I wished there was more to help newcomers when I first started, so as I levelled up I tried to collect a list of tips to pass on. If anyone has anything to add, please feel free.
1. Explore! Once you're level 3 or 4 feel free to leave Inachis and head to Aleas and Eversweep. Both have level 4 Dungeons and PVP opportunities. From there head to Zeal or Lumina.
2. Organize your decks. You only have 4, so try to keep them specialized. Give them names to tell them apart. Just click on the name of the deck next to the big plus sign and then remember to hit save when you're done.
3. Create a Levelling deck which always includes the cards with skills you are trying to increase. Ideally that deck doesn't have any cards from skills that are already maxed for your level if you can still win without them. That's because you gain the most points in the skills you use most effectively in a fight, but none if those skills are already maxed.
4. Go through and view your charms before choosing a job, figure out what points you need to meet requirements and choose a job that meets as many of them as you can.
5. Use the Wiki for information :
http://estiah.aswt.net/ As you level, help maintain the Wiki.
6. If you're strapped for cash early on be sure to complete Inachis Sewers 5 times to fill your renown for Sewer Cleaner. The rewards is 500 gold.
7. Know what battle skills are and how to increase them :
http://estiah.aswt.net/index.php?title=Battle8. Understand how spirit and exhaustion works. Your spirit total is the maximum amount of cards you can bring to a fight. If you run out of cards during a fight you lose from exhaustion. At low levels you gain 1 Spirit each level, but in later levels there are diminishing returns.
9. Read fight logs carefully. Does an enemy do a lot of damage but not use a lot of armor? Do they use only use ward and not armor? Only damage of one type? Do they have unlimited spirit? Very limited spirit? What type of damage does their DoT(Damage over Time spell) do?
10. Understand Focus and Protect. Focus targets the same enemy for as many rounds as are specified on the card, or until the enemy dies or someone else protects the enemy. Protect forces an enemy to target you instead of your allies for as many rounds as are specified on the card. Focus and Protect themselves have no use in 1v1 fights. Focus is useful when fighting multiple enemies. Protect is useful when fighting with allies.
11. Hold off on gathering. Your fighting skills are more cost effective at low levels because you can gain skill in more than one at a time. Later perhaps level 15-25 when you've earned a few gathering points from doing jobs it becomes more cost effective to invest in gathering.
12. Report bugs and typos on the forum Bugs & Typos forum and you'll earn motivation once in a while in the form of [Sweet Brownies] from the developers.
13. Don't be shy about creating multiple characters it's allowed. Just don't use apprentice/mentoring between your own characters. Use the things you've learned from your first character to make your second character better or explore an entirely new Class track. When you create a new character, ask another player (or guildmate) if they want that character as an apprentice.
14. Most importantly play your own way, have fun, and feel free to ask questions of the community either on the board or in-game.
