Skills. What is hot and what is not.

Warrior:

Slashing Weapons

The best allround weapontype for warriors and other medium-to-high strength characters. Gives both good ob and pb. Good weapons are broadsword, Dunadan blade, wightblade and engraved broadsword. Generally, warriors should prac preferred weapontype(s) to 90+ % since it increases the offensive bonus, other classes prac it as high as you can afford (not under 50%). Heavy slashing weapons cleaves instead (but they still uses the slash-skill). They generally do more damage but they have less parry bonous. Good cleaving weapons are the mighty dwarven axe and battle axe.

Two Handed Weapons

This skill is tailor-made for bloodthirsty warriors. Most damage and high ob as well. It gives you a low defense though. Good weapons are warsword, two handed axe and two handed sword. If you are wielding a two-handed weapon you cannot wear a shield at the same time, but you can wear bucklers and target shields.

Concussion Weaponss

Not many people use this weapontype, but it is nevertheless quite nice. Much like slashing. Good weapons are engraved warhammer, iron-shod mace, huge black mace (evil only) and heavy morningstar. Concussion weapons generally do a little more damage than slashing weapons but they have less parry bonous. A big plus with crushing weapons are that they are efficient vs metal. That means that players dressed in metal-armour will get more hurt when you hit them.

Stabbing Weapons

This weaponskill is used when wielding spear type weapons. It used to be a subclass of piercing weapons but after som complaints it was remade into a seperate skill. Generally speaking stabbingweapons is like slashers but with a little less parry then the slashingweapons has, also there is not a single magical stabbing weapon in the game right now. Good stabbing weapons are the iron-shafted spear, elven hunting spear and the barbed fang (evil aligned).We haven't heard of a single char that has pracced this skill so we can't have any more comments on it.

Charge

You can 'charge' towards your victim. Requires a mount and a charging weapon (lance and maybe pike works). If you miss you will end up in the nearest rose bush instead. The success is also dependant on the terrain type, best terrain is on a road. Quite amusing to look at, but otherwise rather useless.

Kick

Places a well-directed boot at your enemy where it hurts most. It doesn't seem to hurt much, though... Don't waste practice sessions on it.

Bash

A must for all warriors. Renders your enemy breathless for two combat rounds, and lowers his defence the first hit. Maximum knowledge is a must if you get it. Bash can also be used to destroy doors. After som recent changes you can disengage from a bashed opponent by bashing him with the bash disengage command.

Rescue

Useful for warriors if you wanna rescue your friends (or maybe a fair maiden) from evil enemies. Prac it to 30-40:s or so since you always can try another rescue...

Parry

A must for all classes. Increases your parry bonus. Warriors prac it to 90+%, other classes as high as you can afford.

Thief:

Piercing Weapons

Undoubtly the best weapon skill for thieves and weaker characters such as mages. Piercing weapons are fairly light and often give good dam. Good weapons are black runed dagger and double-eged eket. When you are using a piercing weapon you can get an extra attack per combat round (depending on your attack skill).

Sneak

Enables you to enter or leave a room without people noticing you. Note that you can never sneak when you flee from a fight.

Hide

You can hide in a room so pople won't notice you. You can be sensed by people that have the 'sense life' spell though.

Escape

If you succeed this skill you can leave a fight without having to use flee. This is a pretty useful skill for thives, but do not use this skill in a room with several aggro mobs.

Steal

The name is quite self-explaining, make you able to steal from mob or players. Stealing from players will surely make you unpopular and is generally not a good idea. Regarding mobs, it's often less work to just kill them instead for their loot.

Search

Useful for searching after hidden objects and exits. One or two practices should be enough.

Backstab

Thieves prime skill. Gives superb damage, especially on sleeping mobs. Only piercing weapons can be used for backstabbing. It is a MUST to prac it as high as possible (99%), at least for thieves. Backstab damage depends on the skill knowledge, level, weapon, strength and ob.

Dodge

A must for all classes, much like Parry. Dodge increases your dodge bonus. Since dodge bonus is also affected by dex, this skill should be maxed especially by high-dex characters. Practice as high as you can afford. The good thing about dodge is that it does not get splitted between your opponents if you are fighting several at once.

Pick

Used to pick locked doors, and lock unlocked doors.

Attack

This is a very nice skill that all piercers should consider practising if they have the pracs to spare. This skill gives you a chance of having 2 attacks per combat round and at also helps when with fleeing when your auto-wimp triggers. You will only get this chance of a second attack if you use a piercing weapon, with any other kind of weapon you will not get it.

Missile

Used with missile type weapons such as bows. Not very common and probably not worth the pracs.

Perception

New skill that will help you save vs backstabs.

Ranger:

Climb

Increases your climbing skills. In some places in the mountains you need to climb. One practise is usually enough, but not always, especially if you want to avoid falling alot and taking damage.

Command

This command is used to order charmed or bought mobs around, rumours has it that it will improve riding some too.

Ride

Necessary for travelling longer distances. About 50-60% will be enough. Warriors should get hit higher since bash is dependant on riding skill too if you are mounted.

Track

This skill has been changed alot lately. It is in many peoples view still a must if you are going to hunt. This skill can also be used to find mobs (by typing where <mob name>). If you are going to use this skill for hunting you must get it to atleast 90%. If you are just going to use it to find mobs, get it to 75+%.

First Aid

This skill is very good to have if you are a warrior, especially if you use absorb equipment. You can use first aid when you, or a friend, has received a wound. These wounds can be either light, deep, serious or critical. When you bind the wounds up with first aid they will heal faster and you will stop loosing hps because of them.

Swim

You should practise this skill if you use teleport. It is not nice to misport into water and drown just beacuse you can't swim. Warriors and others that doesn't use teleport should spend their pracs on other things.

Leadership

This is still a new skill and it seems to still be changing. What we know about it is that it reduces the sound of a big group, and that is makes it easier to save the fear spell if the leader of the group has this skill pracced.