Classes

238 thoughts

1. Hi Arc, I just want to ask what skills, talents and starting mercs I should pick for my staff main(sorry I’m a total noob, just decided to download the game for fun xD)

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   1. From the summon orbs you get from leveling up (up to 120), I personally recommend: warlord, puppeteer, and the last two are optional depending on preference. Grimm Brothers or Guan Yu might be decent choices. Anything else is highly niche or cheap to get later on.
      Talents for staffmain can vary a bit, but here’s an example.
      One of the big uncertainties is 150~159 talents; staffmains that are proc dependent take Spell Reflex.
      Instead, if they’re damage skill dependent such as using Evanescent Scud, then they might take Scholarly Adventurer.
      Alternatively, Tip the Scales is an interesting talent that increases the effects of all buffs and decreases debuff effects. They are temporary Effects that increase/decrease: Attack Power, Defense, Multi-Hit Rate, and potentiall other stats that are a bit more difficult to prove.
      There’s other talents, but I’m not the best person to ask in detail about the ‘optimal’ staff setup, since I dont play it.
      As for one more talent mention, I do like Amplify: Magic Skill at 170~179; it can actually increase passives past their ‘maximum’ 80/80 value to as high as 100/80. This talent effects the entire formation.

      All considered, I would recommend taking a look at Jelune’s Guide on this site.

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2. ah forget to ask something else, on staff main which spell is better Evanescent Scud vs Flame Blow vs Blazing Earth, thx arcanic !

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   1. Evanescent Scud is considered the ‘quickest’ and most flexible.

      Blazing Earth is the most damage, but only melee (most mobs are melee, but not all ofc).

      Flame Blow, I haven’t heard much from.

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3. Can u explain Staff Main Talent lvl 150, 3 of them (so confusing) n what u choose and why, thx arcanic !

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   1. Scholarly Adventurer: gives flat intelligence, which helps toward main’s scaling magic (Blazing Earth, Evanescent Scud, etc)

      Tip The Scales: it is similar to Lethal Concentration, with some extra features. The boost from this talent is from buffs (that affect the main), such as Attack, Defense, Multi-Hit Rate, Accuracy, and even Action Power. Boosts the effects of both passives and active buffs that are put onto the main character, such as Rally, Queen’s Command, Quickening, Burning Essence, and any other relevant effects that can boost the main. This includes reducing debuff effects, but at half the rate of effectiveness.

      Spell Reflex: Boosts the rate of procs–both defensive and offensive–which includes any relevant magic that is considered ‘activated’. So passives and active magic are not affected by this talent. This talent helps–if maxed out–double the rate of decoration, mount, home decos, and other magic/skill procs.

      My recommendation is Tip the Scales if you use alot of passives and plan on keeping Hippo/Warlord/Rin/Exorcist/Valkyrie/Jeon around, which can all help boost the effects (varies) on your staffmain.

      Otherwise, Spell Reflex doesnt hurt if you rely on mount/deco/other procs from time to time.

      Scholarly Adventurer isn’t bad either. If maxed out, that’s an extra 2K intelligence, which will boost magic scaling skils as said before. However, this talent doesn’t help your formation or give much flexibility on other stuff. I consider this one the weakest, personally since it’s just a ‘stat’ booster…

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      1. if stat booster considered as weakest,
         -why on 130 talent everyone keep choosing left ( 2000 att power) not right (+10 magic level), isnt that much more ‘safe’ considered the max skill point that can allocated per level and money wise? or 2000 att power is superior tham 2000 int in scaling magic to be calculated ? –
         sorry to ask again sir arcanic,thx !

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         1. because you get a lot of spell levels form other sources – charms, mount sets etc. My staff main took the attack bonus (left), I have a mediocre item set and still get +40 spell levels. Take note that spells have a maximum level limit – for scud and blazing earth it is 110. So even with my 40 level bonus I can stop at 70 skill level because it will still be maxed. If I learnt it to 80 or took the right side of teh talent tree i would gain nothing.

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            1. ty sir for the calculated answer 😀

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         2. Staffmain endgame can get magic level fairly easily I believe.

            It’s not that stats are the ‘weakest’, just that 150 talent choice comparisons have some unique characteristics that set them apart from just basic stat gains. To go further, the 2K INT from the 150 talent (Scholarly Adventurer) choice translates to an extra 3.5K~ attack power, since INT is staffmain’s main stat. Also, keep noted that Evanescent Scud factors INT higher, so INT is more valuable for the skill.

            Tip The Scales could be arguably better with enough passive buffs stacking attack power (an extra 100% bonus), with the additional bonus effects of the passive skills. But only if you had enough passives leveraged and active–which can be dropped: dispelled or holy guarded.

            Alternatively, Spell Reflex allows the capability of procs/activated skills to be x2 more frequent, which as valuable to some.

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            1. ok then ty sir Arcanic !

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4. hi Arc!. could u recommend me a pve formation for stormcaller? i have hypo,rin,warlord,sheng. probably warlord and sheng will be useful only vs bosses. so what merc could i take?

   Also, is silence talent from stormcaller useful?

   Thanks!

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5. Hi Arc, i’m a Dual Sword main and i’m wondering which is better ninetails, bounty hunter, or folklorist ? i see that many people can breeze through ot 13 and 16 easily with folklorist, but is it better if i have bounty or ninetails instead ?

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   1. Ninetails is a solid aoe + damage over time. She would be the best overall merc for OT13/16. Jessica will wipe out a column in OT13, but not always in ot16; doesn’t have damage over time. Arthur’s Dark Legacy is more powerful, arguably. Folklorist isn’t as popular, but is also pretty decent.

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6. I was wonder between Tania and general who better off end game pve? Asking because all i see is ppl using Tania in pvp so cant find much info on pve… I know puri skill nice especially in palace like hall of chaos(There debuff is too deadly) but idk if it worth it just for that only? her stats are nice especially her mdef but idk.. plus her row debuf not bad damage wise. atm i have 1 nice aoe merc and thats young fox and my main will be aoe im blade master.. so idk if ill need general im still leaning towards on him cuz 3x good aoe damage seem like ill breeze through pve lol.

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   1. Ninetails + Dual is enough AOE anyways. Guan would just bring more AOE capabilities to spam later on (like OT13/16). Tania’s row-magic skill is actually probably the best damage (counting DOT) endgame.

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      1. Hi Arcanic, can you shows me the updated scaling damages on Evanescent Sud and Flame Blow? thanks.

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      2. so you think for the high lvl OT I should be fine with for my aoes just nine tales and DS? I have gigas but his aoe not too grand but that may help even thos hes my healer/normal attacker merc lol. rest mercs i use dont have full for aoe but can attack columns rows etc w/scaling magic. thanks in advance… im just too indecisive lol. plus dont wanna make a error cuz that can be tad costely lol.

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         1. Dual + Ninetails is good. Gigas’ AOE won’t be enough to be significant, so probably rely on his heal if necessary.
            Guan would also be much better than Gigas’ AOE, but the skins for him would be another big investment.
            Tania will be a huge advantage to take out rows fairly easily. Tania would be a huge investment, but more worth than Guan in my opinion.

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7. oh and one more question, does talent “tip the scales” will increase my mag damage ? and my buffs? because the explanation only said magic effect. What kind of magic effect exactly?

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   1. Tip The Scales increases the capability of buff spells, while also decreasing the effect of debuff spells on your main.
      It is usually compared to Lethal Concentration, however Tip The Scales is arguably more powerful. It’s only 100% compared to LC’s 150%, though.
      What Tip The Scales does differently from Lethal Concentration, is that it increases ALL buff effects from spells, rather than only Attack Power buffs.

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      1. i see, meaning that if i take Tip the scales, not only it will increase my buff effects (spells like princes order) it will also increase my mag damage (spells like BE) while decreasing debuff “inflicted” on my main ?
         cmiiw

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         1. It doesn’t increase damage capability, aside for the attack power/other buffs from passive/active buffs. It’s a buff talent for buff skills (example would be Warlord’s Rally – it buffs everything by 10% per level, or 100% if maxed).
            Same goes for debuffs like -accuracy or -attack power. But at a 5% rate per level, and 50% maxed less debuff effectiveness.

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8. hey arc, the web is really helpful, however i’m stll struggling on talent system, how they work, will they power up passive skills, etc, im currently building a staff main and a support battlemage main, my question is if i want to enhance my magic damage (electron field) and buffs from my battemage main (princess order) what talents i should pick?

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   1. StaffMain has at least three different builds that are viable. Two builds focus main: one is proc-focusing, other is main-magic-focusing. The last popular build is merc-focusing.

      Tell me which type of StaffMain you’d like to consider, and I can maybe give you a build idea.

      Battlemage is kind of an unpopular main to be considered, and I don’t have enough knowledge of it’s capabilities.

      For both mains, magic damage % will help: Grimm’s Magic Source, Magic Damage % on clothes, certain talents, Diabolic/Hot-Fire Candy Cane (these staves don’t work with procs though).

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      1. i’m struggling to go for proc-focusing so i go for main-magic-focusing (bcs of my low budget), Merc-focusing seems interesting tho, how does that work?

         im building battlemage only for spelltower purpose, because their spells are insane when combined with other mains (impulse) while electron field disturbs enemy’s formation

         Im still trying to figure out the best formation for my staff main, so far i already have
         Tianmo – Valk – General
         Warlord – Monk – Sailor
         Gigas – Me – Xuanzang
         (mainly for PvE and a little bit of PVP)

         I can’t get Rin, Lich, and arthur even brothers grimm as they are expensive and most of them are IM exclusive
         Any suggestions for my formation if my focus is mag damage ?

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9. not sure if my first post was posted. so here i go again
   Hi Arcanic! Huge thanks for the info. i was trying to find which indies were usefull and this guide really works for me. However im planing to move to global server steam since the actual economy of the currents servers are very bad. would you recommend me to start with stormcaller? if so, what merces should i pick. my main focus is pve (farming and indies). once again thanks!

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   1. There’s an approval process to reduce bots commenting or such. We don’t know what the new (Global) server(s) will have as far as content. Nothing has been explained about where it’s being started from. Could be they’re starting from way back, like Lv 80-120 max, which won’t have a ton of mercenaries and a few mains. Best grinding mains at the moment in the current servers are Blademaster and StaffMain, but again we don’t know what the Global servers will have. Best damage output mains are Stormcaller, BowMain, SpearMain.

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      1. Hi arcanic, i found this https://steamcommunity.com/games/1232420/announcements/detail/2837770551795039593 . will stormcaller be good then? what about the merc for this class?

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         1. Stormcaller is considered the best main at the moment in terms of most consistent damage. Grinding, it’s not really that great, but still takes advantage of the usual mount proc capability. It really depends on what items will be available and if the main’s talents will be accessible upon release. Many other factors, of course, but if AO Global is nearly identical to current AO servers, then Stormcaller will be a clearly good main to pick. Good mercenaries to have alongside Stormcaller would be Warlord, Hippolyte, Lich. Guan Yu & Ninetails are the best aoe mercs, but you typically only want one of them. Arthur is another great mercenary, but very expensive to fully optimize. We also don’t know what skins will be available on Global, so that’s another factor.

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10. Hi Arcanic, I just started playing AO last week and I’m playing staff as my main. Question, does your old recommendations for staff main(mercs,skills and talent) does it still apply in today’s meta? Or should I reroll to another class that would benefit me in the future? Thanks! 😀

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11. Hello Arcanic,
    First of i want to thank you for the Amazing website you got here.
    I Wanted to ask you about the new Bow merc, is she really worth it and if you’re gonna add her to your merc list ?

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    1. I’ll eventually add her to an in-depth Ranking System once I finish it.
       As mentioned above that Merc Ranking table, I’m working on something that’s more in-depth and inclusive for various mechanics in-game.
       As for her worth, uncertain. I know of her skills, which are somewhat ok. Without her skills, she’s apparently quite useless.

       Her passive ATK/ACC/CRIT buff seems to be the main interest.
       https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223781658938048512/565810628896489473/Capture.PNG

       Not familiar with healing values of spells, but her cross heal appears to reduce combo-count, so another interest for PvP.
       https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223781658938048512/565810918911377408/Capture.PNG

       Personal heal, I think it’s based on when she gets attacked? Not sure, but here’s the link.
       https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223781658938048512/565810721204469761/Capture.PNG

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12. Hi Arcanic, what is the current best main for pve (with lv 170 talent)?

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    1. Bow/Whip/Axe – p. damage

       Dual/Staff – m. damage

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       1. which one is better for end game? p.damage or m.damage?

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          1. Depends on what you’re doing, but in many cases, m. damage can be handled by mercs.
             Only Bow/Whip can output p. damage that mercenaries can’t (I’ve tested this).
             And there are a few significant m. damage mercenaries:
             General, Elementalist, Bard, Bounty Hunter, Lich, Warlord, Arthur, etc.
             That being said, Dual has the best/easiest aoe in the game.

             Then there’s a few odd main builds like AxeMain with Freezing Axe’s Talent.
             Or StaffMain’s many useful capabilities. These are more supportive abilities though, rather than pure damage.

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13. Hi Arcanic, I need your recommendations on Stormcaller formation.

    Puppeteer – Arthur – Lich
    General – Brother Grimms- Taoist
    Ninetail – Main – Elementalist

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    1. Puppeteer -> Ching Ya (because you really want that buff she gives for your main).
       Elementalist -> Shen Hong (to buff your main’s damage in boss fights / OTs).

       You have a bunch of magic damage mercs, so you can drop the Elementalist; if you really like her, then figure out which merc is the least useful.

       You’ll want both Ching Ya and Jeon for AP purposes. General, Lich, Arthur, Grimm are too valuable/versatile to drop.

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       1. Hi Arcanic, can you suggest formation for BowM

          here’s my formation:

          Puppeteer – Arthur – Lich
          Taoist – Slave Warrior – General
          Main – Ninetail – Shen Hong

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          1. Looks fine to me. Not much else to do besides maybe replace Rin with Ching Ya for some MHR for the BowMain.

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14. hi arcanic, can you suggest formation for mage?
    my current formation:

    Puppeteer – Arthur – General
    Taoist – Slave Warrior – Lich
    Brother Grimms – Main – Ching Ya

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    1. Looks fine to be honest. What are you wanting to improve exactly?

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15. Hey Arcanic, do you mind taking a quick look at my current formation? Im a BladeM and am planning on getting arthur soon to replace my spartan, and clown to replace pirate once I get a hold of her. I’m currently lvl 135

    Spartan – Main – Warlord
    Taoist – General – Pirate
    Chironia – Gigas – Elementalist

    In the near future (hopefully)

    Arthur – Main – Warlord
    Taoist – General – Clown
    Chiro – Gigas – Elementalist

    I’ve given it alot of thought after reading through many of the comments above but I can’t foresee if there are any changes i need to make in the future.

    Thanks in advance man, I really appreciate all the data you put out for us 😀

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    1. In my opinion pirate is better than clown. Cheaper skills+sword buff+ap drain.

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    2. Clown is very expensive, but if you can do it, she’ll do more damage than the Pirate end-game with L Dell’arte/L Jupiter combo.
       That being said, you’ll want to get Marauder’s Edge on your Blademaster if you’re dropping the Pirate.

       Problem with both of them is that physical damage is kind of crap nowadays.

       Might be better to get a Shen Hong to buff your Chiro’s/Gigas damage instead, as those two are really good range physical damagers.
       While most of the melees you have are about magic damage (other than Pirate/Jeon, which aren’t as good).

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16. hi arcanic, can you suggest formation for Blademaster?

    here’s my current formation :

    Main – Lich – Arthur
    Patriot – Centaur – General
    Elementalist – Automaton – Vampire

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    1. Drop the Patriot. He’s overly expensive for nothing exceptional.
       Probably can replace him with Shen Hong for your Chironia/Gigas to do more damage.

       You also could use an AP merc in your form. I like Jeon, but completely up to you.
       You have alot of AoE/Healing mercs, so figure out which one you like the least.
       Since you’re a Blademaster, you’ll probably use his Waltz and the more powerful magic from the mercs. So find the weak link and replace it with a Rin/Jeon/Ching Ya for AP/MHR buff for your Chironia/Gigas in boss fights.

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17. which one is important for bow main hwarang aura or know thy enemy pve or pvp can you explain it all ?

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18. Hi, arcanic can you give the formation for blademaster to fight merlin, before and after both monster in his side died ?
    Thanks in advance

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    1. Check — https://arcanicvoid.comatlantica-online/classes/#comment-2807

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19. hey, im new, i have staff main and i want to know what to get from the marvels at lvl 120, i hear i should get warlord and puppeteer because they are very good and hard to get, what other mercenaries should i get from the marvels?

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    1. Essential: Warlord
       Optional, but a usually the second choice: Puppeteer (I never really used mine)

       If you’re a Range Main and plan on getting Shen Hong eventually: Chironia

       Optional and possibly useful depending on certain game modes: Necromancer

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20. Hi, I have a question, what would be the set of talents indicated for a main gun , thanks for your time

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    1. From my personal preference, whatever buffs damage:

       Lv 130 – Mighty Offense x10
       Lv 140 – (can’t remember this talent tree, but w/e buffs damage best)
       Lv 150 – Hollow Point x10 (you could also do a x5 of both Hollow Point and Repeat Fire, but if I remember correctly, critical hits aren’t too hard to come by for a riflemain)
       Lv 160 – Lethal Force x10 (usually for very high health bosses and minibosses – this is what makes riflemain able to do alot of damage to said bosses)

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21. Hi again, sorry about my previous post, i found the answer here..

    anyway i have another question, i use my bowmain mainly for pve and avalon, and people seems to think “know thy enemy” works for merlin, if the skill description is correct, it will only deal more damage to another bow class, or ranged class, but, isn’t merlin supposed to be magic?

    i already have hwarang’s aura, but i want to get swap my empress but then i won’t have empress blessing…

    looking forward to your suggestion…thanks…

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    1. I’ve been away for a while.

       Anyways, concerning Know Thy Enemy and Empress’ Blessing, they can both be on a Bowmain as skills at the same time (unlike Hwarang’s Aura).

       Merlin, from what I recall, is a Bow user masked as a Staff user. The way he hits, the fact that he can be debuffed as he was range, etc.

       The hints were there (again this is from recollection); I’ve been out of the game for 8~9 months, so I can’t remember exactly.

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22. Hi arcanic, thanks for the site,
    And can i ask why that i heard nightshade is good for fighting merlin and
    does merlin unable to have turn if hit continuously by -AP skill ?

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    1. Nightshade is one of the mercs used to strengthen -Vit builds.

       Merlin always has a turn, no matter how much of his AP you drain.

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       1. Thanks for the answer!
          And, can you give the best form for Blademaster to fight Merlin, Before and after both monster in his side died ?
          Thanks in adnace again.

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          1. I used something similar for Merlin back when I was a Blademaster, and then SpearMain.
             Expensive set up; honestly isn’t much compared to BowMain (I had better damage with SpearMain+Clown).

             For Sides:
             Blademaster (Waltz of the Blade — Jupiter / Abyssal)
             Warlord (Demoralize for Merlin — with Abyssal / Jupiter + a Holy Ares Ring, if possible & skin),
             Guan Yu (AoE’s maxed — with Abyssal / Jupiter + magic buff accessories & skin),
             Arthur (Dark Legacy maxed — with Abyssal / Jupiter + magic buff accessories & skin),

             AP Drain Counter:
             Jeon (highest level possible you can get in his +AP skill — Jupiter + a Holy Ares Ring, if possible),
             or Empress (Empress’ Blessing) — by choosing Empress, you sacrifice the AP later on Merlin solo
             Why I prefer Jeon: his AP buff lasts for 3 turns and keeps AP up to 200-299 once soloing Merlin.
             Downside to this is that you need to kill the sides quick to avoid the silence, or wait the silence out and time the AP just right.

             Merc Room:
             Guan Yu –> Clown (after sides are down — with Dell’arte / Jupiter + a Holy Ares Ring, if possible),
             Arthur –> Heisha Modi (after sides are down — Bad Blood to increase damage on Merlin from Clown/Main)

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23. hi arcanic, thanks for the site, learned a lot from here, anyway, can you suggest formation for bow / markman main class?

    here’s my current formation :

    lich – valk – rin
    sherrif – vampire – clown
    empress – main – elementalist

    i received suggestion from guilidies to swap clown for warlord, and vampire for general..

    but i also want to know your suggestion, thank you.. 🙂

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    1. Arguably, Valkyrie could be replaced by the General. And yeah, the Clown isn’t that useful in your particular form, so a Warlord is a good choice.

       Vampire is good to keep around for certain situations (Gate Guarding in Nation Dungeons / TBS / particular PvE where long-term fighting exists).

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24. 1 more Arcanic, can you suggest formation for BattleMage ? I Scroll upside and can’t find any formation guide for BattleMage. Thank you for answering 🙂

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25. Hey Arcanic, Are the classes table site is down ? I Can’t see the table for mercenary rank. Thanks, your site really helps me for understanding Atlantica Online.

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    1. It’s back up. I was messing with something.

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26. Hey Arcanic, I would like to thank you for helping out players with your website, i really appreciate it!
    I took a long break from AO and I just started playing again and I noticed that the prices of everything dropped significantly. How/why did that happen? Since the prices dropped so much, how much would dark arthur cost to make him a decent attacker as well as maxed (upgrades, skills etc.)? I’m level 166 if that helps any.

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    1. It happened because Indonesian players’ IPs were blocked in NA, while at the same time a new server came up specifically for those players. They in turn mostly transitioned to there; some resorted to VPNs to play in NA.

       You’ll need his skin with the magic damage % and attack power %, + as many magic damage accessories and such as possible.

       Other than those, as much attack power as you can get for him, his upgrades, max out his proc aoe skill. Optional, but would also help with the aoe proc is going with a bow or ch main for the 15% formation attack power buff.

       I haven’t played in a couple of months so I can’t accurately say how expensive it would be. It will be probably around a total of 5 trillion or so, depending on deflation in-game.

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27. I disagree with Centaur over Gigas in ranking, these are my reasons:
    (this is a meta comparison with maxed out equipment or close to)
    Centaur = one-trick pony for the most part. silence magic and she’s done. Monster immune to magic, she’s not useful anymore. AOE to slow with 4-cd. Can kill only one target at a time.
    Gigas = far more versatile and similar damage potential with high equip and L jup cannon. full form healer and better aoe. Also more endurance with better HP and Def. He also has one skin while Centaur doesn’t. Can kill up to 5 targets with strong def and high hp. Can benefit much better from Shen Hong’s magic with more physical damage and better MHR.

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    1. Theyre both great mercs. I’m not always right; I’ll add some edits when I have time.

       Problem I’ve always had for the Automaton — sure, he has great damage and skills — however, Artillery mercenaries have the worst accessories and they can’t hit flyers. On top of that, Automaton has one of the longest attack sequences out of all high-damaging mercenaries, which causes a problem for speedy killing for record purposes and such.

       To go beyond that, it’s the single-target damage of a bow and the proc capability that she has that makes her one of the best damaging mercenaries in the game. Both can be silenced and their capabilities will be nerfed; Automaton in that case could only attack and not use the rest of his skills or gain the benefit of his passive MHR buff.

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28. hy arc i want to play this game again in macedon server so i need advice for which main i go with for farm and which merc i got first, thanks for answering.

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    1. Blademaster and staffmain are good. Mercs: warlord, spartan, general, elementalist, gigas.

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29. Hello Arcanic, can you suggest a skill build for the MaestroM who only plays PvE? Thank you ?

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    1. Look further up in the page and you’ll see some conversations about this main and mercs to go with it, skills and talents.

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30. Hey arcanic. Can u help me with Instrument-m build?
    Both cheap and expensive one.

    and also help me with skills build too.
    Thanks

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    1. Look further up in the page and you’ll see some conversations about this main and mercs to go with it, skills and talents.

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31. hello arcanic newbie here that stated playing AOIndo
    any suggestion for spear main? the cheaper and expensive one?
    and which skill i should get? warcry or jeon skill?

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    1. update :
       i oledi play with staff main 140 but i got amnesia ready to change job to spear-m…
       i got sparta and GY ready the rest i still confuse what merc to add..

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    2. I preferred War Cry since it has scaling and is decent for killing bigger groups or going for the damage over time route.

       Cheaper mercenaries that are decent for a spearmain are ones such as the Spartan and/or the General. Also, if possible, Heisha Modi can be interesting to max out physical damage of melee mains and hard-hitting mercs.

       Expensive mercenaries that I would recommend considering are the Warlord and Jeon.

       Clown is also ridiculously expensive and a consideration, but not necessary.

       Vampire, Elementalist, Shen Hong, Gigas, Lich, Bard, Grimm Brothers are all decent mercenaries for various forms.

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32. Hi, arcanic. i need your help. i have a knight main and i want to know what is the best formation against merlin.

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    1. Knight/SwordMain isn’t really an ideal main against that boss.
       I suppose if you built it right, you could output some decent damage.
       Problem is it could be expensive, as neither -Vit or BowMain are being used.

       As a SwordMain, can’t really rely on the main for damage, so probably go with a Clown or Chironia for damage output.
       Next, skill will be Shield Bash (Chironia – Defense Debuff) or Marauder’s Edge (Clown – Sword Multi-Hit Rate Buff).
       Again, depending on which mercenary you choose, you will then determine the build for the rest of the formation.

       Chironia build:
       –Shen Hong (94.5% (max) skill – Range Damage)

       Clown build:
       –Heisha Modi (94.5% (max) skill – Melee Damage)

       Both:
       –Boss Silence (Grimm / Lich / Warlord / Arthur – whichever you prefer)
       –HG Variant (Sage King Arthur / Goddess / Empress – whichever you prefer)
       –AoE / Side Mob Wipe (Elementalist / General / Spartan – theres’s several; just find a good one)

       Switch: Use Merc Room to swap out one of the ‘Side Mob Wipe’ mercenaries out for an AP merc.
       –AP (Rin / Ching Ya / Jeon – whichever you prefer – I personally like Jeon)

       Reply

33. Hi, Arc. Great job with ur site. It’s really helpul.
    I have two questions for you.
    1º – I saw on youtube that we can buy and use Celestial Hunter Class Change Card to obtain 3 free mercs with Helper Boxes. Is this still available to do?

    2º – I’m StaffM and want to use a Heavy AoE Formartion to do OTs. Would you mind give me some tips? (i’m level 155)

    Thank you.

    Reply

    1. 1.) I have no idea, as I haven’t really played that class recently.
       2.) Well, StaffMain can just x2 their proc chance, so a good mount+deco would help, as far as mercs, see below.
       High magic damage: Guan Yu (GDG/GDR), Elementalist (BE), Spartan (War Cry), Warlord (T-Bolt), Arthur (Dark Legacy).
       Not as high, but better than nothing: Arthur (SSE/Proc), Gigas (Arms of Atlantis), Chiro (Chione’s Fury).

       Reply

       1. Thank you Arc. ?
          I have one final question.
          How the mounts and decos proc works? They scales with my main’s attack power or are affected by stones, like Gold Eagle?
          I saw some StaffM 1Hitting a enemy team and killing everything with just Black Wind’s proc.

          Reply

          1. Does not scale with actual attack power, but does scale with the attack power % bonus from various buffs.

             Magic Attack % can help with mount/deco proc damage, but only from certain buffs.
             For instance: Diabolic Staff, doesn’t affect those procs, but the clothes stat and the 25% talent do.

             Reply

34. Hey, firstly I’d like to express my gratitude. I started playing Atlantica back in 2009 til 2012 iirc(A bit after the Spartan released), so coming back after all these years… A lot has changed and your website has been a life saver. Thank you very much.
    That said, after I read a lot about the new mercs, I’ve decided to come back and focus on PvP(I always liked it) and, just like in the good old days, I’m going with a GuitarMain, or MaestroMain(Was it always called Maestro? I never called him that tho). So, this is my base build, a draft:
    Dark Arthur – Kim Choon Sam – Empress Tianmo
    Main Maestro – Dameian Sylvie – Oracle
    Monk – Lich Grim Reaper – Inventor da Vinci
    A friend of mine suggested that I might want to remove the Inventor and put in a Patriot but I’m not sure, I also thought in switching the Inventor with the Automaton Gigas and give a boost to Sylvie’s cannon.
    Also, apparently Monk is still very much needed in PvP.
    Thank you very much, again.

    Reply

    1. The names for all the old classes changed back in 2015. Originally they were called by what weapon they used.
       I don’t PvP, but yeah, you’ll want to switch out the Inventor for something that’s built for overall late-game.
       Patriot isn’t all that great, but then again, I’m thinking PvE, so do whatever you think is best for a gun merc.
       Tianmo… Seen her used in Spelltower for the AoE spread and yeah, any DoT merc is usually decent in PvP overall.
       Sylvie isn’t amazing, but she gives a passive accuracy buff to formation + debuffs enemy accuracy w/ other skill.
       Automaton is a great all-around mercenary for various purposes, but not super amazing at either of them.
       I should probably also note that all cannon mercenaries have a ridiculous amount of passive MHR.
       Oracle… great for low level PvE/TBS I suppose, but you’ll eventually want to get a Vampire instead.
       Dark Arthur, Kim Choon Sam, Grim Reaper are all decent choices for PvE/PvP.
       Monk/Goddess are basically required in successful PvP formations.

       Other Notes:
       Also, Bard is getting a huge buff soonish,
       General is great for PvE/PvP, so is the Elementalist,
       I always recommend a Warlord for PvE – he’s shit in PvP though.
       Probably going to want Tania, as she is decent in PvP and will only get buffed in the future patch.
       Mercenaries with DoT spells are disgusting in Free League; in Colosseum League, it’s physical damage.

       Reply

35. The Bard will be getting a scaled update soon, so when that happens, I’ll update the merc rankings.
    Also a few other changes will be made eventually to the in-game PvE/PvP; here’s a peek:
    

    • [PVP] Clown's Fatal Flourish damage has been decreased
    • [PVP] Arthur's Dark Legacy damage has been decreased
    • [PVE] Arthur's Dark Legacy damage has been slightly increased
    • [PVP/PVE] Lich's Mantle of Death cannot target 3rd row anymore, reduced -AP effect in PVP
    • [PVE] Lich's Mantle of Death damage has been slightly increased
    • [PVP] Carmilla's Dusk Elegy AP usage reduced from 200 to 150
    • [PVP] Carmilla's Vampires' Thirst scaling damage has been reduced
    • [PVP/PVE] Tania's Soul Fortitude healing and MP restore have been increased, AP reduction changed to AP gain
    • [PVE] Tania's Soul Fortitude healing has been turned into scaling heal - max [2430 + 128%]
    • [PVE] Tania's damage has been increased
    • [PVE] Sadko's Volkhovas' Elation scaling damage increased - max [-5451 + 89,2%]
    • New rewards for Weekly and Grand Championships (tokens, [7d] +8/+10 weapon respectively)

    Reply

36. Hi arc great guide on your formation recommendation and thanks for that

    Reply

37. Hello, newbie here.. In the main section.. does ‘decent overall’ mean he can be used in every game modes well right?
    and well I decide to start my cannonMain. would you mind give me the principle of the formation and examples of the cheap/expensive formations?

    Reply

    1. Main Capabilities / Pros (PvE – I don’t have much input for PvP):
       – AoE capability (Arms of Atlantis); not amazing, but decent,
       – Defense Ignore capability with the Nemesis / Jupiter Cannons,
       – Debuff capability of 1-2 skills (Deep Insight / Devastation Shell),
       – Overall decent damage + Talent that gives more damage for each combo per turn.

       Formation Consideration:
       – An Elemenalist and General are pretty standard Meta these past 2 or so years…
       – Probably going to want a Warlord, because that’s just part of the standard nowadays.
       – Definitely going to want Shen Hong to increase range-based damage (there’s a quest).
       – Other considerations: Arthur, Ching Ya, Chiro, Clown, Gigas, Grimm, Jeon, Lich, Spartan.

       Reply

38. As a StaffM what do you prefer for formation focused on PvE for fast Exp and Gold? Intermediate price

    Reply

    1. You’re probably going to want the General, Arthur, Warlord, and maybe mercs like Jeon or Rin…
       Also, to balance in some range, I guess Shen Hong, Vampire & some other decent merc.
       If price is your worry, then I don’t know what to tell you; most great mercs are expensive.

       Reply

39. I hope you add Ninetails Merc soon so we can see her Spell Specs. Also great job with the Info already here, keep up the awesome work.

    Reply

    1. I will add her stuff when I can; have to make an update to the wikidot before I do so. Also a bit busy with RL stuff, but she’ll get on here eventually.

       Reply

40. GunMain here. Can you recommend some mercenaries for my party (PvP)?

    GunMain, Goddess, Dark Arthur
    Lich, ???, Trainee Kim Choon Sam
    Monk, Clown, ???

    Thanks a lot.

    Reply

    1. Tania – heavy MP recovery to give the Clown an extra Fatal Flourish late-fight.

       Could bring in an Elementalist or General to shit on Melee/Range mercs/mains too.

       Reply

41. Is there a reason to pick Automaton over Chironia(other than costs)? Right now im thinking of having a primary ranged physical attacker in my team. I prefer something that can go both pve and pvp decently, so any insight on choosing between these two is great.

    Current team:(130~)

    Ody-SwordM-Warlord
    General-sorc-Folklorist
    Maitreya-Shao Xian-Monk

    my 6 form: General-SwordM-WL
    Folklorist-Shao Xian-Sorc

    Automaton/Chironia will replace Shao Xian place as primary attacker. Normally I run 6-form anyways for pve so I didnt bother to swap in and out monk. Was thinking Chironia would fit Folkorist nicely, but if Automaton with another cannon is a bit iffy (flying mobs) despite the aura.

    Reply

    1. Let’s see…
       The Sorc isn’t at all great nowadays; can probably replace with Elementalist.
       You are correct about having too many Cannons; one is more than enough.
       Letting go of Shao Xian for Chironia would probably be best.

       Maitreya is an interesting merc and not terrible stats, so she’s ok to keep.
       Could also drop Odysseus for Arthur.

       Reply

       1. Thanks a lot for the insight, Arc. I only have few questions left regarding Chironia, since I’m unfamiliar with BowMercs in general.

          1) Does she ‘needs’ an assist for doing her job? As a comparison, Sheriff is pretty self-contained with her skills but she’s pretty much her ‘own unit’, and can fit in anywhere. Chironia also has her own attack and defense steroid, but her AoE has me intrigued. It deals good damage for an active skill(although the cooldown is a bit long to be desired) but it also comes with -mdef component.Currently my Folklorist can enjoy this interaction (with Bremen fireworks hehe), though I wonder in the grand scale of things how big is the -mdef effect really, especially its only 2 turns(compared to Bard/Guangmo massive reduction).

          2) Skill priority? Her skills aren’t cheap but they both have significant differences when leveled (both effect-wise and proc chances)

          Reply

          1. 1. Chironia doesn’t really need assisting mercs, but Shen Hong’s debuff is a nice addon to any heavy-hitting range mains/mercs.
                Her AOE is a bit meh, considering the heavy AP cost and she’s better off probably physically attacking in most cases.
                The -MDef addition to her AOE is also not really that much (-164 at the highest possible level / 110).

             2. Gift of Prometheus (80/80) > Tempest Spirit (60/80) > Chione’s Fury (40/80) – prioritize the best you can.
                Gift of Prometheus is by far the best skill she has, and will determine even more damage late-game.
                Gift of Prometheus will proc 99% of the time once it’s Lv 60 at the highest current upgrade (160).
                Tempest Spirit is an interesting triggered buff, but only raises Defense and a little AP per turn.
                Tempest Spirit will also proc 99% of the time once it’s Lv 60 at the highest current upgrade (160).
                Chione’s Fury is the most disappointing and it’s an active skill, which means charms/bonus magic affect it.

             Reply

       2. Sorry, one small question to add: Does equipping two identical purple effect items such as Deep Blue Sea Bracelet x2/Earrings x2 stacks the purple effects together?

          Reply

          1. Yes, the effects will stack.

             Reply

42. Is Folklorist’s Mother Hulda bugged? The description(both in game, however unreliable it is, and the wikidot) both claims it would clear debuffs when casted on ally (in which i assume it has basic purifying effect) but apparently it only heals when casted on ally. Casted on enemey however it works just fine as purifying spell.

    Reply

    1. There’s a part in the notes on the Wikidot that says that allies only get healed. Mother Hulda

       Reply

       1. That’s a pity, I was under the impression his heal work just like dryad’s. Guess ill be looking at other purifiers.

          Reply

43. Hi, i’m confuse to pick between bowmain, spearmain, or instrument and i usually playing solo and pvp, which main should i choose? Thanks

    Reply

    1. Well the PvP Meta is Instrument;
       SpearMain and Bow are mostly PvE, but I guess they can PvP decently?
       Otherwise, the popular thing in Japan/Korea is AxeMains.
       Asking me about PvP advice is probably not the best line of questioning tbh.

       Reply

       1. Yeah, i’m not focusing in pvp, but i want class that can do pvp, but overall i’m more focused in pve but since that i like those 3 main, i still confuse to pick the class.
          Thanks for the answer

          Reply

          1. BowMain is a safe bet since the 15% Attack Bonus is fairly over-powered.
             If you feel like not going with the PvE Meta, then feel free to try Spear.

             Reply

44. hi there, is musician still the best main for PvP ?
    and what is the best main for PvE (farming)
    i intend to play 2 main, PvE for farming to build my PvP one.
    im really new to this game, and soon there will be a new server opened in my country
    and can u (or any1 here) give me some advice for lvling from lv1 with current version of atlantica online
    (coz i heard its quite different with some 2011-2016 guide out there)
    thx b4.

    Reply

    1. InstrumentMain is pretty much the META in PvP.
       Best in PvE is bow for single-target damage and procs from mounts/decos.
       Best for [PvE] grinding-based are StaffMains and Blademasters.
       ** Also, a BowMain can be a great main to buff mercs’ attack power;
       this would make them more effective with magic / procs / damaging.

       Running OT 1/5/8/10/13 daily for EXP is the recommended current standard.
       Honey Jar is meh, but better than nothing;
       Then there’s the Invasions, which aren’t half bad.
       Most grinding areas that are open-world are just lousy.

       Reply

       1. tyvm for ur reply, since OT is started at lv 60, so from lv 1 – 60 is fully main quest ?
          and do you have advice or maybe a guide or a link, which merc i should take and on what lv ?
          both for bow and instrument main, and yes, i decided to take bow and instrument main.
          currenly im at lv 25, with stock merc. (sword, rifle (T2), shaman (T2), and guards 🙁
          for example, i should take shaman at lv5. <<< this is all i know atm.
          really appreciate ur help. tyvm.

          Reply

45. Greeting from Thailand.
    Could you please suggest a Connon main formations, both cheap and expensive one?
    Mostly focus on PVE

    Thx in advance.

    Reply

    1. I’ve already stated a few examples for range-mains; you’d follow similar builds based on what I’ve said before in this comment section.

       Another ref: http://atlantica.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Piroco/Recommended_low-cost_mercenaries

       Reply

46. Hey Arcanic,

    Can you please suggest SpearMain, forms (cheap and expensive), skills and talents? Leaning on heavy PVE.

    Reply

    1. [Cheaper form example]

       Front: Spartan (Magic+Spear Buff), Valkyrie (AP), Kim Choon Sam (Tank+Heal)
       Middle: General (Magic), SpearM, Puppeteer (AP)
       Back: any range, Artilleryman (Magic), Elementalist (Magic)
       Merc Room: Oracle (TBS), Monk (PvP)
       

       [Expensive form example]

       Front: Spartan (Magic+Spear Buff), Arthur (Seal), Warlord (MHR+Seal)
       Middle: Taoist (AP+MHR), SpearM, Ching Ya (AP+MHR - or keep Puppeteer)
       Back: Chironia (Magic), Automaton (Heal+Magic), Elementalist (Magic)
       Merc Room: Heisha Modi (Bosses / OT 14/15), 
       Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP)
       

       Talents:
       130 -> Left x10 ;
       140 -> Left x10 ;
       150 -> Left x10 ;
       160 -> Left x9, Middle x1 OR Right x1

       Skills:
       War Cry -> Try to have around 40~60 or higher.
       Vessel of Wrath -> around 40~60, used for Raids/ST/TBS mostly,
       but can be an interesting buff if you can attack x2~4 times in a turn.
       All other skills are crap.

       Reply

       1. Thanks, Arca!

          Question, can’t I learn General’s skill (forgot the name). Is wry cry better than that?

          Reply

          1. You can learn it, but it’s for range only. I prefer War Cry since it’s a cross-based DoT for anything.

             Reply

47. Heyya, a newbie here, wanted to ask what kind of formation should I be aiming for as a Instrument main. (And whether instrument mains are even good nowadays)

    Reply

48. Hi Arcanic, could you advise where can I find the warlord books ( rally and demoralize)?

    Reply

    1. you can learn it using atlas ore.

       Reply

    2. Those books don’t drop anywhere that I know of. Like yags said, your option is probably atlas ore.

       Reply

49. sorceress any good? Or is she so bad she doesn’t even make the list?

    Reply

    1. Good catch, she was under the name of “Mwindo”, but I’ve changed it to her class name, “Sorceress”.
       She’s alright, but not really great in comparison to mercenaries that actually have scaled magic.

       Reply

       1. still showing as mwindo but I guess I’ll stick with elementalist plan instead :P. Do people still do jackpot? The only written guide i found is from like 2011

          Reply

          1. Yeah, ppl still Jackpot; the problem is the Jackpot loot hasn’t really updated since most of the new content. Which means the new [small materials/etc] items don’t go into the Jackpot. Some things that are still worth to jackpot on are: Oriharukon, Large Diamond (lower profit than Ori’s), Corrupted Unicorn Tear (slightly risky), Shimmering Opals and Sapphires (last resort), and various books.

             Reply

             1. thanks man. BTW i was checking the comments here on blade master and I’m unsure who to pick for my druid.

                guan yu/BM/warlord
                necromancer/pirate/goddess (usually deactivated)
                elementalist/druid/automaton

                Going to do drop the pirate and druid for prophet and ody/valk/kim chong san

                Not sure which to pick because I wanted a third sword to take advantage of the marauders edge. Want something that could hold me over until arthur. Which one would you pick? I do pve/pvp and sometimes tbs.

                Reply

                1. Why did you want the Prophet?
                   Alright, well I guess if you want one of those 3, you’ll have to weigh how they are effective in PvE/PvP.
                   Kim Choon Sam: Enemies risk being stunned by directly hitting him, but some enemies are immune to being stunned. Can use a single-target spell to heal allies in PvE/PvP; also dispels magic on them. His AoE skill isn’t really that great, but better than nothing I guess.
                   Odysseus: Can disable+reduce defense of in PvE/PvP with Shield Bash but doesn’t disable most bosses. Weapon Rend can reduce multi-hit of enemies and effectively makes some sword magic more powerful when used over it. Finally, Athena’s Protection heals and raises a little bit of Defense, but it’s not enough to really matter in PvE and only helps slightly in PvP.
                   Valkyrie: Can stun enemies in both PvE and PvP, but generally can’t stun bosses and alot of late-game mobs. Odin’s Chain can disable enemies in PvP, but most late-game mobs/bosses in PvP are immune. Lastly, her AP buff gives low AP, but for more turns than Jeon’s Burning Essence.

                   In the end, all 3 can be fairly useful, but I think Kim Choon Sam is the most flexible for PvP.
                   Valkyrie would probably be the most practical in PvE, since the Odysseus’ skills become less effective late-game.

                   Reply

                   1. The idea of the prophet was to get some health between quick fights and have the general miss less. I’m still working on rally and the prophet is a bow so she can hit dangerous mobs like those snowflake magicians girls in dragon trial 1. Also doing the trading at rania gave me a 140 upgraded prophet so I just need to finish crafting the books. Though unsure of which weapon to disable. sword seems like a sure bet for pvp though. pve dunno.

                      This breakdown is great and has helped a lot. Since the slot is just holding on until arthur I think i will go with valk for grinding stuff like in the youtube videos at merlin and kim for filling. Looks like everybody and their mom will soon be inmune to stun so might as well have somebody that can dispel debuffs if the enemies decide to pile somebody (most likely the ele or main)

                      Thanks for putting up with so many questions.

                      Reply

50. Hi Arcanic, I’m an old (instrument, stopped around 150 cap) player planning to return to the game fresh since old account wasn’t migrated….Planning to do a melee main instead this time! It’s either Sword or Axe, though I’m leaning heavier towards sword.

    Do you have any recommendation for Sword main cheap/medium formation? Does the old sword magic wombo formation still holds up? How is the levelling in the newer version? Last I remember being able to do TBS missions in 120-140 was important, and these two mains back then wasnt stellar either in that part.

    Reply

    1. Alot of things have changed since you were last on this game. SwordMain is kind of a PvP preference; if you’re looking for something in PvE, go with SpearMain or Blademaster as far as melee mains. Leveling is pretty easy up to Lv 155~160. Lucky Loot (a mechanic released in 2015) gives bonus EXP for 10 minutes at a time ranging from 50-500% and 50M EXP books at a certain point. Once you hit Lv 100 or so, you can spam the Majapahit TBS for a while for easy EXP, but TBS’ aren’t really the best way to level up anymore. Rather, doing Invasions and Olympus Tower give more EXP than most zones and dungeons. Olympus Tower I scales to the player from as low as Lv 60, all the way up to Lv 180. Olympus Tower V, VIII, X, XIII are also great to get into once you can handle them. Once you get around Lv 135, you can start doing the Ghera Quest daily and resetting it; gives a ton of EXP. Eventually, just get into the habit of running OT I, V, VIII, X daily for EXP once your formation can handle them.

       Reply

       1. hi Arcanic, i noticed that sword has + magic skill lv option, i want to know if they stack ?
          if it does then with 2 x jud sword, blademaster will have all of his skills + 84 right?

          Reply

          1. Bonus Magic stacks with other Bonus Magic such as from Weapons, Talents, Star Stones, Necklaces, Rings, etc. Only active skills/magic are increased by Bonus Magic. Passives need actual levels in them to be maxed out.

             Reply

             1. thank you, then with 2 x jud sword, my blademaster only need 6 skill books “waltz of the blade” to max it, save me a lot of gold.

                Reply

                1. Ahh, I see what you were asking; no, the second sword does not stack on top of the first sword’s bonus. That would be far too overpowered.

                   Reply

       2. Hmm, that sounds a bit sad. Is sword main just irredeemable at the moment? I know both Sword and Axe mains ranks at the bottom of your tier list, which is the reason I wanna roll them: I like underdog classes!

          Let’s assume I’m being stubborn and still decides to be a Sword Main, which formation/merc should I have in mind? I assume Sword Main follows the magic class reasoning/rules to make a formation, considering Sword Main uses their magic foremost? Either way I have no idea how to form a group around it.

          Or let’s assume I get a little bit more reasonable and chooses Axe main instead, I assume a physical/main heavy form (such as Psaw forms like the above comments ) are good to follow?

          If you dont mind, which talent/specialisation to go for each Mains? Shield Bash for sword, Cleaving Blows for Axe? I see some of the axe users in JP titans favor cleaving blows, though it used to be a coin toss between that or Beast Soul. Then again, metagame now is different so….

          Reply

          1. SwordMain would probably have a similar formation as a Blademaster, but with more AoE capabilities, since you wouldn’t have Waltz.
             I don’t PvP, so my recommendation regarding such is probably a bad idea. If it works in Japan as far as what they do, then try that.
             Cleaving Blows seems to be a reliable debuff for defense, so perhaps it’s nice in PvE such as OT/NDs/harder Indis.

             Reply

51. Hi Arcanic, I just started playing the game when I saw the add for that free lv.130 toon(pretty much spoiled my experience XD) so I decided to create a new toon from scratch.
    So my question is.. What’s a good server to start? Been to Alexandria since that was the first server I saw on the list and it’s pretty damned toxic :x. I’m pretty much looking for an active server that accepts casuals like myself(if there’s any left).

    Thank you in advance and have a good day mate. 😀

    Reply

    1. Well, each server has an upside and a downside:
       Alexandria: High population, toxic as you said, very sluggish.
       Argos: High population, flooded by cheaters, very sluggish.
       Macedon: Low population, alot of Indonesians, smooth server speed.
       Sikyon: Medium population, toxic Spanish players, not as bad as Argos/Alexandria.
       Thebes: Low population, considered the server no one cares about, smooth server speed.

       Reply

52. hi arcanic, can you suggest me about formation for marksman, im very confuse about that. I’ve followed the free lvl 130, and i could change guard mercenaries to permanent mercenaries. So, I need your suggest for my formation. So, i can focus for upgrade mercenaries later.

    My current formation (lvl 145)

    1st row : valkyrie, bountyhunter, taoist
    2nd row: not yet, elementalist, not yet
    3rd row: carmilla, marksman (main), sheriff

    anything swap/change/add
    thank you arcanic,

    Reply

    1. i’ve just read your post before on your replied to sam. thank you arcanic.

       Reply

       1. Get yourself a Warlord and Shen Hong. Replace Valkyrie eventually for Arthur. After that, it’s personal preference.

          Reply

53. Hi ArcanicVoid, i’m new to this game, after reading your guilde about main class, i created a blademaster but i realized that i can’t afford “waltz of the blade” or “marauder edge”. So i decide to change to StaffM because i can get blazing earth from goncourt from the beginning, please help me build a cheap grinding team for staffM. Thank you.

    Reply

    1. I’ve stated before that I’m not exactly fond of StaffMain, but it is surely cheaper than Blademaster.

       [Cheaper StaffMain form example]

       Front: Kim Choon Sam, Valkyrie, Spartan
       Middle: General, Automaton, Puppeteer
       Back: StaffMain, Maitreya, Monk (or pick something cheap)
       

       [Expensive StaffMain form example (merc-dependent)]

       Front: Warlord, Arthur, Taoist (or Spartan)
       Middle: General, Automaton (or Chironia), Puppeteer
       Back: StaffMain, Shen Hong, Ching Ya
       Merc Room: Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP) 
       

       [Expensive StaffMain form example (main-dependent)]

       Front: Warlord, Arthur, Taoist (or Spartan)
       Middle: General, Automaton (or Chironia), Puppeteer
       Back: StaffMain, Hualin, Ching Ya
       Merc Room: Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP)
       

       Reply

54. Can help me with p.saw talent sir?

    Reply

    1. Sure, tell me the talents and I can help you.

       Reply

       1. I’d like to know this too. Here are the talents:

          Lv 130
          Mighty Offense: Increases Attack Power by 3,200 (PvE/TBS) | 550 (FL PvP) | 160 (CL PvP).
          Hearty Endurance: Increases Max Health by 26,000 (PvE/TBS) | 3,250 (FL PvP) | 1,300 (CL PvP).
          Magic Mastery: Increases Magic Level by 10 (PvE/TBS) | 5 (FL PvP) | 1 (CL PvP).

          Lv 140
          Cannibalism: Increases minimum Health to trigger Destructive Instinct by 15 (PvE/FL PvP/TBS) | 1 (CL PvP)%.
          When activated, regain 10 (PvE/TBS) | 3 (FL PvP) | 1 (CL PvP)% of the damage you do as Health.
          Iron Will: When an attack would kill you, you take damage from your MP instead of your Health.
          Every 1 MP counts for 2 (PvE/TBS) | 1 (FL PvP/CL PvP) points of damage.
          Massacre: After 1 multi-hit, grants a 80 (PvE/TBS) | 15 (FL PvP) | 5 (CL PvP)% chance to get a second multi-hit.

          Lv 150
          Blades of Slaughter: Increases Chainsaw Blade’s damage by 300 (PvE/TBS) | 25 (FL PvP) | 5 (CL PvP)%.
          When Chainsaw Blade kills an enemy, get a 100 (PvE/TBS) | 50 (FL PvP) | 5 (CL PvP)% chance to take another action.
          Made of Iron: Grants a 100 (PvE/TBS) | 15 (FL PvP) | 5 (CL PvP)% chance that your Combo Count will not increase when attacked.
          Overkill: Boosts Multi-Hit Rate by 20 (PvE) | 5 (FL Pv/CL PvP)% for each Combo Count your target has.

          Lv 160

          Bloody Mess: Increases Storm Blast’s damage by 300 (PvE/TBS) | 5 (FL PvP/CL PvP) %. Restores health by 5 (PvE/TBS) | 1 (FL PvP/CL PvP)% of your max health.
          Quick Recovery: Restores 10 (PvE/TBS) | 1 (FL PvP/CL PvP) % of your Max HP every turn.
          Counterattack: Enemies take 50 (PvE/TBS) | 3 (FL PvP) | 1 (CL PvP)% of the damage they deal to you.

          Reply

          1. Lv. 130: Mighty Offense
             Lv. 140: Cannibalism or Massacre, I suppose.
             Cannibalism looks useful since it triggers Destructive Instinct sooner (passive buff to Accuracy+Damage+Multi-Hit).
             However, Massacre might be useful to get Multi-Hits more often – up to you on which you think is better.
             Lv. 150: Made of Iron – if it actually does keep the Combo Count down, that is.
             I’ve never used Chainsaw Blade, but from looking at the Wikidot, it’s not that impressive for damage
             (5k @ Lv. 110 – 15k if the “Blades of Slaughter” Talent is maxed out).
             Lv. 160: This one’s a tough choice, but I’d probably take Quick Recovery for PvE.
             Counterattack looks useful, but in my experience, mobs only hit so hard physically, and I don’t think Counterattack counts for magic. For the most part, it’d only be useful in a KJ where a BowMain focuses the SawMain.
             Bloody Mess might be useful in PvP to reduce enemy proc rates and Multi-Hit.

             Reply

55. hello arch, happy new year, do you know wich ones are the best talents for a stormcaller and is she good even @ lvl 160~?

    Reply

    1. Sure, tell me the talents and I can help you. I don’t know every main off the top of my head, so give a brief description of each or post an image on discord of them.

       Reply

       1. thanks!, these are the ones that i don’t know what to choose:
          Lv 140
          Lightning Reflexes: Increases Dexterity by 2,000 (PvE/TBS) | 150 (FL PvP) | 50 (CL PvP)
          Righteous Lashings: Increases damage of Lightning Lash by 300 (PvE/TBS) | 10 (FL PvP) | 5 (CL PvP)%.
          Atlantian Aegis: Decreases all melee damage taken by 30(PvE/TBS) |5 (FL PvP) | 2 (CL PvP)%.

          Lv 150
          Power Surge: Increases Critical Hit chance by 40 (PvE/TBS) | 5(FL PvP) | 3 (CL PvP)%.
          Divinity: During Apotheosis, HP, M.Damage, Attack Power, and M.Def increase by 50(PvE/TBS)| 3(FL PvP)| 1(CL PvP)%.
          Strikes Twice: Increases Multi-Hit Rate by 15 (PvE/TBS) | 5 (FL PvP) | 3 (CL PvP)

          Reply

          1. My guess would be:
             140: Lightning Reflexes
             150: Power Surge
             I’ll ask around to some other Stormcallers and see what they personally prefer.

             Reply

             1. thanks, you are a god among us mortals lol, by the way and sorry if i’m a pain in the ass with this bunch of questions but do you have something like “stats required” to be able to do OT 14-15 even with friends?

                Reply

                1. For OT 14: the bosses’ AoE does like 100k damage per round if you don’t purify it.
                   The snakes snipe for like 100~500k; cannon mobs can hit pretty hard too (50~200k).
                   Also the snakes have an AoE that does around 50k.

                   For OT 15: the only thing to really worry about is the Light Slashes.
                   The main bosses’ Light Slash (looks like the Lady Knight) hits for around 600~900k.
                   The normal Light Slashes hit for around 300~500k.

                   Unless each of your mercenaries has ~1M health, a few will die no matter what you do.
                   Best bet is to have high damaging magic, some debuff capabilities,
                   and defense ignore methods (Riederan Necklaces, BowMain, CannonMain).

                   Reply

                   1. thanks, that is a lot of stat i need lol, one last thing, any orientation of how to make money? i know you have that section of “dungeons that matter” but if i can play only 3h on week days, what would be the best to do?

                      Reply

                      1. Tomb, Grimm, 1~2 NDs a day (since their boxes are now ~3b each and can loot the Nation Tokens, which eventually pay off well), and OT VIII/X at minimum.

                         Reply

56. Hey Arch ive read whole article but didnt find anything about Stormcaller.
    Any suggestions ?

    My current build: ( Lvl 150 )

    1st row : Warlord Harlequin (was General changed to Lich)
    2nd row Chronia Brothers Grimm Washington
    3rd row: Gigas StormCaller (Main) Elementalist

    Anything to change/swap ?
    Skill lvls for main and Merc are fairly maxed for their levels !

    Reply

    1. Looks like a fairly expensive build, which also means end-game mercenaries that are fairly decent.
       Only down-side is all Class-A mercenaries now cost higher experience to level up past 170.
       Also, Shen Hong might be useful to increase your main’s damage + Gigas’ + Chironia’s.

       Reply

57. hey arch what is the best talent build for bow main? thanks

    Reply

    1. Left, Left, Left, Right.

       Reply

58. Hi Arcanic, thoughts on a cheap and expensive team for a archer main?
    New to this game

    Reply

    1. Most range mains follow the same form principle nowadays…
       BowMain (with Hwarang’s Aura OR Empress’ Blessing + Know Thy Enemy)

       [Cheaper BowMain form example]

       Front: Kim Choon Sam, Valkyrie, Spartan
       Middle: Guan Yu, Automaton, Puppeteer
       Back: Prophet, Elementalist
       Merc Room: Oracle (TBS), Monk (PvP) 
       

       [Expensive BowMain form example]

       Front: Warlord, Arthur, Taoist
       Middle: Guan Yu, Chironia (or just keep Automaton), Puppeteer
       Back: Shen Hong, Ching Ya
       Merc Room: Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP)
       

       Reply

       1. Sorry that im a new player. but why those mercs? what principle are ranged mains following?
          Plus, i did the lv 130 event. and it doesnt have those skills. know thy enemy and hwarang aura. do i need to do the quests?

          Reply

          1. There’s a few ways you want your mercs to be useful for the main, such as a bowmain.

             Since the bowmain is single-target, you’ll want a few AoE / strong scaled magic mercs.
             Examples: Elementalist, General, Automaton, Spartan, Warlord, Arthur, Chironia.

             Second, for a bowmain, spearmain, or any strong-hitting main, many use AP-buffing mercs.
             Examples: Puppeteer, Ching Ya, Valkyrie, Taoist.

             Third, buffing/debuffing mercs can be useful to disable/seal bosses and tougher mobs or for other reasons.
             Examples: Taoist (Vital Seal for a complete seal of an enemy for one turn), Warlord (for bosses), Arthur (King’s Command for attacks and Dark Legacy for magic), Valkyrie (Odin’s Chain – ONLY works on some mobs), Shen Hong (has a skill that makes mobs weaker to range attacks), Elementalist (Freezing Atmosphere disables magic for enemy melee classes), General (has a skill that debuffs enemy range classes).

             The 130 event doesn’t just give you skills for your main; you have to buy them from the market.
             To explain further, you can ONLY get Hwarang’s Aura OR Know Thy Enemy.
             If you get Know Thy Enemy, then you can also get Empress’ Blessing, but not the case if you get Hwarang’s Aura.
             Bowmains are limited to one passive skill.

             Reply

59. Hi Arcanic,

    Can you please suggest a talent set up for the instrument main? They all look good and are dazzling to me. I’ll definitely go for the mana drain talent at 150 though. lol

    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. 130: Left,
       140: Middle (AP Drain Immunity) OR Right (Ravaging Melody),
       150: Left (Mana Drain) OR Right (Ravaging Melody),
       160: Right

       Reply

       1. I wonder is ravaging melody still viable for late game pve? Right now at lv130 I just kill mobs outright with normal attacks, and the proc rate from eqs help. The damage and debuff from lv60 RM seems lackluster to me.

          I agree that talent upgrades to RM looks promising, but I don’t know how the upgraded RM compares to the mana drain normal attack. (I also got vampiric thirst at lv100 upgrade, if it matters lol)

          Thank you so much, your insight is highly appreciated 😀 And just know I’m really grateful for your site. Keep up the good work! 😀

          Reply

          1. I’ll ask about Vampiric Thirst and if any of those talents help with it. In addition, I’ll ask about if RM is even worth going after.

             Reply

             1. Thank you so much! Looking forward to your reply 🙂

                Reply

60. Hey, I recently started playing BowMain on the european server. I’m trying to max out know thy enemy for pvp reasons and I noticed that the article in the wiki states, that the skill is faaaaaaaaaaaar stronger as it actually is. @ lvl 150 I leveled the skill to 60 and my extra dmg was around 5200 on enemies with similar classes. but in the article the extra dmg goes over 40k. So I’m kinda doubting my decision to max it now. Is the skill really worth it, or should I forget about it? And could it be that the dmg-values in the article are up to date but the european version simply is (as always) not?

    Greetings from Europe ^^

    Reply

    1. I honestly can’t give you a right answer; I’ve been thinking about your question, and yeah, Wikidot claims it does -69510 damage in PvE/TBS, and -742 in PvP (keep in mind, this is maxed out + Magic Bonus – Lv 100 for the skill)… But, I don’t think it’s worth it, as Hwarang’s Aura is my preference since BowMains can only have one passive. However, since you already have it, might be better to keep it and see if it’s worth it for you. Also, I believe that since Know Thy Enemy is specific to BowMain, you should be able to get Empress’ Blessing as many people prefer that over Hwarang’s Aura. As far as EU and NA statistics being different, that’s probably likely, but I don’t think this skill in particular would be far off.

       Reply

61. Hi Arcanic,

    Is the merc selection summon marble also given out in Atlantica EU? I’m lvl 123 there and certainly didn’t receive any. I opened all helper boxes. I skipped main quest at around lv 60 after I received elementalist and oracle from them. Am I missing something?

    Also can you please comment on my form?

    Spartan – N.Vik – Kim Choon Sam
    Inventor – Janissary – Witch
    InstrumentM – Elementalist – Oracle
    In merc. room: Monk

    Thanks a lot!!

    Reply

    1. I don’t think it’s given to new accounts anymore; mostly from what I see, they give them in random events like that Homecoming event a couple of months ago.

       Spartan is good for a while and perhaps to keep around permanently.
       Replace the Northern Viking eventually with a Tarkan or Druid perhaps.
       Kim Choon Sam can be replaced by Arthur or the Warlord, but Kim is even useful in PvP if that’s your goal.
       Inventor can be replaced by just about any rifle mercenary.
       Janissary is said to have the best “damage” stats out of the rifle mercenaries, but to be honest, I’m not at all impressed with any rifles (except the main) nowadays.
       Elementalist is solid – Keep.
       Oracle can be kept around for TBS; if you actually want an effective healer (eventually), Vampire is the way to go.

       Reply

62. Hey Arcanic,

    Regarding skills, I noticed that there is a line in the skill page that states something like this:

    (using Green Dragon Glaive Lvl 80 as an example)
    [Effect]
    HP – [5211+74.7%]
    (Using Green Dragon Rage Lvl 80 as an example here)
    [Effect]
    HP – [1980+70.7%]

    I have been wondering for sometime, what are those percentages of? Is it 74.7% of the merc’s attack power? 74.7% of the enemy’s HP? 74.7% of a certain stats of the merc? Would appreciate if you can answer this. I have been puzzled by this for sometime now ‘sweat.

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    1. Hi Arcanic,

       Not sure if you saw my post here lol.

       Reply

    2. Sorry, Missed your post; It’s based on the attack power of the given mercenary.
       When you attack, a random value between minimum/maximum attack is selected.
       Scaling skills’ damage is based on XX.X% of that random value.

       Reply

       1. No worries :D.
          Okay it all makes sense now. I just tested with Waltz of the blade and Green Dragon Glaive and used the skill calculator on wikidot to calculate the correct scaling damage % of both. Previously I was wondering why the Waltz dealt higher damage than the Glaive even though my General has a higher attack power.

          Thanks for the clarification.

          Cheers.

          P.S. Your luck with the twilight boxes was so bad.

          Reply

63. Thank you for going to so much trouble with your guide and the following advice in the comments. It’s people like you that keep this game alive and interesting.

    I noticed all your formation suggestions are for 9 merc builds. I was under the impression PVE with 6 was best. Also, I thought builds were largely dependent on focus, such as regular PVE, TBS, or PVP. Can you give some insight on your build suggestions in relation to these items? Thank you.

    Reply

    1. The builds are an entirety of what players could have in their full form at a given time;
       of course you’re only going to use 4 / 5 / 6 mercenaries in any normal PvE battle.
       Some mercenaries are better for grinding and some are useful for boss fights or w/e other reasons.
       It’s implied that players will disable the ones that aren’t as useful in grinding / boss fights / etc.

       Reply

       1. Thank you!

          Reply

64. Arcanic, I’m a Celestial Hunter Main, but basically from your article, Bow is the highest rank, so should i change job to bow? i need your suggestions, thank you. sorry for bad english.

    Reply

    1. In regards to BowMain/CH, BowMain is the better choice. Usual mercs: Warlord, Shen Hong, Arthur.

       Reply

65. hey arcanic, i’d like to know how was/is your skill set up on blademaster main, i really dont know wich one to max out.

    Reply

    1. When I was Blademaster, it was:
       Waltz of the Blade: 40/80
       Marauder’s Edge: 80/80
       Direct Current: 80/80
       Guard Dispel: 01/80
       Static Shield: 29/80

       Reply

       1. why didn’t you max the waltz?

          Reply

          1. Not necessary, can have a Level 40 Waltz with 70 Bonus Magic and max it out easily.

             Reply

       2. what talents did you had?

          Reply

          1. Left, Left, Left, Right. If you don’t really use Static Shield, the talent for that one can be swapped for one of the others.

             Reply

66. Hi, Arcanic…
    I’m very impressed by and fond of your formation recommendations. It would be marvellous if you could do recommendations for all main classes here. But especially I need your recommendations on MaestroMain and StormcallerMain formations right now. I would be grateful if you can help me. Thanks in advance…

    Reply

    1. geez, I just need to make a list/table for them all it seems.

       Reply

       1. That would be awesome if you can. It could really help many people indeed.

          Reply

67. Hey Arcanic.
    Do you think BowM should go only Hwarang’s aura?
    Empress blessing woudnt be better from avalon runs? And, i can kepp a Hwarang in form to fullfil the main’s aura?
    Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Hwarang (mercenary) in form isn’t really worth it, as he’s very frail and only is useful for the passive.
       I don’t believe a BowMain needs Empress’ Blessing in the Avalon fight if they know what they’re doing.
       If the BowMain in question is an intermediate player, then perhaps it’s better for them to go with it; otherwise, I’d prefer Hwarang’s Aura instead.
       Other reason to use Empress’ Blessing on a BowMain is for Raids and/or Spelltower.

       Reply

       1. I see.
          Thank you for your answer.
          By the way, do you have any tips on which star stones use on melee/ranged gear?
          Didnt find anything related.

          Cya.

          Reply

          1. Basic recommendations:
             For Gold Eagle / Gold Ram, it’s completely unnecessary to get V’s.
             If it has +1/+2 Magic Bonus, use that and not the DEF alternative.
             If it has +250/+500 Attack Power, then use that instead of it’s CRIT alternative.

             For Weapons: Gold Eagle OR INT in some small cases like a Jupiter Staff perhaps.
             For Armor: People say put in a Gold Ram; don’t really care to myself, usually go all VIT, STR or DEX depending on class/build.
             For Gloves: VIT for melee, DEX for range, VIT for staffs.
             For Boots: DEX for pretty much all classes, unless you really feel like wasting an INT or STR depending on the class it’s for.
             For Hats: INT for pretty much all classes, unless you really feel like wasting an DEX or STR depending on the class it’s for.
             For Shields: VIT only.

             Reply

             1. Hi.

                VIT for pants also?

                Any special recommendations for instrument main?

                Reply

                1. VIT is kind of the only good option for any pants.
                   I don’t really know how to best set up an Instrument main; I see them used often in FL and that’s about it. Probably a Warlord, Grim Reaper, Arthur, perhaps Shen Hong, Tania, and fill in the rest.

                   Reply

                   1. Thanks!

                      Reply

68. I’m a Blademaster main and I want to get a pirate, does the Marauders Edge skill from the pirate and my main stack or is the highest level skill used?

    Reply

    1. No, they do not stack as they are the same skill for a formation.
       The last casted is used – basically no matter how high your Marauder’s Edge is, the Pirate’s will activate instead.

       Reply

69. hey arcanic love your guides, btw can spartan and taoist spear buff stack?

    Reply

    1. Yes, they’re both completely different buffs/skills.

       Reply

70. Hey arcanic. Can u help me with staffm build?
    Both cheap and expensive one.
    Oh and what do u think about staffm flameblow skill? Is it still worth?
    thanks in advance!

    Reply

    1. I’m not really fond of Staffs in formations, but here:

       [Cheaper StaffMain form example]

       Front: Kim Choon Sam, Valkyrie, Spartan
       Middle: General, Automaton, Puppeteer
       Back: StaffMain, Maitreya, Monk (or pick something cheap)
       

       [Expensive StaffMain form example]

       Front: Warlord, Arthur, Taoist (or Spartan)
       Middle: General, Automaton (or Chironia), Puppeteer
       Back: StaffMain, Shen Hong, Ching Ya
       Merc Room: Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP) 
       

       As for Flame Blow, no idea – check the Wikidot for it’s damage per level/grade.

       Skills: StaffMains have several useful skills that are flexible to pick from for specific builds or strategies.
       1.) Blazing Earth: for burning melee mobs down. Max out this skill if possible, or a minimum of 40.
       2.) Mana Shield: restores some HP upon being attacked; seems useful, as it’s a passive and doesn’t get in the way. Level up to 20~40.
       3.) Meditation: restores some AP over each turn; reduces your own cooldowns; perhaps level it up a bit.
       4.) Quantum Leap: I don’t have much experience with StaffMain, but I know that this reduces cooldowns of mercenaries’ skills + MP. Can be quite useful in certain situations; don’t have to put too much points into it either.
       5.) I’ll leave this open to your own choice and what you might find useful; the beauty of StaffMain is that they have among the most skills to choose from.

       Reply

       1. staffmain or battlemage?

          Reply

71. Hi arcanic why most players no using the combo: weapon rend + dark legacy? , since champion can support arthur…sorry if my english its bad

    Reply

    1. Probably because the Champion is fairly situational and it’s not really worth using the combo to get a slight magic damage boost. Same goes for a Warlord’s Thunderbolt Slash or a Blademaster’s Waltz being buffed by Weapon Rend.

       Reply

72. Hey Arcanic,

    PsawMain, what do you recommend?

    Reply

    1. [Cheaper P-SawMain form example]

       Front: Kim Choon Sam, Spartan, P-SawMain
       Middle: Guan Yu, Maitreya, Puppeteer
       Back: Prophet, Automaton, Elementalist
       Merc Room: Oracle (TBS), Monk (PvP)

       [Expensive P-SawMain form example (range-heavy)]

       Front: Warlord, Arthur, P-SawMain
       Middle: Taoist, Shen Hong, Puppeteer
       Back: Chironia, Automaton, Ching Ya
       Merc Room: Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP)

       [Expensive P-SawMain form example (melee-heavy)]

       Front: Warlord, Arthur, P-SawMain
       Middle: Taoist, Guan Yu, Puppeteer
       Back: Clown, Automaton (or Chironia), Ching Ya
       Merc Room: Heisha Modi for boss-fights, Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP)

       Reply

       1. Arcanic, what you think about:

          Kim Choon Sam – PsawMain – Warlord
          Guan Yu – Puppeteer – Shen Hong
          Elementalist – Automaton – Christine

          Dunno how to build something useful for 6 ppl battles ‘cry.

          Reply

          1. The form you mentioned is fine. Christine isn’t that great since most rifle mercenaries are outdated; I’d replace her with Chironia. Kim Choon Sam could be replaced by Arthur eventually.
             For 6-form battles, you could use: Main, Warlord, Guan Yu, Elementalist, Shen Hong, Automaton (or Chironia). Basically a magic-heavy form to take down both land & flying mobs. Fairly balanced for bosses, OT mobs, etc.

             Reply

73. Hey Arcanic! I always follow your videos. Thanks for posting them!

    Now, I have a question. I came back recently to AO and I’m a BattleMage main (nerfed, I know) and I wanna change class. Since I’m not as rich as you (hehe) in this game, I’m thinking about changing to StaffM. – because I’ll already have all items (but I’d like to go cannon or spear, for example)..

    So.. what should I know before changing to StaffM? My point is.. which skills, talents, items should I use?

    I’m so confused bcos I’m used to BattleM attacking 3 mobs, so I don’t know how I will answer with 1-mob-only-hit main.

    Anyway, I hope you can give me some answers and help me decide.

    Thanks <3

    Reply

    1. StaffMain’s goals are usually high Magic Damage and/or Proc Damage; healing is also a consideration, I suppose.

       Equipment: it has been found that the Diabolic Staff’s Magic Damage % Bonus does not affect Procs from Mounts or Decorations for some reason.
       1.) Clothes’ Magic Damage % Stat.
       2.) Grimm’s Magic Source (Orb) +0-L; doesn’t matter, just find one.
       3.) Intelligence from any possible Equipment.
       4.) Jupiter Staff is probably the best bet at late-game, however the Diabolic Staff is very nice for Blazing Earth.

       Skills: StaffMains have several useful skills that are flexible to pick from for specific builds or strategies.
       1.) Blazing Earth: for burning melee mobs down. Max out this skill if possible, or a minimum of 40.
       2.) Mana Shield: restores some HP upon being attacked; seems useful, as it’s a passive and doesn’t get in the way. Level up to 20~40.
       3.) Meditation: restores some AP over each turn; reduces your own cooldowns; perhaps level it up a bit.
       4.) Quantum Leap: I don’t have much experience with StaffMain, but I know that this reduces cooldowns of mercenaries’ skills + MP. Can be quite useful in certain situations; don’t have to put too much points into it either.
       5.) I’ll leave this open to your own choice and what you might find useful; the beauty of StaffMain is that they have among the most skills to choose from.

       Talents: the most powerful talents the StaffMain has are the ×2 Proc Rate and the +25% Magic Damage.
       1.) 130-139: #1 (left).
       2.) 140-149: #1 for damage OR #2 for healing.
       3.) 150-159: #1 for damage OR #3 for ×2 Proc Rate.
       4.) 160-169: #1.

       Reply

       1. Thank you so much for replying. <3

          I can max B.E, Mana Shield (is it worth?), Meditation (None II, IIIs in market), Quantum Leap (almost same prob. as meditation) and the last magic perhaps Blessing of Life.

          Do you think if I don’t max these skills It won’t worth? Or which ones I must max?

          And.. I didn’t get the talents 🙁

          Reply

          1. Blazing Earth is a skill you will likely want to do as much damage as possible, so yes, max it out if you can. Mana Shield is one you can level up a bit, but I don’t think you should max it out as you might want to focus on leveling up Meditation or Quantum Leap later instead.

             Talents:
             1.) 130-139: #1 (the one on the left ×10).
             2.) 140-149: #1 (left ×10) for damage < - OR -> #2 (middle ×10) for healing.
             3.) 150-159: #1 (left ×10) for damage < - OR -> #3 (right ×10) for ×2 Proc Rate.
             4.) 160-169: #1 (left ×10).

             Reply

74. Hi can you help me with Bow build? A cheaper one, but with a little explain about future upgrade since im newbie at this game hehe. Thanks.

    Reply

    1. Most range mains follow the same form principle nowadays…
       What about upgrades do you want to know? Be specific please.

       [Cheaper BowMain form example]

       Front: Kim Choon Sam, Valkyrie, Spartan
       Middle: Guan Yu, Automaton, Puppeteer
       Back: Prophet, BowMain (with Hwarang’s Aura), Elementalist
       Merc Room: Oracle (TBS), Monk (PvP)

       [Expensive BowMain form example]

       Front: Warlord, Arthur, Taoist
       Middle: Guan Yu, Chironia (or just keep Automaton), Puppeteer
       Back: Shen Hong, BowMain (with Hwarang’s Aura), Ching Ya
       Merc Room: Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP)

       Reply

       1. I mean if i choose [Cheaper BowM], should i stay with that form or should i updgrade them to [Expensive BowM] in the future? Sorry for my english.

          Anyway, thanks a lot for replying and helping me. Hope you didnt get bored with my silly question. <3

          Reply

          1. Yes, you should upgrade eventually, however the Automaton and Spartan are acceptable end-game mercenaries to keep around.

             Reply

       2. I wanted to know if this build is good with heavy PVE (wiping entire team like blade master).
          Also, please suggest what to get from Mercenary Selection Summon Marble for BowMain.

          Reply

          1. Short answer: Yes, it’s pretty good for clearing; the expensive example is better for such.
             If you want more wiping-based/AoE mercs, then just replace/disable the AP & support mercs.

             ---

             [Cheaper form] – in regards to PvE…

             Kim Choon Sam – Tank + Purification/Heal (Single),
             Valkyrie – Tank + AP + Stun,
             Spartan – Tank + DoT Magic + Attack (Spears),
             Guan Yu – Lesser Tank + AoE + Range-specific DoT,
             Automaton – Damage + AoE + AoE Heal + MHR (Cannons),
             Puppeteer – Lesser Tank + AP (Single),
             Prophet – Accuracy and Attack (Melee),
             Elementalist – AoE/DoT x2 (Melee) + FA silences

             [Expensive form] – in regards to PvE…

             Warlord – Tank + strong magic + main buff (MHR + Attack),
             Arthur – AoE Proc + Silence/DoT + Combo reduction (trigger),
             Taoist – AP + MHR (Spears) + AP drain Proc,
             Guan Yu – Lesser Tank + AoE + Range-specific DoT,
             Automaton – Damage + AoE + AoE Heal + MHR (Cannons),
             [OR] Chironia – Damage + very strong proc + weak AoE,
             Puppeteer – Lesser Tank + AP (Single),
             Shen Hong – x2 Damage debuff (Range),
             Ching Ya – weak heals + AP/MHR (Single)

             ---

             From mercenary marbles:
             Automaton – optional / fairly decent price in market,
             Chironia – recommended / extremely expensive,
             Guan Yu – optional / fairly decent price in market,
             Puppeteer – recommended / usually expensive otherwise,
             Warlord – ALWAYS get him / extremely expensive

             Reply

75. Hi!

    About the main tier list, is it still up to date? What you think about Tania, the new mercenary and where would you put it at your tier list? Also, for personal knowledge, I do pretend to start playing the game now, could you recommend me 2 teams for blademaster? A not-expensive one, for free users and a end user config?

    Thanks in advanced! Also, you really have a great website here (probably the best one around).

    Regards!

    Reply
    1. Main tier list is up to date.

       Merc tier list is not up to date. Once it looks like the Main tier table, then it will be considered “updated”.

       I was waiting on Tania to actually make the changes and it will be posted soon.

       [Cheaper example]

       Front: Blademaster, Valkyrie, Odysseus
       Middle: Guan Yu, Pirate, Spartan
       Back: Prophet (for Melee Accuracy), Automaton, Elementalist
       Merc Room: Oracle (for TBS), Monk (for PvP)

       [Expensive example]

       Front: Blademaster, Arthur, Warlord
       Middle: Guan Yu, Clown, Taoist
       Back: Patriot, Demeian Guardian (for Accuracy), Elementalist
       Merc Room: Heisha Modi (Merlin/boss fights / OT 14/15), Ching Ya (her buff is found to be useful in boss fights, but only amazing if used on a powerful hitter) Vampire (for TBS), Goddess (for PvP)

       Reply

       1. Ty for replying me!

          Got another doubt. There is any replacement for Taoist and Clown in the expensive formation (like a mid tier formation)? Also, if you would put a Rifleman who should be and who should be replaced?

          Also, you could teach us about gold farming, I mean for a future guide? Right now I’m selling some pegasus itens, from boxes bough at the market, but sometimes it gives me a good amount, some times not.

          Thank you and best regards!

          Reply
          1. 1. The Clown is probably the best melee mercenary for physical damage, so there isn’t really a replacement; the Pirate is a lower tier alternative.
             2. Taoist is similar (for AP) to a Valkyrie, but I find him to be the better AP alternative @ end-game. For other AP capabilities, you can go with the Puppeteer (available in free summon orbs) or Ching Ya (expensive).

             [Cheaper RifleMain Formation example]

             Front: Kim Choon Sam, Valkyrie, Guan Yu
             Middle: Spartan, Automaton, Puppeteer
             Back: Hwarang, RifleMain, Elementalist
             Merc Room: Oracle (TBS), Monk (PvP)

             [Expensive Rifleman Main Formation example]

             Front: Warlord, Arthur, Guan Yu
             Middle: Taoist, Chironia (or just keep Automaton), Puppeteer
             Back: Shen Hong, RifleMain, Ching Ya
             Merc Room: Vampire (TBS), Goddess (PvP)
             Keep Elementalist & Spartan on standby as well; they’re quite useful to have.

             I don’t like doing guides on specifically gold / loot farming and what you should sell or hoard. Prices change so often and certain profitable methods also become outdated or just not as significant.
             Most players run dungeons such as Tomb, OTs (VIII,IX,X,XI,XII,XIII), Grimm, & Star Stone Indis.
             There’s plenty of ways to earn profit in the game; just figure it out.
             I did a guide a while back on what Dungeons are worth spending time on and it’s still fairly accurate.

             Reply

76. I had a little argument with the original author for this table specifically about Shen Hong. He was definitely not satysfied with her physical dmg but didn’t try to max out gear before testing. Because of this, it would seem like she is just a one-trick pony but as per my own testings her dmg is actually great, especially with L jup whip which makes the 4th hit on attack x2 dmg (she actually hits 5 times at that point). Also, hit any row all the way to the back, multi a lot and high Crit. Definitely a grade higher. Not the case with Dryad though.

    My 2 cents.

    Reply

    1. Noted.

       Reply

77. Is the ranking for mercs definitive? I feel like Shen Hong and Dryad should be a little higher, on account of their attack pattern and their skills (with Shen Hong effectively buffing all ranged mains’ attack damage by quite a bit, and hitting like a truck herself)

    Reply

    1. The merc rankings will be changed eventually. They’re based on old valuations right after the scaling happened. Shen Hong will probably get a higher rating, but Dryad, not so much since she’s merely a PvP mercenary.

       Reply

       1. What other mercs will get a higher rating, d’you think? 🙂

          Reply

          1. Hmm….
             Nightshade will jump up a few ranks, Shen Hong one rank, and Rin will probably be dropped a rank or two.
             Heisha Modi might slightly bump up, as he’s a necessity for melee damage capping.
             Warlord might be knocked up slightly higher, Jeon will get bumped down.
             Probably going to drop the Patriot’s ranking as well…
             A few will be swapped around just because they’ve lost popularity or their old luster.

             Reply

             1. What’s with Nightshade? Why is he higher, if I may ask?

                Reply

                1. He has a special purpose when it comes to Avalon’s end-bosses (Lancelot and Merlin) and his skills were under-appreciated initially by the person that first made the ranking table (Gordan).

                   Reply

                   1. Ah, but aside from Avalon’s end-bosses, for general PvE, is he bad?

                      Reply

                      1. Mostly, yeah – he’s a situational so will probably drop into C+ or C.

                         Reply

78. Arcanic, where are the cheapest places we can store mercenaries? I know about the house patio (3x) and house mercenary training hall (9x). Is there any easy way to get a second training hall to get an extra (9x) mercs slot, for example? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Mansion: another x9 Mercenary slots (2nd page). Will cost 100 atlas to get one though. [Image]
       ALSO: Mansion adds another x2 Mercenary slots for the “patio” / home (total of x5).
       Legion Mercs only: Storage (ALT+X). Run the quests from the NPC (Mr. Camaraderie) in Rome to gain more slots.

       Reply