General

Cygnus Knights Faq Reference

Made this thread with the sole observation that nearly half of the Cygnus Knight section is 'WHAT CLASS SHOULD I MAKE?", with the threadmakers obviously too lazy to check the other dozen threads on the same page, or the individual guides to the left, and subsequently ignoring the fact that 'What Class should I play' threads are not exactly mod-friendly(there IS a warning, mind you) and can result in suspensions.

I am aware of the previous thread that was made, but that was back in 2009. [url=http://www.basilmarket.com/forum/1130957/1/Pros_amp_ConsOverview_of_Cygnus_Knight_Jobs.html]Link for those curious[/url].

So the following is a compilation of the benefits and limitations(pros and cons) of the Cygnus Knight paths primarily sourced from the guides and references to which I will credit in their respective sections. This also compiles a FAQ, which can be referred as a general reference.

All suggestions and other points worthy of noting are fully welcome and users will be credited accordingly.

[header]Cygnus Knights[/header]

PROS:
• Additional 10% exp with every level; this makes training easier
• Upon reaching level 120, the option to make an Ultimate Adventurer is available
• Obtain strong skills in 3rd Job which generally out-class normal Adventurer skills of the same job
• Empress' Blessing adds up to 24 attack depending on the CK's level

CONS:
• Level cap at 120; this makes one viable to level-restricted content such as Stronghold, and limits capabilities for locations 120+ such as PvP.
• Less chances of bossing; not that you would consider doing so on a CK
• Becomes obselete once an adventurer of a similar funding out-level the CK

[b]Blaze Wizard[/b]

Snagged from @MangosOnTheWeb 's Blaze Wizard Guide, found [url=http://www.basilmarket.com/MapleStory-Guide-Blaze-Wizard-Guide---SP-AP-training-spots-and-more-409.html]here[/url].

PROS:
• One of Fastest levellers in the game from 101-120, AKA the "hell levels" for everyone else
• 3rd job is a breeze with Fire Strike, as well as fire weak mobs (DGP anyone?)
• Skills have amazing animations
• Flame Gear in large maps like MP3 and DGP makes you nearly impossible to be KSed
• Insane survivability, highest MP in the game up to 120

CONS:
• Low 1 vs 1 DPM
• No party skills besides Meditation
• Meteor can no longer be spammed
• Must use insane amounts of Mana pots due to generally high MP costs, only exacerbated by Elemental Amplification
[quote=MangosOnTheWeb]NOTE: This is easily remedied with a Jr Boogie familiar, which takes literally 5 seconds to drop. It continuously restores your 15% of your MP every 10 minutes, meaning you'll never touch an MP pot again![/quote]
• Flame Gear is overshadowed by Poison Mist, which is much stronger and better (still not fixed in Ascension. Why, Nexon, why?)
• When up against a dispelling monster, all hell breaks loose as without Magic Guard, you're screwed
• Without Elemental Reset, going against Fire-based monsters is suicide

A Blaze Wizard is based off the fire aspect of a Fire Poison Mage/Archmage. Their primary attack is Flame Gear, though they have a variety of other skills up their sleeves(bad pun intended) which deal a good chunk of damage. They also have the summon Ifrit, which can be useful when battling against damage-reflecting bosses(*cough*Eleanor*cough*).

[b]Dawn Warrior[/b]

Information sourced from @eswarrr 's somewhat outdated guide(wasn't updated for Jump/Ascension), found [url=http://www.basilmarket.com/MapleStory-Guide-Dawn-Warrior-Guide-315.html]here[/url].

PROS:
• They're warriors, so naturally they have a high amount of HP; therefore increasing survivability rates
• Soul Driver, though a ghost of its former self, is still quite strong and effective for mobbing
• Mobility is raised as they have Soul Rush
• Combo Attack and Advanced Combo Attack increases attack and allows one to use even stronger skills than the average Brandish
• Rage is a great party skill which increases attack

CONS:
• Attacks generally have a small range
• Poor mobbing ability before Soul Driver
• Not exactly the strongest CK anymore; Nexon made sure of that

Dawn warriors are the Cygnus Knight counterpart of a Hero, primarily sharing the same skillset, save for a few different themed attacks. A vital difference between a Dawn warrior and a Hero is that Dawn Warriors have better mobility due to Soul Rush.

[b]Night Walker[/b]

Information sourced from @anisbro007 's Night Walker Guide(which has a distinct lack of a pros and cons section), found [url=http://www.basilmarket.com/MapleStory-Guide-Night-Walker-Guide-402.html]here[/url].

PROS:
• Flash Jump is obtained in second job
• Stars are cheaper than they used to be as far as I know, but still hard to come by
• Vampire lessens the pot blow
• Larger skill variety

CONS:
• No Shadow Claw, meaning you actually have to recharge
• Low HP; you're still rather delicate if you're not careful.
• With the upcoming thief revamp, flash jump can possibly become irritable as you'll have to tap jump twice, possibly leading to unexpected deaths, though there is an option to keep it as it is

[b]Wind Archer[/b]
Information sourced from my own guide(accurate as far as Ascension's concerned as of now), found [url=http://www.basilmarket.com/MapleStory-Guide-Wind-Archer-Guide-412.html]here[/url].

PROS:
• Wind Walk in Second Job. When maxed, you lose no speed and obtain a 160% attack bonus.

• Hurricane is obtained at level 100, increasing survivability

• Wind Pierce, obtained in Third Job, is a incredible source of raw damage

• Eagle Eye in Third Job, a great general boost to the player and is a godsend to unicorn hats

CONS:
• Storm Spike, compared to the late Storm Break's attack, is weaker and no longer knocks back, nor does it curve.

• Keyboard-intensive to train efficiently

• Low HP; can be called Potion Inhaler with good reason

• Not the path to take for a quick ticket to a UA because you will die A LOT(no kidding) if you are half-backsiding through the journey.

• Because Wind Walk heavily slows you down when you have high latency, Wind Archers are NOT a recommended class for people who either live far from the game servers or if they use WI-FI.

A Wind Archer is the Cygnus Knight counterpart of a normal Archer(Bowmen, to be precise). Unlike normal Archers, Wind Archers are blessed by the spirit of wind, which is the element their attacks are based upon.

Wind Archers, like most Bowmen, ideally would be sniping down monsters from afar quickly and efficiently. The only problem is that in Maple, the lack of safe platforms makes it difficult to handle the player while avoiding monsters. To get the best out of a Wind Archer, you have to have a Mercedes-worthy mindset and be nimble with the keyboard/console controller and to be a hard hitter.

[b]Thunder Breaker[/b]

Information sourced from @codypupp 's Thunder Breaker Guide(significantly outdated as far as I see, and a distinct lack of a pro and cons section), found [url=http://www.basilmarket.com/MapleStory-Guide-Thunder-Breaker-185.html]here[/url].

PROS:
• Transform(on top of the super saiyan effect) gives a speed boost, and an attack boost amongst other benefits, and has a small cool down time inbetween buffs(the buff overlaps the cool down until there is only 20 seconds left, unless if you die)
• Shark wave becomes your best friend
• An excellent close ranged attacker and has invincible frames on top of that
• Skills usually 30 SP are dropped to 20, albeit at a small nerf cost
• Speed infusion is an amazing party skill
• Drain is an awesome skill to abuse; no pot usage for quite a while

CONS:
• Shark wave spamming; it gets extremely repetitive, even for an MMORPG
• No real places to abuse the lightning element

[header]FAQ[/header]

[b]Q. What Cygnus Knight should I make?[/b]
[b]A.[/b] The most common question in the Cygnus Knight forums, no joke. Look above at the pros and cons, and decide from there.

[b]Q. Which Cygnus is the fastest to 120?[/b]
[b]A.[/b] It is currently tied between Wind Archers and Thunder Breakers; the former being finger intensive and the latter spam-galore.

[b]Q. What UA should I make?[/b]
[b]A.[/b] Noone can make this decision for you. If you're absolutely unfunded, you could always make a similar job to your CK(albeit quite pointless) to transfer equipment, but other than that, it's essentially the same as making a normal Archer. I wouldn't recommend making a UA thief though, unless if you really want the equipment from the Empress.

[b]Q. I'm only getting 5 AP instead of 6! What's going on?[/b]
[b]A.[/b] Once the Cygnus Knight hits 70, you only get 5 AP. It has been like this since it was first introduced.

[b]Q. If I make an Ultimate Adventurer, and delete it, can I make one from the same Cygnus Knight?[/b]
[b]A.[/b] No. You will have to remake a Cygnus to 120.

[b]Q. If I delete the Cygnus Knight, will the Ultimate Adventurer be deleted too?[/b]
[b]A.[/b] No, it won't.

[b]Q. Do Ultimate Adventurers and normal Adventurers share the same CS inventory?[/b]
[b]A.[/b] Yes.

[header]Thanks[/header]

Much thanks to:
@Slashx69
@anisbro007
@RollErryDay