10-14-2006 Revamped Elemental Battle Sage as of Noghalt.
Note: Before you begin reading this I want to advise you of the fact that this guide has been compared to a short story or Novel (in Size). Of course that is an exaggeration, but for those who cannot read this in one sitting I have created a Downloadable version here
Sage Description (Pulled from RO Website): Physically trained as well as in Magic disciplines, they show a great amount of strength even in brute battles.
Genius' Comment: Being physically trained equally in Magic and in Melee Makes you very efficient as a killer. Our main offense is targeted casts with secondary being Melee Attacks and tertiary being Auto-casts. Since these are all targeted they make us most efficient at killing 1-2 things at a time. Battle Sages can have few Mob Killing Skills (HD, FBall and TS) coupled with mob control in the form of Fire Wall, but for this build I do not recommend them.
Sage Description: Wizards' specialties are to cast strong spells freely using the 4 elements. Sages, on the other hand, rely on knowledge and use various techniques and combinations to get the best out of the elements.
Genius' Comment: Wizards are technically Dumber than Sages because Sages have techniques to be applied before, during, and after combat, thus it is a character that actually takes some intelligence to play (especially for the battle variation).
Sage Description: Wizards cast spells with their high level magic while Sages apply the magic to others so that they can support them. Eventually, they develop enchanted spells.
Genius' Comment: Sages can also play a support role highly based upon the skills. Endows for Melee (strongly helps battle Sages and all other Melee Classes) Land Enchants for boosting Elemental Damage (Great for Wizards and taking out extremely hard enemies, not recommended for this build but can be good for a Support Sage).
Preface: The Elemental Battle Sage is what I believe the Sage class is really about. A Warrior that does battle using a combination of Melee, Magic all while using the Elements to their advantage. Endowing your weapons the proper element works great and can give up to double your normal melee damage (more when stacked with high strength and cards). The Ability to move & attack while you cast gives you the opportunity to cast on most monsters while moving in order to prevent them from hitting you, or to grant additional damage during the cast-duration. Auto-casting using Hindsight is usually efficient in adding to damage while attacking similarly to Trifecta Blow or Double Attack and unlike those skills you don't even have to hit anything. What I like most about the Elemental Battle Sage is the ability to solo many places with the assistance of a Heal Clip, or even Heal Scrolls (which decent INT makes very useful).
Note: I play in iRO, thus my terms will be used in the same way it is on the iRO servers. I will try to the best of my ability to explain what they mean on other RO servers when necessary.
You may notice that there are a few similarities with other Battle Sages. However the techniques that are given here may not apply to other Battle Sage builds, and vice versa. The Elemental Battle Sage build is more of a PvP - WoE capable Battle Sage than anything else. The main reason is because of the techniques discussed here and the proper implementation of the skills this build has. In my opinion Skills are not nearly as good as how you use them and most Skills have multiple ways of being used (This is due mainly to the fact that the Sages specifications allow for many different ways of killing an enemy).
Note: Currently on iRO Transcendent classes have arrived. I’m in a Rush to hit 99 so I can test some more stuff and I’m 96 now if anyone cares to help PM SymbioticGenius.
One thing that all Battle Sages have in common is the fact that we need very Hybrid-like stats. Could even be called a Jack of All Trades, master of...being a Jack of All Trades. Since we require numerous stats great planning is required to make the most of this build. Hell I’ve been doing this for over 2 years now and I still can’t find perfection... if there is any.
What determines if a character is an Elemental Battle Sage, encompasses a few things. Here are my top ten.
First: Max Level Bolts (Ten = much faster leveling, and Ability to kill en masse)
Second: Enough STR to make Melee Worth it 60 or higher is a must.
Third: An exact Intelligence Bonus point (includes bonuses), 85 or 91.
Fourth: At Least 80 AGI with bonuses for flee and at least 170 ASPD
Fifth: Decent VIT to prevent status effects and increase our HP Cache. Many will say VIT is unnecessary, but this stat is too useful to neglect.
Sixth: High Defense gear. This helps Energy coat benefit more and of course makes leveling much easier.
Note: Just Like everything else the better your gear, the easier things are. Doesn't mean you must be rich before you begin the Sage, because Sage was the first class I made upon returning to iRO and we all know how poor that makes us. Fact is, eventually you will have money, when you do, use it wisely.
Seventh: Anti Magic Skills. (Every class has a Self Buff or TEN and taking that away will really hinder them... and/or piss them off).
Eighth: Smart use of Energy Coat, roughly 80% of the time. (Sometimes it’s better to leave it off when your SP is low in order to regenerate and make EC more effective anyway).
Ninth: Taking advantage of Elemental weaknesses by Endowing yourself and all melee in your party (which greatly increases exp per hour overall).
Tenth: Correct application of Skills and Elements (requires user of the character to be Intelligent to get the most out of the build).
Now on to the build: (Stats With Bonuses)
STR 60 - 80 (for Formidability in Melee)
AGI 80+ (mainly for ASPD but the added flee doesn’t hurt)
VIT 30-40 (Reduction on Status effects and Extra HP)
INT 85 or 91 (The 2 best INT bonuses for a Battle Sage)
DEX 45 (The Balance Maker...)
Detailed explanations for the Stat Build: (Note: These stats are listed by Order of Importance)
INT: This is of utmost importance to any kind of Sage. Without INT you might as well have made a Knight or Sader. This should always be 85 or 91 (with bonuses). 75% of our damage at lower levels will come from here so we want it to count. There is also an added MDEF quotient that we receive through Intelligence, and this is quite helpful during PvP-WoE-MvP Situations.
AGI: Agility is our secondary damage stat and is quite important. Some may say..."Why not STR that’s where the damage comes from????/omg". Well technically they are correct, however the problem is that we must spread our build through 5 different stats, neither STR nor INT can be at a max point. We must make up for this lower Damage, with greater output.
For Example: A Double Dagger Assassin, cares not for Attack Speed, for they have Maximum STR (The good ones do at least...), thus they generally have lower ASPD than say... a Critical Assassin. However a Critical Assassin (similarly to us) has many stats to get (generally 4 or 5 of 6). This generally doesn't allow them to get very high STR, so they make up for this in Attack Speed and Crits, the same way we make up for low STR with Attack Speed and Magic.
More Relative Example:
Let’s say an INT-DEX-VIT Sage can Pull 5k Damage on a Hunter in 4 Seconds in PVP. As a Battle Sage, must be able to pull out the same 5k Damage on that same Hunter in 4 seconds in order to be on par with our INT-DEX counterpart. Now as those of us who have played a Battle Sage will know, our main Bolt cast will not go off in 4 Seconds its more like 6.5 or so. However with high ASPD and some STR we should be able to pull off 5k Damage in 4 Seconds. Then our final cast will go off, to add an extra 3k Damage which will kill said Hunter. Thus a well built Battle Sage has the Ability to out damage MOST INT-DEX-VIT Sages.
Agility also has the extra benefit of being the tertiary defensive stats for a Battle Sage, the primary being Damage Reduction, and secondary being Vitality. It grants us the all important attack speed and the ever so helpful flee. A good amount of Flee always helps in leveling. However there is a fallacy that comes with Agility, people for some strange reason feel that Agility can be relied upon as a single Defensive stat. This is incorrect. What I am about to say is a life lesson, and I hope those who read this will learn from this. Anything that is not 100% cannot be relied upon to always work. This is fact, not opinion. Thus flee is overrated. (That was opinion, not fact.)
VIT: VIT is necessary for ALL classes, especially the Sage. VIT fuels our main form of Defense which is Damage reduction (6-30% from E-coat, 30% from DMG reduction carded Guard, 20% from Immune 10% from Poo Poo, and our Equip Defense) which can easily give us defense similar to a VIT Knight (Attack – DEF – VIT + Cards – DMG Reduction). Our damage reduction with correct gear is 62% less Damage. Other classes are 48%. Also with since Damage Reduction is highly % based, the more damage done, the more is reduced. And the more done the higher the difference in damage is, in between what we take, and everyone else takes.
STR: Strength is one of the three Damage stats in game (The others being INT, DEX). Luckily as a Battle Sage we will get all three. Any melee class needs high STR and even though we use magic for damage too I still believe STR is more helpful. Endows stacked with cards makes our melee damage very nice, Ex. Firebolt 10 against an Abysmal Knight does nothing, Whereas 60 STR an Ice Pick and Aspersio goes a long way to killing the bastard. 60 is good enough to make you formidable in Battle and to surprise the people who will undoubtedly deem you "Merely a Caster", but I am more of a fan of 70 or possibly 80 if you can get a hold of some GODLY Gears.
DEX: This attribute is what I like to call The Balance Maker. Dexterity determines what a Sage will do more often. With any “normally” built Sage most of the damage comes from Magic. DEX influences the cast time of Magic. Thus if your DEX is higher, you will cast more often. However if your DEX is lower, you will have a longer casting time in which to attack also allowing for more Auto Cast opportunities. However you also need a good amount of DEX for your hit rate. Thus this stat has to be at a certain range to make you very effective in both battle and casting. This is a very important attribute for the Sage. One rule that I have for the Sage is: The higher the STR and INT the higher DEX needs to be. Your DEX should never be lower than 40. Lower than 40 gives a problem with cast times because you cannot pick off weaker monsters in a mob quick enough (generally while attacking the stronger ones. The more DEX you have makes you more versatile, but in this case you can have too much of a good thing.
LUK: This Stat is complete and sheer crap for a Battle Sage plain and simple. The Best way to go Critical on a Battle Sage is to get a Counter Dagger. Otherwise it’s all worthless.
The Skill Build is this way for a reason. After Multiple tests I found that level 7 Bolts weren't good enough as far as damage. I noticed that this actually attributes to how often you will die because more often than not that last 2-3 Bolts would have killed your opponent before your opponent killed you. I highly recommend going with the skill build as it is and getting level 10 bolts in all.
Note: Even If you have level 10 Bolts, you can still choose to use bolts of a lower level depending on needs, making you even more versatile.
Heads up: Some Sage points are used on Mage Skills. So don’t get scared lol.
Here is the suggested Skill Build:
WoE-PvP Mage Skills:
Fire bolt 10
Cold bolt 10
Lightning bolt 10
Napalm Beat 7
Soul Strike 5
Safety Wall 10
Sight 1
Energy Coat (Quest skill, doesn’t get leveled or Require Skill Point)
First, some of you may notice that Fire Wall is not listed here… (GASP!!! No FireWall).
Some of you may even remember me saying something like this previously “Fire Wall: This is a Mages Personal TANK. It is with him at all times at his disposal. Better yet it can actually do Damage and the Mage gets all the Experience.” Well as this game changes, so must this build. For you see, Safety Wall has become all too necessary for a Sage and Scholar.
I will explain further:
All Bolts: These are your main damage giving skills. Once Freecast is obtained they become the "Trick a Sage has up their sleeve". Get these high so that you can get in a great amount of Attacks (and Hindsight) while they are casting.
Napalm Beat: Useless Prerequisite, the only use this has is for breaking casts… and Spell Break does that much better.
Soul Strike: This is pretty decent because we can put it on Hindsight to fight Ghostring users, otherwise it’s pretty useless. Just get 5 for Safety Wall.
Safety Wall: My new Best friend. I have two main reasons for placing this in the build. With the introduction of Transcendent Classes, there are many new Skills and Strategies that the old build just cannot contend with. Safety Wall is the only way to avoid most of them. Safety Wall has always been useful in my opinion, just not warranting stretching out a stretched out build any further… although now I do not have a choice.
The second reason for Safety Wall is BIO3. BIO3 is an excellent leveling place; however the old build couldn’t cut it. However Safety Wall is very useful in BIO3, thus by getting it we make the last 5 levels of Sage so much easier. Also give us much better tanking capability and even lets us cast during WoE (usually). It does require a Blue gem, but the money it saves on potions is more than worth it.
Energy Coat: I do realize that it is understood that all Characters should get all quest skills (especially since they don’t need Skill Points). However this is a Must have for this and every Battle Sage. Safety Wall is a Mages Personal TANK and this is a Sages Full Plate. Since we get hit a fair amount this is more useful to us than even a Wizard (Then again they can't move while casting). Also I suspect that once I turn into a Professor this shall become even more useful (however long that may take).
WoE-PvP Sage Skills:
Study 5
Freecast 10
Hindsight 10
Cast Cancel 1
Endow Blaze 1
Endow Tornado 1
Endow Tsunami 1
Magic Rod 5
Spell breaker 5
Dispell 5
Study: I recommend using Daggers, most of the great weapons in game are Daggers. This also helps for those with a DD Assassin. Ice Pick and Counter Daggers are must haves. I’m also a fan of the Cursed Dagger and Poison Knife. The only book worth getting is Sages Diary, and it comes with its own ASPD bonus, not to mention that I don’t foresee someone getting a library full to warrant Study 10
Freecast: Allows for Movement and Attacking while casting. This is the purpose of a Battle Sage, with this being our trademark Skill. Max it.
Hindsight: Autocasting while attacking, another trademark of the Battle Sage. Max this as well.
Cast Cancel: With this skill Sages get a great Advantage over Wizards. Anybody who has had a Wizard knows that they wish they could stop casting at will (for whatever reason but most often to run, which Sages can also do. This Skill becomes helpful in different ways as you level your Sage. In the beginning, as you get used to being a Sage, you may believe you can kill things that you can't. Using this Skill wisely will ensure that something you can't kill doesn't kill you. However as you become a higher level Sage this skill transfers its usefulness to those times you forget that you can (or didn't expect to) kill something before your casting is completed. I honestly find this to be a great skill, a must for hot keying.
The Endows: Beautiful Skill (which this build is based on). They give our Attacks an Elemental Advantage (if used correctly) whenever you choose. One may ask, since we use this skill so often why not level 5? The answer is quite simple. Too many points, also this skill currently does not break weapons. it only takes it off. So put it back on and try again. Simple indeed.
Magic Rod: Mainly to protect you from Wizards in PvP but also to gain SP. This will come in handy because once you Spell Break a Wizard they will come after you (I can almost guarantee it). Spam this and show them why that isn't a good idea (especially in WoE, where once you get close enough to start hitting they can't cast anyway.
Note: As I have grown more and more with my Sage I have found timing to be WAY more effective than Spamming. Just Wait until the green bar is almost full and
hit the hotkey (Spam when you fear a Frost Diver in your future because it is extremely hard to time FD).
Spell Breaker: A little more Anti-Magic and a little more SP, and definitely is a must for anyone thinking about PvP and WoE. These can be used to stop all Skill based characters who (Trust Me) you will be asked to Fight (ie.Wizards, GC Saders, even Priests and those pesky GF Monks who aren’t so pesky now) on many occasions. Also Level 5 now drains a bit of HP from your opponent and gives it to you.
Dispell: My personal favorite Anti Magic Skill. By taking away all of a character’s buffs you greatly lower their effectiveness. Owns in PvP and one on one Battles in WoE. Also useful in angering your opponents forcing them to constantly rebuff which can throw them off tremendously in their game plans. Taking Away Awakening potions alone is very effective, not to mention the one buff every class has that makes or breaks them.
Here is an equipment list that may help you.
The Inscription from the card is shown in parentheses. You should always get the highest Upgraded Equipment possible. All Equips are listed without Upgrades
except for those whose effect requires a certain upgrade level which I will list if I recommend it. Just make sure that it works for your build and has some good DEF. I don’t list MvP Cards because they are hard to get but I do list their Drops, among other rare equipment. If you come across a MvP Card that can help you Swap it out of whatever Equipment I have listed. If there is an Equipment slot missing that means there is nothing available. If there is no Card listed for an item the item gives the respective bonus without a card. This is a recommended list. There are many items not on this list that gives a certain bonus. I either do not recommend it or it isn’t implemented yet, or just don’t know about it.
INT - SP Recovery Equipment:
Upper Headgear: Elder Willow Carded Circlet. (Erudite)
Middle Headgear: Elder Willow Carded Sunglasses. (Erudite)
Armor: Pupa Carded Mink Coat (Hard)
Apocalypse carded +9 Mink Coat (“Optimus” Prime)
Marc carded Silk Robe (Unfrozen)
Evil Druid carded Silk Robe (Undead)
Shield: +30% Reduction Guards
Thara Frog carded Guard is a must. Also, there has been talk of slotted Memory books coming out… if and when that happens, swap out your Guards for that.
Footwear: Firelock Soldier carded +9 Shoes (Superior)
Accessories: Earrings.
Accessories: Slotted Earrings: Too many cards to list just think before you pick.
DEX Equipment
Upper Headgear: Model Training Hat (AoA doesn’t have the DEF).
Middle Headgear: Marduk Carded Sunglasses.
Weapon: No DEX in Weapon go for Damage cards instead.
Accessories: Gloves
Accessories: Zerom Carded Glove (Nimble)
AGI - Flee Equipment:
Upper Headgear: Sakkat ,Angel Helm (Wing has less DEF and costs more), Ghost Bandana, Kitsune Mask (Sakkat is most bang for buck, very good, and dirt cheap\ easy to make.)
Mid headgear: Nightmare carded Sunglasses (Insomniac)
Garment: Mocking Muffler (Whisper) (20+ Flee owns on any AGI based character)
Garment: Delux Muffler (Nine Tail) (2 AGI, 20 Flee Owns Mocking and Anything EVER In Life, except of course Immune in WoE.)
Footwear: Matyr,
Accessories: Brooches, Kukre carded Brooch (Athletic)
STR- Damage Gears:
Upper Headgear: Hot Blooded Headband
Middle Headgear: Deviruchi Carded Sunglasses
Footwear: Firelock Soldier Carded Shoes (Superior)
Accessories: Mantis Carded Rings (Muscle)
WoE- PvP Specific Gears:
Unfrozen Silk Robe (Marc): Great of Frost Diver resistance although it can make SG deadly without Potions or a Priest
Evil Silk Robe (Bathory): Makes character Shadow Property 1 which takes 50% less damage from Poison(Great for Assassins).
Undead Silk Robe (Evil Druid Card): Makes wearer Undead property, Take no damage from Poison (Best for Assassins) and Shadow (for fools who still use Cursed Water on people lol), also denies Frozen and Stone Curse Status so very good for Wizards and Sages alike.
Immune Muffler (Raydric) (Although this can be used anywhere it is necessary for WoE. 20% less damage is a lot.)
Mage Set: (Star Ratings from 1-5 *****'s 5 being highest\best)
Loli Ruri - Armor *****
Miyabi Doll - Footgear *
Evil Nymph - Head gear *
Parasite - Shield **
Harpy - Garment **
bloody butterfly - Accessory ***
This is the Combination effect of having all the cards equipped at once.
Add the chance of auto casting level 3 Heal skill on the user when receiving Physical Damage.
Max HP+500
Max SP +10%
Max SP + 50
INT + 1
DEF +6
MDEF +5
MATK +3%
Inflict 10% more damage with Fire, Cold and Lightning Bolt skill.
Inflict 5% more damage with Frost Diver skill.
Add 20% more tolerance against Neutral Attack.
Inflict 5% more damage with Napalm Beat skill.
Spell casting cannot be interrupted.
Increase spell-casting time by 15%.
Inflict 5% more damage with Fire Wall skill.
This entire set had many positive aspects although as with all good things... there are some negatives.
Pros:
Phen card effect with less casting time.
A lot more Magic Damage especially when using bolts.
Maintains Raydric card effect.
Decent Defensive additions.
Autocasts level 3 heal when hit sometimes but the Autocast doesn't require nor does it take any SP.
Cons:
Not able to wear 30% Damage reduction Guards.
Less HP than Pupa card.
Not able to wear a Mocking Muffler.
Much better combinations of other Armor's and Card's.
Very Costly (on iRO Chaos at least).
I’m not sure If it Autocasts Heal while I’m Casting another Skill
Opinion:
I’m not sure whether or not this set is worth it. I like the extra damage but am not sure if giving up the extra Defense is worth it especially for a Sage. I think this might be pretty decent for a Battle Scholar though. The extra 10% Bolt Damage coupled with 80% chance of casting twice sounds really good. Also with Indulge a Battle Sage could keep Energy coat on full time to make up for the lack of the 30% damage reduction guards. As of right now I won’t recommend it until I run some more calculations and actually see some of these cards in effect.
Now for my recommendations:
I recommend that you correct your Stat weaknesses using Stat-Improving Equipment. Say you wanted an extra point in AGI for that 174 ASPD just get an AGI improving Card and Equipment for it (Do the research yourself for your build) Afterwards anything else should be geared toward what you want to hunt. Thus allowing you to kill it faster (this also applies to WoE and PvP for those people who give you trouble, 1 good Equip can make all the difference). Now in my opinion anything that raises certain things but at a low amount (or at least not enough to matter) like flee +5 or hit +2 or even HP+400 SP+50 (yes I mean Roda Frog, we don’t need it later on but it is good for leveling) is not a good Final Equip. The slot can be used for something else like a +2 STR or that +3 VIT which gave you the extra 40 ATK (when used at the right increment of course) or that extra 200 HP you wanted anyway, not to mention the extra DEF and HIT etc... that you gain.
A rule of thumb is: If a card can give you something that 25+ Stat points couldn't (Whisper and the like) than it is worth it, but if it could be done with less than 25+ Stat points than stretch your build to find the points. It will be worth it in the long run and less expensive because Stat cards are Rare but hunted often. Also don’t ever believe that you will wear the same thing all the time. As the situation changes your Equipment should too.
Leveling Guide:
This will Contain a few things.
1. Order to put your Stats
2. Order to put your Skills
3. Where to level and until what level.
4. I’m going to assume this is your first character, so if I overstate the obvious I apologize. Also, if you are a veteran of RO, you should have better gear, friends, guildies and such, so read ahead a bit, you might be able to take something sooner than I state here.
Lets Begin.
Creation of Character: Start off with 9 AGI 9 DEX 9 INT
Novice: If you found the initial classroom in the training segment you will gain free levels, some decent beginning equipment and Novice Potions (all extremely helpful for newer or poorer players). Begin by pumping DEX and AGI to 10 then Pump INT. When I say Pump INT I mean PUMP it till your last base point is reached or you are JOB 45, whichever comes first (In most cases the last INT point will). After the training grounds are completed get your 10 Job levels on the map above Geffen (Which is where you should have started).
Note: You won’t reach your last point of INT as a novice I just wanted to make it clear before points were misplaced anywhere else.
Mage: Get your first 5 Job levels on the same map. Pump FireBolt to level 5. Remember to Continue Pumping INT NOTHING ELSE. After FireBolt level 5 has been acquired go to Prontera Field 02 (The RO Empire Database has a map) and Hunt down and kill all Mandragora you can find. These and 90% of Enemies we will fight as a mage are going to be snipe-able. As you gain Job Levels begin Pumping Fire Bolt to level 10. Now we start to work on Safety Wall. Its Prerequisites are Napalm Beat 7, and Soul Strike 5. Get Safety Wall to level 10 immediately. Safety Wall is a definite necessity, although most of the places you will be leveling will not require it until, you are a Sage.
Once you get this to level 10 head to the map directly above Einbroch. Kill Floras here, you will also be able to kill geographers if they don’t heal themselves or aren’t in a group. Begin getting Equipment. See: Above "Equipment List" First thing on your list should be a Staff or an Arc Wand, Hard Armor (anything you can wear with a pupa card in it) Follow this by a Heal Clip then Phen (don’t worry about Whisper because it is unnecessary until you turn Sage). After around level 40 or so you are going to be able to kill everything here with ease. This is the recommended map of leveling until you turn Sage. Just start getting Cold Bolt Maxed and Lightning bolt to its last levels.
Note: If you haven’t reached your Final Point of INT by JOB 45... stop pumping INT
Stats: Begin Pumping VIT. Get about 20 VIT then begin with DEX . Once you go Job 49 forget everything and begin pumping AGI. You should have around 20-30 if by the time you get Freecast 10 (doesn't Matter much). Also drop the Rod class weapons and get a Book or Dagger (Tri Diligent Gladius is best at this point). Keep pumping AGI until about 60 Base AGI. Begin going for 30 STR.
Note: Some other builds say AGI after INT so you can Attack faster and gain Flee, However since we have E-Coat and VIT, Defense becomes much better for leveling both as a Mage and Sage for the many times in our leveling career that we will get hit (and trust me in PVP you will be hit in some form. Also since Flee is also determined by level, an lvl55-70 Mage-Sage has no business messing with AGI for defense (Unless said Mage already has a variety of great gear, +8 or and AGI gear or better)
Skills: Freecast 10, Hindsight 10. These are necessary to level. After they have been gotten you can... Get Magic Rod, Spell Breaker then Dispel (if in a hurry to do PvP or WoE) or Get Endows (much easier to level).
Make sure you get Job 50.
Sage: Now you are the Sage that you have dreamt of being for quite some time.
At this Point you will need: Phen Clip, Heal Clip, +4 Hard (ARMOR), +4 Green Shoes, +4 Mocking Mufflers and other +4 stuff that you can possibly get at this level.
Note: All of these may not be possible if this is your first Character, or you are poor, which can be a result of the former. You can still follow the leveling guide but it will be quite harder, and you may need to stay at a lower leveled location for a longer amount of time. Use your own judgment to determine this. However the Phen is a Must.
You may wish to try your hand leveling in West Village High Orcs. However, I recommend going to Geographers for a few Jobs first. Either will work. Once you get Hindsight 10 and Endow Water 1 (Base 68-70) head directly one map west of Orc Village. Here you will want to level off of High Orcs. You will need (in order of Importance): Crystal blues (for Endow), Cranial Guard, a 50+ amount of Orange Pots (those with Heal Clip may not need them often but they come in handy during mobbage), Awakening Pots.
They are slightly worse Base EXP than Alarms, but can be killed much faster even while mobbing. High Orcs (From now on referred to as HO'S) are weak to Water, everything else is weak to Fire. I suggest you put Hindsight on Coldbolt (It still does great Damage to the others). Everything can be killed here with ease if you have the Cranial. I suggest you stay here to about level 80 or so.
Money Making TIP: Steel is Worth 5k-7500z. Definitely want to vend that to other players. I run about 10 Steel an hour, which is at least 50k If you don’t have a Merchant... MAKE ONE.
After getting STR to 30 you want to pump DEX (if not already finished) and/or AGI to their Final Levels. The only things that should be left at this point are VIT and STR. This is where I stop the spoon-feeding. Basically you have to decide for yourself what your needs are at a certain time. In most cases it will be STR, for kill speed, but VIT is for times when you want more survivability.
Now for our Job 50 + Leveling Guide:
Normally we will hit Job at or around Base level 80, since we no longer require Job Experience this guide is going to focus on mainly places to get to 99 ASAP.
80-85 Best three places at this level would be,
1. West Orc Village (“West Village Dirty HO’s”): Target here are High Orcs (hereon referred to as HO’s). Everything here is easy; there is Orc Hero, which you don’t really want to take on solo, but all else is fair game. There once was a time when you could sell endows for a pretty penny here, but nowadays everyone has an endow whore strapped to their ***.
2. Clock Tower High Orcs: “CT HO’s” really depends on gear, my first few Sages could barely hack regular HO’s last few can do CT HO’s at 70’s. This map is all about 30% player intelligence 70% gear, (although the smartest of players probably could level here without gear, using Safety wall a lot and timing it correctly).
3. Magma Dungeon level 1: This is one of the harder places to level, but it is one of the best for both exp and loot. Kill everything here except Lava Golems, and you could kill those with an Ice Pick or Counter Dagger if you really wanted. This is definitely a good place to work on your Hot- Blooded Headband.
85-95 leveling Places
There are really very few places for solo leveling from 85-95 as far as Battle Sages, however those few that we have are very good.
1. Clock Tower High Orcs: Yes, this place. It really is some of the best exp in the game, so enjoy it.
3. Magma Dungeon level 1: Another repeat offender. This is some of the best exp and some of the best drops. It’s most definitely a good place to become 99 and rich at the same time.
Chivalry 1: Things to kill here= Raydrics, Raydric Archers, Khalitzburg, Rideword. Here is where there is money to be made. Dont Endow yourself. Keep Hindsight on Fire (for the few that are weak to it).
Raydrics: Cast-Attack-Autocast
Raydric Archers: Cast-Attack-Autocast
Ridewords: Cast-Attack-Autocast
Khalitzburgs: Cast-Attack-Autocast will work, but they have a Grimtooth to look out for which isn’t blocked by Safety Wall…
Things to look out for:
Abysmal Knight: Cast-Attack-Autocast + Ice Pick + Priest = Possible Kill otherwise it isn’t worth the gems (SW) or the time (although it can be done). Also since its mob is Khalitzburg that Grimtooth becomes Double Trouble.
Alice: Although not too deadly and not to hard She can heal herself which makes it harder to kill but it doesn’t heal often so go for it if you wish and for every time she heals herself, put on a Safety Wall and heal yourself “That Will show her”.
Chivalry 2: Same Stuff with 2 new additions Mysteltainn, Bloody Knight.
Bloody Knight: Without either 1 Hunter or 2+ Wizards don’t try. Hunter Should Trap and Double Strafe or Blitz. Wizards should SG and JT.
Mysteltainn: Ice Pick + Cast-Attack-Autocast + Priest = Do-able. Definitely not something you want to take on one on one even with Safety Wall (Although this can be done as well…
Magma Dungeon level 1: This wasn’t on my Original list but if somehow you can get your hands on an Ice Pick this can be a great place to level and make a lot of cash. It’s good with a good amount of STR (see 50+). It helps a lot and even can allow you to take out Lava Golems (still hard but can’t take them out otherwise). It’s also cool because if you go there with an Assassin who also has an Ice Pick everything here will go down really easily.
No Matter which route you take I wish you the best of luck.
These are some of the best places to level until level 99, especially CT HO’s. It owns for exp so beautifully. There are many other places to level. These are my personal favorite. As I've stated before Endows really help with melee. Thus one really good way to level is with another Melee class (I prefer Assassins) as long as they kill quickly.
Disclaimer: I play on iRO (presently has Tae-Kwon, last Update Noghalt), thus my Data may differ from yours. I apologize for this and will try to help you as much as I can I may be wrong with something I have said so please do correct me if you see a flaw in something I have said. I greatly appreciate all assistance. I will try to not make any drastic changes to the build, so as those of you who are using it now will not suffer.
Copyright. SymbioticGenius, Drew P.D. 2006.
Note: Before you begin reading this I want to advise you of the fact that this guide has been compared to a short story or Novel (in Size). Of course that is an exaggeration, but for those who cannot read this in one sitting I have created a Downloadable version here
Sage Description (Pulled from RO Website): Physically trained as well as in Magic disciplines, they show a great amount of strength even in brute battles.
Genius' Comment: Being physically trained equally in Magic and in Melee Makes you very efficient as a killer. Our main offense is targeted casts with secondary being Melee Attacks and tertiary being Auto-casts. Since these are all targeted they make us most efficient at killing 1-2 things at a time. Battle Sages can have few Mob Killing Skills (HD, FBall and TS) coupled with mob control in the form of Fire Wall, but for this build I do not recommend them.
Sage Description: Wizards' specialties are to cast strong spells freely using the 4 elements. Sages, on the other hand, rely on knowledge and use various techniques and combinations to get the best out of the elements.
Genius' Comment: Wizards are technically Dumber than Sages because Sages have techniques to be applied before, during, and after combat, thus it is a character that actually takes some intelligence to play (especially for the battle variation).
Sage Description: Wizards cast spells with their high level magic while Sages apply the magic to others so that they can support them. Eventually, they develop enchanted spells.
Genius' Comment: Sages can also play a support role highly based upon the skills. Endows for Melee (strongly helps battle Sages and all other Melee Classes) Land Enchants for boosting Elemental Damage (Great for Wizards and taking out extremely hard enemies, not recommended for this build but can be good for a Support Sage).
Preface: The Elemental Battle Sage is what I believe the Sage class is really about. A Warrior that does battle using a combination of Melee, Magic all while using the Elements to their advantage. Endowing your weapons the proper element works great and can give up to double your normal melee damage (more when stacked with high strength and cards). The Ability to move & attack while you cast gives you the opportunity to cast on most monsters while moving in order to prevent them from hitting you, or to grant additional damage during the cast-duration. Auto-casting using Hindsight is usually efficient in adding to damage while attacking similarly to Trifecta Blow or Double Attack and unlike those skills you don't even have to hit anything. What I like most about the Elemental Battle Sage is the ability to solo many places with the assistance of a Heal Clip, or even Heal Scrolls (which decent INT makes very useful).
Note: I play in iRO, thus my terms will be used in the same way it is on the iRO servers. I will try to the best of my ability to explain what they mean on other RO servers when necessary.
You may notice that there are a few similarities with other Battle Sages. However the techniques that are given here may not apply to other Battle Sage builds, and vice versa. The Elemental Battle Sage build is more of a PvP - WoE capable Battle Sage than anything else. The main reason is because of the techniques discussed here and the proper implementation of the skills this build has. In my opinion Skills are not nearly as good as how you use them and most Skills have multiple ways of being used (This is due mainly to the fact that the Sages specifications allow for many different ways of killing an enemy).
Note: Currently on iRO Transcendent classes have arrived. I’m in a Rush to hit 99 so I can test some more stuff and I’m 96 now if anyone cares to help PM SymbioticGenius.
One thing that all Battle Sages have in common is the fact that we need very Hybrid-like stats. Could even be called a Jack of All Trades, master of...being a Jack of All Trades. Since we require numerous stats great planning is required to make the most of this build. Hell I’ve been doing this for over 2 years now and I still can’t find perfection... if there is any.
What determines if a character is an Elemental Battle Sage, encompasses a few things. Here are my top ten.
First: Max Level Bolts (Ten = much faster leveling, and Ability to kill en masse)
Second: Enough STR to make Melee Worth it 60 or higher is a must.
Third: An exact Intelligence Bonus point (includes bonuses), 85 or 91.
Fourth: At Least 80 AGI with bonuses for flee and at least 170 ASPD
Fifth: Decent VIT to prevent status effects and increase our HP Cache. Many will say VIT is unnecessary, but this stat is too useful to neglect.
Sixth: High Defense gear. This helps Energy coat benefit more and of course makes leveling much easier.
Note: Just Like everything else the better your gear, the easier things are. Doesn't mean you must be rich before you begin the Sage, because Sage was the first class I made upon returning to iRO and we all know how poor that makes us. Fact is, eventually you will have money, when you do, use it wisely.
Seventh: Anti Magic Skills. (Every class has a Self Buff or TEN and taking that away will really hinder them... and/or piss them off).
Eighth: Smart use of Energy Coat, roughly 80% of the time. (Sometimes it’s better to leave it off when your SP is low in order to regenerate and make EC more effective anyway).
Ninth: Taking advantage of Elemental weaknesses by Endowing yourself and all melee in your party (which greatly increases exp per hour overall).
Tenth: Correct application of Skills and Elements (requires user of the character to be Intelligent to get the most out of the build).
Now on to the build: (Stats With Bonuses)
STR 60 - 80 (for Formidability in Melee)
AGI 80+ (mainly for ASPD but the added flee doesn’t hurt)
VIT 30-40 (Reduction on Status effects and Extra HP)
INT 85 or 91 (The 2 best INT bonuses for a Battle Sage)
DEX 45 (The Balance Maker...)
Detailed explanations for the Stat Build: (Note: These stats are listed by Order of Importance)
INT: This is of utmost importance to any kind of Sage. Without INT you might as well have made a Knight or Sader. This should always be 85 or 91 (with bonuses). 75% of our damage at lower levels will come from here so we want it to count. There is also an added MDEF quotient that we receive through Intelligence, and this is quite helpful during PvP-WoE-MvP Situations.
AGI: Agility is our secondary damage stat and is quite important. Some may say..."Why not STR that’s where the damage comes from????/omg". Well technically they are correct, however the problem is that we must spread our build through 5 different stats, neither STR nor INT can be at a max point. We must make up for this lower Damage, with greater output.
For Example: A Double Dagger Assassin, cares not for Attack Speed, for they have Maximum STR (The good ones do at least...), thus they generally have lower ASPD than say... a Critical Assassin. However a Critical Assassin (similarly to us) has many stats to get (generally 4 or 5 of 6). This generally doesn't allow them to get very high STR, so they make up for this in Attack Speed and Crits, the same way we make up for low STR with Attack Speed and Magic.
More Relative Example:
Let’s say an INT-DEX-VIT Sage can Pull 5k Damage on a Hunter in 4 Seconds in PVP. As a Battle Sage, must be able to pull out the same 5k Damage on that same Hunter in 4 seconds in order to be on par with our INT-DEX counterpart. Now as those of us who have played a Battle Sage will know, our main Bolt cast will not go off in 4 Seconds its more like 6.5 or so. However with high ASPD and some STR we should be able to pull off 5k Damage in 4 Seconds. Then our final cast will go off, to add an extra 3k Damage which will kill said Hunter. Thus a well built Battle Sage has the Ability to out damage MOST INT-DEX-VIT Sages.
Agility also has the extra benefit of being the tertiary defensive stats for a Battle Sage, the primary being Damage Reduction, and secondary being Vitality. It grants us the all important attack speed and the ever so helpful flee. A good amount of Flee always helps in leveling. However there is a fallacy that comes with Agility, people for some strange reason feel that Agility can be relied upon as a single Defensive stat. This is incorrect. What I am about to say is a life lesson, and I hope those who read this will learn from this. Anything that is not 100% cannot be relied upon to always work. This is fact, not opinion. Thus flee is overrated. (That was opinion, not fact.)
VIT: VIT is necessary for ALL classes, especially the Sage. VIT fuels our main form of Defense which is Damage reduction (6-30% from E-coat, 30% from DMG reduction carded Guard, 20% from Immune 10% from Poo Poo, and our Equip Defense) which can easily give us defense similar to a VIT Knight (Attack – DEF – VIT + Cards – DMG Reduction). Our damage reduction with correct gear is 62% less Damage. Other classes are 48%. Also with since Damage Reduction is highly % based, the more damage done, the more is reduced. And the more done the higher the difference in damage is, in between what we take, and everyone else takes.
STR: Strength is one of the three Damage stats in game (The others being INT, DEX). Luckily as a Battle Sage we will get all three. Any melee class needs high STR and even though we use magic for damage too I still believe STR is more helpful. Endows stacked with cards makes our melee damage very nice, Ex. Firebolt 10 against an Abysmal Knight does nothing, Whereas 60 STR an Ice Pick and Aspersio goes a long way to killing the bastard. 60 is good enough to make you formidable in Battle and to surprise the people who will undoubtedly deem you "Merely a Caster", but I am more of a fan of 70 or possibly 80 if you can get a hold of some GODLY Gears.
DEX: This attribute is what I like to call The Balance Maker. Dexterity determines what a Sage will do more often. With any “normally” built Sage most of the damage comes from Magic. DEX influences the cast time of Magic. Thus if your DEX is higher, you will cast more often. However if your DEX is lower, you will have a longer casting time in which to attack also allowing for more Auto Cast opportunities. However you also need a good amount of DEX for your hit rate. Thus this stat has to be at a certain range to make you very effective in both battle and casting. This is a very important attribute for the Sage. One rule that I have for the Sage is: The higher the STR and INT the higher DEX needs to be. Your DEX should never be lower than 40. Lower than 40 gives a problem with cast times because you cannot pick off weaker monsters in a mob quick enough (generally while attacking the stronger ones. The more DEX you have makes you more versatile, but in this case you can have too much of a good thing.
LUK: This Stat is complete and sheer crap for a Battle Sage plain and simple. The Best way to go Critical on a Battle Sage is to get a Counter Dagger. Otherwise it’s all worthless.
The Skill Build is this way for a reason. After Multiple tests I found that level 7 Bolts weren't good enough as far as damage. I noticed that this actually attributes to how often you will die because more often than not that last 2-3 Bolts would have killed your opponent before your opponent killed you. I highly recommend going with the skill build as it is and getting level 10 bolts in all.
Note: Even If you have level 10 Bolts, you can still choose to use bolts of a lower level depending on needs, making you even more versatile.
Heads up: Some Sage points are used on Mage Skills. So don’t get scared lol.
Here is the suggested Skill Build:
WoE-PvP Mage Skills:
Fire bolt 10
Cold bolt 10
Lightning bolt 10
Napalm Beat 7
Soul Strike 5
Safety Wall 10
Sight 1
Energy Coat (Quest skill, doesn’t get leveled or Require Skill Point)
First, some of you may notice that Fire Wall is not listed here… (GASP!!! No FireWall).
Some of you may even remember me saying something like this previously “Fire Wall: This is a Mages Personal TANK. It is with him at all times at his disposal. Better yet it can actually do Damage and the Mage gets all the Experience.” Well as this game changes, so must this build. For you see, Safety Wall has become all too necessary for a Sage and Scholar.
I will explain further:
All Bolts: These are your main damage giving skills. Once Freecast is obtained they become the "Trick a Sage has up their sleeve". Get these high so that you can get in a great amount of Attacks (and Hindsight) while they are casting.
Napalm Beat: Useless Prerequisite, the only use this has is for breaking casts… and Spell Break does that much better.
Soul Strike: This is pretty decent because we can put it on Hindsight to fight Ghostring users, otherwise it’s pretty useless. Just get 5 for Safety Wall.
Safety Wall: My new Best friend. I have two main reasons for placing this in the build. With the introduction of Transcendent Classes, there are many new Skills and Strategies that the old build just cannot contend with. Safety Wall is the only way to avoid most of them. Safety Wall has always been useful in my opinion, just not warranting stretching out a stretched out build any further… although now I do not have a choice.
The second reason for Safety Wall is BIO3. BIO3 is an excellent leveling place; however the old build couldn’t cut it. However Safety Wall is very useful in BIO3, thus by getting it we make the last 5 levels of Sage so much easier. Also give us much better tanking capability and even lets us cast during WoE (usually). It does require a Blue gem, but the money it saves on potions is more than worth it.
Energy Coat: I do realize that it is understood that all Characters should get all quest skills (especially since they don’t need Skill Points). However this is a Must have for this and every Battle Sage. Safety Wall is a Mages Personal TANK and this is a Sages Full Plate. Since we get hit a fair amount this is more useful to us than even a Wizard (Then again they can't move while casting). Also I suspect that once I turn into a Professor this shall become even more useful (however long that may take).
WoE-PvP Sage Skills:
Study 5
Freecast 10
Hindsight 10
Cast Cancel 1
Endow Blaze 1
Endow Tornado 1
Endow Tsunami 1
Magic Rod 5
Spell breaker 5
Dispell 5
Study: I recommend using Daggers, most of the great weapons in game are Daggers. This also helps for those with a DD Assassin. Ice Pick and Counter Daggers are must haves. I’m also a fan of the Cursed Dagger and Poison Knife. The only book worth getting is Sages Diary, and it comes with its own ASPD bonus, not to mention that I don’t foresee someone getting a library full to warrant Study 10
Freecast: Allows for Movement and Attacking while casting. This is the purpose of a Battle Sage, with this being our trademark Skill. Max it.
Hindsight: Autocasting while attacking, another trademark of the Battle Sage. Max this as well.
Cast Cancel: With this skill Sages get a great Advantage over Wizards. Anybody who has had a Wizard knows that they wish they could stop casting at will (for whatever reason but most often to run, which Sages can also do. This Skill becomes helpful in different ways as you level your Sage. In the beginning, as you get used to being a Sage, you may believe you can kill things that you can't. Using this Skill wisely will ensure that something you can't kill doesn't kill you. However as you become a higher level Sage this skill transfers its usefulness to those times you forget that you can (or didn't expect to) kill something before your casting is completed. I honestly find this to be a great skill, a must for hot keying.
The Endows: Beautiful Skill (which this build is based on). They give our Attacks an Elemental Advantage (if used correctly) whenever you choose. One may ask, since we use this skill so often why not level 5? The answer is quite simple. Too many points, also this skill currently does not break weapons. it only takes it off. So put it back on and try again. Simple indeed.
Magic Rod: Mainly to protect you from Wizards in PvP but also to gain SP. This will come in handy because once you Spell Break a Wizard they will come after you (I can almost guarantee it). Spam this and show them why that isn't a good idea (especially in WoE, where once you get close enough to start hitting they can't cast anyway.
Note: As I have grown more and more with my Sage I have found timing to be WAY more effective than Spamming. Just Wait until the green bar is almost full and
hit the hotkey (Spam when you fear a Frost Diver in your future because it is extremely hard to time FD).
Spell Breaker: A little more Anti-Magic and a little more SP, and definitely is a must for anyone thinking about PvP and WoE. These can be used to stop all Skill based characters who (Trust Me) you will be asked to Fight (ie.Wizards, GC Saders, even Priests and those pesky GF Monks who aren’t so pesky now) on many occasions. Also Level 5 now drains a bit of HP from your opponent and gives it to you.
Dispell: My personal favorite Anti Magic Skill. By taking away all of a character’s buffs you greatly lower their effectiveness. Owns in PvP and one on one Battles in WoE. Also useful in angering your opponents forcing them to constantly rebuff which can throw them off tremendously in their game plans. Taking Away Awakening potions alone is very effective, not to mention the one buff every class has that makes or breaks them.
Here is an equipment list that may help you.
The Inscription from the card is shown in parentheses. You should always get the highest Upgraded Equipment possible. All Equips are listed without Upgrades
except for those whose effect requires a certain upgrade level which I will list if I recommend it. Just make sure that it works for your build and has some good DEF. I don’t list MvP Cards because they are hard to get but I do list their Drops, among other rare equipment. If you come across a MvP Card that can help you Swap it out of whatever Equipment I have listed. If there is an Equipment slot missing that means there is nothing available. If there is no Card listed for an item the item gives the respective bonus without a card. This is a recommended list. There are many items not on this list that gives a certain bonus. I either do not recommend it or it isn’t implemented yet, or just don’t know about it.
INT - SP Recovery Equipment:
Upper Headgear: Elder Willow Carded Circlet. (Erudite)
Middle Headgear: Elder Willow Carded Sunglasses. (Erudite)
Armor: Pupa Carded Mink Coat (Hard)
Apocalypse carded +9 Mink Coat (“Optimus” Prime)
Marc carded Silk Robe (Unfrozen)
Evil Druid carded Silk Robe (Undead)
Shield: +30% Reduction Guards
Thara Frog carded Guard is a must. Also, there has been talk of slotted Memory books coming out… if and when that happens, swap out your Guards for that.
Footwear: Firelock Soldier carded +9 Shoes (Superior)
Accessories: Earrings.
Accessories: Slotted Earrings: Too many cards to list just think before you pick.
DEX Equipment
Upper Headgear: Model Training Hat (AoA doesn’t have the DEF).
Middle Headgear: Marduk Carded Sunglasses.
Weapon: No DEX in Weapon go for Damage cards instead.
Accessories: Gloves
Accessories: Zerom Carded Glove (Nimble)
AGI - Flee Equipment:
Upper Headgear: Sakkat ,Angel Helm (Wing has less DEF and costs more), Ghost Bandana, Kitsune Mask (Sakkat is most bang for buck, very good, and dirt cheap\ easy to make.)
Mid headgear: Nightmare carded Sunglasses (Insomniac)
Garment: Mocking Muffler (Whisper) (20+ Flee owns on any AGI based character)
Garment: Delux Muffler (Nine Tail) (2 AGI, 20 Flee Owns Mocking and Anything EVER In Life, except of course Immune in WoE.)
Footwear: Matyr,
Accessories: Brooches, Kukre carded Brooch (Athletic)
STR- Damage Gears:
Upper Headgear: Hot Blooded Headband
Middle Headgear: Deviruchi Carded Sunglasses
Footwear: Firelock Soldier Carded Shoes (Superior)
Accessories: Mantis Carded Rings (Muscle)
WoE- PvP Specific Gears:
Unfrozen Silk Robe (Marc): Great of Frost Diver resistance although it can make SG deadly without Potions or a Priest
Evil Silk Robe (Bathory): Makes character Shadow Property 1 which takes 50% less damage from Poison(Great for Assassins).
Undead Silk Robe (Evil Druid Card): Makes wearer Undead property, Take no damage from Poison (Best for Assassins) and Shadow (for fools who still use Cursed Water on people lol), also denies Frozen and Stone Curse Status so very good for Wizards and Sages alike.
Immune Muffler (Raydric) (Although this can be used anywhere it is necessary for WoE. 20% less damage is a lot.)
Mage Set: (Star Ratings from 1-5 *****'s 5 being highest\best)
Loli Ruri - Armor *****
Miyabi Doll - Footgear *
Evil Nymph - Head gear *
Parasite - Shield **
Harpy - Garment **
bloody butterfly - Accessory ***
This is the Combination effect of having all the cards equipped at once.
Add the chance of auto casting level 3 Heal skill on the user when receiving Physical Damage.
Max HP+500
Max SP +10%
Max SP + 50
INT + 1
DEF +6
MDEF +5
MATK +3%
Inflict 10% more damage with Fire, Cold and Lightning Bolt skill.
Inflict 5% more damage with Frost Diver skill.
Add 20% more tolerance against Neutral Attack.
Inflict 5% more damage with Napalm Beat skill.
Spell casting cannot be interrupted.
Increase spell-casting time by 15%.
Inflict 5% more damage with Fire Wall skill.
This entire set had many positive aspects although as with all good things... there are some negatives.
Pros:
Phen card effect with less casting time.
A lot more Magic Damage especially when using bolts.
Maintains Raydric card effect.
Decent Defensive additions.
Autocasts level 3 heal when hit sometimes but the Autocast doesn't require nor does it take any SP.
Cons:
Not able to wear 30% Damage reduction Guards.
Less HP than Pupa card.
Not able to wear a Mocking Muffler.
Much better combinations of other Armor's and Card's.
Very Costly (on iRO Chaos at least).
I’m not sure If it Autocasts Heal while I’m Casting another Skill
Opinion:
I’m not sure whether or not this set is worth it. I like the extra damage but am not sure if giving up the extra Defense is worth it especially for a Sage. I think this might be pretty decent for a Battle Scholar though. The extra 10% Bolt Damage coupled with 80% chance of casting twice sounds really good. Also with Indulge a Battle Sage could keep Energy coat on full time to make up for the lack of the 30% damage reduction guards. As of right now I won’t recommend it until I run some more calculations and actually see some of these cards in effect.
Now for my recommendations:
I recommend that you correct your Stat weaknesses using Stat-Improving Equipment. Say you wanted an extra point in AGI for that 174 ASPD just get an AGI improving Card and Equipment for it (Do the research yourself for your build) Afterwards anything else should be geared toward what you want to hunt. Thus allowing you to kill it faster (this also applies to WoE and PvP for those people who give you trouble, 1 good Equip can make all the difference). Now in my opinion anything that raises certain things but at a low amount (or at least not enough to matter) like flee +5 or hit +2 or even HP+400 SP+50 (yes I mean Roda Frog, we don’t need it later on but it is good for leveling) is not a good Final Equip. The slot can be used for something else like a +2 STR or that +3 VIT which gave you the extra 40 ATK (when used at the right increment of course) or that extra 200 HP you wanted anyway, not to mention the extra DEF and HIT etc... that you gain.
A rule of thumb is: If a card can give you something that 25+ Stat points couldn't (Whisper and the like) than it is worth it, but if it could be done with less than 25+ Stat points than stretch your build to find the points. It will be worth it in the long run and less expensive because Stat cards are Rare but hunted often. Also don’t ever believe that you will wear the same thing all the time. As the situation changes your Equipment should too.
Leveling Guide:
This will Contain a few things.
1. Order to put your Stats
2. Order to put your Skills
3. Where to level and until what level.
4. I’m going to assume this is your first character, so if I overstate the obvious I apologize. Also, if you are a veteran of RO, you should have better gear, friends, guildies and such, so read ahead a bit, you might be able to take something sooner than I state here.
Lets Begin.
Creation of Character: Start off with 9 AGI 9 DEX 9 INT
Novice: If you found the initial classroom in the training segment you will gain free levels, some decent beginning equipment and Novice Potions (all extremely helpful for newer or poorer players). Begin by pumping DEX and AGI to 10 then Pump INT. When I say Pump INT I mean PUMP it till your last base point is reached or you are JOB 45, whichever comes first (In most cases the last INT point will). After the training grounds are completed get your 10 Job levels on the map above Geffen (Which is where you should have started).
Note: You won’t reach your last point of INT as a novice I just wanted to make it clear before points were misplaced anywhere else.
Mage: Get your first 5 Job levels on the same map. Pump FireBolt to level 5. Remember to Continue Pumping INT NOTHING ELSE. After FireBolt level 5 has been acquired go to Prontera Field 02 (The RO Empire Database has a map) and Hunt down and kill all Mandragora you can find. These and 90% of Enemies we will fight as a mage are going to be snipe-able. As you gain Job Levels begin Pumping Fire Bolt to level 10. Now we start to work on Safety Wall. Its Prerequisites are Napalm Beat 7, and Soul Strike 5. Get Safety Wall to level 10 immediately. Safety Wall is a definite necessity, although most of the places you will be leveling will not require it until, you are a Sage.
Once you get this to level 10 head to the map directly above Einbroch. Kill Floras here, you will also be able to kill geographers if they don’t heal themselves or aren’t in a group. Begin getting Equipment. See: Above "Equipment List" First thing on your list should be a Staff or an Arc Wand, Hard Armor (anything you can wear with a pupa card in it) Follow this by a Heal Clip then Phen (don’t worry about Whisper because it is unnecessary until you turn Sage). After around level 40 or so you are going to be able to kill everything here with ease. This is the recommended map of leveling until you turn Sage. Just start getting Cold Bolt Maxed and Lightning bolt to its last levels.
Note: If you haven’t reached your Final Point of INT by JOB 45... stop pumping INT
Stats: Begin Pumping VIT. Get about 20 VIT then begin with DEX . Once you go Job 49 forget everything and begin pumping AGI. You should have around 20-30 if by the time you get Freecast 10 (doesn't Matter much). Also drop the Rod class weapons and get a Book or Dagger (Tri Diligent Gladius is best at this point). Keep pumping AGI until about 60 Base AGI. Begin going for 30 STR.
Note: Some other builds say AGI after INT so you can Attack faster and gain Flee, However since we have E-Coat and VIT, Defense becomes much better for leveling both as a Mage and Sage for the many times in our leveling career that we will get hit (and trust me in PVP you will be hit in some form. Also since Flee is also determined by level, an lvl55-70 Mage-Sage has no business messing with AGI for defense (Unless said Mage already has a variety of great gear, +8 or and AGI gear or better)
Skills: Freecast 10, Hindsight 10. These are necessary to level. After they have been gotten you can... Get Magic Rod, Spell Breaker then Dispel (if in a hurry to do PvP or WoE) or Get Endows (much easier to level).
Make sure you get Job 50.
Sage: Now you are the Sage that you have dreamt of being for quite some time.
At this Point you will need: Phen Clip, Heal Clip, +4 Hard (ARMOR), +4 Green Shoes, +4 Mocking Mufflers and other +4 stuff that you can possibly get at this level.
Note: All of these may not be possible if this is your first Character, or you are poor, which can be a result of the former. You can still follow the leveling guide but it will be quite harder, and you may need to stay at a lower leveled location for a longer amount of time. Use your own judgment to determine this. However the Phen is a Must.
You may wish to try your hand leveling in West Village High Orcs. However, I recommend going to Geographers for a few Jobs first. Either will work. Once you get Hindsight 10 and Endow Water 1 (Base 68-70) head directly one map west of Orc Village. Here you will want to level off of High Orcs. You will need (in order of Importance): Crystal blues (for Endow), Cranial Guard, a 50+ amount of Orange Pots (those with Heal Clip may not need them often but they come in handy during mobbage), Awakening Pots.
They are slightly worse Base EXP than Alarms, but can be killed much faster even while mobbing. High Orcs (From now on referred to as HO'S) are weak to Water, everything else is weak to Fire. I suggest you put Hindsight on Coldbolt (It still does great Damage to the others). Everything can be killed here with ease if you have the Cranial. I suggest you stay here to about level 80 or so.
Money Making TIP: Steel is Worth 5k-7500z. Definitely want to vend that to other players. I run about 10 Steel an hour, which is at least 50k If you don’t have a Merchant... MAKE ONE.
After getting STR to 30 you want to pump DEX (if not already finished) and/or AGI to their Final Levels. The only things that should be left at this point are VIT and STR. This is where I stop the spoon-feeding. Basically you have to decide for yourself what your needs are at a certain time. In most cases it will be STR, for kill speed, but VIT is for times when you want more survivability.
Now for our Job 50 + Leveling Guide:
Normally we will hit Job at or around Base level 80, since we no longer require Job Experience this guide is going to focus on mainly places to get to 99 ASAP.
80-85 Best three places at this level would be,
1. West Orc Village (“West Village Dirty HO’s”): Target here are High Orcs (hereon referred to as HO’s). Everything here is easy; there is Orc Hero, which you don’t really want to take on solo, but all else is fair game. There once was a time when you could sell endows for a pretty penny here, but nowadays everyone has an endow whore strapped to their ***.
2. Clock Tower High Orcs: “CT HO’s” really depends on gear, my first few Sages could barely hack regular HO’s last few can do CT HO’s at 70’s. This map is all about 30% player intelligence 70% gear, (although the smartest of players probably could level here without gear, using Safety wall a lot and timing it correctly).
3. Magma Dungeon level 1: This is one of the harder places to level, but it is one of the best for both exp and loot. Kill everything here except Lava Golems, and you could kill those with an Ice Pick or Counter Dagger if you really wanted. This is definitely a good place to work on your Hot- Blooded Headband.
85-95 leveling Places
There are really very few places for solo leveling from 85-95 as far as Battle Sages, however those few that we have are very good.
1. Clock Tower High Orcs: Yes, this place. It really is some of the best exp in the game, so enjoy it.
3. Magma Dungeon level 1: Another repeat offender. This is some of the best exp and some of the best drops. It’s most definitely a good place to become 99 and rich at the same time.
Chivalry 1: Things to kill here= Raydrics, Raydric Archers, Khalitzburg, Rideword. Here is where there is money to be made. Dont Endow yourself. Keep Hindsight on Fire (for the few that are weak to it).
Raydrics: Cast-Attack-Autocast
Raydric Archers: Cast-Attack-Autocast
Ridewords: Cast-Attack-Autocast
Khalitzburgs: Cast-Attack-Autocast will work, but they have a Grimtooth to look out for which isn’t blocked by Safety Wall…
Things to look out for:
Abysmal Knight: Cast-Attack-Autocast + Ice Pick + Priest = Possible Kill otherwise it isn’t worth the gems (SW) or the time (although it can be done). Also since its mob is Khalitzburg that Grimtooth becomes Double Trouble.
Alice: Although not too deadly and not to hard She can heal herself which makes it harder to kill but it doesn’t heal often so go for it if you wish and for every time she heals herself, put on a Safety Wall and heal yourself “That Will show her”.
Chivalry 2: Same Stuff with 2 new additions Mysteltainn, Bloody Knight.
Bloody Knight: Without either 1 Hunter or 2+ Wizards don’t try. Hunter Should Trap and Double Strafe or Blitz. Wizards should SG and JT.
Mysteltainn: Ice Pick + Cast-Attack-Autocast + Priest = Do-able. Definitely not something you want to take on one on one even with Safety Wall (Although this can be done as well…
Magma Dungeon level 1: This wasn’t on my Original list but if somehow you can get your hands on an Ice Pick this can be a great place to level and make a lot of cash. It’s good with a good amount of STR (see 50+). It helps a lot and even can allow you to take out Lava Golems (still hard but can’t take them out otherwise). It’s also cool because if you go there with an Assassin who also has an Ice Pick everything here will go down really easily.
No Matter which route you take I wish you the best of luck.
These are some of the best places to level until level 99, especially CT HO’s. It owns for exp so beautifully. There are many other places to level. These are my personal favorite. As I've stated before Endows really help with melee. Thus one really good way to level is with another Melee class (I prefer Assassins) as long as they kill quickly.
Disclaimer: I play on iRO (presently has Tae-Kwon, last Update Noghalt), thus my Data may differ from yours. I apologize for this and will try to help you as much as I can I may be wrong with something I have said so please do correct me if you see a flaw in something I have said. I greatly appreciate all assistance. I will try to not make any drastic changes to the build, so as those of you who are using it now will not suffer.
Copyright. SymbioticGenius, Drew P.D. 2006.
great guide!
ReplyDeleteanyone here in 2021? hahahah
me too. but is there a way to play SOrcerer with some STR stat? I wonder
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