Chapter 14: Entering

[Notice] Newbie Essential) Guide for Newcomers Starting Dark Zone [Part 2]

[2024.02.XX Recommended 8810 Not Recommended 128 Views 834,231 Comments 1183]

Greetings, Newbies.

Those who clicked on this post are considered Newbies who want to try playing this game at least once or have just started and are seeking information. I wrote this post for such individuals.

Since it’s been quite a while since I started Dark Zone, it might be difficult to cater to the level of newcomers, and there may be missing information.

So, if there are things you don’t understand even after reading this post, I’ll explain in the comments. However, I encourage you to try your best to find information elsewhere and ask questions.

Don’t curse at yourself for coming this far just to get frustrated and quit.

<omitted> <Login>

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Explanation based on someone who has never accessed VR before.

When you enter, you’ll see an avatar setup. This is the character you’ll use in virtual reality in the future, not in Dark Zone. Of course, you can use it there too.

You can change your gender, add genitals, attach cat ears or a tail, etc., to create an avatar as you like. Once saved, you can use it to move around.

Since the customization change period and frequency limit are not very important now, let’s move on to Dark Zone right away.

After checking various miscellaneous things, the login screen will appear. Just enter the ID and password you set when signing up for the platform.

Interestingly, this game occasionally presents a problem before logging in randomly. If you solve it, there are various buffs and benefits.

For example, increased drop rate of blueprints, increased experience gain rate, slight increase in damage, and sometimes they give out useful guns or items.

Since buffs apply to party members simultaneously, if a problem occurs, make sure everyone in the group tries to solve it by discussing on the forum.

If you ask for help with the buffs activated, veterans will come running enthusiastically. LOL

+Additional)

There are a total of five problems, but sometimes it’s displayed as 6/6 instead of 5/5.

That’s kind of an Easter egg.

The last problem there is called the Icarus problem, where you have to guess the content of the abbreviation ICARUS. So far, no one has guessed the answer.

It’s okay to get it wrong, so make sure you get the other five right.

<omitted> <Settings>

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There’s not much to cover in customization, but let me add a note: ears and tail also have identification and hit detection, so be careful.

And the most important difficulty system setting is called Assist Level, shortened to ASSIST.

Depending on how you adjust the slider here, you decide how much help you’ll get when playing the game, so pay attention.

There are five types of adjustments, in order:

Aim Assist / Recoil Assist / Damage Assist / Health Assist / Action Assist

Each slider can be freely adjusted from 0% to 100%, and remember, the lower you go, the less assistance you’ll receive, so please remember that.

Don’t make a hardcore character like an idiot.

I’ll explain each one separately.

Aim Assist is basically a system that makes you seem effective even if you’re not shooting well.

The higher it is, the fewer bullets will miss, and aim assist will be provided relatively.

Of course, it won’t magically hit everything even if you waste bullets in the air, it just helps a little.

If you think this will give you a huge advantage, you’ll end up getting beaten badly by the monsters.

Recoil Assist is similar to Aim Assist . The higher it is, the less noticeable the recoil feels, and the lower it is, the closer it becomes to the actual recoil.

Since Aim Assist is partially integrated, one side cannot be significantly higher or lower than the other.

Damage Assist, despite its name, adjusts how much pain you feel when hit.

Of course, even if pain is reduced to 0% when hit in a vital spot, it won’t be implemented. But if hit in the limbs, it can hurt more than expected, so it’s best not to mess with this unless necessary.

Next is Health Assist, which you shouldn’t mess with under any circumstances.

While it’s displayed as numerical values, the lower it is, the more it reflects your actual health and strength.

Considering the average physical abilities of forum users or players of this game, they’re expected to run for just 2 minutes before collapsing and vomiting.

If adjusted incorrectly, gameplay itself becomes impossible, so pretend you didn’t see it and move on.

Action Assist is related to tactical actions; the higher it is, the more it automatically muffles footsteps, reloads, switches between high and low ready positions, and more.

However, setting it low turns you into an idiot who takes 5 seconds to reload and doesn’t even know where the trigger of the gun they were using is.

So, don’t start by reducing everything to 0%; instead, practice slowly at shooting ranges, etc., where nobody will stop you.

This adjustment is interconnected with Health Assist, so naturally, one cannot be high while the other is low.

<Omitted> <Hardcore Mode Warning>

Many people know about it, but there aren’t many who actually play the hardcore mode.

In simple terms, think of it as excluding more than 90% of the Assist.

If you turn off four out of five corrections completely and one goes below 50%, the system activates, so don’t do it.

Consider yourself warned.

Of course, there are a few who actually play it, but there wouldn’t be more than twenty worldwide.

There are some who upload videos of training former UDT personnel in Korea on YouTube, but even they hit 100% completion and quit immediately.

If you’re a special forces operative who received an invitation from Icarus headquarters and want to leave a line at the game company, you can try it out.

If you mess up, even the idiots who turned off all the corrections will survive with the minimum UI provided by the device.

By the way, you have to adjust the zero point yourself.

There are special features like a portable EMP generator, increased drop rate of blueprints, 100% acceleration of progress, 100% activation of nanomachines, etc., but they’re practically meaningless.

Even if you double the activation of nanomachines, it will just take you 2 seconds longer to die when hit a few times in hardcore mode.

And from the moment you start, you won’t be able to adjust the sliders in the game.

Just think of it as screwed up.

In the next part, I’ll come back with some tips for moving to the tutorial and HQ.

Now, enjoy the game, you Newbies.

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“Well, it’s different from what I imagined.”

Such was my first impression of the VR connector, commonly known as the connection device.

Its appearance was akin to a gift box given during traditional Korean holidays like Chuseok or Seollal. It had that size and thickness.

According to my brain’s calibration towards a relatively old-fashioned sentiment,

Perhaps the connection device was not something like a capsule that only one person could enter.

However, as always, the world chose practicality, compactness, and maximum efficiency with minimal components over outward glamour.

The box containing the connection device resembled a compressed computer case and could be easily opened with simple manipulation.

Inside, there was a pair of thin gloves and socks, along with pads to attach to various parts of the body and a choker-shaped blocking device to wear around the neck.

According to the description, the sensors shaped like gloves and socks were for smooth reproduction of delicate actions of hands and feet.

The choker-shaped device worn around the neck is used to bypass and move avatars on the network after collecting biometric signals….

Well, so they say.

But that wasn’t the end of it; underneath, there was another thin cloth-like thing.

Whatever it was for,

[Tail Sensor]

It was like a whispering wind or a neatly folded handkerchief, and that would be the sensor attached to my tail.

Should I seriously wear this?

I hadn’t worn it yet, but it didn’t look appealing at first glance. But considering the effort of the two from a few days ago… yeah. It’s better to clear my mind.

Following the instructions, I went through the dressing procedure.

“It’s not as uncomfortable as I thought.”

But it definitely looked peculiar on the outside. Still, thankfully, it wasn’t ugly.

Anyway, the dressing was done. The battery was indicating 98%, and since it supported wireless charging, as long as I paid a little attention to the positioning, I could maintain the connection without discharging.

“To connect… I just press the power button on the choker.”

Of course, a very helpful message popped up saying ‘Connection not available unless lying down’. It seems there’s a gyroscope or something built in.

All preparations were complete.

It was a bit lacking, but I had lunch, and I had also drunk plenty of water just in case I got dehydrated.

According to the instructions, there was a threefold time acceleration applied, so even if it’s long, there wouldn’t be a need to stay connected until bodily functions got urgent.

Taking a small breath and cautiously lying down on the bed.

The ceiling, no longer unfamiliar, greeted me, and I pressed the button with relief.

My sight went dark.

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“Uh.”

A sensation I had never felt before.

If I had to describe it, it felt paradoxical, like consciousness remaining but the film being cut off.

Since I had completed the registration process when I visited the main office, that part was skipped, and next, the avatar settings appeared… but.

Why are there so many?

From broad aspects like gender and contours of the body to such intricate details that it’s hard to even list eyes, nose, mouth, there were plenty of contents.

I considered myself familiar with modern culture, but the virtual reality ambiance of the returning world was far more detailed than I had thought.

Trying to roll my eyes around to lessen that aspect, I noticed there was a random setting to alleviate such parts, and there was also a section where avatars were arranged by popularity.

Each one more splendid than the last.

For a moment, I thought of touching one, but soon shook my head and pressed the body scan button.

It didn’t take long for a character with the same appearance as mine to pop up, and it took even less time to select it and proceed with the connection.

…I used to think of virtual reality as more glamorous and free-spirited, but reality was indeed different from what I had thought.

The interface was too practical.

Among various things that seemed like VR games, a main screen boasting distinctive tacticalness caught my eye.

Dark Zone.

Perhaps it was the beginning of everything.

After linking the platform account, avatar, and in-game connection, a connection screen popped up right away.

The brilliantly spread wing pattern was the same here and there, but there was a long way to go before feeling longing for such aspects.

Was I waiting for the in-game connection to start,

《This question is part of a 24/7 event to provide small assistance to players’ gameplay, and if all answers are entered correctly, you will receive certain benefits.》

《There are a total of six questions.》

What’s this?

However, without a chance to think, things like questions or something popped up.

Maybe I could answer them, I briefly thought, but unfortunately, that thought was just my own delusion.

《Q1: What is the name of the CEO of Icarus International? // Answer:_》

It seems like I’ve seen this before.

But do I have a chance to remember? Only that part was blank.

Ultimately, I started skipping everything.

《Q2: During the Madison Square Garden [Breakthrough] mission, what is the name of the boss appearing in the very difficult level? // Answer: _》

…Skipped.

《Q3: What is the name of the blueprint [weapon] from the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant [occupation] mission? // Answer: __》

­<Omitted>

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《Q6: What does the acronym ICARUS stand for? // Answer: __》

This one…

A notably lengthy blank compared to other questions.

Let’s try to recall that word that may be unforgettable until death, and automatically fill the blank with a few English words.

­Information Control And Regional ­Uniting Support.

Entering that and waiting a bit,

­Skipping calibration procedures and sliders, automatically setting hardcore mode.

­Commencing login process.

­《Operator valid code input awaiting. // :_》

­NUNK­RDUK­INSHD­FAAWTD­PM­OPEUGENELEE­1335.

Checking the code….

Sparkling.

With a bright light, some characters emerge.

­Authentication complete.

­-Welcome back, Operator Eugene.