New Player Guide

Your first days on Rookery Isles: pick a race, choose a class, learn labor and gathering, and get rooted in a House, everything a fresh character needs, verified against this server.

Requirements

You must be Character Level 52 to gather in the open world on Rookery Isles. Mining, Logging, Gathering, Farming, Husbandry, and Fishing are all gated at character Level 52 (the client enforces this), so you cannot mine, chop, harvest, farm, raise livestock, or fish until you reach Level 52. Bench crafting and processing have no level requirement, but their materials come from gathering. The Anya Vein adds a further gate of 50,000 Mining proficiency on top of Level 52.

Table of Contents

• Requirements
• Welcome to the Isles
• Step 1: Download and Create a Character
• Choosing a Race
• Choosing a Class
• Step 2: Your Early Levels and Zones
• The Faction Path and PvP Reality
• Step 3: Labor, The Real Currency
• Step 4: Your First Gathering and Crafting
• Step 5: Plant Your First Crop
• Step 6: Houses Supersede Factions
• The Road to 55 and Beyond
• Common New-Player Mistakes
• Your First-Days Checklist
• On Rookery Isles

Welcome to the Isles

Rookery Isles is a community-run, roleplay-focused ArcheAge private server running the ArcheAge 3.0 "Revelation" era on the AAEmu 3.0.3.0 NL0bP server build with the original 2017-03-15 client. This is the world of skillset-mixing classes, open-seas trade, farms, and player politics, brought back and tuned for a server where your character has a story whether you write one or not.

This guide is for players who are new to ArcheAge entirely, or who have not played since the live servers closed. It walks your first days: creating a character, understanding labor, taking your first gathering and crafting steps, and finding your place in a House. The combat level cap on Rookery Isles is 55.

If you already know ArcheAge and just want the build, jump to Power Builds or the Gear Progression roadmap.

Step 1: Download and Create a Character

Get the client from the Rookery Isles downloads page and install it. It is the original ArcheAge 2017 client, you do not need anything from Trion, Kakao, or Steam. Rookery Isles handles authentication through its own login server.

• Step 1. Launch the client and let it patch through the Rookery updater.
• Step 2. Create an account on the in-game login form.
• Step 3. Select the Rookery Isles server.
• Step 4. Create a character, choose a race, then your starting skillset.

New characters begin with a small starting Labor pool, but world gathering does not open until Character Level 52 (see Requirements and Labor). Early on you spend Labor through bench crafting and processing of bought materials, not field gathering.

Choosing a Race

ArcheAge has six playable races on Rookery Isles. The data also contains two non-playable races (Fairy and Returned) that exist as lore and NPCs but cannot be created, do not expect to roll one.

No race gives a meaningful combat advantage on Rookery. The specific per-race stat perks you may have read on old wikis (Elf mana regen, Dwarf HP, Firran stealth, and so on) are not confirmed in this server's data, do not pick a race expecting a numeric edge. The only racial mechanic confirmed in the data is the universal Labor-regeneration timer that every character shares. Pick the race whose look and lore you want to live with. Each of the six races has a male and a female model, for twelve creatable templates total.

A note on starting zones. This fork relocated several race start points away from the classic ArcheAge tutorial coves, so do not trust the old "Nuians start in Solzreed" lists. Whatever zone you wake up in, your job is the same: follow the green main-story quest line out of it.

Choosing a Class

ArcheAge does not have fixed classes. You build one by combining three of ten skillsets, and the trio you pick maps to one of 120 named classes. The ten skillsets are:

You pick your first skillset at character creation. You add a second and third as you level, the exact unlock cadence (commonly cited as around levels 5 and 10) follows standard ArcheAge behavior; confirm the in-game prompts as you go rather than treating fixed level numbers as gospel.

Good starter skillsets by playstyle:

• Battlerage, melee, intuitive, forgiving.
• Archery, ranged physical; easier to stay alive while learning.
• Sorcery, burst caster damage.
• Defense, if you want to tank.
• Vitalism, if you want to heal.

A few classic, forgiving full trios to aim for (all verified class names on this build):

Important: any "tier list" you see ranking these as S/A/B is opinion, not a server-confirmed fact, the data only defines class names and skillset composition, never balance. See the Class Meta Tier List and Power Builds for full trios, and read those names carefully: it is Hex Warden (two words), Hexblade (one word), Dreadnaught, and Blade Dancer.

Step 2: Your Early Levels and Zones

Your first levels happen in your faction's starter peninsula and its neighboring zones, not a single all-in-one tutorial zone. Follow the green main-story quests; they route you from your starter zone into adjacent areas as you grow.

On this server the starter peninsulas are genuinely low-level, their content tops out around the mid-teens, not level 30. The faction leveling chain then carries you across several zones toward roughly level 30 before the wider world opens up. Server-confirmed early bands:

What to focus on in these early hours:

• Step 1. Clear the green main-story quests, they teach mechanics and pull you through the zone chain.
• Step 2. Do the side quests (the yellow markers) for gear, gold, and system unlocks.
• Step 3. Level through combat, the green main story, and side quests; world gathering does not open until Character Level 52 (see Requirements), so combat and quests carry your early progression.
• Step 4. Settle on your three skillsets so you have a class identity before you leave the starter zones.

For the full continent-by-continent breakdown, see the World Zones Atlas, and for a band-by-band path to the cap see the Leveling Guide (1 to 55).

The Faction Path and PvP Reality

Your race determines which protected leveling continent you start on, Nuia for the western races, Haranya for the eastern races. Those protected, faction-owned zones (the starter and early-level zones above) are your safe leveling grounds.

Do not assume the rest of the world is safe. PvP rules vary by zone, and "most zones have peace timers" is an overstatement:

• Faction-owned leveling zones (the starter peninsulas and their chains) are protected.
• Contested zones, Cinderstone Moor, Halcyona, Hasla, Karkasse Ridgelands, Windscour Savannah, and the like, cycle between peace and war states. They are PvP-capable; treat them as dangerous.
• Auroria (the northern endgame continent) and every open sea are lawless, free-PvP at all times. There is no peace protection there. Expect to be attacked.

The northern continent of Auroria is the level 50 to 55 endgame: all of its overworld zones are hostile, and its mob levels confirm a ~50+ character gate. The open seas are likewise free-PvP. Plan trade runs and gathering trips into those areas accordingly.

Step 3: Labor, The Real Currency

Labor is the resource that limits how much you can gather, craft, and trade. Almost every meaningful production action spends Labor, and on this server spending Labor is also how you earn proficiency: the Labor you spend on an action is granted 1:1 as proficiency points into that action's vocation. Mine for 5 Labor, gain +5 Mining proficiency. It also grants character XP, scaling with your level and the Labor spent.

Default Labor configuration on this build:

So a free account regenerates Labor only while online, at +5 every 5 minutes, capped at 2,000. Patron status raises the cap, doubles online regen, and adds offline regen. These are the build's default values; a server-side override is possible, so treat the exact numbers as a guide and check your in-game Labor tick to confirm. (The old guide's "5 labor per 5 seconds" figure is wrong, it is per 5 minutes.)

The practical lesson: Labor is slow and precious early. Do not dump your whole pool regrading throwaway gear. Spend it on gathering and crafting that builds proficiency and feeds your gold goals. For the full system, see Proficiency & Labor.

Step 4: Your First Gathering and Crafting

World gathering requires Character Level 52 on Rookery Isles. Mining, Logging, Gathering, Farming, Husbandry, and Fishing all carry a Level 52 requirement, and the client enforces it, so you cannot Mine, Chop (Logging), Gather, Farm, raise livestock (Husbandry), or Fish in the open world until you reach Level 52. Until then you level through combat, quests, and the main story. Bench crafting and processing carry no level requirement, so you can craft and process earlier as long as you buy or otherwise obtain the materials.

There are 22 player vocations, grouped into three in-game tabs. Use the exact in-game spellings, it is Metalwork and Leatherwork, never "Metalworking"/"Leatherworking":

Each vocation climbs the shared proficiency rank ladder as you spend Labor in it. The first dozen ranks (the ones the client shows) are:

The ladder continues up through Famed, Renowned, and on to Legend at 1,000,000. Rank-up is free on this build once you hit a cap, you just click to advance. Higher rank also makes actions cheaper in Labor (the exact reduction is not published, but the direction is confirmed: higher rank, cheaper actions). Recipes and elite nodes unlock at thresholds equal to these caps, for example, 50,000 = Master rank, which is the gate for the Auroria Anya Vein (a proficiency gate, not a character level).

Your first gathering steps (once you reach Level 52), no tool required for the basics:

• Step 1. At Level 52 or higher, walk up to any wild node, an ore vein, a tree, a flower, a wild crop, and use the gather interaction. The cheapest gathers (picking fruit or basic plants) cost as little as 1 Labor; a basic ore vein is around 5 Labor.
• Step 2. Sell raw mats, or process them yourself. Ore smelts to ingots at a furnace under Metalwork; logs become lumber under Carpentry; cotton and wool become fabric under Tailoring.
• Step 3. Pick one or two vocations to actually invest Labor in. You do not need to push every vocation, that is how you run out of Labor for nothing.

For depth, see Mining & Ore and the Crafting Guide.

Step 5: Plant Your First Crop

Farming is one of the most reliable gold sources once it opens, and like all world gathering it requires Character Level 52 to plant and harvest (see Requirements). Seeds and saplings are sold by General Merchant NPCs scattered across the world, so you can stock up earlier even if you cannot farm yet.

The single fastest cash crops are Cucumber and Potato, both 5 minutes to mature. Their seeds, Cucumber Seed (item 15664) and Potato Eyes (item 15659), cost just 150 copper each from a general merchant. (Ignore any "Salaman Eggplant" you may have read about elsewhere, that crop does not exist on this server.)

Planting basics:

• Step 1. Buy a stack of seeds from a general merchant.
• Step 2. Plant on a farm structure you own (a Scarecrow Garden, Scarecrow Farm, Aquafarm, or the larger Thatched Farmhouse), inside a house's garden radius, or on open ground. Crops on open ground are exposed, other players can harvest or steal them.
• Step 3. Plant in a matching climate zone to grow about 27% faster (a confirmed 0.73x time multiplier). Cucumber and Potato are "All" climate, so they grow at full speed anywhere.
• Step 4. Optionally Water and Fertilize while growing; harvest before the crop wilts (mature crops decay into a wilted state if left too long). Harvesting and fertilizing both grant Farming proficiency.

Vegetables and grains feed Cooking, processing recipes, and Commerce trade packs; cotton feeds Tailoring; herbs and flowers feed Alchemy and Artistry. See the full crop tables in Farming & Crops.

Step 6: Houses Supersede Factions

On Rookery Isles, the player Houses system supersedes the old two-faction political structure. Your race still sets which continent you level on, but the realm's politics, community, and allegiances run through the Houses, not a simple West-versus-East faction war. All races can communicate freely.

Joining a House early gives you a community, groups for PvE and PvP, trade partners, and a place in the realm's roleplay. Rookery is roleplay-friendly but never mandatory, you can RP a noble, a pirate, a merchant, a soldier, a hermit, or simply play. Browse the Houses, talk to members on Discord, and pledge when one fits.

Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/xYKNcfkRdR for recruitment, server news, group-finding, and trade chat.

The Road to 55 and Beyond

Once you clear the early chain and approach the contested and high-level zones, the open world is your playground up to the cap of 55.

• Trade packs. Craft a specialty pack, carry it to a buyer, and sell it for profit. Packs are carried and sold to specialty NPCs, they are not auctionable on the Auction House. See Trade Packs & Commerce.
• Crafting investment. Commit Labor to one or two vocations and climb the rank ladder toward Master and beyond.
• Gear. Work the crafted gear ladder toward its top tier, Ayanad, the highest crafted set on this build. There is no Erenor or Hiram gear here (those are later patches). See Gear Progression.
• Auroria and the seas. The lawless endgame: honor, Archeum, the Anya Vein, naval combat, and large-scale PvP. Go prepared.

Endgame raids, dungeons, and specific drop tables exist in the world but their exact rewards are not all confirmed here, treat named-loot claims as community-reported until you see them yourself. For the repeatable endgame loop, see Dailies & Endgame Progression.

Common New-Player Mistakes

• Burning Labor too early. Labor regenerates slowly. Do not blow your pool regrading starter gear or crafting throwaways. Save it for things you will keep.
• Assuming zones are safe. Auroria and all seas are free-PvP with no peace protection; contested zones cycle into war. Check the zone before you relax.
• Expecting to gather early. World gathering is gated at Character Level 52 on Rookery, and the client enforces it. Level through combat and quests first; bench crafting from bought materials is the only production you can do before 52.
• Chasing race "perks." No confirmed per-race combat bonus exists here. Pick on looks and lore.
• Trusting tier lists as fact. Class balance opinions are not server data. Pick a trio you enjoy and can play.
• Playing fully solo. Houses give you groups, trade partners, and access to coordinated content. Join one.

Your First-Days Checklist

• Done 1. Install the client and create your character.
• Done 2. Pick a race (looks/lore) and your first skillset.
• Done 3. Follow the green main story through the starter zone chain.
• Done 4. Level toward 52 through combat, quests, and the main story; world gathering opens at Character Level 52.
• Done 5. Once you reach Level 52, buy Cucumber or Potato seeds and plant your first 5-minute crop.
• Done 6. Lock in all three skillsets and your class identity.
• Done 7. Pick one or two vocations to invest Labor in.
• Done 8. Join the Discord and find a House.

Welcome to the Isles. Your saga begins here.

On Rookery Isles

A few places this server deliberately differs from base ArcheAge 3.0, which this guide reflects:

• World gathering requires Character Level 52. Mining, Logging, Gathering, Farming, Husbandry, and Fishing are all gated at Character Level 52, and the client enforces this. Bench crafting and processing have no level requirement, but their materials come from gathering.
• Houses supersede the two-faction system. Your race sets your starting continent, but realm politics and community run through player Houses, and all races can talk to one another.
• This is ArcheAge 3.0 (Revelation), not Erenor. Top crafted gear is Ayanad; there is no Erenor or Hiram gear on this build.
• Server-confirmed level bands. Starter peninsulas top out in the mid-teens, not level 30, and Auroria plus all open seas are lawless free-PvP, not peace-timer zones.
• Per-race combat perks are unconfirmed in this server's data and are intentionally omitted.

See also

• Gearing Supply Chain, the full path from gathered material to best gear
• Leveling Guide (1 to 55)
• Classes & Skillsets Overview
• Proficiency & Labor
• Crafting & Gathering Overview
• Farming & Crops
• World Zones Atlas
• Gear Progression
• Power Builds