Newcomers Guide

Things to know about playing Shartak

• Pacing: Shartak is a slow paced game. It's not an FPS, it's a browser-based MMORPG; you won't be slaughtering enemies left and right. You will be traveling through the jungle, searching for supplies, healing wounds, hunting animals (or people). All of that takes time.

• Goals: Shartak is what you make of it. Once you complete the in-game beginners' tutorial (which gives you enough XP to buy your first skill) there are no predefined goals that you have to achieve. You are free to explore the island, provide healing, hunt animals, fight other players or trade goods between settlements. It's up to you to set your own goals.

• Interaction: Shartak can be fun playing as a lone explorer or hunter, but you can also play and have a lot of fun as a member of a clan or by interacting with other players. Many of the Shartak clans have their own specific objectives and are happy to help newcomers settle in. Check out the wiki pages of the officially recognised clans for more information. Shartak also has an active official discussion forum where you can seek advice and other people or clans to play with.

Tips for starting out

• Education: The Shartak Wiki contains a lot of useful info for beginners. You knew that already, didn't you?

• Tutorial: Before doing anything else, follow the in-game tutorial. The tutorial is risk-free and grants 100 XP, enough to obtain your first skill of choice.

• Preparation: Shartak Island is a dangerous place. Make sure you're well supplied before venturing too far from your starting location. See below for recommended supplies.

• Navigation: Getting around in a hostile jungle environment is not easy. Until you acquire a GPS unit and/or the Exploration skill, be wary of getting lost.

• Hazards: The islands of Shartak are filled with dangers. Unless you take precautions you can expect to die easily. Death is not the end; you can revive fairly easily. Don't let death get you down.

Character basics

• Action Points (AP) govern how many actions your character can take in one session. When your APs reach zero you cannot do anything until they have recharged. APs recharge at a rate of one every twenty minutes up to a maximum of 75 (or 80 for Scouts/Explorers). Beginning characters get a large one-use pool of APs (as much as 175) to use in their first session(s).

• Hit Points (HP) reflect how much damage your character can take before dying. You can restore your own HP by eating, drinking or using medical supplies to heal yourself. Others players can also restore your HP by healing you. When your HPs reach zero your character dies and enters the spirit world, from where you can be returned to life by one of the island's NPC Shaman.

• Experience Points (XP) are earned when your character performs key actions (e.g. healing another player or killing a game animal). Earned XP may be expended to purchase new skills that reflect the growth of your character.

Must-have skills

These skills are what you should consider choosing first, whether you're a bloodthirsty pirate or a friendly neighbourhood shaman.

• Exploration (helps give you a vague sense of direction, even if your map isn't filled in completely)

• Trekking (reduces AP cost for movement through jungle, thus saving more AP for fighting, healing etc)

• Body Building (a pre-requisite for Stamina, this skill adds 1 damage to your melee attack)

• Stamina (adds 20 HP, making you harder to kill)

• Outsider/Native Knowledge (you can't use the healing items of the opposite faction without this)
• It's also recommended to have at least one language skill, as you can partly make out what the other faction is saying, somewhat.

Recommended adventuring supplies

The following is a recommended list of Items that you should consider equipping yourself with for your adventures:

• 3 machetes or cutlasses. Useful for chopping trees and wildlife. Why three? They are guaranteed to break at the worst possible time...
• 1 sharpening stone. Don't wield a blunt machete or cutlass - use a sharpening stone.
• 1 knife or dagger. These allow you to leave messages on trees and huts, as well as acting as a backup weapon.
• A lot of healing supplies. In the jungle you never know what you might run into. You will live a lot longer if you have a supply of first aid kits (FAKs) or healing herbs. Bottles or gourds filled with fresh water or fruit juice provide less healing than first aid kits but can be refilled at rivers and lakes. Fruits and berries can be found at trees in the jungle but these heal only small amounts of damage, and should only be used in an emergency.
• If you are a Soldier or Warrior you should equip with rifles or blowpipes as appropriate. Carry spare weapons and spare ammo.
• 1 GPS unit. Very useful for navigation. Initially, only outsiders and pirates can use these. However natives who learn outsider knowledge can also make use of them.

A more refined list can be found here

Villages

Villages play a major role in Shartak. They are generally the centers of role-playing activity within the game and they contain supply huts, the primary sources of supplies. Towns also contain shamans, providing a reliable respawn point to all players. Any player killed has the option of reviving in their hometown for 25 action points or at the nearest wandering shaman for 50 action points.

Village fixtures

All six villages have certain structures in common. The shipwreck is somewhat different (see below). It should be noted that huts cannot be destroyed, but they can be hidden by thick jungle.

• Empty huts. These are the most common type of hut. They can be found in the jungle or at any settlement other than the Shipwreck. Some may be occupied by players now. Many clans and players have laid claim to certain huts as their territory. However, most clans do not particularly mind a friendly visitor.
• Medical huts. These huts can be searched for supplies. They stand a reasonably good chance of supplying first aid kits (in outsider settlements) and healing herbs (in native settlements). They also provide other supplies such as machetes, bottles of water, knives, etc. These are the best source of medical supplies for players.
• Ammunition huts. These huts are vital for soldiers and warriors. They provide ammunition appropriate for these classes' weaponry, along with providing additional rifles or blowpipes. Fighters should search these huts for ranged weaponry and ammunition.
• Trader's hut. These can be found in any settlement. Here, one can trade for supplies or money. Though searching is useless in this hut, players can acquire supplies they need or sell off those they don't. However, visiting the same trader too frequently will result in worsened prices. Additionally, the trader reacts to supply and demand, so prices may fluctuate.
• Shaman. The shaman, as mentioned above, provides a stable resource point for players originating from that village.

Shipwreck

Unlike other villages, the shipwreck site holds two structures. One is the trader's hut, which works like any other trader's hut. The other structure is the ship itself. The ship has five rooms. Each room supplies different items (with the exception of the crow's nest). Cutlasses can be found in the armory or the large hold. First aid kits can be found in the large hold. It should be noted that first aid kits have a lower find rate at the shipwreck than at any other settlement, making them profitable commodities.

Helpful Links

These links should help answer any questions you might have.

• Clans
• Classes
• Gameplay
• Locations
• Requests for information
• Skills
• Terrain
• The Native Path
• A Pirate's Life
• Tips and tricks
• Trading
• Parchment Pages
• Tutorial