Chat

Chat is a primary form of communication in the game. The chat box is located to the bottom-left of the screen. To use the chat box, click on the text box at the bottom of the chat box, or alternatively press the Enter key.

Note that all chats have a profanity filter. If you send a message that contains profanity, the profanity will be output as asterisks (e.g. ***** ). This option cannot be turned off.

Channels
There are multiple channels that a player can talk in. Clicking on them pre-fills a certain type of chat depending on the button clicked. Clicking on each button in the chat window will also filter the types of chats viewed. For instance, clicking on the Private button will usually filter the chat by game system chat types and Private chat. Many chat channels can be configured in the System Settings using the U key and then clicking the "Game" tab to select what types of chat can be seen, though some cannot be disabled such as Whisper. Some channels also cannot be modified, such as World Chat.

Note that clicking on some channels in the chat box can pre-fill a type of chat that either costs money or items (such as World Chat) or do not function properly if the player is not in a Squad or Faction.

Types of Chat
There are several different types of chat. Most types of chat have their own unique icon to the left of each message sent, to indicate what type of chat it is. Each chat is differentiated by color as well. Most chat types are free to use, but some cost money or items to use.

All types of chat have a character limit of 180. This number includes the prefix for each chat type. Note that Faction and World Chat's true character limits are 120; although their limit is supposedly 180 characters, due to an error, messages do not send successfully if they exceed 120 characters.

Functions
There are multiple functions that can be performed in chat.


 * Clear Chat: You can clear the chat box by pressing Ctrl by default. This hotkey can be changed in the Hotkeys window, accessed by pressing the K key.
 * Linking Items: Items that you own can be shown in chat to other players. To link an item, Hold Shift and then left click on an item in your inventory and it will become part of your message. Other players can click on the item link in your message to view a description of the item.
 * Sending Coordinates: You can send your current coordinates to other players. This can be done by clicking the small flag button to the right of the text box in the chat window. It will give the name of your location as well as its coordinates. Players can click on these coordinates to begin auto-pathing to the location.
 * Instance Combat Capability: A separate set of stats designed to show other players your damage and survival, mainly used for PvE. Maximum stat for each is 100. It can be increased by using buffs, which will be shown in your Instance Combat Capability. This can be done by clicking the small shield and sword to the right of the text box in the chat window.
 * Linking Quests: Only applies to common chat or squad chat. You can show other players the objectives of quests in your log. To do this, have your Quest Tracker enabled and find the quest in the tracker. Click on the megaphone button and it will automatically send a message to squad chat if you are in a squad, or to common chat if you are not in a squad.
 * Autopath to NPCs: This cannot be done by regular players and is only present in System Chat (Red). Some System Chat messages may have a NPC name colored in green; players can click on this green name to begin auto-pathing to the NPC. Sometimes does not apply if the player is not on the same map as the NPC.
 * Interact with others chatting: If a player sends a message in a chat, their name will be displayed in a beige color. Left-clicking on their name will autofill the chat box enabling you to send a private message or whisper to them. Right-clicking on their name will bring up a menu with multiple options such as sending a friend request or entering their Homestead.

Smileys
Players can use smileys to express themselves further in chat messages. By default, the smileys available are yellow. Players can also other sets of smileys, such as pigs, monkeys, or tigers by purchasing them in the Boutique or Event Boutique. These smileys last for 7 days. Some other chats, such as Horn, Alliance, and Cross-server chat have their own set of smileys by default and disable the use of other smileys.

In the game's help window, it mentions being able to use smileys by using text codes, however this does not appear to work. It may have been removed in a previous patch but never removed from the help window.

Other Chat Settings
There are some visual settings for the chat window.


 * Chat Window Size: This can be toggled with the button 2nd from the left at the bottom-left corner of the chat window. This will increase or decrease the height of the chat box.
 * Chat Window Color: This can be toggled with the button 3rd from the left at the bottom-left corner of the chat window. This will lighten or darken the background color of the chat window.
 * Font Size: This can be changed in the System Settings window, under the "Game" tab. Use the slider to make the font size smaller or larger.
 * Font Weight: This can be changed in the System Settings window, under the "Game" tab. Wrongly shown as "Font Size" in the window. This toggles the chat font to be regular or bold.