Maple/Marksman Lingo
Here are some common abbreviations for things you'll see as a 120+ Marksman. In alphabetical order for your convenience.
BGA: Bodyguard A (level 152 Showa Boss)
BGB: Obvious much?
BM: Bowmaster (not Battle Mage, which is BaM or BtlM)
Czak: Chaos Zakum (level 140 boss)
DB: Dragon's Breath (skill)
EB: Evasion Boost (skill)
EP: Elite Puppet (skill)
FP: Frostprey (skill)
Grandpa: 3rd gunboss, after BGA and BGB
HT: Horntail (level 160 boss)
HW: Hero's Will (skill)
IS: Illusion Step(skill)
LKC: Lion King's Castle (aka LHC)
MM: Marksman. It's what you are. Warning: people may call you a MushMom.
MMB: Marksman Boost (skill)
MMS: Marksmanship
MW: Maple Warrior (skill)
PA or Pierce: Piercing Arrow (skill)
PDR: Physical Damage Reduction (i.e. 25 PDR means you'll only do 75% of your original damage)
PKB: Power Knock-back (skill)
SE: Sharp Eyes (skill)
SL: Spirit Link: Frostprey (skill)
ToT: Temple of Time (NOT a Zelda Location)
US: Ultimate strafe (skill)
WH: Wild Hunters, our crossbow counterparts.
If I've missed something, pm me and let me know.
Marksmen for Dummies
New to the marksman class? Here's a complete MM skill analysis, created just for YOU! Note that all skills are max level of 30 unless stated otherwise. (in alphabetical order for your convenience).
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Elite-Puppet-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Elite Puppet: A (literal) replacement for third job puppet. EP will function the same as normal puppet (with more HP) PLUS (1) it will attack monsters and (2) while EP is out, the damage done to you by other monsters will be reduced by a certain percent.(max level 15)
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Hero%27s-Will-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Hero's Will: A common 4th job skill (max level 5) that cures all status effects and even seduce. HW has a fairly long cooldown (6 minutes at max), but it's a 1 pt. wonder and a must for czak and HT.
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Illusion-Step-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Illusion Step: An active skill that gives +40 dex and a flat 30% avoid rate (much like shadow shifter for thieves). There seems to be a Though convenient, IS is usually pushed to the end of 4th job for a few reasons: (1) it is annoying to cast with a fairly short timer early on, and (2) it does not function with the ALL-CRIT effect of EB.
NEEDS CONFIRMATION: the avoid animation doesn't work, leading many to believe that the avoid doesn't work at all for Marksman. I seem to notice more misses with it on but it might be optimism [IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/img/2.gif[/IMG]
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Marksman-Boost-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Marksman Boost: A core MM skill that raises minimum critical damage, attack, and mastery. While one point in this skill is a tremendous increase, maxing it is even better.
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Marksmanship-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Marksmanship: MMS raises your accuracy ([IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/img/2.gif[/IMG]) and ignores a certain % of a monster's PDR. This skill is pretty nice for bosses and LKC, and is a must for higher-end bossing. (max level 10)
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Maple-Warrior-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Maple Warrior: Another 4th job common skill. MW is a fantastic skill, but is often neglected in the MM world due to high skillbook prices (above 500M for 20 and 700M for 30 in Bellocan as of 9-28-11) and other classes getting it before we do. This skill raises all of your stats by up to 15%.
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Piercing-Arrow-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Pierce: A core MM skill, and what we are known for. Pierce is a charging skill, so instead of the 83.333 US's/min we can fire, we can only fire about 38 Pierces in a minute, but pierce becomes stronger the more monsters it goes through. At max level, pierce does 1560% on the first monster, and 1.2x that on the next, and 1.44 that on the next, etc... Pierce is one of the few skills in the game that can exceed the damage cap of 1M.
IMPORTANT: while Pierce does work on 8 enemies now, it will STILL DC YOU if you have CO and you hit a 9th enemy.
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Sharp-Eyes-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Sharp Eyes: A traditional bowman buff, SE raises the critical chance and maximum critical damage of the entire party. Also sometimes neglected as BMs and WHs tend to get it before we do.
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Snipe-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Snipe: While not as "broken" as pre-chaos snipe, level 1 post-ascension snipe is still a one point wonder. Level 1 (with a 20 second cooldown) is still more than twice as powerful as level 10 US, so it's fun to have. If you're unfunded and want to QQ about post-chaos snipe, see my comparison of pre and post-chaos snipe .
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Spirit-Link-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Spirit Link: Frostprey: A 1-point skill (early on), SL passively increases your max HP, damage, and defense/resistence when FP is summoned. A very nice skill to have, though the DPM increase is about the same as SE, so you won't get this until a bit later.
[IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/skill/MapleStory-Marksman-Skill-Ultimate-Strafe-BasilMarket.gif[/IMG] Ultimate Strafe: A core MM skill. This boring skill is just a replacement for strafe (literally. It isn't even a new skill button, so if you try to assign US over strafe you will be wasting your time.) A 1 pt wonder that only gets better (just buffed in Alliance Eternal to a nice 270%) (max level 10).
Skill Books
Post-chaos, skill books only drop as secret skill books, and you "use" them and they turn into a random skill book for ANY class. This makes hunting skillbooks even more unrealistic, and you will almost positively have to buy them. Happy Hunting!
Build Info
In the skill order section, the number indicates what you get the skill up to, NOT how many points to put into it (e.g. in 3rd job, you end up with 10 Mortal Blow at the end, NOT 15 (5+10)).
I've decided not to focus on level-by-level builds so much as skill order. This will allow me to give many options for builds, with explanations for them, without cluttering this guide up with so many charts. I will most likely pick a recommended build and give a level-by-level of that one, and may add the full builds to the others in the future. Without further ado, this is the Marksman Skill Build section.
1st Job
Arrow Blow Max Damage Build (Recommended)
1 Arrow Blow
Max Archer Mastery
Max Arrow Blow
Max Critical Shot
11 Double Shot
10: 1 AB (1)
11-15: 3 Archer Mastery (MAX)
16-19: 3 AB (13)
20: 2 AB (MAX), 1 Crit (1)
21-26: 3 Crit (19)
27: 1 Crit (MAX), 2 DS (2)
28-30: 3 DS (11)
This build is technically the most damage efficient, but can be slightly costly with MP. Considering monsters drop MP potions pretty frequently it doesn't matter as much if you grind straight to 30 like most people, since you should be leveling really fast anyways.
Arrow Blow MP Saver Build
1 Arrow Blow
Max Archer Mastery
Max Critical Shot
Max Arrow Blow
11 Double Shot
This build allows for good mobbing damage while not using as much MP in the lower levels by focusing on passives first. Double Shot is, frankly, a waste of points since mobbing is the only decent way to train at early levels these days. MP potions drop commonly from monsters, but some new players might want to focus on quests or other forms of leveling that might not net them as many potions.
Extra Notes
Double shot is a waste of SP in first job since Arrow Blow has comparable damage and 1v1 skills are borderline useless until 3rd or even 4th job. If you choose to max DS over AB anyways, I would still HIGHLY recommend saving Double Shot until last since AB is the best training skill available for Archers.
Personal Experience On my new unfunded crossbowman, I was overall pleased with my recommended build. Being unfunded and therefore lacking 1hko potential early on, I did notice that I had to use some potions from levels 20-30 at Mixed Golems, but all those freebies from Maple Island lasted until 30.
10-18 Blue Ribbon Pigs
18-20 Amdusias Hat quest
20-30 Mixed Golems mini-dungeon
2nd Job
Balanced Build (Recommended)
1 Iron Arrow
5 Crossbow Mastery
5 Booster
2 Soul Arrow
1 Booster (6)
Max Mastery
Max Physical Training
Max Iron Arrow
Max Double Jump
Max Final Attack
Max Soul Arrow/Booster (try to keep them around even durations for macro)
11 Golden Eagle
30: 1 IA (1)
31: 3 Mastery (3)
32: 2 Mastery (5), 1 Booster (1)
33: 3 Booster (4)
34: 2 Booster (6), 1 SA (1)
35: 1 SA (2), 2 Mastery (7)
Macro SA and Booster
36-39: 3 Mastery (19)
40: 1 Mastery (MAX), 2 Phys (2)
41-42: 3 Phys (8)
43: 2 Phys (MAX), 1 IA (2)
44-49: 3 IA (MAX)
50-52: 3 DJ (9)
53: 1 DJ (MAX), 2 FA (2)
54-59: 3 FA (MAX)
60-66: 2 Booster (MAX), 1 SA (9)
You can distribute these how you want, but try and keep them near each other in duration.
67: 1 SA (MAX), 2 GE (2)
68-70: 2 GE (11)
Although not the best damage build, I personally like this build. 1 point in IA allows you to actually train like a crossbowman instead of an overleveled archer. 5 Mastery is gotten to allow for booster, followed up by 6 booster and 2 SA for the timer synchronization. Mastery is technically the most important skill for 2nd jobbers and is top priority after the buffs (NOTE: Mastery can also be maxed before getting the buffs). Phys Training is next for the nice damage range buff and it helps with equips, followed by IA for more damage. Double Jump is pretty suckish and drains MP until it is maxed, so this build saves it until core skills are finished. Most second job training spots until level 50ish don't make full use of it anyways (e.g. CDs is flat enough that you don't need it but it helps at Jesters/Scarecrows). Final Attack is next for slight damage improvement and buffs are maxed because Eagle is kind of useless. Since you are mobbing with your awesome crossbow-mobbing powers, a fairly weak, 1 enemy attack probably won't help you much and might even unnecessarily aggro something.
Strengthless Build
1 Iron Arrow
Max Physical Training
5 Mastery
6 Booster
2 Soul Arrow
Max Mastery
Max Iron Arrow
Max Double Jump
Max Final Attack
Max Soul Arrow/Booster
11 Golden Eagle
This build is similar to my recommended build but rushes Training for those who are going strless but need strength for new crossbows. See the notes above about buffs.
Mobility Build
1 Iron Arrow
5 Mastery
6 Booster
2 Soul Arrow
Max Mastery
Max Double Jump
Max Physical Training
Max Iron Arrow
Max Final Attack
Max Soul Arrow/Booster
11 Golden Eagle
This is for people who want mobility over damage. Mastery and buffs are essential and should come before Double Jump.
Damage Build
1 Iron Arrow
5 Mastery
6 Booster
Max Mastery
Max Iron Arrow
Max Physical Training
2 Soul Arrow
Max Final Attack
Max Double Jump
Max Soul Arrow/Booster
11 Golden Eagle
Soul Arrow and Double Jump are pushed until later, so you need arrows until a much later level to use this build.
The Bird is the Word Build
1 Iron Arrow
5 Mastery
6 Booster
2 Soul Arrow
Max Mastery
15 Iron Arrow (16)
Max Physical Training
Max Double Jump
Max Golden Eagle
Max Final Attack
Max Soul Arrow/Booster
This is a decent build that prefers Golden Eagle, so Iron Arrow is the only skill that can be sacrificed since the others are useful forever. It is possible to fit in Eagle anywhere but I still recommend getting the important skills first.
Extra Notes
Personally, I feel that Eagle is the worst skill of the lot. While your preference to max Eagle or Iron Arrow won't matter by 75 or so, Iron Arrow is a much greater improvement for training and 11 Eagle is still serviceable until you get Frostprey. Feel free to modify this as you wish, but remember that Mastery is essential, Double Jump is bad until maxed, and Eagle should NEVER have more than 1 point in it early on (only do this if you love summons or something like that).
3rd Job
3rd Job
3rd Job is where we crossbow-users really hit our stride and get some of our trademark skills. This section in my build uses tier systems for skills instead of straight builds just because of how many viable options there are for 3rd job. The Tier system is meant to stress the relative importance of skills and help players make informed build decisions based on their own styles.
Balanced (Recommended)
1 Blizzard
1 Frostprey
Not necessary, but helpful. Put this point in at your discretion.
1 Dragon's Breath
same as FP
5 Mortal Blow
Max Arrow Eruption
Max Concentrate
Max Blizzard
Max Frostprey
16 Dragon's Breath
Max Strafe
Max Evasion Boost
Max Puppet
10 Mortal Blow
70: 1 Bliz
71: 1 FP (1), 1 DB (1), 1 MB (1)
72: 3 MB (4)
73: 1 MB (5), 2 AE (2)
74-79: 3 AE (MAX)
80-85: 3 Conc (18)
86: 2 Conc (MAX), 1 Bliz (2)
87-92: 3 Bliz (MAX)
93-98: 3 FP (19)
99: 1 FP (MAX), 2 DB (3)
100-103: 3 DB (15)
104: 1 DB (16), 2 Strafe (2)
105-110: 3 Strafe (MAX)
111-113: 3 EB (9)
114: 1 EB (MAX), 2 Puppet (1)
115-118: 3 Puppet (14)
119: 1 Puppet (MAX), 2 MB (7)
120: 3 MB (10)
3rd job is a bit of an oddity. There are some really good interchangeable skills and some really useless interchangeable skills. 1 Blizzard is gotten first for the freeze and pretty good damage, and 1 Frostprey and DB can be added next. While this isn't a necessity, I still recommend it since Frostprey solves the problems of Golden Eagle by always freezing and mobbing enemies (which makes aggroing the wrong enemy or not helping mob training a non-issue). DB is useful in PQs and during training at high-HP monsters, such as in Monster Park. Once you get the prerequisite Mortal Blow and max AE, I suggest you max Concentrate since you shouldn't need Blizzard for damage-dealing that much. Blizzard is after Concentrate because either way, Blizzard's freeze and damage are better than any of your other skills that haven't been maxed yet. Frostprey at max lasts a while and does good damage, while Dragon's Breath at 16 hits the full 6 enemies. Once you've gotten all your useful 3rd job skills (Strafe in 3rd is not that good, but obviously US is great) then you should max Strafe, Evasion Boost, and Puppet. Mortal Blow is pretty useless, it's a point dump.
3rd Job Skill Tier List
There are many possible choices for 3rd job builds (even more so for 4th), so I chose when writing this to focus on each skill individually instead of writing insane numbers of builds. This build list will show how to allocate points, and EVERY skill in a tier should be at the designated point value (Max except for Dragon's Breath and Mortal Blow) before moving on to the next one.
Tier 1 Skills
Arrow Eruption (+5 Mortal Blow prerequisite)
Blizzard
Concentrate
Maxing these three skills is of utmost importance, they will make training much better for you. Although Concentrate is a 1st tier skill, at least one of the attacks should ALWAYS be maxed first.
1 Bliz
(1 Frostprey and DB
Optional)
Max AE or Bliz
Max Conc or Other Attack Skill
Max final Tier 1 Skill
Tier 2 Skills
Frostprey
Dragon's Breath
Getting both of these skills is a good idea after the essentials. Dragon's Breath is most useful if you need to push enemies, which shouldn't happen unless you Monster Park a lot. Frostprey is more useful in solo or map-share training.
Max Frostprey or 16 Dragon's Breath
16 Dragon's Breath or Max Frostprey
Tier 3 Skills
Strafe
Evasion Boost
I recommend Strafe first because it is useful at LHC, and it will be maxed at 110 exactly if you max it before Evasion Boost.
Max Strafe or EB
Max EB or Strafe
Tier 4
Puppet
More useful that Mortal Blow, especially at LHC.
Max Puppet
Tier 5
Mortal Blow
Barely useful in normal training since it only applies to monsters below 15% hp EVEN at max, and completely useless at LHC.
10 Mortal Blow
4th Job
4th Job
First, congratulations on becoming a Marksman! This is the final step on your road to 200, and it will probably be a long one so enjoy the ride! Our fourth job has many awesome skills and defines who we are. There are many, many build options depending on your playing style and mastery book availability. I feel that a comprehensive guide to each skill will allow you to find what you need for how you play, and help you build accordingly.
This first build focuses on mobbing and training instead of 1v1 bossing. This build shines at party play areas, PQs, or normal training maps where you are actively attacking. If mastery books are an issue (they're really cheap, so they shouldn't be too hard to come across), most of the skills are useful enough that putting 10 points in them early won't hurt you too much (Exceptions: MW, Illusion Step, Elite Puppet, Hero's Will).
NOTES: If you have Decent CO, I find it nice to get MW to 30 so you can have 31 (or if you have +skills from items, leave it at 29). While some with +skills like doing a Pally-style build and putting everything 1 or 2 points below max, I just don't trust that I'll always have that item equipped and would like to have core skills maxed without that item-dependent effect.
Training Build
1 Ultimate Strafe
1 Piercing Arrow
1 Marksman Boost
1 Spirit Link
1 Elite Puppet
1 Snipe
1 Marksmanship
Max Ultimate Strafe
Max or 21 Pierce
10 Sharp Eyes
Max Marksman Boost
(Max Pierce if you haven't)
Max Marksmanship
Max Sharp Eyes
Max Spirit Link
Max Snipe
1 Hero's Will: Put this in at any time, for example if your guild invites you to czak runs at 140ish then by all means put one point here early. This is an incredibly situational skill but can be your most useful skill in dire situations when seduced.
Max Elite Puppet
29 Maple Warrior
28 Illusion Step
120: 1 US (1), 1 PA (1), 1 MMB (1)
121: 1 SL (1), 1 EP (1), 1 Snipe (1)
122: 1 MMS (1), 2 US (3)
123-124: 3 US (9)
125: 1 US (MAX), 2 PA (3)
126-134: 3 PA (MAX)
135-137: 3 SE (9)
138: 1 SE (10), 2 MMB (3)
139-147: 3 MMB (MAX)
148-150: 3 MMS (MAX)
151-156: 3 SE (28)
157: 2 SE (MAX), 1 SL (2)
158-166: 3 SL (29)
167: 1 SL (MAX), 2 Snipe (3)
168-176: 3 Snipe (MAX)
177: 1 HW (1), 2 EP (3)
178-181: 3 EP (MAX)
182-190: 3 MW (27)
191: 2 MW (29), 1 IS (1)
192-200: 3 IS (28)
FINAL RESULT (skills not maxed bolded):
Max Arrow Blow
Max Archer Mastery
Max Critical Shot
11 Double Shot
Max Crossbow Mastery
Max Crossbow Booster
Max Soul Arrow
Max Iron Arrow
Max Physical Training
Max Double Jump
Max Final Attack
11 Golden Eagle
Max Strafe
Max Arrow Eruption
Max Puppet
Max Blizzard
Max Evasion Boost
Max Frostprey
Max Concentrate
16 Dragon's Breath
10 Mortal Blow
Max Ultimate Strafe
Max Piercing Arrow
Max Sharp Eyes
Max Marksmanship
Max Marksman Boost
Max Spirit Link: Frostprey
Max Elite Puppet
Max Snipe
29 Maple Warrior
28 Illusion Step
1 Hero's Will
With places like Lionheart Castle and Stronghold to take at, grinding with parties is nowadays the pretty much undisputed fastest way to level. This build is not for you if you boss a lot, or at least enough that you get most of your experience/money from it. I will be making a bossing build for those of you that prefer bossing over grinding (technically I prefer bossing too, but I find it too slow to be a viable training method). I personally didn't start doing many boss runs until 15x or later, other than Zakum, but that was pre-ascension so I maxed Snipe much earlier.
Reasons for this build
1. All of the first skills are good at 1 point. Elite Puppet's major downside at early levels is that it hinders your ability to fight Bodyguard A, but until he is fixed and is able to attack again it doesn't matter. Since this build focuses on LHC and Stronghold, Elite Puppet will help you a lot. Marksmanship as a one point wonder is also arguable, but personally I find the 7% ignore nice (somewhere around a 2% overall damage increase on LHC monsters) and if you party with a paladin (which I wouldn't get used to) it gets even better.
2. Ultimate Strafe is maxed first since it is quite quick to max and it is a major 1v1 boost, which helps at LHC (somewhat) or zakum. It also gives you time to pick up Pierce books ahead of time if you haven't done that already.
3. Piercing Arrow is crucial to get to at least 21 so it hits 6 enemies. I recommend maxing it right away because it is a nice damage boost and also gives you time to pick up MMB books.
4. 10 Sharp Eyes is usually enough to appease party members and is also a good damage boost for 10 points.
5. Marksman Boost is a major damage increase for you, it is one of our best skills DPSwise.
6. Marksmanship's ignore is good at LHC and even better at bosses, too bad the accuracy is useless.
7. At this point in the build, you should be 15x, and it is a good idea to max SE over SL because the HP shouldn't be too important at LHC and SE is a better DPS boost to both you and your party then SL.
8. Spirit Link is next for 2 reasons. One, it is a large damage increase and is the best remaining skill for your damage. Two, if you follow this build you'll be going into Stronghold with max or almost max SL, which is vital for survival because those things hit like trucks.
9. Snipe, one of our most well known skills, is sadly minor enough in training to ignore until later. You will lack in 1v1 DPS until you max this, but all things considered 1v1 isn't that important unless you boss (see italics above).
9a. I recommend getting Hero's Will now because it is only useful at major bosses (Czak, HT, etc) and you won't be ready to do those bosses until you get Snipe. Once you max Snipe you're about as ready for bossing as you'll ever be, so it helps to get it at this point in time.
10. At this point, since you should be at Stronghold and be training with all high leveled people, there will probably be someone with high level Maple Warrior in every party so I recommend maxing Elite Puppet first since it can tank more and absorb more of your damage.
11. Maple Warrior is undeniably more important that Illusion Step, but if you can't afford the books just get IS to 28 first. I kid you not, you could pass both MW books first try and fail 3 of every other book before passing them and the costs of the MW books will be greater than all the others combined.
12. Illusion Step is a minor damage increase and a decent avoid boost, it supposedly works like Shadow Shifter but some say the animation is glitched. It is supposed to do a special smiling animation when you get missed through it but it doesn't. Since I know the IS misses don't activate Evasion Boost's criticals, I might do some testing sometime to see exactly how often my Misses are caused by IS.
Bossing Build
DISCLAIMER: This build will make it hard to level. You'll be a very inefficient grinder and most bosses have daily limits, so this build should only be used if you don't mind slow levels, even early on.
1 US
1 Pierce
1 MMB
1 SL
1 Snipe
1 MMS
(1 EP
Optional: If you either don't plan on fighting Bodyguards (they're really good exp, I recommend them) or are confident you can get to 165ish before they get fixed and are able to attack again, then get this. Otherwise, I would not recommend this as it it not vital to other bosses and seriously screws you up at Bodyguards.)
Max US
Max MMS
Max MMB
Max Snipe
1 Hero's Will: at this point you will be mid 140s so you might be doing Czak runs, which is the first boss that Hero's Will helps at, so I'd recommend putting the point in here, but just put this point in whenever you need it.
Max SL
Max SE
Max Pierce
Max EP
29 MW
28 IS
Reasons
1. 1 in the same skills from before, even Pierce, since I assume you might do SOMETHING other than bossing at some point between 120 and 170 [IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/img/2.gif[/IMG]
2. Ultimate Strafe is the 1v1 bread and butter skill. 'Nuff said.
3. Marksman Boost and Marksmanship are both amazing damage boosters, but Marksmanship has a slight edge on high-defense bosses (that's the point of this build).
4. Snipe is a massive damage boost for bossing, but it still falls short of MMB/MMS unless you have godly weapon attack stat already, so max it afterward.
4a. See above.
5. Spirit Link is gotten here not so much for the damage (which is nice), but for the HP. It isn't maxed earlier because the HP isn't necessary at Pap, Bodyguards, Zak, or the likes, but at this point you might be going on runs where you need it.
6. By this point, you've probably hit your solo boss peak. You'll probably be doing runs and stuff with friends, so Sharp Eyes is a good damage boost for your party.
7. Piercing Arrow is well overdue, and I congratulate you if you've made it this far with mainly bossing. 170-200 will be hell without SOME grinding, however, so by this point the build evens out to the grinding build and Piercing Arrow is still much better than any of your other skills.
8. See the reasons in the Grinding Build for the rest of this.
Training Spots
1st Job
10-20 Blue Ribbon Pigs
10-30 Mixed/Flaming Stone Golems
20-30 Rotting Skeletons (or whatever they're called, the level 20 things in NLC)
Some point before 40: take quest about the demon from the 1st job instructor and kill Amdusias. It gives 2 levels of exp at 18 and a nice hat. [IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/img/2.gif[/IMG]
First job will fly by. I personally like the Mixed Golems option since it has nice, flat platforms and a mini-dungeon, but you'll miss a good bit. Blue Ribbon Pigs are better if you don't have Evolving Rings, 10 att WGs, and other crazy attack buffs that make the low levels broken as all get out. I personally don't like the Skeletons because you have to travel back and forth and it should be quick anyways, but some people swear by them so I figured I'd put them here.
2nd Job
30-40ish Mushking Castle training plus quests
30-40 Pixies in Cloud Park
30-50 Scarecrows in NLC
35-45 CDs in Kerning Square or Kerning Square quest line
45-52 Emo Slimes/Chlorotraps in Malaysia (150 Chloro etc drops, 250 Emo drops)
50-55 Toy Trojans
50-60 Voodoos
55-65 Robos/Master Robos (map with 3 flat platforms is the best, can't remember which one that is)
55-70 Twisted Jesters
55-70 Chryse Quests
60-70 Boswell Field 2 in Omega Sector
50-70 Ludi PQ
60-70 Monster Park (level-appropriate dungeons with party)
60-70 Nett's Pyramid
Second Job presents you with a lot more choices, and actually takes a bit of time. Mushking Castle got revamped, I've tried it for myself and it's a LOT better. You can even grind the Pepe bosses solo now, which is like 16% a kill. The Emo Slime option is there since there's a quest line starting at 52 that requires the aforementioned drops and gives 26 fame (for those level 40 equips) and a level's worth of exp. Chryse is meh, but some people like storylines and such. Robos are good, some classes make better use of the platforms but it's good for us too. Ludi PQ is AMAZING. Nett's Pyramid is OK but you NEED a 3rd job mercedes, demon slayer, or aran (evans are good too) to stand a chance at winning.
3rd Job
70-80 Sand Rats/Scorpions
75-85 Iron Mutaes
75-90 Lab C3 (Roids and Neo Huroids)
80-95 MP3
85-100 Saities in Magatia
90-110 Aliens
90-105 Captains/Krus
95-105 Homonculus
105-110 Dual Ghost Pirates
110-120 Gigantic Spirit Vikings
110-120 Lion King's Castle (Crockies until 117, then Bearwolves) [b]I find LHC almost untrainable now. Crockies is the only map you can access until you do a bunch of insane quests, and hackers/funded people powerleveling plague the entirety of this place.
70-120 Magatia PQ
3rd Job has a lot of options, actually in my opinion even more than 4th because there aren't many new monsters past 160. Most of them are okay, but a few stand out as great training spots, and these are the ones I focus on in my guide. Sand Rats and Scorpions are absolutely amazing, flat map and great spawn. Iron Mutaes are similar and are good options if Sand Rats or C3 is packed. C3 is awesome as well, I make sure to train there on every character I get to this point. Mysterious Path 3 is a mixed blessing. It is probably the single best training map in 3rd job, with its truck for AE spam and its massive spawn, but it is also normally quite crowded and (in Windia at least) has more than a few botters in it. Some people also advise rushing to MP3 at 70. This really isn't too bad an idea, but Arrow Eruption is a massive boost here and it helps to have it maxed before you go here. I personally avoid this map because in my experience it was best to just stay in Magatia until Captains and Krus become viable. It is quite possible to go to Captains before 90, I've gone as early as 85 before but I hate the miss rate. Captains are actually okay until 110, but it usually gets slow for me around 105 so I just head to Ludibrium for Dual Ghost Pirates. This map has a lot of flat platforms are good spawn, and Arrow Eruption can hit multiple platforms at once. It was quite fun when my friend was being harassed and KSed here and I could anti-KS 2 people at once [IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/img/2.gif[/IMG] Lion King's Castle (LKC or LHC) is undoubtedly the best training place, with or without "glitched" maps. If you don't like party play or at least want to wait until 120, which is actually quite doable, it's best to just stay in Ludibrium and go to Gigantic Spirit Vikings, which are quite similar to Dual Ghost Pirates. Magatia PQ is the best PQ out of the 70-120 group for experience and the pendant is nice too, plus the experience scales by your level. A word of warning: just doing 10 Magatia PQs a day will be slow training, I would supplement that with either other 70-120 PQs or good old-fashioned grinding.
4th Job
120-165 LHC, preferably Bearwolves, Golems, or Crockies
165-200 Stronghold in Future Henesys
This is THE most efficient way to go, but most people don't just grind their butts off for 80 levels.
Other Options
120-130 Werewolves
120-150 Leafre Dragon Forest monsters
140-170 Temple of Time + quests
160-200 Future Henesys and Ereve + quests
120-200 All 120+ PQs
These are some of the only good options (in my opinion) for those who don't like party play. It will be slow, but to some it is preferable to parties and glitch maps. PQs are actually pretty good, I used them to get from 180-200 and did almost no grinding.
Bossing
100-200 Zakum Arm Party/Solo, Full Zakum Party/Solo
depending on your level/damage
120-130 Papalatus
120-130 Pianus (if you can find one [IMG]http://static.basilmarke*****m/img/2.gif[/IMG])
120-200 Von Leon Party/Solo
140-200 Horntail Party (good luck, HT has been Nexon'd for a while) or Solo (need at least 50k range, probably closer to 60)
140-200 Chaos Zakum Party/Solo
145-200 Bodyguards
+ The Boss when you feel you have a high enough hit rate (165-170)
160-200 Chaos Horntail party/solo (even more Nexon'd, barely feasible at the moment)
180-200 Pink Bean
190-200 Cygnus Instructors
I admit: I basically copied the list of expedition bosses plus a few others, but these are really the only good bosses. Papalatus and Zakum are really nice at lower levels (if you can solo very quickly, Zakum stays good until late 4th job). The Horntail glitch is twofold; you have to be one of the first 30 people to sign up after a server check and if you aren't the first one in you have to solo. The Bodyguards, at the time of this writing, are glitched and don't attack at all. For when they get fixed, Frank has a nice guide to beating the annoying-as-hell BGA. Cygnus instructors and Pink Bean aren't that good experience but I find them fun and at this point either build that you followed is the same so you're ready for anything. DISCLAIMER: This will be slow experience. I've said this before but I can't stress it enough, I've seen people who hate training, only boss, and whine about their slow levels because "bosses should be amazing experience." My personal sentiment to that aside, bosses aren't that good experience and unless you also train levels will be slow. Most people (myself included) don't like grinding infinitely for levels, but I personally recommend using bossing as a break in the monotony of training.