Beginner's guide to Magic

The land of Mysto is enveloped with magical energies. Although anyone can utilize this power in a rudimentary way via structures like territory towers, only some can wield it directly. Below is a guide to help you begin your journey of becoming a spellcaster

Getting Started
In order to become any sort of magic user, you must do the magic quest located in Starry. This quest will take about 20 to 30 minutes, but at the end you will be set to wizard and given a wand!

Step One: Get a wand
In order to use any sort of magic, you must first create your own wand. This is done by taking a stick to each of the elemental altars on the map: water, earth, fire and air. When you arrive at each altar, hold the stick in your hand and type /infusestick. This will infuse the stick with the elemental energies found at that altar. You can check what energies a stick is infused with by hovering over it in your inventory menu. Once you infuse your stick with all four elements, you will receive a magic wand!

Use your wand by right clicking with it in your hand (make sure there is nothing in your off-hand) in order to access the list of spells available to you. You can cast spells by left clicking with the wand in hand in order to cast the spell you currently have selected for that wand. You can see what spell a wand currently has selected by hovering your cursor over it in your inventory menu

Step Two: Collecting shards
The second step in your magical journey is gathering shards. Shards are made of a special substance which allows them to be infused with magical energy for later use. Shards can be mined in any of the shard mines found around the map, or can be crafted by the most adept blacksmiths. When you first start your magical journey you will want to harvest a large amount of shards, you will need all of them.

Mages have access to alteration spells which can come in handy for gathering shards. Once such spell called "Bound Wood Pick" allows the user to turn their wand into a wooden pickaxe which you can use to mine shards. (Note: while the spell is cast you will not be able to move items in your inventory, press 'Q' to throw the pickaxe in order to end the spell at anytime)

Step Three: Infusing Shards
Once you have collected a large number of shards, you can begin to infuse them. This is done by bringing uninfused shards to any of the elemental altars, and casting any of the spells with "infuse shards" in their name. To begin, you will only be a high enough level to cast "beginner infuse shards". In order to cast the spell you must be in the altar and have the uninfused shards in your inventory. When you cast the spell, you will infuse a small number (this depends on which infuse spell you use) of shards with the elemental energy of the altar you are in (for example, infusing shards at the air altar gives you air shards).

Infusing shards serves two functions: 1. It will help to increase your magic level, and 2. It provides the shards necessary to cast other spells.

Step Four: Casting Spells
There are two main things you must be aware of when casting spells: the level of the spell, and what shards it takes to cast it. You can only cast spells that have a level equal or lower than your current magic level, and only when you are carrying enough of the required types of shards. you can check your magic level by using /gml and you can see the shard requirements for any spell by looking at the spell description in the spell list.

For example: In order to cast the spell Earth ball, you must be magic level 5, and have 4 earth shards in your inventory.

Casting spells is the main feature of any spellcaster, so it is always recommendable to carry a wand, and a few stacks of shards everywhere you go. You may vary the types of shards you carry based on what types of spells you tend to cast.

Step Five: Leveling Up
With a higher magic level, you have access to more powerful spells. As such, it is always advisable to level up until you have access to a large breadth of useful spells. The ways for a spellcaster to level up are by infusing shards and casting spells.

Next Steps:
As a spellcaster, there are several options for what magical route you will pursue. The main classes of spellcasters are Paladins and Mages. Their individual features are described further on their respective pages. However in general, paladins sacrifice some spellcasting ability in order to wear armor and use traditional weapons, while mages forgo the use of armor and weapons in favor of stronger magical abilities.

In order to switch between being a paladin and mage you simply need to go to the light altar and type: /togglepaladin. This will make you a paladin if you are a mage or a mage if you are a paladin. Be warned however, switching from paladin to mage will reset your progress as a paladin (Note: This does not affect your magic level). Additionally, think carefully before turning your back on the way of the paladin: the gods of light will not be happy with you forsaking them!