Perfect World: Jump, beast, jump!

After about two months of open beta and commercial play, you’d think most players of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Perfect World already know everything there is in the mythical world of Pangu.

This statement, however, only holds true for Filipino gamers, especially for the new breed of Internet cafe habitues who call one another “ADEK!”, which translates to “online gaming addict” in international parlance.

New players, who are affectionately called newbies or novices by friendly gamers and derisively labeled as noobs by players who think they know more about any game than anybody else, are often at a loss on how to complete some initial quests.

One of the hardest quests to master (for newbies, at least) is the jumping quest; yes, that time of year when the Human and Beastkin Elders act like jerks and order young ones to spend countless days trying to jump and climb up walls just to retrieve items that one could easily get once he or she reaches Level 30, when they finally get their “wings.”

Well, newbies, we have had enough of your suffering. Let us alleviate your woes with this step-by-step guide to the jumping quest�??Beastkin version.

1) When you reach the appropriate level (usually 3 or 4), the golden shield that signifies an NPC has a quest ready will appear above the Beastkin Elder’s head. Approach and talk to him and get the quest. After ending your conversation, track the quest. A timer set at five minutes will then appear on your screen.

2) Don’t just stand there; run for it! Since you only have five minutes to jump up the Beast City arc, dig up the refining token, and return to the Elder, it is wise to consult your map first by pressing “M.” Note the distance between the Elder and the location of the arc, check the direction you have to run, and estimate the time it would take you to run back and forth.

3) See that stump (remnants of an ancient pillar or column) beside the gate walls, jump on top of it. Take note that it’s hard to estimate jump distance by using the mouse and the spacebar; you’re better off using the directional keys for movement (W, A, S, D) and the space bar for jumping. This will give you better control over where you want your avatar to land.

4) Face the wall. See that protrusion that looks like a small ledge? Jump to it. Good work. Now look up. You need to jump from the small ledge to the wider one that’s about a dozen feet up. This action may require a double jump, which is accomplished by tapping the spacebar once and then again when your avatar reaches the midpoint of his or her jump.

5) Now that you’re on a wider ledge, it’ll be a cinch jumping that few feet to the platform and then running up the incline. Before you do more jumping, plot your next few steps to reach the top of the gate. You’d need to jump onto that slab, then onto one of the giant wheels or shields (go for the rightmost since it’s lower), and then finally onto the battlements.

6) Whew! You’re finally at the top. Give yourself a pat on the back. Jumping isn’t so easy for new players. Take, for example, the Yao Shou (or beastman) in the screenshot. Clearly, he doesn’t know about the secret of the double jump.

7) What are you waiting for? Run to the end of the battlements and click on the chest. Your avatar will then start to dig or harvest. This action will take a few seconds. Once your character stands up, make her run to the edge of the battlements facing the direction of the Elder and jump (or fall). Don’t wait for the timer (yes, remember the timer) run out or you will need to redo the entire quest. After you talk to the Elder, he will give you a bit of experience points and a shiny new amulet (read: not necklace) or hierogram to protect you from massive damage or mana loss. Amulets regenerate your hit points when it reaches 50 percent. Hierograms, on the other hand, keep your mana points from falling.

Many thanks to Morticia of Perfect World Philippines Tiger Server for the screenshots.