The Complete Bowman Guide
I. Introduction
II. Information on Bowman
III. Starting Up
IV. Overall Bowman Skill and Ability Point Distribution
V. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Beginner
VI. Becoming a Bowman
VII. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Bowman
VIII. Becoming a Hunter
IX. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Hunter
X. Becoming a Ranger
XI. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Ranger
XII. Training Locations
XIII. Misconceptions, Comments, Questions, and Answers
I. Introduction
This guide will show you the best possible build a Bowman can have up
to the end of his/her third job. I will also list explanations to every
build, tell of training spots, and answer some questions about the
Bowman class in general.
II. Information on Bowman
Why become a bowman? Why not a Crossbowman? Bowmen shoot faster
with less damage, Crossbowmen shoot slower with more damage. It is
merely personal preference.
A. Advantages of being a Bowman
1. After you obtain Soul Arrow you do not have to carry arrows, which
saves money.
2. Critical Shot is obtained early and you will always be shooting with
multiple shots, always giving you the potential to hit high damage.
3. Highest accuracy amongst the four classes, average avoidability, and
tend to have cheaper items.
4. Every single third job skill is useful, unlike other classes.
5. They have the potential of obtaining a passive haste with the right
equips.
6. You have the ability to jump shoot. It has been proven that jump
shooting does increase your range slightly. This, in turn, gives you
the longest range in the game.
7. Your HP and MP are the most balanced in the game.
B. Disadvantages of being a Bowman
1. You cannot attack up close to a monster. This problem is helped in
the second job with Power Knock-Back, and fixed in the third job
with Mortal Blow.
2. Leveling from 10-30 can be hard, considering you have no mastery
yet. Your damage is going to be very inconsistent.
3. You have absolutely no party skills besides Silver Hawk. Bowmen
generally aren't needed for most parties and are usually considered
more of solo characters.
4. You will be using Double Shot as your main attack until you reach a
decent level of Strafe in the third job.
5. Jump shooting can be straining on your hands after a while.
6. Not as powerful as Crossbowmen, but balance out with speed.
7. You lose the most experience when you die: 10%.
III. Starting Up
Now you've finally started the game. Being a Bowman you shoot from a
distance. To level you merely kill monsters and get a set amount of
experience that is required for the next level. There are quests to do
along the way, mesos to earn, and jobs to be made.
Some people have variations on how they start. Some prefer to go melee
first for a while to save money on arrows and level faster. I don't
believe going melee will help you at all. You should always stick with
the bow and arrows, as learning to use it is a whole different concept.
You need to learn how close you can be to attack, when you should
knock-back, etc.
There are always going to be people who will kill steal (KS) you.
However, the people who get tired of the archer early do not have
a high level of patience. The misconception is that archers are
slow to level in the beginning. The fact is that it takes the same
amount of experience for every player to level from one specific
level to another. It is all mind over matter. If you get tired of
whacking your bow into an enemy, move back, find an opening, and
shoot. And if you can persevere until the third job, you will
be greatly rewarded.
IV. Overall Bowman Ability Point and Skill Point Distribution
Before you look at how I set up each build, I will tell you this: It is
more effective to max out one skill at a time if at all possible.
Skipping around to other skills does not help you train in most
situations, and the people who do get different skills before others
are maxed just do it to have fun most of the time. It is
understandable, but I fully believe in getting one skill at a time
to maximize their effectiveness early.
Why get one skill at a time when sometimes you might be using a more
useful skill later? The reason is really because you will be using
almost all of the skills you acquire.
Your strength will always be five above your level. Some people prefer
to put five points into dexterity for four levels, then take the fifth
level to put five points into strength. I personally think that adding
four points into dexterity and one point into strength every level is
more efficient. Either way, every fifth level you will equal out with
the same points.
V. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Beginner
Level 1 +0 Skill Points (0) [6 STR 11 DEX]
Level 2 +1 Nimble Feet (1) [7 STR 15 DEX]
Level 3 +1 Nimble Feet (2) [8 STR 19 DEX]
Level 4 +1 Nimble Feet (3) {Maxed} [9 STR 23 DEX]
Level 5 +1 Recovery (1) [10 STR 27 DEX]
Level 6 +1 Recovery (2) [11 STR 31 DEX]
Level 7 +1 Recovery (3) {Maxed} [12 STR 35 DEX]
Level 8 +0 Skill Points (0) [13 STR 39 DEX]
Level 9 +0 Skill Points (0) [14 STR 43 DEX]
Level 10 +0 Skill Points (0) [15 STR 47 DEX]
Explanation:
Right before you make your character, make sure your stats are exactly
as I have listed for level one. This is the best possible start for a
future Bowman. Your main goal right now is to become level 10 with at
least 25 dexterity points to make the job advancement in Henesys.
As you level, always put one ability point into strength and four into
dexterity. Nimble Feet is maxed first to move around more quickly
while getting the experience you need quicker. As you level, your
HP will increase, thus Recovery is needed to lessen the use potions.
While you are at Maple Island be sure to complete every quest for fast
experience. Never wait to put skill points or ability points in or save
them. Use them right away, every time you level.
VI. Becoming a Bowman
After obtaining level 10 go to South Perry where you can voyage off to
Victoria Island. Do not level higher than level 10 before making your
job advancement. Once you are at Victoria, move south to Henesys
and talk to Athena Piece to advance.
VII. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Bowman
Level 10 +1 Arrow Blow (1) [15 STR 47 DEX]
Level 11 +3 The Blessing of the Amazon (3) [16 STR 51 DEX]
Level 12 +3 The Eye of the Amazon (3) [17 STR 55 DEX]
Level 13 +3 The Eye of the Amazon (6) [18 STR 59 DEX]
Level 14 +2 The Eye of the Amazon (8) {Maxed} [19 STR 63 DEX]
+1 Double Shot (1)
Level 15 +3 Critical Shot (3) [20 STR 67 DEX]
Level 16 +3 Critical Shot (6) [21 STR 71 DEX]
Level 17 +3 Critical Shot (9) [22 STR 75 DEX]
Level 18 +3 Critical Shot (12) [23 STR 79 DEX]
Level 19 +3 Critical Shot (15) [24 STR 83 DEX]
Level 20 +3 Critical Shot (18) [25 STR 87 DEX]
Level 21 +2 Critical Shot (20) {Maxed} [26 STR 91 DEX]
+1 Double Shot (2)
Level 22 +3 Double Shot (5) [27 STR 95 DEX]
Level 23 +3 Double Shot (8) [28 STR 99 DEX]
Level 24 +3 Double Shot (11) [29 STR 103 DEX]
Level 25 +3 Double Shot (14) [30 STR 107 DEX]
Level 26 +3 Double Shot (17) [31 STR 111 DEX]
Level 27 +3 Double Shot (20) {Maxed} [32 STR 115 DEX]
Level 28 +3 The Blessing of the Amazon (6) [33 STR 119 DEX]
Level 29 +3 The Blessing of the Amazon (9) [34 STR 123 DEX]
Level 30 +3 The Blessing of the Amazon (12) [35 STR 127 DEX]
Explanation:
Right. Now you are finally a Bowman. Use your first skill point on
Arrow Blow. Keep in mind that this will be the only point you ever
put into Arrow Blow. Why? Double Shot will be your main attack
later. Arrow Blow is a stronger, single attack. However, Double
Shot maxed is two 130% shots with your 40% critical. AB maxed
is 160% damage and can knock-back more than Double Shot.
DS, though can deal a lot more damage and deals a better average
attack over time.
Arrow Blow: 260% + 100% Critical = 360% (Maximum damage)
Double Shot: 130% + 100% = 230% x 2 = 460% (Maximum Damage)
The damage is obviously capable of hitting higher than Arrow Blow
despite less knock-back.
Your main goal as you level is to get your range extended as soon as
possible. In order to do this you need to unlock it by putting three
points into The Blessing of the Amazon. With your range extended to
its max, training should be fairly easier. As soon as your range is
maxed it's time to get your first point into Double Shot. Get used to
this skill; you'll be using it for a long time.
Next, of course, is Critical Shot. This will be the most helpful skill
to you in the game. Maxed it gives you a chance to hit 200% of your
normal damage at a 40% success rate. Once this is out of the way,
you will want to get your main attacking skill, Double Shot, maxed.
Now, at level 27, you will definitely be doing some good damage. For
level 28, 29 and 30, a lot of people like to get Focus. Right now I am
telling you it is a complete waste of MP to use a level 9 Focus over
and over for a mere 9 accuracy and avoidability increase. You will
get Focus maxed later, so do not worry. Put your last 9 points into
The Blessing of the Amazon, increasing your passive accuracy
bonus to 12.
VIII. Becoming a Hunter
Yes, level 30 has arrived. Go back to Athena Piece and she will
realize you are ready to become a Hunter. Talk to her, and she will
send you to her colleague, the Second Job Instructor. Head to the
top right portal of Henesys and advance to the second area
towards the Dungeon. Here you will find her at the top. Talk to her,
and you will be plunged into a hidden street of Ant Tunnel.
Here you will need to defeat Zombie Mushrooms and Evil Eyes until
you get 30 dark marbles. This task may seem overwhelming. My
advice is to drop down to the bottom level right away and kill the
enemies down there, because if you don't the spawn will
overwhelm you at the bottom. Make sure you prepare yourself for
this test with a good amount of potions. Once you past the test
go back to Athena where she will pass you into the next job, Hunter.
IX. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Hunter
Level 30 +1 Arrow Bomb (1) [35 STR 127 DEX]
Level 31 +3 Bow Mastery (3) [36 STR 131 DEX]
Level 32 +3 Bow Mastery (6) [37 STR 135 DEX]
Level 33 +3 Bow Mastery (9) [38 STR 139 DEX]
Level 34 +3 Bow Mastery (12) [39 STR 143 DEX]
Level 35 +3 Bow Mastery (15) [40 STR 147 DEX]
Level 36 +3 Bow Mastery (18) [41 STR 151 DEX]
Level 37 +2 Bow Mastery (20) {Maxed} [42 STR 155 DEX]
+1 Bow Booster (1)
Level 38 +3 Bow Booster (4) [43 STR 159 DEX]
Level 39 +1 Bow Booster (5) [44 STR 163 DEX]
+2 Soul Arrow (2)
Level 40 +3 Soul Arrow (5) [45 STR 167 DEX]
Level 41 +3 Soul Arrow (8) [46 STR 171 DEX]
Level 42 +3 Soul Arrow (11) [47 STR 175 DEX]
Level 43 +3 Soul Arrow (14) [48 STR 179 DEX]
Level 44 +3 Soul Arrow (17) [49 STR 183 DEX]
Level 45 +3 Soul Arrow (20) {Maxed} [50 STR 187 DEX]
Level 46 +3 Arrow Bomb (4) [51 STR 191 DEX]
Level 47 +3 Arrow Bomb (7) [52 STR 195 DEX]
Level 48 +3 Arrow Bomb (10) [53 STR 199 DEX]
Level 49 +3 Arrow Bomb (13) [54 STR 203 DEX]
Level 50 +3 Arrow Bomb (16) [55 STR 207 DEX]
Level 51 +3 Arrow Bomb (19) [56 STR 211 DEX]
Level 52 +3 Arrow Bomb (22) [57 STR 215 DEX]
Level 53 +3 Arrow Bomb (25) [58 STR 219 DEX]
Level 54 +3 Arrow Bomb (28) [59 STR 223 DEX]
Level 55 +2 Arrow Bomb (30) {Maxed} [60 STR 227 DEX]
+1 Power Knock-Back (1)
Level 56 +3 Power Knock-Back (4) [61 STR 231 DEX]
Level 57 +3 Power Knock-Back (7) [62 STR 235 DEX]
Level 58 +3 Bow Booster (8) [63 STR 239 DEX]
Level 59 +3 Bow Booster (11) [64 STR 243 DEX]
Level 60 +3 Bow Booster (14) [65 STR 247 DEX]
Level 61 +3 Bow Booster (17) [66 STR 251 DEX]
Level 62 +3 Bow Booster (20) {Maxed} [67 STR 255 DEX]
Level 63 +3 Focus (3) [68 STR 259 DEX]
Level 64 +3 Focus (6) [69 STR 263 DEX]
Level 65 +3 Focus (9) [70 STR 267 DEX]
Level 66 +3 Focus (12) [71 STR 271 DEX]
Level 67 +2 Focus (15) [72 STR 275 DEX]
Level 68 +3 Focus (18) [73 STR 279 DEX]
Level 69 +2 Focus (20) {Maxed} [74 STR 283 DEX]
+1 The Blessing of the Amazon (13)
Level 70 +3 The Blessing of the Amazon (16) {Maxed} [75 STR 287 DEX]
Explanation:
You will definitely need something to control mobs right away.
Arrow Bomb is where you put that extra point into. To steady
your inconsistent damage, you need to max Bow Mastery right
away. A lot later on in the fourth job you will need Bow Mastery
maxed, and it's best to get it out of the way right from the start.
Your next priority is Soul Arrow. Why? You need to start making
some money. Soul Arrow allows you to stop purchasing arrows.
To unlock it you need five Bow Booster, so do just that. With
Soul Arrow you should be making a bit more money and enjoying
some free use inventory space.
Next is Arrow Bomb. This skill may cost a lot of MP maxed, but it
is definitely worth it in the end as it controls mobs excellently and
helps a lot, stunning 60% of the time with 130% damage.
After you max Arrow Bomb, you happen to have one skill point left
at level 55. This point should be put into Power Knock-Back
because it helps create some room. This skill, at level 7, knocks
back three enemies with 135% damage, +14% knock-back, and
only needing 8 MP. This is the highest you need this skill. It does
help every now and then, but it is not that important as you will be
getting Mortal Blow in the third job. Maxing this skill is a waste of
SP, as level 7 is more than enough to get you by on the close
encounters with monsters.
Yes, Power Knock-Back at level 7 cannot knock-back golems, only
monsters with a low KB requirement. If you are only going to train
on Stone Golems in Golem's Temple, you should not need it. They
are spaced out a lot more than FOG. Remember, though, this is only
a temporary solution, as you will be getting MB in the third job.
Besides, you're an archer; you should be attacking from a distance
whenever possible.
Now you have all of your attacking skills. Next you want that booster
speed to actually last, so max out Bow Booster. Once you get this
skill maxed you will feel the difference of attack speed and never
train without it on.
The last stretch. So what about Final Attack? Final Attack is a skill
that allows you to follow up with an extra, more powerful attack after
a different attacking skill. This skill seems good. It's passive, it
fires a third arrow, deals good damage, maybe worth it maxed.
However it does not add into third job skills and completely throws
Mortal Blow off. This being said, it will hurt you more than help you
later on in the game, so do not get Final Attack.
Ok, so what to do with all these extra skill points? Take 20 of them
to max Focus. This skill lasts a good five minutes maxed, giving you
a bonus 20 accuracy and avoidability. The Blessing of the Amazon
should be maxed last, increasing your accuracy to it's highest
potential.
X. Becoming a Ranger
You've finally made it. Level 70 is where things start to get good.
Before you can advance to a Ranger, however, several tasks need
to be completed. First you have to talk to your Third Job Instructor,
Rene, in El Nath. This person will then direct you to go back to
Henesys and talk with Athena Pierce. She will require you to do a
test of strength. Later on you will also need to do a test of wisdom.
Before starting this quest make sure you are well stocked on potions.
For the first part you have to go to Sleepywood. Near the entrance
to the Ant Tunnel there is a Hidden Street called Sleepywood
Dungeon I. You have to press up on an object right before the portal.
Go down to Sleepywood Dungeon V and double click on the
Door of Dimension. You will now be in The Path of the Glittering
Crystal. Find Athena Pierce's Clone and defeat her. She will summon
Tauromacis during the battle so be ready. Go back to Athena after
defeating her clone and exchange the Black Charm for the Necklace
of Strength. Give this to Rene back in El Nath.
Next head to the Holy Ground in Sharp cliff II. Sacrifice one dark
crystal to answer five question from the Holy Stone. You must
answer them all correctly in a row to receive the Necklace of Wisdom.
Head back to Rene and give him the necklace. Congratulations,
you are now a Ranger.
As soon as you advance you are awarded five extra ability points.
These should all be placed into dexterity. Your extra skill point
goes into Strafe.
XI. Skill and Ability Point Distribution for Ranger
Level 70 +1 Strafe (1) [75 STR 292 DEX]
Level 71 +3 Strafe (4) [76 STR 296 DEX]
Level 72 +3 Strafe (7) [77 STR 300 DEX]
Level 73 +3 Strafe (10) [78 STR 304 DEX]
Level 74 +3 Strafe (13) [79 STR 308 DEX]
Level 75 +3 Strafe (16) [80 STR 312 DEX]
Level 76 +3 Strafe (19) [81 STR 316 DEX]
Level 77 +3 Strafe (22) [82 STR 320 DEX]
Level 78 +3 Strafe (25) [83 STR 324 DEX]
Level 79 +3 Strafe (28) [84 STR 328 DEX]
Level 80 +2 Strafe (30) {Maxed} [85 STR 332 DEX]
+1 Mortal Blow (1)
Level 81 +3 Mortal Blow (4) [86 STR 336 DEX]
Level 82 +3 Mortal Blow (7) [87 STR 340 DEX]
Level 83 +3 Mortal Blow (10) [88 STR 344 DEX]
Level 84 +3 Mortal Blow (13) [89 STR 348 DEX]
Level 85 +3 Mortal Blow (16) [90 STR 352 DEX]
Level 86 +3 Mortal Blow (19) [91 STR 356 DEX]
Level 87 +1 Mortal Blow (20) {Maxed} [92 STR 360 DEX]
+2 Arrow Rain (2)
Level 88 +3 Arrow Rain (5) [93 STR 364 DEX]
Level 89 +3 Arrow Rain (8) [94 STR 368 DEX]
Level 90 +3 Arrow Rain (11) [95 STR 372 DEX]
Level 91 +3 Arrow Rain (14) [96 STR 376 DEX]
Level 92 +3 Arrow Rain (17) [97 STR 380 DEX]
Level 93 +3 Arrow Rain (20) [98 STR 384 DEX]
Level 94 +3 Arrow Rain (23) [99 STR 388 DEX]
Level 95 +3 Arrow Rain (26) [100 STR 392 DEX]
Level 96 +3 Arrow Rain (29) [100 STR 397 DEX]
Level 97 +1 Arrow Rain (30) {Maxed} [100 STR 402 DEX]
+2 Puppet (2)
Level 98 +3 Puppet (5) [100 STR 407 DEX]
Level 99 +3 Puppet (8) [100 STR 412 DEX]
Level 100 +3 Puppet (11) [100 STR 417 DEX]
Level 100 +3 Puppet (14) [100 STR 422 DEX]
Level 102 +3 Puppet (17) [100 STR 427 DEX]
Level 103 +3 Puppet (20) {Maxed} [100 STR 432 DEX]
Level 104 +3 Inferno (3) [100 STR 437 DEX]
Level 105 +3 Inferno (6) [100 STR 442 DEX]
Level 106 +3 Inferno (9) [100 STR 447 DEX]
Level 107 +3 Inferno (12) [100 STR 452 DEX]
Level 108 +3 Inferno (15) [100 STR 457 DEX]
Level 109 +3 Inferno (18) [100 STR 462 DEX]
Level 110 +3 Inferno (21) [100 STR 467 DEX]
Level 111 +3 Silver Hawk (3) [100 STR 472 DEX]
Level 112 +3 Silver Hawk (6) [100 STR 477 DEX]
Level 113 +3 Silver Hawk (9) [100 STR 482 DEX]
Level 114 +3 Silver Hawk (12) [100 STR 487 DEX]
Level 115 +3 Silver Hawk (15) [100 STR 492 DEX]
Level 116 +3 Silver Hawk (18) [100 STR 497 DEX]
Level 117 +3 Silver Hawk (21) [100 STR 502 DEX]
Level 118 +3 Silver Hawk (24) [100 STR 507 DEX]
Level 119 +3 Silver Hawk (27) [100 STR 512 DEX]
Level 120 +3 Silver Hawk (30) {Maxed} [100 STR 517 DEX]
Explanation:
Strafe is your first priority to max and will be your main attack
throughout the third job. My advice on the whole low level Strafe
versus level 20 Double Shot is that you should use Double Shot
until Strafe reaches at least level 4. This is because Strafe, at
level 1, is only 52% your normal attack in four shots. Yes, it is
capable of hitting higher than Double Shot, but most of the time
it hits lower than DS. At level 4 it jumps to 58%, which is more
reliable.
Maxing this skill first is very rewarding as the damage
is insane, firing four shots with 100% damage each. That can reach
up to 800% with Critical Shot. The only thing some people dislike
is the 26 MP / 32 MP cost to use it, but you should be using Pure
Waters by now. The MP cost shouldn't effect you dramatically.
You want Mortal Blow next. Do not skip around with skills.
Do not get five Mortal Blow then some Arrow Rain, then some
Puppet, and keep switching around as many builds do. Mortal
Blow maxed allows you to successfully attack up close at a
70% rate, not to mention an extra one-hit KO on a 10% rate
when the monster has less than half it's HP. It also deals 250%
damage on the arrow that's shot. This skill is extremely
important during the fourth job. You will regret not maxing this
skill, so do it right after you get Strafe.
How does Mortal Blow work? Well if you were to use Strafe
and you were accidentally too close to an enemy, you would
normally swing your bow. Instead, with Mortal Blow, you will
shoot a single arrow that deals 250% damage, giving you time
to back up and shoot again, or simply kill the monster.
This skill is very important.
Arrow Rain is a good skill in the fact that you can use it right
next to an enemy. It is a new mob skill and works well in tight
places. You will want this skill maxed next. It is especially
useful in places with big monsters that spawn frequently. At
level 30 it deals 160% damage to six enemies.
Now you are level 97 with maxed Arrow Rain and 2 points left
over. These will go into Puppet. Puppet is very helpful in training
once you get up to this level. You will not need Puppet at a lower
level than 97 since Death Teddies are level 85 and Squids are level 94.
Level 20 Puppet lasts one minute with 6000 HP. Well Worth it.
Now you're at the final stages of the Ranger. Silver Hawk, Inferno,
and Thrust are your last three available skills. Inferno is the next
skill you will be getting. Its multiplier versus fire enemies is well
worth 21 SP. At level 21 it takes 30 MP and is 130% damage with
the fire element. Maxed it is only 20% more attack and will not be
such a significant difference that you should sacrifice 9 points on
your Silver Hawk.
Silver Hawk is essential. At level 30 it attacks 70 times in 3
minutes, stunning 99% of the time. It is truly a life saver. It helps
you get into parties at Death Teddies and Squids and is also great
for solo. Why am I telling you to get 21 Inferno before Silver Hawk?
The reason is you will probably want to start training at Gobies
when you get into level 100. They are fire-weak and Inferno is
excellent on them.
"So what's the deal? Silver Hawk at level 21 is 71 MP, attacks 61
times in 162 seconds, and has a 95% success rate. Why would
you need to max it?"
You'll be amazed at how much the difference is of that percentage
to 99%. This is a second attacker, and you need all the power
you can get while training. There are a decent amount of fire-weak
enemies, but Silver Hawk is more of a priority than Inferno. Also,
do not get Silver Hawk 29/30. Some people figure it's just one
attack more and not needed. What the hell are you going to use
that one extra skill point on? Two extra speed from thrust? Two
more percent added to Inferno's damage? Get it 30/30.
Thrust? Well... You should be fine on speed equip-wise. You should
definitely have a 10 speed bow, Icarus Cape (2), and be using
a speed pill. That is 130% speed right there. As for jump, your
snowshoe should have at least 10-23 jump on it. For the people who
don't necessarily know, the max speed is 140% and the max jump is
123%. Yes, it will be annoying when thieves come dancing
around with their Haste and Flash Jump, but Thrust is really an
optional skill.
In another view, you could go 30 Silver Hawk, 20 Thrust, and 1 Inferno.
This is a huge variation to the build and is risky. If you ever
plan to train at Gobies, which are fire-weak, your Inferno won't do
much. This, however, this would allow you to only need a 10 speed
bow to keep your speed at a maximum of 140%, considering max
Thrust gives you 30% speed. This opens up your equips to items
other than Bone Helm and Icarus Cape (2) and allows you to drop
speed pills completely, but again, is very risky.
"Well, I've heard a lot of talk on the fourth job and there is another
summoning called Phoenix. It doesn't even require a summoning rock.
Won't that just replace Silver Hawk and you'll be wasting a 21/30 SP
Inferno?"
Not necessarily. You probably won't be getting Phoenix until late
fourth job, and it can't critical or stun. Silver Hawk is going to be a
skill you will use a lot, even past level 120, and summoning rocks
aren't that hard to obtain. Finish both of Alcaster's quests in El
Nath and you can purchase them for 5000 mesos each. Cheap
compared to the Free Market's usual 6000 mesos each.
Why go Strafe first, then Mortal Blow, then Arrow Rain then Puppet,
then Inferno, then Silver Hawk in such a fashion? Some say it is
pointless to max out a skill, then use a skill later that will
just replace it.
Tell me, why would I replace an early maxed Strafe? Why would
you rather want max Inferno over maxed Mortal Blow if MB is
going to help you so much more in the fourth job? Look: After
Strafe is maxed bright and early at level 80 you will never
stop using it as your main attack until you acquire a good
level of Hurricane later on in the game. Why MB? The instant
kill rarely happens. It is used MAINLY to control up-close
encounters and act where your reactions could fail. The higher
MB is, the better.
Why am I maxing it so early? You want to start to get a feel
for it early, and this skill works in great combination with
Strafe in your training areas. You shouldn't have to be
using AR on mobs where you couldn't use Arrow Bomb in place
for the time being. You aren't going to want to use AR
constantly on Death Teddies when you could be getting the
power of Strafe. Arrow Rain is not needed in my listed
training grounds until you near level 90. It is then useful
on Lucidias, Ghost Pirates, Dual Ghost Pirates, and many
more groups of enemies. You will not need it on Zombies,
seeing as how Arrow Bomb's stun should be useful enough
there.
And about the opinion, "Maxing a skill one by one will
replace the next":
Are you going to stop using Soul Arrow after you get it
maxed? Bow Booster? Focus? Strafe? Silver Hawk?
It all applies to the same thing: Every skill is good to use
at a different time. You are always going to want to be using
Bow Booster for faster attack speed, Soul Arrow to not have
to buy arrows (except if you are deliberately using attack
arrows), and Focus for the extra avoid/accuracy.
If you are killing Gobies, you will want to lure them with
Inferno, then use Arrow Rain to kill the mass. Both come into
play. If you are killing fire-weak enemies, you will use
Inferno for the extra damage. If you are killing a regular
mob, you will use Arrow Rain because it is, overall, stronger
than Inferno and works well in tight places. If you are
close to monsters in a situation, you will have a good
chance Mortal Blow will activate to give you some space.
At Squids you definitely will want a Puppet to lure their
attack and Silver Hawk for the stun.
NONE of these skills will be replaced by the other. So, by
explaining this concept I, again, will state: Maxing one
skill, one at a time, maximizes the effectiveness of the
skill earlier. If you follow my training locations you
should not need a skill earlier than I have listed in the
build.
XII. Training Locations
Two things about training. The smaller the map, the faster you
can go around and kill the spawn. You do not always want the
whole map to yourself because you will have to go around and
generate the spawn yourself. Sometimes, though, you want the
whole area so you can get a good training session in.
Secondly, it is best to train on things than you can kill in 1-2,
sometimes 3 hits. Killing enemies that take you more than this
just because they give better experience is not a good idea.
Level 1-10 Maple Island.
Kill Snails, Blue Snails, and Red Snails.
Level 10-15 Henesys Hunting Ground I.
Mostly kill Snails, Blue Snails, and Red Snails. You can attack
some Slimes and Orange Mushrooms if you want a change. Why
the same enemies again? They spawn fast on the bottom level and
you can probably KO them in 1 hit, sometimes 2, with your
arrows now, especially with Arrow Blow. Quantity over quality
at this stage.
Level 15-20 Henesys Hunting Ground I.
Slimes, Orange Mushrooms, and Stumps on the upper levels.
Do not bother with the Green Mushrooms at the very top. You'll just
waste time and money.
Level 20-25 Pig Beach.
Killing Pigs is a great way to get the best of your newly maxed
Critical Shot. You'll also start to get your use of Double Shot
on them. Pigs and Ribbon Pigs are great experience for these
levels.
Level 25-30 Ant Tunnel I.
Kill Horny Mushrooms in the first part of the area. Near level 30 you
can try killing some Zombie Mushrooms. There tend to be a lot
of mages in this area that enjoy KSing with Magic Claw, so
just keep trying at it.
Alternative
Level 21-30 Kerning Party Quest.
At level 21 the Kerning PQ becomes available. This is a great way to
earn fast experience and gain good items at the end. However,
you can't always get into one. If you have a lot of friends and want to
take a break from training, you may Kerning PQ for these
levels and get some rewards as well. You could also do a
combination, some PQ, some training.
Level 30-35 Ant Tunnel I. Ant Tunnel Park.
Start using that Arrow Bomb on more Horny Mushrooms and Zombie
Mushrooms. Near Ant Tunnel Park there is a shop that can
supply you with potions and arrows while you can kill some of
the Evil Eyes as well.
Level 35-40 Terrace Hall. The Burnt Land I.
Teddies are good experience and can be easy to kill in Terrace Hall
from sniping positions. By this I mean areas on the maps, like
standing on the toy blocks, that you can easily attack from without
being able to get hurt very often. Fire boars, on the other hand,
are good if you want to stay in Victoria Island and maybe find
that Glass Shoe.
Level 40-45 Purple Plains I.
Sakura Cellions are perhaps one of the best enemies to train on
to start raking in some money. The experience they give, 65, is
just as good. They drop a good amount of money and their tails
can either be sold or used for the Orbis Exchange Quest.
Level 45-50 Mateon Field. The Path of Time <1>. Purple Plains I.
Mateon and Platoon Chronus are a nice, constant 99 experience
and can drop Glove Attack 60% Scrolls. Also, while training on the
Mateons you can get the quest "The Antidote" completed. The
last choice is continuing to train on Sakura Cellions. You should only
do this if you are low on money and don't mind killing lower experience
enemies.
Alternative
Level 35-50 Ludibrum Party Quest.
This party quest is very good experience and the rewards are awesome.
Sounds good, except for the fact that there are a lot of people trying
to get in all the time. Again, you can do a combination of training and
PQing, depending whether or not you can get in the PQ a decent
amount of times.
Level 50-55 Dangerous Valley I. Cloud Park V.
Copper Drakes are probably your best choice here. They drop occasional
Claw for Attack Scrolls 10% and give a good 105 experience each. At
Cloud Park V, however, Lunar and Luster Pixies can be good experience
when you start nearing level 55. The only hard part with them is
dealing with their magic attack.
Level 55-60 The Entrance of Golem's Temple. Golem's Temple I.
Watch Out for Icy Path I.
Yes, you can hit dark and mixed. You want to kill only stone right now,
though, because they give enough experience and have less HP than
the other two. They are slow which makes good use of your range. If you
don't want to kill golems for that long you can try Jr. Yetis.
These monsters, in the first area, barely transform into Yetis, a much
harder enemy. The fact is that they have good scroll drops and
may be easier to tackle than Stone Golems.
Level 60-65 Stairway to the Sky I. Cold Field I.
Grupins, Cellions, Lioners, and Hectors are your best bet for these
levels. You will start to see that the higher level enemies, most of
them anyhow, have magic attack. You are going to want your level
required earring for higher magic defense.
Grupins, Cellions, and Lioners are spread out a bit in the Garden
and can drop good equips, which will make for good profit. Hectors
are great with their Cape for DEX 60% drop. A trick, for Hectors,
is to attack one, back up ever so slightly, and re-attack. Their
magic attack is low ranged, so take advantage of it.
Level 65-70 Cold Field I. Dangerous Valley II.
Continue killing Hectors. Another enemy to train on that you can try
when you hit this level are Fire Drakes. They drop Steelies and
nice scrolls, so you may want to consider them.
Alternative
Level 51-71 Orbis Party Quest.
This PQ has three different types: Boss, Rush, and Glitch. I will not
have any say in which one you should or shouldn't do. Boss PQ
is better saved until you near level 70. If you complete a Boss PQ
Papa Pixie, the boss, curses you at the end. This decreases the
amount of experience you get from any stage in Orbis PQ. The
prizes at the end, however, are definitely worth it. The second type
is Rush. This is a fast way to go in, do three stages, and exit quickly
to get back in and do it again. The last type is Glitch PQ. This PQ is
considered against the Terms of Service to Maple Story and there has
been people banned from doing it. You do two stages and exit. The
glitch is that you get a multiplier of experience per run. All three
give good experience. You can choose to do any of the three types,
just be smart about it.
Level 70-75 Forest of Dead Trees III.
Third Job, weakened Strafe. What to do? Do not go to Forest of Golem.
You do not need an early, weak Arrow Rain just to get knocked around
by huge spawns of golems and slowly gain experience. Coolie Zombies
at Forest of Dead Trees III, otherwise known as Z3, are the best way to
go. They give 190 experience per kill, which is not much less than
FOG's 200-210 experience per kill.
Z3 is the smallest map and usually you can get the map to yourself. In
FOG it is hard to find a spot, and you might get KSed eventually with
your weakened Strafe. Coolie Zombies drop Zombie Teeth at such a high
rate that you can either sell them to people for a profit or exchange
them for experience and items. People ask me all the time: Why waste
time walking up there? You get poisoned, you need Red Bean Porridge to
prevent the cold, it is annoying and time wasting.
Truth is, it isn't. You need to stock up on Unagi, Pure Water,
Antidotes, and Red Bean Porridge before you come. Every time you get
poisoned use an antidote and continue on like nothing happened.
100 Red Bean Porridges last more than four hours. That's really all the
time you need to train a day. As you level your Strafe up you will
notice you will start to one-hit KO Zombies more often. As for walking,
it doesn't take more than 15 minutes to get all the way up to the
Forest. If you are funded you can buy Dead Mine Scrolls for easier
traveling, but they cost 100,000-300,000 mesos each at the Free Market.
Gryphons? Blins? Do not train at Gryphons because this build does
not promote an early AR. The experience may be nice, 220 with an
occasional 1-hit KO, but it is just too frustrating. Even with an
early AR they would still be a pain in the neck, and falling is not
fun. That map requires you to move around a lot to reach the spawn,
and flying enemies are just plain annoying.
With Blins you have to 1-2 hit kill the actual Blue Flame Blin before
the Morphed Blin spawns. The Morphed Blin takes 2-4 hits and gives 330
experience. I truly think that the spawn is way too slow, and it
doesn't help that Blins, the Blue Flame version, don't give any
experience.
Also, right when the Morphed Blin spawns, you can't hit it right away.
I've tried training here, and it is just not that fast. Stick with Z3.
Level 75-80 Warped Path of Time <1>. Forgotten Path of Time I.
Forest of Dead Trees III.
Now you've been killing Coolie Zombies for a long five levels. You can
go over to Ludibrum and try some Buffies, Soul Teddies, and Master Soul
Teddies now that your Strafe has been leveled up. Their magic attack
is strong with a long range, but you should be able to 2-3 hit kill
these guys. Another option is to stay at Z3 and max out your Strafe
before heading elsewhere.
Level 80-90 The Cave of Trail II. Stairway to the Sky II.
Forgotten Path of Time <3>.
Cerebes are good to kill with some Dead Mine scrolls for easy
traveling. The only annoying part is that there are geysers that spew
poison in the area, but thankfully Cerebes drop antidotes to help with
the occasional poison.
Lucidias, on the other hand, are all at the bottom of the map in
Stairway to the Sky II, which makes for excellent training. Try these
guys out. And yes, I have listed Death Teddies for these levels.
You do not have Puppet yet, so don't go crazy and solo them. Only
kill Death Teddies with a good party until you get Puppet.
Level 90-100 Warped Path of Time <3>. Forgotten Path of Time <3>.
Start killing some Ghost Pirates and Dual Ghost Pirates. You should,
most of the time, be killing these with a good party. At level 97-100
it is finally time to acquire Puppet and start soloing Death Teddies.
A Priest is always a welcome two-person party for these training
grounds.
Level 100-110 Lost Time. Deep Sea Gorge I. Zakum.
When you hit level 100 you should definitely try and get into a good
party for Zakum. The experience is great and the drops are rewarding.
Moving on from Death Teddies, you should be capable of killing
Master Death Teddies now. Once you hit level 104 head over to Deep
Sea Gorge I and start to kill some Gobies with your Inferno.
Level 110-120 Dangerous Sea Gorge I. Warped Path of Time <4>.
Forgotten Path of Time <4>. Twisted Time.
Papulatus, Crimson/Jr. Balrog, Zakum, and
Pianus Parties.
Now is the time to kill Squids using your Silver Hawk and maxed Puppet.
Back in Ludibrum start mass killing Phantom Watchers and get into
parties for Spirit Vikings, Gigantic Spirit Vikings, and Papulatus.
Keep trying to get into Zakum parties for immense experience, and
Pianus can drop your level 100 overall. Crimson and Jr. Balrogs are
always a good hunt for scrolls. These are your final times as a
Ranger before Bowmaster, so have fun with it.
XIII. Misconceptions, Comments, Questions, and Answers
A. Bow Booster, Soul Arrow, and Focus
Some people say to get them to equal out in time. This means that you
would want Bow Booster level 18/20 and Soul Arrow level 6/20 so that
they both last 180 seconds. This way you can easily recast the spells
when they both run out.
Wrong. This has to be the most idiotic idea. First off, you are going
to be wasting 15 MP + 12 MP + 12 HP every three minutes. This is
literally going to deplete your HP and MP over time. Secondly, Soul
Arrow at level 20 lasts for 600 seconds, or 10 minutes. That is a lot
longer and more useful. Bow booster at level 20 has an awkward time,
200 seconds, or 3 minutes and 20 seconds. Funny thing though:
200 x 3 = 600. This means that Soul Arrow will last the duration of
three Bow Boosters. If done correctly it will end at exactly the same
time where you'll recast both. Cool right?
Focus lasts 300 seconds maxed. 300 x 2 = 600. Catching on? In a ten
minute training period you should use Soul Arrow once, Focus twice,
and Bow Booster three times. After that ten minutes is up you will
recast all three at once. This is so much more useful than what I hear
about getting a lower level of Soul Arrow.
B. "I didn't quite get your AP distribution at level 95 onward. You
capped your strength at 100. Why?"
Simple. By level 100 you should have a Zakum Helmet (1). This Helmet
gives 15 ability points, on average, to every stat, including 20 to
accuracy. This will jump your strength up to 115. Dragon Bow is the
final bow right now. It is very rare and I'm not saying everyone is
going to get it.
You will most likely be using a Zakum Helmet (1) for the rest of your
time on Maple once you acquire one. To be smart then, you
should cap your strength at 100 because the addition of strength from
your helmet will cover the strength needed to wield Dragon Bow. If you
seriously doubt you'll ever get this bow, do the same tactic for Metus
or a Nisrock and cap your strength 15 below that bow's required
strength.
C. Soul Arrow with Attack Arrows
When you have any type of arrows in your use inventory, it will be
selected as the next arrow you would shoot. Having these arrows
selected, say if they're an attack arrow, your range of minimum
and maximum damage will increase. When you do shoot those arrows,
that new range is applied. However, with Soul Arrow active, the
arrow is still selected, your range is still increased.
When you shoot an attack arrow with Soul Arrow active, though,
you are literally shooting "Soul Arrows." You do not shoot the
selected arrow, and seeing as how Soul Arrows have no attack
bonus whatsoever, you do not get an attack boost. This is true
of all attack arrows. There is no way to get extra attack in
the arrows you shoot unless you actually are firing the arrows
selected.
While carrying Steel Arrows, Bronze Arrows, Diamond Arrows, or Arrows
for Bow [2], none of these will give you an attack addition when you
have Soul Arrow active. It was believed to be a glitch before, but
it's been proven false.
Recently, in New Leaf City, Diamond Arrows have been released, and
eventually Showa is supposed to have Arrows for Bow [2] available
from NPCs for GMS. Both of these types of arrows give an attack +4
effect. As for using them: Diamond Arrows seem hard to come by,
and you cannot buy them from NPCs. If you have some, great, use
them. Otherwise, use Soul Arrow.
You can use approximately 2 Strafes every second. This being said,
every second you can use 8 arrows; every 10 seconds 80 arrows,
every minute 480 arrows; every two minutes 960 arrows. Add on 5
seconds to get it to 1,000 arrows. That's 1,000 arrows in 2 minutes
and 5 seconds.
Now, I am not saying anyone is going to shoot and stay in one spot
and spam Strafe continuously, not needing to consume MP potions.
If you were to have several breaks in between attacks, a set of
1,000 arrows would last approximately 2 minutes and 5 seconds
to 3 minutes for someone who uses Strafe as their main attack.
When Showa eventually comes out I believe you will be able to buy
Arrows for Bow [2] from NPCs. Take these arrows and add in the new
Warrior Elixirs at New Leaf City that give + 12 attack for 8 minutes
at the cost of 5,000 mesos each. That's a 16 attack addition to your
range, not including your bow attack or glove attack.
The only flaw is the amount of money needed. One Arrow for Bow [2] is
40 mesos from Doran in Showa. I found this information on Hidden
Street. If you were to buy 1,000 of them, that would be 40,000 mesos.
If you were to buy 10,000 Arrows for Bow [2], it would come up to be
400,000 mesos. Warrior Elixirs cost 5,000 mesos each, and buying
10 of them would be 50,000 mesos. The time each one lasts is 8 minutes.
This means that if you used 1,000 arrows in about 2 minutes and 5
seconds to 3 minutes, you would use up 10,000 arrows in 20 minutes and
50 seconds to 30 minutes. Since Warrior Elixirs last 8 minutes each,
the average time here would come to the usage of 3 Warrior Elixirs,
or 24 minutes. You would then use 10,000 Arrows for Bow [2] and 3
Warrior Elixirs in an approximate 24 minute span of training.
With this being said, I am going to say that the average person who
uses Strafe as their main attack will use up 10,000 non-Soul Arrows
in approximately 24 minutes, or 1,000 every 2.4 minutes.
24 minutes x 10 = 240 minutes / 60 minutes = 4 hours.
In 24 minutes you use:
10,000 Arrows for Bow [2]. Multiply this by ten to get it to a 4 hour
span and you get 100,000 Arrows for Bow [2].
3 Warrior Elixirs. Multiply this by ten to get it to a 4 hour span and
you get 30 Warrior Elixirs.
This means that if you want to get the full extent of a four hour
training run or, say, a 2x Experience Card, you would have to buy
approximately 100,000 Arrows for Bow [2] and 30 Warrior Elixirs. The
overall price of these items would be 400 x 100,000 = 4,000,000 mesos
for the arrows, and + 5,000 x 30 = 150,000 mesos for the Warrior
Elixirs. 4,000,000 + 150,000 = 4,150,000.
To get an attack bonus of + 16 attack, not even from your glove or bow,
you have to pay 4,150,000 mesos for four hours of training. This is
helpful to know so you can stock up before you train.
60 minutes / 8 minutes = 7.5 Warrior Elixirs
60 minutes / 24 minutes = 2.5 x 10,000 = 25,000 Arrows for Bow [2]
One hour of training with an attack + 16 bonus would then be equal to
1,037,500 mesos being needed, buying 25,000 Arrows for Bow [2] and 7.5
Warrior Elixirs. This is the average price. Technically you can't buy
half a Warrior Elixir, so buying eight would increase the price by an
extra 2,500 mesos, coming to 1,040,000 mesos for one hour.
Wow, that's a lot of money. You definitely want to be funded to keep
up this kind of buying. But hey, it's worth it to get that occasional
3 or 2 hit kill out and start dealing some serious damage. Now, this
is saying if we get Showa released in GMS. By no means will you be
able to do this with Diamond Arrows.
D. Bonuses Overall
"What about Concentrate in the fourth job? You get an attack bonus of
+ 26 and it halves the MP everything takes. How will this fit into
attack arrows and pills?
Well, at level 30 Concentrate costs 40 MP to last 3 minutes with a
cool down time of 6 minutes. This means you will get the effect of
+ 26 attack every 3 minutes out of 9.
~ is the symbol used for 'Approximately Equals'.
240 minutes / 9 minutes ~ 26.6 (The decimal .6 is repeating, which
brings it very close to 240 minutes).
26.6 represents the amount of times you will cast Concentrate in a
span of four hours. Yes, this would actually be 27, but for
mathematical reasons let's leave it at 26.6.
In four hours:
Total time of usage: 3 minutes x 26.6 ~ 80 minutes
Total time of cool down: 6 minutes x 26.6 ~ 160 minutes
In a four hour training period you will have received the attack
bonus 1 and 1/3 hours out of four. I think this skill is worth it.
Despite the obvious fact that the cool down time will always be
double the time of the skill being used (3:6), you are still
getting a free attack bonus, not to mention half the MP usage
with this skill maxed.
Now think about this: The off time is 6 minutes per every Concentrate
run. I'm sure most of you know that two bonuses do not stack, such as
Meditation and a Magic Pill. This being said, using Concentration and
a Warrior Elixir at the same time will not stack the attack bonus to
be 38. It will use the bonus of the most recently used.
You could use Concentration for 3 minutes, then use a Warrior Elixir
in the 6 minute off-time, but 2 minutes of it will be wasted when you
recast Concentration. Worth it? Definitely.
Remember earlier I said the usage of Concentration is 80 minutes, or 1
and 1/3 hours in four hours? That's 80 minutes less of Warrior Elixirs
you will be using. Since they last 8 minutes each:
8 minutes x 10 = 80 minutes.
This means that you will save 10 Warrior Elixirs, or 5,000 mesos x 10,
which is equal to 50,000 mesos that will be saved. Doesn't seem like
much, but the half MP cost will definitely end up saving you even more
with MP potions. The two minutes wasted on each Warrior Elixir is
nothing to get worried about. Six minutes is good enough for that 12
attack bonus before you can recast Concentration.
I probably wouldn't start using Concentration until at least level 11
where the attack bonus is 16 and it starts to last for 2 minutes. This
is because the attack boost before this only gets as high as +16
attack, same as level 11, but for only one minute. Warrior Elixirs
should be more useful until then.
Of course, Attack arrows can still be used to give you a total of +30
attack for an average of 1 and 1/3 hours out of four with maxed
Concentration, and with the other 2 and 2/3 hours giving you +16
attack with Warrior Elixir and Arrows for Bow [2].
Figure the possibilities:
Dragon Bow's average attack is 100. Add in, say, a 10 attack glove
and a 2 attack Pink Adventurer Cape. Next, put into consideration
the attack bonuses, either from attack arrows with Warrior Elixirs
or Concentration, and that is 128 attack or 142 attack, respectively.
Now, if you were to scroll the bow or glove even higher? Ha...
"The new Archer Elixir costs 2,000 mesos as well, but its effect is
+ 20 avoidability. This is going to replace Focus."
No, it won't. Why waste extra money? If you can recast Focus for 16 MP
every 5 minutes when its maxed, why would you need to buy elixirs?
Don't be wasteful with money.
E. Quests
Do every single quest you can. Consider it as a fun way to train. You
kill monsters to get experience and get a reward. Sometimes the reward
is worth it, sometimes it's not. Despite the repeated tedious tasks
that are given a lot, they help pass the time when training for long
periods.
F. "What about strength-less Bowmen?"
Well, strength-less Bowmen are made possible by using War Bow,
Maple Bow, Maple Soul Searcher, and Bow of Magical Destruction.
I really don't see the point in it. You will be stronger than most at
level 35 and level 43. At 65 with the Bow of Magical Destruction,
though, you will not be much stronger than someone with a good
Asianic. In the end a strength Bowman will be better because their
bows keep going after 65, giving them a higher attack base.
It's not worth it.
G. DEX Glove versus ATK Glove
A 5 ATK glove is stronger than a 10 DEX glove. Why? To calculate
how much one attack is worth for your Bowman, divide your Dexterity
by your Attack. At level 72 you will have 300 DEX clean and, say, a 90
attack Hinkel. Take 300/90 and you get 3.3 or 3 and 1/3. This means
that for every one point of dexterity, one attack is 3 1/3 times that
amount. Five attack is then equal to 16.3 DEX.
So what would a 10 DEX glove give you attack-wise? Reverse the
equation. 90/300 is .3 or 1/3. .3 x 10 is 3. A 10 dex glove would
give you 3 attack if you had 300 DEX and 90 ATK. This equation
is useful to tell how much an attack an equip will add.
Basically, to find how much 1 ATK is worth DEX-wise for your
character, do your entire DEX divided by your entire ATK, even ATK
added from a glove.
From this you should know that ATK gloves are always better than DEX
gloves for a Bowman.
H. Passive Haste?
Yes, I talked about this earlier in the Ranger's build explanation.
Archers have the potential to reach 140% speed and 123% jump
without being Hasted. Here's some ideas:
1. 12 Speed Bow, Icaurs Cape (2), Bone Helm, 18 Jump Snowshoe,
and Speed Pill.
Speed: 12+8+10+10 = 40, Jump: 5+18 = 23.
2. Maxed Thrust, Icarus Cape (3), 4 Jump Bow, 14 Jump Snowshoe,
and Speed Pill.
Speed: 30+10 = 40, Jump: 5+4+14 = 23.
3. 10 Speed Bow, Icarus Cape (2), 23 Jump 10 Speed Violet Snowshoe,
and Speed Pill.
Speed: 10+10+10+10 = 40, Jump: 23 = 23.
4. Maxed Thrust, 10 Speed Bow, 23 Jump Snowshoe.
Speed: 30+10 = 40, Jump: 23 = 23.
So much work to accomplish faster training. Thieves already have 40
speed and 20 jump in one active skill; they have it easy. These
are just ideas that could give you the max movement speed/jump.
These ideas are hard to get and seem very unlikely to happen,
especially the high jump shoe, but you never know.
What is Violet Snowshoe? It's a level 80 common shoe with its average
stats being 5 jump, 5 speed, 50 weapon defense, 20 magic defense, with
7 slots. I have actually seen this shoe in a FM store. The
possibilities with this equip are immense.
There is also a shoe called Yellow Snowshoe that has average stats as
3 DEX, 3 INT, 30 weapon defense, 10 magic defense, and 7 slots. You
could get a pretty high DEX shoe with successful scrolling.
Why would you possibly want such high speed and jump? Well, I said it
earlier: Faster training. The quicker you can get to the next monster
the faster you can kill it. Now, in Aqua when you are training at
Gobies and Squids, this may not be such a big deal since you're
swimming. Most of the time you will be on land, though, needing to
run around to the next spawn to kill quicker. Can't climb towers or
areas as well with the speed/jump difference? It's merely a matter
of getting used to. I am, however, not sure of the effectiveness of
mounts later on.
Mounts? You can ride a pig or boar after completing the given quest.
The speed and jump given from these animals is good and are most
likely going to make traveling around easier. The questions is, though,
will you be able to mount and un-mount quickly enough while training
to make use of them? They can only give you an increase in speed and
jump for a few seconds before they get fatigued. It is definitely
questionable.
You can, however, buy special potions for 1,000 mesos each from pet
food sellers (Certain NPCs) that replenish the mount's energy. I have
read, though, the quest of obtaining one of these mounts is hard. The
mount from levels 70-120 is a pig, while the boar, being the better
mount, is acquired at level 120+. I have sourced this information
on Sleepywood.net.
I. Key Settings
Yes, the obvious hotkeys given at the start are insert, delete, home,
end, page up, and page down. There is a simple concept here:
Over time you can damage your hands and wrists from playing too much.
This injury is also known as Carpal Tunnel. Your wrists and hands can
get so cramped up that it hurts to move them. This may seem like an
unimportant thing to worry about, however it can happen. This can
easily be prevented.
Having your attacking skills on insert, delete, home, end, page up, or
page down means you are either stretching your right hand up to use
a frequent key, or your left hand is crossed all the way over in
an uncomfortable position. This can really be a strain on your hands,
as jump shooting is already annoying enough.
To access all your keys press the "\" key. Move all of your "Red keys,"
the ones that are used to open up your inventory, equipments, world
map, etc, to the right side of the keyboard. These are not important
keys and will not be used frequently. Your attack skills should be
placed on the left side of the keyboard. Here is what I did:
Quest: The hotkey was Q, the new hotkey is J
World Map: The hotkey was W, the new hotkey is ,
Equipment: The hotkey was E, the new hotkey is L
Buddy: The hotkey was R, the new hotkey is U
Stats: The hotkey was S, the new hotkey is ;
Guild: The hotkey was G, the new hotkey is O
Sit: The hotkey was X, the new hotkey is N
Chat: The hotkey was C, the new hotkey is .
Attack: The hotkey was CRTL, the new hotkey is `
Pick-Up: Keep it as Z.
Leave every other "Red key" where it is currently at.
Your potions should be placed anywhere on the bottom of the beginning
keys. By this I mean put your potions on delete, end, or page down.
If you have more than three use items that you consume while training,
feel free to place them on insert, home, or delete. I will explain:
Why am I telling you to put all your attack skills on the left side,
inactive keys on the right, and potions above the arrow keys? The first
reason is balancing your hands out. Your right hand should be used only
for movement and potions. Your left hand should be used only to attack,
use skills, and jump. This way you don't strain your hands and they
won't cross at anytime.
Your potions are easier used the closer they are to you. This way when
you are training, if you need HP or MP, you can just slip your right
hand up and press a key to get the effect. If you happen to have, say,
two different HP potions, one MP potion, and a Speed Pill, you could
put the HP/MP potions on Delete, End, and Page Down, while the Speed
Pill can go anywhere on Insert, Home, or Page Up as it isn't used very
frequently: Once every ten minutes.
Your main attack, Double Shot or Strafe, should be placed on CRTL. I
personally think your keys should be something of the sort after you're
using Strafe as your main attack: Q as Puppet, W for Focus, E for Soul
Arrow, A for Arrow Rain, S for Arrow Bomb, D for Double Shot, X for
Inferno, C for Silver Hawk, CRTL for Strafe, and Space for Power
Knock-Back.
All of these keys can be reached in one motion with your
left hand. If you are merely using Strafe while training, you can
easily jump shoot with CRTL and ALT being right next to each other.
Your left hand can also be relaxed below the keyboard in this
situation.
For those who don't know, jump shooting is executed when you press an
attack skill and jump at almost the same time, allowing you to "jump
shoot." I say almost the same time because it seems, for me at least,
that jump is pressed a fraction of a second before the attack key.
This is helpful in increasing your range slightly as you train and
getting some momentum going. The only thing is that it can get tiring
after a while, and you can't always perform it at 100% every time you
do it.
Also, Pick-Up is left at Z because not everyone has a pet. In which
case, most of the time you are going to want to collect the drops
of monsters as you train. Since it is so frequently used I decided
to leave it on Z.
When all is said and done, you want to be the most relaxed when you
are training. This method of switching your keys around helps this
issue the most. Yes, it will take some getting used to, but I believe
it is necessary.
J. Accuracy and Avoidability
Accuracy only determines the chance to hit an enemy. The higher it
is, the less chance you will miss on an enemy. Without accuracy, you
could hit high damage and never be able to actually land a hit.
Avoidability determines the chance you can evade the weapon/magic
attack of an enemy. It is useful to move more safely, save on potions,
and sometimes save you from what could have been a close-to-death
situation.
Archers are known to have the highest accuracy of any class, sometimes
considered as having too much accuracy. Their avoidability is average,
seeing as how we usually have the lowest possible points in luck.
Now, during the second job you will have extra skill points to use.
Some SP will be used on Power Knock-Back as a temporary relief in
close situations, none will be used on Final Attack. You cannot use
this extra SP on third job skills, period. This being said, the only
other skills left to use this SP on are first job skills, including
The Blessing of the Amazon and Focus.
The reason you are not maxing Power Knock-Back is because Mortal Blow
basically fixes the close-range problem, and later in the fourth job
Dragon Pulse will be your main knock-back skill.
You have 31 SP to use after maxing Bow Mastery, Soul Arrow, Arrow Bomb,
and Bow Booster. Seeing how you are only getting Power Knock-Back to
level 7 and no Final Attack, this leaves 24 SP. Would you look at that?
The Blessing of the Amazon is at level 12 and Focus at level 0, the
exact amount needed to max both.
This SP is worthless used otherwise, unless you are a FA archer. I
promote FA-less for the fact that it is not very helpful the farther
you get into the game, and the other reasons I listed earlier in the
Hunter Job Explanation.
"We have too much accuracy, we don't need anymore. And Focus, it isn't
useful at all."
True, we have a lot of accuracy and barely miss on those monsters that
we train on. However, when killing bosses and higher level monsters you
never know when you could miss, missing a possible hit and a possible
knock-back, letting the boss/monster land another hit on you, maybe
even being fatal.
An example is all that I just listed. The fact is that you are not
going to be using this SP on anything more useful than maxing The
Blessing of the Amazon and Focus. The Avoidability from Focus is
definitely worth it. Don't underestimate these skills as being
worthless.
K. Have Fun with this Game
I know at times this game can be frustrating and annoying. One reason
can be the unfairness of scroll percentages, maybe you're mad at your
friends, maybe training is too tedious. KSers can be a nuisance and
dying is very tiring.
Relax. It all takes time. Take breaks often because too much of a good
thing is bad for you. Playing this game is truly addicting at times,
but don't over-do it. Have fun with your friends and don't spend too
much time on training at once, or you might get bored very early.
Just remember, Rangers are the sweetest looking class in the game.