FAQ
From The Five Pillars
New Player FAQ
What is this game about anyway?
This game is primarily about power. To get more power than others, on your own or with the help of people in your clan (guild). You can fulfill that goal by becoming stronger than others (so called ranking) or reducing others to zero power by killing them (so called warring).
How do I rank?
Gain more netpower. (You will probably need more land to do this)
How do I gain netpower?
Raise an army or get land. There are other ways, but those are the fastest. Almost everything in the game is worth some power even gold, items and Spell level.
Is this a real-time game?
No. This game works on the principle of turns. The system will give you a finite number of turns you can use for various things in the gameplay. Turns will generate even when you're not online and remain in your turn pool until you spend them. But the turn pool can only hold limited number of turns, so everything above that that system generates will be lost.
Is this game 3D? Do I need to pay?
No, The Five Pillars is massive multiplayer text and browser based game, which means you don't need to download anything to play it, and besides it's free. You can compete with people who donated to the game to pay for its maintenance and evolution on the same level or donate yourself to gain a few (minor) benefits that make the game look and feel even better. But the actual gameplay will not change whether you donate or not.
What colour should I play?
It depends on your style. Experiment! If you are new log in on the Turbo server and see what units you get and how they behave in battle. On the Turbo server you get an experience bonus and can research more spells (and get more creatures) right away. If you are a bit more experienced you can try a tournament (maybe against a mentor to learn more) or against others. (The tournament server can be quite agressive and not suited to learn the basics of the game).
How do I start?
You start with some land and a few of the simplest spells. Your goal is to become as strong as possible and to do that you will need to get more land, so you get more resources you can use. On the free land you then have, you can build various buildings or convert that land to manalands which will enable you to use spells and creatures that need mana to function.
What is mana?
Mana is magical energy used to summon units, cast spells, and provide upkeep of your units, buildings, heroes, enchantments and some rare items.
How do I get mana?
You need manalands. (mountains/swamps/glaciers/deserts/forests) To get manalands, you must cast certain spells. Fore example, to get forests cast Call Nature.
What are manalands?
Manalands are made by converting the free land into mana-pools, places from which you drain the power to do high magic. This conversion is done with 5 spells, one for each colour of mana available, as described above.
What is research?
Research is a process by which you become more powerful; the more spells you research the higher Spell Level you will achieve. With higher Spell Level (SL) your magic operations will become stronger and you will gain access to higher and stronger spells.
How do I research?
You research by spending turns on learning spells. On Normal server, you will get experience points (XP) by spending turns, and when you have enough experience, you will increase your XP level. When you gain a new XP level, you will receive Spell Points. With the Spell Points you will be able to research spells. The process of learning here will continue for the better part of the reset since not all spells will be available for research right away – you will need to get certain Spell Points to research certain more powerful spells. On Turbo server, you will start with a higher XP level (and more Spell Points) than on Normal server.
How do I learn what those spells do?
There are a few guides around that will help you with that, as well as this encyclopedia. Also, you may ask other, more experienced players for help on the forum, via ingame messages, or on channel #fivepillars on galaxynet server, using for instance the mIRC chat program, or for an instant answer, the wiki.
The spell doesn't work!
You need turns and mana for a spell and keep in mind that your mana will change since you will need to pay your upkeep. Try manacharging and then cast the spell, or try getting land before you cast the spell. Your Spell Level might also not be high enough to give you any creatures yet.
What is a guild?
A guild is an alliance of mages who protect and aid each other to achieve common goals, they can send each other reinforcements and build a wonder together. Guild members can also easily see which attacks were done on eachother, if items or spells were cast and how big the damage done was.
Should I join some guild?
Definitely. I advise joining a newbie-friendly guilds who will help speed your learning process. The most important thing is to keep asking questions and trying things out. The best way to learn is to play. You will make mistakes, maybe even die a few times but you will learn things also.
What is a multi-attack?
A multi-attack is when you hit a mage more than once in a 24 hour period. This is not welcome because it is considered bad manners. You are taking advantage of someone while they are weak/away. This can get you hitlisted or deathlisted by guilds or solo mages. It is not against the rules of the game though, just not friendly.
What is a counter?
A counter attack is an attack you make on a mage that attacked you in the last 24 hours. The game lets you counter (within 24 hours), even when your attacker is in protection.
What is a swing counter/proxy counter?
A swing counter is when you counter attack someone who countered your attack within 24 hours. A proxy counter is when someone counters a mage for you.
What is SC/PoD? Why is it forbidden by some?
SC is short for Stone Crumble. PoD is short for Plague of Doom. Most guilds forbid the use of it on their mages because they are powerful and dangerous spells. Using it is equivalent to telling someone that you want him dead. SC will make the other mage loose more land then normal, PoD can wreck enormous havoc, but can be dangerous for the mage who casted it too! So again not really forbidden, just not very friendly.
More to come !
Made by Mori, edited by Mettuh, King Felix and StarTroll
