9Dragons Newbie tips!

[Namae Nai]

• To speak to those near you, type your message without any special formatting.
  
• To send a tell to someone, use the format "/<name> <message>"
  
• To talk in group, use the exclaimation mark, like this "! <message>"
  
• To talk in a Hero Band, you use @, like this: "@ <message>"
  
• To shout, you need to use an item called the Lion's Roar. It will allow you to be heard across the land for 1 minute per use. You must buy these from the Acclaim store, and as a consequence, very few people can shout at all.

• When you start the game, you are a Vagabond. The best part about being a Vagabond is that you can learn basic techniques from ANY martial arts school, not just the one you want to join (with the exception of the gender restricted schools. Shaolin will teach men to use a polearm but not women, and vice versa with Sacred Flower's daggers and wheels). You can also visit any of the starting areas, and despite how the tutorial makes it sound, it's quite easy. You want to find the zone exit to Hefei on your map. Hefei is a 'hub' zone, and where most people go to sell stuff. You can reach almost any zone in the game from it. To get to a Black clan starting area use the Black Clan exists in the south, and to get to a White clan starting area use the White clan exits in the north.
  
  
• Skills start at Cheng 1 and can be improved to a maximum of Cheng 10. Most attacking or animating skills gain an additional effect at Cheng 3 and Cheng 5.
  
  
• Don't get too attached or spend overlong building up skills at early levels. You will get a whole new set of replacment skills when you pick a role at level 25. You'll also be able to reset your Chi(stats) and Weapon Masteries.
  
  
• Sometimes you need to train skills initially before using them and this is either done on the spiked training dummy, or on a Chi Kung Meditation pad. The training dummy game basically has you left clicking your mouse while the sphere is in the red zone. The Chi Kung training game is a little more interesting, as it has you hold down the left or right mouse buttons to keep the sphere centered and not touch the edges, simulating an attempt to focus your mind.
  
  
• You can only add people to your friends list if they are online, and they have to accept you in order to make it work.
  
  
• Making your weapon have a +1 or +2 is relatively inexpensive, and can be done in Hefei without the need for any special materials. Despite seeming like a small bonus, this usually adds +33% to +50% base damage to a weapon for each plus. Once you can cobble together 2100 gold, and get a new weapon, it's highly recommended that you get at least a +1.
  
  
• Making a weapon +3 or greater requires a very rare component called a "Blood Essense" that can be dropped by almost any foe. This object usually sells to players for between 100k and 350k gold. DON'T sell it to a vendor!
  
  
• When raising stats, you want to primarily pump up Strength as a Vagabond. Strength adds damage, and raises defense. Defense is rolled against whenever you take damage, and it lowers the aw number a fair amount. It's usually more effective to raise your Strength for Defense than to raise you Constitution to have more Health, and you get bonus damage to boot.
  
  
• Constitution and Essense are important to raise to 15 or so. After that you get somewhat diminishing returns. Add more if you tend to run out, but otherwise focus on Strength. Even at the highest levels, you can easily survive with only a 15 Constitution and maxxed defense skill.
  
  
• Wisdom is ABSOLUTELY unnecessary for a Vagabond, as well as very nearly so for Healers, Warriors and Hybrids who are still gaining XP. It's useful only to those who choose the Nuker role. Vagabonds cannot learn Chi Kung techniques, and enemies at lower levels almost never use them. Healers have so few Chi Kung that then Chi investment is usually not worth it. Hybrids might be able to use it, but Wisdom is their weak stat, so it's not as cost effective. The only reason Warriors sometimes gain Wisdom is to improve their Chi Kung defense versus nukers and usually only after their Strength hits the 250 cap.
  
  
• Dexterity is a mixed bag attribute. On one hand, at high levels it can be handy to improve criticals. It's also good for dodging enemy criticals as well. The problem with Dexterity at low levels is a game mechanic 9Dragons uses. When you score a critical, nearby allies of the foe you are fighting will suddenly decide to join their critically damaged friend. This is annoying, because you get an instant swarm of foes and usually have to run away. Also remember that you can't dodge normal attacts, you can only Dodge criticals.
  
  
• Most weapons past level 25 have requirements that you need to meet in order to use them. In this case, plan ahead to pump the stat up so you make the minimum at least. This is a good reason your Dex should have a rating about the same numeric rating as your current level, so as to keep up with requirements.
  
  
• Be sure and move your best meditation skill down to the Quickslot bar. It's niot only the best way to regain life and Vital Energy, it's also a very nice passive buff that you level just by switching and leaving it on. Remember to reactivate it everytime you zone!
  

[Namae Nai]

Link to Tips and Guides on the official 9Dragons forums.

The important thing here is the Quest guides, with a walkthrough for every quest for each clan up through Revolving Chakra levels.