Arete Landing Guide

Congratulations, you have arrived on Rubi-Ka, one of the most exciting and wonderful places in the universe.
Now, I don't know what you're running from but since you got here as a stow-away without any ID I assume that somewhere someone is looking for you.
So, let me help you get away from the past and into the wonderful new world that will be your life from now on.
First, you step out of the cargo lander and boy, are you dropped in it...



Now, as confusing as this looks, don't despair.
Press "I" and your inventory opens. It's full of goodies:



The contents vary depending on your profession but the health kits, the belt and the backpiece are the same.

Take a moment to look around. Huge place, right?
Daunting, in fact?
No worries, there are all sorts of people here who will gladly help you out. Or take advantage of you. Or both. Transit area, little in the way of security. Like I said, all sorts.
If you see a person with a blue name, go over and talk to them - by right-clicking on them.
Hey, here's one:



Ok, he is willing to help, for a price. But before you run off to do his bidding you should take a look at you equipment and your skills.
To begin with, press "F10" - which opens the Setup window. In there, somewhere, is a "mini toolbar" which makes it easier to access different things like the map, your running nano programs, your current missions and your equipped items of various sorts.



After pressing "F10" to open the Options window I have here expanded the GUI section and selected Control Center, then scrolled down to find the Mini toolbar. That will often be written out as "F10/GUI/Control Center" in eg. forum posts.
Forum posts?
Oh, there is a whole forum with a wealth of information about this world:
The official forum.

There are also fan websites, sites maintained by one or more people who love this game... err, I mean this world and wish to help out the inhabitants.
This one is quite nice.
There are others and they will often be referenced in how-to posts and guides on the official forum. Again, discover, discover, discover.
Also, you can ask questions in chat, most people are nice and helpful - but bear in mind, you will be talking to real people from all over the (this) world so not all may be fluent in english and not all may be friendly.

Anyway, back to the mini toolbar.
Select it and close by pressing "F10" again.
Or, better still, look at the different options you have.
Quite a lot, actually, so take it easy and only change a few at a time, to make sure of what effect they have.

Ok, now back to the mini toolbar for real.
When you are given a mission (and you are in the correct zone) it will mostly be showing you where to go. In the big picture at the top of this post you can see a compass - at the top and to the right of the middle, it is indicating that I am facing East. It can be moved around should you feel like it. On this compass the direction to the mission will be a little yellow line.
You also have a mini map that you can select from the mini toolbar. It's really handy:



On this map you can find the mission marked with an "X".
You will have to look closely at this illustration, though, it is almost invisible amongst all the people. (The white dots are people (players or NPCs), the red ones are animals. Doors will also show up but I shall let you do some exploring on your own.)

The mini toolbar also lets you see some stats about yourself, it's the second from the right.
Take a moment to look at the different options.

Put on your armor piece and any weapons you might have and see if you can upload your starter nano programs.
Now, your skills.
Press "U" to see a list of your skills:



These are the skills you have when you first arrive but there are differences depending on your breed:



Ok, find the skills relevant to your weapon of choice and raise them as high as you can. Also raise your Abilities - they provide "trickle-down" and will give extra points in your skills. Especially here in the first levels that is quite a good help. They also dictate what QL of armor you can wear and besides that, at later levels you might (as I have) be told that you can't raise a skill because your abilities aren't high enough.

Here I would like to add a note of caution: When you are given a mission it is a very good idea to read the description carefully and keep an eye out for any item that pops up in your inventory. The voice of experience...

To be continued below.

So, let's help out Rex.

Just one note, though.
I am not going to give you a walk-through of every mission/quest you can find here. That would spoil the fun for you and, besides, you'll learn more this way.

Another thing. you have probably guessed that you will need some kind of currency here.
Money, on Rubi-Ka, is called credits, and since you've not been able to exchange whatever you have left from your trip here that might be a problem, right?
When you kill something just right-click it and a little window opens, that is the corpse's inventory so anything in there becomes your property if you click on it. (Hey, the previous owner is dead so who'll know?) That is to say, it is transferred to your inventory - but only if there is room for it. Besides any loot you will also be given a sum of credits. Granted, not much for each kill but, hey, it all adds up.

So, have you turned off those bots? Good.
The new ones are in a container:



Done, onwards!
It is all a bit overwhelming but not too difficult, just find the next guy you're sent to talk to and soon(tm) you will be able to leave this place.
However, if you stop to look around it is rather big:





And when you get to the bottom of the ramp you get to see places like the market area:





And when you leave the Landing itself you will find an area with roaming wildlife of various sorts, some of which will attack you on sight.
You will perhaps also see one or two that has a glowing aura, they are tougher than their fellows but also give better loot.
Should you happen to look back toward the Landing you'll get an impression of it's size:





As you roam the countryside you might come across some unwanted visitors:



Fortunately these visitors are not outright hostile, they only get aggravated if you interfere with their probing. What can I say, it takes all kinds...

There is one impressive person out there:



It is perhaps more visible here:



This person is disguised as an alien in order to get close enough to kill them! That is dedication to duty!
Now, it must be said that I got these snapshots as she was going out on another mission, she is usually found INSIDE the alien ship, hunting them in their own lair!
Too bad I could not join in that operation!

Now, I have said that it is a simple thing to just follow directions as far as people to talk to and this is true.
However, that does not mean that you get all the information you might need so don't be shy, just walk up to those blue-named people and see if they have any useful information.
Like this merry guy:



This guy has something to say that is very useful as far as your safety goes:



There is one Atrox that appears very confused by a mission terminal, you should find him and, more importantly, see what a mission terminal is. They will be able to put butter on your toast once you get out of here and start your real life on Rubi-Ka.

Another point, blindly looking for exactly the name you were told can be futile, you are supposed to use your head in this place:



As an example of using your head, you are required to find a hiding place for an item:



There is no help, you have to look around - but fortunately, the guy who uses the office isn't the brightest sort...

Once you think you are ready to leave and can learn nothing more here then there is just one more thing to talk about - in the post below.

Right, here we are, all ready to leave.
But perhaps there is one more choice to make. Will you join the oppressors (OmniTek) or are you in favor of a free and just world ensured by the Clans?

You can join any of two factions or stay neutral, there are benefits and drawbacks no matter your choice.
It is possible to join either OT or the Clans later on but you can't (currently) go neutral once you've joined one of them.
You can also switch between OT and Clan but not only will that affect you sided-token-count negatively (it will be reset to zero) you might also find yourself in trouble in the ShadowLands.

Regardless, on with it.
Near to the exit you will find a large-ish structure where the ommer scum hangs out.



This guy is all hyped about you living up to your contract, only you didn't sign one as you are a stow-away so...

Here is a brave, young lady who can guide you to righteousness:



If you are interested in the history of how unjustly and cruelly people have been treated here you can just ask:



Does explain these signs, doesn't it?



Right, after you have made your decision to either join a faction, remain neutral or wait until later on when you might know more it is time to leave.

Go to the big holo-sign and chat with the guy standing there:



He'll want your ID before you are able to leave and he'll even tell you why.
Quite a difference from the old days:



These days you have to put in the time:



Good luck on Rubi-Ka and may the Suns shine brightly on your path!

Did you figure out how to actually leave the Landing?
Good.
So, here you are, on Rubi-Ka. Finally, your new life can begin for real.
But again, take a moment to chat with the people around - this time perhaps more for ambience:







Once you've looked around and go outside you will see another city. Take in the sight - and again, don't be shy but talk to those blue-named people - there's one right outside the Arrival Hall who needs your help badly!
If you decided to help out the citizen you will find the Subway (There's a guide for that.   ):



But about the city: Look around, enter the various buildings and see what's there.







This statue could just be what so many people on Rubi-Ka have asked for for years and years:



All hail Means!

As you move around this place - it's called ICC by the way and has changed a great deal in appearance lately - you can look out over the planet:



Enormous, right?
And it's just a little part of the world, pres "P" and your map opens:



That little yellow square is where you are.
The oppressed masses live in Omni territories to the south, the free and happy citizens live in the Clan areas to the north.
If you have chosen a faction you will find that the guards of the other faction will take a dim view to your presence and for your own safety they will send you home as quickly as possible, by way of what is commonly known as the "Soldier Grid".
Remember the cheery guy and his insurance terminal? Those terminals are all over the planet, it's a very good idea to use them: you will be reanimated close to where you last scanned, this can save a whole lot of transit time.

Neutrals can go everywhere but have places of their own like Borealis and Newland City - these cities are open to all factions.

In the building named "Transportation" you will find these:



Whom-Pah is the name of these things, they teleport you to another destination, shown by the name on it. The different color of the sign shows which faction network it is a part of, the previous one showed a special route to the ShadowLands at the front, a blue Omni one at the back and this orange one is Clan:



Neutral Whom-Pahs are green:



Also, in the foreground you can see an elevator button.
Use it (right-click on it) and you are transported to the roof of the building where shuttles and teleporters are ready to take you to your destination of choice:





The place called Outzones are where the pesky, probing aliens have established a bridgehead, Serenity Islands is where your org's city is located.
If/when you join an org - or make your own - you can rent a piece of land and place buildings on. These buildings give boosts to various skils and abilities. It is also where the org can have alien raids as these cities under certain circumstances will be attacked by the alien invaders.
There are guides that deal with these subjects but for now it is just information.