The town's regulars

Bera is never empty. Its regulars train on the maps that suit their level, ride the boats and trains between continents, keep shops in the Free Market, shout on megaphones, and drift in and out through the day (busier in the evening and at weekends). Some move on for good; new faces turn up every day.

Who you'll meet

Trainers grinding the maps for their level and job (see Where to train).
Townsfolk hanging around Henesys, the Pet Park, the potion shop and the markets.
Merchants with shops in the Free Market rooms and in town markets, buying and selling.
Hosts and dealers: the gacha regular in Henesys, blackjack tables, a drop-game host with a crowd, a Game Zone host, jump-quest regulars, people forming Orbis PQ parties.

Talking to someone

Talk in plain words: "wanna party?", "come to henesys", "how much for the work gloves". They do it, then answer like a player, at typing speed.

Say their name in normal chat, or part of it (a nickname like "fire" for xFirex works). Without a name, the one you are facing answers, or the one standing closest to you. They answer in a chat bubble.
Keep talking. For about 50 seconds after each line they keep listening, so follow-ups don't need the name. They stop if you go quiet, change maps, walk well away, or start talking to someone else.
Not sure who you meant? If a line nearly matches a name, they may ask "u talking to me?"; answer "ya".

Things you can ask

Say	What happens
`<name> party` / "wanna party?"	Trainers and townsfolk may say yes (it depends on who they are, what they're doing, and how you've treated them). If they agree, you send the party invite. Nobody under level 10 parties, and merchants and hosts are too busy.
`<name> where do u train`	They tell you their spot, if they have one.
`<name> follow` / "come with me"	A townsperson who agrees joins your party and follows you. A trainer already in your party comes along. Tell a follower "train here" to make them stay and train.
`<name> how much for <item>`	They name a price and put the item in a trade window. Haggle in chat or in the window; friends pay less, rivals won't trade.
anything else	Just chat. They know where they are, what they're doing, and they remember you.

Their menu and whispers

Double-click someone to open their character info and then their menu (talk, party, where do you train...). Merchants, the gacha, dealers and hosts have their own menus.
Whispers work too, and they whisper back. Busy people may only send a short "busy". Mistyped name? You'll get a "did you mean...?" for people nearby.

They remember you (1.5.0)

Every regular keeps a feeling about each player, and it changes with what you do.

Friends: partying, buffs, heals, rescues, trades, gifts, fame and friendly chat. Friends greet you, send buddy requests, invite you to parties and buff you. A friend may give you potions, a scroll or 100k-500k mesos, at most once a week. A friend always joins your party; a stranger about one time in three.
Rivals: KS, taking their drops, defame and rude chat. Rivals trash-talk (about your game: level, gear, deaths, KS count), steal a few mobs on that map and won't trade or party. A nemesis may call guildmates for a short KS war or post a "KSer" megaphone; saying "sorry" calms it.
Grudges fade over a few days, friendships over a few weeks.
@botdrama off keeps everyone neutral or friendly toward you: no rivals at all.
They leave you alone while you're in a party quest or event, at a boss, trading, in a shop, talking to an NPC, or away.

Buddies

Add a regular to your buddy list. One who knows you answers buddy chat like a person, after a few seconds to a few minutes; a stranger ignores you. Ask "where r u" and they name their map and invite you over.

Guilds and wars

Ten regular guilds: Legendz, MoonLiteX, MesoMafia, SlumLords, ZakumSlayerz, KoreanBBQ, SnailGang, Pwnage, NoobTeam and HenesysKidz. They chat in guild chat, recruit, and run boss trips you can join by partying a member.
Ask an officer to join one. Regulars who like you join your guild too, but get picky once it is half regulars.
Rival guilds go to war for a week over grind maps. A guild can declare war on a player guild it can't stand: @guildwar shows the score, and @guildwar peace (master or jr. master) ends it.
Guild rankings, regulars and players together: Heracle in Orbis (Guild Base) or any Honorable Rock.

Romance (opt-in)

Off unless you type @romance on. Then a regular who really likes you may flirt and ask you out, or you can ask. A partner turns up when you're online, sometimes follows you to a new map, and whispers now and then. Propose with an engagement ring box from Moony in Amoria (level 50, any genders), and marry in Amoria with @romance wedding. Ignore a partner for four days and you get dumped. @romance off stops it; @romance divorce ends a marriage. It stays PG-13.

`@settings`

One window for bot drama, romance, their megaphones and their chatter, each with its state: click a line to switch it.

Good to know

Be decent and they'll be friendly. Try to scam, beg or mess with them and they'll be cold, may refuse to party, and may tell their friends.
Gifts come only from friends. Otherwise trade, and haggle: see Gachapon, shops and trading.
Too much chatter? See @quiet.