General

Comprehensive Guide to Hero damage.

[header] Preample [/header]

This guide will not tell you where to train, please refer to other guides such as [url=http://www.basilmarket.com/MapleStory-Guide-Big-Bang---New-Training-Areas-341.html]this one[/url]. This guide will also not cover in depth how to make money to fund your character, this is up to you.

[header] The recommended build before utilizing this guide [/header]

AP distribution: Dexless.

SP distribution, all non-core skills have been omitted.

SP distribution first job:
[*] Max HP Increase

SP distrubtion second job:

[*] Max Final Attack
[*] Max Power Guard
[*] Max Booster
[*] Max Weapon Mastery

SP distribution third job:

[*] Max Chance Attack
[*] Max Coma
[*] Max Panic Attack.
[*] Max Combo Attack
[*] Max Brandish

SP distribution fourth job:

[*] Max Advanced Combo
[*] Max Interpid Slash
[*] Max Enrage
[*] 29 Maple Warrior
[*] Max stance
[*] 1 rush.
[*] 1 Monster magnet.
[header] Well done you're a hero [/header]

[header] Axes vs swords [/header]

Two handed sword is 1.32 multiplier.
Two handed axe is 1.32 mulitplier.
One handed sword is 1.20 multiplier.
One handed axe is 1.20 multiplier.

Only difference is that you can possibly get faster speed swords.
[header] Weapon speeds [/header]

Heroes should not be using any weapon slower than normal.

Normal (6) = 78 attacks a minute.
Fast (5) = 88 attacks a minute.
Fast (4) = 98 attacks a minute.

Therefore a fast (5) user will have approx 13% advantage in damage per a minute over normal (6). Fast (4) will have approx 11% advantage over fast (5). Lastly, fast (4) has an approx 25% advantage over normal (6).

[header] One handed vs two handed [/header]

Two handed swords are approximately 10% stronger.
Two handed axes are approximately 10% stronger.

[header] What about attack shields? [/header]

If you obtain a potentialled attack shield with great potential and stats, one-handed set ups always have more potential than their two handed counterparts.

[header] What attack one handed sword will I need to match a two handed one in damage output per a minute? [/header]

Firstly, when I wrote 10% stronger I meant 10% stronger damage range wise. Therefore if you have a 100 attack two handed sword, you don't need an 110 attack one handed sword, you'll probably need a 120 attack one because 15.5% stronger takes in account of other sources of w.att. i.e apples, blessing, MoN, attack gloves.

Example.

Total weapon attack: 229.
Weapon speed of 2h sword: Normal.

Weapon speed of 1h sword: Fast (4).

229 x 1.10 then x (1-.25) = 190 total weapon attack to match.

This doesn't take in account of extra % gear that you have from a potential shield if you have it.

[header] Which potential lines /attack should I aim for on my hero if I want to train? [/header]

For a training sword, you don't want highest DPM. You want fastest number of strikes to effectively kill the monster. i.e if monster has 10 HP. You don't want to do an inteprid strike with a normal speed sword doing 9/9/9. You would rather do it it with a fast (4) sword doing 6/6/6.

Therefore for training use this formula:

Average number of strikes to kill monster divided by weapon speed x 100. i.e

How to find average number of hits needed? Go and kill 100 that monster and count the hits used then average it.

2.45 hits to kill / 98 x 100= 2.50
1.98 hits to kill/ 78 x 100 =2.54

The lower the number the better. In this case, you see the fast (4) sword is better as the number is slightly lower. However this is purely theory. We must apply some realism to it. Therefore we always minus 1 to the number of hits need to kill to take into account of the time need to walk from monster to monster. You should not be training on monsters that take under 2 hits to kill unless you have no other option.

1.45 hits to kill/ 98 x 100 = 1.48
0.98 hits to kill/ 78 x 100 = 1.26

So in reality, it is more likely that the slower stronger weapon will be a better choice.

Potential lines to aim for: % STR, % Damage, % Total damage, % All stats. Remember: % Total damage does not stack.
Total damage is better than damage.

[header] Which potential lines /attack should I aim for on my hero if I want to boss? [/header]

Firstly you want the highest DPM you can obtain.

To find DPM take your max range + you min range /2 x your weapon speed. Remember this. i.e

100+ 200/ 2 x 98 = 150 x 98 = 14,700

Now we must take into account of PDR etc. Most bosses you kill with have 50% damage reduction. Heroes have 40% PDR naturally with their skill. So taking that in account.

14,700 x (1-(.50x 0.6))= 10,290.

The 0.6 is the amount of PDR you are ignoring, 1- 40% in this case. That can be alterable depending if you have full Von Leon set or 30% PDR on weapon etc.

Adding realism, few bosses will allow you to just stand there and smack away at them.

Benefits of 2 handed weapons:

[*] More meaningful hits, higher hits between knockbacks.
[*] Goes through defense less times.
[*] Greater benefit from apples.

Benefits of 1 handed weapons:

[*] Orbs charge faster.
[*] Stance/tanking can sometimes ignore the knockback disadvantage.

Overall 2h weapons have around a 2% advantage when being tested, this is too small to make a big difference. User skill could largely negate this.

Potential lines to aim for: 30% PDR, 30% Boss, %STR, % Damage, % Total damage, % All stats.

15% PDR is worse than 8/9% attack/str/all stats/total damage.
30% boss is better than 30% PDR for heroes due to passive 40% resist. 0.7 x 1.30 = 0.91 vs 0.85
Total damage is better than damage.

Best outcome is 30% Boss, 30% PDR, 9/12% Total damage.

[header] Is Panic/recycling orbs good to use during boss fights? [/header]

No, Nexon has rigged the formula for Panic with advanced combo to no longer scale. With regular combo, you gained more damage per each orb you had, i.e 5 orbs > 3 orbs. However once you get to advanced purple orbs, 5 advanced purple orbs = 2 advanced purple orbs. It stopped scaling and makes it not worthwhile.

[header] How to HP wash, and is it still necessary?[/header]

Not needed anymore, it was needed when heroes wanted to be able to use cheaper pots at Bigfoot or Bigfoot early. Personally for me I washed so did not need to pot between rushing bigfoot after taking the damage. If you still want to, you need to start at an early level and use INT equips everytime you level.

10 extra INT = 1 more MP.

After you level you need to pump the AP points into HP and use 5 AP resets to take off MP and re-add to strength. The minimum MP you can have is 4 x level +56.

[header] Questions from the crowd [/header]

@Xmagmarex: Difference between %attack and %total damage.

Total damage takes all the your total damage and multiplies by the increment of 3/6/9 or 4/8/12 etc, and rounds down.

Whereas attack takes your weapon attack and multiplies it by an increment of 3/6/9 or 3/8/12 etc, and rounds down. Then multiplies by your multiplier, stats etc and rounds down again. So when you get attack %, your damage gets rounded down twice which makes it less worthwhile than total damage.

Okay example, imagine your max damage range is 100. 100 x 1.09 = 109 max range with 9% total damage.
With 9% attack, imagine your attack was 22. 22x 1.09 = 23.98. This would be rounded down to 23 attack. Giving you a max damage range of 104.5, rounded down again to 104.

109> 104. Of course its only a small amount.