A Newcomer's First Steps in Lineage 2

Controls, the first quest and useful tips

A short memo for those who have just created a character: how to set up the controls, what to do in the first levels and which mistakes to avoid.

Controls and game functions

The mouse wheel or the page keys (Page Up / Page Down) zoom the camera in and out; you can also switch to first-person view.
A right click points the camera exactly where the character is looking, and holding the right button lets you rotate the camera around to find a comfortable viewing angle.
If you swap weapons often, put them on the shortcut bar (on the right side of the screen by default). Put frequently used items and skills on convenient nearby keys (F1-F4) so you don't have to remember where everything is.
To avoid hunting for dropped items with the mouse, bind the Pick up action to a hotkey - picking up loot becomes much easier.

The full list of hotkeys and commands is in Chat and Commands.

Put on your starting equipment - double-click or right-click an item (usually an armor top and bottom and one or two weapons).
Talk to one of the masters near your spawn point to take the quest for the world map or the map of Elmore. The master will ask you to kill 4 Keltirs and bring a Keltir Fang - you may have to kill a few more. Keltirs die easily, and the quest gives 50 SP (skill points) and, for Humans, Elves and Dark Elves, a little money. The map will come in handy, so the quest is worth doing.
Hunting Keltirs, you can easily reach level 4-5.
Then go to town and talk to the Guide. He explains the basics, gives a couple of tips and can, for example, tell you where and from whom to take quests.

Do the map quest - it will make your life much easier later.
Replace your starting weapon as soon as possible. But don't buy the cheapest items in the shop - it doesn't pay off; better wait a bit and buy something good.
Keep healing potions and Scrolls of Escape on hotkeys.
Don't hesitate to ask other players for help.
Do "item" quests that reward you with items - they are very profitable.
Do "money" quests too, especially repeatable ones: they bring a solid income.
Use key combinations - this lets you attack without interruption.
To shout, start your message with an exclamation mark, for example !help.
To send a private message, put a double quote before the player's name, for example "Helper message text.
Watch your karma. A player with high karma turns red and is called a PK (Player Killer). If such a player is killed, they may drop items.

Original article author: veelzevul