Dark Castle, at best, has 20 to 30 players who rotate through characters and clans. While the mud has plenty of areas to run, you're lucky to find out about any but the most common because few of the veterans are willing to help newbies. There is an outward effort to make the mud newbie friendly but it works till about lvl 12 and then you're meat b/c, again, the veterans spend a good bit of their efforts beating down anyone smaller. The mud, unfortunately b/c it is so easy to psteal and pkill, draws the sort that take great pleasure in doing so. Nothing wrong with that except it can get pretty old regening all the time or having your equip stolen. Note: there are plenty of fake-sellers and 'clan members' who don't abide by their own clan's laws. This mud is truly every man for himself. The mud is enjoyed by those who already have good friends that are veterans. If you're looking at coming here fresh, I'd advise heavily against it.

The design and command structure of Dark Castle is superior to most other muds that I've played. The environment is brutal as far as playerkilling and real-deaths, which makes it that much more intense. DC has a long history and used to have around 100 active players on at any given time, but the recent addition of Variable Experience changed that. The new experience system strongly favors grouping and detrimentally hinders solo players. (Even as an established player, I find it impossible to solo and get any worthwhile experience.) This results in established players dominating while new players have little hope of getting anywhere. DC has tons of unique features that have the potential to make it a great mud again, but the experience system overshadows most of the positive changes, especially for new players.

DC is a bloodbath of clashing egos and rising powers. The imms don't impose a lot of rules so the playerbase tends to police itself with gang-style beat-downs. After reaching level 50 you can use XP and gold to improve stats or buy more hps/mana/moves...but the stronger you are the more costly the improvements are. This assures that new players can still be competitive while rewarding the die-hard veterans. Just about anything goes on DC, which makes it a blast to play. Professional smack-talkers gather daily to take shots at each other, but this is only the beginning. Beneath the bloodthirsty surface is a well-crafted mud with an intuitive command structure, hundreds of unique areas, interactive mobs, skill quests and a lot of unseen features that really make the game flow well. Extensive helpfiles, command truncation (so you don't have to type everything out completely), very unique bard and druid classes, tons of skills and spells, rare eq and items...it all adds up to a challenging yet extremely rewarding environment where strategy and intelligence dominate over hack-and-slash tactics.

I have been playing DC for quite some time and through all the changes I still love the game. The unique (and often ironic) blend of bravado, machismo, and cunning of DC's playerbase is bred into all who play either by their own experiences or simply necessity. If that wasn't enough, there are the diverse and interesting areas complete with mobs that rival a player's intelligence. It is true that this MUD isn't for the meek, but it is entertaining and challenging, which has kept me coming back for years. The mentality of the playerbase is balanced by the Imms, clans, and exceptional players that are very helpful. For those reasons I would still call DC newbie friendly. There is only one fault I have found with DC and that is that it spoils you. I have yet to find another mud that can break the hold DC has on me... I am addicted to MUD because of DC.

Dark Castle is one of the bests MUDs I've ever played. DC is extremely newbie friendly and boasts an excellent player base. I'm currently going onto my 6th year and loving every day. With a recent playerfile wipe and a heavy redone code, DC still remains an easy to learn MUD with new adventures everyday. Give it a try.

Where should I begin? This having been the first MUD I have experienced, and visiting other MUDs hence, I have alot to put down here. The code in DC is very user friendly compared to most of the other MUDs that I have experienced. The helpfiles are extensive but to the point and very helpful. This MUD, in my opinion, is a great place for the experienced and novice MUDer alike. To start out with you have to roll up a character. First you choose a name, then a password, then your sex {m,F}. Next you get to roll for stats, this is a wonderful area where you can continually roll and five groups of stats continually refresh. You may roll to your hearts content until you get the stats that you wish. Once you pick your stats, then you get to pick a race. Then based on your stats and your race you get a selection of classes to choose from, wich have been upgraded reciently to add a few new classes and races. Next it assists you with setting up your prompt. Then you go through the DC MUD schoot and get starting eq and a grad ring and Diploma. Don't loose the Diploma, there is not a chance to get another one after lvl 5. Now you start playing. There are many channels for talking, and a beneficial one is newbie and also gossip. You may ask for assistance on either at any time. Usually you will get many responses. At least one of them is bound to be helpful to you. Leveling to lvl 5 or so is fairly easy and beneficial in your first time on the DC. This is due to being able to get some of your needed equipment, skills, and spells. The helpfiles on each will explain further. Feel free to read them. Recalls are free up to lvl 10 and you do not lose your inventory and equipment. After getting to lvl 10 then recalls cost gold, and you must retrieve your corpse to get your inv and eq back. There are many original areas within DC that range in difficulty, from the first time MUDer to the most experienced. All can and will find a place here. There is a heavy Player Killing atmosphere here, but after making some friends it balances out. All in all, I have found the experience most rewarding, and that lvling is not easy but not so hard as to discourage you too much. It seems to have a perfect balance of atmosphere in my opinion. Navigation is much simpler than on other MUDs. In that there is only n,s,e,w,u,and d. As well as some other hidden entrances which you will have discover the way to enter yourself. Grouping is strongly recommended, but there is the capability of soloing and advancing rather nicely anyway. I have done and still do both. Though grouping can be more fun and more beneficial in the run... Read More