Wiki — Onboarding & Progressive Unlocking
Aetheria has 52 UI tabs. To avoid overwhelming new players, tabs unlock progressively as you level up, complete quests, and discover systems.
Progressive Tab Unlocking
- Tabs start locked and unlock based on level, quest completion, or faction tier.
- Locked tabs show a hint: "Unlocks at level X" or "Unlocks after quest Y".
- This prevents the first-session firehose — new players see only what they need.
- Tab unlock state is persisted per character.
Unlock Triggers
| Tab | Unlock Trigger |
|---|---|
| Battle, Combat, Skills, Inventory, Spells, Quests, Zones | Level 1 (always available) |
| Tasks | Accept your first quest |
| Loot Pouch | Pick up your first loot |
| Autopilot, Assist, Party, Private, Daily | Level 8 |
| Gathering, Craft, Hunt, Warden, Market, Mail, VIP, Team Finder, Store | Level 15 |
| Forge, Imbuement, Prey, Bestiary, Offline, Cosmetics, Marriage, Bindings | Level 30 |
| Wheel, Augments, Fragments, Soulpit, Boss, Raids, Highscores, Hireling, House | Level 50 |
| Hazard, Cyclopedia, Factions, Mastery, Proficiency | Level 80 |
| Titles, Badges, Achievements | Level 100 |
| Taskboard | Accept your first Warden task |
| Trade | Trade with another player for the first time |
| Guild | Join or create a guild |
| Premium | First premium purchase or level 50 |
Interactive Tutorial
- The first 5 minutes feature a scripted onboarding sequence.
- Highlights the next element to click and walks you through: first kill → first quest turn-in → first autopilot activation.
- The tutorial is dismissible — experienced players can skip it.
"Next Step" Prompt
- If you're idle with no active quest and no autopilot target, a contextual suggestion appears.
- Examples: "Next: travel to Thornhaven", "Try the Warden task in this town".
- Helps lost players find their next objective.
Tips for New Players
- Follow the Main Story quests (chains MS1.5/MS2) — they carry you from the mid-game towns through the Celestial Citadel and Sunken Empire into the six endgame zones.
- Talk to every NPC with a quest marker — they offer quests that unlock new zones.
- Use the Quest Autopilot for idle questing, but try manual play for group content.
- Check the Quest Tracker overlay to see your current objective at all times.