Pathfinder Online Alpha Instructions v1.0

This document is meant to serve as a guide to playing the Alpha of Pathfinder Online. We currently do not have our tutorial or any manner of hints up and running, plus some of our user interface is not in its intended final form, so this document is meant to help players learn the game while these systems are being developed. It will be updated through the course of Alpha to reflect changes in the game.

Table of Contents

Known Issues

Patch Notes

Future Updates

Things to Pay Attention To

Setting Up

Before the Game

Downloading the Game

Logging In

Creating a Character

Ability Scores

UI Basics

Main Menu

Home Menu

Gear

Map

Feats

Inventory

Character Sheet

Achievements

Chat Window

Action Bar

Weapon Displays

Implement Display

Weapon Sets

Weapon Feats

Expendables

Utility Feats and Consumable Items

Character HUD

Target HUD

Mini-Map

Achievements Window

Interactions

Movement

Advancement

Achievements

Ability Scores

Trainers

Feats

Items

Weapons

Armor

Miscellaneous Gear

Combat

Death

Loot

Reputation and PvP

Escalation Cycles

Crafting

Raw Materials

Refined Components

Crafted Items

Company Window

Key Commands

Mouse

Movement

Attacks

Windows

Effects Glossary

Effect Types

Status Descriptions

Current Effects List

Known Issues

Below are the issues that are known with the current build of Pathfinder Online. Please do not submit bug reports on these issues.

  • Some weapons do not appear but are still mechanically effective
  • Some animations do not play
  • Some monsters / NPCs are not animated correctly
  • The character sheet does not update to reflect changes in character until you close it and reopen it.
  • You cannot regenerate Power to fuel your expendables.
  • Steering, particularly with the mouse keys, is difficult
  • Tab targeting does not work against players.
  • Encumbrance is not in.
  • Durability is not in.
  • Enchanting is not in.

Patch Notes

The following are the patch notes for the current build of Pathfinder Online.

Future Updates

Below are the expected features and content updates coming in the next patch.

Things to Pay Attention To

These are the facets of the game we are particularly interested in feedback on currently:

  • General stability – does the game crash when you play
  • Video card compatibility – do you experience problems related to the proper display of graphics (for example: partial screen display, artifacts or abnormalities, freezes, weird colors, strange resolutions, etc.)
  • Interference with other applications – conflicts with firewalls, antivirus and security software, video playback (iTunes, Media Player, etc.)
  • Network or connectivity issues – loss of internet connection, inability to access internet sites, interference with browsers, etc.
  • Problems with hardware – mouse or keyboard freezing, problems with audio, or any other issue related to the functioning of your computer while you play the Alpha

Setting Up

Getting your system updated with all current software and ensuring you have enough space to download and install the game will make it more likely you’ll be able to enjoy your Alpha Test play experience. It will also help us diagnose problems since the first questions we’ll be asking you are if you have updated your system and drivers and have enough free storage space for the game.

Windows / OSX Update

Run the system software updater and install all recommended updates for your operating system.

Update Video Drivers

Update your video card drivers to the latest stable versions.

nVidia Owners:

AMD Owners:

Update Security Software

Before installing the game be sure your antivirus and malware defense software is updated to the most current version.

Check Available Storage Space

Ensure you have enough free space on the storage volume where you are going to install the game. We recommend that you have 5 gigabytes of free space available before you start. That will provide enough free space to download the software and install it.

Downloading the Game

The client download is a very large file. Some users may experience problems downloading this file - common problems include bandwidth caps imposed by your ISP, limits on institutional networks in businesses and schools, or poor or unreliable internet connections.

If you are experiencing problems downloading the client we recommend trying during a less congested part of the day, trying on a different network, trying the download on a wired, rather than wireless network, and ensuring that you are not hitting a download cap with your ISP.

Windows Installer

This is the client for Windows version 7.x or 8.x (Previous versions of Windows are not supported)

Follow the instructions you received in the email welcoming you to the Alpha Test for a link to the Windows setup package. Download, and run the setup package to install the software.

Macintosh OSX Installer

This is the client for OSX Mavericks or Yosemite (Previous versions of OSX are not supported)

Follow the instructions you received in the email welcoming you to the Alpha Test for a link to the Pathfinder Online application. Download the application.

Drag the Pathfinder Online application to your Applications folder. After copying has finished, find the icon in your Applications folder and double click it to launch the game.

Completing the Installation

As we begin Alpha Testing we have not yet built an autopatching client or used an installation software tool. Once you have downloaded the client and decompressed it, move the resulting folder to a convenient location. Inside the folder you will find the game client. The game will run anywhere you choose to place it, but please keep the folder you downloaded intact (don't move the client program to a different location).

Overwriting a Previous Installation

Because the client does not yet do autopatching or updating, you may need to remove previous versions of the client you may have downloaded earlier. You can delete (trash) older versions of the client folder and contents without concern. No meaningful information is stored locally on your system at this time.

These instructions will be changed when we deploy our auto-patching client and a client installer tool.

Running the Game

Double-click on the game icon. The game will launch. You may need to authorize the game to run on your system depending on the local security policy settings you have configured on your computer.

Once the game launches it may take several minutes before it has loaded itself into your system's memory and is ready to enable you to log into the game server. Likewise, the game may take several minutes to prepare itself to enter the game world once you have connected to the server. During Alpha Testing the game has not been optimized and it consists of several very large objects which have to be transmitted to your graphics card and other computer systems. Please be patient and give the game time to complete these tasks.

You will begin with a login screen. Enter the username and password you used to create your account on goblinworks.com (we use a single sign-on for the game and the website).

The game will now take you to a character creation screen where you will begin your adventures in the River Kingdoms!

Creating a Character

Once you are logged in you will see a settlement in the background and a default character standing in the foreground. At the center bottom of the screen is a menu button that, when clicked, will show the available class/gender combinations in the current build.

Note these will change over time and likely disappear entirely as we get closer to the classless system ideal we are building. The final version will have gender, race, and appearance choices only.

Select one of the class and gender combinations from the list. All classes begin at first level.

Once you have selected a class and gender, enter your character name. This name should abide by the following guidelines:

  • No reference to any non-Pathfinder intellectual properties such as movies, other games, television shows, etc. (i.e., you cannot name your character after characters from these sources)
  • No reference to any real world locations, people, groups, religious figures, sports teams, political parties, etc.
  • No game mechanics in your name
  • No indication that you are an employee of Paizo or Goblinworks (unless you actually are)
  • No indication that you are a game master, customer service rep, administrator, or any other functional role in the game
  • Don’t indicate guild, company or settlement allegiance in your name
  • Don’t use a name that would be considered offensive or harassing

Please note: All character names are subject to change at any time on request of Goblinworks. Character names in Alpha should not be considered reserved for use in Early Enrollment and Open Enrollment.

We will not change your character name once you create it during Alpha Testing unless we decide it violates our Community Standards or conflicts with a character naming rule. So choose carefully.

Once you have entered your name, click Play in the lower left corner of the screen.

The game will then begin loading resources to display the world of the River Kingdoms. Please be patient – this process may take a few minutes depending on your graphics card and system speed.

As the game progresses we will add more options for customizing appearance.

UI Basics

Once the server is done loading you will be in the world of Pathfinder Online in our Alpha starter settlement.

Many window elements include a circled X in the upper right hand corner of the window. Clicking this closes the window.

Some UI windows have scrolls bars on the right hand side. To use them, click and drag the circle up or down.

Some UI windows include a circled arrow. Clicking this collapses the UI window. When collapsed, the circled arrow remains and clicking it again will reopen the window.

Most windows can be moved by clicking and dragging them. The Chat Window, Action Bar, Achievement Window, and Mini-Map cannot be moved.

Main Menu

In the upper left corner of the screen is the main menu, represented by six icons.

Clicking these will open the related page of the UI. Going from left to right, these icons can be clicked on to open the following windows, described below: Home Menu, Gear, Map, Feats, Inventory, Character Sheet, Achievements.

Home Menu

This icon is an outline of a house and opens a window containing the following options:

  • Log Out: Takes you back to the log in screen
  • Quit: Closes the game entirely
  • Help: Takes you the Help window, which includes basic controls and game information
  • Submit Bug: Opens a window where you can type in text to describe a bug you have found; Click Submit to send the bug for investigation
  • Settings: Currently this only allows changing for the Resolution, Quality, and UI Scale, but will eventually involve audio controls, etc.

Gear

This icon looks like a person’s head and shoulders and it opens a window where you equip items and feats. It is often opened along with the Feats and Inventory windows.

To equip an item or feat, drag it from the Feat or Inventory window to the appropriate slot on the Gear Window. The slots a feat or piece of equipment can go into will highlight when it is selected from the Feat or Inventory windows. Also, when you select a sub-tab (like Defensive Feats or Consumables), all the slots on your Gear window those feats or items can go into will highlight.

The Gear Window cannot be opened during combat.

Map

This icon looks like a compass and displays the map of the world laid out in hexes. Within the map:

  • You are represented by a white circle with a black profile inside it.
  • You can zoom the map in and out using the + and – buttons in the upper left corner.
  • Hex types are represented by color:
  • Light green hexes are hills or plains hexes.
  • Dark green hexes are forest hexes.
  • Brownish green hexes are mountain hexes and orange hexes are high mountain hexes. These hexes are a higher elevation level than other hexes, indicated by being surrounded by a thick gray line. They require a mountain pass to enter, indicated by a break in the thick gray line.
  • The huts symbols represent settlements.
  • The lion symbol represents a monster hex (where monsters are most plentiful and from where they will invade other hexes).
  • The ruins symbol represents badlands hexes (which are not quite as dangerous as monster hexes but cannot be claimed by settlements).

Feats

The icon of a weapon being swung opens the feats window. This is where all your slottable feats are listed. To use a feat, drag it from here to the Gear Window (for Passive Feats) or to the Action Bar (for Active feats).

All feats (except Expendables, which are learned from looted items) are learned from trainers in towns at the cost of XP. At the bottom of the window is a filter than can be used to only show feats that are associated with a specific role. There are several tabs and sub-tabs in this window.

The Feats window cannot be opened during combat.

There are two broad types of feat, each with its own subtypes and particulars.

  • Passive Feats: These are feats you do not need to activate; instead, they automatically activate when certain circumstances occur or are always active.
  • Feature: These feats are limited by role and help define that role’s function, such as a Fighter’s Weapon Specialization or a Rogue’s Sneak Attack. They also provide the keywords used by your Expendables. You may only have one Feature feat slotted at a time. (The Feature slot is the top left box on the Gear window)
  • Armor: These feats help you use your armor more effectively. Each role has three armor feats built for different play styles of that class, such as a melee-focused Unbreakable Fighter versus a ranged-focused Archer Fighter. Armor feats include a set of keywords that increase the effectiveness of your armor if it has the same keywords, granting you better resistance, hit points, and defenses. (The Armor feat slot is the box directly below and to the left of the Armor item circle on the Gear window)
  • Magic Items: These feats are required to gain the benefit of magical weapons and armor. They activate the magical keywords on these items. (Not Implemented for Alpha)
  • Reactive: These feats activate automatically when certain circumstances are met (e.g., Master of Opportunity feats that grant additional effects on attacks against targets with Opportunity). (The Reactive feat slots are just above and to the left of the Primary Weapon item circle on the Gear window)
  • Defensive: These feats give a constant passive bonus to your defenses, hit points, or other statistics. (The Defensive feat slots are the upper left boxes on the Gear window)
  • Active Feats: These are feats that you have to activate to use. They are all slotted on the action bar rather than the Gear window.
  • Attack: These feats are limited by weapon; each attack is associated with a specific weapon and can only be slotted into your action bar when you have the appropriate weapon equipped. If you have one weapon equipped, you can put that weapon’s attacks in all slots (Primary attacks in slots 1-3 and Secondary attacks in slots 4-6). If you have two weapons equipped, only Primary attacks from your main weapon can go in slots 1-3 and only Secondary attacks from your off-hand weapon can go in slots 4-6. Each attack has the following stats (mouse over the feat icon once you’ve dragged it to the action bar to see these details):
  • Stamina: The Stamina cost of the attack
  • Cooldown: Time it takes for the attack to reset, during which it cannot be used
  • Damage Factor: Modifies the base damage of the weapon to determine the damage inflicted by the attack
  • Range: The range of the attack. This is Melee (2 meters) or a distance in meters (often 20 or 35)
  • Effects: Primary effects of the attack
  • Restrictions: Any effects that limit the attack
  • Other: Secondary and conditional effects of the attack
  • Expendable: These are role-based abilities that consume Power in addition to Stamina, and which tend to be more powerful than normal attacks and utilities. Some Expendables can only be used once a battle (including most spells). Unlike other feats, these are not learned from trainers but from items dropped by monsters. Expendables are slotted into your “Implement”, which is the top row of the action bar. Your Implement can only accept Expendables of the appropriate type (e.g., you cannot put wizard spells in a cleric’s holy symbol). Also, each Implement can only hold so many total levels of Expendables, and has a max level of Expendable that can be slotted into it. The stats for Expendables are the same as for Attacks, with the addition of a Power cost.
  • Utility: Utility feats are attacks that are not weapon-specific, such as Trip attacks, Charge or Evade, or non-attack actions that can be used several times during a fight. Utility feats consume Stamina. (You drag these feats to the 4 boxes to the right of the main action bar segment)
  • Situational: This sub-tab is for a class of feats that are no longer in use. There will be no feats listed on this sub-tab. (It’s a fossil and will be removed in the future)

Inventory