Newb: Twenty (20) Things (14-20)

14. W2 (2nd Degree Wind Elements) are valuable because Stones that add +STR to 6th, 7th and 8th Degree items require it.

[Link to Alchemy How to Guide] by AUST_ZoRrO

15. One can get more W2 from Destroyer Rondo’ing D2 and D3 drops.
There is an excellent guide (complete with pictures) that can be found here: [Guide] How to make money … for people under level 40] by Mugen†. In game (by 'insiders') this is called “The Wind2 Trick”.

16. One can get even more W2 from Void Rondo’ing certain Materials (and Void Rondo is cheaper).

Note: Collect “Broken Arrows” from Bandit Archers or “Fishbones” from Chakji Workers (for instance).
for Jangan list.

17. Each city has it’s own separate Stall Network

The reason you can’t find your 3rd Degree Weapon while searching the Jangan Stall Network is because the seller is in another city.
The reason you can’t sell your elements quickly enough even though you placed them on the Stall Network is because the buyers are in another city (Hotan).
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18. Scammers use common “Bait-n-Switch” tactics

Scamming in Exchange: First, the Scammer shows you the real item. You see it, you decide that you like it and you are going to buy it... And then, as you input the gold amount into the exchange window, the Scammer replaces the item with another one which has the same icon but not the same value. Avoid this scam by checking again before you hit the final “APPROVE” button
Scamming in a Stall: Much like the above, but the technique is to spam advertisements while the stall is being modified. Then there is either an item or price replacement. Same as above, a Scammer will show you a valuable item and before opening the stall he replaces the item. Or he may leave the item but adds a 0 in the price. Avoid this scam by only considering when the stall is actually OPEN and not being modified.

19. Starting a Job isn’t "the best" way to make gold but it is fun. At level 20 your character can start their first job. Recommend your 1st Job as Merchant / Trader (please forgive me for any small errors here – my character is just now Jobbing as a beginner)

As a trader, you earn money by buying special goods from a specialty trader and sell them to another specialty trader (in another city).
Longer distance between the two specialty traders increases profit. Also, more stars (difficulty) mean the more you gain but it’s riskier.
If you fail to complete a trade and your special goods are stolen by a player thief, you lose all the money you invested on the trade. If you were killed by a monster or by NPC thieves your special good will remain on the ground and you can recover them and continue the trade. Note: you cannot pick up your special goods unless you have another convoy animal with you.

There is no 1 star protection if you are trading during the “Bargain Priced Special Goods” period. There also is no 1* protection after level 40. (thx Cloverleaf)
“Star Trading” determines the number of NPC thieves that are summoned occasionally while you are on your route.
NPC Thieves will generally be your level.
Protection status for 1 Star trades means that Player Thieves cannot attack you directly.
Skilled high level Thieves can still kill you though without getting Murderer status. The can do this by aggro’ing several high level monsters and dragging them to you to let the monsters do their dirty work for them. Not much danger for this happening, the value of your trade simply isn’t worth the time.

20. Most people talk about SP Farming with 9 Gap because they have an “End Game” perspective that is… they’ve advanced one or more of their characters to a very high level and are confronted with the difficulties of earning Skill Points they want at that high of level. It takes forever to 9 gap from level 53 to level 54 for instance. You’ve probably heard that what you “should” do is get to lev 16 and grab your Sox Weapon and SP Farm at Bandit Den. The advantage is you can kill very fast due to the fast respawn rate but this assumes you are fully funded and not a newb with a glazed look in your eye.

You (as a newb) with time on your hands can gain as much SP (not SP per hour but total) from 9 Gapping what ever you like to kill. Consider killing “Greens”:

You can look at the picture of the monster you have targeted. There is a color coded circle next to their name that shows you approximately what level the monster is relative to your level. Blue circle is way below, Green circle is 4~5 level below, White or Silver are approximately your level, Orange and Red are higher than you.
The advantages for killing Greens is lower cost per kill (in terms of the cost of repair, the cost of arrows (if you use a Bow), the cost of mana and health recovery (herbs and potions). Greens drop more frequently also.
Economy is a big part of the picture for a newb. Ask yourself, would you rather have a level 42 who advanced to that level quickly or a fully farmed RICH BITCH level 42 who took their time and chose their targets from a Cost/Benefit analysis? Farming monsters that drop materials that can be Void Rondo’d into 2nd Degree Wind FTnW (For The newbie Win)! Remember when you are playing, you will get the same amount of SP eventually no matter what monster you target. There is a total FIXED amount of Skill Points gained per level determined by your Gap. To my way of thinking we might just as well take time at the beginning so that not only can we afford to purchase the Skills needed later by 9 Gapping when possible but we should also select our targets to increase our gold amounts so we can afford that juicy weapon later on.
http://www.silkroadforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=82102