After talking with Bim go through and talk to Olgerd the dwarf in the next room, the Academy's shop keeper. He will give you an item depending on your class and teach you how to use your inventory and stores; he will also sell you some gear if you have the money. You should at least have enough for a reasonable weapon or suit of armor, which is basically the only thing you really need to spend money on right now. Don't bother with buying any missile firing weapons, since you can get what you'd like for free a few rooms from here. Take advantage of Olgerd's stock - it's quite complete compared to many of the shops you'll find out in the "real world", plus the prices are discounted.

In the next room, you can talk to the Berna for help with using your map and journal. This is still pretty simple information that you could figure out yourself (especially if you read the manual!), but if you need it then go ahead. Remember to keep picking up items along the way. You can press the TAB key on your keyboard to highlight items to check out, such as chests and bookcases that might have items within. It will also make enemies stand out a little more clearly if you're entering a room that's a bit darker than most.

The next series of rooms are the training halls, all connected by a hallway of their own. Each training room has a sign outside it's entrance that explains what type of training is within, and who the instructor is. Note that you step into the weapon training hall from Berna's library, and the connecting hallway is just around the corner from the library exit. Also note that there are four training halls. One for combat, one for arcane magic, one for diving magic, and one for thievery. Each class must go to one of these halls corresponding to the type of character it is, with one exception: the bard. A bard can choose any of those training quests (except divine magic, even though bards can heal) since that class has enough of all class type skills to complete them. Here's a rough breakdown on where you should be for the class you chose:

The first training room is the combat training hall. Here you learn from Herban and his aides how to use different attacks; you can get a heavy crossbow, light crossbow, sling, short bow and long bow with loads of ammo for all. Even if you don't plan on using any of these, make sure you run back and sell the things you don't want to Olgerd for that extra bit of gold that's crucial, especially at low level. This training hall is also the only one of the 5 halls that all character classes can do the trial for. Non-fighter style classes will not be able to get the gift from Herban at the end of the trial since they have their own tutors to go to down the hall, but it's good practice anyway for a beginning player (and why else would you be reading this anyway?).

Also in this room are 5 rare monsters if you want to see what your future might hold. Try right-clicking on one of them (or any creature and most other things as well) and examining them. These creatures are all very tough, and the description indicates the relative ease you'd have in defeating them. You cannot attack these creatures, since the module is set up to keep them protected, so there is nothing else to do here.

Heading down the connecting hall will take you to another training center behind the first door to the left. Clicking on the sign by the door will tell you this one is for arcane spell casters, and within you can go through a tutorial on using your magic skills. At least talk to the tutor and do his test even if you know how to handle your spell caster; you get a neat magic item (Rod of Frost with unlimited charges) as a prize for completing it). In the same room, regardless of your class, you can get Melf's Acid Arrow and Magic Missile scrolls. You can also find a few tomes to read.

Next, head down and pass a locked door; don't worry about that just yet, and go visit Ketta in the rogue training center on the left if you're a rogue, or Elynwyd in the divine magic training center to the right if you're a cleric or druid. If you have completed the combat or arcane spell casting trials there is no need to go in either of these, so talk to the guard at the end of the hall to continue into the graduation room where Aribeth is waiting.

In the graduation room you can get items from the desks behind Aribeth. Talk to her and she will tell you that you graduated. Listen to her story, after which you will be attacked. These guys are pretty tough but luckily you have 6 other graduates in addition to yourself and Aribeth (who all get targeted before you do) in that room that'll help take care of them. Once they've been dispatched, talk to Aribeth and offer your help and she will give you the key to the locked door we skipped past earlier, back in the training connecting hall.

Be prepared, because now you will encounter battles. Nothing you can't handle, but make sure to rest or use a healing potion (You put healing potions in a quick slot, right?) if your life gets too low.

The first enemy you will encounter is right outside the room where you and the other graduates were attacked. You'll run into a rather pompous mage who looks similar to the ones that attacked, but this one is quite different. You can't defeat him, so wait until he summons a pair of goblins before you attack, and focus your attack on the goblins while the mage teleports away. They're easy to take out, even for a wizard character.

Remember that locked door that you couldn't do anything with before? Unlock the door and fight your way through the tunnels (and a second mage who summons a pair of goblins who is also undefeatable), picking up items along the way. It's unnecessary to go back through the training halls and other areas you've already seen, though if you want to you can get a little practice with combat by doing so. It won't help your experience points, for a reason you'll find out about a bit later.

Fight your way through the rooms until you meet up with Pavil from the senior barracks. He will tell you how his brother died and that he will join you for free instead of the usual fees that you'd have to pay for a hireling. It doesn't matter if you say yes or no because he will leave once you exit the academy, but keep in mind that this game was designed to gauge its difficulty levels around you and a hireling.

Continue through until you get to a room with an old man standing in the center. Here he will explain leveling up, and give you enough experience to level up. This is the reason why rooting around for experience points in previous rooms isn't really worth the time unless you as a gamer need practice with this game. (Note: a quest is now done) Use your skill and other points wisely (pressing the recommended button is a good idea unless you really know what you're doing) and head to the next room.

Continue onward picking up loot and fighting off the monsters. There are several chests and whatnot to search through, and some decent equipment can be found (contents of these chests are random of course) if you're lucky.

Eventually, you'll run into a very large room with a skeleton (sometimes two), a goblin or two, and a mage. This mage can be defeated, and you should target him with everything you've got and take him out quickly. Even a barbarian or other tough character can be knocked down pretty easily by this guy if you don't close with him and take him out immediately. Ahh the wonders of second level characters. It might even be a good idea to save your game prior to entering this room in case things go badly with a few magic missiles the mage likes to target on your tender behind.

Note also that this mage fires magic missiles in pairs, which means he's at least 3rd level, perhaps 4th (1 magic missile at 1st level, another at 3rd, and so on for the odd levels to a maximum of 5 magic missiles at level 9). While this might not seem significant now, knowing little details like that will help you later in the game. 3rd edition D&D players will have a distinct advantage playing this game, at least starting out.

There is no real boss to this level, and when you eventually get to the stables where two figures are fighting off a group of goblins, you are at the final scene of the prelude. Both of the figures are characters you'll be dealing with and hearing about throughout chapter 1 of the game. Help them out if you want, but you probably won't be doing much damage compared to them. As the combat proceeds, you'll notice a nymph, a yuan-ti, and an intellect devourer all teleport out of the room. These are the Waterdhavian creatures you were sent to protect - there is no way to keep them from leaving, so don't waste your time trying.

When the goblins are defeated talk to Fenthik and learn more about the story. Make sure you tell them that you will indeed help, and you will level up again! (Quest completed) Now they will leave, you can level up and leave as well because there's nothing else for you here.

Congratulations; you are now done with the prelude!

1. Academy Training. This entry is automatically in your journal when you first start the game. You finish it by completing your training quest and talking to the man who shows you how to level up.
2. Combat Training. You get it when you first enter combat, simple enough right? You finish this quest in the stables when you tell them that you will help them and level up for the second time.

Just a word for the wise now, if you had any trouble at all with this first level of the game you should seriously consider turning off your computer, because it is about to get insanely more difficult.