So, you’ve decided to jump into RO Ragnarok Online: Dawn on the Hong Kong and Taiwan server. Awesome choice! But maybe you’re staring at the character creation screen right now, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Which class? Where do I go? How do I not fall behind? I totally get it. I’ve been there, and I’ve helped a bunch of friends get their footing over the years. The first three days are absolutely crucial—they set the pace for your entire early game. This isn’t about min-maxing to the extreme; it’s about making smart, informed choices so you can actually enjoy the journey without unnecessary frustration. Let’s break down exactly what you should focus on from minute one.

First up, picking your starting class. This is the single most important decision you’ll make early on, and it’s not just about what’s “meta.” It’s about what fits your preferred playstyle. Are you the type who likes to get up close and personal, trading blows? Then the Swordsman is your go-to. Prefer hanging back, analyzing the battlefield, and picking off enemies from a distance? Archer all the way. Maybe you enjoy the strategic element of supporting a team or soloing with a versatile toolkit? That’s the Acolyte or Mage for you. I remember when my friend Alex started last year; he immediately went for the “coolest looking” class without thinking about gameplay. He spent a week struggling before rerolling as an Archer, which fit his patient, tactical style perfectly, and his progress skyrocketed. The key is to think about how you like to play games. Each starting class in RO: Dawn branches into specific jobs later (like Knight, Hunter, Priest, Wizard), so your choice here has long-term implications. Don’t stress—you can always make alts—but a good start makes everything smoother.

Once you’ve chosen your avatar, the real game begins. You’ll spawn in the familiar training grounds. Now, here’s my biggest tip: do not skip the introductory quests. I know, I know, you want to rush out and start killing Porings immediately. But these quests are designed for a reason. They’re not just fluff; they hand you your first set of usable gear, potions, and, most importantly, a solid chunk of base EXP and Zeny. They also gently walk you through the core mechanics of movement, combat, and using skills. Completing them will easily get you to around Job Level 10, which is a massive head start. From there, your goal for the first day is simple: follow the main quest line that leads you out of the training grounds and into the wider world, specifically towards Prontera South Gate. This area is your bread and butter from levels roughly 10-

Let’s talk gear and Zeny, because this is where many new players hit a wall. You will be broke at the start. That’s normal. Your initial income comes from selling loot drops to NPCs. Everything has value. Don’t just discard Jellopies, Emverts, or Worm Peelings; vendor them. They add up. Be very cautious about buying equipment from NPC merchants in towns early on—their prices are often inflated. Instead, rely on the gear you get from quest rewards and monster drops. A more effective use of your first 10,000-50,000 Zeny is stocking up on HP and SP recovery items from the pharmacy. This allows you to stay in the field longer, which means more EXP and more loot. I made the mistake of saving every penny for a shiny new weapon early on, only to find myself constantly having to walk back to town to heal, which wasted more time than the weapon saved.

To give you a clear picture of the early-leveling path and priorities, here’s a quick reference table based on my own and my guild’s recent leveling sprints on the server.

Finally, the moment you hit Job Level 10, drop everything and go do your Job Change Quest. This unlocks your advanced first class and a whole new set of powerful skills. The quests are usually straightforward—they involve fetching items, killing specific monsters, or talking to NPCs. You can find detailed guides for each class on community hubs like the Rate My Server database, which is an incredible resource I’ve used for over a decade to verify drop rates and quest steps. Once you’ve changed jobs, the entire game opens up. You’ll feel significantly stronger, and new hunting maps like Payon Forest or Mt. Mjolnir become accessible. Your focus then shifts from just leveling to understanding your new skill set, planning your skill build (maybe saving a few points for that awesome skill at level 20), and starting to think about your first serious gear upgrades, often from the market or specific monster hunts.

Mastering the Mid-Game: Economy, Gear, and Community

You’ve changed jobs, you’re past level 40, and the training wheels are officially off. Congratulations! This is where RO Ragnarok Online: Dawn truly starts to shine, but it’s also where many players feel lost. The straightforward “kill mobs, level up” loop gets more complex. Now you’re dealing with a living economy, making decisions about gear that aren’t just about the next stat point, and figuring out how to integrate into the server’s community. This phase is less about raw grinding and more about smart resource management and building connections. I’ve seen players with incredible luck on drops stall out here because they didn’t understand the market, and I’ve seen average players thrive because they made friends and learned where to invest their time and Zeny.

Let’s tackle the economy first, because it can be intimidating. Prontera’s main square is a whirlwind of vending merchants and shouts. The Player Market is the heart of the server’s economy. Prices fluctuate based on supply, demand, and what’s currently

What’s the most important thing to focus on in the first few days on the HK/TW server?

The absolute priority is getting your Job Change done efficiently. Don’t get distracted by trying to buy the best gear or explore every map right away. Your first 1-3 days should be laser-focused on following the introductory quests to get free gear and Zeny, then grinding in areas like Prontera South Gate to reach Job Level 10 as fast as possible. This unlocks your advanced class and core skills, which completely changes your leveling speed and opens up the real game.

I’ve seen so many new players waste time because they didn’t have this clear goal. Just last month, a guildmate spent days farming low-level cards before changing jobs, while everyone else who focused on the job quest shot past him in levels and farming capability.

How do I make money (Zeny) effectively in the mid-game, around levels 40-70?

This is where you transition from selling everything to an NPC to understanding the player-driven market. Your income shifts to farming specific materials that are in demand for crafting and refining. Monsters in areas like Geffen Dungeon or Orc Village often drop valuable loot like Emveretarcon, Steel, and Oridecon pieces that players need for upgrading weapons.

Check the vending stalls in Prontera to see what’s selling and for how much. A consistent method I use is farming Coal from Dustiness or Gargoyles, as it’s always needed by blacksmiths. Selling in smaller, priced-to-sell stacks often gets you Zeny faster than trying to offload one huge, overpriced batch.

Is it possible to play solo on this server, or do I absolutely need a party?

You can definitely play solo for a large portion of the content, especially the leveling grind from 1-

My advice is to start solo to learn your class and build some initial resources, but actively look for a friendly guild around base level 50-

The most common pitfall is overspending on low-level, high-refine gear. It’s tempting to buy that +7 Main Gauche for your Thief, but that Zeny is often better saved. Mid-game gear from levels 40-80 gets replaced relatively quickly as you level up. A smarter strategy is to use quest reward gear, affordable NPC gear, or basic dropped gear, and invest your serious Zeny into consumables for grinding or saving up for the core endgame items you’ll use for months.

I learned this the hard way on another server, blowing almost all my early savings on a shiny weapon that was obsolete 15 levels later. Focus on weapons that give a good damage boost for their price, and armor that provides essential survivability stats like VIT or HP boosts, without chasing expensive refines.