Ok, class! I looked around and didn't really see any commentary on this subject, so I'll take the reins and start it off!

Ok, so you're a newer player and leveling is starting to get kinda rough... totally normal! (Or you're one of those players that fears breaking a nail because you might have to take a slab of wood and ruffle the feathers of a poor little Pheasant... hey, you'd be surprised. LOL!) Anyways, you decide that you'd like to ask a more experienced player for help, typically in the form of "power leveling" (A.K.A. "plvling")... Cool beans!!!

...Except... there are some problems that should probably be addressed. BADLY. Now, ladies and gentlemen, here is a fairly accurate list of what --NOT-- to do/say when you are asking your fellow gamers to help you with leveling:

1.) "PLVL ME PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

*takes a deep breath* ...Ok! Umm, putting it nicely... this isn't good. You really don't want to run around trying to play the Desperation card, because it can really rub some people the wrong way. Calm down, take some deep breaths, turn OFF the Caps Lock, and maybe you'll have some better luck.

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2.)
"plvl me"
"plvl me"
"plvl me"
"plvl me"
"plvl me"
"plvl me"
(...repeat as many times as humanly possible before even the NPC's ears start to bleed...)

...Ok, class! Can anyone possibly hint at what's wrong with this picture?? Let me tell you... if there is one thing that can possibly tick off people to the n degree, it's unnecessary SPAM. I don't care what anyone tells you, SPAM IS BAD. Unless you are looking to receive a generous portion of angry ___ (insert applicable profession) in your face... please don't do it. Usually, asking once or twice is more than enough, ok?

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3.) *Scenario:
Newbie: "Team plz"
Experienced Player: "Full"
Newbie: "Kick one"*

O.........M..........G..........
I'm not even going to sugar-coat this one -- In my honest opinion, this has to be one of -THE- most rude and offensive things you can say to a plvler. If the team is already full... then it's FULL. Trust me... when newbies say to "kick one"... and I can promise you this -- someone's gonna get kicked alright. And it's -NOT- going to be someone on the Team...

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4.)
Newbie: "Plvl me plz"
Recipient: "Not right now."
Newbie: "Plvl me plz"
Recipient: "I said not right now, I'm busy talking with my Guild (or other legitimate scenario goes here)."
Newbie: "Plvl me plz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

...I'm pretty sure most of you can see where this is going. This shares a bit with #2 and #3 above in the sense that... if someone is trying to get some training/hunting done, or they are in a City trying to relax/chat on Whisper, Guild, etc... NO MEANS NO. Just because you turn on the Caps Lock or you try asking in different languages, it's not going to help you. Have the decency to respect other people when they just don't have the time or the capacity to give you a level or two. Just because someone is a really high level doesn't mean that they've suddenly become static, and their only purpose is to serve others... many of us -love- to help the younger ones, but we also have to keep food on the table and clothes on our backs too!!

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5.) Newbie: "Ooh, that person's got a STAR over his/her head...
SCOOOORE, plvling!! I'll just join his/her team and get sw33t lvls, r0x0r!!!"
{Editor's Note: Sorry, my generic imitation of 'h4ck3r t4lk' is really really REALLY umm... sux0r, if you couldn't tell? LMAO...}

Ok, so maybe that exact verbage isn't running through your minds, but admit it -- we've all had those thoughts at ONE point in time. You see "the star", and it's like you're staring straight at a Dolly Madison truck -- how can you resist??

Well, guess what: control yourself!!! Granted, when someone has "the star" over their head, naturally they're either in the process of making a team, they already -have- a team, or... well, they're a team all by themselves. But just because you see "the star" doesn't mean that the person is a beacon sent down from CO heaven to plvl you to your heart's content! Do yourself (and the star-bearer) a favor... at least ASK the Captain if it is alright to join the team. And try to limit your asking to at least one or two attempts... any more than that, and... well, you should know by now! S/he may be waiting for someone in particular for the team, s/he might be AFK / trying to communicate on channels other than Talk... many things. Also too, when you approach team Captains within a City or the Market, you might want to ask WHERE the person is going before you join that team haphazardly... just because they say it's ok to join doesn't mean they're going to take care of you. I know that sounds really bad, but it's unfortunately true... this isn't a world of saints, and you could easily get yourself caught up in a situation that you really don't want, need or deserve. So, to narrow it down to one simple, concrete rule: ASK before you ACT.

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6.) [Thanks again to kyosuke for this point! *hugs*]

Ok, I really can't set up a scenario for this one... but basically, it starts out with a *THUNK* or a *CLINK* or... the fabled *PING!* (a.k.a. silver/weapons/armor/meteors/dragonballs)... those signature sounds that send newbies jumping into the haywire (and typically getting killed in the process).

Back up that train there, kids!! Now, plvling CAN be a great way to earn a little extra cash... but there's a catch. A hugely important catch. ASK YOUR PLVLER IF IT'S OK TO TAKE HIS/HER DROPS BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM!!!

You all need to remember -- being power-leveled is a privilege, NOT a right. Just because someone gives you a yard doesn't mean you need to be selfish and take the mile instead... have the courtsey to ask the trainer if you can share in some of his/her wealth. Many plvlers use these opportunities to make money for -themselves-, since they can rarely make as much when they are trying to level themselves. Even if the team Captain has money on 'allowed'... be nice. Please ask.

And on another note which ties right in with this subject... almost -always-, team Captains will have team item-gathering set on 'Forbid'... there's a reason for that, you know!! Yet there are still those who think that if they just "camp" (stand/sit on an item so no one else can take it) an item that they really want, then "it's ok, it's my item now"...

*BUZZ* SORRY! Unless your 'kill' has been ks'ed (which, if you're being plvled, you shouldn't be trying to kill things anyways), back off and wait until the victor collects his/her spoils. As far as I'm concerned, camping a plvler's drops classifies you as a thief. And if you get PK'ed by someone for not moving when they ask you to move, don't cry and whine and moan about it -- learn your lesson the first time and don't do it again, ok?

[Sidenote: Typically, plvlers will take all of their useless items that they've just gathered, and drop them in a safe spot for their younger teammates to take. Be thankful when they do this! You can typically sell those items to the Pharmacist (or other Shop NPC) for anywhere between 100-500 silver apiece!]

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...Ok, I think these are the most important aspects I wanted to cover. Also too, please don't think that this is a personal attack on any particular person(s), but just take this to heart when you step up to a Sir or Madame and ask for help. In short:

"Be Polite!" Politeness goes a LONG way, and if you can show someone that you're not going to flip a pancake just because they said 'not right now', you are going to have a much more positive impression on people that you meet and grow with. Older players will -want- to help you if you are respectful and calm, so give it a try!

{Editor's Note: To add wisdom, comments, rant, vent, or discuss anything else relating to either Part 1 or 2 of my guide, post on -THIS- thread (101). I am now trying to reserve '102' as a strict continuation of this overall Guide, so any additions to the Guide will -ONLY- be found in the '102' thread from this point on! (Maybe I should just get a website... LMAO)

-->101/102 T.A.'s<--
~Fury
Yun_Li
kyosuke
GrandfatherOlo
Hoshiko
calcnerd
ziryax

Huge hugs and thanks for your additions!!}

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Helpful 'Politeness' Hints:

> Try using your best effort at structured sentences... maybe even dare the unthinkable dare -- use punctuation!! *GASP*
> Try using 'please' instead of 'plz' or 'plzzzzzzz' or 'PLZZZZZZ!!!!!'... I dunno, maybe it's just me, but a nice old-fashioned, no-preservatives-added 'please' gives me a nice warm feeling inside...
> If someone tells you that their team is full, or they're not available to help you right now, say something like 'Thank you anyways!' or at least let them know you appreciate their consideration. Maybe even wish them good luck on their ventures... even if you're not getting plvled by that person, there's a 99.9% chance you put even a wry smile on that person's face.
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------------------------------
>>>GUIDE '101' ENDS HERE<<<
Please go to 'Power-Leveling Etiquette 102' for the continuation of this Guide! Thank you for reading!!
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{I stickied this post and "enhanced" the subject - ~Fury}

{Editor's Note: Because of the Character Limits not bending to my will, you WILL need to scroll down and find the other miscellaneous parts of this Guide. Sorry!! I will put some sort of heading that blatantly screams out "THIS IS PART OF THE GUIDE" to make searching easier for you all. :S

Newest Additions:
+ Adding a #11 to highlight another key feature about creating/joining Teams (extension of #5 in 101 Thread)
+ Adding a #12 to elaborate on what ziryax and GrandfatherOlo posted regarding Etiquette for the actual Power-Levelers themselves

>>>FULLY UPDATED -- SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE 2!<<<

Obviously... if you haven't read 101 yet, do that first, -then- come here. Enjoy! }

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Hello again, class! Hopefully, many of you have already attended my lengthy 101 lecture... if this is the case, strap those thinking caps back on because it's time for semester two!!

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7.) [thanks to Hoshiko and calcnerd for the inspiration on this one! *hugs*]

I don't really have a cheesy scenario for this one either, so I'll just cut to the chase... oh, and a disclaimer for you all: these are just my feelings, and any concurrences with my point of view are coincidental and unintentional (sort of).

If someone is kind enough to Plvl you... try your hardest NOT to go AFK in the process. I realize that sometimes it is unavoidable (i.e. IRL issues/emergencies)... but if you are going AFK so that you can play on another account, read a book, go to the mall, etc. and expect your plvler to take care of you... I think this is very rude. It doesn't matter if the plvler can leap tall buildings in a single bound... they can't be everwhere at once, and if a particularly bad spawn arises... there's a chance that you might get killed while the plvler is already knee-deep in hairy SlowApes or SandMonsters, whatever it may be. But if you were AFK (for a non-legitimate reason), then frankly... you got what was coming to you. I don't care if your plvler is a 70+ Water Taoist who can keep reviving you when you die... it's rude, and shows a blatant lack of appreciation for the hard work that the plvler is chipping in on your behalf. Power-leveling isn't magic, and rarely ever free; it typically costs the person doing it valuable time AND money... and what is it costing you? Well, about 99% of the time, not a damn thing. Usually, all you have to do is sit and not cause any trouble... gee, I can really see your bank account depleting for every second you're doing those horridly simple tasks.

Oh, and... of course... there's always the added benefit of not being AFK -- you can JUMP AWAY FROM APPROACHING DANGER. Gosh, who would've thought? You're not -only- increasing your life span drastically, but you're making your plvler's life just a little bit easier by not having to wait on you or escort you back to safety.

And yet -another- reason why being coherent in the game helps... we've ALL seen it (and probably even done it) at least once... you get that one newbie that just -has- to poke away with their trusty Thunder attack or Wooden Arrows (even after the plvler said "please sit still / don't move", etc.)... and what happens next? You get that one eager monster that smells fresh blood while your plvler is busy fending off the other 99% of the army. What happens after that? Oh, simple... the attacking newbie suddenly realizes s/he's in danger and quickly gets themselves to safety... but by then, everyone who was in complete solitude just got wiped out quicker than a sand castle after a tsunami. Now isn't -that- a pretty picture?? *cough...* By the way, for the unwisened, this is what we call "luring"... and whenever you are being plvled, "luring" is bad bad bad bad BAD. Unless your plvler says "please lure"... assume you're going to get a hefty beating for doing it.

So here's the long story made "short": If you absolutely -need- to go AFK for something (potty break, drink/snack, feed the dog, etc.)... at least tell your plvler that you need to go AFK real fast. If he/she KNOWS you're going AFK for a good cause, then you should be ok until you get back! But if you just -assume- that you can go AFK whenever you want, for whatever you want while you're being plvled... get that mouse ready, because you basically just signed over your life to a 1-hit kill. Enjoy.

{I was going to just squeeze this somewhere in the middle of that mess I made, but that would do injustice to the art... so! The following is expert commentary from Hoshiko about yet -another- added perk to avoiding vacancy during Plvling:}

quote:

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What's neat about not being afk is you can usually amuse your powerleveller by talking to him/her and your teammates. Time seems to go on faster if conversations are going on in my team, I usually end up adding them to my friend list to powerlevel in the future, and I tend to stay in the spawn longer...

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~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Where -NOT- to go/ask for Plvling:

> Mystic Castle -- If you are not an Archer, or a Taoist above at least lvl 30 (I'd like to think 44, but hey... *grin*), YOU DO NOT BELONG AT MYSTIC CASTLE. That is one of the locations where us "big kids" go to level ourselves... if you show up and think that Caps Lock or spamming "team plz" is going to get you plvled, guess what -- your chances of being burned alive via Fire of Hell or Tornado just broke through the roof.
> Dragonpool (TombBats) -- this is the -exact- same scenario as listed above for Mystic Castle, so I will not repeat myself. Though your chances of getting to this location alive are much more slim if you don't know where you're going, so maybe you will learn your lesson before you even get there to try and ask.
> Adventure Zone (i.e. Senior Snakemen) -- This location is really for Archers only, or -maybe- Fire Taoists... people who hunt here are too busy trying to keep -themselves- alive, and the chances that they will have the time/strength to try and safeguard a newbie are not in your favor. Not to mention... if you die, and you are unprepared (i.e. you have no scrolls)... you just won yourself an incredibly long and painful trip back to civilization from the very bowels of the Guild Area / AZ. Unless you are a Water Taoist who wants some practice with HealingRain or other choice spells, don't even waste your time (or anyone else's) by going here.
> Met Zone -- I originally intended this as a joke, but I just have this bad feeling that someone would have the nerve to take this option seriously... LMAO... the answer is 'no'. End of discussion.
> Pheasants / Turtledoves / Robins -- Again, as much as I don't really want to be serious about this one, I must... These are part of the "newbie" areas of CO... this is my personal recommendation, but I would HIGHLY suggest that you try to tackle as many of these areas on your own before you go and ask for plvling. Plvlers tend to like it when they see that a person at least made an attempt at solo training... oh, but about getting plvled in these locations -- don't ask. We already have Scatter-happy meteor hunters and those blasted Patrols/Guards to keep the bird population under control... plvling is the last thing we need going on down there. On the other hand, Teaming with other people near your level for Pheasants / T-doves / Robins = fantastic idea!!

...These are the only key locations I can think of off-hand; you can pretty safely assume that any location not on this list is fair game for plvling. If anyone else has other anti-plvling suggestions, either post a reply or PM me and I will credit you with them right here!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


...PHEW!! I'll tell you what -- you all get extra credit if you managed to sit through two bouts of me almost endlessly exhaling air on this topic. I hope all of my incessant rambling will help to make power-leveling a more fun (and give our older members less migraines). If anyone can chip in some extra wisdom that myself or others didn't really discuss, -PLEASE- jump in head-first and share it!

And remember, the moral of this wonderful story still applies:

"Be polite", and "Spread the word" about these wonderful Forums! Be well, safe travels, happy training, and umm... Yaaaaaaay ConqueRPG!! (lame, yes... don't judge me )

8.) [This is really dedicated to -everyone-... *grin*]

Fellow readers -- I would be impolite to sugar-coat this and make it all nice and fluffy... so I won't. Those of us who plvl would like to deliver a very important message to you.

Let's say you are being plvled... great! Now, -normally-, the plvler will make a Team, and invite you to join. Ok, no problems there... ohhhhhh, WAIT a second -- back up that train! What just happened, class? The plvler made a team... and invited YOU to join HIS/HER team. Which means... the coveted star is above HIS/HER head. Which means...

That person is the Captain!!!

Now, you're all saying "WTF is she going with this" in your minds by now... well, if your plvler is the Captain, what does that make you? The General? The Commodore?? The Emperor???

No, no, NO, young ones~... it makes you the -GUEST-. A "privileged member" of the Team, if you want to stretch it out a bit... so let me highlight some key phrases for you (compliments of Hoshiko & others, plus eye-witness testimony):

"Heal, hurry"
"Tank those so I can hit"
"I don't like this spot, let's go to *insert other spawn spot here*"
"I'm not getting good exp. here"
"Kill it, hurry"
"Guard me so I can open another account and check on my miner"
etc., etc., etc....

Now... can anyone tell me if these are the sort of comments that -guests- should be making? I should think NOT!! Let me orate this once again:

"Being Power-Leveled is a privilege -- NOT a right."

When you are being plvled, you do not suddenly become the star of the show -- nor are you allowed to suddenly start barking out orders or making demands of your plvler. If the star is over their head, and they are taking their time and talent to plvl you, you obey THEM. You follow THEIR rules, you obey THEIR policies, and you do your best to accomodate THEM. Remember -- all it takes is for them to click on your picture and hit the trusty "kick" button... and then what are you going to do? Order them to re-team you??

Hopefully I wasn't -drastically- blunt on this topic, but... newbies... let me put it into perspective for you:

"Respect your elders."

As far as I am concerned, you should consider any plvler to be an 'elder' (within reason, naturally... LOL)... do not cause them grief. Have a heart... and save the 'boot camp' routine for something like War Craft... not CO.

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9.) [-AGAIN- credited to Hoshiko & Co. *grin*]

{Now, I'm going to have to go mainly on personal experiences, and -opinions- for this area, since I don't have it all calculated right down to the last percent, so if anyone wants me to, or can help me make some modifications to this later on, either post on 101 about it or PM me! Thank you! }

Ok! Now, I would like to address the "Maximum Experience Cap." Here is the run-down...

You're being plvled by some kind soul, but for some reason, you feel as if you're not getting good enough exp. (first mistake right there... *cough hack wheeze* I mean, What? )... so, you decide to kindly (or not-so-kindly) ask your plvler to take you to "stronger monsters" so you can level faster.

Well, let's just assume that you're lvl... 20! And you're being plvled at... ElfApes! So you're actually getting really good exp... but you think that you might get better experience at say... SlowApes! Or no no, Snakemonsters -- wait, SandElfs!!!

...Hold the phone, kids -- there's a problem with that reasoning. If your plvler is getting you, say... 580 exp. per kill at ElfApes... you are also going to get 580 per kill at SlowApes... and 580 at Snakemonsters... and 580 at SandMonsters... and 580 at SandElfs... and... can you see where I'm going with this yet???

The point is... Do NOT constantly assume that you "could be getting better exp. somewhere else"... because the fact of the matter is -- you won't! And if you absolutely can't stand the fact that you're not "getting good enough exp."... then you can ALWAYS just leave the Team and go do some hard manual labor by yourself! You've really got no right (or reason) to be picky when it comes to -where- you are being plvled, because for the most part, it's all going to be the -same-!!

Now, just a note about all of this... I believe that if you are -less- than 20 levels away from the monsters your plvler is currently fighting, then you will not get "plvling exp"... however, there is a simple remedy to this whole mess, which I am going to cover right now -- a list of when you should really just STOP asking/looking for Plvling altogether! And as I warned you earlier, these are my -opinions-... anyone who happens to agree with them is purely coincidental and unintentional (sort of):

If you are a...

+ Taoist: Frankly, I say you toss out the "plvling binkie" at lvl 40... or 44 at the absolute -latest-. By then, you've chosen your path, and you have a --LOT-- of spells to get trained up (PLUS Meditation, should you wait 'til 44), and plvling isn't going to help you do that very well!!
{Editor's Note: To accent on what GrandfatherOlo mentioned about Water Taoists... -technically- there is no cap on power-leveling for this profession. This doesn't mean that you should -expect- plvling above and beyond what I stated here... you are STILL required to chip in some sweat and pain in either Mystic Castle or Dragonpool when the "0156 Rule" is not in effect... but once you reach about 70+, you will want to slowly start working in teams a bit more often. This is assuming you've been loyal in training your support spells like you SHOULD be doing... and no, "I'll just do it in TG later" doesn't count... geez, you lazy TG-encrusted bums... *peer* }

+ Archer: My suggestion is anywhere