Basic Knowledge
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It's Massively Multiplayer Online Fantasy Simulator (MMOFS), or you could call it a Life Emulator
This page attempts to cover the most basic things a new player in Wurm Online should learn about.
Wurm Online is many things, but first and foremost it is a survival MMO. In Wurm you must struggle to survive, at least in the beginning. You must find your own food, your own water (with the exception of the first 24 hours of game play thanks to the bartender) and your own shelter. Joining a settlement is one great way to find all of these things at your fingertips. Once you have mastered the basics of survival you can go on to build great structures, master a trade and combat the enemies of your kingdom!
Contents
Before you play
Creating an account
The first thing you want to do is to create an account. To do this go to the Wurmonline webpage and click Register, it's free! You will be asked for a character name and gender and an email address. Up to five characters may share the same email address. Please note that the character name may only contain the letters a-z, no spaces or numbers. The first letter of the character name will be capitalised, any others will be dropped to lower case.
You will then receive an email to the email address you supplied, in which there will be a completion link that will take you to the page where you choose your password and challenge phrase. Once this step is complete, you may start the game.
After running the Webstart you see the login formular, where you enter your character's Name and Password. Also check "I agree to the terms". Then click on the Play button.
Your character will spawn inside a tutorial in Golden Valley.
How to Download
Wurm does not require a traditional download or install as it uses Java Webstart.
All you have to do is is click the big "Play" button right in the middle of the main page. This will download the Java Webstart application (.jnlp file) which displays news, the login formular and a menu (to reach settings for example). It will also load the main game files in the background, which you can observe in the "pack updates" tab.
To run the Webstart application you need to have Java installed. It's not advisable to save the .jnlp file on your computer though, as it changes frequently. Better load it from the web always.
If you have a problem with getting the Wurm client working try looking at the Common bugs and solutions page, manual downloads are also located through this link.
How do I change game options/settings? How do I get better frame rates?
On the log-in screen, there is a "Settings" button. More information on those settings can be found here. For advice on settings for slower or older computers look here.
Getting started
First steps
See the page Interface and controls for an explanation of the controls and GUI to get you started.
There are 3 things that are considered essential to getting started:
- You need to find a source of water and find a way to carry some water with you. Go here and read this guide Guide To Cooking. It teaches you how to make a bowl but making a jar is very similar. If you run out of water your stamina will recharge extremely slowly and your actions will be severely limited.
- You need to build a house, go here: The "how do I build a house?" guide.
- You need a chest with a lock for secure storage, go here: Secure storage
It is strongly recommended that you form or join a settlement, as cooperation is a key part of succeeding in any task. Veterans will also have more skills, experience and access to better materials Otherwise, try to stay close to your start town until you get the hang of the game, because you will return here when you die. When you are part of a settlement, it will provide a second respawn point.
You are given a set of Beginners Tools, they will stay with you when you die and re-spawn. Other items will not.
How can I customize my appearance?
In your inventory there will be an item called Hand mirror. By right mouse-clicking it and choosing Use, you will open a window where you can modify how your character looks in game. This item is a one-use object, so be sure you are satisfied with your appearance before confirming you are done modifying!
Why is it so dark? I can't see!
- The first 24 hours of playtime characters have automatic light source. After 24 hours the character will get the message "The light leaves you."
- If it's dark because it's night time then you could make a light source such as a lantern or a torch.
- The game features full day/night cycles and nighttimes are fairly dark. Time in Wurm is 8x real time so the darkness should only last 1 to 1.5 hours.
- The problem may also lie with your graphics card. Check to see if it features a gamma adjustment setting. If so turn it up very high.
What's the difference between equip and activate?
An active item can be used to interact with the world around you, like cut a tree down with your hatchet active. You equip a weapon which is then used automatically while in combat.
How do I activate an item?
Double-click on it. It will show up at the bottom of the inventory next to Active: This means that you can use the item for the tasks it is designed for.
How do I equip a weapon?
Put it in your right hand. A second weapon can go in the left hand, but it is used less often, so put your main weapon in your right hand. When you do so, you will get an event message: 'You equip a short sword in your right hand'. You may also want to put a shield on your left arm (the left hand won't be used if you do), or armor on other bodyparts.
What can I do with a toolbelt?
A toolbelt is a piece of HUD that allows you to place up to ten tools or materials on it for quick selection. Wear (equip) the toolbelt on the legs of your torso, and the toolbelt will appear on the HUD. Drag tools from your inventory into the toolbelt's slots. They can later be removed from the belt by clicking on them with the Shift key held down, or replaced by other tools. The slots can be bound to hotkeys. Default is bind 1 ACTIVATE_TOOL1 and so on, up to 10.
Exploring
There are in-game maps in Wurm Online ( m), however, you will still have to rely on your compass, navigational skills, and wits to open up the in-game map click the 'map button' on your quickbar (the icon resembles a globe). Luckily, there are player made maps that will help you get a general idea of where you are. When you enter or leave a settlement you will get a message in the event window telling you the name of the settlement ("You leave Blossom"). Examining the ground tiles in and around a settlement can tell you information like "This is within the village of Blossom" or "This is within the perimeter of Blossom". The settlement token of a settlement (deed) has a compass on top. Asking for directions in local chat might help you on your way as well.
Movement
Why am I moving so slowly?
There are many factors that can reduce your speed:
- Rough terrain (Moss, Clay, Sand, Peat, Tar)
- Carrying heavy loads
- Wearing armour
- Having low stamina
- The "Hurting" status
Also, make sure the "Climbing" toggle is switched off.
Why can't I get out or move at all?
If you get stuck in a large pit or cave, first try the Climbing toggle or /stuck command. If you definitely cannot get out, or if you find a bug or glitch etc, then type /support to contact any of the GM's if they are online. Please use this feature sparingly.
Why won't my stamina regenerate?
This may be caused by lag, having "Hungry" and/or "Thirsty" in the status bar, swimming, or your Climbing toggle is activated. If you are being attacked, your stamina bar also will not regenerate and you may not be able to move away fast enough to get away in order to regain stamina which leaves you in a very dangerous situation.
I think I've chosen a wrong server! Can I travel to another one?
It is possible to sail across some server borders, depending on which cluster it belongs to. Read here for more information. It is however not easy for a starter account to get a boat (unless you buy one from another player), so choose the server you want to play on wisely. If you are joining friends already playing: check and double check with them which server they are on.
Creatures
Friend or foe?
Creatures are abundant in Wurm Online; from sheep to dragons, crocodiles to roosters. You can normally tell if you're about to be eaten by one by looking at their hover outline - red for aggressive and green for passive. Some creatures may even be ridden or tamed as pets, some may be slaughtered for their hide and meat. As a new player you probably want to start small though, no picking fights with trolls or bears, stick with smaller passive animals like hens or dogs until you feel confident and obtain some reasonable armour. Local guards may be called to help your battle by shouting guards! in the local chat window - just make sure you're in range!
Read More: Creatures | Cooking | Taming | Fighting | Mounts | Guard Tower
Death
Unless you plan to spend all of your time hiding on a deed, death is inevitable in Wurm. Most players find that the game is much more fun if you get out and explore, hunt, and fight. While there are ways to help reduce the chances that you’ll die during your adventures, it is also important to know what to do when Death comes knocking. You’ll find the game less frustrating if you understand what happens when you die, how and where you respawn, and how to find your Corpse full of loot.
When you die, there is a good chance you will want to find your corpse to retrieve any valuables you had in your inventory. One option is to look at your event tab or logs to see the last settlement you passed through. If you still can’t find the corpse but you do have enough karma, you can use Summon corpse. When you don’t have the karma needed, another option is to find a friendly priest who can cast Locate soul for you.
Death will also have a negative impact on your skills depending on the circumstances, often losing random points from 5 skills.
You cannot die from thirst or hunger, however your stamina will be affected, meaning you cannot perform some stamina-draining actions like mining or climbing, and your stamina will regenerate very slowly. If you have enough fat reserves and your food bar drops to 6-8%, you will fast. A message in the event window will say Your hunger goes away as you fast and your hunger bar will be filled again, but at lower nutrition. Water is not replenished when you fast, so be sure to always have a source or container of it nearby.
Read More: Death | Suicide | Locate soul | Karma | Spawning | Food | Corpse
Item creation
Craft and use thousands of unique items.
The items found in Wurm are all player created, with the exception of gifts, non-drop items bought from traders and mission specific objects.
To get crafting your very own items you will need to get your hands on some basic or crude items, raw materials and quite often a heat source. Many of these items may be created or extracted with your starting items or bought from other players or merchants.
Creating an item nearly always starts with activating one item and right-clicking another. The intuitive crafting window can take away much of the context menu requirements, and also provides a recipe list for all player-craftable items. Each player made tool has a skill, or crafting category, such as blacksmithing or carpentry.
- Pelts are a bi-product, or butchering items from creatures such as large rats and wild cats.
- Large anvils can be crafted once you create a small anvil, and may be used when dropped on the ground. To add to the crafting window, use the right-click context menu.
- Mallets and hammers are great tools to begin making when you first arrive in Wurm. They are cross functional to an extent, but at some point having both is required.
The percentages listed on the create menus is the chance that you will succeed, taking into account tool and material quality, and your skill. However, unlucky streaks can and will happen. Failing ten times in a row with 95% success rate is very bad luck, not a bug. Any items in red cannot be crafted with your current skill level.
The 10 quality short sword you get at the beginning is barely good enough for killing rats, so you may want to review creating yourself a new weapon that may be improved, or even go for a new shield. Bows allow you to deal ranged damage without receiving any yourself, long bows have such a range that most creatures are unable to see or attack you.
Read more: Crafting | Starting with Nothing | Skills | Improve | Mining | Weapons | Armour
Money
There are people who have money and people who are rich.
The Wurm currency is split into coins of different types of metal, in different denominations; iron, copper, silver and gold. You may find money by slaying creatures, foraging or botanizing, or you can purchase it as silver from the Wurm Shop. The amount of money that can be found randomly in game depends on the amount of money available in the kingdom's coffers.
If you have items to sell, you may check with a trader (found in any starter town, as well as certain player deeds). Traders may buy items from you if they have enough money on them. They do not create or destroy money, they simply use the money already present in the game, which results in the traders often being out of money, thus unable to purchase anything from you.
Another way of making money in Wurm is through trade with other players. You can use the chat in-game or the forums to offer goods and services to other players, who ultimately reward you with money.
Read More: Foraging | Botanizing | Wurm Shop | Trader | Trade | Bank of Wurm
Servers and accounts
See Account Types for an explanation of the various accounts.
See Server types for an explanation of the various server types.
