Howdy guys! Kayse here again.

Obviously players on Valence oftentimes have large goals and ideas that they want their characters to reach. Many people want power, status, and influence- which is totally fair. It’s fun to play a character that has a voice and a say in what happens within Kara. Oftentimes though, players have a habit of attempting to move up the ladder too quickly- and without fail every time this leaves people lost and bored of their characters. After all, where are you supposed to go once you’ve reached the top?

Many people are quite ambitious when it comes to climbing the ladder, they move up through various means, politics, knighthoods, nobility, etc.- and when they reach their initial goal, well that’s it.

While it makes sense that you want your character to be someone of influence, it’s important to keep a couple of things in mind. How to pace yourself and what to do once you’ve achieved your goal?

How do I pace my character climbing the ladder?

Firstly, I always suggest building a template of how you would like your character to reach a particular goal. For example, want to become the Prime Minister? Go to law school first, talk to Parliamentarians who have come before you, and get to know the people in your community. Then you get to prepare and actually run for Parliament. Write down problems that Karans have and care about, and ideas on how to solve them. Craft your campaign delicately, and learn how to politic. Then once you’ve made it into Parliament, start proving yourself. While Kara does have its fair share of Prime Ministers who were voted in and immediately became the Prime Minister (as seen in Sir Belrick Linderhall and Sir Ghaunt Blazeborn), it’s more rewarding to work your way up into the position.

In short, make a checklist. Ask yourself, ”What do I need to do to get to this point? What are the steps I have to take?” Then after that, elaborate on those ideas. Find out what your character needs to learn, and who they need to talk to in order to take that first step in the right direction. Don’t rush climbing those rungs, take your time and carefully build the ladder for your character to get to where they want.

I’ve got to where I want, so what now?

Great! You’ve hit your first roadblock, it happens to the best of us. So you’ve achieved your initial goal, so now it’s time to start shifting your focus somewhere else. What is your character still missing? Are they fulfilled in life? Probably not, so think. Get into the head of your character and think about what they still desire. Do they want a family? Do they want the status of being knighted? Do they want to be rich?

Once you have that question answered, it’s time to go back to step one. Make your list, detail it, and start chipping away at the steps you’ve outlined.

Sometimes though, there’s only so many rungs on the ladder your character can climb. There is a limit for everyone, and it can be hard to stay engaged with your character once that happens- trust me, I know. My character personally is as high as she can be, there is little upward movement from where she is now, and it can be hard to not get bored sometimes. I always suggest looking into continuing interpersonal role play and developing her relationships with other characters. While doing this doesn’t necessarily come with any additional power or prestige, it fills your time with other things to do.

Another thing I always suggest is to get involved with seasonal events! Your character doesn’t always have to be proactive when it comes to role playing, and it’s okay to play an entirely reactive character. Talk to season event characters, learn & participate in the story, and simply stay true to your character and the decisions they would make.

I’ve gone through my list, but my character just can’t seem to reach their goal.

A frustrating thing surely. It hurts at times when you’ve put a lot of work into your character and their story, only to be left unsatisfied where they’ve ended up. From here you have a couple of options.

The first is to figure out where you went wrong, at what point did your character stray from their path? This can be a difficult question to find the answer too, so don’t be afraid to ask for help! Reach out to other players and characters, and find out what you still need to do to reach your goal. Not everyone always likes having outside criticisms and insights, but both of those things can open your eyes greatly to something you might have missed the first time around. As long as your character’s goal isn’t to become ultra-powerful and become a god or something- many goals are reachable with just a little bit of help.

The second option is to simply shift your eyes somewhere else. Your goal of becoming the Prime Minister just not coming to light? That’s okay. Perhaps look to other places to fill your need for development. Maybe your character wants to start moving down a religious path and develop their faith, or perhaps they’ve decided that words aren’t enough of a weapon, and want to become a fearsome fighter or a faithful officer. It’s okay to change what you want if you truly think that you are stuck, and who knows? Perhaps moving towards a different goal might allow you to start working towards your initial goal.

So there ya go! Many people get blinded when it comes to climbing the ladder of power, and I totally get it. It can also be hard when you’ve gone as high as you can see, and there’s nowhere else to go. I always like to say, if you can’t move vertically- try moving horizontally. Branch out to different aspects of the server and of your character, and see where it takes you. In the end though, just remember that no one ever gets it right on their first try, and it’s okay to fail.

Love, Kayse