Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is there PvP in this game?
A: Players can engage in one-on-one duels, and there are also 10 vs. 10 or 15 vs. 15 battlefields.

Q: Are mounts available? How do I get one?
A: There sure are! Players receive a mount quest at level 20 that grants them 10 summoning tokens (consumable) for a Sunbird, Wolf, or Mecha (depending on which capital city they chose). After that mounts become available for purchase at level 40, and these require currency and faction points. We’re also constantly releasing new mounts in the Item Mall, some of which have no level requirement!

• Basic Mounts: Wolf, Sunbird, and Mecha.
• Higher Level Mounts: Nightmare, Unicorn, Dragon, Yak, Jelly Bunny, Double-Headed Lizard, Panda, Brown Bear, and others.

Q: How do I level up?
A: Leveling is based on completing quests and fighting monsters. Defeating monsters and adventuring through dungeons are good ways of gaining experience (EXP), and most quests also grant EXP. Something important to keep in mind is that once your reach levels 5, 15, and 30, and 65 you must complete your class progression quests before you can gain any more EXP!

Q: What is the maximum level/level cap?
A: The current level cap for Grand Fantasia is level 90.

Q: How do I sell my stuff?
A: You can sell off unwanted items to any NPC vendor. Additionally, the Auction House is accessible through each of the three main cities. Players can also trade items directly with other players.

Q: Does this game have guilds/clans/player associations?
A: Grand Fantasia does feature guilds. Here's some information about them:

• You must be level 16+ to start a guild.
  
• Founding a guild costs 3 Gold
  
• To upgrade a guild (and acquire more member slots), guild members must complete quests for guild experience.
  
• Guild member ranks are customizable.
  
• Guild member ranks have preset permissions, but the Guild Leader can grant additional permissions per rank.
  
• Guild Skills: When a guild accumulates enough prestige and swears allegiance to a Sprite King, the Guild Leader can use gold from the guild treasury to unlock "guild skills" that members can learn.

Q: How does the currency system work?
A: The currency in Grand Fantasia is tiered. It follows the gold/silver/copper model in increments of 100. This means 100 Copper is equal to 1 Silver, and 100 Silver is equal to 1 Gold.

Q: Can I get married in Grand Fantasia?
A: You can! We offer several Wedding Packages in our Web Item Mall.

Item Mall:

Q: Where can I get help with Aeria Points or Billing issues?
A: The Billing FAQ can be found here.

Q: How do I use the Web Item Mall?

A:

Game Masters (GMs):

Q: What is the role of a Game Master (GM) and what do they do all day?
A: Game Masters are employees of Aeria Games that help maintain and moderate the game, ensuring that things run smoothly and according to the rules. Game Masters do a lot of work behind the scenes, and on any given day a GM will run events, as well as help players on the forums, in-game, and in the Shoutbox. They will also answer Request Tickets (RTs), handle reports from Game Sages, pay out promotions, and track down/eliminate gold buyers. On top of all that, they also have general office duties such as attending meetings, receiving additional training, and the occasional Nerf Gun turf war with other GM teams!

Q: Which GMs currently work on Grand Fantasia?
A: Our current Game Masters are [GM]8bit, [GM]TenRing and [GM]Mokona.

Q: Is GM a real job? How do I become a GM?
A: Being a Game Master is a full-time job; you work at an office with a desk and computer and everything. Any positions open at Aeria are listed on our Jobs page or on Craig's List.

Q: I am a huge fan of Grand Fantasia, can I meet the GMs in person?
A: The staff from some of Aeria's games occasionally attends gaming convensions such as FanimeCon, where you can meet them in person! Our office is, unfortunately, not open to public visitation.

Q: How come the GM staff isn't available 24/7?
A: The vast majority of our customers are online during U.S. daytime hours, so this is when our Game Masters are in the office. Generally, our staff is available 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays.

Q: Why do GMs get moved between games?
A: Game Masters generally don't stay on the same game for their entire career. Everyone who works at Aeria Games has a unique set of skills and sometimes that person's skills are needed more on another game. When that happens, the GM is moved. Often a GM is also moved because they have been promoted and are taking on more responsibility within the company.

Game Sages (GSs):

Q: What is the role of a Game Sage (GS)?
A: Game Sages are volunteers that have proven themselves knowledgeable of a specific game and have shown a desire to assist Aeria and the GM staff with helping new players, running events, answering questions, reporting problems, etc.

Q: Where can I find a GS for help?
A: Game Sages can often be found in-game, in the Shoutbox, and on the forums.

Q: Who are the GSs on my server?
A: Here is a current List of Game Sages and their functions.

Q: How do I become a GS?
A: An application thread will be posted on the forums (typically near the end of each month). Read and follow the instructions. Game Sages are picked based on a range of qualifications including game knowledge, professionalism, and helpfulness towards other players.

Q: My GS application was turned down; can I apply again?
A: Yes. If your application is not accepted then you can reapply again in the future. Keep in mind that if, after being denied, you begin bashing the current GSes and acting inappropriately, it will be noted and your chances of being chosen in the future will be lessened.

Q: How can I give feedback on the overall performance of a GS?
A: Every month we post a link to a Google Form in Grand Fantasia's General Discussion Forum to collect feedback on the current Game Sages. The feedback you provide is private and will not be viewed by the Game Sages. Please be honest and constructive.

Q: A Game Sage (GS) is acting inappropriately or breaking the rules. How do I report them?
A: You can report a Game Sage the same way you would any other player, by using the Contact Us link. These reports are all reviewed and investigated. However, just like any other report, you must provide proof such as screenshots or video. As we cannot view attachments, your proof must be submitted in the form of a link to where the image or video is hosted. You will not be notified of any actions taken or not taken against the Game Sage as this is private, but please be assured we do take all of these reports seriously.

Account Help:

Q: My account has been hacked! What do I do?
A: If you think your account is hacked, then report it immediately by using the Contact Us link. Once you have submitted the email, you will receive an RT#. Pass this number to a Game Sage in the Grand Fantasia shoutbox and let them know that your account has been hacked, they can then pass your ticket on to a Game Master for immediate attention. This is to ensure that your account can be locked as soon as possible to prevent damage to your characters or account by the hacker.

Q: I can't remember my password! What do I do?
A: If you are having issues with your password, username, or login, you can initiate a reset request to the email on the account, by going here. Enter the username OR the associated email address. The response will allow you to log in directly, and then you can change your password. All passwords must have at least one each of an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, and a number. Once you have done this, you should be able to log in to the web site, the forums, and any of our games. Remember, passwords are case sensitive. If you are having issues receiving the password reset emails or registration emails, you may need to put us on your whitelist. You can find the details of how to do this here.

Q: Am I allowed to share my account with another person?
A: Our Terms of Service clearly states "Only one person may use an Account. You are liable for all activities conducted through your Account." If you do share your account information with another player, we will no longer service your account. This means that if you need help with anything, we will not help you.

Q: Am I allowed to sell or trade my account?
A: No. Account trading or selling will result in a permanent ban.

Character Help:

Q: Can I change my character's name?
A: Yes, you can purchase a Name Change Scroll from the Web Item Mall found in the Misc section. Details on how it works can be found here.

Q: Can I change my character's gender?
A: Yes! To do this you must purchase a Gender Change Capsule and a Makeover Kit. Both of these are available in the misc tab of the web and in-game Item Malls.

Q: Can I transfer my character between servers?
A: No, unfortunately we are currently unable to offer this service.

Q: Can I transfer bound items between my characters?
A: The only way to transfer bound items from one character to another is by using the Archive. Please note that this only works between characters on the same server.

Technical Help:

Q: How to I make an account?
A: To play any of Aeria's Games you need to create an account, which you can do here. Once you receive the registration email you will need to click the verification link it includes.

Q: What do I do if I didn't get an activation email?
A: If you do not receive the activation email, first check your spam folder. If that doesn’t work, please try creating an account using a different email provider and register again.

Q: What do I do if I'm having trouble downloading the game?
A: Make sure you have all the proper ports open. As of right now, the following ports have been registered as used by Grand Fantasia: 80 - _Launcher.exe, the patcher UI (not the patching process). This is the universal default internet port. If you have internet, it's open.

6543 to 6546 - Launcher.exe, the actual patching process (versus the UI that you see). GrandFantasia.exe appears to grab whatever port is currently open on your computer. The full range has not been tested yet.

If our download still does not work you can try other download sites.

Q: I downloaded the game but where did it go?
A: Go into your C drive and install it from here: C:\Program Files\Common Files\Akamai\Cache (and a random number).

Q: What do I do when I'm having trouble patching?
A: As of right now this is the current fix to the launcher issue. You don't need to uninstall; just download all of the patches here. Go through your download list and place them all in one folder named something like "GF Patches" and place it on your desktop for easy access. Once you have all the patches, if you haven't already, let the patcher try to update itself. When it reaches the point that says achievement.ini error click Okay. Another box will pop up; click Okay again. At this point the client will halt. Click the "Option" tab, then "Manual Patch." Now in the "Look In" area. go to desktop and click your "GF Patches" folder (or whatever you named it). All your patches should be in here if you followed this so far.

Now if you notice all the patches have numbers for names. So all you have to do is start from the top and work your way down. Once one patch is finished the patching box will close itself and then you start the process over, but don't wait for the launcher to attempt patching and instead continue to manual patch immediately. "Option" and "Manual Patch" the one right below.

Q: The game crashes a lot, isn't functioning correctly, or won’t let me start playing. What do I do?
A: If you are running on Windows Vista/7 and you cannot run Grand Fantasia, you may need to run it as the administrator. You can do this by right-clicking the icon and selecting the appropriate option.

Make sure your system meets the minimum requirements.

Update your OS with all current patches found here.

Update your DirectX to the latest version here.

Update your drivers to the latest version (The download locations will depend on your hardware).

Do a complete uninstall of your game. If you have problems with the uninstall, delete the directories, and use something to clean up the registry (http://www.ccleaner.com/)

Restart your machine.

Defrag your hard drive.

Download the latest client.

Re-install the game. Log in, patch, play. Also, be sure to check out this thread, as it contains many of the common computer issues people are experiencing that can be more easily remedied! Our community tech support forum should be very helpful.

Server Maintenance:

Q: When is Grand Fantasia down for maintenance?
A: We bring the Grand Fantasia servers down every Monday at 5:30pm PST. The servers are normally down for approximately 3 hours.

Q: What happens during maintenance? Why do you need it so often?
A: We run hardware diagnostics, do server backups, implement patches and updates, and then do internal testing before bringing the servers back up.

Q: What do Game Masters (GMs) do during maintenance?
A: The maintenance done to our servers is actually handled by our operations department. The GMs’ role during maintenance is to do internal testing on new content before the servers come up to ensure the patch was successful. The GMs also answer Request Tickets (RTs) and chat with the community in the Shoutbox or Ventrilo until maintenance is complete.

Q: What can I do while I wait for the servers to come back up?
A: There are always lots of things to do! Maintenance is an excellent time to Recharge your AP or check out current promotions in the Item Mall. Sometimes there are also Forum Events to participate in. You could even stop by in Aeria's Ventrilo to chat with other players and GMs.

Q: Why do you sometimes have to bring the servers down again after maintenance?
A: Our Game Masters test all new content while it’s on the test server, but issues occasionally arise when that data is transferred from the test server to the live server. When such errors happen, we have to bring the servers down to correct them.

Rules & Policies:

Q: Where can I find all of Aeria's Rules and Policies?
A: EULA, Terms of Service, Fair Play Rules, Forum Rules

Help, I've been banned:

Q: How do bans work?
A: Your account may be banned if you were found to be breaking Aeria's policies. Bans can be temporary (24 hours to 7 days) or permanent. Upon being banned, you will automatically receive an email stating the reason for the ban and whether the ban is temporary or permanent. For to security reasons, you will never be shown proof.

Q: How do I get unbanned?
A: If your ban is temporary, you will automatically receive an email once your ban has been lifted with directions on how to reset your password. You will then be able to access your account. If your ban is permanent your account will not be unbanned unless you can submit proof of your innocence. If you have proof to submit then you can petition your ban through the Contact Us link.

Q: What if I didn't know what I did was wrong?
A: You agreed to our Terms of Service upon creating an account with Aeria, and it is your responsibility to read the rules.

Q: Why is gold buying wrong?
A: To better understand why gold buying is wrong, please read this article. Although the article is from another company, it is the same across the MMORPG industry. Have you ever known someone whose account was hacked with their gold or items stolen? Often times the gold you are purchasing is coming from a stolen account. Buying their gold also encourages the gold sellers to spam the community, which disrupts everyone's game play. Please have respect for your fellow players and the community by following out ToS and not buying gold.

Contact Us / RT System:

Q: What is an RT?
A: Players can contact Aeria's customer service department by submitting a Request Ticket, or RT. An RT is made when you use the Contact Us link to get help through email. You will automatically receive an RT#; keep this tracking number for your records.

Q: Where can I go for help?
A: We suggest you first look for an answer to any general issues here in the FAQ. A more specialized answer may be found on the Forums. If your issue is not personal, then you can contact a Game Sage through the Shoutbox (area to the right of the forums) and they may be able to help you. If your searches have not resolved your issue, you can contact Aeria's customer service by submitting a Request Ticket (RT) through the Contact Us link.

Q: I used the Contact Us form, now what?
A: You will receive an automated message stating that the ticket was successfully submitted, and it will include your RT#. Keep this tracking number. Your ticket will then be placed in line with all the other tickets. Our Game Masters (GMs) will answer your tickets in the order they are received. Once we have replied to your RT, the response will be sent directly to your email. If you need to submit more information, simply reply to the email and your response will be sent back directly to the GM who worked on your original ticket. Please keep in mind that because of this, you may not receive another reply for up to 72 hours if the GM handling your ticket is off work.

Q: Why didn't Aeria's reply go to the email address that I provided in the RT?
A: All of Aeria's emails will only be sent to the email address that is associated with the account that is submitting the ticket. You can change this by going into My Profile on the website, click Edit Profile, click the Account tab and then change your email address. We ask for your email in the ticket for instances when you cannot access your account.

Q: It has been over 48 hours and I didn't get a reply to my ticket. What do I do?
A: If you do not receive a reply within 48 hours, please contact a Game Sage (GS) to have your RT# passed directly to a Game Master (GM). DO NOT create another ticket for the same issue, as this will cause your ticket response to be delayed. We do our best to answer all tickets within 48 hours, but circumstances may create delays, such as a ticket being sent to the wrong game or department. When you submit multiple tickets for the same issue, they will all be merged into the most recent ticket. Since tickets are handled in the order they are received, the oldest tickets will be handled first. Each duplicate ticket you submit will move your issue further down in line.

Q: I'm still not getting any emails from Aeria, whats going on?
A: First check your spam/junk mail folder. Our emails may have been sent there. If you still are not receiving any emails from Aeria then you should change the email that is associated with your account to a different email provider. To change this go into My Profile on the website, click Edit Profile, click the Account tab, and then change your email address.

Q: My ticket was closed and sent to spam, can I appeal my issue?
A: Tickets will be sent to "spam" if we have resolved the issue to the best of our ability but the player continues to reply only to complain. If you can provide proof which would overturn our decision, you may create a new ticket and ask for escalation. Be sure to include the RT# from your original ticket.