you train in this skill, you can use CM LIST to check which maneuvers are available to your class, and CM INFO to see which you have. You can use CM by itself to bring up the full menu of commands, including how to learn new ones.
  • Weapon Techniques are another subset of specialized skills which are learned automatically when you train in a given weapon skill, e.g. Edged Weapons or Blunt Weapons. You can use WEAPON to see the relevant commands. The other commands are structured the same as for Combat Maneuvers.
  • Armor Specializations are more similar to Combat Maneuvers in that by learning ranks of the Armor Use skill (also under GOAL), you unlock points which you can then place as you wish.

In summary, you can access each of these by typing CM, ARMOR, or WEAPON.

What is the Invoker?

The Half-elven invoker is an NPC who casts a full set of defensive spells lasting 4 hours. Previously, the Invoker visited the Small Park, but she now travels only to Mist Harbor (Premium and Platinum accounts only). She arrives every 2 hours, on even hours EST, and a her spells cost 10,000 silvers.

What else can I do in Elanthia?

Authorship

Starsworn (prime)

Other Guides

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