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''Welcome to the Gamepedia Help Wiki! The following help section is created and edited by wiki users, just like the rest of the wikis.''

== Registering ==
To create an account, select "Sign in" (found on the bar at the top right corner of every page) which will then take you to an [[:File:Gamepedia login interstitial.jpg|interstitial screen]] before being redirected to our main site (www.gamepedia.com). Once there, you will have the option to "[[:File:Gamepedia_login_or_create_account.jpg|Login or Create an Account]]" which is done via Twitch. You usually need only provide a username and password.

Your username cannot be longer than 15 characters. and can only contain alphanumeric characters (letters A-Z, numbers 0-9) with the exception of underscores. Underscores can be used as part of your username but cannot be the last character of your username.

== Experienced with games, but new to wikis? ==
* A wiki is designed to allow every user to edit its content. If you see something you think could be improved about the wiki, '''improve it!''' Just click the "edit" tab at the top of most pages to edit their contents. A small number of pages may be [[protected pages|protected]] and require that you login to edit them.
* '''Don't be afraid to edit.''' Part of the wiki system is an integrated version tracking system, so there's never a fear of losing something. If you make a mistake, you or someone else can easily fix it - so take the initiative and make a change if you think it's useful. (Tip: when editing, you can also use the "Preview" button to check how the page will look before you save it!)
* If you need a basic guide to the [[formatting]] syntax used for editing pages, take a look at the [[Editing|editing help page]], or go to the [[Contents|help contents]] page to find a longer list of useful pages.
* If you want to experiment with wiki code someplace other than an actual article page, you can use your own {{sandbox}}, or the shared [[{{SITENAME}}:Sandbox|sandbox page]].
* Once you feel comfortable with [[Formatting|Wiki syntax]], feel free to start adding your game knowledge to the many articles.

== Experienced with wikis, but new to games? ==
* Wikis are designed to be references for all things related to the games they cover. Feel free to create articles on [[#Most common Gamepedia topics|topics]] as you encounter them, and of course to use the wikis as helpful guides to your gaming experience.
* If you've worked with MediaWikis before, then all of the standard formatting will be familiar.

== New to everything? ==
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{{note|'''Using our searchbox'''<br/>Found in the upper right corner of every page, just below the Login area,<br>type in the term you are looking for and press ENTER.}}
</div>
* If you're looking to find information, the best place to start is either browsing from the [[Main Page]], or using the '''search box''' at the top of the page.
* If you don't find what you're looking for, remember that the wiki is made up of articles contributed by its users - it might just be that no one has written about that topic yet! So [[Starting a new page|create one]]!
* If you want to contribute (perhaps you found a topic that didn't have any info when you were looking for it, and now you know more about it), go for it! The [[metawikipedia:Help:Editing|Mediawiki editing help page]] has the basics of how to use wiki formatting, and you can edit any page just by clicking the "edit" link at the top (you'll need to be logged in to see edit links, but creating an account is free and easy!). If you want to create a new page, just type the name in the search box on the left and click Go - if it doesn't exist, you'll be given the option to edit it as new.
* Enjoy the Game!

==Most common Gamepedia topics==
* '''Characters'''
: This mostly will concern role-playing-games, but also of course others. Write a biography about your favourite characters! A very useful thing, for articles about characters, is to build an [[infobox]], which contains all useful (and also trivia) information about the character described. To do this, you need knowledge about [[templates]], please ask an admin, if you need help.
: You can see two examples here:
:* [https://wildstar.gamepedia.com/Template:NPC_infobox NPC_infobox on our Wildstar Wiki]
:* [https://plunderpirates.gamepedia.com/Template:Infobox Infobox on our Plunder Pirates Wiki].
: They of course look different, because of individual wiki [[skin customization]], which is done with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_Style_Sheets Cascading Style Sheets] for every Wiki. For more information, please read our articles in our ''Advanced Help'' section.
* '''Classes'''
: Probably also mostly concerns rpgs, but you might find classes also in other games! See a good example of a class and its skills on our [https://teso.gamepedia.com/Dragonknight Teso Wiki] - please, note, it is not always possible to create this in such a detailed way.
* '''Races'''
: Maybe this mostly concerns rpgs, but you might find races also in other games. 
* '''Factions'''
: See an example for races and factions on our [https://teso.gamepedia.com/The_Elder_Scrolls_Online_Wiki The Elder Scrolls Online Wiki].
* '''Enemies''' or '''Monsters'''
: It's like with characters - also the evil guys deserve their biography and infobox! <big>→</big> [https://witcher.gamepedia.com/Dagon Witcher Wiki]
* '''Locations''' or '''Maps'''
: This probably also will mostly concern rpgs, but also other games. If you have many locations in your game, a navigation box like on our [https://skyrim.gamepedia.com/Template:Navbox Skyrim Wiki] can be very useful. Please, scroll down to see the working navbox on this page here: [https://skyrim.gamepedia.com/Whiterun_%28city%29 Skyrim - Whiterun].
* '''Skills'''
: <big>→</big>See classes.
* '''Weapons'''
: For a lot of games an essential thing! Write about your favourite weapons! Look here for examples in our [https://skyrim.gamepedia.com/Category:Weapons Weapons in Skyrim] [[Categories|Category]]. [https://skyrim.gamepedia.com/Ancient_Nord_Greatsword Example] for an article about weapons - including an infobox. Works also with your favourite firearms...
* '''Story'''
** '''Quests'''<br />Some will hate it some will love it - spoilers. In case a game is rather new, you might like to use one of our [https://teso.gamepedia.com/Template:Spoiler spoiler templates], so the experience is not blown for everyone. But like it or not, wikis are usually one big spoiler, and concerning quests, try to write the best strategy guide possible!
*** '''Lore'''
* '''Strategy'''
: Found a great way to beat the boss of your favourite game? Let other players know about it in YOUR strategy guide or walkthrough! → [[terraria:Guide:The_Destroyer_strategies|Terraria Wiki]]

* '''Gameplay'''
* '''DLC'''
* '''Mods'''
: Many games (if you are already a die-hard gamer, you'll know!) to-day come with mods, created by other players. Some mod-creators just change the textures of their favourite game, but some do far more and come with their own locations, characters, story and etc!
: Visit [http://www.curseforge.com/ Curseforge] to discover more!


<big>→</big> Feel free to add more to this list!

==What we expect==
Actually, you are quite free, but we want to encourage you to maintain a standard for grammar and punctuation in your contributions! Please write your articles in a way which you'd also expect from other authors. Creating an article simply to write "I like that character so much!" is not considered a good wiki contribution, even if it sums up how you feel. Try to make your articles useful to all users.

* If you are creating a new page and suddenly realize, "whoops, I only have one line to write", please add our {{tlx|stub}} template. Conversely, if you find an article which seems pretty complete, but still has the {{tlx|Stub}} template, please remove it.
* Everything is easier to find when pages are in the right [[Categories|Category]], so please always add your pages and images to ''at least one'' category. 
* You found spam, vandalism or someone is harassing you, please contact your [[wiki manager]]! See also: [[Dealing with trolls and vandals]].
* If an article has become obsolete - feel free to bring it up to date, or add our {{tlx|delete}} template to alert the administrators that the page should be removed.
* When uploading images, make sure that the copyright information is included by adding the appropriate license. A list of license templates can be found [[:Category:Copyright templates|here]].
* Be creative! Nothing is more boring than wikis that look all the same.

==Other help==
If you need help with something related to the administration of the wiki, contact a [[Project:Community_portal#Wiki Managers|wiki manager or Gamepedia staff member]].

[[Category:Editing]]

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