When I first started looking for a Fellowship, I was at the end of my rope. Upgrading your buildings and researching new upgrades requires Goods from factories. When you start Elvenar, you get one boost per tier for three tiers of Goods. At that early stage, I could produce a decent amount of steel but not much in planks or marble. To upgrade my steel factories, I needed the other two. But those factories put out next to nothing unless I upgraded them, which requires more resources to pour into with paltry returns. Joining Fire & Ice turned that frustrated slog around.
First and foremost is trading support. One of the first things you want to do after joining is phase out your non-boosted factories. You may feel loath to let them go considering you put a bunch of hard won coin/tools/goods/population/space/culture and most importantly time into developing them. But consider this: you work two jobs.Your first job is a 12 hour shift which pays you with a pint of ice cream at the end of the day. Your other job you work 4 hours, and they pay you actual money. But they want you to drop off a gallon of ice cream, more or less, at the end of the week. Bear with me on this analogy: it makes more sense to dedicate a full 8 hours to the job that lets you earn enough money to buy all the ice cream you need. Focusing on building boosted Goods and trading off the surplus frees up resources otherwise wasted on diminishing returns. When I joined Fire & Ice, it simplified things much easier. Regular Neighborly Help is also a big factor. Helping the neighbors on your map gives you coin (tools if they help back). More often than not, they don’t return the favor. But add 24 other players (hopefully) visiting your city daily makes for a bonanza of much needed assistance. And the social aspect has plenty of benefits with more seasoned players being able to give you guidance on what to expect. It also can get lonesome if you have no one to talk to. A Fellowship that regularly communicates is a strong one.
So how do you get into a Fellowship and create a mutually beneficial relationship? Below are some vital tips.
Read The Description: Every Fellowship has a section where they have a blurb stating what they are all about and what they require. Many require a minimum player score (the number on your avatar bar is your Player Rank, which is totally different) which can be found by clicking on your Player Rank next to the trophy icon. The higher ranking Fellowships are, the higher the required minimum. Sometimes they take exceptions if you’re close enough, but odds are you’ll be outright rejected if you don’t come close to what they’re asking for. I have a form letter I send to the dozens upon dozens of brand new players who apply without looking at our requirements. I’m fairly certain other Fellowships don’t do that, but I do get some positive feedback from applicants who come away with a better handle on Fellowships.
Message the Archmage When You Apply (AND VISIT DAILY): This is a twofold tip. Fellowships get 25 members max. When a space opens up, more applicants than open space pour in. Things such as Player Score and needed Boosted Goods production come into play. How often you play is also a big factor into getting accepted. When you apply, message the Archmage with the equivalent of a cover letter. Score is good for a Fellowship rank, which makes them more attractive to people wanting to join up. Boosted Goods balance the trade markets which retain members who rely on trades to keep their cities flourishing. But I’ve found that the biggest X Factor when it comes to an MVP in a Fellowship is daily Neighbor Help. Visiting 24 Fellows takes 10-15 minutes max if you do nothing else on Elvenar the entire day. Letting the Archmage know what you’re willing to do for the Fellowship speaks volumes and increases your chances as opposed to the silent applicants.
Learn the Codes: When it comes to Neighborly Help, many Fellows use a universal code in their city descriptions for the areas they want visited. C=Culture, B=Builder, M (or MH)=Main Hall. C/B/M means you target Culture buildings first, Builder second, Main Hall as a last resort. When it comes to Culture, target the largest structure. If you find a lot of small structures, consider skipping those and going for the next needed structure. (More on that in another post). Needs change as Fellows progress (and so do Culture buildings, again to be covered later) so pay careful attention to city headers when you visit.
Don’t Be a Jabroni: Odds are, you know who Dwayne Johnson is. Before he became a film superstar, he was pro wrestler known as The Rock. The Iron Sheik was a household wrestling name in the 80’s. He used to babysit The Rock. “Jabroni” was the Sheik’s homegrown term for a “jobber”, someone who accepted a paycheck to get beaten by someone with far more star power. I won’t get into into the particulars, but the Sheik imparted some vital advice to Dwayne as he entered the business. “Bubba, let me tell you. You go into the locker room. You sit down, you keep your mouth shut. You just open your ears and just listen to everybody, okay? Don’t be the jabroni and talk a lot. Let your talent and ability speak for itself. That’s smart.” I was originally going to title this point with No Drama, but why not go the extra step? Listen to feedback and don’t take it personally. Sometimes an attempt at constructive criticism strikes you the wrong way. Assume their best intentions and try to work it out. If that doesn’t work, bring it to the Archmage. Public drama is toxic to a Fellowship and is best avoided through any means possible. Remember that you’re all here to grow and have fun.
Next post: Comprehensive Culture Guide. Comments section is up. How am I doing?
Welcome to Dirtroit 