Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Good Build Guide
SBC3
Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 372
=== Blade ===
Stats
Pure Strength is generally the way to go if you want to use blade as your weapon.
Good hp to tanks lots of things at once, but mp is a little lacking (more on that later)
The idea of blade is to sacrifice damage for more defense. So in essence, you don't hit as hard as a glavie, but you can take more or more correctly, you take less damage overall because of the extra defense and the almighty block from your shield.
First, I'll talk about equipment, then I'll discuss skills.
Equipment
The most important pieces of equipment are the Shield and Blade.
You live and die by these two things so it's important to invest in good equipment.
Shield
This is what sets blade users apart from glavies. A good shield is one that has a block ratio of at least 15 or more. 17 and higher will cost you a large amount, but it's worth it.
A shield without any + that has good block ratio is better than spending money on a +3 low block ratio. Shield elixers come cheap since only blade and sword users need them.
The shield I'm using right now has block ratio of 15, str 1 increase and +5.
Blade
Damage is lower on blades than a similar glavie so you want to find a decent one. Critical of 7 or higher is generally considered very good. However, blue str increases will help as well. Attack rating is also important. Since blade has lower damage, you want to be able to do your max damage as much as possible.
The blade I'm currently using +3 Critical 6
Armor/Protector/Garmet
Armor
Great for leveling and hunting monsters that do physical damage. Your defense is pretty much godly with armor+shield, but magic attacks will hit you very hard.
Protector (Recommended)
Good balance of physical and magical defense, but doesn't shine in either category unless you have lots of high + or Seal items.
This is what I'm currently using. One piece is a 47 SOS +5 chestpiece which greatly helps. I was planning on switching to garmet before I found this. Currently I have a full 7th degree SOS protector set and all I can say is WOW! I can tank just about anything near my level. Yetis barely scratch me and I can tank multiple 52+ without dying.
Garmet (Recommended)
This is what most people recommend for blade users. Great magical defense to survive in PVP against nukers, but physical defense is much lower than protector or armor. The low physical defense doesn't come into play very much because a majority of glavies and blade users (STR builds in general) use garmet so they have the magical defense to survive against nukers in PVP
Accessories
Get the best your can. Higher absorbtion means less damage. Also, if you can find high level frost reduce, you're lucky and can become immune to ice with enough % reduction. Low level jewelry with frost is useless because you'll take much more damage, so it's better to get frozen but not take as much damage and just call a friend to help kill the person. Also you can't get frozen when they're knocked down.
Skills
Bicheon
Smashing Series
Many people say this skill is useless, but I wouldn't agree with that. It's a relatively low mp cost skill that does good damage in one quick hit. It is very useful to link the chains for a burst of damage in between.
Chain Sword Attack Series
This is the bread and butter of PVE for bladers. Chains do good damage and the two chains (or one later on) can pretty much kill a monster in PVE. The 4-Combo attack is not very useful for PVP except for inflicting status effect like ice. The 5-Combo attack is a bit more useful in PVP since the last hit is a large hit which followed by a smashing series attack and knockdown attack can give a big chunk of damage in a short amount of time.
Shield Technique
You are immobilized while using this attack. It abosrbs damage, but for now I don't see much use for these skills. Might be good at higher levels to avoid big attacks if used properly. (Once I level up more I'll up this skill and play around with it).
Blade Force Series
Good for luring monsters since it is one of the two ranged attacks a blade has (see sword dance for more info). Soul cut blade is kind of low in damage, but evil cut blade has good range and damage. Very useful as an opening attack in PVE
Hidden Blade Series
Also called Knockdown. This is great for giants and PVP. When you knock it down only sword and blade can attack it so this is good if a glavie or nuker is trying to ks you.
Killing Heaven Blade Series
This is the attack that stabs the target while it's knocked down. Once you get book 2 you can stab twice (or 3 times when you have book 3) because you can use two skills while the target is laying down (when the servers aren't too laggy).
Sword Dance Series
Good for mass killing blue mobs since it is one of 2 AOE attacks in the bicheon skill tree. Book two only requires level 1 of the first book so no need to level it up unless you use it a lot in PVE. I am leveling both books of this in order to sp farm at 64. I figure these attacks, along with my AOE knockdown and I can kill pretty quickly on the bugs in the cave’s first room.
Shield Protection Series
Passive which increases blocking ratio. A MUST. If I have to explain, reread the section on shields.
Cold
Cold Force Series
Cold Imbue, the most annoying imbue EVER in PVP. Freezing will totally stop any skill in progress and frostbite will slow down any skill in progress even after pilled until the skill is finished. Damage is low though.
Frost Guard Series
Physical defense boost. Unless you plan on maxing it out, there is no point in getting this because the increase is pretty low. The fourth book of this skill is very good however. A 55 defense boost. Combined with the Cold Armor series, this can increase defense A LOT.
Cold Wave Series
Good at low levels for PVE. At one point I was able to hunt Hyungo Ghosts and use 2 hp pots for 200 mp pots since they hit me once before they died. Once you get the Frost Nova Series though it becomes pretty useless for PVP and PVE.
Frost Wall Series
I don't use this skill because my opponent only needs to back off and I can't hit em enough to kill him. You can't move while this skill is activated, but you take no damage until the wall has been destroyed. Not recommended because you already have tons of hp to tank. Absorbs physical damage well.
Frost Nova Series
Good for freezing and frostbiting to slow down enemies so you can catch up or get away. Book 2 is AOE getting everything around you. Can be very useful
Snow Storm Series
The Cold Nuke. Useless for strength.
Cold Armor Series
Permanently increases physical defense. Maxed out it gives a 27 defense increase. Combined with Frost Guard gives a good increase in defense.
Lightning
Thunder Force Series
Lightning imbue. Upside is splash damage and lowers parry ratio when target is shocked. More damage than ice, but without freezing. Less damage than fire.
Piercing Force Series
Magical balance and attack is already low, but it increases your imbue damage. At later levels it increases by more than 10% is a decent increase even though magical balance is low. Combined with Flame Body Series and you get max damage.
Wind Walk Series
Books 1, and 3 if you can get it, gives great walk speed increase. Speeds up grinding since you can move from mob to mob faster. Necessary for PVP if you want to be able to catch and kill people (or run when their higher than you). Book 2 is teleport/flash step good for catching up or getting away. It teleports in the direction your mouse is pointing.
Lion Shout Series
Pure magic attack so this is useless for strength builds.
Concentration Series
Increases parry ratio. Using this will help you take minimum damage.
Thunderbolt Force Series
Lightning nuke. Useless. See also Lion Shout, Flame Wave, Snow Storm.
Heaven's Force Series
Increases parry ratio permanently. Take less damage.
Fire
Fire Force Series
Fire imbue. Most damage of all the imbues plus burn gives target damage over time (DOT). Speeds up PVE compared to ice, but you take more damage because there is nothing to slow down or stop the target from hitting you.
Fire Shield Series
Reduces status effects by a certain amount. Saves some money later on because you can use smaller pills. Without this buff, I need High Grade Pills, with I need Large. Also, combined with freeze/frost reduce you can be immune to ice later on.
Flame Body Series
Increases physical damage by a certain amount. Must get for strength since it will greatly increase your damage.
Fire Protection Series
Increases magical defense. Very good to get to be able to withstand nukers better.
Fire Wall Series
Works the same way as Ice Wall. It does absorb magical attacks better though.
Flame Wave Series
Fire Nuke. Once again: useless. I only have level 1 to play with and kill noobs in PVP.
Flame Devil Force Series
Permanently increases physical damage. Great for strength, just like the Flame Body Series buff.
Force
Force Increasing Series
Increases mp by a certain amount. At level 2, it's about 10% of my mp pool. Once mp isn't a problem any more, I'll get rid of this to free up some masteries.
SP Farming
I farmed about 5k sp at level 16 before I got bored and closed the gap up a bit. I farmed another 5 or 6k in the 20s. After that I've been going with a gap for awhile. I got to about 13k sp in the 40s and since that I've been going with a 5 level gap. If you want, you can farm a ton in the beginning and go with a 0-2 level gap. You can farm some (still a lot) and go with a 2-3 level gap. Or you can farm a litte or not at all and go with a 5-6 level gap. All up to you. Also, I encourage you to decide for yourself what skills to get. Get the one you like, but I also recommend you try as many skills as possible to see how well they work.
=== STR/Glavie ===
There are 3 forces you want to choose from: Ice, Lightning, Fire.
As a pure str build your going to want to use the fire force because it will be the strongest for you. This does not mean you cannot put a few levels into lightning for example to get grasswalk. But do not level your side-mastery greatly.
You want to get these skills.
Fire Force Series
Flame Body Series
Fire Protection Series
Flame Devil Force Series(Passive)
So what does each skill do you ask?
Fire Force Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Is your imbue, it increases the damage of your attack.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases the attack power of Force by infusing the force of Fire into the weapon.
Flame Body Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Increases your physical damage by a percent.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases physical damage by burning your own body.
Fire Protection Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Increases your Mag. Defense by an amount.
Quote:
[Description]
Exercises the Fire Force to increase the resistence against magics.
Flame Devil Force Series(Passive)
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Passively increases your physical attack.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases permanently the physical damage by a specified amount.
So now you know what skills to get with the Fire Force, but how about the weapon mastery itself? Well read on and find out.
The Heuksal Mastery
Soul Departs Spear Series
Ghost Spear Attack Series
Chain Spear Attack Series
Flying Dragon Spear Series
Cheolsam Force Series(Passive)
So what does each one actually do... well keep reading!
Soul Departs Spear Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Does a heavy blow on a target dealing great damage.
Quote:
[Description]
The Soul Departs Spear skill is the most powerful of the Heuksal Spearmanship. You can inflict great damage to the enemy with this skill. The stricken enemy will pass out in an instant as if their souls have departed.
Ghost Spear Attack Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Swings around your glavie dealing damage to a maximum of 5 units all around you.
Quote:
[Description]
The Ghost Spear attack is used to block the chance of being attacked from behind while simultaneously attacking all enemies around you by a sweep of your spear.
Chain Spear Attack Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Does a series of combo attacks in a short period of time.
Quote:
[Description]
The Chain Spear attack enables you to a great amount of damage and attack a large number of enemies due to its large scale of movements.
Flying Dragon Spear Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Throws your glavie at a target unit from a distance dealing great damage.
Quote:
[Description]
The Flying Dragon attack will sweep away all the enemies within the range.
Cheolsam Force Series(Passive)
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Increases the hitpoints of your character by an amount.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases permanently the maximum HP point by a certain amount.
Well now you know what skills to get, but what is the difference between a gllavie and a spear.
A glavie is used for physical damage and a spear is used for magical damage.
Since you are building a strength character you want to use a glavie.
You can tell the difference of a spear and glavie by hovering over the icon of the weapon in your inventory.
If it is a glavie it will display the following at the top.
Quote:
Weapon type: Glavie
When you use your stat points you want to put every single point into STR, else you are not a strength character. Remember this, it is very important.
There are no specific changes if you want to do any job, this build is fine for all jobs.
Well this is the end of the tutorial. It may seem a bit unclear but suggestions of fixing it up are welcome!
(this guide may be better in the character and skills forum)
=== Hybrid ===
Table of Contents
What exactly is a hybrid build?
Why would I want to make one? Aren't "pure" builds better/stronger/faster/etc.?
Ok, so I've decided to go hybrid. Now what the heck do I do?
What skills do I need to have as a hybrid?
What the heck should I wield and wear?
So I wanna be a (nuker/tanker). Can I still do this effectively as a hybrid?
Hey SuicideGrl, what is your approach? What skills and things do you use?
What exactly is a hybrid build?
(from Webster.com)
hy' - brid: n. a person whose background is a blend of two diverse cultures or traditions.
In SRO, there is a lot of talk about the "best" build(s). People naturally want their characters to be strong, and preferrably as strong as - or stronger than - everyone else. Many players on both the Korean and International servers have come up with builds that are extremely good at what they do. Most of these builds are "pure" builds: the player has put ALL of his/her character's stat points into EITHER str OR int. There's no arguing that these characters are killing machines and that, with the right gear and skills, they can own just about anything they touch.
But what about the rest of us who want something different, something other than a Xerox or cookie-cutter build?? One answer to this question is creating a hybrid character. Hybrids, as you probably know, have put stat points in BOTH str AND int. This approach has many advantages: it gives the character more HP and more physical dmg than than a pure int character, and it gives it more MP and more magical dmg than a pure str character. However, these boons come with their disadvantages as well: hybrids will never have as much HP/MP or do as much phys/mag dmg as their pure counterparts.
Why would I want to make one? Aren't "pure" builds better/stronger/faster/etc.?
Hybrids are the true utility characters. They may not excel in anything, but they're good at virtually EVERYTHING. Hybrids kill fairly well in PvE and use less pots than pure chars. They are good at all jobs and can have a very diverse skill set. They are decent PvP charactrers. If you are the type of player who likes ALL the elements of SRO and wants to be pretty good at all of them, a hybrid build might be the one for you.
Besides, one of the main draws for me in creating a hybrid character was the fact that it's different. I didn't want another pure str fire glaive. SuicideGrl is unique, and it's one of the reasons I love her so much.
Ok, so I've decided to go hybrid. Now what the heck do I do?
Experiment. The beauty of being a hybrid is the freedom to choose different skills, playing styles, and tactics that may or may not be the smartest way to go for a pure character. Wondering how a certain buff will improve your game? Get a few ranks in it. Curious as to whether you'd make a decent nuker? Throw a few points at it and see. Curious as to what it's like to hunt with a bow rather than the glaive you started with? Try it out, see what works for you. If you make a mistake, you can always undo a rank or two, but ultimately the more different kinds of skills you have, the more rich your hybrid experience can be.
There are three basic types of hybrids: 1:1 hybrids, in which the character's str and it are kept as close as possible; "int heavy" hybrids, in which int is favored above strength at a 2:1 or sometimes 3:1 or more ratio; and "str heavy" hybrids, in which str is favored in the same way as above. Each of these commands a different style of play. An int hybrid will be an effective nuker but won't tank as well. A str hybrid will be able to load up their front end dmg but probably should leave nukes alone. A 1:1 hybrid is probably the most challenging, as they don't have any obvious strengths but also lack some of the obvious weaknesses. Think about how you want to play and apply your stat points as necessary. Also, remember that this build type is about experimentation. Feel like your physical attacks need a boost? Pump all 3 points next lvl into str. Do what feels right.
What skills do I need to have as a hybrid?
Being a hybrid is about more than just how you spend your stat points. It's a holistic style of play. Hybrids are the jack-of-all-trades of the SRO world. The person in your guild who has maxed res? Probably a hybrid. The random person you see grinding who's doing big dmg with both nukes and physical attacks? Almost DEFINITELY a hybrid. But what about the trader you click on as he's trundling by and see that he's lvl2 in ALL 3 JOBS? Even if he's a pure build, that guy's a hybrid, in a manner of speaking. So is the guy in your guild who has maxed bow AND spear skills. A hybrid can be thought of as anyone who doesn't specialize in any one thing, but branches out to be a more broad character.
However, there are some very important skills to have if you're going to be a hybrid. First of all, the motto of hybrid play is every little bit helps. You're going to wanna think about geting every passive skill you can, especially Heuksal's "Cheolsam Force" (which raises your HP) and Force's "Force Increasing" (which does the same for MP). You're also going to want to max your imbue and the appropriate buffs for your character (obviously a blade user doesn't need a bird buff, nor does a glaive user need a shield blocking buff). For physical attacks, concentrate on the ones that do the most dmg, as these will be your most important skills for close combat. If you're an int hybrid, getting your nukes and other ranged attacks as high as possible is also important. As before, do what feels right. These aren't rules, just suggestions.
What the heck should I wield and wear?
As a hybrid, your choice of weapon should be based, again, on your preferred style of play. Glaive/spear hybrids do big dmg, sword/blade hybrids have flashy moves and the ability to block attacks, and bow hybrids can kill from afar. You can even choose to use more than one weapon. A member of an alliance guild has maxed his sword AND bow techniques and is deadly with both.
Armor type is another personal choice which depends a lot on style of play. Armor is good for some hybrids because it reduces physical dmg, which is a plus due to a hybrid's lower average HP compared to, say, a pure str. Armor is a good choice for hybrid players who are mostly interested in PvE, since statistically fewer mobs use magical attacks than physical ones. Garment reduces magical dmg, which is a plus in PvP and against certain mobs. It also grants a MP usage bonus, which is useful due to a lower average MP, and a speed boost, which is useful no matter WHO you are. Protector gives the best of both worlds, in my opinion. You get higher physical dmg reduction than garment and higher magical dmg reduction than armor, while still retaining bonuses to MP consumption and speed, albeit not as high as garment. Protector is, in my opinion, the ultimate hybrid gear, as it truly is a hybrid itself. But as before, do what feels right for your style of play.
WHATEVER you pick, you're going to want to chose gear that adds bonuses to your stat of choice, or both stats when possible. SuicideGrl's gear adds a whopping 17 to her int and 7 to her str. 17 points of int makes her nuke as if she was almost 6 lvls higher than she is. This is an amazing plus to any hybrid. if you can find gear that adds to your stats at a good price (and sometimes a little sacrifice is worth it), buy it. You WILL notice a difference in how effective your character is.
So I wanna be a (nuker/tanker). Can I still do this effectively as a hybrid?
Yes. However, remember that "effective" doesn't mean "pwnage". SuicideGrl is an int-heavy hybrid, and she DEFINIETLY puts up big dmg numbers. However, she'll never nuke as well as a pure build will. She kills fast and efficiently and owns in PvP, but that's only because I play her very smart. If you want to be successful at a hybrid build, you're gonna have to engage your brain a bit (sorry to all the mindless hack-and-slash types out there). Remembering that your dmg and HP/MP are lower than a pure build means that you have to know your character's own strengths and weaknesses and play around them. If you know that you have a few really fast attacks that put up a lot of dmg, or if you know that you have the ability to hit your opponent several times before he/she gets close enough to whack you one, you need to plan your attacks around this strategy. If you know you can take a few hits, then use this to your advantage. Anything is possible if you're smart about it.
Hey SuicideGrl, what is your approach? What skills and things do you use?
(edited 5/29/06 to reflect most recent stats)
As I mentioned above, SG is an int-heavy nuker. She was 1:1 until around lvl30, and since then has been mostly 2:1. She's now lvl60, and her mastery lvl is 58. She's lvl3 thief (6%) and lvl2 hunter (21%). Her main forces are Fire (lvl5
and Lightning (lvl50), and her weapon is Heuksal, which is lvl49 (working on getting it to 56). She uses a lvl60+3 int+1 str+1 crit 6 spear and full 7th degree protector and armor sets, all of which is plussed and adds to her int and most of which adds to str as well. currently, her gear adds +21 int and +8 str.
SG is a nuker. As such, most of my skills at this point are in pursuit of massive magical dmg numbers. I have all 5 fire and light nukes: book 1 fire at lvl7, book 2 fire at lvl 2, book 3 fire at lvl1, book 1 lightning at lvl9 (max) and book 2 lightning at lvl 1. I have lvl1 book 3 of the Piercing Force buff, which is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for any int build. My fire imbue is book 3 lvl1. My most often-used skills are tbook 2 fire and light nukes, Flying Dragon-flow (maxed book 1 lvl9), Ghost spear-Prince (book 2 lvl4), and Soul spear-Truth (book 2 lvl6). I use the Flame Body-Power (book2 lvl1), Speed-Piercing Force (book3 lvl1), Divine Fire Protection (book2 lvl1), and White hawk (book 1 lvl4) buffs. My Grass walk-Flow is lvl11. I have Ghost Rebirth art (res) up to lvl 59 (book2 lvl5), and have delvled my Harnony Therapy due to SP constraints. Planning on raising it again once i hit cap and start SP farming. I recently delvled 42 total lvls of ice (masteries and skills) to free up SP and make way for more important masteries. I use Large HP/MP pots and pills.
I can kill any mob my lvl or under in 2 hits or less, almost always before they get a chance to whack at me. I have killed every type of mob up to a Blind Mole solo. I have killed people in PvP while hunting/thiefing as high as lvl66 while zerked, lvl63 without zerk.
Hope this gives you some insight into SuicideGrl and my approach to her.
=== Archer Guilde ===
"OMGWTF I have a bow.. now what do I do with it!?"
Well, I'm here to help!
Choose a suitable build.
I'm in favor of pure str or str-based hybrids for bow, but that's just me.
I don't recommend pure int for bow because pure ints have nukes, which are already long range attack. They also have low life and a bow does not offer any defense, so you're more susceptible to getting owned.
Feel free to play around with builds a bit to see which you're most happy with and settle with that.
Which element?
Cold is popular among bowmen. It'll slow the enemy down so that you'll may be able to kill them before they even touch you. STRs can also go fire. However, it is entirely up to you and what you feel most comfortable with.
Now on to SKILLS, the fun part!
Bowmen necessities include...
Anti-devil!
This is a must. Max it and get all books. It's a great starter and has an awesome critical stack.
Arrow Combo.
Get them. ALL 3 BOOKS EVEN!
ZOMG A HAWK!
Woo, the hawk! The hawk allows you to hit faster and harder. It's pretty hot.
The black hawk is not worth it in my opinion. Sure, it looks cool & hits for ya, but it doesn't do much damage unless you lvl it way up. Even then, a white/blue hawk may enable you to get another hit or a few in, which deals more damage overall.
Demon soul arrow.
So you can shoot further. (Especially useful skill for hunting uniques like Isy and training.)
Berserker arrow. (Optional)
Gives you that great AOE (aka Area of Effect).
However, it's not necessary if you're an int-heavy build with a nuke.
The third book of berserker arrow is incredible though! (lvl 69 mastery x.x)
Go Strong Bow!
Great starter for those harder to kill things. It's a bit slow, but the damage it creates makes it worth it. Don't recommend it for PvP (cause it's slow!), but some people can pull it off.
Mind Concentration.
Pacheon's passive skill. It raises attack rating.
Feel free to play around with your bow skills. Have fun with them.
=== str/fire bow build by Hellsharpt ===
The views expressed in this are my opinions, feel free to comment or correct if I misspeak.
The most popular build for a bow is a strength bow. Bows typically have much better physical damage, which compliments strength builds. I would recommend a pure, to 90% pure strength build. Bows are very nice for PvE and they can be pretty decent in PvP. If I get a crit on a pure int user of my level (or 1-2 higher) they go down in one hit, or just after my 4 arrow combo.
Bows
The gear used should be a bow with a good critical. Because you are using strength the physical damage is also important, but most important is the critical. 8 is a good crit, 10 very good, and anything higher is really nice. Bows are expensive and the better the crit the more you will pay. If you want an SOS you had better have a lot of gold or be very very lucky. Anything +3 is good, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time looking for a +4 or better, they are hard to come by and you’ll pay close to what an SOS costs, but with a longer wait. Make sure you have a bow waiting for you at your next level. The worst thing you can do is to hit level 32 (when you get a nice new bow type) and have to spam WTB lev 32+3 bow (don’t forget bows can have +3 str too!). If you wait you will overpay because you need it now.
Armor
As far as gear I would recommend garment or protector. The bonus to mana consumption is very beneficial to strength users as you have low MP. The magic defense is nice when killing monsters like Taoists, gunpowders, scorpions, dark/red eyed ghosts, etc. Always try to get gear with str bonuses. Every little bit helps. As with the bows plan ahead, look for deals and buy early.
Bow Skills
The primary attacks by bow users will be anti-devil and multi-arrow combined with elemental imbue. Alternative attacks will be imbue, Strong bow or berserker arrow (pick the one you like and stick with it or sp farm a little and get both) followed by multi-arrow. At max range using these you should be able to kill any silver/white mob before or just as they reach you.
The passive you should max AR is good.
The white hawk max as you will need that to get the blue, black hawk1 point, then max the blue.
Skip autumn wind.
Put a couple points in demon soul, the payoff isn’t worth investing too much.
How-to:
Activate your anti-devil, wait a moment until just before arrow release then imbue, then activate multi arrow. This will give you the max imbue time. If your skill deactivates it may be due to insufficient mana, adjust your autopot to compensate.
Elemental Skills
I’ve used cold, lightning, and fire. I believe that fire most suits the strength bow as the passives and flame body will increase the physical damage. Others are good secondary and tertiary skills.
The skills you want are:
Fire –Max to level 70
Fire Force (imbue) – max it
Passive – Max
Flame body – Max
Fire Protection – Max
Fire wall - Skip
Fire shield – Skip
Flame Wave – Skip
Passive – Max
Lightning – Level 50
Grasswalk series is a must – Max
Piercing – Max (this one is optional since it gives a lot less benefit to str users)
Thunder Force (imbue) – Max (sometimes you don’t need as much damage as your fire and want to conserve MP). I got the first level of book 2 and stopped.
This uses 190 of the 300 available skill masteries and goes to level 70 and leaves a lot open to things like force, cold, or Spear (for that tasty HP bonus). Play with the skills, delevel if you need to.
Stats
Pure Strength is generally the way to go if you want to use blade as your weapon.
Good hp to tanks lots of things at once, but mp is a little lacking (more on that later)
The idea of blade is to sacrifice damage for more defense. So in essence, you don't hit as hard as a glavie, but you can take more or more correctly, you take less damage overall because of the extra defense and the almighty block from your shield.
First, I'll talk about equipment, then I'll discuss skills.
Equipment
The most important pieces of equipment are the Shield and Blade.
You live and die by these two things so it's important to invest in good equipment.
Shield
This is what sets blade users apart from glavies. A good shield is one that has a block ratio of at least 15 or more. 17 and higher will cost you a large amount, but it's worth it.
A shield without any + that has good block ratio is better than spending money on a +3 low block ratio. Shield elixers come cheap since only blade and sword users need them.
The shield I'm using right now has block ratio of 15, str 1 increase and +5.
Blade
Damage is lower on blades than a similar glavie so you want to find a decent one. Critical of 7 or higher is generally considered very good. However, blue str increases will help as well. Attack rating is also important. Since blade has lower damage, you want to be able to do your max damage as much as possible.
The blade I'm currently using +3 Critical 6
Armor/Protector/Garmet
Armor
Great for leveling and hunting monsters that do physical damage. Your defense is pretty much godly with armor+shield, but magic attacks will hit you very hard.
Protector (Recommended)
Good balance of physical and magical defense, but doesn't shine in either category unless you have lots of high + or Seal items.
This is what I'm currently using. One piece is a 47 SOS +5 chestpiece which greatly helps. I was planning on switching to garmet before I found this. Currently I have a full 7th degree SOS protector set and all I can say is WOW! I can tank just about anything near my level. Yetis barely scratch me and I can tank multiple 52+ without dying.
Garmet (Recommended)
This is what most people recommend for blade users. Great magical defense to survive in PVP against nukers, but physical defense is much lower than protector or armor. The low physical defense doesn't come into play very much because a majority of glavies and blade users (STR builds in general) use garmet so they have the magical defense to survive against nukers in PVP
Accessories
Get the best your can. Higher absorbtion means less damage. Also, if you can find high level frost reduce, you're lucky and can become immune to ice with enough % reduction. Low level jewelry with frost is useless because you'll take much more damage, so it's better to get frozen but not take as much damage and just call a friend to help kill the person. Also you can't get frozen when they're knocked down.
Skills
Bicheon
Smashing Series
Many people say this skill is useless, but I wouldn't agree with that. It's a relatively low mp cost skill that does good damage in one quick hit. It is very useful to link the chains for a burst of damage in between.
Chain Sword Attack Series
This is the bread and butter of PVE for bladers. Chains do good damage and the two chains (or one later on) can pretty much kill a monster in PVE. The 4-Combo attack is not very useful for PVP except for inflicting status effect like ice. The 5-Combo attack is a bit more useful in PVP since the last hit is a large hit which followed by a smashing series attack and knockdown attack can give a big chunk of damage in a short amount of time.
Shield Technique
You are immobilized while using this attack. It abosrbs damage, but for now I don't see much use for these skills. Might be good at higher levels to avoid big attacks if used properly. (Once I level up more I'll up this skill and play around with it).
Blade Force Series
Good for luring monsters since it is one of the two ranged attacks a blade has (see sword dance for more info). Soul cut blade is kind of low in damage, but evil cut blade has good range and damage. Very useful as an opening attack in PVE
Hidden Blade Series
Also called Knockdown. This is great for giants and PVP. When you knock it down only sword and blade can attack it so this is good if a glavie or nuker is trying to ks you.
Killing Heaven Blade Series
This is the attack that stabs the target while it's knocked down. Once you get book 2 you can stab twice (or 3 times when you have book 3) because you can use two skills while the target is laying down (when the servers aren't too laggy).
Sword Dance Series
Good for mass killing blue mobs since it is one of 2 AOE attacks in the bicheon skill tree. Book two only requires level 1 of the first book so no need to level it up unless you use it a lot in PVE. I am leveling both books of this in order to sp farm at 64. I figure these attacks, along with my AOE knockdown and I can kill pretty quickly on the bugs in the cave’s first room.
Shield Protection Series
Passive which increases blocking ratio. A MUST. If I have to explain, reread the section on shields.
Cold
Cold Force Series
Cold Imbue, the most annoying imbue EVER in PVP. Freezing will totally stop any skill in progress and frostbite will slow down any skill in progress even after pilled until the skill is finished. Damage is low though.
Frost Guard Series
Physical defense boost. Unless you plan on maxing it out, there is no point in getting this because the increase is pretty low. The fourth book of this skill is very good however. A 55 defense boost. Combined with the Cold Armor series, this can increase defense A LOT.
Cold Wave Series
Good at low levels for PVE. At one point I was able to hunt Hyungo Ghosts and use 2 hp pots for 200 mp pots since they hit me once before they died. Once you get the Frost Nova Series though it becomes pretty useless for PVP and PVE.
Frost Wall Series
I don't use this skill because my opponent only needs to back off and I can't hit em enough to kill him. You can't move while this skill is activated, but you take no damage until the wall has been destroyed. Not recommended because you already have tons of hp to tank. Absorbs physical damage well.
Frost Nova Series
Good for freezing and frostbiting to slow down enemies so you can catch up or get away. Book 2 is AOE getting everything around you. Can be very useful
Snow Storm Series
The Cold Nuke. Useless for strength.
Cold Armor Series
Permanently increases physical defense. Maxed out it gives a 27 defense increase. Combined with Frost Guard gives a good increase in defense.
Lightning
Thunder Force Series
Lightning imbue. Upside is splash damage and lowers parry ratio when target is shocked. More damage than ice, but without freezing. Less damage than fire.
Piercing Force Series
Magical balance and attack is already low, but it increases your imbue damage. At later levels it increases by more than 10% is a decent increase even though magical balance is low. Combined with Flame Body Series and you get max damage.
Wind Walk Series
Books 1, and 3 if you can get it, gives great walk speed increase. Speeds up grinding since you can move from mob to mob faster. Necessary for PVP if you want to be able to catch and kill people (or run when their higher than you). Book 2 is teleport/flash step good for catching up or getting away. It teleports in the direction your mouse is pointing.
Lion Shout Series
Pure magic attack so this is useless for strength builds.
Concentration Series
Increases parry ratio. Using this will help you take minimum damage.
Thunderbolt Force Series
Lightning nuke. Useless. See also Lion Shout, Flame Wave, Snow Storm.
Heaven's Force Series
Increases parry ratio permanently. Take less damage.
Fire
Fire Force Series
Fire imbue. Most damage of all the imbues plus burn gives target damage over time (DOT). Speeds up PVE compared to ice, but you take more damage because there is nothing to slow down or stop the target from hitting you.
Fire Shield Series
Reduces status effects by a certain amount. Saves some money later on because you can use smaller pills. Without this buff, I need High Grade Pills, with I need Large. Also, combined with freeze/frost reduce you can be immune to ice later on.
Flame Body Series
Increases physical damage by a certain amount. Must get for strength since it will greatly increase your damage.
Fire Protection Series
Increases magical defense. Very good to get to be able to withstand nukers better.
Fire Wall Series
Works the same way as Ice Wall. It does absorb magical attacks better though.
Flame Wave Series
Fire Nuke. Once again: useless. I only have level 1 to play with and kill noobs in PVP.
Flame Devil Force Series
Permanently increases physical damage. Great for strength, just like the Flame Body Series buff.
Force
Force Increasing Series
Increases mp by a certain amount. At level 2, it's about 10% of my mp pool. Once mp isn't a problem any more, I'll get rid of this to free up some masteries.
SP Farming
I farmed about 5k sp at level 16 before I got bored and closed the gap up a bit. I farmed another 5 or 6k in the 20s. After that I've been going with a gap for awhile. I got to about 13k sp in the 40s and since that I've been going with a 5 level gap. If you want, you can farm a ton in the beginning and go with a 0-2 level gap. You can farm some (still a lot) and go with a 2-3 level gap. Or you can farm a litte or not at all and go with a 5-6 level gap. All up to you. Also, I encourage you to decide for yourself what skills to get. Get the one you like, but I also recommend you try as many skills as possible to see how well they work.
=== STR/Glavie ===
There are 3 forces you want to choose from: Ice, Lightning, Fire.
As a pure str build your going to want to use the fire force because it will be the strongest for you. This does not mean you cannot put a few levels into lightning for example to get grasswalk. But do not level your side-mastery greatly.
You want to get these skills.
Fire Force Series
Flame Body Series
Fire Protection Series
Flame Devil Force Series(Passive)
So what does each skill do you ask?
Fire Force Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Is your imbue, it increases the damage of your attack.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases the attack power of Force by infusing the force of Fire into the weapon.
Flame Body Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Increases your physical damage by a percent.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases physical damage by burning your own body.
Fire Protection Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Increases your Mag. Defense by an amount.
Quote:
[Description]
Exercises the Fire Force to increase the resistence against magics.
Flame Devil Force Series(Passive)
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Passively increases your physical attack.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases permanently the physical damage by a specified amount.
So now you know what skills to get with the Fire Force, but how about the weapon mastery itself? Well read on and find out.
The Heuksal Mastery
Soul Departs Spear Series
Ghost Spear Attack Series
Chain Spear Attack Series
Flying Dragon Spear Series
Cheolsam Force Series(Passive)
So what does each one actually do... well keep reading!
Soul Departs Spear Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Does a heavy blow on a target dealing great damage.
Quote:
[Description]
The Soul Departs Spear skill is the most powerful of the Heuksal Spearmanship. You can inflict great damage to the enemy with this skill. The stricken enemy will pass out in an instant as if their souls have departed.
Ghost Spear Attack Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Swings around your glavie dealing damage to a maximum of 5 units all around you.
Quote:
[Description]
The Ghost Spear attack is used to block the chance of being attacked from behind while simultaneously attacking all enemies around you by a sweep of your spear.
Chain Spear Attack Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Does a series of combo attacks in a short period of time.
Quote:
[Description]
The Chain Spear attack enables you to a great amount of damage and attack a large number of enemies due to its large scale of movements.
Flying Dragon Spear Series
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Throws your glavie at a target unit from a distance dealing great damage.
Quote:
[Description]
The Flying Dragon attack will sweep away all the enemies within the range.
Cheolsam Force Series(Passive)
Quote:
[Basic Description]
Increases the hitpoints of your character by an amount.
Quote:
[Description]
Increases permanently the maximum HP point by a certain amount.
Well now you know what skills to get, but what is the difference between a gllavie and a spear.
A glavie is used for physical damage and a spear is used for magical damage.
Since you are building a strength character you want to use a glavie.
You can tell the difference of a spear and glavie by hovering over the icon of the weapon in your inventory.
If it is a glavie it will display the following at the top.
Quote:
Weapon type: Glavie
When you use your stat points you want to put every single point into STR, else you are not a strength character. Remember this, it is very important.
There are no specific changes if you want to do any job, this build is fine for all jobs.
Well this is the end of the tutorial. It may seem a bit unclear but suggestions of fixing it up are welcome!
(this guide may be better in the character and skills forum)
=== Hybrid ===
Table of Contents
What exactly is a hybrid build?
Why would I want to make one? Aren't "pure" builds better/stronger/faster/etc.?
Ok, so I've decided to go hybrid. Now what the heck do I do?
What skills do I need to have as a hybrid?
What the heck should I wield and wear?
So I wanna be a (nuker/tanker). Can I still do this effectively as a hybrid?
Hey SuicideGrl, what is your approach? What skills and things do you use?
What exactly is a hybrid build?
(from Webster.com)
hy' - brid: n. a person whose background is a blend of two diverse cultures or traditions.
In SRO, there is a lot of talk about the "best" build(s). People naturally want their characters to be strong, and preferrably as strong as - or stronger than - everyone else. Many players on both the Korean and International servers have come up with builds that are extremely good at what they do. Most of these builds are "pure" builds: the player has put ALL of his/her character's stat points into EITHER str OR int. There's no arguing that these characters are killing machines and that, with the right gear and skills, they can own just about anything they touch.
But what about the rest of us who want something different, something other than a Xerox or cookie-cutter build?? One answer to this question is creating a hybrid character. Hybrids, as you probably know, have put stat points in BOTH str AND int. This approach has many advantages: it gives the character more HP and more physical dmg than than a pure int character, and it gives it more MP and more magical dmg than a pure str character. However, these boons come with their disadvantages as well: hybrids will never have as much HP/MP or do as much phys/mag dmg as their pure counterparts.
Why would I want to make one? Aren't "pure" builds better/stronger/faster/etc.?
Hybrids are the true utility characters. They may not excel in anything, but they're good at virtually EVERYTHING. Hybrids kill fairly well in PvE and use less pots than pure chars. They are good at all jobs and can have a very diverse skill set. They are decent PvP charactrers. If you are the type of player who likes ALL the elements of SRO and wants to be pretty good at all of them, a hybrid build might be the one for you.
Besides, one of the main draws for me in creating a hybrid character was the fact that it's different. I didn't want another pure str fire glaive. SuicideGrl is unique, and it's one of the reasons I love her so much.
Ok, so I've decided to go hybrid. Now what the heck do I do?
Experiment. The beauty of being a hybrid is the freedom to choose different skills, playing styles, and tactics that may or may not be the smartest way to go for a pure character. Wondering how a certain buff will improve your game? Get a few ranks in it. Curious as to whether you'd make a decent nuker? Throw a few points at it and see. Curious as to what it's like to hunt with a bow rather than the glaive you started with? Try it out, see what works for you. If you make a mistake, you can always undo a rank or two, but ultimately the more different kinds of skills you have, the more rich your hybrid experience can be.
There are three basic types of hybrids: 1:1 hybrids, in which the character's str and it are kept as close as possible; "int heavy" hybrids, in which int is favored above strength at a 2:1 or sometimes 3:1 or more ratio; and "str heavy" hybrids, in which str is favored in the same way as above. Each of these commands a different style of play. An int hybrid will be an effective nuker but won't tank as well. A str hybrid will be able to load up their front end dmg but probably should leave nukes alone. A 1:1 hybrid is probably the most challenging, as they don't have any obvious strengths but also lack some of the obvious weaknesses. Think about how you want to play and apply your stat points as necessary. Also, remember that this build type is about experimentation. Feel like your physical attacks need a boost? Pump all 3 points next lvl into str. Do what feels right.
What skills do I need to have as a hybrid?
Being a hybrid is about more than just how you spend your stat points. It's a holistic style of play. Hybrids are the jack-of-all-trades of the SRO world. The person in your guild who has maxed res? Probably a hybrid. The random person you see grinding who's doing big dmg with both nukes and physical attacks? Almost DEFINITELY a hybrid. But what about the trader you click on as he's trundling by and see that he's lvl2 in ALL 3 JOBS? Even if he's a pure build, that guy's a hybrid, in a manner of speaking. So is the guy in your guild who has maxed bow AND spear skills. A hybrid can be thought of as anyone who doesn't specialize in any one thing, but branches out to be a more broad character.
However, there are some very important skills to have if you're going to be a hybrid. First of all, the motto of hybrid play is every little bit helps. You're going to wanna think about geting every passive skill you can, especially Heuksal's "Cheolsam Force" (which raises your HP) and Force's "Force Increasing" (which does the same for MP). You're also going to want to max your imbue and the appropriate buffs for your character (obviously a blade user doesn't need a bird buff, nor does a glaive user need a shield blocking buff). For physical attacks, concentrate on the ones that do the most dmg, as these will be your most important skills for close combat. If you're an int hybrid, getting your nukes and other ranged attacks as high as possible is also important. As before, do what feels right. These aren't rules, just suggestions.
What the heck should I wield and wear?
As a hybrid, your choice of weapon should be based, again, on your preferred style of play. Glaive/spear hybrids do big dmg, sword/blade hybrids have flashy moves and the ability to block attacks, and bow hybrids can kill from afar. You can even choose to use more than one weapon. A member of an alliance guild has maxed his sword AND bow techniques and is deadly with both.
Armor type is another personal choice which depends a lot on style of play. Armor is good for some hybrids because it reduces physical dmg, which is a plus due to a hybrid's lower average HP compared to, say, a pure str. Armor is a good choice for hybrid players who are mostly interested in PvE, since statistically fewer mobs use magical attacks than physical ones. Garment reduces magical dmg, which is a plus in PvP and against certain mobs. It also grants a MP usage bonus, which is useful due to a lower average MP, and a speed boost, which is useful no matter WHO you are. Protector gives the best of both worlds, in my opinion. You get higher physical dmg reduction than garment and higher magical dmg reduction than armor, while still retaining bonuses to MP consumption and speed, albeit not as high as garment. Protector is, in my opinion, the ultimate hybrid gear, as it truly is a hybrid itself. But as before, do what feels right for your style of play.
WHATEVER you pick, you're going to want to chose gear that adds bonuses to your stat of choice, or both stats when possible. SuicideGrl's gear adds a whopping 17 to her int and 7 to her str. 17 points of int makes her nuke as if she was almost 6 lvls higher than she is. This is an amazing plus to any hybrid. if you can find gear that adds to your stats at a good price (and sometimes a little sacrifice is worth it), buy it. You WILL notice a difference in how effective your character is.
So I wanna be a (nuker/tanker). Can I still do this effectively as a hybrid?
Yes. However, remember that "effective" doesn't mean "pwnage". SuicideGrl is an int-heavy hybrid, and she DEFINIETLY puts up big dmg numbers. However, she'll never nuke as well as a pure build will. She kills fast and efficiently and owns in PvP, but that's only because I play her very smart. If you want to be successful at a hybrid build, you're gonna have to engage your brain a bit (sorry to all the mindless hack-and-slash types out there). Remembering that your dmg and HP/MP are lower than a pure build means that you have to know your character's own strengths and weaknesses and play around them. If you know that you have a few really fast attacks that put up a lot of dmg, or if you know that you have the ability to hit your opponent several times before he/she gets close enough to whack you one, you need to plan your attacks around this strategy. If you know you can take a few hits, then use this to your advantage. Anything is possible if you're smart about it.
Hey SuicideGrl, what is your approach? What skills and things do you use?
(edited 5/29/06 to reflect most recent stats)
As I mentioned above, SG is an int-heavy nuker. She was 1:1 until around lvl30, and since then has been mostly 2:1. She's now lvl60, and her mastery lvl is 58. She's lvl3 thief (6%) and lvl2 hunter (21%). Her main forces are Fire (lvl5
and Lightning (lvl50), and her weapon is Heuksal, which is lvl49 (working on getting it to 56). She uses a lvl60+3 int+1 str+1 crit 6 spear and full 7th degree protector and armor sets, all of which is plussed and adds to her int and most of which adds to str as well. currently, her gear adds +21 int and +8 str. SG is a nuker. As such, most of my skills at this point are in pursuit of massive magical dmg numbers. I have all 5 fire and light nukes: book 1 fire at lvl7, book 2 fire at lvl 2, book 3 fire at lvl1, book 1 lightning at lvl9 (max) and book 2 lightning at lvl 1. I have lvl1 book 3 of the Piercing Force buff, which is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL for any int build. My fire imbue is book 3 lvl1. My most often-used skills are tbook 2 fire and light nukes, Flying Dragon-flow (maxed book 1 lvl9), Ghost spear-Prince (book 2 lvl4), and Soul spear-Truth (book 2 lvl6). I use the Flame Body-Power (book2 lvl1), Speed-Piercing Force (book3 lvl1), Divine Fire Protection (book2 lvl1), and White hawk (book 1 lvl4) buffs. My Grass walk-Flow is lvl11. I have Ghost Rebirth art (res) up to lvl 59 (book2 lvl5), and have delvled my Harnony Therapy due to SP constraints. Planning on raising it again once i hit cap and start SP farming. I recently delvled 42 total lvls of ice (masteries and skills) to free up SP and make way for more important masteries. I use Large HP/MP pots and pills.
I can kill any mob my lvl or under in 2 hits or less, almost always before they get a chance to whack at me. I have killed every type of mob up to a Blind Mole solo. I have killed people in PvP while hunting/thiefing as high as lvl66 while zerked, lvl63 without zerk.
Hope this gives you some insight into SuicideGrl and my approach to her.
=== Archer Guilde ===
"OMGWTF I have a bow.. now what do I do with it!?"
Well, I'm here to help!
Choose a suitable build.
I'm in favor of pure str or str-based hybrids for bow, but that's just me.
I don't recommend pure int for bow because pure ints have nukes, which are already long range attack. They also have low life and a bow does not offer any defense, so you're more susceptible to getting owned.
Feel free to play around with builds a bit to see which you're most happy with and settle with that.
Which element?
Cold is popular among bowmen. It'll slow the enemy down so that you'll may be able to kill them before they even touch you. STRs can also go fire. However, it is entirely up to you and what you feel most comfortable with.
Now on to SKILLS, the fun part!
Bowmen necessities include...
Anti-devil!
This is a must. Max it and get all books. It's a great starter and has an awesome critical stack.
Arrow Combo.
Get them. ALL 3 BOOKS EVEN!
ZOMG A HAWK!
Woo, the hawk! The hawk allows you to hit faster and harder. It's pretty hot.
The black hawk is not worth it in my opinion. Sure, it looks cool & hits for ya, but it doesn't do much damage unless you lvl it way up. Even then, a white/blue hawk may enable you to get another hit or a few in, which deals more damage overall.
Demon soul arrow.
So you can shoot further. (Especially useful skill for hunting uniques like Isy and training.)
Berserker arrow. (Optional)
Gives you that great AOE (aka Area of Effect).
However, it's not necessary if you're an int-heavy build with a nuke.
The third book of berserker arrow is incredible though! (lvl 69 mastery x.x)
Go Strong Bow!
Great starter for those harder to kill things. It's a bit slow, but the damage it creates makes it worth it. Don't recommend it for PvP (cause it's slow!), but some people can pull it off.
Mind Concentration.
Pacheon's passive skill. It raises attack rating.
Feel free to play around with your bow skills. Have fun with them.
=== str/fire bow build by Hellsharpt ===
The views expressed in this are my opinions, feel free to comment or correct if I misspeak.
The most popular build for a bow is a strength bow. Bows typically have much better physical damage, which compliments strength builds. I would recommend a pure, to 90% pure strength build. Bows are very nice for PvE and they can be pretty decent in PvP. If I get a crit on a pure int user of my level (or 1-2 higher) they go down in one hit, or just after my 4 arrow combo.
Bows
The gear used should be a bow with a good critical. Because you are using strength the physical damage is also important, but most important is the critical. 8 is a good crit, 10 very good, and anything higher is really nice. Bows are expensive and the better the crit the more you will pay. If you want an SOS you had better have a lot of gold or be very very lucky. Anything +3 is good, I wouldn’t spend a lot of time looking for a +4 or better, they are hard to come by and you’ll pay close to what an SOS costs, but with a longer wait. Make sure you have a bow waiting for you at your next level. The worst thing you can do is to hit level 32 (when you get a nice new bow type) and have to spam WTB lev 32+3 bow (don’t forget bows can have +3 str too!). If you wait you will overpay because you need it now.
Armor
As far as gear I would recommend garment or protector. The bonus to mana consumption is very beneficial to strength users as you have low MP. The magic defense is nice when killing monsters like Taoists, gunpowders, scorpions, dark/red eyed ghosts, etc. Always try to get gear with str bonuses. Every little bit helps. As with the bows plan ahead, look for deals and buy early.
Bow Skills
The primary attacks by bow users will be anti-devil and multi-arrow combined with elemental imbue. Alternative attacks will be imbue, Strong bow or berserker arrow (pick the one you like and stick with it or sp farm a little and get both) followed by multi-arrow. At max range using these you should be able to kill any silver/white mob before or just as they reach you.
The passive you should max AR is good.
The white hawk max as you will need that to get the blue, black hawk1 point, then max the blue.
Skip autumn wind.
Put a couple points in demon soul, the payoff isn’t worth investing too much.
How-to:
Activate your anti-devil, wait a moment until just before arrow release then imbue, then activate multi arrow. This will give you the max imbue time. If your skill deactivates it may be due to insufficient mana, adjust your autopot to compensate.
Elemental Skills
I’ve used cold, lightning, and fire. I believe that fire most suits the strength bow as the passives and flame body will increase the physical damage. Others are good secondary and tertiary skills.
The skills you want are:
Fire –Max to level 70
Fire Force (imbue) – max it
Passive – Max
Flame body – Max
Fire Protection – Max
Fire wall - Skip
Fire shield – Skip
Flame Wave – Skip
Passive – Max
Lightning – Level 50
Grasswalk series is a must – Max
Piercing – Max (this one is optional since it gives a lot less benefit to str users)
Thunder Force (imbue) – Max (sometimes you don’t need as much damage as your fire and want to conserve MP). I got the first level of book 2 and stopped.
This uses 190 of the 300 available skill masteries and goes to level 70 and leaves a lot open to things like force, cold, or Spear (for that tasty HP bonus). Play with the skills, delevel if you need to.
Comments