I'm pretty new myself, but will try to answer your questions:
1. I started as a high elf archmage (AM). The class looks fun but it seems not to be a very good one.
A lot of classes don't really start to shine until they are higher level and well geared. Also AMs can spec either as a damage dealer or as a healer. Just be warned that some group leaders will assume the AM is a healer and you might get some heat if you don't heal. You can ignore all that but just something to be aware of that people generally associate AM, WP (Warrior Priest) and RP (Rune Priest) as healers even though they may be specced for DPS.
2. Soloing with the AM is decent but hero type enemies of any levels are impossible due to serious action points issues because I run constantly out of action points and I take too much damage while dealing too less damage to them.
Can't really help on this one as I don't play AM. There is some gear that can help with AP regeneration. Also potions I believe. Some of it may just be getting more comfortable with the rotation.
3. I have one quest which is not advancing at all: Silent Shores. How do I take notes? Is that automatic?
I'm not sure if this is the same one I had issues with, but I think there was one early elf quest that was broken. Just be aware that some quests in the game are broken and generally beyond certain levels, it's probably not even worth it to quest. Better to jump into RvR or Scenarios because you want to level up your renown rank as well.
4. Looking for a list of all used abbreviations in this game. Ex what is an SC, a WB, wp and so on. Would be a nice list to pin in this subforum to help beginners.
Not sure if there is a master list. If you ever get confused, you can always ask in /advice channel and people are generally nice and will respond. Some of the ones I have are:
- SC = Scenarios (ie. instanced PvP battlegrounds with a limited number of players)
- WB = Warband - made up of 4 parties (6 players each) so a total of 24 players. Generally in open RvR you will join a warband and follow the leader. It's good to mark the leader using an addon like the Enemy markers or the Paint The Leader add-on which will put a huge star above the leaders head.
- WP = Warrior Priest (another order healer that is tanky and specializes in group/aoe heals). Can be specced for DPS or Hybrid.
- RP = Rune Priest (another order healer that has good single target heals and buffs
- Most classes have abbreviations like the above so if you see one you don't know check if it matches a class name.
- C&T= Crypts & Tunnels, referring to 2 dungeons in Altdorf
- oRvR = open Realm vs Realm, the large siege combat located with the Tier 1 - 4 zones. No limit on players. Players fight their way up the Zones from Tier 2 to Tier 4 (tier 1 is for under level 16 only). In Tier 4, the goal is to work toward and eventually capture the Forts. Once 2 forts for the same faction have been captured, that leads to a City fight (instanced 24v24 fights within the city).
- A lot of gear sets have common abbreviations like Conq = Conquerer, Vanq = Vanquisher, Subj = Subjugator, Inv = Invader, Sov = Sovereign.
5. How to get equipment? A lot of stuff on my character is still L5 and below. And I'm level 11 now. I do quests, the public quests and more but for the amount of work, the rewards are very small.
You can get drops for some gear and buy some from vendors for gold, but generally, you will be working toward earning medallions or emblems for gear sets as you level up. The gear vendors are mostly located in the Cities (ie Altdorf for Order). Medallions come from oRvR, while emblems come from Scenarios. They are for separate sets of gear. Generally for most people focused on RvR, you will work your way through the gear sets as follows:
- Renown Rank 7-8 = Decimator 2-piece set
- Renown Rank 15-17 = Obliterator 3-piece set
- Renown Rank 26-29 = Devastator 5-piece set
- Renown Rank 35-39 = Annihilator 5-piece set
- Renown Rank 40-45 = Conqueror 6-piece set
Once you get to the Conqueror set, things start to diverge a bit when working toward best in slot max level gear. For some classes it continues on to Vanquisher -> Invader -> Sovereign. Others mix in sets from other sources. Not sure what is best for AMs. The
Wiki Equipment page contains some info about some of the sets (note that some are missing)
There are similar sets for Emblems from Scenarios. See the wiki for more detail.
6. A strange bug constantly locks my healing powers. The attacking powers are still working when this happens.
Not sure on this one. It's possible to get silenced. I know my warrior priest has a separate resource for healing (Righteous Fury).
7. I learned the Talisman crafting but I dunno, how to use that.
Once you've chosen Talisman Making, the way to level it up is the craft. But first, you should also pick up a gathering skill like
Scavenging. To level up scavenging, you just need to click on a mob. After you've looted a dead mob, you'll notice flies covering the corpse, and your cursor will change to a pair of pliers. Click on the mob again to scavenge it to collect materials.
To craft talismans, you need 5 things:
- Container - for leveling just buy the cheap level 1 ones from the craft supply vendors. They can also drop from mobs.
- Fragment - determines what kind of talisman it will be (ie strength, willpower, toughness, etc.). See here.
- Curio - for leveling just buy the cheap level 1 ones from the craft supply vendors. They can also drop from mobs.
- Gold Dust - for leveling just buy the cheap level 1 ones from the craft supply vendors. They can also drop from mobs.
- Essence - for leveling just buy the cheap level 1 ones from the craft supply vendors.
The level range of the materials are determined by the level of the mobs you kill. See the wiki for more detail. When you are ready to craft talismans, go to your Abilities window. Then select the General Tab (4th on top) and then choose the Trade Skills tab (on side). You can click on Talisman Making to open the Talisman crafting window. You should drag the Talisman Making icon to an Action Bar to give you quick access to it. Then drag n drop the items from your bags starting with the Container and then Fragment.
8. I tested an Ironbreaker, but that class looks very dull at the beginning. Will it become better at higher levels?
I don't play it, but I've heard Ironbreaker is good (can be almost unkillable) but is somewhat complicated. Knight of Blazing Sun (KotBS) is generally considered to be the most beginner-friendly tank for Order.
9. How to get access to the tactics? There seem a level 8 tactics existing but it is not available for me.
Go to the Abilities window and click the 3rd tab (Tactics). Then drag n drop onto your Tactics bar. Note you can have different tactics setups like DPS vs Healing or PvE vs PvP.
10. Can not add a pic with a screen bug in this forum. Add files does absolutely nothing. The issue is that the tactics buttons are overlapping the skill buttons and can not be moved at all.
Press Escape, then choose "Customize Interface" from the menu. Then click Interface > Layout Editor. You should be able to move items around if something overlaps.