To anyone who has never played dot Hack, I strongly recommend you pick up Vol 1 - rebirth and start there. This is an awesome series that has mostly been swept under the rug by game magazines. It offers many elements that have been missing in other games (like a storyline) along with some solid RPG elements. However, the RPG element is not the core of the game. For instance, leveling up is fairly easy. The strongest point of the game is just getting out and having fun!