The training grounds

Tutorial on the character screen opens the training grounds: a practice field that runs only on your computer. You play a recruit with the game's real HUD and windows; nothing you do there touches your characters or the realm. Training Grounds under Play in the launcher opens it too, without signing in, so it works while the realm is closed or the servers are down; leaving it brings the launcher back.

A guide card teaches one lesson at a time, in fifteen chapters: the screen, moving, targeting, gear, every weapon style (sword and shield, the lone blade, the longsword, spear and halberd, bare fists, the bow), guarding, powers and stances, arranging the HUD, looting and the map, and the wider world. Most lessons ask you to do something, and Next unlocks once you have: three Practice Partners stand ready to be hit, a Shield Bearer holds his guard, and a Sparring Master comes at you slowly when a lesson needs blows to block, parry or dodge.

1. The training starts with your pointer free: click the field to take the mouse. After that, hold Alt whenever you need the pointer (the guide card, buttons, bars); release it to play. An open window also frees the pointer.
2. A marker over a figure shows who a lesson means; when it is off screen, the marker waits at the edge of the screen, pointing the way.
3. Chapters on the card lists every chapter and how much of it you have done. Pick any to start or repeat it.
4. Skip passes an exercise, Back reviews the last lesson, and Field Manual page opens the matching page of this manual.
5. The armoury changes your weapons for each weapon chapter; 1 draws set A and 2 set B.