Lifey's Mark of Dragons Guide

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lifeyyy Posted: 07-11-2009 6:22 PM

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Well... personally, I just had a bunch of free time and nothing better to do.
So, I made this... erm... "mini-guide" to a dragon's life.
All info here is collected through my experiences in-game and close friend's PoV and blah blah blah.

why do i even bother with updates? o.o
No ones reading this anyways @.@

updated 10/7/09:
- Optional/Extra skills list added for Non-element based magic (section: v. Skill Builds)
- Additional Tips&Tricks section added

updated 10/8/09:
- Additional Tips&Tricks Added
- Stat Distribution Expanded
- PvP/GvG Section Implemented

 updated 10/19/09: Busy with school. Incidentally my bday just passed on the 17th and I'm 17 now. Yayyy?? @.@
- Completed Priests In GvG section

Note: To check through tables of content quickly and rather than scrolling through, hit ctrl+f and insert the jump points. Sections are also divided by colors.

Tables of Content

iii. Stat Distribution
[rdyi] Pure MA
[rdyii] Pure LK
[rdyiii] MA/LK Ratio
[rdyiv] Pure HP
[rdyv] Ma/Hp Ratio

iv. Types of Dragons
[todi] Pure Dark (Dark Lord)
[todii] Pure Light (Priest)
[todiii] Hybrid (Wizard)

v. Skill Builds and Info
[sbi] Dark Lord
[sbii] Priest
[sbiii] Wizard (Fire/Electric)

vi. Skill Build Set-Up
[ssui] Dark Lord
[ssuii] Priest
[ssuiii] Wizard (Fire/Electric)

vii. Tips&Tricks [in open construction]

viii. You, your mage, and PvP/GvG [in open construction]
[gvg101] Guild Vs Guild
[gvg101D] Dark Lords in gvg
[gvg101L] Priests in gvg

xi. credit/remarks

i. Introduction to Magic
The Class of Magic. Dragons and sheeps are the type of magic characters you'll choose from in Trickster Online. Sure, like any other game, you won't have the most hp ever, but your damage can be "one without compare". In this guide of mines, I've only really learned the path of dragons, so I can only point a small direction in which way to go. As for the class of sheeps, well, this guide isn't on sheeps, but feel free to ask questions on them anyway o.o

ii. Builds of Magic

From this point, I'll be speaking about the builds of a dragon from what I've learned "Up to Date". Generally, the builds doesn't make too much of an impact to me, because any build is good once you have the equipment to balance out everything.

ii.xfi. 1441
1 - power
4 - magic
4 - sense
1 - charm

This build is like a suicide, kamikaze kind of build if its your first time even playing. What it does is basically obliterate all your hp (yay), but your magic accuracy/evasion and block rate goes up nice and high.
You'll have a good digging rate early and your wt will be pretty large allowing you to carry more pots.
lol I remember trying this build out on my first dragon and dying in one hit all day. Balancing out this build early is difficult, up until you gain an hp shield anyway.

ii.xfii. 1432
1 - power
4 - magic
3 - sense
2 - charm

The default build of dragons and pretty much the beginner friendly build. This build is close to 1441, but you'll be gaining twice as much hp as 1441. Your magic accuracy/evasion and block rate won't suffer much at all, and that extra hp is helpful.
Your digging rate should still be decent and your weight should be decent as well.
If i had to say, I found it easy to work with this build. It has a nice balance to it, but that may be because I had already become accustomed to 1441, just because I had a little more hp to work with.

ii.xfiii. 1423
1 - power
4 - magic
2 - sense
3 - charm

This build is a step different from 1432. It's still beginner friendly, but your LK goes down a little but you retain your hp. This build is easy to work with and may be a good choice if you plan to gvg > pvp.
Your digging rate may drop a little, but can still be fixed to hit 90DA with the proper equipment. Your weight however, will suffer quite a bit.

ii.xfiv. 1414
1 - power
4 - magic
1 - sense
4 - charm

This build, like 1441 is the suicide kind of build that makes you want to quit playing. Your magic accuracy/evasion fails. It's a pain to work with to me. I don't really support this build really, but others may disagree with me. Though, this build however does favor gvg, since gvg for mages is mainly based on MA/HP, unlike pvp which uses MA/LK/HP. But well, if you have the equipment to balance your stats out perfectly... it's all you.
Oh and, your Digigng rate? really low. Your weight? Epic fail x.x So expect to go to the npc for pots often.

iii. Stat Distribution

iii.rdyi. Pure MA

Place all your bonus points into MA and watch as your damage goes up. Most people will most like go with this style, so its common to see this.

pvp - since most people are pure MA, things will come down to your equipment and your LK
pvm - If I had to say, this is actually the most ideal stat distribution you could have.
gvg - This.... is actually also ideal to have in the current gvg versions.

iii.rdyii. Pure LK

Place all your bonus points into LK and watch as your damage slowly changes going up. This is a rather difficult build to cope with at first, but it will pay off in the long, long run.

pvp - You won't see your damage skyrocket as fast, but certainly see a difference in pvp. Regular Pure MA mages will have a hard time killing you because they can't hit you, so I'd say this one is ideal for pvp.
pvm - Not too great. You get criticals, sure, but I'd prefer just doing raw damage over critical damage for pvm
gvg - Not good at all really. Pure MA mages will obliterate you here unless you have some really good equips holding you up.

iii.rdyiii. MA/LK ratio

This one can actually be really good for stat distribution, but not as good as a pure build. So this "could be" considered as the middle ground, but if you have really good equips, or have a great understanding of your stats, then this build would shine.

pvp - The middle ground of both pure MA and pure LK
pvm - The middle ground of both pure MA and pure LK
gvg - Not as efficient as pure MA, but better then pure LK

iv.rdyiv. Pure HP

This is a style I prefer that only dark mages should do, preferably dark lords, but still not recommending anyone do this.

pvp - Stop right now, it fails already
pvm - Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. Managable, but terrible terrible terrible.
gvg - This is where a pure hp dark mage can actually perform with awe (maybe). Having a 1414 build with pure hp stat distribution plus all hp gear would turn your dark lord into a support mage in gvg. Dark barrier and the countless debuffs would be the only reason really why this could possibly work in gvg. Though I must say, mages may still be able to OHKO you with AR, if their MA is high enough.

v.rdyv. Ma/Hp Ratio

This isn't necessarily a bad build up, but doesn't compliment too well with anything other than 1441 and 1432. Since you'll be lacking base luck if you go any lower than that. Equipment can compliment that error, but it's slightly difficult.

pvp - Generally not too bad, but a lack of luck can affect the outcome of things.
pvm - Still not too bad, much more manageable than pure hp
gvg - the higher point of this build. GvG only focuses on these two stats for mages.

iv. Types of Dragons

iv.todi. Dark Lord (Pure Dark)

Dark lords are what I would say to be the power damage class of mages. Heavy damage in both 1v1 and AoE. Their damage can easily excel over 100k with right type of equipment. Not only are they the heavy damage dealers, but they are also the mage class that carries all the debuffs, making them a very good choice for the long run.

Classified as offensive type dragon.

iv.todii. Priest (Pure Light)

Priest can be attack, support, or both. They are based around a more safe path and have many defensive spells. Though they cannot easily excel over 100k damage like its bretheren the Dark Lord; Protection itself can be considered the best offense. Regardless of which choice is chosen, this is a class not to be underestimated with.

Classified as support type dragon, defensive type dragon.

iv.todiii. Wizard (Hybrid)

Wizards are unique. They are capable of learning light or dark, then can choose two element combinations as the sheeps did during their 2nd job. Because of this, their choice on the type of dragon they are expands.

Classified as support type dragon, defensive type of dragon, offensive type of dragon.

v. Skill Builds and Info

There are various types of routes you can take in your skill build. What I've just done is taken my time and chose what skills would "seem" most efficient to learn first. Of course, I've lived through these times already, so I know how tough it can get. But regardless of what kind of dragon you become, these skills are like the foundation and root of everything you learn, so learn it immediately.

Mana Arrow lvl 10 (or Master)
Invincible Casting lvl Master
Cure lvl 10 (or Master later)
Bottle of Mana lvl 1
Mist of Mana lvl Master
Arrow Rush lvl Master
Mana Shield lvl 10 (or Master)

- Mana Arrow is your first spell. It may seem weak at first, but thats only for a little while.
- Invincible casting allows you cast even when being hit. Trust me, hit and run won't save you later either. Also, considered mastered since you can't level it after learning it.
- Cure is pretty much your heal, which cancels out the point of hp pots later. It's also a pre-requisite for many things.
- Bottle of Mana is only a pre-requisite so leave it lvl 1
- Mist of Mana is your main buff that will boost your damage heavily. If anything, master this skill asap once you can get it.
- Arrow Rush is what will turn your Mana Arrow into one of the best spells into the game. So learning this is essential, after you master Mist of Mana of course.
- Mana shield may not seem useful at first, but it's a pre-requisite skill, helps a lot in pvp/gvg, and will help with bosses like ordinea and spicy when they start shooting magic at you.

Optional/Extra Skills to learn

Magical Soul lvl 0
Aura of Mana lvl 10 (or Master)
Rust lvl 10 (or Master)
Mana Web lvl 10 (or Master)
Mana Storm lvl 10 (or Master)
Mana Ring lvl Master
Mana Ring Booster lvl Master

- Magical Soul is your first attack skill usually, unless you want to train from levels 1~5 without it. It takes 0 tm points, can not be leveled up and is automatically in your card inventory (C).
- Aura of Mana is a skill the improves mp regeneration rate. It's not really necessary, considering the fastest method would be to spam pots regardless. However, the skill is still a pre-requsite for support skills in the light magic tree branch.
- Rust is an ace skill for all magics in general. It can reduce an opponent's AP to almost nothing if one's MA is at a high level and the skill itself is at a high level. Though, learning it early isn't something I reccommend, unless you're set on becoming a Dark Lord.
- Mana Web increases a targets DX; meaning their attack speed becomes slower. Very useful when hunting a boss, but mainly a "post-game" skill. Also, it's a pre-requisite skill for water type mages (hybrid dragons in our case)
- Mana Storm early, I find useless and only a pre-requisite. Though <Stepmania> has argued with me that is undoubtly one of the best skills during the "post-game" which is very true. It's cast is quick, and the range and target count is vast. Though, until you have vast MA (roughly 900+) it's purpose would remain as a pre-requisite.
- Mana Ring early from level 1~50 it's very useful, but loses is power compared to Arrow Rush from that point on and becomes a pre-requisite only skill. Though during the "post-game" it's cast speed is uncomparable to any spell (maybe except telsa field). The skill itself is a small splash AoE, but usually used as a quick 1v1 skill. Though similarly to Mana Storm, you must have vast amounts of MA (roughly 860+)
- Mana Ring Booster is the passive type buff for Mana Ring. With it, it becomes easier ohko (one hit knock out). If I recall, your MA count would drop to a minimal of (790?+)

v.sbi. Dark Lord (Pure Dark)

A dark lord's skill build is rather.... straightforward. Since they lack practical AoE skills that grind well in most places, they have a variety of powerful 1v1 skills. In addition to the main root skills, I see that learning these skills as a magician should work just fine.

Dark Pact lvl Master
Hellfire lvl 10 (Master later)
Wicked Flames lvl Master
Dark Lance lvl 10 (or Master)
Dark Barrier lvl Master
Rust lvl 10 (or Master)

- Dark Pact is how you open up your dark skill list. I wrote master because you can't lvl it anymore after learning it .__.
- Hellfire won't be so useful alone, and for a little while you'll think "Why the [insert] do I have this again?" But, it's usefulness comes once Wicked Flames is learned.
- Wicked Flames is what makes hellfire badass. It's a 1v1 DoT skill that last for quite a long time once mastered. This skill helps a lot as well for trying to bring down a Shield of Heaven (SoH) and is an excellent pvm skill.
- Dark Lance is basically a lance that falls from the sky and hit a single target dealing heavy damage. The mp cost and cooldown is rather high in my opinion, but the cast and damage make up for it though. So it was always leaning either way for me.
- Dark Barrier is your best friend in survival as a Dark Lord. It will halve all physical damage, reflect the halve damage, and reduce darkness damage by 20%.
- Rust is a pre-requisite for you Dark Lord skill, but even so, its ideal because it can potentionally destroy a target's AP; thus dropping their damage to 1s and 0s.

Once you reach 3rd job, your best skills finally come out as a Dark Lord.

Scythe lvl Master
Fear lvl Master
Dark Commando lvl Master
Staff of Agony lvl Master
Ghostly Whisper lvl Master

- Scythe is the 1v1 skill that can easily rocket itself over 100k damage with the right equipment. It's damage can be pretty much summed on your MA and Dark Attribute. Though, besides trying to deal the highest damage ever, it's also a pre-requisite for your next skill and added effect for scythe.
- Fear is the added effect skill for scythe. It can disable all physical attacks, rendering them useless for a period of time.
- Dark Commando is the Dark Lord's best buff in my opinion. This skill adds on extra damage to any dark based attack used which is pretty much almost all of your skills.
- Staff of Agony can be learned earlier, but i prefer to get it after dark commando. It's a good move to learn for grinding and setting into combos for pvp/gvg, but a person can manage with just Arrow rush, Hellfire, and Dark Lance. Anyways, the skill is an upgraded version of Dark Lance. It hits weaker at first, but does much more damage once you add dark attribute to this skill like scythe.
- Ghostly Whisper is a DoT AoE. You cannot move while in use or the spell will cancel out. I prefer to get this spell later, much much later, like around lvl 220+ for grinding.

Optional/Extra Skills to learn

I don't think you should learn these skills unless you're bored, have extra points, and/or you know you are going to pvp/gvg often.

Hinder Snare lvl Master
Dark Distractor lvl Master
Blood Testament lvl Master
Mana Storm lvl 10
Gravity Crush lvl Master
Withering Disease lvl Master

- Hinder Snare is a decent skill and fun to mess with in pvp. Though it does not always work, it will lock the movement of your target for a period of time.
- Dark Distractor is a great skill for pvp/gvg. It will slow down the movement of your targets to a heavy extent once mastered. So pretty much, if you get hit by this, don't even bother trying to chase anyone because you won't get far.
- Blood Testament is a buff that draws a bit of your hp to power up the damage of your dark magic. The amount of hp drawn will be lowered as the lvl goes up. This skill is really useful once mastered, but I don't recommend learning it early.
- Mana Storm is only a pre-requisite for Gravity Crush
- Gravity Crush is a single hitting AoE. It is the strongest AoE but also the most costly, longest casting, and heavy cooldown spell. I mean really, if I see the person casting this, I can literally just walk away slowly to avoid it.
- Withering Disease is an added effect to gravity crush. It locks the targets ability to spam pots like an idiot.

v.sbii. Priest (Pure Light)

The skill build of a preist is not exactly one of the most straight forward things. The skill tree is much more versatile and branch out much more compared to the Dark Lord's skill tree. But before I go on, You must absolutely learn these skills as a light mage.

Light Pact lvl Master
Light Shield lvl Master
Shield of Heaven lvl Master

- Light Pact is like Dark Pact, except this permits you to learn your light magic.
- Light Shield is a buff that boost your MD, DP and adds 20% light resist. It is also a pre-requisite for Shield of Heaven.
- Shield of Heaven is your buff that can you can say "adds a lot of extra hp" to your self. It's useful for pretty much all uses.

I'd recommend learning one certain set of skills then move onto the next set. Names of set skills made by me btw o.o....

Set 1: Ethereal Strike
Light Arrow lvl 10 (or Master)
Mana Storm lvl 10
Radiant Strike lvl Master
Mana Ring lvl 10
Light Wave lvl 5 (or 10 or Master)
Celestial Strike lvl Master

Set 2: Angel Feathers
Light Arrow lvl 10 (or Master)
Catastrophe Heal lvl 10
Aura of Mana lvl 10 (or Master)
Heart's Grace lvl Master
Basic Heal lvl Master
Oath of Light lvl Master
Sacred Oath lvl Master
Med Cure lvl Master

Set 3: Bright Equilibrium
Light Arrow lvl Master
Mana Storm lvl 10
Radiant Strike lvl Master

then a choice of support skills
- Catastrophe Heal lvl 10
- Aura of Mana lvl 10
- Heart's Grace lvl Master
- Basic Heal lvl Master
- Med Cure lvl Master
- Oath of Light lvl Master
- Sacred Oath lvl Master

~ Set 1 is based on learning all of your useful attack spells first and fighting on the frontlines.
- Light Arrow is your second attack skill after Arrow Rush
- Mana Storm is only a pre-requisite
- Radiant Strike will become you primary training skill in addition to Arrow Rush and Light Arrow. Though, by the time you get this spell, you may not need Light Arrow anymore.
- Mana Ring is only a pre-requisite
- Light Wave is an AoE that strikes much more targets than radiant strike, but slightly weaker. It strikes in a line kind of way. This spell is only useful once you gain access to grinding in Count Trials via Bat room or Keroberos Room.
- Celestial Strike is your strongest AoE and works similarly to Mana Storm.

~ Set 2 is based pretty much only around support. This is something I do NOT recommend you do.
- Catastrophe Heal is like a quick heal. Hardly ever will you need to use this once you get Shield of Heaven though.
- Aura of Mana heals your mp faster, but pretty much just a Pre-requisite.
- Heart's Grace is an AoE heal that is ridicuously useful. If I recall, its somewhat sorta based on your MA too.
- Basic Heal cures certain status ailments. I can't recall exactly which status ailment it heals, but its useful. Can cure only 1 person at a time.
- Med Cure is the upgraded version of Basic Heal. This one can cure pretty much any status ailment and 3 person at a time; in the same party of course.
- Oath of Light is basically an hp regen that can only be used on yourself.
- Sacred Oath is basically an AoE hp regen that is used on all party members in range.

~ Set 3 is based on half attack spells and a choice of support skill. Learning Radiant Strike will make your training easier and learning support skills early for pvp/gvg.


Optional/Extra Skills to learn

Searing Light lvl 1 (or 10 or Master)

- Searing Light isn't the most practical skill to use while grinding. Anyone can just run by and ks your entire mob easily while casting this. In pvp/gvg, I only see it as a waste. Personally, I would think of this skill as "just flashy".

v.sbiii. Wizards (Hybrid)

The skill build of Wizards is rather large. The first choice of being wizard is choosing light or dark. refer above to skill description.

Set 1 [dark magic]: Dark Emphemeral
Hellfire lvl 10 (or Master)
Wicked Flames lvl Master
Dark Lance lvl Master
Dark Barrier lvl Master

Set 2 [light magic]: Light Kaiser
Light Arrow lvl 10 (or Master)
Light Shield lvl Master
Shield of Heaven lvl Master
Mana Storm lvl 10
Radiant Strike lvl Master

You don't have to pick these skills, i just recommend you do. Anyways, whenever you decide on your skill choices, you come down to choosing your elements. Personally, I'm pretty lazy to go through everything so I'm only going to do Fire/Electric. I'm pretty sure you can find Water/Wind and Water/Electric rather easily and I have no idea how to use any combinations with Earth, not that hardly anyone uses it, but yeah.

Seal of Fire lvl Master
Seal of Thunder lvl Master
Electro Attack lvl Master
Electroshock lvl Master
Scorching Earth lvl Master
Incinerate lvl 10
Phoenix Rising lvl Master
Telsa Field lvl Master

- Seal of Fire is like dark/light pact.
- Seal of Thunder is like dark/light pact.
- Electro Attack is your lightning AoE that can hit up to five targets. It might seem a little bit off at first as to what targets it is hitting, but it's really targeting the oldest and nearest monsters first.
- Electroshock is the added effect for Electro Attack. It locks the targets movements. But they can still attack if you are too close or if they are long ranged.
- Scorching Earth is a DoT AoE. Once casted it stays on the spot where the caster placed it for a period of time. This skill is great for greating grinding early compared to Telsa Field. This skill is also a good boss hunting skill as well, when used with Telsa Field and Electroshock.
- Incinerate isn't all that great to me. It's just a pre-requisite for Phoenix Rising in my book.
- Phoenix Rising is like Hellfire/Wicked Flames except it can AoE 3 targets.
- Telsa Field is a great boss hunting/pvp/gvg skill, but has a fail casting rate. Technically, the spell itself goes away once the target casted upon dies, but the the spell can be used like Scorching Earth if the targeted monster moves and away and does not die for any reason.

Optional/Extra Skills to learn

Thunderbolt Master
Thunder Shield Master
Whirlwind Blaze lvl 10 (or Master)
Fire Shield Master
Bolster Ballad Master

- Thunderbolt is a rather... random set ranged random damage skill. Personally, I don't think it's that useful, unless you have water magic.
- Thunder Shield decreases damage from lightning based attacks by 34%. This skill is more for pvp/gvg
- Whirlwind Blaze is a single target hitting skill. But by the time you reach wizard, it's pretty much obsolete in my opinion.
- Fire Shield decreases damage from fire based attacks by 34%. This skill is more for pvp/gvg
- Bolster Ballad decreases your mp cost, but thats not really important since you'll be spamming mp pots most of the time anyway. If you do get it, it should be way later.

vi. Skill Build Set-Up

This portion details on when to learn your skills, when to level it up and such. Though, these are only my choice recommendations, feel free to tweak your choice in skills yourself if you want.

vi.ssui. Dark Lord

This setup is based so you can learn Dark Commando immediately. You can replace Dark Barrier with Hellfire/Wicked Flames instead, but I find it better to rely on dark barrier for survival rate first.

tm lvl 0 Magical Soul
tm lvl 1 Mana Arrow lvl 1
tm lvl 5 Mana Arrow lvl 3
tm lvl 10 Invincible Casting, Mana Arrow lvl 5
tm lvl 20 Cure lvl 5
tm lvl 25 Cure lvl 10, Bottle of Mana lvl 1
tm lvl 40 Mist of Mana lvl 10, Mana Arrow lvl 10
tm lvl 43 Mist of Mana Master
tm lvl 50 Mana Arrow Master, Arrow Rush lvl 2
------------- Level Arrow Rush as you go along.
tm lvl 61 Arrow Rush Master
tm lvl 72 Mana Shield lvl 10
tm lvl 95 Dark Lance Master
tm lvl 115 Dark Barrier Master
tm lvl 140 Scythe lvl 10
tm lvl 150 Fear lvl 9, Rust lvl 10
tm lvl 155 Dark Commando Master

by this point, you have several choices to continue this setup. This path continues on mastering Scythe & Fear. Afterwards, it goes into Hellfire/Wicked Flames

tm lvl 159 Fear Master
tm lvl 162 Scythe Master
tm lvl 173 Hellfire lvl 10
tm lvl 185 Wicked Flames Master
tm lvl 198 Staff of Agony lvl 10
tm lvl 200 Hellfire Master
tm lvl 203 Staff of Agony Master
tm lvl 221 Ghostly Whisper Master

vi.ssuii. Priest

The beginning setup is pretty much the same as Dark Lords, but you are learning light magic now! So yeah...

tm lvl 0 Magical Soul
tm lvl 1 Mana Arrow lvl 1
tm lvl 5 Mana Arrow lvl 3
tm lvl 10 Invincible Casting, Mana Arrow lvl 5
tm lvl 20 Cure lvl 5
tm lvl 25 Cure lvl 10, Bottle of Mana lvl 1
tm lvl 40 Mist of Mana lvl 10, Mana Arrow lvl 10
tm lvl 43 Mist of Mana Master
tm lvl 50 Mana Arrow Master, Arrow Rush lvl 2
------------- Level Arrow Rush as you go along.
tm lvl 61 Arrow Rush Master

By this point, you are given the choice of choosing a set of skills, as I mentioned earlier in the skill build.

Set 1: Ethereal Strike

vi.ssuiii. Wizard (Fire/Electric)

This basics of this skill build isn't really that difficult to get, since your not debating about whether or not you should learn this or that skill for third job.

tm lvl 0 Magical Soul
tm lvl 1 Mana Arrow lvl 1
tm lvl 5 Mana Arrow lvl 3
tm lvl 10 Invincible Casting, Mana Arrow lvl 5
tm lvl 20 Cure lvl 5
tm lvl 25 Cure lvl 10, Bottle of Mana lvl 1
tm lvl 40 Mist of Mana lvl 10, Mana Arrow lvl 10
tm lvl 43 Mist of Mana Master
tm lvl 50 Mana Arrow Master, Arrow Rush lvl 2
------------- Level Arrow Rush as you go along.
tm lvl 61 Arrow Rush Master

Then the choice of dark or light magic and the fire/electric add-ons

Set 1 [dark magic]: Dark Emphemeral

vii. Tips&Tricks

Some tips and tricks to keep in mind when you're a mage.

"Build up tm early"
This one was given me by my friend KantiII.

When you begin your character for the first time in Trickster, go get a basic drill as soon as possible. Then drill until the drill itself wears out. Once you do this, your TM should be at a high enough level to learn Invincible Casting.

"The Secret of Mana Ring/Mana Storm"
Argued at me by <Stepmania>

Erm... I don't have exact words by him, so I'll paraphrase. During the "Post-Game" section of your life (roughly 210+) and you have roughly 900+ MA, both skills may have the power to ohko, or one hit kill in another term. When these skills have the power to Ohko or 2hko (2hit kill in a combo) they can become a more practical training skill, rather than just pre-requsites. They are often overlooked due to the MA count, but their cast time and mp cost can save one a large amount of trouble of repotting instead of using power skills like Dark Lance as an example.

"Hp, the blue bar, cure, and pots"
General knowledge after experience (n/a)

Once you attain SoH, the use of carrying hp pots decreases and the purpose to carry mp pots increases (yay?). Though, this can also apply when you have an adequate amount of hp and spam cure thus killing the need for hp pots still (yay). So in general, hp pots at most would be to carry none to 10 for super emergencies and the rest of your weight should cover a decent amount of mp pots.

"The Magic Protection"
Thoughts given to me by JoyLKClub members

The idea of adding something other than our main important stats is usually non-existent. For example as a mage, what would you add on your shield? Hp, right? Well the magic protection is that instead of adding the extra hp, lk, or ma (very rare case); you should add elemental resists. Your protection goes up to 70% max for any element. Reducing the inflicted damage is one of the many keys to victory.

"Don Giuvonni. That cheater everyone hates in episode 2 :D"
General Experience on accident

Hate Don in episode two? Don't worry most people do. The trick here to beating don and making him cry like a baby is to cast one magic with roughly 1.5second cast time and run like the wind down to the bottom of the screen. At the bottom of the screen there should be a circle platform the left above the portal, a gap inbetween, and another circle to the right. The idea is the trap him in the platform to the right while you remain safely across the gap on the left platform or vice versa. This may take several times to do, but eventually you will succeed. Practice it a few times and don't lean in too close or he'll still somehow hit you @.@

"Med cure and Basic Heal :DDD"
Forum Member Zarudin17 has permitted me to insert it.

You know that skill basic heal? It can cure the following: Shockvibe, sense breaker, luck breaker, armor breaker, rust, sticky foot, armor destrictor, magic meltdown, magic defense breaker, & skunk pouch.
Your know that priest only skill med cure? It can cure the following: Everything from basic heal, electroshock, fear, wicked flames, deadly funk, sticky icky, and entrancing wink. Some of the status effects are still in testing, follow up this link to his guide and details.
http://forum.ntreev.net/trickster/forums/t/55218.aspx?PageIndex=1

[reserved for more]

viii. You, your mage, and PvP/GvG

A section that covers your needs to pvp/gvg as a mage. Different factors and applications are made for both systems of fighting other players, for now we cover the simple one, gvg (lol thought i was gonna say pvp huh?)

viii.gvg101. Guild Vs Guild

GvG is a simple mechanic and i suppose you can say, a formal match. Your target may most likely vary from guild to guild. Most gvg nowadays usually range from 2v2 to 3v3, rarely have i ever seen a spectacular 8v8. In this set up we'll cover your most used stats to survival as well as stats to fight back. Anyways, in this gvg system, you can NEVER miss an attack, maybe fail a debuff here and there, but no one's attack will EVER MISS. Besides there being no misses, the damage here is multiplied by roughly 1.7~2.1, so your damage in here should be insanely higher.

viii.gvg101D. Dark Lords in gvg
Your focus is a dark lord. Your thoughts should revolve mainly around trying to ohko or kamikaze. Your support nature will hardly come as your the class to be measured with off the chart damage.

-Power Vs Dark Lord-
This is a simple matter. As a mage, chances are you have the power to ohko power types or debuff them ridcuously and slay them. If not, the kamikaze deaths can still work out.

-Equipment Setup-
Pure hp: A buildup for handling a power type with dark barrier. Highest survival rating.
hp/ma ratio: A mix of ma/hp. Focuses on attempting to kill the power and have extra hp for protection from opposing team members.
pure ma: An attempt for ohko
Dark Attri: A build up for ohko using only Staff of Agony and Scythe

-Skills-
Rust: Possible to reduce targets Ap to nothing devastating.
Fear: Cancels all skills a power type can use
Dark Barrier: reduces physical damage by half. Works nicely in compliments to rust. Reflects damage back at hostile foe. Truly a buff you must use.
Mist of Mana: Primary buff for more ma
Dark Commando: A primary buff along with Mist of Mana
Blood Testament: A booster for damage for dark magic to do ohkos. Last resort.
Dark Distractor: At max, can cause your opponent to move so slow, keeping range should be simple. (may not possibly apply for bunnies/sprinters)
Any type of Offensive spell that can ohko: well yeah... as long as it can ohko a target, you should be fine.

-Several Basic Tactics for this target-
Tactics 1: Rush in and cast arrow rush. If he/she dies in one hit, you're good to go.
Tactics 2:  If you can't kill the power type in one hit, the best idea would be to cast fear or rust so they do not have the power to okho you first. Once you have this covered, simply casting any following attack skills should work just fine.
Tactics 3: Near worst case scenario, you are unable to do anything and must rely on dark barrier to kill you and the power type at the same time. Of course, if it comes to this, use hellfire/wicked flame still. They'll still burn afterwards if your dark barrier can't kill your foe.

-Magic vs Dark Lord-
Here's the tricky part.... handling another mage. With several types and the likes, its difficult to assert your main tactics as a dark lord.

-Equipment Setup-
Pure hp: Based on near max survival with crap damage.
hp/ma ratio: Handling this the same method as pure hp just higher damage.
pure ma: Almost suicidal against other mages.
Dark Attri: Last resort style. Must all the dark attri you can while keeping all the ma you can for an ohko.
hp/md ratio: focus absolutely on your survival from various magic damage and keeping your hp up
hp/md/resists: the same as hp/md ratio just if you know your opponents elements, placing that resist can reduce the damage by loads of amounts.

-Skills-
Mana Shield: Increasing your MD can make the difference here.
Mist of Mana: Primary ma buff
Arrow Rush: Your primary attacking skill
Hellfire/WickedFlame: your second/third offensive
Dark Lance: Secondary/third offensive
Scythe: Last resort
Staff of Agony: Last resort
Dark Distractor: Slows target down heavily. Useful for casting then running back and curing yourself and attack slowly.
Dark Commando: A primary buff along with Mist of Mana
Blood Testament: A booster for damage for dark magic to do ohkos. Last resort.

-Several Basic Tactics-
Tactic 1: Rush in and attempt to ohko your adversary head-on
Tactic 2: Wait first and allow your teammate go in first. Rush in afterwards and cast Arrow rush, attempt to ohko with scythe, or cast hellfire and run back/away.
Tactic 3: Rush in first as the decoy and while all fire is focused on you, then your teammates will counter.
Tactic 4: Flank the enemy from the side with a surprise attack while attention is diverted to you teammates.
Tactic 5: If you somehow have to deal with a soulmaster, do not, I repeat, DO NOT use arrow rush. Just use single hitting skills like dark lance, staff of agony, scythe, or hellfire/wicked flame. 

-Sense Vs Dark Lords-
Not too many senses go into gvg, but when they do, you can be sure that their either confident in their skills or trying it out for fun. Usually they're just as fragile as us dark mages in gvg so you may have the upperhand. The only thing to ever worry about are Landmines in the field.

-Equipment Setup-
Pure Hp: This differs; if its a fox then yes, this will be very safe because the fox will hide and you'll rely on dark barrier to kill. On the lion's side, you have to worry about being hit by double shot and possibly being ohko'd. Which rarely happens from what I've seen.
Hp/Ma ratio: The same set up as pure hp would occur, just most likely to kill your target if you can land a hit in.
pure ma: A suicidal against a fox since 8/10 chances you won't have the initiative, but against gun-users it can work if you can get the first hit.

-Skills-
Dark Barrier: In this case, any gun-related skills won't reflect back, making it slightly dangerous, but every other physical skill should be fine. Always use it anyway, the half damage effect is your best friend.
Mist of Mana: Primary buff for more ma
Dark Commando: A primary buff along with Mist of Mana
Blood Testament: A booster for damage for dark magic to do ohkos. Last resort.
Dark Distractor: At max, can cause your opponent to move so slow, keeping range should be simple.
Any offensive can be used.

-Several Basic Tactics-
Tactic 1: When handling a fox, stay close to a teammate. If you are the target and you die, your teammate has the chance to kill the fox immediately. Vice versa. Be wary of Landmines.
Tactic 2: Rush in to kill the sense type if there are no hiders. Be wary of Landmines.
Tactic 3: Let your teammate charge first, follow up with killing the sense type. Be wary of landmines.

-Charm vs Dark Lords-
A very tough opponent for all classes. With mana reflect on this character, it becomes difficult to even attack.

-Equipment Setup-
Pure Hp: This is all you need. Your best friend will be dark barrier as your primary attack
Ma/hp ratio: Keep more hp than ma in this balance.

-Skills-
Dark Barrier: Reduces your physical damage by half and reflects it.
Cure: Cure constantly to make it difficult for the charm to kill you
Fear: Blocks the charm use of skills to do anything.
Mist of Mana: Primary buff
Dark Distractor: If he can hardly move, that will lessen your worries of chasing you.
Rust: Reduce his damage to a low amount so you can survive several attacks from a charm.
Any offensive skill will follow up

-Basic Tactic-
Tactic 1: Wear pure hp gear. Keep a minimal distance and spam cure on yourself. Follow up with a scythe several times to cancel out his Mana reflect. When his mana reflect is down, go on the offensive without giving him time to run.
Tactic 2: If the target can use one pair, let them. You'll send the reflect damage back and cure yourself immediately.
Tactic 3: Rush in with scythe and hope fear works. Once this is done, cure repeatedly and cast fear several times over.
Tactic 4: Rust the charm and let dark barrier do your work. Slightly risky with opponent's teammate targeting you.
Tactic 5: Don't attack the charm, let you're teammate handle him, focus on the other classes. Support with rust if need be so.

viii.gvg101L. Priests
In this portion comparing to dark lords, you have the power to provide the ultimate support and decent attacks as well. Though you lack a damage skill that just screams "I Love You" and Damage over Time skills; you are still a mage and a mage still has the power to ohko regardless. Coincidentally, your support skills and ultimate AoE can be pretty much considered optional [Heart's Grace, Rust, Celestial Strike, Sacred Oath, Basic Heal, & Med Cure]

-Priests vs Powers-
priests can almost handle powers the same way dark lords can. Okay maybe not almost, more like 40% like dark lords.

-Equipment-
Pure Ma: This is your main set regardless for gvg.
Ma/hp ratio: Rarely ever have I used ma/hp ratio for gvg *hugs ma shield* but if you dont have an ma shield, use an hp shield.

-Skills-
Mist of Mana: Always in use
Mana Shield: Always in use
Light Shield: Always in use
Shield of Heaven: Always in use
Cure: heal your teammates if they dont get ohko'ed
Heart's Grace: heal your party if they don't get ohko'ed
Sacred Oath: Always in use if possible. Automatic hp party regain.
Rust: Not entirely needed, but can be used to decrease opponent AP dramatically
Arrow rush: Your main attack
Radiant Strike: Arrow rush follow up
Celestial strike: Initial skill before they get close

-Simple Tactics-
Tactic 1: Rush in and cast Arrow rush. If they die in one hit you're good to go. If they don't cast radiant strike as a follow up because chances are, they will still continue to run after you after being shot.
Tactic 2: Run in to a safe distance and predict where your opponent is charging in from. Attempt to cast celestial strike on the spot where they are arriving from. This will either kill your target or hurt them a great deal. Follow up with Radiant strike or Arrow Rush.
Tactic 3: Support your teammates and debuff your opponents. Don't do any work. Be the Lazy One! (Though im pretty sure you'll be working to kill someone anyway)

-Priests vs Magic-
A priest fighting another magic? A toughie. Well... no, not really.

-Equipment-
Pure Ma: Regular set up
Hp/Ma ratio: Okay, this still isn't too important for a priest vs magic setup

 -Skills-
Mist of Mana: Always in use
Mana Shield: Always in use
Light Shield: Always in use
Shield of Heaven: Always in use
Cure: heal your teammates if they dont get ohko'ed
Heart's Grace: heal your party if they don't get ohko'ed
Sacred Oath: Always in use if possible. Automatic hp party regain.
Arrow rush: Your main attack
Radiant Strike: Arrow rush follow up
Basic heal: Recovers from status ailements (1 member limited effects)
Med cure: Recovers from status ailments (3 members more effects)
Celestial strike: Multi-striker skill.

-Tactics-
Tactic 1: Rush in with arrow rush and kill your target with an ohko (do not attempt to use against soulmasters. if they survive, it will hurt. A lot.)
Tactic 2: handling another soh is difficult in cases. It will come down to based on who has more ma, you or your enemy. If you both have nearly equal ma, and your opponent is a light hybrid, then your more likely to lose because we priests lack a DoT, so in general your plan should be to kill them in a chain combo within 10seconds of the soh cast. So use Celestial strike -> Arrow Rush -> Radiant Strike (If close)/Arrow of Light (not recommended, but very far target) -> Arrow Rush -> repeat.
Tactic 3: If anything at all, If you have a charm teammate, just support that teammate to kill off everything while you cure status effects and heal constantly.

-Priest vs Sense-
Simply put, it's almost the same thing with dark lords and even wizards. Though unlike dark lords, we have non target aoe skills to help us flush out hidden foxes and get a greater initiative range compared to dark lords and wizards.

-Equipment-
Pure Ma: Regular set up
Hp/Ma ratio: Don't want to use Shield of Heaven to even the playing field somehow? Go for it.

-Skills-
Mist of Mana: Always in use
Mana Shield: Always in use
Light Shield: Always in use
Shield of Heaven: Always in use
Cure: heal your teammates if they dont get ohko'ed
Heart's Grace: heal your party if they don't get ohko'ed
Sacred Oath: Always in use if possible. Automatic hp party regain.
Arrow rush: It's not your primary skill to hunt with, but rather secondary to celestial strike or radiant strike.
Radiant Strike: Celestial Strike Follow up skill
mana storm: A hide detector
Basic heal: Recovers from status ailements (1 member limited effects)
Med cure: Recovers from status ailments (3 members more effects)
Celestial strike: Multi-striker skill and skill you'll be spamming randomly at a reasonable guess at where the fox hides.

-Tactics-
Tactic 1: As usual, rush in with arrow rush and try to ohko. Be aware of the possibility of mines.
Tactic 2: Follow in with your teammate second and skill off the side characters while under distraction.
Tactic 3: Use mana storm, celestial strike, or radiant strike randomly around the field where you believe the fox is hidden. Once you use one of the skill and find the fox, follow up with any of the other non-target AoE to kill. If the fox reveals him/herself, using arrow rush is okay.
Tactic 4: Support. Permit teammates to kill everything.

-Priest vs Charms-
Not really much you can do against charms in gvg with a priest. If your SoH is mighty enough, you might stand a chance.

-Equipment-
Pure Ma: Rely on SoH hp and maximum Heart's grace healing. (prefer to still use pure ma)
Pure Hp: Rely on your own Hp for maximum cure rate and Oath(s) heal rate.

-Skills-
Mist of Mana: Always in use
Mana Shield: Always in use
Light Shield: Always in use
Shield of Heaven: Always in use
Cure: heal your teammates if they dont get ohko'ed
Heart's Grace: heal your party if they don't get ohko'ed
Sacred Oath: Always in use if possible. Automatic hp party regain.
Arrow rush: It's not your primary skill to hunt with, but rather secondary to celestial strike or radiant strike.
Radiant Strike: Celestial Strike Follow up skill
Basic heal: Recovers from status ailements (1 member limited effects)
Med cure: Recovers from status ailments (3 members more effects)
Celestial strike: Multi-striker skill

-Tactics-
Tactic 1: Don't rush a charm with arrow rush if they have mana reflector up. What will happen is your shield of heaven being chopped up badly and a charm attacking you simultaneously without being harmed extensively. So instead, use a 1v1 skill and hurt them slowly while keeping your hp/soh hp up.
Tactic 2: If your charmed by a cat, dont even bother just run.
Tactic 3: Support your teammates and hope for the best. Focus on the other class targets.

_____________________________________________________
xi.credits/remarks

JoyLKClub
everyone in pvp (too many names to type)
many battles I've seen and gone through in gvg =x
cyberxxl: Pointing out skill error.
<Stepmania>: Proving the purpose and usefulness of Mana Ring (and booster) & Mana Storm
Zarudin Seraphi (forum name: Zarudin17): For allowing me to implement his basic heal/med cure guide in

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Virushen replied on 07-11-2009 8:07 PM

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Great guide~

BUT

you just stole my opportunity T_T

I was seriously halfway doing a huge dark dragon guide, because there isn't any detailed one in this forum. But since you just made a good one, and it's for all dragons, I guess I just stop doing mine, because there will be not much use to it anyway.

Thanks for not wasting my time continuing the guide, because I have lots of things to do in real life :)

No thanks for being first to post such a guide~

Edit: This thread deserves a sticky

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lifeyyy replied on 07-11-2009 11:12 PM

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Virushen:

Great guide~

BUT

you just stole my opportunity T_T

I was seriously halfway doing a huge dark dragon guide, because there isn't any detailed one in this forum. But since you just made a good one, and it's for all dragons, I guess I just stop doing mine, because there will be not much use to it anyway.

Thanks for not wasting my time continuing the guide, because I have lots of things to do in real life :)

No thanks for being first to post such a guide~

Edit: This thread deserves a sticky

oh. my bad, i didnt know. i really was just trying to pass time by writing this

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Virushen replied on 07-12-2009 3:33 AM

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lifeyyy:

Virushen:

Great guide~

BUT

you just stole my opportunity T_T

I was seriously halfway doing a huge dark dragon guide, because there isn't any detailed one in this forum. But since you just made a good one, and it's for all dragons, I guess I just stop doing mine, because there will be not much use to it anyway.

Thanks for not wasting my time continuing the guide, because I have lots of things to do in real life :)

No thanks for being first to post such a guide~

Edit: This thread deserves a sticky

 

 

oh. my bad, i didnt know. i really was just trying to pass time by writing this

Oh it's ok. I am actually glad that finally there's a good dragon guide.

And my guide isn't that good, and I just did it out of boredom :P

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Elceya replied on 07-13-2009 10:00 AM

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lifeyyy:

ii.xfi. 1441
1 - power
4 - magic
4 - sense
1 - charm

This build is like a suicide, kamikaze kind of build if its your first time even playing. What it does is basically obliterate all your hp (yay), but your magic accuracy/evasion and block rate goes up nice and high.
lol I remember trying this build out on my first dragon and dying in one hit all day. Balancing out this build early is difficult, up until you gain an hp shield anyway.

Go suicide build!! xD  I say this is the best build for those who want to drill but don't want a sense character. I can already get over 20K WT on my Sheepy now which is awesome since I don't have to run back and get more MP potions or I can pick up more of my loot. =P Plus, I've noticed that with higher luck, I barely get hit anymore but my light skills still give some precautions just to be safe. ^^  I'd recommend this build for Light Dragons because their Light Shield gives just enough or more DP later on and SoH gives them another HP bar which makes the build more rounded. Plus, Light Dragons can get their defensive skills earlier on in the game so if they can get their TMs high enough, I don't see why even a beginner can't get this build. Also, with the build you'll naturally increase your critical rate for your Arrow Rush. A middle ground is nice with a 4132 build, but with more luck on your side, it's nice seeing all the criticals of your Arrow Rush. It'll basically be your 1-hitter since there's barely any cooldown time. My sheep is a Light Witch because of the defensive skills. As for my regular attack skills, all I need is my Arrow Rush (1-hitter attack) and my Wind Blade (finishes off a monster fast if 1-hitter doesn't work yet or to 1-hit AoE monsters). However, the hard part is getting enough HP to be able to go with this build. xD  I made a 1441 and a 1414 Dragon which I rather enjoy doing the 1441 build again now that I'm so used to it. Turns out to be pretty easy to train in the beginning. As for the 1414 build, I recommend not getting Arrow Rush until you have enough luck to not miss with it. Mana Arrow is very accurate that even a 1414 Dragon can use. xD

lifeyyy:

gvg - This is where a pure hp dark mage can actually perform with awe (maybe). Having a 1414 build with pure hp stat distribution plus all hp gear would turn your dark lord into a support mage in gvg. Dark barrier and the countless debuffs would be the only reason really why this could possibly work in gvg. Though I must say, mages may still be able to OHKO you with AR, if their MA is high enough.

1414 isn't that bad, I rather enjoyed Mana Storming mobs with my Dragon. O.o  If you have an AoE, you can hit monsters some of the time. xD  It would also be a good build for a Light Dragon though. With Light Shield, you'll not only have your insane SoH, but you'll have insane DP/MD excluding Mana Shield. You'd actually be the ultimate tanker. Since you won't need to worry about your defense or health, you can focus more on luck equips which I think technically is more convenient since most equips for mages are for senses as well. You'd rarely find equipment for magic and charms together. =P  Plus, I've heard light skills are pretty accurate. You'll just need enough luck for your other skills like Arrow Rush.

Anyway if you ignore my comments, it's fine but I wanted to defend the two extreme builds lol... Lovely guide though. =D  I enjoyed reading it while I'm at work. LOL. I do have a question for you. Have you seen Heart's Grace in action? O.o  I can't find any really good information about that skill and I'm trying to decide if I want that for my Sheep or wait until after I get my other buffer skills.

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lifeyyy replied on 07-13-2009 10:56 AM

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for your first quote, that is very true, but i had alot of trouble with this build as my first dragon was a dark mage, so yeah.... i didnt get anything like soh and such. It really still is the best build in my opinion though.

as for your second qwote, that part is for if your pure hp. Really, you should know soh and light shield cant function that well without good ma =x Plus, that part is for gvg, and in our current gvg version, a person with 1 luck can still hit someone with 1000 luck .__.

Anyways, yes, i have seen heart's grace in action. it's an aoe heal for those in your party. Your ma can affect exactly how much you heal, thus changing the amount you heal. Most people use it in gvg, since it can more than reg cure, much quicker no less. I could show you what it looks like in a video, but I'd have make space in my comp to record lol

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Elceya replied on 07-13-2009 11:02 AM

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lifeyyy:

for your first quote, that is very true, but i had alot of trouble with this build as my first dragon was a dark mage, so yeah.... i didnt get anything like soh and such. It really still is the best build in my opinion though.

I remember everyone kept telling my Sheep to go Dark because I'm 1441. T.T  I rather like my defense skills right now though. xD  I'm actually making a Dark Dragon with the 1441 build. Hopefully it'll go well. =P

lifeyyy:

as for your second qwote, that part is for if your pure hp. Really, you should know soh and light shield cant function that well without good ma =x Plus, that part is for gvg, and in our current gvg version, a person with 1lk can still hit someone with 1k lk .__.

lol. Sorry, was lazy and didn't quote the whole 1414 area and was quoting it mainly because you said the 1414 build was for Dark Dragons going pure hp. xD  Yes, SoH can't function without good MA, but Light Shield is still useful. xD

lifeyyy:

Anyways, yes, i have seen heart's grace in action. it's an aoe heal for those in your party. Your ma can affect exactly how much you heal, thus changing the amount you heal. Most people use it in gvg, since it can more than reg cure, much quicker no less. I could show you what it looks like in a video, but I'd have make space in my comp to record lol

lol. I want to get it so bad, but it would be nice to see it in action. Mind if I stalk you later if you can't make the video? xD

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lifeyyy replied on 07-13-2009 11:39 AM

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Elceya:

lifeyyy:

Anyways, yes, i have seen heart's grace in action. it's an aoe heal for those in your party. Your ma can affect exactly how much you heal, thus changing the amount you heal. Most people use it in gvg, since it can more than reg cure, much quicker no less. I could show you what it looks like in a video, but I'd have make space in my comp to record lol

lol. I want to get it so bad, but it would be nice to see it in action. Mind if I stalk you later if you can't make the video? xD

Oh i never got far enough to learn heart's grace with my priest, maybe I'll just ask a friend if he can make the vid

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Elceya replied on 07-13-2009 11:42 AM

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lifeyyy:

Oh i never got far enough to learn heart's grace with my priest, maybe I'll just ask a friend if he can make the vid

Much appreciated. =D  I tried searching for the skill on youtube or whatever but ended up empty. Was thinking the skill wasn't all that great hence why no one ever talks about it. =S

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zeroMelodie replied on 07-18-2009 12:19 PM

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is Mana shield really needed? cuz in other guides, they do not include mana shield as one of the skills to learn ._.