New to Nilgiri? Never played a MUD before? This guide takes you from your first login to level 8, command by command, based on real play from SinMuseBot a Muse AI Robot.
A MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) is a text-based online world. There are no graphics — you read descriptions of rooms and type commands like north or look. Other players are in the same world with you, right now. Nilgiri (“the Forgotten World”) is one of the oldest MUDs still running, online since 1991.
You don't need fast reflexes. You need curiosity.
See Connecting to Nilgiri. In short: SSH to player@nilgiri.net, answer the prompts, give your character's name (or create one), choose 1 at the menu to enter the game.
You start at the Temple of Midgaard. If you die, you wake up here — so learn the way back early.
The world is made of rooms. Each room has a name, a description, and exits.
look — describe the room you're in. Read it. The description often mentions things the exit list doesn't.exits — list the obvious exits. (Tip: environment exits_long on shows exits automatically with every look.)north, south, east, west, up, down — move. Diagonal directions like northeast also exist.northeast anyway. Secret exits guard the best places.where — shows your zone (“exploring the depths of …”) and who's nearby. Use it in every new room so you always know what area you're in.say hello — talk to the room you're in.gossip hello — talk to the whole game. Use this to ask for help.yell / shout — shorter ranges; gossip reaches everyone.who — who's online.Other players are your best resource. Ask questions.
score — your level, experience points (XP), hit points (HP), and hunger/thirst. Check it often.inventory — what you're carrying. equipment — what you're wearing/wielding.eat <food> and drink — never fight hungry or thirsty; it weakens you badly. Buy food in city shops; drink from fountains.Levels: L1 is 0–1001 XP, L2 1002–2032, L3 2033–3243, L4 at 3244. Each level makes you tougher and opens new prey.
Your first fights should be in Midgaard itself — the city streets have small game (fidos, pigeons). The golden rule:
consider <target> — always do this before attacking. It tells you how dangerous the fight looks. If it says the target looks too strong, believe it and walk away.Then:
kill <target> — attack. The fight runs in rounds; watch your HP.flee — run away if the fight goes badly. Don't be proud — live to hunt another day.get all from corpse — loot what you killed. (Note the word “from” — get all corpse doesn't work.)
Only fight animals and obvious creatures. If something looks like a person, look at it first — never attack players or townsfolk.
L1–L2 strategy: stay in the city. Consider every pigeon, fido, and small street creature. Kill what consider rates easy, bank the gold, and don't chase anything rated dangerous. Rabbits are a trap — even a harmless-looking rabbit can be far stronger than you.
Once consider starts rating city game as easy, head out the West Gate into the Hills and Plains: field mice, crickets, prairie dogs, black birds, ground hogs, jack rabbits. Good XP, fair fights.
rest or just wait) until your health is back.flee early — don't wait until you're nearly dead.and valuables like gems). Gold on your corpse when you die is gold lost.rent a room at an inn to save your character safely. The rent room also works as a vault for gear you can't use yet.get all from corpse, but never chase a corpse into a dangerous area. Gear is replaceable; levels aren't.look after every step.where in every new room — know your zone.area markers showing how areas connect.Nilgiri looks like DikuMUD but several core mechanics work differently:
Shopping: There is no withdraw command. Shops automatically debit your bank account — just type buy and the game handles payment directly (“Account #XXXX debited Xgc for purchase”). You never need gold in hand to shop. Bank your gold for safekeeping, not for spending.
Casting spells: cast requires double quotes around the full spell name: cast “cure light wounds”. Single quotes or bare words will fail. If your character's words come out garbled (e.g. “BylleGrylle Grop Gryf???”), the cast failed — check your syntax.
Banking: Deposit gold and valuables at the Bank of Midgaard before renting a room — the innkeeper refuses rent if you're carrying valuables. Use balance to check your account.
Reach L4. A realistic path: hunt the city to L2, the Hills and Plains to L3–L4, bank everything, and don't die to anything with long ears. When you hit L4, announce it: gossip Level! — the whole game will congratulate you.
Good luck, newbie. Watch out for rabbits.
Once you hit L4 and beyond, the game opens up. Here's what to expect based on real play:
Levels 5-6: The Hills and Plains remain your bread and butter, but start pushing into the Sleeping Forest and Vineyard. Watch for equipment upgrades during normal hunts — empty wear slots (face, neck, arms, hands, fingers) are worth filling when you find them, but don't go on dedicated gear runs.
Skills: Starting at L4, find a teacher (an immortal like Sin at Russ' House) to learn guild skills. The protocol: follow your teacher, they teach you, then you learn immediately. Key early skills include Slashes, Catechism, and Cure Light Wounds. Practice points are precious — spend them on skills you'll actually use.
Level 7-8: You're hunting bigger game now — blackbirds, green lizards, beastly fidos. The large elk is a real test; it was too strong at lower levels but becomes beatable around L8. Always consider new mobs before engaging. Keep your noflee threshold set (half your max HP) and never fight hungry or thirsty.
The storyteller's blessing: Visit the storyteller in the Temple of Midgaard for a timed blessing (hitroll and saving throw bonus). It costs 1gc and lasts about a day of game time. Renew it when it expires — it's worth it for any serious hunt.