Academy training quests

Upon entering the game with a new roleplaying character for the first time, you'll be treated to a cinema sequence, and then begin on a hill in Ascalon City (Pre-Searing). Moving ahead, you can talk to the Town Crier who will have a green exclaimation point above his head. Doing so will start you on a short series of quests designed to grant you the starting skills for your primary profession and familiarise you with the game's controls.

NOTE: If you find yourself being spammed by too much chat while you're in the city, you can toggle the chat channels on or off by clicking the little checkmark box next to each name in the expanded chat box in the lower-left portion of your screen. If you don't see this box, press the ~ key until you do.

Message from a Friend
The quest is to talk to Sir Tydus. Look at your compass. See the green star to the north/northeast? That is where you're supposed to go.

Most quests use the compass/minimap to show you where to. If the object of the quest is in range, it will show up as a green star. If it is farther, it will be an arrow pointing in the direction you need to go. If you have more than quest, you can hit "L" to open your quest log and select which quest it should point out.

Anyway, to finish this quest, journey across the bridge to Sir Tydus, and click on him. After reading his message, click the icon with the loot bag to accept your reward for finishing this quest.

Reward:
 * 100 Experience
 * 10 Gold

He immediately offers another quest, so accept it.

War Preparations
Open your quest log. You should see War Preparations added to it. Notice the green text "(Primary Quest)" next to it? This means that to progress in the game's storyline you must complete this quest. So, let's complete it!

Tydus instructed you to go out the southwest gate and meet a trainer. Use your compass to find your way -- remember to follow the arrow! When you arrive at the gate, you'll notice a swirling haze in front of it. This haze is a map transition. Once you pass through it, an instanced version of the next map will load. This means that you, and your party, if you're in one, has their own private copy of that map. You will see no other players there.

When you're ready, head through the gate.

Once you arrive in Lakeside County, you should see your trainer directly in front of you. Who this is depends upon your primary profession. Speak to him (or her) to complete this quest and receive:
 * 250 Experience

Your profession trainer will then give you your first skill quest.

Profession Tests

 * Warrior's Test
 * Ranger's Test
 * Monk's Test
 * Necromancer's Test
 * Mesmer's Test
 * Elementalist's Test

Bad Omens

 * Further Adventures
 * Unsettling Rumors