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The Archer Skill Guide is currently updated and maintained by Kevvl. Please direct any questions or comments regarding the guide to him. Originally Created: February 14, 2007 Recreated: September 11, 2007 Last Edited: January 4th, 2009 Go to Bottom Every so often, a thread regarding how Bowmen should spend their Skill Points (SP), graces itself upon the Bowman forums due to the creation of new Bowmen and Bowmen who have graduated into the next job. This article was developed (and still under construction) by fellow Bowmen who contributed their ideas about skill builds. This article is intended to help Bowmen decide how to go about distributing SP at certain levels, in order to fit their playing style. This thread also attempts to avoid using bias as much as possible, but instead explains why a specific skill build is necessary by explaining its advantages and disadvantages. In regards to where to train visit the AGF's Training Guide for Archers at this link Like the Bowman Frequently Asked Questions made by GrifMoNeY and Spiritrival , this article is not meant to be read start to finish but as a reference. Remember, this is not, by any means, a complete list of the possible skill builds. There exists nearly an infinite number of ways to distribute your skills. This is simply a listing of the most commonly used ones and ones recommend. This article is split into five sections: First Job, Second Job, Third Job, Fourth Job and Appendix TABLE OF CONTENTS • Standard First Job Build • Arrow Blow Build • Slightly Funded Power Build • DS Before Critical Build • What makes 2nd job skill builds vastly different • Standard FA-less Build • Alternate Beginning - Soul Arrow Early • Alternate Beginning - Booster Early • FA-less Build Variations • FA Build: No PKB • FA Build with PKB • Standard Ranger Build • Strafe First Ranger Build • Arrow Rain First Build • Standard Sniper Build • Strafe First Sniper Build • Arrow Eruption First Build • Finishing Your Build • End Skill Allocations • Inferno First Variation Build • Early Blizzard Variation Build • Newtie Variation Builds • Importance of Skills • Skill build example • In-depth analysis of some contentious skills • Defensive Skills and Characteristics • Frequently Asked Questions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abbreviations: AB – Arrow Blow Bomb – Arrow Bomb Crit – Critical Shot DB - Dragon Breath DS – Double Shot Eagle – Golden Eagle Erupt – Arrow Eruption Expertise - Bow Expertise and Crossbow Expertise FA – Final Attack Hawk – Silver Hawk HP – Health Points IA – Iron Arrow KB – Knock Back (a status effect that lasts approximately .1 seconds) MP – Mana Points PKB – Power Knock Back Rain – Arrow Rain SA – Soul Arrow SE - Sharp Eyes SP – Skill Points SoA - Hurricane The levels where you would benefit from saving points are not shown. However, it’s recommended to save at least 15 points before adding into FA (remember, FA under level 20 will hinder your damage). Also, you may want to save points while IA/Bomb is level 15 to bypass the doubled MP cost. [center]----- First Job Skill Builds – Enter the Power of the Bowman -----[/center] Standard 1st Job Build Level 10 - 1 Arrow Blow (1) Level 11 - 3 Blessing of Amazon (3) Level 12 - 3 Eye of Amazon (3) Level 13 - 3 Eye of Amazon (6) Level 14 - 2 Eye of Amazon (8), 1 Critical Shot (1) Level 15~20 - 3 Crit (19) Level 21 - 1 Crit (20), 2 Double Shot (2) Level 22~27 - 3 DS (20) Level 28~30- 3 Blessing of Amazon (12)/Focus (9) (Arrow Blow is possible, but not recommended since you already have maxed DS) End Results: Max Double Shot Max Eye of the Amazon Max Critical Shot 3 (or 12) Blessing of Amazon 0 (or 9) Focus 1 Arrow Blow Explanation of Build: This build is most recommended due to the fact that it takes the cost of arrows and pots into consideration at the beginning of the build to avoid wasting money. The build also utilizes Double Shot, which has the potential to out damage Arrow Blow. A player that chooses to go with Focus at the end, most likely prefers to utilize the power of the skills’ ability to increase accuracy and avoid simultaneously. An advantage of having Focus at a decent level is that it can potentially increase the possibility of a player receiving a MISS from a monster’s touch or attack. The disadvantage to Focus is that it requires the use of MP and must be recast over time. Those who prefer to have passive accuracy will put their remaining points into Blessing of the Amazon. The Bowman will be able to hit certain monsters at an earlier level, and unlike Focus will not have to recast or waste MP due to its passiveness. The disadvantage to this build is that archers already have a decent amount of accuracy and extra may not be all that necessary. It will also lack the extra avoid that Focus would give. Arrow Blow Build Level 10 - 1 Arrow Blow (1) Level 11 - 3 Blessing of Amazon (3) Level 12 - 3 Eye of Amazon (3) Level 13 - 3 Eye of Amazon (6) Level 14 - 2 Eye of Amazon (8), 1 Critical Shot (1) Level 15~20 - 3 Crit (19) Level 21 - 1 Crit (20) 2 Arrow Blow (3) Level 22~26 - 3 AB(18) Level 27 - 2 AB (20) 1 Blessing (4)/Focus (1) (DS is possible, but not recommended since you have maxed AB) Level 28~30 - 3 Blessing (13)/Focus (10) End Results: Max Arrow Blow Max Eye of the Amazon Max Critical Shot 3 (or 13) Blessing of Amazon 0 (or 10) Focus Explanation of Build: This build is for Bowmen who prefer the ability of Knock back, or KB (not to be confused with PKB). Since Arrow Blow does a great deal of damage on one blow, it has a greater potential than DS to KB a monster, making it flinch and become unable to attack or move for a short period of time. Against mobile monsters and bosses such as Mushmom and Alishar, the numbers of attacks the boss or monster will attempt to deliver to the person using this skill build will most likely decrease due to KB. Arrow Blow can also keep monsters and bosses at a distance from the Bowman. Although 2 less MP per fire compared to DS is not a big difference, over time an Arrow Blow Archer may save money on pots. The disadvantage to this build is that DS has the potential to be stronger than Arrow Blow due to the activation of Critical Shot on each arrow of DS. A person who decides to go Arrow Blow should attempt to have above average equips to compensate for the damage difference and still stay on par damage-wise with OTHER average DS archers. (In regards to whether or not to put the remaining points into Focus or Blessing of the Amazon; see Standard 1st Job Build) Slightly Funded Power Build Level 10 - 1 Arrow Blow (1) Level 11 - 1 Double Shot (1), 2 Critical Shot (2) Level 12~17 - 3 Crit (20) Level 18 - 3 Blessing of Amazon (3) Level 19 - 3 Eye of Amazon (3) Level 20 - 3 Eye of Amazon (6) Level 21 - 2 Eye of Amazon (8), 1 Double Shot (2) Level 22~27 - 3 DS (20) Level 28~30 - 3 Blessing (12)/Focus (9) End Results: Max Eye of Amazon Max Critical Shot Max Double Shot 3 (or 12) Blessing of Amazon 0 (or 9) Focus 1 Arrow Blow Explanation of Build: The Slightly Funded Build is for people that can easily give/obtain pots, arrows and etc. Basically, anyone who is making a new character that is not starting in a new server could use this type of build since they have the money to spend by following this build. The end result is identical to the Standard 1st Job Build. However, the order in which you get the skills is different. If you use this build, you will be able to use DS immediately, and along with Critical Shot, the player will have extra power early. But in order for it to work correctly, you will need to be able to supply the new character with potions and arrows, making this build difficult to use for a character on a new server. DS Before Critical Build Level 10 - 1 Arrow Blow (1) Level 11 - 3 Blessing of Amazon Level 12 - 3 Eye of Amazon (3) Level 13 - 3 Eye of Amazon (6) Level 14 - 2 Eye of Amazon (8), 1 Double Shot (1) Level 15~20 - 3 DS (19) Level 21 - 1 DS (20), 2 Critical Shot (2) Level 22~27 - 3 Crit (20) Level 28~30 - 3 Blessing (12)/Focus (9) End Results: Max Eye of Amazon Max Critical Shot Max Double Shot 3 (or 12) Blessing of Amazon 0 (or 9) Focus 1 Arrow Blow Explanation of Build: This build is exactly the same as the Standard 1st Job Build, except Critical and DS are reversed. It is founded on the idea that Critical's effects are greatly diminished without Double Shot, because the chances of activating Crit when attacking twice (and with improved attack) are higher. Shooting two arrows without Critical is better than shooting single arrows with Critical. DS can be used well without Crit, while Crit isn't that good without DS. However, as with the Slightly Funded Build, you will need to provide for MP potions. [center]----- Second Job Skill Builds – The Dividing Path -----[/center] What makes 2nd job skill builds vastly different The thing that separates Bowmen the most, other than the difference between a Hunter and a Cross Bowman, is the skill Final Attack. Skill builds are either sorted as FA-less or FA depending on whether they include FA or not. Final Attack is a skill that allows a Bowman to fire another shot with at certain succession rate, right after the activation of a 1st or 2nd job skill. Unlike the current popular bias that Final Attack is a skill that will damage a Bowman’s structure, as well as the bias that it will ALWAYS increase training speed, Final Attack is neither good nor bad, but like most skills contains both Pros and Cons. Before the 2nd job skill builds will be shown, the Pros and Cons of Final Attack will be listed: Pros • If you are a Hunter, FA will increase your damage over time compared to FA-less DS or AB. • FA is a free attack and therefore costs no MP. This means that, in those levels, you save money on potions. • FA fires at a faster rate than any regular attack. • On certain HP brackets, depending on your damage, FA can act as a finisher, speeding up kills. This "finisher" effect generally has a greater impact on training rate than the sheer damage over time increase. • When mobbing with Arrow Bomb, FA can help spread out the damage dealt to each monster, since Bomb's impact damage is low. • It has no minimum range. • FA does not work with 3rd job skills. (FA is incompatible with most 3rd job skills and if it activated it would greatly hinder your bowmen) Cons • If you are a Crossbowman, FA will decrease your damage over time, compared to FA-less with DS. • It uses up to 20-30 SP, which could've been used on other skills. • It ruins the spam ability to stun of Arrow Bomb, and possibly the damage if the mob size is greater than three. • It hinders mobbing and damage with Iron Arrow. • When FA activates, you will be unable to move for .2 seconds, leaving you vulnerable to attack and possibly take more damage. • Because FA activates at random, it may fire when there's nothing to hit. • When FA is less than level 20, it will actually weaken your damage over time. Common misconceptions • You cannot use potions when FA fires. • Having FA will result in more deaths. (Use potions! Unless the monsters you're fighting can kill you in one hit, but you should never be at that sort of monster during 2nd job.) • If you go FA, you can’t get or max PKB. (If you max PKB and FA, the only thing that may hurt you in the long run is that Booster and Soul arrow last shorter.) • You shouldn't get FA, because it is useless in 3rd job. (FA has various uses in 3rd job depending on how you use the skill) • With booster, DS or AB is the same speed as FA. (In reality, FA is still a little faster.) Standard FA-less Build Level 30 - 1 Iron Arrow/Arrow Bomb (1) Level 31~36 - 3 Mastery (18) Level 37 - 1 Mastery (19), 2 Booster (2) Level 38 - 3 Booster (5) Level 39 - 1 Booster (6), 2 Soul Arrow (2) Level 40 - 3 Iron Arrow/Arrow Bomb (4) Level 41~48 - 3 IA/Bomb (28) Level 49 - 2 IA/Bomb (30), 1 PKB (1) Level 50~55 - 3 PKB (19) Level 56 - 1 PKB (MAXED), 2 Booster (8) Level 57~62 - 2 Booster (20), 1 SA (8) Level 63~66 - 3 SA (20) Level 67 - 3 first job skill (+3) Level 68~69 - 3 first job skill (+9) Level 70 - 2 first job skill (+11), 1 Mastery (20) End Results: Max(Cross)Bow Mastery Max Booster Max Soul Arrow Max PKB Max IA/Bomb 11 points into 1st job skills Explanation: This build is preferred by some bowman, mainly due to the fact that every skill that is maxed will most likely be useful during 3rd job and beyond. The downside to this build compared to a FA-user, is that a FA-less Bowman may level slower and will most likely use more MP than a FA-user during 2nd job. Leave Mastery at 19 initially because the only difference between level 19 and level 20 is an added point of Accuracy. Bowmen don't require any extra Accuracy, so it's a waste of a point. (However, if you choose to add the last point, or forget not to, it's not detrimental to your Bowman.) Soul Arrow and Booster are left at 2 and 6, respectively, for most of 2nd job. This is because at those levels, both skills last for one minute. Synchronizing them may or may not be more efficient, but most Bowmen like to do this. IA/Bomb's MP cost doubles at level 16, and that is why we recommend saving up points and adding them all at once. Alternate Beginning - Soul Arrow Early Level 30 - 1 Iron Arrow/Arrow Bomb (1) Level 31 - 3 Mastery (3) Level 32 - 2 Mastery (5), 1 Booster (1) Level 33 - 3 Booster (4) Level 34 - 1 Booster (5), 2 Soul Arrow (2) Level 35 - 1 Booster (6), 2 Mastery (7) Level 36~39 - 3 Mastery (19) Explanation of Build: This is not a complete build. Rather, it is simply a different way to begin your build. It is interchangeable with the beginnings on all of the listed 2nd job builds in this section. (If you notice, they all begin the same.) The advantage of this build is that you get your buffs, Booster and Soul Arrow, earlier than the standard beginning. However, as a result, you will have to wait longer to max Mastery. Alternate Beginning - Booster Early Level 30 - 1 Iron Arrow/Arrow Bomb (1) Level 31 - 3 Mastery (3) Level 32 - 2 Mastery (5), 1 Booster (1) Level 33 - 2 Mastery (7), 1 Booster (2) Level 34~37 - 3 Mastery (19) Level 38 - 3 Booster (5) Level 39 - 1 Booster (6), 2 Soul Arrow (2) Explanation of Build: Like the previous build, this one is also interchangeable with the beginnings on all of the listed 2nd job builds. This build is identical to the standard build, except for the fact that Booster is elevated to 2 as soon as possible. 20 seconds is not long enough to use regularly, but it may be a good idea to cast it right before taking on a mob with IA/Bomb. FA-less Build Variations Some variations on the Standard FA-less Build are shown here. Other than the two Alternate Beginnings, which have already been shown, these all have to do with the placement of PKB within your build. PKB Early Level 30~39 - same as Standard FA-less Build Level 40~43 - 3 Iron Arrow/Arrow Bomb (13) Level 44 - 2 IA/Bomb (15), 1 PKB (1) Level 45~50 - 3 PKB (19) Level 51 - 1 PKB (20), 2 IA/Bomb (17) Level 52~55 - 3 IA/Bomb (29) Level 56 - 1 IA/Bomb (30), 2 Booster (8) Level 57~70 - same as Standard FA-less Build This build allows the user to obtain PKB earlier than usual. Bomb is elevated to 15, a reasonable level, before maxing PKB. Some people prefer to go with this build, although, PKB does not become really useful until later on. Late PKB Level 30~48 - same as Standard FA-less Build Level 49 - 2 IA/Bomb (30), 1 Booster (7) Level 50~54 - 2 Booster (17), 1 SA (7) Level 55 - 3 Booster (20) Level 56~59 - 3 SA (19) Level 60 - 1 SA (20), 2 PKB (2) Level 61~66 - 3 PKB (20) Level 67~70 - same as Standard FA-less Build This build maxes both Booster and Soul Arrow before PKB. The advantage of this build is that you no longer have to recast your buffs nearly as often. The disadvantage is the lack of PKB until level 60, which may pose difficulties in training. FA Build: No PKB Level 30 - 1 Iron Arrow/Arrow Bomb (1) Level 31~36 - 3 Mastery (18) Level 37 - 1 Mastery (19), 2 Booster (2) Level 38 - 3 Booster (5) Level 39 - 1 Booster (6), 2 SA (2) Level 40 - 2 SA (4), 1 IA/Bomb (2) (Your SA and Booster is now synced together, for every SA you cast Booster 2 times.) Level 41~50 - 3 Final Attack (30) Level 51~59 - 3 IA/Bomb (29) Level 60 - 2 Booster (8), 1 IA/Bomb (30) Level 61~62 - 3 Booster (14) Level 63~65 - 2 Booster (20), 1 SA (7) Level 66~69 - 3 SA (19) Level 70 - 1 SA (20), 1 first job skill(+1), 1 Mastery (20) End Results: Max Mastery Max Booster Max Soul Arrow Max FA Max IA/Bomb 1 point into first job skill Explanation: This build is for Bowmen who wish to utilize the pros of Final Attack and still max a majority of their skills. A downside to this build is the obvious lack of PKB, which may cause the FA Bowman difficulty training in certain locations or seek other strategic alternatives. Notice how SA and Booster casting times are always more or less synchronized until level 63. FA Build with PKB Level 30 - 1 Iron Arrow/Arrow Bomb (1) Level 31~36 - 3 Mastery (18) Level 37 - 1 Mastery (19), 2 Booster (2) Level 38 - 3 Booster (5) Level 39 - 1 Booster (6), 2 SA (2) Level 40 - 2 SA (4), 1 IA/Bomb (2) (Your SA and Booster is now synced together, for every SA you cast Booster 2 times.) Level 41~50 - 3 Final Attack (30) Level 51 - 2 PKB (2), 1 IA/Bomb (3) (You need at least 2 PKB to efficiently gather a mob at Jr. Yeti’s) Level 52~60 - 3 IA/Bomb (30) (It’s been long without it, its time to max it) Level 61~62 - 3 Booster (12) Level 63 - 2 Booster (14), 1 SA (5) Level 64 - 2 Booster (16), 1 SA (6) Level 65 - 2 Booster (18), 1 PKB (3) Level 66~69 - 3 PKB (15) Level 70 - 2 PKB (17), 1 Mastery (20) End Results of Build: Max Mastery Max FA Max IA/Bomb 18 Booster 17 PKB 6 SA Note: If a person wants Max PKB, then they should decrease from Soul Arrow and Bow Booster. Explanation: This build is for Bowmen that want to utilize the Pros of Final Attack. Other than the Cons of Final attack, the only downside to this build is that it does not have max PKB, which although may be useful isn’t necessary. [center]----- Third Job Skill Builds – The Results of Dedication Emerge -----[/center] Because 3rd Job has such a variation of ending builds, this section has been divided into 2 sections. Core Skill builds, and Variation skill builds. [center]Core Builds [/center] Standard Ranger Build Level 70 – 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 3 MB (3) Level 72 – 2 MB (5), 1 AR (1) Level 73~78 – 3 Strafe (19) Level 79 – 2 Strafe (21), 1 Inferno (1) Level 80~81 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 82~84 – 3 Strafe (30) Level 85 ~93 - 3 AR (28) Level 94 – 2 AR (30) Explanation: This is a Standard Ranger Build. Using this build allows you to train at any spot suitable for a Strafe First build, as well as giving you a small amount of AR to work with. It is ideal to add Puppet after 20 Strafe, because after level 20, Strafe begins to increase in power at a slower rate, and Puppet is necessary for training effectively at Squids. Strafe First Ranger Build Level 70 – 1 Strafe (1) Level 71~79 – 3 Strafe (28) Level 80 – 2 Strafe (30), 1 Inferno (1) Level 81~82 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 83 – 3 MB (3) Level 84 – 2 MB (5), 1 AR (1) Level 85~93 – 3 AR (28) Level 94 – 2 AR (30) Explanation: This is a Strafe First build. This build allows you to train at Squids at level 80, and move on to Gobies or Newties later on. Because most Strafe First training spots from 70~80 don't require any level of Puppet or AR, those skills can easily be left for later. Arrow Rain Ranger Build Level 70 – 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 3 MB (3) Level 72 – 2 MB (5) 1 AR (1) Level 73~78 – 3 AR (19) Level 79 – 2 AR (21) 1 Inferno Level 80~85 – 3 Strafe (19) Level 86~87 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 88~90 – 3 Strafe (28) Level 91 – 2 Strafe (30) 1 AR (22) Level 92~93 – 3 AR (28) Level 94 – 2 AR (30) Explanation: This is an Arrow Rain first build. This build will allow you to train effectively at Gryphons, and then move to Pirates. This build emphasizes the use of AR to mob large numbers of weak enemies, rather than using Strafe to kill strong enemies 1 at time. Stopping AR at level 21, rather than maxing it, is recommended because the maximum range for AR increases at level 21. Alternatively it is possible to stop adding AR at level 11, and head to squids earlier. Standard Sniper Build Level 70 – 1 Blizzard (1) or 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 1 Blizzard (1) 2 Strafe, (3) or 3 Strafe (3) Level 72 – 3 MB (3) Level 73 – 2 MB (5), 1 AE (1) Level 74~79 – 3 Strafe (21) Level 80~81 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 82~84 – 3 Strafe (30) Level 85~93 – 3 AE (28) Level 94 – 2 AE (30) Explanation: This is a Standard Sniper Build. Using this build allows you to train at any spot suitable for a Strafe First build, as well as giving you a small amount of AE to work with. It is ideal to add Puppet after 20 Strafe, because after level 20, Strafe begins to increase in power at a slower rate, and Puppet is nescessary for training at Squids. Strafe First Sniper Build Level 70 – 1 Blizzard (1) or 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 2 Strafe(3), 1 Blizzard (1) or 3 Strafe (3) Level 72~80 – 3 Strafe (30) Level 81~82 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 83 – 3 MB (3) Level 84 – 2 MB (5), 1 AE (1) Level 85~93 – 3 AE (28) Level 94 – 2 AE (30) Explanation: This is a Strafe First build. This build allows you to train at Squids at level 80, and move on to Gobies or Newties later on. Because most Strafe First training spots from 70~80 don't require any level of Puppet or AE, those skills can easily be left for later. Arrow Eruption Sniper Build Level 70 – 1 Blizzard (1) or 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 2 Strafe (3), 1 Blizzard (1) or 3 Strafe (3) Level 72 – 3 MB (3) Level 73 – 2 MB (5) 1 AE (1) Level 74~80 – 3 AE (19) Level 81 – 2 AE (21) 1 Strafe (4) Level 81~85 – 3 Strafe (19) Level 86~87 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 88~90 – 3 Strafe (28) Level 91 – 2 Strafe (30) 1 AE (22) Level 92~93 – 3 AE (28) Level 94 – 2 AE (30) Explanation: This is an Arrow Eruption First build. This build will allow you to train effectively at Gryphons, and then move to Pirates. This build emphasizes the use of AE to mob large numbers of weak enemies, rather than using Strafe to kill strong enemies 1 at at time. Stopping AE at level 21, rather than maxing it, is recommended because the maximum range for AE increases at level 21. Alternatively it is possible to stop adding AE at level 11, and head to squids earlier. [center]Finishing your Core Build[/center] From 95 onwards, builds really vary, so instead of a direct cookie cutter build, here are some guidelines. See the Training Guide to help you decide which training location is best for you. Currently the 3 main training locations from 95+ are Squids, Gobies, and Newties. Following these simple guidelines will make your training as efficient as possible at these places. Squids If you plan to train at Squids then Puppet, as well as a higher level of Blizzard (For Snipers) or Hawk (for Rangers) is ideal. Good stopping points (stopping and maxing other skills before returning to investing points in the stopped skill) for high level Blizzard is 11 or 21. For Hawk, decent stopping points for a high level is 16 or 21. Gobies If you plan to train at Gobies, a higher level of Eagle/Hawk is recommended, and if you are a Ranger, then raising Puppet also helps. You should already have Rain and Eruption close to maxed at this time. Newties If you plan to train at Newties, a higher level of Eagle/Hawk is recommended, level 21 is most ideal. Maxing Puppet and/or Blizzard should be the next objective. [center]Variation Builds[/center] While there are only a few ways to start a 3rd job build, there are countless possible ways to end it. Here are a few examples of the most effective places to leave your points at the end of 3rd job. 1 Inferno If for some reason, you do not wish to use Inferno for damage, or effective luring, then leave it at level 1. While level 1 Inferno does not make as effective a lure as level 16, you are able to max most of your 3rd job skills, if you leave Inferno at level 1. 16 Inferno For those who do not wish to use Inferno as a damaging mob skill, but instead want to use it as a luring tool, 16 Inferno is perfect. At level 16, the AoE of Inferno is increased to its maximum range, making it perfect for luring and aggroing monsters. 16 Inferno is not however effective for damage in any way, and the range increase is only slight. This level of Inferno is possible, but not recommended. 30 Inferno While Arrow Rain may be a Ranger's strongest mob skill overall, Inferno is the final distance mob skill a Ranger will ever receive, as well as the most powerful elemental mob skill a Ranger will ever have. By maxing Inferno in 3rd job, a Ranger is able to maximize DPS on distanced targets, as well as mob effectively without wasting potions that would be used spamming AR. If you not plan on maxing Inferno, a high level (28+) is recommended. Please note that investing in 28+ points in Inferno is betting that there will be more maps for its usage released in the future, as currently there are very few high level training spots with a large number of mobs. 21 Hawk At level 21, Hawk still has an impressive stun rate (95%). Additionally the number of attacks per minute improves at an extremely slow rate after level 21, and adding 9 points into a skill for 4% more stun is a waste to some. Leaving Hawk at level 21 doesn't take advantage of its full potential, but it's still a decent level. 29/30 Hawk With the absence of Blizzard for immobilization, Silver Hawk works as a very effective stunning tool for Rangers, and by either maxing Hawk or leaving it at level 29, you can maximize its capabilities. Phoenix does not ever fully replace Hawk, and most Bowmasters use Hawk late into 4th job, so a high level of this is recommended. 29 Hawk, 28 Inferno, 28 AR After level 28 for both Inferno, Arrow Rain, and level 29 for Hawk, there is only a small increase in effectiveness. Both AR and Inferno gain 2% damage for the 2 points you put into them, and Hawk receives a 2 second increase in duration for maxing it. Leaving these skills at slightly below-maxed levels, can effectively take advantage of most of their potential, and give you an extra 5 points to place elsewhere. 15 Eagle As stated previously, Freezer almost completely replaces Eagle in 4th job. For Snipers who wish to think ahead, and can make it past 3rd job with a low level of Eagle, 15 is recommended, as it allows you to maximize your 3rd job SP. 21 Eagle At level 21, Eagle still has an impressive stun rate (95%). Additionally the number of attacks per minute improves at an extremely slow rate after level 21, and adding 9 points into a skill for 4% more stun is a waste to some. Leaving Eagle at level 21 doesn't take advantage of its full potential, but it's still a decent enough level to carry you into 4th job, where your Freezer takes over the job. 29/30 Eagle During 3rd job, Eagle is the only passive immobilizer a Sniper has access to. By using Golden Eagle, a Sniper can spam Strafe on a target without worrying about it attacking back, because it will be stunned. Without using Eagle, the Sniper would lower damage dealt by having to use Blizzard to keep it immobilized. After 3rd job however, Eagle is almost entirely replaced by Freezer, which immobilizes mob targets. During 4th job, Eagle would only be used again Ice-Based targets who cannot be frozen. By either maxing Eagle or leaving it at level 29, you can maximize its capabilities. Thrust Thrust allows one to maximize speed, without sacrificing damage. With a high enough level of Thrust, an Archer can achieve maxed speed without relying on Haste, or Speed Equips. More speed allows you to move from target to target quicker, and still be ready for combat at any time, unlike using a Mount. Thrust should be at a level where your equips and any other boosts (Pet or Pills) will give you the desired speed you want or as close to maximum speed as possible. Please note that after level 10, points in Thrust are less effective than the previous points. Mortal Blow Mortal Blow works as a failsafe for Bowmen. If a monster gets too close, you become unable to fire. In the event of this, Mortal Blow helps to knock the monster back into shooting range. The higher level Mortal Blow, the higher chance of knocking back a monster far enough to safely shoot again; from either the added Damage of MB, or the higher success rate. Mortal Blow is generally left at a round number (i.e. 5, 10, 15, or 20). [center]Specialization Builds[/center] These builds are a tad different from the normal skill setup, and are based around training at 1 or 2 locations. If you wish to submit your own build, PM Me with an explanation of your build, where you trained, how much money you made/it cost you, etc. and I will look it over when I have time. Early Inferno/AR Build for Rangers Level 70 – 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 3 Mortal Blow (3) Level 72 – 2 Mortal Blow (5), 1 Arrow Rain (1) Level 73~78 – 3 Arrow Rain (19) Level 79 – 2 Arrow Rain (21) 1 Inferno (1) Level 80~86 – 3 Inferno (22) Level 87~88 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 89~90 – 3 Inferno (28) Level 91 – 2 Inferno (30), 1 Strafe (2) Level 92 – 3 Puppet (9) Level 93~102 – 3 Strafe (29) Level 103 – 1 Strafe (30) 2 AR (23) Level 104~105 – 3 AR (29) Level 106~120 – Up to the user Explanation: This is an early Inferno/AR build for Rangers, designed solely around mobbing from 70~9x. By using this build, you should be able to effectively train at any map with large mobs, but more specifically Pirates, Blue Kentaurus and Wolf Spiders. At 100+, it is also possible to train at Himes using Inferno as your main attack. Recommended Training: Pirates, Blue Kentaurus, Wolf Spiders, and Himes. Pros: • Blue Kents and Wolf Spiders both drop very expensive items. • If you train at Kents, you can use the marrows they drop to make Leafre seeds cheaper. • No need to worry about KS wars, as Blue Kents are nearly empty. Cons: • Training can be expensive unless you are lucky with drops. • This build requires you Max Inferno. If you do not plan to Max Inferno, you should definately not use it. Early Blizzard Build for Snipers Level 70 – 1 Blizzard (1) or 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 2 Strafe (3), 1 Blizzard (1), or 3 Strafe (3) Level 72~80 – 3 Strafe (30) Level 81~82 – 3 Puppet (6) Level 83~88 – 3 Blizzard (19) Level 89 – 2 Blizzard, (21) 1 MB (1) Level 90 – 3 MB (4) Level 91 – 1 MB (5), 2 AE (2) Level 92~100 – 3 AE (29) Level 101 – 1 AE (30) Level 101~120 – Up to the user Explanation: This is an Early Blizzard build. This build is based mostly around Squids, and later SQPT. It is also possible to train at Red or Black Kentaurus, using Blizzard as a main attack. Recommended Training: Squids, Newties, Red Kentaurus, Black Kentaurus, and SQPT. Pros: • You will be able to effectively SQPT when you hit level 92, which is leech level for Squids. • Red and Black Kents drop very expensive items, and using Blizzard, you won't be hit very often. Cons: • It may be hard to find a SQPT. • You will not be able to Goby or GBPT until later levels. Pure Newtie Build (Rangers) Level 70 – 1 Strafe (1) Level 71~79 – 3 Strafe (28) Level 79 – 2 Strafe (30), 2 Puppet (2) Level 80 – 3 Puppet (5) Level 81~87 – 3 Hawk (21) Level 88~92 – 3 Puppet (20) Level 92 – 3 MB (3) Level 96 – 2 MB (5), 1 AR Level 97~120 – Up to the user (Max AR, or more Hawk is recommended, depending on your end build) Pure Newtie Build (Snipers) Level 70 – 1 Blizzard (1) or 1 Strafe (1) Level 71 – 2 Strafe (3), 1 Blizzard (1), or 3 Strafe (3) Level 72~80 – 3 Strafe (30) Level 81 – 3 Puppet Level 82 – 2 Puppet (5), 1 Eagle Level 83~88 – 3 Eagle (19) Level 89 – 2 Eagle (21), 1 Blizzard (2) Level 88~93 – 3 Blizzard (20) Level 94 – 1 Blizzard (21) Level 95~120 – Up to the user (More Eagle or Puppet is recommended, depending on your end build) Explanation: This is a Pure Newtie build. By using this build, you will have every skill necessary to kill Newties effectively by level 87. Recommended Training: Newties. Pros: • Experience rates at Newties are generally higher than at other areas. • Newtie training requires almost no skill to perform early on. Cons: • Newties can get extremely boring, and this using this build makes it harder to train at other areas. In short, you're stuck at Newties for at least 30 levels. • It is very difficult to loot at Newties, so making money isn't a viable option without a pet that autoloots. • Making a mistake can easily kill you. • It is a long walk. [center]----- Introduction to Fourth Job - Walking the Path of the Master -----[/center] Due to the nature of Fourth Job, skill builds are very flexible and have high potential to vary more than any other builds in previous jobs. Every other job had a potential cookie cutter to work with, but in the case for Fourth Job you have to make the cookies from scratch, and unfortunately there is some uncertainty in which ingredient you will receive first. So, instead of a Skill Build layout, below will give a walkthrough on what to keep in mind when approaching your build. This is based on the current knowledge of the skills at this time and is subject to change at any time: First off, a Bowmaster or Marksmen will most likely start off getting a minimum of 1 point in these skills before focusing seriously on skills that are important overall. This is in order to perform efficiently. Below listed are possible skills that at least 1 point MIGHT be put into by the player first: Phoenix/Freezer Dragon Breath The Order of Importance in the Skill Build should be as follows: Bowmasters 1. Sharp Eyes / Expert / Hurricane (goes until level 15X) 2. Maple Warrior (goes to mid 15X) 3. Concentrate / Phoenix 4. Hamstring / Dragon Breath Marksmen 1. Sharp Eyes / Marksman Boost (goes until level 14X) 2. Snipe / Pierce (goes to mid 15x) 3. Frostprey / Dragon Breath / Blind / Maple Warrior These skills are listed in the order shown due to relevance while training, be it solo or otherwise. All other skills after 15X are up to the player’s needs for Bowmasters, and 14X for Marksmen. The Order of Importance is under the assumption that the player wants to increase their power as much as possible, and is listed to show what skills you should be focusing on over others or choose between when you have varying Mastery Books and points left of SP. Now, the Mastery Books are the things that make everything complicated. As they will either be rare to find, draining on the wallet and overall unpredictable when you will obtain the Mastery Book at certain levels. That is why you should use the Order of Importance to help you decide. Also, again below, these things about the skill should be kept in mind. Note: Again this is just based on pure observation of the skills current data and can change at any time. Sharp Eyes Sharp Eyes is high priority to the Fourth Job Archer as it steadily increases in power each level and every point increases the duration for an extra ten seconds. Anytime a Mastery Book is obtained putting points in this book should be highly considered, as other classes (most notably Night Lords) will consider you a valuable party asset with SE. Sharp Eyes affects all skills that can critical for archers, however, all summons (including mage ones) and a sniper’s blizzard are not affected by this skill. Sharp Eyes is a extremely sought after mastery book, and as a result has gotten quite expensive due to it’s rarity. SE20 drops from Left Pianus and Sharks (Not Cold Sharks), and SE30 is a skele and Right Pianus drop. (X)Bow Expertise Expertise also can increase damage overtime greatly but not to the effects of Sharp Eyes. If you get the 20 Mastery Book, and at that time you currently are maxing a more important skill (i.e. Sharp Eyes), I suggest that 2 points should be put into Expertise right away before continuing putting points in the other skill of importance. This is because at level 12 it increases your minimum range by 5% and also adds 1 attack. That is a considerable increase in damage overtime for just 2 points. For Example, raising Expertise from 10-12 will increase you damage over time more than increasing Sharp Eye from level 15-17. Something similar can be said about obtaining the Level 30 Mastery Book. Mastery affects all skills, and the w.atk bonus stacks with all (X)bows. Outside of bow expert 20, the other mastery books for this skill are common and fairly cheap. Hurricane Level 1 Hurricane with level 1 Sharp Eyes consistently out damages level 1 Sharp Eyes and maxed Strafe. If you obtain the 20 Mastery Book and is currently maxing out other skills of importance (i.e. Sharp Eyes and Expertise), I recommend putting at least 1 point into it before continuing the other skills. This is said because at level 11 it increases the skills damage by 11%. That is a lot for one point. For Example, raising Hurricane from 10-11 will increase your damage over time more than Sharp Eyes or Expertise of 12-13. Something similar can be said about obtaining the Level 30 Mastery Book. Hurricane 20 is easily obtained, while Hurricane 30 is a much rarer Pap exclusive drop. Pierce Pierce is the strongest mob skill in the game without the sacrifice of mesos. If you obtain the Level 20 Mastery Book, and you are currently maxing other skills putting 1 point in it is recommended by me. I say this because the number of monsters that it can mob increases by 1 and hitting more monsters is definitely better than hitting less monsters. Something similar can be said about obtaining the Level 30 Mastery Book. If you max Pierce somewhat early, Dragon Breath is an excellent skill to use in combination with it. Unfortunately, Iron Arrow is stronger than Pierce to an extent. With level 10 SE, you need level 15 Pierce to out damage IA's DPS. Pierce does, however, have the ability to be charged while moving, making it a mobile power skill even before level 15, as opposed to IA's quick-weak spammability. Pierce 30 is a rare Papulatus drop, although not very expensive. Concentrate Concentrate raises attack, and at the same time cuts MP cost for skills. Max level concentrate averages out to 13w.atk and -25% mp use, if no attack potions are used after the atk bonus wears off. Due to warrior elixirs in NLC, it is debatable as to how necessary this skill really is in GMS, much like rage and dragon’s blood. Putting excessive points in this should not be thought about until levels 150+. Snipe Snipe is a very good skill but has a long timer cool down in the beginning, which makes it become a lower of a priority. However it should be noted that Snipe increases experience gain over time, as the difference between 1 hit to kill and 5 hits to kill is large. If you ever used an 80+ atk pot on a high leveled monster you should understand this. Putting excessive points in this should not be thought about until levels 130+. Snipe 30 is a Horntail exclusive drop, meaning it is rare but not as expensive as one would expect. Maple Hero During 4th job you will party frequently and other people will have Maple Warrior. Points in this can be considered before Concentrate and Snipe. Night Lords and 4th job magicians in particular seem to get this skill as early as 130, and you will spend most of your time in a party with them. Maple Warrior 20 is a much sought after HT exclusive drop, and is rather expensive and rare. Other All other skills depends on the person, in maxation, do they want to become damage conservative with Blind/Hamstring, pot conservative and increase exp over time with Concentrate and Snipe, or focus attention towards Phoenix/Freezer and Dragon Breath. The skills that the player wants could also be based on fun as fun plays a huge factor than any other previous build seeing that it will take you weeks to level under normal conditions for the average person. I also suggest 1-3 points in Hamstring for Bowmasters, as it works hand and hand with Hurricanes KB rate and exponentially increases the time it takes for a monster to get to you, even at a low level. Most of these other skills are extremely inexpensive, as they do not contribute nearly as much as SE, Expert, MW, and Hurricane / Snipe / Pierce to DPS, and are normally maxed much later in 4th job. This means, however, that these books are considerably rarer, due to people thinking they are worthless due to the small market of lvl 150+ bowmen and dropping them on the ground or letting them fade away. Good SP levels to stop on the important skills is listed below: Sharp Eyes: After level 9 you can efficiently stop at any odd level. Expertise: 1,6,12,16, 21, 27. Hurricane: 11,21,26 Pierce: 11,21 Phoenix/Frostprey – 11, 21. Freezer gets +1s duration of freeze at 11 and 21. Blind / Hamstring – 11, 21 Snipe – any level, but as it approaches lvl 30 it should be maxed ASAP Dragon Breath – 11, 21 Common opening 4th job builds: Sharp Eyes First Bowmaster Build 120 – 1 Hurricane, 2 Sharp Eyes 121– 1 SE(3), 1 Dragon Breath, 1 Bow Expertise 122~129 – 3 SE (27) 130 – 2 SE (29), 1 Hurricane (2) 131~133 – 3 Hurricane (11) 134~149 – Hurricane to 21 and Bow Expertise, in any order (Remember the stopping points). 150~153 – Maple Warrior 153 Onward is player’s choice, as all three builds come together. Explanation: This build is focused on partying, and as such SE is maxed as soon as possible. Their individual damage will suffer slightly, however their party members will gain increased killing speed, which is especially beneficial in boss run settings. This is by far the most expensive of the three starting builds. Hurricane First Bowmaster Build 120 – 1 Hurricane, 2 Sharp Eyes 121 – 1 SE(3), 1 Bow Expertise, 1 Dragon Breath 122~123 – 3 SE (9) 124~129 – 3 Hurricane (19) 130 – 2 Hurricane (21), 1 SE or Bow Expertise 131~149 – Sharp Eyes depending on availability of Skillbooks, then Expert. 150~153 – Maple Warrior 153 Onward is player’s choice, as all three builds come together. Explanation: This build optimizes the Bowmaster’s own killing speed, and allows a Bowmaster to reliably KB strong targets such as Papulatus before the other builds. This build is moderately expensive for a beginning Bowmaster. Bow Expertise First Bowmaster Build 120 – 1 Hurricane, 2 Sharp Eyes 121 – 1 SE (3), 1 Bow Expertise, 1 Dragon Breath 122~123 – 3 SE (9) 124 – 3 Bow Expertise (4) 125~131 – 3 Bow Expertise (25) 132 – 2 Bow Expertise (27), 1 Hurricane (2) 133~138 – 3 Hurricane (20) 139~149 – 1 Hurricane (21), 2 SE 150~153 – Maple Warrior 153 Onward is player’s choice, as all three builds come together. Explanation: This build requires the least mesos at early 4th job out of all three common builds. Mastery adds a considerable amount of damage to every skill a bowman has for how inexpensive it is. [center]Common points to all Bowmaster builds:[/center] 1 Hurricane and 2 Sharp Eyes are obtained at 120 due to the fact established in the bowman FAQ that level 1 Hurricane and any level SE is better than max Strafe and any level SE. 1 point in Bow Expertise is obtained the level after, as level 1 SE has an infuriatingly short timer (which is why Bow Expertiset isn’t gotten at 120) but yields a substantial increase in all attacking skills damage for only one point. Level 10 SE is a standard expectation of 4th job bowmen, as the timer is at a decent length and adds a decent additional activation rate. Zakum runners in GMS expect level 10 SE, and participating on Zakum runs allows a player to build up funds to purchase other mastery books. 1 Phoenix and/or Concentrate is usually gotten somewhere before 140, for fun. The last 3 points of mastery only add one attack and zero mastery %, so these three points are better spent in SE, Hurricane, or MW, as each add more damage than 1 atk point will. The 3 final points in expert can be added afterwards. Likewise, the last 9 points in hurricane add less damage than 9 points in SE or Bow Expertise will, and are usually added after SE gets to 29 and Expert to 27. Sharp Eyes First Marksman Build 120 – 2 Sharp Eyes, 1 Frostprey 121 – 1 SE (3), 1 Marksman Boost, 1 Dragon Breath. 122~130 – 3 SE (30) 131~140 – 3 Marksman Boost (30) 140 Onward is player's choice, but maxing Pierce and Snipe before 16x is recommended. Explanation: This build is focused on partying, and as such SE is maxed as soon as possible. Individual killing speed for Marksman will rise greatly, as opposed to Boost first. This is by far the most expensive of the three starting builds. Marksman Boost First Marksman Build 120 – 2 Sharp Eyes, 1 Frostprey 121 – 1 SE (3), 1 Marksman Boost, 1 Dragon Breath. 122~123 – 3 SE (9) 124~132 – 3 Marksman Boost (27) 133 Onward is player's choice, depending on the availability of SE books, this should be maxed next, followed by Pierce and Snipe. Explanation: This build is a much cheaper alternative to the SE first build, but is far weaker in comparison. However, if you do not have the mesos to afford a SE book, this build is recommended. Pierce First Marksman Build 120 – 2 Sharp Eyes, 1 Frostprey 121 – 1 SE (3), 1 Marksman Boost, 1 Dragon Breath. 122~123 – 3 SE (9) 124~133 – Pierce (30) 134 Onward is player's choice, depending on the availability of SE books, this should be maxed next, followed by Marksman Boost, and then Snipe. Explanation: This build takes advantage of the sheer mobbing power of Pierce early on, before it becomes overshadowed by a Marksman's single target killing abilities. Two disadvantages to this build, is the lack of Mastery, which will make pierce highly unstable, and the lack of Single Target damage, which will make any single target training areas significantly harder. [center]Common points to all Marksman builds:[/center] 1 Frostprey and 2 Sharp Eyes are both obtained at 120 due to SE's significant boost to damage, and Frostprey's total dominance over Eagle. 1 point in Marksman Boost is obtained the level after, as level 1 SE has an infuriatingly short timer (which is why Marksman Boost isn’t gotten at 120) but yields a substantial increase in all attacking skills damage for only one point. Level 10 SE is a standard expectation of 4th job bowmen, as the timer is at a decent length and adds a decent additional activation rate. Zakum runners in GMS expect level 10 SE, and participating on Zakum runs allows a player to build up funds to purchase other mastery books. The last 3 points of mastery only add one attack and zero mastery %, so these three points are better spent in SE or MW, as each add more damage than 1 atk point will. The 3 final points in expert can be added afterwards. Pierce and Snipe both generally face heavy criticisms, and are considered lower priority than Marksman Boost or SE but are still quite useful, and should be maxed soon after Marksman Boost and SE, or before SE if funds do not allow buying SE 20. 1 point is usually gotten in Snipe early on, for fun. [center]Extra Notes on 4th job[/center] Specialty builds do not work as well during 4th job as ones during 1st or 2nd – People level too slow, training spots are limited, and most become focused on becoming as strong as they can so as to compete with their peers, people they have run into time and again. A surprising number of 4th jobbers are poor, and have very little money to fall back on if they fail bought mastery books. Your peers in this stage of MS will not only be interested in your equips, but also your skill build. [center]----- Appendix -----[/center] In-depth analysis of some contentious skills 1. Arrow Bomb is a mob skill that has the ability to stun a mob and has a splash AoE . Arrow Bomb’s initial impact deals very low damage to the monster that it hits, but is compensated by decent damage the mob is dealt in the explosion and a higher critical percent. The higher critical percent is explained in the Archer Frequently Asked Questions. Arrow Bomb is the only mob skill with a status effect that a Hunter-Class bowmen has, which makes it a skill that’s almost irreplaceable. 2. Blizzard is an ice mob skill for Snipers, which allows them to completely immobilize a monster with ice. It is the only elemental skill a Sniper will receive before 4th job skill, Freezer. However it is not this job class last effective mobbing skill. Blizzard is usually not maxed by Snipers because unlike Inferno, Blizzard is not used for damage purposes, but for strategic measures. Although Blizzard has a status effect that Inferno does not have, Blizzard does not critical. 3. Booster and Soul Arrow are two skills that supplies buffs to bowmen. This should not be a priority skill in maxation order due to the fact that duration is the least effective of all 2nd job skills. If a bowmen has the points to max both skills then they should be maxed near the end or around the end of 2nd job. If a person does not have the points to max them they should Syc the two skills together. The most effective SP points for Syncage is: (5 Soul Arrow, 15 Booster) , (6 Soul Arrow, 18 Booster) , or (7 Soul Arrow, 20 Booster). For Syncage Soul Arrow should not exceed 7 SP. 4. Final Attack- see What makes 2nd job skill builds vastly different in the 2nd job section. 5. Focus and Blessing- see Explanation of Build for Standard 1st Job Build 6. Hawk/Eagle is a summon that requires the use of a summon rock, which price ranges from 5000-6500 mesos. This skill when max has a 99% chance of stunning a monster along with dealing a moderate amount of damage to the monster that is attacked. Hawk/Eagle is one of the few support skills that has multiple effects. Because Hawk/Eagle will attack any monster that is within its range, and can cease a monster from attacking any player through stun or death, this skill can be considered the closest thing a bowmen has to a party skill until 4th job. Hawk/Eagle needs to be at level 15 in order to unlock 4th job skill Phoenix/Freezer. 7. Inferno is a fire mob skill for Rangers that is usually the last skill a bowmen maxes if it is maxed at all. This skill is the only elemental skill a Ranger has until 4th job skill, Phoenix. This is one of the last effective mobbing skills a Ranger will receive most likely for the rest of the game. It would seem like a good skill choice to max this skill, but some bowmen find that SP points in it is unnecessary. Unlike its counterpart Blizzard, Inferno has no status effect but can critical. 8. Mortal Blow is a skill that when the enemy gets close to the bowmen at a certain percentage will fire an arrow. It is considered a backup security skill because it can potentially KB a monster away from the bowmen or at certain HP brackets instantly kill a monster before its HP reaches zero. Mortal Blow's usefulness in fourth job seems to be to a higher degree than at third job. With the skill Hurricane the effects of Mortal Blow are in a way doubled, and with the skill Pierce, if a monster is still alive after fired, a monster in bow whacking ranged would trigger Mortal Blow without the player having to press another button or lift a finger. Still, many bowmen choose to leave Mortal Blow at a low level for personal reasons of their own, while some choose to utilize the effectiveness of this defensive skill by sacrificing SP points that could have been used in another skill. 9. Bow Mastery and Crossbow Mastery is a skill that decreases the damage gap in the damage range of a bowmen. This is usally recommended to max first mainly due to the fact that it will stabilize your damage and increase your damage over time. It also adds accuracy which most bowmen do not need and is generally the reason why Mastery is left at level 19 for the most part of Second Job mainly due to the fact that level 20 Mastery only adds accuracy. Mastery must be maxed in order to use the skill Advanced mastery in Fourth Job. 10. Power Knock Back is a skill that allows a bowmen to deliver sufficient damage to a monster in an attempt to knock a monster away from the bowmen. The damage formula for PKB is currently unknown which leads to many speculations on how it effects ones bow. The usefulness of PKB varies from player to player and level bracket to level bracket. Some people use it often and some people rarely use it or not at all. It is also debated whether PKB is useful because of its unpredictability to effectively knock a monster back and whether it will be replaced by Dragon Pulse in 4th job. Bowmen have also created alternative uses for PKB other than protecting themselves from monsters. Bowmen can use PKB in an attempt to kill certain players or create games such as Golem Tennis/Platform Knockoff. Bowmen are one of the few classes that can actually kill another player. 11. Puppet is probably one of the main indirect skills that a bowmen has, which attracts a monster to a Scarecrow figure, and allowing the bowmen to remain unharmed. This enables bowmen to survive many situations and fight a variety of monsters that would normally decimate the bowmen if Puppet were not implemented. Puppet works on an aggro basis, or in other words, in order for a monster to be attracted to the Puppet, the monster has to be attempting to attack the bowman. For a monster to become aggro, they must be attacked by the bowmen, however some monsters are set to auto-aggro and will immediately try to attack a bowmen, when the bowmen gets near that monster. One of the favorite uses of puppet is to place it in a spot where the aggro monster cannot reach it so that the Puppet will not disappear from excessive damage. This causes the monster to stay in one spot trying to get to the puppet completely leaving the bowman unharmed. 12. Sharp Eyes is the first and only exclusive party skill that Archers obtain. It allows any class to perform critical hits, and boosts the effects of Critical already owned by other classes. It should be noted that Sharp Eyes adds not the percentage that is displayed in the skill description, but that and an additional 100% for every character class except Magicians. The percent chance of a critical activating stacks with any current percent chance activation that may exist. For example, Level 1 Sharp Eyes gives 41% chance to activate a critical on a Bowman, and each skill gets a “total” boost of 211% Damage. 13. Thrust is a skill that passively gives speed to a bowmen. Most bowmen prefer to put points in thrust last, and only a few points are put into it. However if one were to put a sufficient amount of points into Thrust it would allow them to wear Attack Capes, or Defensive Purpose Capes without any reduction in speed. A person who also decides to put a decent amount of points into Thrust has larger choice of bows to choose from since they don’t necessarily need to look for a bow that gives them an extra boost in speed. Defensive Skills and Characteristics In order to save space this topic should be read at the following link Frequently Asked Questions Q. Bronze and Steel arrows with Soul Arrow? Q. What is Mastery? Q. What does booster do, or how does it work? Q. Which is better Arrow Bomb, or Iron arrow? Q. How do you jump shoot? Q. Speed or jump? Q. Snowshoes or Whitebottoms? Q. Dex or attack? Q. Red Viper/Heckler or V2k/Silver Crow? Q. Arrow Blow or Double shot? Q. Str-less? Q. Is Double Shot + FA better than level 1 Strafe? Q. Hunter or Crossbowmen All of the previous questions can be found here Q. What does _____ skill do? A. Most explained here, if you don’t see what you need please post Q. What should my AP build be? A. Your Strength should be +5 your level if you’re a Hunter/Ranger, if you’re a crossbowman your strength should be the same as your level. You remaining points should go into Dex. Q. Skill builds please! A. Why are you even in this thread? Q. Should I go low Strength? A. Most bowmen go low Strength since almost all the equips for bowmen DO NOT require Strength Q. What about Str-less? A. … Q. Which is better Sniper or Ranger? A. I cannot say that both Snipers and Rangers are equal because in reality nothing is equal. But these classes are as close to each other as can possibly be, because Nexon made bowmen a complimentary class. A Ranger shoots faster by AT LEAST four arrows a minute, has a faster fire pickup speed and a higher damage over time percentage when skills are applied. A Sniper has higher damage ranges to make up for shooting slower than a Ranger. A Rangers fast firing rate and intial fire pickup speed and a Snipers high damage on average equals the same damage over time and usually both classes kill about the same amount of monsters in one minute. Well Snipers have cheaper bow scrolls, what about that? Currently Snipers can scroll weapons easier than Rangers due to the costs of scrolls. The only problem with this advantage is that it’s temporary. As more people decide to choose the path of the crossbowman, the more demand for scrolls go up and the more expensive they become. In addition, the fact that there are less Crossbowmen, means that currently there are less Crossbows scrolled. So, although a Crossbow may be cheaper, finding a well scrolled Crossbow will most likely be harder. Well Rangers look sexy, what about that? Ok….If we are judging cartoon pixel qualities on a level of sexiness, then something is probably wrong with us. People have varying ideas on what looks cool and what doesn’t, so it’s really up to the player to decide whether their Sniper or Ranger looks “sexy.” Snipers have Blizzard, that’s the pwnzers, what about that? Yes…Blizzard is the pwnzers, but so is Inferno. Blizzard is a skill that is purely used for strategic purposes and changes the playing style of a Sniper. The same can be said for Inferno because it is kept at low SP levels until a Ranger gets closer to level 120. Inferno is used strategically to lure monsters and to cluster monsters together; i.e. clustering gobies together so they don’t spread around the map. That’s all Blizzard and Inferno are, skills used for strategic purposes. The only differences these skills have is that in the end of a Sniper’s and Ranger’s job (entering Fourth Job) one becomes a Superior immobilizer that deals moderate damage but doesn’t critical, and one that becomes a superior elemental damager that criticals. If that’s the case which one should I choose then? You choose whatever you prefer. Do you like rapid firing and implementing burning strategical moves or do you like Sheer power and immobilizing your foe with artic blows. If you like bowmen, you’ll probably like your choice whatever it may be. One thing that I would like to add though: Rangers should stop complaining that their damage pales to that of a Sniper. As Nexon says on their website “It may be weaker than the crossbow, but it's so quick, you'll be able to hunt swiftly.” That’s a fact, Nexon made it that no matter how much godly equips you get, your damage will ALWAYS have the potential to fall short of a Snipers. And Snipers should stop complaining or minimizing the fact that they shoot slower than a Ranger, like Nexon says again “It may be slower than the bow, but it's so powerful, it can go through any monsters one may see.” That’s a fact, Rangers will ALWAYS shoot faster than you. Nexon even made this more clear in Fourth Job; Bowmasters have faster firing skills, and Crossbowmasters have more power damaging skills, there’s no way around it, because it's Nexon’s decisions. Note from Author: I always see people claim that one build is better or that one skill is useless. In my opinion that is not the case. I believe in Value Theory. For example if Person A uses all of their 3rd job points on 3rd job skills and so does Person B they both have the same potential in playing the game EVEN though they may have different skill builds. Each player still has the same amount of points invested in their job, so both have equal chances. The thing that makes it different is HOW the player goes about using their build, that determines whether they screwed themselves or not. If a person Maxes out Thrust or Maxes out Blessing of the Amazon, as long as they know how to take advantage of the situation, they will perform just as well as another person. For example, I am DS-Less and FA. Meaning I used Arrow Blow and FA, all the way until level 70. I can honestly say that I always had a decent supply of money on me from the pots that I saved off of MP. For ME, it allowed me to upgraded my equips higher than the average archer and make my AB become on par and in some cases better than the Average DS. There was no-hindrance in my build whatsoever, because I played my build how I created it. Basically I am trying to say. NO skill is useless and NO Skill Build is better than the other. Skill Builds were designed NOT to avoid certain skills, but to mold a play style that a player might prefer and have an easier time enjoying the game with. Credits: This thread was not created by me alone, with the help of the Basil Bowmen community this thread became what you see now. I personally would like to give thanks to sapphire8, LordMufasa, spiritrival, kennethjay, d0tO, DeeArcher, gfreak002, Reginleif, kevvl13, Technolink, Tzk221, phoenix23, player1or2, 2mbur2n, I would like to give special thanks to Kevvl, who spent alot of effort in revamping and editing certain sections of the guide, in essence co-authoring some sections, and lcedFire, who spent a lot of effort helping Kevvl to update the 4th job section. I would also like to thank mr basil and the moderators of BasilMarket for sticking this guide. Return to Top Replies
A minor suggestion for 3rd job build:Instead of maxing strafe, leave it at 29, so you can get an extra point in rain/AE, meaning you can get it to lvl 11 one level earlier. New Pic: Do you know what this is?
I don't believe the attack formulas...An Xbowmen with strafe has a higher damage multiplier, so I'd imagine that with better equips, damage/minute for an xbow would surpass rangers. Even enough to make up for the extra 4 or so shots the bowman could fit in.
slicknstylin said: "I don't believe the attack formulas... An Xbowmen with strafe has a higher damage multiplier, so I'd imagine that with better equips, damage/minute for an xbow would surpass rangers. Even enough to make up for the extra 4 or so shots the bowman could fit in." You can find your own formula. =/ You also have to know that this game was designed to have some sort of balance between the different classes. New Pic: Do you know what this is?
slicknstylin said: "I don't believe the attack formulas... bluebomber only showed the percentages. Crossbow Men and Snipers do similar actual damage per minute to Hunters and Rangers. An Xbowmen with strafe has a higher damage multiplier, so I'd imagine that with better equips, damage/minute for an xbow would surpass rangers. Even enough to make up for the extra 4 or so shots the bowman could fit in."
It's a percentage. Bows have less actual base damage. To compare a little better, multiply bow by 3.4 and crossbow by 3.6. This is just an approximation though.
2 questions: apart from gobies what are high spawn maps that GMS has? i see alot of KMS/JMS/CMS in which there are many spawn maps but all i know is gobies for GMS. Also, i just watched the 4th job videos, i think for 2nd job we need to max bow/xbowmastery but i am not sure...also is there an expectation date for 4th job in GMS?
Himes, from what I've heard has really good spawn.
someone plz tell me how fa is usefull in third job when both your main attacks get replaced with way better ones or are you gonna go around all day using your weak attacks while you could be doing 2x the damage
dereksym said: "someone plz tell me how fa is usefull in third job when both your main attacks get replaced with way better ones or are you gonna go around all day using your weak attacks while you could be doing 2x the damage" Arrow Bomb. Arrow Bomb+FA excels at Himes, and if it can KB even squids.
Radika said: "Also, i just watched the 4th job videos, i think for 2nd job we need to max bow/xbowmastery but i am not sure...also is there an expectation date for 4th job in GMS?" You do need to max Crossbow Mastery and Bow Mastery to unlock Bow Expertise and Crossbow Expertise. There is no expectation date. A user on Basil asked a GM when they would release 4th job and the GM replied by saying something like there wasn't enough people above level 120.
spiritrival said: "You do need to max Crossbow Mastery and Bow Mastery to unlock Bow Expertise and Crossbow Expertise. There is no expectation date. A user on Basil asked a GM when they would release 4th job and the GM replied by saying something like there wasn't enough people above level 120." thanks but the comment about the gm is f ed up.... people over 120, what will they do when 4th job comes out? they lose tons of time spent leveling, also i think someone should put a petition together for higher exp rate, MS is really difficult to level which i guess it half the fun but if there was even a slight increase they would have much more profit and players and activity so i dont see why they wouldnt/havent raised exp rates. so for all those lvl 120 who become bow/xbow masters will they have to spend a point maxing it to 20?
bluebomber24 said: " Arrow Bomb. Arrow Bomb+FA excels at Himes, and if it can KB even squids." are you srsly gonna use arrow bomb at himes when you can just use arrow rain which is so much better and dont have to worry about distance away since you cant really get away from them
dereksym said: " are you srsly gonna use arrow bomb at himes when you can just use arrow rain which is so much better and dont have to worry about distance away since you cant really get away from them" Arrow Rain is in no way or form better than bomb at Himes. Any smart Ranger will be using a combination of Bomb+Hawk+Puppet. If you use Arrow Rain then you are sbubject to dying. Read what the Training Reference said about Himes, that small section was created by multiple bowmen alone, and it mentions nothing about Arrow Rain. As a matter of fact let me show you. Encounter with the Buddha Mong Ghosts (also known as Dreamy Ghosts, or Himes) Spawn 5/5 Money 3/5 Exp 5/5 Exp to HP Ratio: 1/21.3 Pros - Unbelievably fast spawn, you hardly have to move. They come to you. - Map is perfectly flat - Some decent drops - Great for mobbing, puppet is very useful - Great for partying; splitting map with priest is awesome exp - Currently the fastest place for 110+ archers out in GMS Cons - Hard to find a channel - Tengu/Black Crow spawns there - Constant use of HP pots - Don't drop a lot of mesos for how hard they are - 2HKO - No elemental weakness Overall 4/5 When you go to train here, think old Coolie maps on steroids. It is flat and easy to navigate, but the spawn is much faster and the enemies move very fast. Arrow Bomb's stun, maxed Puppet, and Hawk/Eagle will make your life much easier here and are effective in slowing them down some, but if you train here, plan to die a few times getting used to it. Bringing something that recovers 2000 HP is recommended. It is also very difficult to kill Tengu/Crow without an experienced party and it will kill an archer in one hit even with HB (touch and magic damage 8000+)
dereksym said: " are you srsly gonna use arrow bomb at himes when you can just use arrow rain which is so much better and dont have to worry about distance away since you cant really get away from them" Why would you want them even closer to get close to you, when there touch damage can kill you in about 2 hits? EDIT: Arrow Bomb + Hawk + Puppet is the best combination for a ranger there, since it helps keep them away from you, is powerful, and lessens your chance of dieing.
Radika said: "thanks but the comment about the gm is up.... people over 120, what will they do when 4th job comes out? they lose tons of time spent leveling, also i think someone should put a petition together for higher exp rate, MS is really difficult to level which i guess it half the fun but if there was even a slight increase they would have much more profit and players and activity so i dont see why they wouldnt/havent raised exp rates. so for all those lvl 120 who become bow/xbow masters will they have to spend a point maxing it to 20?" The creators of MapleStory Global released 3rd job after a few people reached level 70 and beyond. If you didn't waste any SP from after level 70, any other SP was turned into 3rd job SP. People speculate something similar will happen with 4th job. MapleStory chooses to have Exp the way it is because MapleStory FAQ said: "...perhaps you are doing everything fine and the game just levels more slowly than you would like. However, please keep in mind that there is no set rule to how fast a game should allow you to level. Some games allow you to level 30 times in one day but level 30 in that game may not be as valuable as level 30 in another game such as MapleStory. We could make the max level 10000 and allow you to level 20 times a day but what would be the sense in that. Please also keep in mind that leveling is not the sole purpose of this game as community, exploring/questing, item finding/trading, and making friends all add to the MapleStory experience." Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 ... [65]
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