[meowczar]

Jedi's guide to Mid-rate ReignOnline for Non-Donators

I will repeat myself at times throughout the guide. Oh, well.

Updates at bottom

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Many of us have been playing RO for so long, it's hard to imagine a time when we didn't know where Payon Caves were, or for that matter, when we didn't even know that they existed. And if we didn't get at least a little guidance, we would have given up on the game before it even started. This is for the newbies.

A.General Advice and Stuff
B.LEVELING for AGI/FLEE
C.LEVELING for ARCHERS (& Gunslingers)
D.LEVELING for MAGE/WIZARD
E.Leveling for Acolyte
F.All Classes after Trans -leveling spots
G.End game stuff:WoE and PvP
H.Misunderstood MVP cards
I.Theory of Status Points, Stats & Other Stuff


A.General Advice and Stuff
If not first, then early on, you want to make a Merchant Class Character All your characters use the same storage (@storage), so make a merchant to do all your buying and selling for you to get the best deals.
Use @autoloot 100 and put everything in storage for your merchant to OC.
Figure out what items are used in quests on the server so you don't sell them to the NPC. You can Vend things AFK by using @at once your store is open.
irowiki.org has information on how your character works as well as tons of information about every aspect of everything about you.
ratemyserver.com is an excellent resource on monsters and things found in the game. You can find info on most everything, including official headgear quests.
rododdlercon.com/futurewiki has a lot of the info RMS doesn't, especially about quests.

There are useful gears to be had if you VOTE. You can vote on the forums when signed in. Check to see what you can get to the right of the statue in the main square in Prontera.

Keep your Zeny in the bank so it collects interest (every day!)

Get familiar with some of the @commands, as well as the /help commands. Using /where when I list numbers and maps might help you. Also, there is a world map if you hold ctrl+` (same key as the ~)

There are custom headgears and wings out there that you can quest. You may want to investigate those as well. You could really use some Lord Kaho Horns...

You seriously risk breaking things at the upgrade shop when you go past the safe limit. Only do it if you have a spare.

At level 99, for most classes, you get to start all over. This is not a bad thing. It is called Transcending, and it will allow you to play a more advanced version of your last character. Take what you learned from the first time around and apply it to the real thing. =)


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Let's look at some basic leveling builds.
These Guides should help you get to Transcendent.

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B.LEVELING for AGI/FLEE
This is a basic melee build that relies on dodging the enemies attacks.
USE THIS BUILD FOR YOUR MERCHANT. (Unless the merchant is what you want to play as your main
character, you can stop when you have all the skills that you want to use. Avoid the Mammonite skill for now.)
Since every class except Gunslingers can use a basic Agi build, lets start here. A thief class best suits this build IMO.
The stats and bonuses listed were with a Thief/Assassin.
(the stats I list are just guides, you have a lot of leeway as to how you distribute your stats.)
Thief, Swordsmen, Taekwon, Merchant, Monk, Battle Priest, Slap Sage, and Throw Shurken Ninja can all use this build effectively.
Ninja and Sage can restat like a Wizard at level 100 to switch to a magic build.

start with 9 str, 9 agi, 5 dex, 5 vit
Go through the training grounds, talk to NPCs, learn stuff, get gears and potions.
In the training grounds, when experience starts to slow down (level 15 or later) talk to the Trainer NPC at new_1-3 96, 30 and take the option "I wanna fight tough monsters" (Dying at least once will get you some extra novice potions.)Stay in the training grounds until level 30 or higher, talk to the NPC near the top of the map to exit.
at level 30
str 20, agi 36, vit 9, dex 15

Take Hanson's personality test, answer the first question "Violence" and then just spam the enter key until you appear at moc_ruins 155, 44. (This will get Hanson to suggest you become a thief and will give you a Main Gauche dagger.)

Type "@go 0"talk to the job changer, stylist, platinum skills, and (if your class can equipe it) upgrade the main gauche that you got to +7 with your phracon.
Now type "@go 3" and exit to the east (lower right portal)you can kill poring, willow, and spore as you walk to the next lower right portal.
I was level 35 as I entered the Smokie map pay_fild09
Kill Smokies till level 43 or higher
at level 49
str 28+2, agi 59+2, vit 9+1, dex 23+2

next "@go 20" and exit up to the north to lhz_fild01.
Kill metalling, AVOID THE MOLES. Stay here until 60 or so.
use warpra to go to Ice Dungeon and kill Siroma once Metallings gets slow, stay till job 50. Wind property attack is best against Siroma.
at level 70/50
str 46+4, agi 80+4, vit 10+2, dex 31+4

@go 0, change jobs, get new platinum skills, then use the warpra to go to Orc Dungeon.
Don't go into the dungeon, but take the left/west field map exit to get to High Orcs. A water/ice property attack works best against High Orcs, never use fire.
at level 84/50
str 74+6, agi 84+14, vit 10+2, dex 37+8(i think)
You can stay at High Orcs till you transcend.
at level 98/50
str 94+6, agi 90+14, vit 13+2, int 2+4, dex 37+8
This will get you to Trans. It can be repeated for the first part of your new career as well.
Difference is in how you start.
Use Warpra to go to Hidden Dungeon. Kill the Lunatics and Porings outside, step in and kill the fabre. @go 0. Warpra to Anthell, kill ant eggs. @go 3, exit right, and pick up at killing Spores and Willows. The level at which you should move on is slightly earlier since you started with more points the second time around.

GEARS for AGI/FLEE
Try to get 2 Brooch from the Accesory dealer at the mall. Together, it's +4 Agi.
A short trip to Sphinx Dungeon after level 50 to kill Zerom (more on sphinx level 2) could get you a Pantie to wear. Combined with Undershirt, dropped by Pasana on level 4 of the Sphinx (also from mall) will give you +5 Agi, +10 Flee.
A Ghost Bandana from mall will get you +2 Agi, alternatively, you could make a Drooping Gir Hat, which gives +10 Flee.
I like Bunny Slippers for feet.
An Evil Druid Card on your armor would open up the chance to finish your leveling on Medusas or @go Nif. It would also ease you into cursed Abbey. A Bathory Card would do much the same thing. Try to obtain one or the other before you reach level 100 next time around. Or go without it...

The Size of the weapon affects the damage dealt depending on the size of the monster.
A dagger deals 100% damge to small monsters.
Spore, Smokie, Metalling, and Siroma are all small monsters.
Upgrading from your +7 Main Gauche to a Damascus as soon as you can afford it will help your damage.
When fighting Siromas, use a jujubee dagger from the ninja store at the mall. It will give you wind property to use against them. The 2x damage from property will be more than the raw strength of the Damascus.
Against High Orcs, I used a Frozen Katar as an Assassin, Ice Falchions can be expensive, but are equally effective.
Get a Bathory or Evil Druid Card for armor, and either an Inverse Scare Katar, or holy dagger before going to Niff or Cursed Abbey. Dig out the Frozen Katar for Thors Volcano once you have some fire resistant gears. Having a holy dagger and a shadow dagger to switch between will let you level at Odins Temple.

There is much, Much better gear to be had out there. I am only mentioning what i think you could reasonably get when starting from nothing.
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C.LEVELING for ARCHERS (& Gunslingers)
start with
agi 9, dex 9, int 9
Do training ground like guide above, only take the second option for a harder leveling spot, you could get a POS bow off a condor.
At level 30
Agi 30, Int 9, Dex 31
@go 3, but exit down/south. Stab willows, and DS Spores as you walk toward the left portal. Be sure to stab 1 or more Black Mushrooms along the way to get a crystal blue. You can use this to make Crystal Arrows (water property), you should have level 10 Double Strafe by the time you get to Greatest Generals. Be sure to work on Vultures Eye to 10 as soon as possible as well, so you can shoot from a distance. Watch out for the Vagabond Wolf. Stay at Generals till Job 50, or until you have 120 Trunks (to make a Sakkat!)
With enemies that don't move, it's easy to focus on damage.
But don't put total DEX past 100 for now (that's including Attention Concentrate 10).
You will need a good FLEE toward the end, so you need points for AGI.
After job change, use warpra to head to the outside of ice caves. Use Fire Arrows made from a Red Blood to shoot plants. You could also use a Wind of Venture (dropped by Roween) to make Wind Arrows and shoot Siroma. Between the 2, you should get second job 50. (If you go Sniper, don't forget to get your falcon in Prontera.)
stop DEX at 95+, INT 14+4, VIT 10+2, LUK 3+7, AGI (the rest of your points).
Once your FLEE hits 120 work a little on your VIT and INT.
Grab some Silver Arrows, obtainable at the shop Outside payon Caves, and head to @go 13 (Niff).
You will be gaining your final levels through the portal to the left, but try wandering around Niff city for a while. Gibbets are great. Loli Ruri can be difficult. Use traps if you are so inclined, Ankle Snare works well. Bloody Murder was still giving 7.36% exp at level 98.
At 98/50 I had
Agi 95+24, Vit 18+2, Int 17+4, Dex 95+36, Luk 3+7

GEARS for ARCHER
Pantie and Undershirt Combo again. I wore the Sakkat I made from the trunks, Ghost Bandana still better though. Bunny Slippers, and 2xGloves. I got a Gakkung Bow as soon as I could afford it, and used the rough Oridicon from Elder Willows for upgrading.
The ease with which an Archer can change weapon property, along with the distance they keep from their enemy, allows them to face monsters other classes would be unable handle. A higher DEX means a Higher HIT, so they can face MVPs sooner. It makes the Archer one of the fastest levelers in the game.
An Evil Druid or Bathory Card would make Niff easier, and will allow you to go to Cursed Abbey near level 100 as a Trans class.
A Rudra Bow is an excellent weapon until your Dex gets up toward 150, then a [4] Composite Bow with appropriate cards will deal more damage. If the cards are unavailable, stick with the Rudra. Or go with one of the Elemental Bows that increase damage with certain arrows.
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D.LEVELING for MAGE/WIZARD
start with whatever stats you want!
Immediately @go 0 and pay for a stat reset.
Get all DEX. @go 15 back to the novice grounds and proceed with training. Continue with DEX until you have DEX 40. Then start with your INT.
Once you job change, exit east from Prontera, and head for the northern portal. Kill Lunatics, and Porings along the way leveling your Firebolt to 10.
Shoot Magnolias as you make your way to the next north portal, where you can shoot Floras.
Level Sight, Fireball to 5, and then get Firewall 10.
You will want to get all dex gears, so you can get to instant cast as soon as possible.
As for Int, you will want to get a TOTAL Int of 70. The bonus for being a job 50 High Wizard is +12, so, get an Int of 58. If you wear any Int gear, including a wand, subtract that amount from 58. This will give you as many points as possible for your dex, while still maintaining a slightly respectable damage level.
Once your Int is temporarily maxed at 58, @go 0 and use warpra to go outside Ice Caves. When you hit job 50, job change and then come back here, and continue Firebolting Plants till High Wiz job 50.
Or go into the Ice Caves and JT Siromas (pin them to a wall to get off the second shot).Other skills to get are Coldbolt 5, Frostdiver 1, Lightningbolt 4, Thunderstorm 1, Napalm Beat 1, Stone Curse 1, Increased Mana 1, and then its your choice, I like napalm 4, Soul Strike rest. others have suggested leveling Frostdiver up.
The skills mentioned will allow you to get Jupiter Thunder, Storm Gust, Heavens Drive, and Lord of Vermillion.
Storm Gust is very important, you want it most. Followed closely by Jupiter Thunder.
After you've gotten second class job 50, and gotten the best equipement available, go back to JTing Siromas. Also, you can use LoV on mobs of Siromas, and then Flywing away if any survive, repeat.
You can also try Magma Dungeon. But then you could always just stay Firebolting Geographers until you get sick. BUT...
BUT, when you get to level 89 or 90, you can try your luck at the Alpha 1 MVP room. Eddga is fire property and your SG will be very effective, just don't let him get too close. If its still too soon, try back every level, but Magma should be pretty smooth for you by level 90. Definitely try Eddga again by level 96. Either Magma Dungeon or Eddgas should see you to level 99.
at level 98/50
Int 58+12, Dex 128+16
Once you Trans, after Dex 150 you can work on getting your Int to total 105, and then 140, etc. Working on some Vit as you go. Raising Agi is also recommended for Flee, for when the enemy gets through at you.

Gears for Wiz
this was with 2 gloves, Apple of Archer, and Dex type Survivors Rod.
If, the Rod had been slotted with Drops card,and
if, an armor had been slotted with a Rocker Card, and
if, the 2 gloves had been slotted with Zerom Cards, then
the total Dex could be 150 at level 98.
Other gears I got were a Survivors Manteau, Bunny Slippers.
Eventually you will want to get 2 Orleans Gloves for dex and magic attack +3% each.
A Marduk Card will prevent the Silence Status effect.
An Evil Druid Card will give you +1 Int and also undead property, negating the magic attacks of Banshees, letting you make the transition to Cursed Abbbey. Bottom Floor of Cursed Abbey is where you will want to be after Eddgas (still SG ftw). Also, using SG in Thors Volcano is very effective as well. A good mdef is highly recommended for both. Get a +10 Staff of Piercing for when you Transcend.
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E.Leveling for Acolyte
There are 2 general ways I've seen Acolytes played. The first is a caster type that "heals" undead into destruction (hold shift while healing). Later they may Turn Undead, and eventually cast Magnus Exorcismus dealing lots of area holy damage. But I recommend following the stat build on the
Agi/Flee build. Either way, take advantage of the holy crusade you are on, and fight Undead and Demons as much as possible.
casting type can reset stats at the start to go all int, as Heal is not dependent on Dex to cast.
Dex will come in later for Turn Undead, and then for Mag Ex. This is a hard way to level, because you are limited to maps of undead and shadow monsters. If you go Mag EX, follow the Wiz build.
Either build, head to payon caves as soon as possible. When the first floor starts getting slow, head to level 2, then 3. Mummies at Pyramids, and Evil Druids at Glastheim. You should get to job 50 pretty quickly as a heal bomber. As Agi, you may take a few levels to kill Smokies and metallings. If you can get Kaiser Knuckles (wind property), then you are set to punch Siromas. If you don't have a fist weapon, try to use a rod against small enemies instead of a mace. Rod does more damage to small enemies than a mace.
Head over to GlastHeim Church after job 50 to face some Evil Druids. They are tough, and they hurt, but you can heal yourself between bouts, and the chance of a card is worth it. As a melee priest, you can give your weapon holy property, which will increase your damage significantly. Head to Niff for your final levels.
Gears will look much like either the Wizards or the Agi/Flee with the exception of a Rod/Mace in place of Dagger. A [1]Grand Cross will help at Niff and cursed Abbey. Ask a Whitesmith to make you some elemental Stunners for when you first go to ice Caves and Thors.
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F.All Classes after Trans

There are 2 quests that come to mind that give a nice bump to exp.
The Eye of Hellion & The Frozen Necklace (which can be done as you level in Ice Caves)
I strongly recommend both. The second quest is the only way to obtain Frozen Powder needed to summon Ktullanux.
There is also the Spy Quest which will get you a Jewelry Box.
The Lord Kaho Horn Quest will get you the strongest piece of gear available without donates. Go out and get what you can off of mobs, buy the rest off of Vendors. Many of the items asked for can be obtained from easier monsters than the ones named by the Quest-giver NPC. And don't get distracted by the alternate names of some items that you normally call something else.
Being able to level 156 levels past what was the original stopping point, our FLEE practically takes care of itself. But avoiding physical attacks is only part of our over-all defense. From this point on, it will be hard to find a map that doesn't contain magic casting foes. It puts the possible need for a good MDEF out there. Together, high FLEE and MDEF will often be enough, so be sure to look into getting them. Physical DEF should not be ignored for those times when you are facing a challenging enemy. If you do nothing else for your DEF, be sure to upgrade your equipement as far as you are able.

leveling spots & some recommended cards and gear
You will have access to gears that non-trans classes are forbidden. These are generally more powerful. Know what you are facing and you can card your gear toward your opponent.

~Everywhere
if a monster is just hitting you, it is a neutral attack. Raydric Card on Garment grants 20% resistance to neutral attacks; Deviling on garment 50% resistance. A Ghostring card on armor grants Ghost Property and effectively reduces neutral damage by 75%. Deviling can work against you rather quickly if you are recieving a lot of non-neutral based attacks. Otherwise, these cards are considered universally useful and can be considered despite whatever other gears are suggested.
A Valk Shield should be used for shield cards whenever possible.
Valk Armor is best for everyone except Crit Snipers. Snipers use Sniping Suit. Glittering jacket can be worn by most classes and can be used till you can get Valks.
Wool Scarf and Tidal Shoes worn together add 10% HP. Alternatively Valk Manteau and Shoes may be worn, but 10% HP can often be the difference between exp and death.
Orleans Gloves look good for most classes. Expert Rings may be an alternate for those who really need their next skill out. Slotted rings, earings, necklaces can be used as prefered. As a default, I will go with Rosary for the mdef option.
For headgears, you can quest some slotted Sunglasses for a mid-head card slot. Questable wings have benefits and [2] slots. Some upper questable headgears also have [2] slots. All together, that's [5] head slots for cards! However, a very effective headgear that every non-donator should get, is
Lord Kaho Horns. Untill you get to slotting MVP and mini-MVP cards, there is very little reason not to use LKH.
A Silver Shotel is great early on as a weapon. It is slightly odd that at the highest levels, we use some of the lowest weapons, so we can use more cards. Initially confusing, but ultimately you come to accept it. Stronger weapons while you are weak, weaker weapons with room for options when you are strong.

~Niflheim
The Shadow property monsters may reduce the effectiveness of Mages (but then, what does a mage care about Nif when they have the Alpha MVP room). Everyone else has some sort of Holy Property weapon option. Combined with a defence against darkness, Nif can feel easy.
+offense~ Holy Property attacks work best against Shadow an Undead property enemies. Santa Poring Card adds 20% vs shadow > Strouf Card adds 20% vs demon.
-defense~ Either an Evil Druid Card or Bathory Card can negate the dark soul Strike cast by Loli Ruri. A Khalitzburg Card on shield will reduce damage from Demons by 30%. A Platinum Shield (prefered) would help against the Undead. A Thara Frog Card on shield vs Bloody murderer.
(If you collect 300 black cat dolls, you can make a drooping cat hat!)

~Ice Caves level 3, ice_dun03
Ice Titans can make for decent exp shortly after level 100.
Everything here is water property.
+offense Wind property attacks work best vs water. Gazeti is a demon, but both Ice Titan and Snowier are Formless. Drainliar Cards add 20% vs water > Peco Egg Card adds 20% vs Formless.
-defense Swordfish will give you water property attacks against their magic, Marc protects against freezing and grants 5% resistance from water, Tidal shoes also grants 5% resistance, Marse Card on garment 30% resistance to water, Leaf Cat Cards on headgear 10% resistance each. A
Khalitzburg Card on shield against Demons, and a Penomena Card on shield vs Formless.
A Cold Resist Potion adds 20% resistance.
Many ingredients for Gazeti Wings can be obtained here.

~Cursed Abbey, Abbey01
A lot of your Nif gear will carry over.
+offense Holy is best. A neutral weapon will miss the Flame Skulls, so if you don't have holy, get some sort of element. Fire would be a close second to holy when facing undead, but it is less effective against shadow. Strouf Card 20% vs Demon > Santa Poring 20% vs Shadow
-defense platinum shield or Khalitzburg Card on shield
Bathory or Evil Druid Card for Armor. If you wear an ED, then the dark area effect that Banshee casts will heal you. If you can't get either of those, an Isis card on garment and Permeter cards for head all grant shadow resistance.
SG High Wizards and MagEx High Priests, get a good MDEF and head to Abbey03 for AoE fun. The narrow passages ensure your spells hit everything.
Lots of useful gears are dropped here.

~Morroc Fields
The Continental Guard Quest will give you access to the maps where Satan Morroc (no drops), and Wounded Morroc (drops) spawn. The fields though are teeming with mobs. This place has comparable exp to Thors 1, but with out any of that pesky shield reflect. Plus, all your Nif and Abbey gears should work here as well.

~Thors Volcano
Even characters dripping in donates can have a hard time here at first.
Definitly try Thors by level 120.
Almost everything here is Fire Property.
Melee classes may want to avoid Salamanders with their shield reflect.
+offense Water property attacks work best vs fire. Vadon Cards 20% vs fire > Peco Egg card 20% vs Formless. A second weapon may be considered for the Guardians and Byorgue which are all Demi-humans, so hydra cards 20% vs demi-human > minorous card 15% vs large.
-defense Penomena card on shield. Pasana Card on armor to have fire property or wear one of the Lucius armors dropped by Kasa. Jakk card 30% on garment and Lieb Olmai cards 10% each on headgear all grant fire resistance. A Burning Bow adds 10% fire resistance for bow users. A Flame
Lord Ring would also add 10%. A Thera Frog on Shield for Byorgue and Guardians.
A Fire Resist Potion adds 20% resistance.

~Odins Temple
Gravity decided to put Angels and Demons on the same map. One option is to hunt Skeggiolds and Valks and ignore the Frus and Skogul.
+offense Shadow property works best, also small weapons; Assassin Dagger and Garm Claw are examples. Orc Skeleton Card 20% vs holy > Desert Wolf Card 15% vs small. (save this weapon for breaking the emperium during WoE)
-defense General mdef gears are recommended as they tend to alternate between lightning and what looks like Soul Strike.
The Frus and Skogul are best faced with the Nif gear.
ingredients for quests and God Items can be collected here.

~BioLabs 3
This place is hard, but possible.
If you haven't made any PvP gears yet, then you are about to make them now.
+offense Every mob here has a different element. You will want to have a second element handy to deal with the Ghost property High Wizard, if nothing else. A Blast Clip will work, but not as well as a weapon switch. Hydra Cards 20% vs Demi-humans > Skeleton Worker Card 15% vs medium size.
Also, some mobs can be increadibly tough just to HIT, consider a CRIT approach.
-defense The HighWiz changes the element she casts constantly, you will need a good MDEF.
Thara Frog Card 30% reduction from demi-humans on shield. Beret or Poo hat 10% reduction.
A Pneuma Clip might work for you against the snipers, but they lay traps beneath you.
There are 3 anti-knockback solutions to consider. 1. Strong Shield -unfortunatly this comes at the cost of increased damage recieved. 2. Brynhildr God Armor -I prefer this one, as it has MDEF built in. Many
people vend the essences you need to make this. It seems to be the most customer friendly God Items out there. 3. RSX Card -You must really love that +1 to all stats from the Valk or the CRIT from your Sniping Suit to not go with a Brynhidr. Add to that the low chance of ever getting one...

~MVPs
Every MVP monster tends to be different form the others. Lets look at some generalities.
+offense Abyssal Knight Cards 25% vs Boss > (Their race/property) > (their size {most tend to be large})
Look up the Boss Element so you can use the appropriate counter Element against it. In the Theta & Epsilon MVP Rooms, you can use Holy Property Exclusively. In Beta, 3 of the 4 are weak to Fire (Phreeoni has no elemental weakness). But in Alpha, 2 of the boss are weak to water, 1 to earth and 1 to fire. All of them in the MVP rooms could be dealt with using Neutral weapons, but there are some that require some Element to deal with their Ghost Property. (Ghost is the only property that increases the damage to itself.) Some have rather strong DEF spells, so CRIT is a great form of melee.
-defense Alice Card in Shield reduces Boss damage 40%. High MDEF to survive their spells. High FLEE to avoid direct damage, but also the mobs that they summon. Carry a stack of Ygg berries for healing. Upgrade all your gears as far as possible for better DEF. Then it depends on the Boss.
Possible anti-freeze gear (Marc or ED), anti EarthQuake gear (Neutral resist/reduction) and Anti curse or coma (EvilSnakeLord Card and GoldenThiefBug Card respectively). You may have to go with a high LUK and hope for the best. Elemental Resists can work if the Boss tends to be consistent with its casting.

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Post Trans leveling generalities

Continue your Agi till you have max ASPD 196, then work on VIT for defense and Hit Points, and STR for more damage (or Dex for Archers, but know that you can do a stat reset every once in a while to lower your agi as your dex covers the cost toward ASPD)
After level 150 or so, start working on raising your Dex, if you haven't yet, toward 150 for instant cast, so you can get good use out of your skills. Knowing what you want to achieve from each class will change your build as it grows, so I can't tell you how you should build to the end.
However,the general ideas of instant cast, high damage output and defense are things every class should consider.
For eventual MVPing, you will need good gears, but your stats will also be fairly well rounded to handle the skills that the MVP uses. You may end up with totals something like Str 220, Agi 195, Vit 80+, Int 105, Dex 150, Luk 40+. This is more well rounded than most people play, but against an MVP, you will have a balance of offence and defence. Often times, Int will be sacrificed (left at 1) for other stats. Pure defence would have Vit 200, Int 200, Luk 300. This never happens. Maximum defense has a horrible Attack. Maximum attack leaves giant holes in your defence. Every build has concessions. For many MVPs, a good FLEE, MDEF, and high CRIT rate will win the day. There are cards out there to fill the gaps you leave, if you can get them. Just some ideas to think on when building your character.

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G.Endgame stuff: WoE & PvP[b]
[b]WoE- is Wednesday 5-7pm server time, Saturday 1-3pm server time. You must be in a guild that is at least level 2, so it can have the skill that lets the guild attack the emperium.
If you plan to WoE, and plan to take castles, then you need an Emperium breaking weapon.
The Emperium is small and holy. use Shadow property attack, cursed water is a temporary shadow solution. With a small weapon, 2 turtle general cards, 2 orc skeleton cards is best. Easier is 3 orc skeleton, 1 Desert wolf (same as recommended for Skeggiolds). The Barriers of the Yuno and
Rachel castles are large and formless, so with large weapon 2 peco egg, 2 turtle general, easier is 3 peco egg, 1 minorus.
If you can't use a weapon that does full damage because of size, replace one of the repeating cards with Drake Card.
Capturing a castle will allow you into its area guild dungeon (which is a PvP zone). This can be the best place to hunt certain mobs due to spawn rate, such as maya purple in the prontera guild dungeon. Castles will also provide guild leader with treasures, which can help make God items. God
items are almost always better than your alternative gears. Possible exceptions do exist, but usually for MVP cards. Get God items if you can.

PvP- has its general theories as well.
We are all considered medium size demi-humans, we start as property of Neutral 1. if we adopt a different elemental property, it would also be of level 1.
as far as just damage goes,
offense hydra cards 20% to demi-human, turtle general 20% to everything, skeleton worker 15% to medium. A medium weapon with 2hydra+2tg is strongest. 3hydra+1sw is easier. Drake to replace one
of the repeated cards if weapon size doesn't deal full damage. (like to use thief's double attack with dagger)
defense thera frog shield, beret or poo hat.
The variety in cards and ways to attack in PvP are more than I care to get into.

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H.Misunderstood MVP Cards -uses and fall-backs
Turtle General- 20% damage to anything, chance of casting magnum break. This card can replace almost any % damage card. Since same cards are added, and different cards are multiplied, replacing a repeated card has immediate effect. The chance of Magnum Break being cast increases the
damage with fire.
Downside- Magnum break will have a healing effect on fire property monsters.
Drake- makes any weapon do full damage despite its size modifier. The most obvious application is to [1]ice pick bringing it to 100%. A 20% damage card would only bring it to 90% for medium enemies, and 60% for large. If the weapon is already of appropriate size, Drake is worthless
Thanatos- deals more damage depending on the targets defense. Lowers your own DEF. This card can help you totally tear up a high DEF enemy. The formula for it's damage follows the ice pick.
Attk x ((DEF+VIT)/100) meaning if you add the 2 numbers on the DEF line in your status window, it needs to be a total of 101 or higher to be of benefit, and 121 or higher to be better than a % card. CRITs will negate hardDEF, taking the first number out of the equation. Depending on the
targets straight VIT, a CRIT could reduce your damage as low as 2 digits. Equally, NEVER equipe Incantation Samurai on the same weapon.
(There was at least one more card that I wanted on this list, and I'm drawing a blank.)
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I.Theory of Status Points, Stats & Other Stuff

1.a. Why Dex 40?
A total Dex of 150 will allow instant cast of spells/skills. But for people who don't cast...
Agi directly contributes to your flee, but also raises your attack speed. Dex also contributes to attack speed, but at a much lower rate (about a 1/5th). Dex will also raise your attack for every 5 points. Consider the value of Status points when you spend them. If you have your Agi in the 180s, it will take 20 status points to raise your Agi by 1, those same 20 points could raise your dex in the 30s by 5. If Dex is 1/5th as effective at raising your aspd, then either of these options would work. But, the added benefit of 5 points in dex, raises your HIT by 5, and your Attack by 1 as well. Putting you Dex at 40 (or as close to as possible) is an effecient use of Status points. Also, this should be enough Dex to hit almost any monster outside of Bio-labs.

1.b. why Luk 40?
If maxing your str, the point of attack for every 5 Luk is much the same as it is for Dex. 40 Luk for efficiency of Status points. More Crit/Pdodge is your option of course.

1.c. why str 40, for ranged?
Same as above with bonus to damage reversed for ranged weapons, also increases the weight you can carry.

2. Int in 35's for casters
Maximum magic damage goes up for every 5 points in int. Minimum damage goes up for every 7 points in int. When the 2 coincide, there is a marked shift in power. Every 35 points (5x7) mark a good milestone when leveling. I recommend 70 to start while you work on instant cast, then 105, 140, 175, 210, 245, 280. If you decide to donate, or earn enough for Gold Coins, 315 int. It should also be mentioned that % cards and gear can often time be more effective than raw Int, So don't think you have to get to 315 int.

3. Vit 200?
This is not usually reasonable, but the Vit 100 limit to negate certain status effects, like stun, poison, bleeding, silence was raised to 200 to keep the game more interesting. Unless you use cards, you will eventually be affected. Casters, get a Marduk Card to keep from being Silenced, carry green herbs/pots for poison, Pancenea helps some effects.

4.MDEF & DEF
Is listed as N+N, the first number is a percentage reduction on incoming damage. The second number is subtracted from the damage after the % reduction. The first number comes from gears you equipe. The second number, for DEF is you VIT, and for MDEF is your INT.
The highest you can get your DEF% without seriously over-upgrading is around 60.
The highest you can get your MDEF% is 99!
Here's how it is possible to get 99% MDEF on an Acolyte or Mage Class Character, and the alt equipes for less than 99.
Drooping Cat from quest or voting; 15% (>LKH >Red Ribbon >Gemmed Sallet)
[1]Sunglasses with Gibbet Card; 5%
[2]Wings of some sort with 2 Gibbet Cards; 10%
[1]Silk Robe with Goat Card; 15% (>Glittering Jacket)
[1]Valk Shield with Seeker Card; 15% (Mirror shields)
[1]Wool Scarf with Kapha Card; 12% (>Raggamuffin Manteau)
[1]High Quality Sandals with Megalith Card; 17% (>[1]High Heels >crystal Pumps =Shadow Walk Boots >High Heels >Bunny Slippers)
2xRosary (unslotted obtainable at mall);10% (>[1]Rosary) better though is Meginjard with 7MDEF
Substituting Glittering Jacket with Goat Card,and Shadow Walk Boots drop it to 85%. With a Swordsman's Endure skill you can have 95%. you could even sqeeze out another 2% by slotting some High Heels.
Combined with a high FLEE you will survive just about anything.
You should still upgrade your armor as much as possible for a better DEF for when you get hit. The DEF provided from upgrades is believed to be 2/3 a point of regular DEF. For some reason, and this might have changed with a patch, it acted like 4/5 a point. As such, it is possible for a paladin with an Ahura Mazda and the right other gears to get both MDEF 99+ and DEF 99+.
He just wouldn't die. Very funny.

5.Casting time
150 DEX provides instant cast. But while working toward 150, there are several cards and gears which can reduce casting time in %. Berzebub Cards are questable, reduce casting time by 30%, and you can equipe 2 for 60% reduction in cast time. Peco Peco wings reduce casting by 10%. Clock tower manager Cards reduce by 5% each, and with 5 head slots, could be a possible 25%. But then you wouldn't have room for the Dark Lord, Dark Illusion Combo, which reduces casting time by 20%.
It is possible to have instant cast without any DEX at all.

6.Aftercast Delay
Kiel cards come to mind with 30% reduction to Aftercast, but there is also Expert Rings for 5% each, the Rune Ring credit item (wing slot) which reduces by 10%. The Sniping Suit reduces aftercast by 33%. In an upcoming patch (depending on when you read this) there is a garment, shoe, accessory combo to reduce it another 10% (I believe). The shorter this delay, the sooner you can cast again.

7.Crit
Every 10 LUK raises your crit 3 points, or every 3.334. You always start with 1 crit. But did you know, that your high Luk negates opponents Crit? it's true, every 5 Luk you have reduces your opponents Crit by 1. So if you are facing an Archangeling which has a LUK of 105, don't be surprised when your crit build isn't working. Your crit has had 21 points negated due to his 105 Luk. Crit is the easiest way to pierce a high DEF, and a Silver Shotel, granting 50 crit, is fairly easy to get. Even if it's not your main weapon, it can be a useful thing to have around.

8.ice pick
deals more damage depending on the targets defense. This weapon can help you totally tear up a high DEF enemy. The formula for it's damage follows the same as Thanatos Card. Attk x ((DEF+VIT)/100) meaning if you add the 2 numbers on the DEF line in your status window, it needs to be a total of 101 or higher to be of benefit, and 121 or higher to be better than a % card. CRITs will negate hardDEF, taking the first number out of the equation. Depending on the targets straight VIT, a CRIT could reduce your damage as low as 2 digits. Equally, NEVER equipe Incantation Samurai on a [1]ice pick.

This is a work in progress. I will hopefully modify this guide more as time passes.

Updates, corrections, additions & things I forgot the first time as of Aug 30, 2010

New characters start with 100,00 zeny, so start-up costs should be easier.
Characters cannot access bank account until base level 50 (to avoid create and dump zeny making).
Mall is still at @go ayo BUT not all items available for purchase from NPCs are represented. Item of note, the elemental daggers I mention above you must go to Einbroch to purchase.
Kasa uses shield reflect making Thor's Volcano less suited to melee types than before.
The rate at which you can spam skills IS DEPENDENT on ASPD, so all you Int, Vit, Dex casters out there need to get some Agi.
All monster skill attacks have an elemental property. All basic monster attacks have NO PROPERTY. i.e. raydric, ghost are not universally good as I said above. sorry. (still excellent if the monster uses spear stab, earthquake, sonic blow, etc.)
Satan Morroc now has the same drops as the Wounded SM.
WoE is 3 times a week, with castle maps split between days. Check 'blank' flags in Prontera.


For quest information on map access,
go here.

Because he went through the trouble, check out marEo's guide to the New World.

The Ash Vacuum now seems to be the go-to place for non-donators since kasa started with reflect. Specifically, I speak of Naga. Though less exp, they are a fairly easy kill and can found on a map where they are the only aggresive. It likes to use spear skills, but the biggest problem they pose, is if you are unprepared for their casting of Water Ball. So, get geared up with anti-water gears, grab your favorite mode of teleport, and destroy these half-snake abominations!
Aesprika or marse card on garment (30% water resist)
leaf cat cards on headgears 10% water resist each)
valk shield (20% water resist)
water resist potion (20% water resist)
Be sure to use Fire to do extra damage.

The Endless Tower can be fun for a change of pace when leveling, but i wouldn't use it for more than a distraction if gaining levels is what you are really after. It is, however, a way to find some of those pesky MVPs that other players tend to camp. Access was limited to once a day last time i checked.

Even if you don't plan on leveling at the Morroc fields, you should do the quests and kill Satan at least once for the quest reward. The [1] crit 5 accessory is especially nice.

A general stat spread as you approach max level -255
Try to get at least:
DEX 150 for instant cast of skills and accuracy of attacks, near max for bow users
VIT 80+ if only to activate your gemini card, assuming you get 1 (or 2 preferably)
AGI until you get to 196 ASPD with your dex and personal buffs
STR near max for most, 40+ for most others. If nothing else, you need to carry stuff.
LUK 40+ as a minimum. If you are using a crit build, around 130+. I get a lot of disagreement on this. Do as you will, but if you read up on Luk, you may understand why.
INT is a dump stat for many, mandatory max for a few. If you have the status points to spare, total 105 will allow you a lot of options in play.
Remaining status points can go where you please, VIT is usually a viable choice, since it means more HP.
fine-tune as necessary.

~Angra Users~
"If the kill wasn't worth a level, then it's time to move on."
I will usually follow a holy attack path when i decide to go leveling (switch to water for Thor's). I'll hit bios only when i can't stand Morroc 22 anymore. (i'm just sick of bios)
angelic halo, ears, wings, angra, ahura, bryn, aes, sliep, 2megs
Anthell >Orc Dun >Nif >Cursed Abbey 1-3 >Thor's >Morroc 21-22 >Bio3
DEX 40+ to start, AGI til 196 aspd, VIT til 80+, then STR for a bit, LUK 40+, come back to DEX so it will be 150 without angra/ahura, max out STR, rest VIT
fine-tune as you see fit. I probably hit VIT to 200 first now that i think about it.
Alternately,
I build for Crit and go to bio3 around level 120-125 leaving DEX at 40+ and bumping LUK to near 150+. If you autoloot 100, expect to visit storage often.
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Jedi~Tinman~Solar~Vapor~Zhen~Simian~Vast~Gizmo~Voide~Spiff~Pilate~Moon
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Jedi~Tinman~Solar~Vapor~Zhen~Simian~Vast~Gizmo~Voide~Spiff~Pilate~Moon

[marine]

very good guide .
This can help new players so im reviving it .