⚔️ Combat, Self-Defense, & PVP Basics
When the dream bites, you bite back.
All professions in Mystavaria have the potential to engage in combat — both against other players (PvP) and non-player enemies like mobs or NPCs (PvE). Here, you'll learn how to survive danger in Mystavaria — whether from creatures, enemies, or other players. Understanding the rules of combat, death, healing, and the environment is essential for staying alive and thriving.
🏃 Attempting Escape
As a first line of self-preservations, young Mystavarians should be aware that they can attempt to flee danger by using their innate sense of survival. You can set a percentage amount for your health to hit that will cause you to automatically flee from battle. This does not guarantee survival, as many pursuits will continue to track you down, but may help you get a step ahead.
Use FLEE <0-99> to automatically flee combat when your health drops to the chosen percentage.
👊 Facing the Fight
Combat starts simple and grows more complex as your skills evolve. Some basic commands to be aware of include:
TARGET <player>— Set a target.CONSIDER <target>— Evaluate if the target is viable for combat.WIELD RIGHT <item>/WIELD LEFT <item>— Equip items in each hand.UNWIELD RIGHT/LEFT— Stop wielding a held item.PUNCH <target>— Throw a basic punch.KICK <target>— Perform a quick kick.ATTACK <target>— Perform a generic random attack.DEFENSESorDEFS— View your active defenses.DRAINS— See what's draining your mana.DIAGNOSE— View your health and active afflictions.
Over time, you'll unlock profession-specific abilities that far surpass these basics.
☠️ Death & Dream of Reality
"In the realm of dreams, death is but an illusion,
and our souls roam free, transcending the limitations of mortality."
Death is an inevitable part of the cycle of life, and holds significance in the realm of Mystavaria. It is important to understand that death is not to be feared, but embraced as an integral part of your journey.
Death is not permanent, merely a momentary severing of body and soul as your consciousness is whisked away to the Isle of the Dead while your body remains in the realm of reality. Your soul is free to wander the isle as long as you wish, and you need only DREAM OF REALITY when you are ready to wake up and be reunited with your body, reborn through the roots of the Tree of Actuality into the safe-haven of Arborvella.
Do be aware that death comes at a cost. While you will retain all skills, lessons, and important equipment, you will lose:
- A small percentage of your total experience.
- Any coins on your person.
- Quest items and some gathered resources may be left on your corpse.
🛡️ Safe Zones & PvP Rules
The original two cities of Meliura and Praestantia, along with most other settlements are designed to be safe havens; places where citizens can feel at home in, interact with fellow citizens, and not have to worry if they will be attacked or not. In places that are designated safe zones, aggressive players are mechanically restricted from entering the zone at all. Once they return to a passive state, they may enter once again.
Outside of these designated safe areas, any player may become a target or a threat in the vast, open world. Forests, mountains, lakes, and fields are all rich in resources that have varying levels of rarity and value to everyone. All players need a fair chance at gathering resources and it wouldn't be fair for someone to opt out of PVP and gather commodities endlessly without risk or opposition.
For those who do not want to put themselves at risk, there are still other options. For instance, all settlements have trade markets which all players can buy and sell resources at. For those with citizenship, so long as your city has learned the basics of economy management, there should always be some amount of resources in stock for citizens to purchase. Other options include asking a friend to gather some for you, making a trade or exchange with another player, paying someone to gather resources for you, or hiring someone to be your body guard while you harvest.
❤️ Healing & Recovery
Whether tending to your own wounds or coming to the aid of others, understanding the various methods of healing is crucial for survival and success in your adventures. The two most simple methods available to all are:
SLEEP— Slowly regenerate healthMEDITATE— Slowly regenerate mana
While these methods are not particularly viable during combat, they can be used by anyone regardless of profession or skills.
Many abilities and skills provide more advanced methods of healing.
- Nemophilism - Sylvan major skill focused on self-preservation and healing via nature magic
- White Magic - Seer major skill with a variety of curative spells and rituals
- Healing - Minor skill which teaches magical cures to nearly every known affliction in the realm, as well as abilities with extensive group healing
💡 Tip: Healing Halls can be found in some settlements (including Arborvella). Players can navigate to these halls and REQUEST HEALING to have their wounds and afflictions cured. Do note, healing will be denied if you are in an aggressive state.
🧪 Potions & Herbal Remedies
These are useful both in and out of combat.
Potions include health, mana, trueheal, amongst many others that serve as curatives or defenses.
Use POTIONHELP to see a list of all potion types and their effects.
There is an array of approximately 15 herbs with various healing, curative, and defensive purposes. Some examples include: vervain, an edible flower which restores 10% of max health; arcaleaf, a smokable herb that replenishes the mind; and neriam, a potent root which can save you from fatal poisons and toxins.
Use HERBHELP to see a full list of herbs and their uses.
The following commands are also worth bearing in mind when dealing with potions and herbs:
SIP <vial>orSIP HEALTH— Drink a potion.EAT <herb>— Consume a herb for internal effects.DRINK <herb>— Steep or brew as tea.SMOKE <herb>— Pack pipes and smoke herbs for inhaled effect.APPLY <herb>— Rub herbal salves on injuries.
📓 Survival Journal
From the moment you take your first steps into the wilds of Mystavaria, you possess an innate survival instinct and keen sense of self-preservation. As you experience new things, you automatically chronicle your hardships, documenting the remedies that save you. This "automagical" Survival Journal is an unconscious record of every affliction you suffer — whether a disabled limb, a creeping illness, a strange rash, or a venomous sting — along with the cures that have worked to mend you.
Whenever you successfully cure an affliction, it is permanently added to your journal, allowing you to recall the remedy with ease. Some ailments may have multiple cures, and your journal will track each successful discovery.
Once a cure is recorded in your journal, you no longer need to fumble with trying to remember which herb, potion, or magical incantations to use for that affliction. Simply invoking CURE <affliction> will allow you to apply the correct remedy instantly, drawing upon your accumulated survival wisdom. This ability does not grant you knowledge of cures you have not personally tested, but with time and experience, your journal will grow into an invaluable compendium of self-healing.
To review your compiled knowledge, use:
CURES— List all afflictions which you have discovered at least one cure forCURES <affliction>— Recall all specific remedies you have learned for the specified afflictionCURE <affliction>— Attempt to automatically cure the specified affliction using a known remedy
💥 You've Reached the End — or the Beginning?
Whether you've read this entire guide front to back or just jumped in here to learn how not to die horribly, you're now armed with the foundations for surviving and thriving in Mystavaria.
Still have questions? You're not alone. Check out our FAQs — We're actively adding answers to common (and sometimes uncommon) questions as players ask them with helpful answers on everything from game mechanics and etiquette to obscure commands and "what does that even mean?" moments.
If you're really stuck or still haven't found the answers you seek, our in-game HELP command or friendly Discord community is always around to lend a hand.