Understanding the World of ‘Fantasy Boundless’

Within the game world, the nocturnal hours span from 8 PM to 4 AM in reality, with all other periods constituting daytime. As dusk descends, creatures become more formidable, their attributes bolstered, while players find their vision significantly curtailed.

Players are allotted an eight-hour window for full experience gain each day; beyond this, experience acquisition is reduced to a mere ten percent. This active playtime timer commences only when players venture into instanced dungeons or the open wilderness teeming with monsters, remaining paused while they are within the safety of a city’s walls.

The primary currency within the game consists of Gold, Silver, and Copper. The exchange rate is fixed at 1:100, meaning one Gold coin is equivalent to one hundred Silver coins, or ten thousand Copper coins.

Upon their initial entry, all players are directed to a single novice village. Once this village reaches its capacity of one thousand players, a second will become available, and so forth. Consequently, the earliest pioneers are typically seasoned veterans of online games, leading to Novice Village #1 generally boasting a higher collective skill level.

A player’s initial attributes are intrinsically tied to their real-world physical conditioning, with each starting stat capped at a maximum of ten points. Strength governs physical attack power and defense. Intelligence dictates magical offense and resistance. Constitution directly impacts health points, as well as both physical and magical defenses. Agility enhances movement speed, attack frequency, and the chance of a physical critical hit. Finally, Spirit influences mana capacity, spell casting time, and magical critical hit rate, while also offering a slight reduction in the duration of crowd control effects and boosting mana regeneration.

Beyond these visible statistics, players also possess two hidden attributes: Luck and Charm. Luck directly impacts the drop rate of items from defeated monsters, while Charm influences a non-player character’s initial disposition towards the player and the experience rewards garnered from quest completion.

Any free attribute points acquired before reaching level 10 are automatically distributed to a character’s primary and secondary class attributes at a 3:2 ratio. For instance, a Warrior, in addition to receiving one point in all attributes per level, gains an extra three points in Strength and two in Constitution. However, upon reaching level 10, players have the option to visit their class mentor and request a complete reset, allowing them to reallocate all accumulated free attribute points.

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Equipment Overview

In this narrative, equipment is categorized into three primary types: Cloth, Leather, and Plate armor. These pieces are further stratified into eight distinct grades: Whiteboard, Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Purple Gold, Epic, and Legendary, each visually distinguished by corresponding colors of white, green, blue, silver, yellow, purple, gold, and red, respectively. Players can adorn themselves with gear in numerous slots: a main-hand weapon, an off-hand weapon, headwear, an upper garment, lower attire, footwear, a belt, wristguards, a necklace, and rings for their fingers. Both necklaces and rings fall under the ‘accessory’ classification. The acquisition of equipment is limited to three primary methods: slaying monsters, completing quests, or redeeming accumulated points. (More specific details regarding equipment will be unveiled as the story progresses.)

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Combat Mechanics

Block: While Shield Warriors possess a dedicated blocking skill, every other class is also capable of parrying incoming attacks. This requires the use of their equipped weapon, and the effectiveness of the block—mitigating up to a maximum of 30% of the damage—is determined by a comparison of the combatants’ respective Strength attributes.

Dodge: Beyond the inherent dodge chance all classes possess, derived from their Agility, players can also execute active dodges through skillful maneuvering. This active evasion, however, is effective only against basic attacks and non-targeted abilities.

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Class System Overview

Warrior: A formidable melee combatant, the Warrior’s primary method of dealing damage is through physical attacks. Their traditional mana pool is replaced by a ‘Rage’ system: striking an enemy generates ten points of Rage, while taking damage yields five. Upon reaching maximum Rage, their attack power surges, and their next skill unleashes additional damage. Their first-tier specializations include the Shield Warrior, the Berserker, and the Knight.

Mage: A master of ranged combat, the Mage’s offensive power stems primarily from magical spells. Their main damage output relies on skills, which consume mana and necessitate a brief casting time. Mages serve as a team’s principal damage dealer, characterized by their relatively low health but exceptionally high damage potential, wielding a diverse arsenal of low-damage skills with short cooldowns and devastating high-damage abilities with longer cooldowns. Their first-tier specializations include Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth Mages. (A more in-depth discussion of Mage advancements will be presented in due course.)

Priest: A vital ranged support class, the Priest primarily utilizes magical energies to bolster allies. Their skill set largely comprises beneficial buffs for themselves and their teammates, with only a sparse array of offensive capabilities. They are, without question, an indispensable cornerstone of any adventuring party. Their first-tier specializations are the Holy Priest and the Shadow Priest.

Assassin: A swift and deadly melee combatant, the Assassin’s primary offensive output is physical damage. Their mana pool is supplanted by ‘Killing Intent’ points, capped at five. Basic attacks generate one point of Killing Intent, which is then expended to unleash most skills (with exceptions for certain special abilities). While their skills typically have longer cooldowns, Assassins boast unparalleled burst damage and potent single-target crowd control capabilities. Their first-tier specializations are the Rogue and the Shadow Killer.

Archer: A master of ranged physical combat, the Archer delivers precise attacks from a distance. Possessing a balanced blend of offensive and crowd control abilities, they serve as a valuable secondary damage dealer within any team. Their first-tier specializations are the Hunter and the Marksman.

Summoner: A ranged magical damage dealer, the Summoner’s primary combat strategy revolves around conjuring powerful pets to engage enemies, while simultaneously empowering their summoned companions with various beneficial buffs. Their first-tier specializations are the Pet Summoner and the Battle Pet Master.

(Further details regarding all first-tier specializations will be provided once players reach the requisite level.)

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Ancillary Professions

The available ancillary professions currently encompass: Tailors, who craft accessories, cloth, and leather armor; Blacksmiths, dedicated to forging plate armor and weaponry; Alchemists, skilled in brewing potent potions; and Chefs, who prepare sustenance to sate hunger. In time, additional professions will emerge, such as Architects, essential for constructing guild strongholds; Engineers, crucial for developing guild stronghold defenses; and Appraisers, whose fundamental skills are universally accessible, though advanced mastery necessitates guidance from a specialized mentor.

Beyond these, fundamental life skills like gathering and mining are also available.

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Glossary of Game Terminology

BUFF (Debuff): A ‘buff’ refers to any spell or effect that augments a character’s abilities, such as increasing HP or Strength. Conversely, a ‘debuff’ is an effect that diminishes a character’s capabilities.

Dungeon: An instanced, private zone designed for players and their teammates to explore, adventure, or complete quests without external interference. Only members of your party can access your specific instance of a dungeon, thereby mitigating common issues in crowded online games such as spawn camping, poaching, and the monopolization of boss drops. The creatures within dungeons are typically more formidable, necessitating teamwork for entry and success. Yet, the greater the challenge, the richer the rewards!

Experience Points (XP): A numerical value that quantifies a character’s progression towards leveling up. This value primarily increases through the defeat of monsters and the successful completion of quests.

Grinding: The act of engaging in combat with in-game monsters, serving as the primary method for acquiring both experience points and equipment.

HP: Health Points

MP: Mana Points

Red/Blue: Colloquially, ‘Red’ typically symbolizes a character’s Health Points, while ‘Blue’ denotes Mana Points. In certain games, these terms can also extend to refer to health-restoring potions and mana-restoring potions, respectively.

PK: Player versus Player combat is referred to as ‘PK’.

Items: Equipment, objects, potions, and similar in-game elements are collectively referred to as ‘items’.

Guild: A self-organized group of players, formed with the objective of enhancing their collective gaming experience.

Faction War: A large-scale conflict occurring between players belonging to two distinct nations.

Red Name: A player who has engaged in player killing (PK) will have their name displayed in red, signifying their status as an outlaw.

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Common Online Gaming Slang

囧 (Jiong): A popular internet meme that visually conveys a state of being at a loss whether to laugh or cry, often signifying awkwardness or exasperation.

ORZ: A pictographic emoticon used to express deep admiration, prostration, or utter speechlessness.

Hardcore Player (骨灰): A term used to describe an exceptionally seasoned and professional player, often referring to a veteran of many games.

Noob (小白): A derogatory term for a novice or beginner, serving as the antithesis to a ‘hardcore player’.

Rookie (菜鸟): A player whose gaming skills are subpar, though perhaps marginally more competent than a ‘noob’.

Bad Luck (人品问题): A humorous expression for ‘unfortunate luck,’ often abbreviated as ‘RPWT’ (Rén Pǐn Wèn Tí).

Monster: The adversaries players confront in the game, serving as the primary source of experience points and equipment.

BOSS: An exceptionally powerful monster, typically the leader of a pack, aptly named a ‘BOSS.’ These formidable foes yield substantial experience and often drop highly coveted equipment.

Respawn: The phenomenon where, after a monster is defeated, the game system generates a new instance of that monster after a certain period, replenishing the population.

God-tier: An exceptionally rare and highly coveted in-game item, signifying its superior quality.

Divine Artifact: The pinnacle of ‘God-tier’ items, representing the absolute best and most powerful gear.

Reporter: A player who constantly seeks out information on others’ ‘God-tier’ equipment or rare skills, often with an inquisitive or even intrusive nature.

Scammer (黑人): A derogatory term, short for ‘black-hearted person,’ typically referring to a vendor who demands an outrageously inflated price for an item.

==: Shorthand for ‘etcetera’ or ‘and so on’.

++: An abbreviation for ‘heal, heal,’ used to request or indicate healing.

Healer (奶妈): A class capable of restoring health, commonly referred to as a ‘Healer’ (lit. ‘milk mother’).

Healer (奶爸): A male character primarily responsible for healing is affectionately dubbed a ‘Healer’ (lit. ‘milk father’).

Off-healer (二奶): A player who provides supplementary healing, rather than being the primary healer, is referred to as an ‘Off-healer’ (lit. ‘second milk’).

DPS (打手): A player whose primary role is to deal damage to monsters is known as a ‘Damage Dealer’ or ‘DPS’.

Pet (BB): An affectionate term for a player’s in-game companion, whether a summoned creature or a battle pet.

DPS: An acronym for ‘Damage Per Second,’ a metric used to measure a character’s offensive output.

AFK: An acronym for ‘Away From Keyboard,’ indicating a player is temporarily inactive.

MT: An acronym for ‘Main Tank,’ referring to the player specifically tasked with absorbing the majority of monster damage, typically possessing high health and defense.

Downtime: Refers to a period when the game server is shut down or undergoing a restart.

Disconnected: The state of being unable to maintain a connection to the game server.

Update: Encompasses any upgrade to the game’s version, or the addition and modification of game content.

Rollback: A server operation that reverts player data and game state to a previous point in time, usually before a critical error or exploit.

Whisper/PM (密/M): A private chat function allowing one player to communicate directly with another, with the conversation hidden from third parties. Can be abbreviated as ‘M’ or ‘MMM…’ in urgent situations.

One-shot (秒杀): A descriptive term for defeating an opponent instantly or in a single, decisive blow, typically with extreme speed.

Area One-shot (群秒): Similar to ‘one-shot,’ but refers to the rapid defeat of multiple enemies simultaneously.

Expert (达人): A highly skilled or exceptionally capable player, also referred to as a ‘pro’ or ‘ace’.