Stuff you probably should know (a subjective opinion):
0) you can level all skills (fight, magic, crafting, harvesting) as much or as little as you want.
1) don't cast, craft and dig in medium or heavy armor. Your results won't be satisfactory because of high malus.
2) use amplifiers (caster gloves) for casting to get better results.
3) learn how to edit your actions. Editing actions is the core of Ryzom's skill system.
4) mostly everything you wear is crafted by other players. Don't expect gear drops.
5) missions on the island give some nice gear which will be useful for a long time.
6) regardless of what the mission description says, teaming is not mandatory in the tutorial missions. Every single one is soloable.
7) don't hurry to mainland unless you really really want to. You'll probably want to be at least 30 or 35 in your main skill. Mainland is the harsh mistress. :-P
8) unless you want to level crafting since the beginning, you don't have to go to your racial capital. You can pick any land. But be aware that to get to other lands, you will probably need help and escort of high level players.
9) it's highly advisable to find someone to show you around. If you find a friend on the island, go to the mainland together and pick the same capital, because the mainland is much more fun in group.
10) learn the movement patterns of carnivores. Avoiding the aggro is a player skill, not in-game skill... and it's probably the most important player skill you'll need. The compass is your friend, learn to use it.
11) don't give up. :-)
A brief summary of racial starting zones (again, a subjective opinion):
Desert (Fyros): bright, with unobstructed view and a huge city in the middle. Looks amazing in the night. Carnivores are less plentiful, easy to avoid them if you know where they spawn.
Forest (Matis): looks just like the starter island, only much bigger. Wonderful evening and night ambient sound. Dogs everywhere, so probably avoid this one if your fighting skill is low.
Lake (Tryker): water everywhere, plenty of swimming, which eventually gets annoying no matter how pretty the water texture is. The zone is divided by various slopes and ramps and can be hard to find your way around at first. Extremely easy to drop the aggro (just go to deep water). Isolated groups of mobs on islands, a lot like a party buffet.
Jungle (Zoraï): well balanced zone with just a handful of carnivores and with plenty of stuff to hunt. Zoraï towns are a pain to navigate, lots of unpassable slopes and obstacles. It can be hard to see things in the jungle, because of all the vegetation (compass is your friend).
0) you can level all skills (fight, magic, crafting, harvesting) as much or as little as you want.
1) don't cast, craft and dig in medium or heavy armor. Your results won't be satisfactory because of high malus.
2) use amplifiers (caster gloves) for casting to get better results.
3) learn how to edit your actions. Editing actions is the core of Ryzom's skill system.
4) mostly everything you wear is crafted by other players. Don't expect gear drops.
5) missions on the island give some nice gear which will be useful for a long time.
6) regardless of what the mission description says, teaming is not mandatory in the tutorial missions. Every single one is soloable.
7) don't hurry to mainland unless you really really want to. You'll probably want to be at least 30 or 35 in your main skill. Mainland is the harsh mistress. :-P
8) unless you want to level crafting since the beginning, you don't have to go to your racial capital. You can pick any land. But be aware that to get to other lands, you will probably need help and escort of high level players.
9) it's highly advisable to find someone to show you around. If you find a friend on the island, go to the mainland together and pick the same capital, because the mainland is much more fun in group.
10) learn the movement patterns of carnivores. Avoiding the aggro is a player skill, not in-game skill... and it's probably the most important player skill you'll need. The compass is your friend, learn to use it.
11) don't give up. :-)
A brief summary of racial starting zones (again, a subjective opinion):
Desert (Fyros): bright, with unobstructed view and a huge city in the middle. Looks amazing in the night. Carnivores are less plentiful, easy to avoid them if you know where they spawn.
Forest (Matis): looks just like the starter island, only much bigger. Wonderful evening and night ambient sound. Dogs everywhere, so probably avoid this one if your fighting skill is low.
Lake (Tryker): water everywhere, plenty of swimming, which eventually gets annoying no matter how pretty the water texture is. The zone is divided by various slopes and ramps and can be hard to find your way around at first. Extremely easy to drop the aggro (just go to deep water). Isolated groups of mobs on islands, a lot like a party buffet.
Jungle (Zoraï): well balanced zone with just a handful of carnivores and with plenty of stuff to hunt. Zoraï towns are a pain to navigate, lots of unpassable slopes and obstacles. It can be hard to see things in the jungle, because of all the vegetation (compass is your friend).