Racial starter rings...

[Cerag]

How long are these rings usefull for? I really would like to get the ring, but I am probably gonna play a Taru and I really want to start in San D'oria(I am going to be a WHM, so Elvaan doesn't work too well for that).

The Taru ring looks useful(if I start in Windurst), but how long before I would probably find something better?

[Yossar]

Personally, I think that San d'Oria has the best starting ring, especially for WHM. While the Windurstian ring does give a +3 MP, in the later lvls, that is nothing and you'll likely get rid of it. On the other hand the San d'Orian ring has DEF +2 and MND +1 which will help for awhile especially since the Taru Taru's MND is low. Granted, you'll switch to a better ring later on, but the San d'Orian ring will be more beneficial. The DEF is a great addition for a WHM at lvl 1-10 when you will more than likely be soloing.

Here's a list of the three rings stats
Bastokan Ring = DEX+1 HP+3 VIT+1
San d'Orian Ring = DEF +2 MND+1 STR+1
Windurstian Ring = AGI+1 INT+1 MP+3

From my experience, I think that the starting cities don't mean that much. The starting equipement won't make that much of a difference, and you can always travel to another city to get the scrolls or equipment you want. Really the downsides of each city won't hinder you in your early lvls (1-15). There really is only one thing to consider, in terms of equipment, is the CP equipment, but you'll easilly find that stuff in the Auction House or find people from other nations that want to trade CP points with you. So I suggest that you test each city, perhaps create a temporary account. Find the city that you feel comfortable moving around in and start there. Also look into what guilds you're going to want to specialize in because the sooner you start working at that, the better you'll be later on in the game.

[Cerag]

Ok hang on a sec, then you are telling me if I am a Taru and choose to start in San D'oria, I CAN get the San D'oria ring?

I thought it was that the only way I could get a ring is if I started in my race's "home" city. Meaning as a Taru, with my home city being Windurst, the only way i could get a ring, at all, is if I started in Windurst.

***EDIT***

Oh and what exactly is this CP equipment? That is one thing I haven't heard/read about.

[Yossar]

Yes, you get the ring of your starting nation regardless of race (I've gotten the Windurstian Ring with a Hume and a Bastokan Ring with an Elvaan). There are other items that you can get for being a certain job (and maybe race, too) in a certain nation. I'm not quite sure which all of those are, though I think the Monk's White Belt in San d'Oria is one of them).

As for CP, it stands for Conquest Points. You earn CP for killing enemies when you have Signet cast on you. Signet is free and easy to get. It also allows you to get crystals in areas under the controll of a nation. You'll see when you start playing, just talk to the NPCs by one of the exits in the nation you choose. Anyway, you build up your CP and can buy special items, armor, and weapons with it. CP equipment doesn't really get usefull until later lvls, and you can only buy it from your nation. Each nation primarly focuses on certain types of jobs. Windurst has mage and monk stuff. San d'Oria has stuff for WARs and PALs. I'm not completely sure about Bastok, I think it has some thief stuff, though. Those aren't exclusive categories, though. My WHM had lvl 20 Royal Footman Clogs which are San d'Orian CP armor.

[Cerag]

Thanx for the info. So it looks like starting in San D'oria would be the best for me, cause that ring does look good.

As for the CP equipment, it sounds like it is tradeable, so it can be had, later.

***EDIT***

Did the ring issue change recently? I ask because I got my info from the Shadow Dragons website. They were very specific as to how you could get a ring. Quoted from their site:

Note: Any player of any race or class can start off in any of these kingdoms. But these kingdoms are home to certain races, if you start off as a certain race and start off in your actual hometown, you receive a ring. There is a ring for each kingdom, each raising certain stats and useable at level 1.

Windust Ring: MP+3 AGI+1 INT+1
Bastok Ring: HP+3 DEX+1 VIT+1
San d'Oria Ring: STR+1 MND+1 Defense+2

(Ex. You are a Hume and you want the ring, you would have to start in Bastok. Or you are a Mithra and you want the ring, you would start off in Windurst etc.)

[Regulat0r]

Sweet this is great info, I was hoping I wouldnt need to start in a certain nation just to get a ring now my friends and I can start in any nation we want and still get a free ring.

[lun4tic]

Sorry to burst your bubble guys but, WRONG.

You have to start in the nation of your race to get the ring.

I don't know where you got your info, but everybody knows all about this. Its the most know thing EVER.

WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!

Monk's belt comes with the monk since they don't start you with a weapon. You hit twice anyways so get over it.

[Yossar]

Get over what?

Yeah, I couldn't remember for sure, I could've sworn my second char (Hume) had a Windurstian ring, though, I can't really chack it now that beta is over. Oh well. BTW, lun4tic, are the rings the only extra thing? I remember reading somewhere that there were things you could get for starting a certain job in a certain nation. I never really got around to testing that in beta.

[lun4tic]

Nah its just the rings.

[kansas]

Yea Lun4tic is right. I started as a galka in San D'oria and didn't get a ring, my brother started as an elve in Bastok and didn't get a ring, and my sister-in-law started as a Mithra in Windurst and got a ring. To get the ring you have to be the race from that nation.

I read on another post that it really isn't that much of a problem if you want the ring and want to start in another country. You can always run from one country to the other and at level 1 you don't have to worry about loosing experience because you have none. Now i'm not saying it's going to be easy to get where your going but it's only going to waste some time if you fail. Windurst to/from San D'oria shouldn't be bad but going to or coming from Bastok is going to be hell because of that tunnel. Does anyone know if there is another way then going through the Valkurm Dunes to get to San D'oria from Bastok?

[Mithrael]

Does anyone know if there is another way then going through the Valkurm Dunes to get to San D'oria from Bastok?

Yeah, but you'll not like it...

S Gustaberg -> N. Gustaberg -> Konschtat -> Pashow (only the beastmen and malboros are active here, easy to avoid them) -> Rolanberry (Hard, but doable) -> Batallia (Really hard, but doable) -> Jugner -> La Theine -> Ronfaure

But that will take hours...

The nation Rings are not tradeable. They are purchaseable at Rank3 for 4000 Conquest Points. However, the catch is that you'll never be able to buy the ring of the other nation unless...

1.) By some stroke of luck your nation and the nation of the ring you want to buy are both first place one week (you can then buy it for 8k cp)

2. You switch to that nation first. If you switch to that nation (which costs a lot of money if that nation is in first place, which it has to be for you to buy the ring), you'll also need to do all of the missions to get up to rank3, and fight enough mobs that you get 4k CP. By the time you can do that, the ring is hardly worth it.

[Claudinho69]

for bastok is hume and galka and thats it?

[Badrock]

Do those rings really make THE difference? Since you get them at level 1 you'd expect them to be nice but soon to be replaced by better stuff, or are they really powerful?


Badrock

[Kaoli]

Thanks for the information all.

While it may be the most known thing ever to those who have been playing, those of us who are still learning new things every day appreciate the civil exchange of knowledge.

[Mithrael]

Do those rings really make THE difference?

It makes enough of a difference that i will start in san and move to windurst before i do anything else in the game. You can find find rings with def, vit, and str through out the game, but you porbably won't be able to afford them until lv.30 or so. That said, i made it to decent levels without needing them. and i didn't find it worth my time to try and acquire them once i was high enough level to.