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  1. This guide has been posted in RO Empire and Emperium for quite a few months
  2. now. I've decided to submit this to GameFAQs due to the lack of complete and
  3. up-to-date guides on Bards, Dancers, and their reincarnations (the Clown and
  4. the Gypsy). You can consult my guide in the above forums for a much better/
  5. easier read. My guide tends to go really detailed and comprehensive, so
  6. readers preferring quick answers can consult shorter guides in GameFAQs, RO
  7. Empire or Emperium.
  8.  
  9. ______
  10.  
  11. Bard/Dancer/Clown/Gypsy Guide (BDCG)
  12. v1.0
  13. By aldoteng ([email protected])
  14. 13 Mar 2005
  15.  
  16.  
  17.  
  18. This guide is meant for the public. You can post it anywhere or quote any
  19. information, but please inform me should you do so, and credit me should you
  20. do any direct quoting. Do NOT alter/edit the guide in anyway should you decide
  21. to reproduce this guide for public viewing (unless translated into another
  22. language).
  23.  
  24. Contact me at [email protected]. I'll be happy to receive constructive
  25. feedback, suggestions, criticisms, corrections, and some good old flirting.
  26. I'm male. Flames are welcome too, though they'll be swiftly ignored anyway.
  27.  
  28.  
  29.  
  30. =======
  31. PREFACE
  32. =======
  33.  
  34. This is a complete one-stop station for anyone who needs information and
  35. answers about this elusive class in Ragnarok Online. It tends to go into
  36. detail as it does mean to be as broad as possible. It's geared at readers who
  37. are at minimum comfortable with the game basics.
  38.  
  39. This guide is divided into two major sections. The first section deals with
  40. stuff already available in various databases and websites (like stats,
  41. equipment, etc) with comments included. The second section deals with builds,
  42. strategies, discussions and comparisons.
  43.  
  44. Oh yea, I'm a boy, so I've never played a Dancer and whatever I write about
  45. Dancers is not from my personal experience. I have been blessed with wonderful
  46. Dancer friends and posters that have helped me complete the Dancer sections.
  47.  
  48. Written by deadlyasshole, Bard enthusiast from pRO:
  49. "To all Bard that feel down because many ignoring us and calling us weakling
  50. then let us show them what we can really do. We Can Support Masses, We can
  51. deal tons of Damages, And We Can Frost them like an Ice Candy hehehe.
  52. Now, Many feared me, Annoyed to me, Aiming to kill me, Also cosidering me a
  53. big threat in PVP and siege hehehe. It seem i'm getting popular. Because of
  54. this i ignore my BS and my FS priest. Also it's flooding without getting
  55. banned and silence for an hours hehehe. See, Bard is cool. Nope, Bard is
  56. extremely cool. Still or us serious bard, being bard, seing other bard
  57. rarely is really a great advantage for us because we know were only few and
  58. shinning in migard is an easy step stone. As for now my goal is to become the
  59. best bard in our server and in the future to become the best in pRO after that
  60. in the Whole world. That is only a dream but still i hope it will come true
  61. since i'm a serious bard also a Super Active WOE player. To all serious bard
  62. like me. Long leave Bards of Migard. Rok On." Anything he's written is
  63. perfectly applicable for Dancers too.
  64.  
  65.  
  66. ---------------------
  67. Contents at a glance:
  68. ---------------------
  69.  
  70. Introduction
  71. Stats
  72. Skills
  73. - Archer
  74. - Bard/Dancer
  75. - Bard
  76. - Dancer
  77. - Duet
  78. Builds
  79. - The Bad
  80. - The Average
  81. - The Good
  82. - The Unknown
  83. Equipment
  84. Cards
  85. Arrows
  86. Walkthrough (includes job quests)
  87. Strategies
  88. - Dagger-stopping
  89. - Song/dance-switching
  90. - Solo PVM (Player versus Monster)
  91. - Party PVM (Player versus Monster)
  92. - MVPing (Most Valuable Player)
  93. - PVPing (Player versus Player)
  94. - WOEing (War of Emperium)
  95. Clown and Gypsy
  96. Compare and Contrast
  97. - DEX builds vs INT builds
  98. - Bard vs Dancer
  99. - Bard/Dancer vs Priest
  100. - Bard/Dancer vs Hunter
  101. - Clown/Gypsy vs Sniper
  102. - Bow vs Instrument/Whip
  103. Patch History
  104. My Character
  105. To-Do List
  106. Version History
  107. References
  108. Acknowledgements
  109.  
  110.  
  111.  
  112. ============
  113. INTRODUCTION
  114. ============
  115.  
  116. An Archer in Ragnarok Online can choose to evolve into a Hunter or a Bard/
  117. Dancer. Bards must be males and Dancers have to be females. Hunters and Bard/
  118. Dancers have several similarities, but are otherwise strikingly different. If
  119. you want to be a powerhouse in damage, win MVPs, and terrorize PVP arenas,
  120. Hunter is for you. Bard/Dancers are built for supporting, not for damage.
  121.  
  122. But Bards/Dancers are not the best supporters either. Compared to Priests
  123. who can heal, cure, bless, buff, ress and protect, Bard/Dancer skills are at
  124. best limited to few benefits.
  125.  
  126. The most efficient Bard/Dancers occupy the middle niche in a party. The
  127. ability to deal huge damage (not as high as Hunters/Smiths/Monks though) while
  128. singing/dancing simultaneously allows us to be excellent supportive attackers.
  129. Melody Strike (Bard)/ Slinging Arrow (Dancer) are fearsome skills known to
  130. take down foolish Hunters who forget that we can also reach 150 DEX and
  131. actually wear a Cranial Buckler.
  132.  
  133. The general public sentiment is that Bards/Dancers (along with Alchemists and
  134. Sages) are not useful in general partying. Be prepared to face rejections from
  135. ignorant parties, but anticipate the fun you can get from playing a rare but
  136. powerful class. This class is also great for WOE lovers. Most guilds today
  137. already realize our assets in War and the powerful ones have at least a Bard
  138. and a Dancer.
  139.  
  140. Anyway, a lot of Bard/Dancer mechanics are new to most, so I'll list them
  141. here right at the start. Note that you can equip both bows and instruments
  142. (Bards)/whips (Dancers). You can use daggers too, but why would you?
  143.  
  144. WHEN YOU EQUIP INSTRUMENTS/WHIPS
  145. - Damage is DEX based. Not STR!
  146. - You can equip a Buckler.
  147. - You cannot use Double Strafe, Charge Arrow and Arrow Shower.
  148. - You can use Unbarring Octave and Dazzler without instruments/whips, but all
  149.   other Bard/Dancer skills require them equipped.
  150.  
  151. WHILE YOU PERFORM A SOLO SONG/DANCE
  152. - The skill effect is 7x7.
  153. - The skill affects anyone, even outside party or guild alliance.
  154. - ***The skill effects on your mates will last even after they step out of the
  155.   area of effect for 20 seconds.*** You can imbue them with multiple buffs by
  156.   switching skills quickly.
  157. - The skill effects do not affect YOU.
  158. - You cannot attack.
  159. - You can move at 1/4 of normal walking speed. In a future patch, we'd be able
  160.   to walk at 1/2 of normal speed. Refer to Patch History section.
  161. - You can cast Amp after the first five seconds of performing the skill.
  162. - You can cast Melody Strike/Slinging Arrow.
  163. - Your SP will not regen. Meanwhile the skill depletes your SP slowly.
  164. - The skill will stop if you equip a bow or dagger.
  165. - The skill effect is snipable.
  166. - When two nearby Bards perform and their skills intersect, the intersected
  167.   area loses their original effects and becomes Unchained Serenade Lvl 1 (For
  168.   Dancers, Hip Shaker Lvl 1). Nothing bad happens when a Bard and a Dancer
  169.   intersects.
  170.  
  171. WHILE YOU PERFORM AN ENSEMBLE
  172. - To perform, a Bard and a Dancer must be in the same party and both must have
  173.   at least a level of that ensemble. One of them (the caster) must stand next
  174.   to the other (the partner) and start the skill. The duet is automatically
  175.   performed even if the partner doesn't want to. Both must have instrument/
  176.   whip equipped. The resulting skill level is an average of the two skill
  177.   levels rounded down (eg. Mr Kim a Rich Man, Bard has it at Lvl 2, Dancer at
  178.   Lvl 4, resulting ensemble is performed at Lvl 3).
  179. - The skill effect is 9x9.
  180. - Some skills affect everyone, some affect party members, some affect enemies
  181.   only.
  182. - The skill effects **do not** last after your mates step out of the area of
  183.   effect.
  184. - The skills do not affect the caster but they affect the partner.
  185. - You cannot attack.
  186. - You cannot move at all.
  187. - Both caster and partner can cast Amp for all ensembles except for Loki's
  188.   Wail, where only the caster can do that.
  189. - You can cast Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow.
  190. - Your SP will not regen. Meanwhile the skill depletes your SP slowly.
  191. - The skill will stop if you equip a bow or dagger.
  192. - The skill effect is snipable.
  193. - Nothing happens when duets intersect.
  194.  
  195. A SONG/DANCE/DUET WILL STOP IF
  196. - The player casts Adaptation, but only after the first five seconds of the
  197.   skill. This is the typical way to stop singing/dancing.
  198. - The player receives a single damage of more than 1/4 his/her max HP.
  199. - The player gets frozen, stunned or stoned.
  200. - The player runs out of SP, or HP (aka dies).
  201. - The player equips a dagger or a bow. This is the basis of the dagger-
  202.   stopping tactic.
  203.  
  204. Progression of jobs:
  205. Males: Novice --> Archer --> Bard --> High Novice --> High Archer --> Clown
  206. Female: Novice --> Archer --> Dancer --> High Novice --> High Archer --> Gypsy
  207.  
  208.  
  209.  
  210. =====
  211. STATS
  212. =====
  213.  
  214. The Bard's Job bonuses at Job 50 are:
  215. STR 2, AGI 7, VIT 3, INT 5, DEX 8, LUK 4
  216.  
  217. The Dancer's Job bonuses are Job 50 are:
  218. STR 2, AGI 7, VIT 3, INT 5, DEX 4, LUK 8
  219.  
  220.  
  221. STR
  222. - +30 maximum weight per point
  223.  
  224. Very few Bards and Dancers raise this beyond 1, and so should you not. Note:
  225. A seemingly experienced Clown in my server recommends STR for WOE-support
  226. Bards/Dancers to carry more pots. While I don't readily agree with him, he
  227. does have a point. I still don't recommend STR though (and neither do most
  228. players).
  229.  
  230.  
  231. AGI
  232. - +1 Flee per point
  233. - Increases ASPD by some complicated formula
  234. * For Bard skill A Whistle, +1 flee per 10 points
  235. * For Bard skill Assassin Cross of Sunset, +1% ASPD per 20 points
  236. * For Dancer skill Forget Me Not, -x% enemy movement speed per 10 points (not
  237.   known how much exactly) 
  238.  
  239. Very good for levelling and dealing fast damage, and is decently useful in MVP
  240. and WOE. A moderate amount is still pretty useful because Melody Strike /
  241. Slinging Arrow speed is based on ASPD. Too high a figure is not necessary; you
  242. can't flee crits, magic and mobs, and you shouldn't be the main damage-dealer
  243. so you don't need so much ASPD.
  244.  
  245.  
  246. VIT
  247. - +1% maximum HP per point
  248. - +0.8 weapon damage reduction per point
  249. - +2% healing item effect per point
  250. - +1 HP regen per 5 points
  251. - +1 spell damage reduction per 2 points
  252. - Increases stun, silence and poison resistance
  253. * For Bard skill Apple of Idun, +5 HP recovery per 10 points and +10% max HP
  254.   per 10 points
  255.  
  256. Very good for WOE and MVP survival. Too high a figure isn't that necessary;
  257. you are not a tanker. Popular belief says that 80 VIT is enough to grant near-
  258. immunity to stun and other effects.
  259.  
  260.  
  261. INT
  262. - +1% maximum SP per point
  263. - +2% SP recovery item effects per point
  264. - +1 SP regen per 6 points
  265. - +1 spell damage reduction per point
  266. - Increases stone curse, sleep and blind resistance
  267. * For Bard skill A Poem of Bragi, -1% after-cast delay per 10 points
  268. * For Dancer skill Service For You, +x% max SP per 10 points (not known how
  269.   much exactly) and -1% SP usage per 10 points
  270. * For duet skill Lullaby, improves sleep chance
  271.  
  272. A convenience stat, the only useful effects of INT are max SP and SP regen.
  273. A good choice for players who do not wish to burn blue pots and honey. Most
  274. get 1 to 30. It is not necessary to get higher than 30 as the points are
  275. better spent on other stats that affect performance like DEX and VIT. Besides,
  276. with Gonryun and Niffleheim, SP recovery items are more available than ever.
  277.  
  278.  
  279. DEX
  280. - +1 Hit per point
  281. - +1 base damage for bow, instrument and whip
  282. - Bonus of (DEX/10)^2 damage. The number in brackets is always rounded down
  283.   (This is commonly known as the DEX bonus; it comes in 10s)
  284. - Reduces casting time for skills Charge Arrow, Arrow Shower, Melody Strike /
  285.   Slinging Arrow and Arrow Vulcan by (DEX/1.5)%. At 75 DEX your casting time
  286.   is halved. At 150 DEX you have no casting time
  287. - Increases ASPD by some complicated formula. The effect of 1 DEX is about one
  288.   quarter that of 1 AGI
  289. * For Bard skill A Poem of Bragi, -1% cast time per 10 points
  290. * For Dancer skill Humming, +1 hit per 10 points
  291. * For Dancer skill Forget Me Not, -x% enemy ASPD per 10 points (not known how
  292.   much exactly)
  293.  
  294. Easily the most popular stat in the game, you'll need a very high figure of
  295. this for damage and spamming skills with cast times. Most builds recommend
  296. getting 120, to 150. (final DEX). You don't actually need this for most of
  297. your songs/dances, but otherwise you won't be able to MS/SA well making you
  298. basically a weak supporter. Plus you'll be levelling like hell.
  299.  
  300. Side note: The DEX bonus stated comes in 10s. The difference between 108 and
  301. 109 DEX is very little, but the difference between 109 and 110 DEX is huge.
  302. Get your final DEX (base DEX + job bonus + equips + cards + buffs) to
  303. multiples of 10, like 130 and 140. The same goes for INT (bonus at 6s for
  304. regen) and VIT (bonus at 5s for regen).
  305.  
  306.  
  307. LUK
  308. - +0.3 crit per point
  309. - +1 perfect dodge per 10 points
  310. - Increases resistance against enemy crits
  311. * For Bard skill A Whistle, +1% perfect dodge per 10 points
  312. * For Dancer skill Fortune's Kiss +1% crit per 10 points 
  313.  
  314. No established build gets LUK because crits do not work for skills like Double
  315. Strafe and Melody Strike. Best left at 1. Note: Quite a number of players out
  316. there are actually toying with the idea of a Crit Dancer. I have no experience
  317. in Crit characters whatsoever, and a Crit Bard/Dancer is not a proven build
  318. yet. But that doesn't mean it won't work. I still don't recommend it though.
  319.  
  320.  
  321.  
  322. ======
  323. SKILLS
  324. ======
  325.  
  326. This section is divided into Archer skills, Bard/Dancer skills, Bard-only
  327. skills, Dancer-only skills, and Duet skills. I wanted to include Novice skills
  328. too but who was I kidding...
  329.  
  330. Note: Many of the Bard/Dancer skills were renamed in iRO, so I wrote the iRO
  331. names next to the original ones.
  332.  
  333. Note: Credits to Himeyasha's now-defunct website for much of the Bard/Dancer
  334. skill info.
  335.  
  336. I've given up trying to make an ASCII skill tree. You can check out the jpg
  337. skill tree I created at:
  338. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/aldoteng/BCDGSkillTreecopy.jpg
  339.  
  340.  
  341. -------------
  342. Archer Skills
  343. -------------
  344.  
  345. _______________________
  346. 01) Owl's Eye (Passive)
  347. Requirements: None
  348. Requirement for: Vulture's Eye (3)
  349.  
  350. Lvl 1: DEX +1
  351. Lvl 2: DEX +2
  352.    <...and so on...>
  353. Lvl 10: DEX +10
  354.  
  355. Description: Increases your DEX stat.
  356.  
  357. No reason why you wouldn't want to max this.
  358. My rating: *****
  359.  
  360.  
  361. ___________________________
  362. 02) Vulture's Eye (Passive)
  363. Requirements: Owl's Eye 3
  364. Requirement for: Improve Concentration (1)
  365.  
  366. Lvl 1: Range +1
  367. Lvl 2: Range +2
  368.    <...and so on...>
  369. Lvl 10: Range +10
  370.  
  371. Description: Increases your range ONLY with a bow. Melody Strike / Slinging
  372. Arrow does not benefit from this skill. 
  373.  
  374. It's great during your Archer days and your Bard/Dancer days if you level with
  375. a bow (recommended choice). With this skill you get to murder enemies as far
  376. as the edge of the screen.
  377. My rating: ****
  378.  
  379.  
  380. ________________________________
  381. 03) Improve Concentration (Self)
  382. Requirements: Vulture's Eye 1
  383. Requirement for: None
  384.  
  385. Lvl 1: AGI and DEX +3% for 40 seconds, 25 SP
  386. Lvl 2: AGI and DEX +4% for 50 seconds, 30 SP
  387. Lvl 3: AGI and DEX +5% for 60 seconds, 35 SP
  388.    <...and so on...>
  389. Lvl 10: AGI and DEX +12% for 130 seconds, 70 SP
  390.  
  391. Description: Improves your AGI and DEX by % and also allows you to detect
  392. nearby hidden enemies. AGI and DEX increment is based on base stats, job
  393. bonuses, Owl's Eye and equips (not including cards).
  394.  
  395. Has a high SP cost while low-levelled but you'll be using this skill again and
  396. again when you're a Bard/Dancer and have SP to burn. This is very useful for
  397. performance and the only builds that don't need this are those with no DEX and
  398. AGI, which are crap, I'm sorry.
  399. My rating: *****
  400.  
  401.  
  402. _______________________________________
  403. 04) Double Strafe (Single Enemy Ranged)
  404. Requirements: None
  405. Requirement for: Arrow Shower (5)
  406. Cast time: None
  407. Cast delay: 0.1s?
  408. SP cost: 12
  409.  
  410. Lvl 1: Damages enemy with 200% ATK
  411. Lvl 2: Damages enemy with 220% ATK
  412.    <...and so on...>
  413. Lvl 10: Damages enemy with 380% ATK
  414.  
  415. Description: Basically hits the enemy with a strong damage multiplier. Does
  416. not use up arrows.
  417.  
  418. Future patch: Requires arrows.
  419.  
  420. The fearsome trademark of a Hunter. Bard/Dancers can be scary with DS too, but
  421. our lower ASPD with bows makes us second-class compared to Hunters. This is
  422. great for levelling as a Bard/Dancer when you have SP to burn. Cannot be used
  423. with an instrument/whip.
  424. My rating: *****
  425.  
  426.  
  427. ________________________________
  428. 05) Arrow Shower (Splash Ranged)
  429. Requirements: Double Strafe 5
  430. Requirement for: None
  431. Cast time: None
  432. Cast delay: None
  433. SP cost: 15
  434.  
  435. Lvl 1: Damages enemies in 5x5 AoE with 80% ATK
  436. Lvl 2: Damages enemies in 5x5 AoE with 85% ATK
  437.    <...and so on...>
  438. Lvl 10: Damages enemies in 5x5 AoE with 125% ATK
  439.  
  440. Description: Targets an enemy and hits the 5X5 area of effect around him.
  441. Enemies hit are pushed back 2 cells. Does not use up arrows.
  442.  
  443. Future patch: Requires arrows.
  444.  
  445. Besides Frost Joker and Scream, this is your only reliable mob control skill.
  446. Some people don't max this. Lvl 1 is already useful for inflicting status
  447. ailments to a mob with status-carded bows. Cannot be used with an instrument/
  448. whip.
  449. My rating: ***
  450.  
  451.  
  452. ______________________
  453. a) Arrow Create (Self)
  454. Job quest requirements: Archer Job >29, or Bard/Dancer. Gather 41 Tough
  455. Scalelike Stems, 13 Trunks, 1 Red Potions, 20 Resins, 7 Mushroom Spores and
  456. talk to Roberto in Morroc (121,109).
  457. SP cost: 10
  458.  
  459. Lvl 1: Creates arrows from items in your inventory
  460.  
  461. There are many websites/guides with the list of Arrow Create combinations.
  462. This is very useful for levelling (instead of having to lug 5,000 silvers per
  463. trip and get overweight, just bring 100 Zargons) and getting rare arrows like
  464. Crystal, Stone and Wind. It's free anyway. Cannot be used when weight >50%.
  465.  
  466.  
  467. _____________________________________
  468. b) Arrow Charge (Single Enemy Ranged)
  469. Job quest requirements: Archer Job >34, or Bard/Dancer. Gather 1 Crossbow, 10
  470. Tentacles, 10 Bills of Bird, 3 Yoyo Tails, 2 Emeralds, 36 Banana Juices, and
  471. talk to Jason in Payon (30,94). You'll get your crossbow back.
  472. SP cost: 15
  473.  
  474. Lvl 1: Damages enemy with 150% ATK and pushes back 6 cells. Does not use up
  475. arrows.
  476.  
  477. Future patch: Requires arrows.
  478.  
  479. Description: Push-back does not work in WOE. Outside WOE, a great tool to get
  480. out of sticky situations like mobs and strong monsters approaching. It's free
  481. anyway. Cannot be used with an instrument/whip.
  482.  
  483.  
  484.  
  485. Comments: You can't really go very wrong here. You need a minimum of 39 skills
  486. and there are only 50 to choose from. Bard/Dancers who plan to still use a bow
  487. at higher levels SHOULD consider GOING FOR JOB 50 and get as many available
  488. skills as possible (the least important being Arrow Shower). In fact, you
  489. really should use a bow to level. It's a much better levelling tool. Anyway,
  490. if you refuse to use bows, you can sacrifice a few skills and change at Job
  491. 40. Among the bow-only skills, Double Strafe is more important so you can
  492. leave Arrow Shower to rest except for 1 point in it to use with status bows.
  493. If your build does not have DEX or AGI altogether, you are mad, but anyway you
  494. can forget about Improve Concentration.
  495.  
  496. I'm highly biased towards getting all Archer skill points because I believe a
  497. bowless and DEXless build is useless. Most people don't bother with Arrow
  498. Shower but I feel it could come useful one day. What's Job 50 compared to Base
  499. 99 anyway.
  500.  
  501.  
  502. ------------------
  503. Bard/Dancer Skills
  504. ------------------
  505.  
  506. Both Bards and Dancers have these skills. They can be cast without a partner.
  507.  
  508.  
  509. ____________________________________________
  510. 01) Adaptation to Circumstances / Amp (Self)
  511. Requirements: None
  512. Requirement for: Encore (1) and Dissonance (1)/ Ugly Dance (1)
  513. SP cost: 1
  514.  
  515. Lvl 1: Stops your singing/dancing/duets
  516.  
  517. It's requisite for your whole skill tree. It's not as super-useful as it
  518. sounds because it cannot be cast within the first 5 seconds of the song/dance.
  519. Instead, equip a dagger to stop your skill. Refer to Strategies section,
  520. Dagger-stopping, for more reasons why you should use dagger-equipping instead
  521. of Adapting.
  522. My rating: ***
  523.  
  524.  
  525. _________________
  526. 02) Encore (Self)
  527. Requirements: Adaptation to Circumstances 1
  528. Requirement for: Frost Joker (1)/ Scream (1)
  529. SP cost: 1
  530.  
  531. Lvl 1: Repeats your last song/dance for half its usual SP cost
  532.  
  533. Definitely take this skill, Bards and Dancers don't have a LOT of SP.
  534. My rating: *****
  535.  
  536.  
  537. -----------
  538. Bard Skills
  539. -----------
  540.  
  541. _____________________________
  542. 03a) Musical Lesson (Passive)
  543. Requirements: None
  544. Requirement for: Dissonance (1) and Melody Strike (3)
  545.  
  546. Lvl 1: Instrument ATK +3 and improves Bard songs
  547. Lvl 2: Instrument ATK +6 and improves Bard songs
  548.    <...and so on...>
  549. Lvl 10: Instrument ATK +30 and improves Bard songs
  550.  
  551. Future patch: Improves walking speed while singing. At lvl 10, you can move at
  552. 1/2 of normal walking speed.
  553.  
  554. Description: Improves instrument ATK and improves the effects of solo Bard
  555. songs (duets are not affected, though). Its effects on individual songs are
  556. described below under each respective song.
  557.  
  558. No reason why you would want to skip this.
  559. My rating: *****
  560.  
  561.  
  562. ________________________________________
  563. 04a) Melody Strike (Single Enemy Ranged)
  564. Requirements: Musical Lesson 3
  565. Requirement for: None
  566. Cast time: 1.5s
  567. Cast delay: None
  568. SP cost: 8
  569.  
  570. Lvl 1: Damages enemy with 150% ATK
  571. Lvl 2: Damages enemy with 175% ATK
  572.    <...and so on...>
  573. Lvl 5: Damages enemy with 250% ATK
  574.  
  575. Description: Basically hits the enemy with a strong damage multiplier. Does
  576. not use up arrows. You cannot set the level.
  577.  
  578. Future patch: Requires arrows. You can also set the level, in fact this patch
  579. rewrites the whole mechanics, and at Lvl 5 the damage modifier is pegged at
  580. 260% with an SP cost of 9.
  581.  
  582. Not as strong as DS, but you can use this while singing. With very high DEX
  583. you can basically spam this like a Hunter's DS and do a lot of extra damage
  584. even while you're singing away. GET THIS! Without this you're just a half-
  585. grade supporter. Note that the skill ignores the ATK from the arrow, so there
  586. isn't a difference between using Arrows and Oridecon Arrows. Also, currently
  587. this cannot bypass Immune Muffler in PVP. Say you're using MS with an
  588. elemental arrow on someone wearing Immune Muffler. The MS damage will still
  589. get reduced by 20%. Hope they fix that soon.
  590. My rating: *****
  591.  
  592.  
  593. ____________________________________________
  594. 05a) Frost Joker / Unbarring Octave (Active)
  595. Requirements: Encore 1
  596. Requirement for: None
  597. Cast time: None
  598. Cast delay: 3 sec.
  599.  
  600. Lvl 1: Freezes with 20% chance, 12 SP
  601. Lvl 2: Freezes with 25% chance, 14 SP
  602.    <...and so on...>
  603. Lvl 5: Freezes with 40% chance, 20 SP   
  604.  
  605. Description: Tries to freeze your enemies on the WHOLE screen. Has a low
  606. chance of freezing your own party members / guild allies in WOE. In some
  607. servers namely iRO, guild members and allies in sieges OUTSIDE your party can
  608. never be frozen.
  609.  
  610. It's best to use this when a lot of your party/guild members wear Unfrozen in
  611. WOE. This is a killer move, a lot of people go "WTF !@#$%^&" when they realize
  612. the enemy has a Frosting Bard; it's known to be great for castle-storming.
  613. Mature servers have a lot of Marc armours so this becomes less useful, but now
  614. you can teach those Ghostring/Angelring/Dokebi brats a lesson. If you do WOE,
  615. take this.
  616.  
  617. Lotharin of ROE says:
  618. "Further strategies with Frost Joker:
  619.  
  620. 1) Use wind arrows and DS or MS the poor sucker when he is frozen. A hunter
  621. can outdamage you normally, but under these circumstances, you would be able
  622. to deal an insane amount of damage - why? You will have the benefit of an
  623. additional elemental modifier (wind vs. ice). 
  624.  
  625. 2) In PVP or even WOE, delay your DS or MS so that you can attempt to freeze
  626. him again with another Octave. This means you will need to wait 1 or 2 seconds
  627. before you DS him to wait for the "recoil" to almost finish. If requires a
  628. good deal of control, but if you can pull it off, you will make your opponent
  629. cry or embarrassed. 
  630.  
  631. 3) Use Jupitel Thunder from the Electric Guitar and basically play like a weak
  632. Wizard. Full support and high INT bards (not necessarily 80-99 INT, but high
  633. enough to do good damage), and even the standard 18-30 INT types should do
  634. decent damage, though I much prefer the wind arrow method. Apply the above
  635. strategy of stalling the attack after freezing for repeated lightning
  636. beatings to the head. 
  637.  
  638. 4) Frost the screen. Wizard friend LOVs. Screen is refreshingly clear of
  639. enemies. (this one is obvious I know)" 
  640. My rating: ****
  641.  
  642.  
  643. ___________________________________________
  644. 06a) Dissonance / Unchained Serenade (Song)
  645. Requirements: Adaptation 1 and Musical Lesson 1
  646. Requirement for: Whistle (3), Assassin (3), Poem (3) and Apple (3)
  647. Duration: 30s
  648. SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds
  649.  
  650. Lvl 1: 20 damage, 18 SP
  651. Lvl 2: 40 damage, 21 SP
  652. Lvl 3: 60 damage, 24 SP
  653. Lvl 4: 80 damage, 27 SP
  654. Lvl 5: 100 damage, 30 SP
  655.  
  656. Musical Lesson lvl 1: Additional 3 damage
  657. Musical Lesson lvl 2: Additional 6 damage
  658.    <...and so on...>
  659. Musical Lesson lvl 10: Additional 10 damage
  660.  
  661. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, any enemy receives a non-elemental,
  662. DEF-ignoring damage of 40 every 3 seconds. The damage increases with skill
  663. level.
  664.  
  665. You need 3 levels of this to unlock the main body of Bard skills, so just get
  666. 3 of this! 3 is also enough to interrupt a sea of casting Monks and Wizards
  667. in WOE. It's been reported to be useful that way though I've never tried it.
  668. Whatever it is, just get 3 of Unchained Serenade.
  669. My rating: Unknown/not important anyway
  670.  
  671.  
  672. _________________________________________
  673. 07a) A Whistle / Perfect Tablature (Song)
  674. Requirements: Dissonance 3
  675. Requirement for: Lullaby (10)
  676. Duration: 60s
  677. SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds
  678.  
  679. Lvl 1: Flee +1 and Perfect Dodge +1, 24 SP
  680. Lvl 2: Flee +2 and Perfect Dodge +1, 28 SP
  681. Lvl 3: Flee +3 and Perfect Dodge +2, 32 SP
  682. Lvl 4: Flee +4 and Perfect Dodge +2, 36 SP
  683. Lvl 5: Flee +5 and Perfect Dodge +3, 40 SP
  684. Lvl 6: Flee +6 and Perfect Dodge +3, 44 SP
  685. Lvl 7: Flee +7 and Perfect Dodge +4, 48 SP
  686. Lvl 8: Flee +8 and Perfect Dodge +4, 52 SP
  687. Lvl 9: Flee +9 and Perfect Dodge +5, 56 SP
  688. Lvl 10: Flee +10 and Perfect Dodge +5, 60 SP
  689.  
  690. Musical Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional Flee +1 and Perfect Dodge +1
  691. Musical Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional Flee +2 and Perfect Dodge +2
  692. Musical Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional Flee +3 and Perfect Dodge +3
  693. Musical Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional Flee +4 and Perfect Dodge +4
  694. Musical Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional Flee +5 and Perfect Dodge +5
  695.  
  696. If your AGI is 10: Additional Flee +1
  697. If your AGI is 20: Additional Flee +2
  698.    <...and so on...for as high AGI as you want>
  699.  
  700. If your LUK is 10: Additional Perfect Dodge +1
  701. If your LUK is 20: Additional Perfect Dodge +2
  702.    <...and so on...for as high LUK as you want>
  703.  
  704. (Eg. A Bard with maxed Whistle and Musical Lesson, with 100 AGI and 50 LUK,
  705. would buff for Flee +25 and Perfect Dodge +15)
  706.  
  707. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives a Flee and Perfect
  708. Dodge upgrade.
  709.  
  710. No no no...this is NOT GOOD. Flee is great for PVM only, and Bards are not for
  711. PVM support. Don't get this unless you want to get Lullaby and Into the Abyss,
  712. which suck anyway.
  713. My rating: **
  714.  
  715.  
  716. ______________________________________________________
  717. 08a) Assassin Cross of Sunset / Impressive Riff (Song)
  718. Requirements: Dissonance 3
  719. Requirement for: Loki's Wail (10)
  720. Duration: 120s
  721. SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds
  722.  
  723. Lvl 1: ASPD +11%, 38 SP
  724. Lvl 2: ASPD +12%, 41 SP
  725. Lvl 3: ASPD +13%, 44 SP
  726. Lvl 4: ASPD +14%, 47 SP
  727. Lvl 5: ASPD +15%, 50 SP
  728. Lvl 6: ASPD +16%, 53 SP
  729. Lvl 7: ASPD +17%, 56 SP
  730. Lvl 8: ASPD +18%, 59 SP
  731. Lvl 9: ASPD +19%, 62 SP
  732. Lvl 10: ASPD +20%, 65 SP
  733.  
  734. Musical Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional ASPD +1%
  735. Musical Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional ASPD +2%
  736. Musical Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional ASPD +3%
  737. Musical Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional ASPD +4%
  738. Musical Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional ASPD +5%
  739.  
  740. If your AGI is 10: Additional ASPD +1%
  741. If your AGI is 20: Additional ASPD +2%
  742.    <...and so on...for as high AGI as you want>
  743.  
  744. (Eg. A Bard with maxed Whistle and Musical Lesson, with 100 AGI, would buff
  745. for ASPD +35%)
  746.  
  747. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives an ASPD upgrade.
  748. Does not work with Two-Hand Quicken, Spear Quicken, Adrenaline Rush, and bows,
  749. but does work with ASPD potions.
  750.  
  751. That leaves out AGI Knights, AGI Crusaders, all Blacksmiths and all Hunters.
  752. But wait, we still have Assassins, Rogues, Hybrid Spear Knights and Combo
  753. Monks to buff, and boy will they love you for this. Especially good for
  754. Emperium breaking, buff those Sins and destroy those Emperiums faster. Also
  755. good in monster-hunting/levelling.
  756. My rating: ****
  757.  
  758.  
  759. ___________________________________________
  760. 09a) A Poem of Bragi / Magic Strings (Song)
  761. Requirements: Dissonance 3
  762. Requirement for: Invulnerable Siegfried (10)
  763. Duration: 180s
  764. SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds
  765.  
  766. Lvl 1: Casting time and after-cast delay -3% each, 40 SP
  767. Lvl 2: Casting time and after-cast delay -6% each, 45 SP
  768. Lvl 3: Casting time and after-cast delay -9% each, 50 SP
  769. Lvl 4: Casting time and after-cast delay -12% each, 55 SP
  770. Lvl 5: Casting time and after-cast delay -15% each, 60 SP
  771. Lvl 6: Casting time and after-cast delay -18% each, 65 SP
  772. Lvl 7: Casting time and after-cast delay -21% each, 70 SP
  773. Lvl 8: Casting time and after-cast delay -24% each, 75 SP
  774. Lvl 9: Casting time and after-cast delay -27% each, 80 SP
  775. Lvl 10: Casting time and after-cast delay -30% each, 85 SP
  776.  
  777. Musical Lesson lvl 1: Additional casting time and after-cast delay -1% each
  778. Musical Lesson lvl 2: Additional casting time and after-cast delay -2% each
  779.    <...and so on...>
  780. Musical Lesson lvl 10: Additional casting time and after-cast delay -10% each
  781.  
  782. If your DEX is 10: Additional casting time -1%
  783. If your DEX is 20: Additional casting time -2%
  784.    <...and so on...for as high DEX as you want>
  785.  
  786. If your INT is 10: Additional after-cast delay -1%
  787. If your INT is 20: Additional after-cast delay -2%
  788.    <...and so on...for as high INT as you want>
  789.  
  790. (Eg. A Bard with maxed Poem and Musical Lesson, with 150 DEX and 30 INT, would
  791. buff for casting time -55% and after-cast delay -43%)
  792.  
  793. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person can cast faster and enjoys
  794. a reduction in after-cast delay.
  795.  
  796. This is ABSOLUTELY THE BEST Bard skill. Cast time reduction can be stacked
  797. with Suffragium and this is the only skill in the game that reduces after-cast
  798. delay. You're basically helping Wizards (the mass damagers), Priests (the
  799. vital supporters), Spirit Monks (high damagers), and actually anyone else that
  800. spams skills with painful after-cast delays, especially Snipers and Lord
  801. Knights. I declare this an overpowered skill (no complaints though)!
  802. My rating: *****
  803.  
  804.  
  805. _________________________________________
  806. 10a) Apple of Idun / Song of Lutie (Song)
  807. Requirements: Dissonance 3
  808. Requirement for: Sound of a Drum on the Battlefield (10)
  809. Duration: 180s
  810. SP depletion: 1 SP per 6 seconds
  811.  
  812. Lvl 1: HP regen 35 and max HP +7%, 40 SP
  813. Lvl 2: HP regen 40 and max HP +9%, 45 SP
  814. Lvl 3: HP regen 45 and max HP +11%, 50 SP
  815. Lvl 4: HP regen 50 and max HP +13%, 55 SP
  816. Lvl 5: HP regen 55 and max HP +15%, 60 SP
  817. Lvl 6: HP regen 60 and max HP +17%, 65 SP
  818. Lvl 7: HP regen 65 and max HP +19%, 70 SP
  819. Lvl 8: HP regen 70 and max HP +21%, 75 SP
  820. Lvl 9: HP regen 75 and max HP +23%, 80 SP
  821. Lvl 10: HP regen 80 and max HP +25%, 85 SP
  822.  
  823. Musical Lesson lvl 1: Additional HP regen 5 and max HP +1%
  824. Musical Lesson lvl 2: Additional HP regen 10 and max HP +2%
  825. Musical Lesson lvl 3: Additional HP regen 15 and max HP +3%
  826. Musical Lesson lvl 4: Additional HP regen 20 and max HP +4%
  827.    <...and so on...>
  828. Musical Lesson lvl 10: Additional HP regen 50 and max HP +10%
  829.  
  830. If your VIT is 10: Additional HP regen 5 and max HP +1%
  831. If your VIT is 20: Additional HP regen 10 and max HP +2%
  832. If your VIT is 30: Additional HP regen 15 and max HP +3%
  833. If your VIT is 40: Additional HP regen 20 and max HP +4%
  834.    <...and so on...for as high VIT as you want>
  835.  
  836. (Eg. A Bard with maxed Apple and Musical Lesson, with 70 VIT, would buff for
  837. HP regen 165 and max HP +42%)
  838.  
  839. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person has some HP regen and an
  840. increase in max HP.
  841.  
  842. The most often-played song in towns and thus the most famous. Its HP recovery
  843. is crap honestly, go for the max HP upgrade, a 30% to 40% HP increase is
  844. enough to make Knights and Crusaders want to kiss you. Great for tanking MVPs
  845. and shockingly good for storming into the WOE pre-casts.
  846. My rating: ****
  847.  
  848.  
  849. -------------
  850. Dancer Skills
  851. -------------
  852.  
  853. _____________________________
  854. 03b) Dancing Lesson (Passive)
  855.  
  856. Description: Same as Musical Lesson, except that it affects whip damage and
  857. Dancer skills.
  858.  
  859.  
  860. _________________________________________
  861. 04b) Slinging Arrow (Single Enemy Ranged)
  862.  
  863. Description: Same as Melody Strike, except that it applies to whips.
  864.  
  865.  
  866. ______________________________
  867. 05b) Scream / Dazzler (Active)
  868. Requirements: Encore 1
  869. Requirement for: None
  870. Cast time: None
  871. Cast delay: 3 sec
  872. SP cost: 8
  873.  
  874. Lvl 1: Stuns with 30% chance
  875. Lvl 2: Stuns with 35% chance
  876.    <...and so on...>
  877. Lvl 5: Stuns with 50% chance   
  878.  
  879. Description: Tries to stun your enemies on the WHOLE screen. Has a low chance
  880. of stunning your own party members / guild members in WOE. In some servers
  881. namely iRO, guild members and allies in sieges OUTSIDE your party can never
  882. be frozen.
  883.  
  884. It's best to use this when your party/guild members in WOE are high VIT.
  885. This is a killer move, a lot of people go "WTF !@#$%^&" when they realize
  886. the enemy has a Screaming Dancer; it's known to be great for castle-storming.
  887. Unlike the Bard's Frost Joker, stun cannot be prevented by equipment
  888. (except for the Orc Hero card), but it can be reduced by VIT and most WOE
  889. players have respectable VIT. Did you know that Scream quotes are really
  890. funny? "I'm pregnant with your child!!!" o.O
  891. My rating: ****
  892.  
  893.  
  894. ____________________________________
  895. 06b) Ugly Dance / Hip Shaker (Dance)
  896. Requirements: Adaptation 1 and Dancing Lesson 1
  897. Requirement for: Humming (3), Forget (3), Fortune (3) and Service (3)
  898. Duration: 30s
  899. SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds
  900.  
  901. Lvl 1: 8 SP damage, 23 SP
  902. Lvl 2: 14 SP damage, 26 SP
  903. Lvl 3: 20 SP damage, 29 SP
  904. Lvl 4: 26 SP damage, 32 SP
  905. Lvl 5: 32 SP damage, 35 SP
  906.  
  907. Dancing Lesson lvl 1: Additional 6 damage
  908. Dancing Lesson lvl 2: Additional 7 damage
  909. Dancing Lesson lvl 3: Additional 8 damage
  910.    <...and so on...>
  911. Dancing Lesson lvl 10: Additional 15 damage
  912.  
  913. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, any enemy receives SP damage of 8
  914. every 3 seconds. The damage increases with skill level.
  915.  
  916. <I do not have a Dancer, but AxiaDrake states that this skill is good in WOE.
  917. Especially when the enemy does not know what the skill does. Muahaha>
  918.  
  919.  
  920. ___________________________________
  921. 07b) Humming / Focus Ballet (Dance)
  922. Requirements: Ugly Dance 3
  923. Requirement for: Lullaby (10)
  924. Duration: 60s
  925. SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds
  926.  
  927. Lvl 1: Hit +2, 22 SP
  928. Lvl 2: Hit +4, 24 SP
  929. Lvl 3: Hit +6, 26 SP
  930. Lvl 4: Hit +8, 28 SP
  931. Lvl 5: Hit +10, 30 SP
  932. Lvl 6: Hit +12, 32 SP
  933. Lvl 7: Hit +14, 34 SP
  934. Lvl 8: Hit +16, 36 SP
  935. Lvl 9: Hit +18, 38 SP
  936. Lvl 10: Hit +20, 40 SP
  937.  
  938. Dancing Lesson lvl 1: Additional Hit +2
  939. Dancing Lesson lvl 2: Additional Hit +4
  940.    <...and so on...>
  941. Dancing Lesson lvl 10: Additional Hit +20
  942.  
  943. If your DEX is 10: Additional Hit +1
  944. If your DEX is 20: Additional Hit +2
  945.    <...and so on...for as high DEX as you want>
  946.  
  947. (Eg. A Dancer with maxed Humming and Dancing Lesson, with 150 DEX, would buff
  948. for Hit +55)
  949.  
  950. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives a Hit upgrade.
  951.  
  952. It seems leet. +40 or +50 Hit is not a joke. Low Hit has always plagued many
  953. melee classes in MVPing, and here's your chance to get your melee friends to
  954. score the MVP for Mistress, Knight of Windstorm, Dark Lord, and other high
  955. Flee bosses. My experienced Dancer friends, however, tell me that this skill
  956. has no use, so I'll use their rating instead of my purely theoretical
  957. assessment.
  958. Friends' rating: **
  959.  
  960.  
  961. _______________________________________
  962. 08b) Forget Me Not / Slow Grace (Dance)
  963. Requirements: Ugly Dance 3
  964. Requirement for: Loki's Wail (10)
  965. Duration: 180s
  966. SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds
  967.  
  968. Lvl 1: ASPD -3% and movement speed -2%, 28 SP
  969. Lvl 2: ASPD -6% and movement speed -4%, 31 SP
  970. Lvl 3: ASPD -9% and movement speed -6%, 34 SP
  971. Lvl 4: ASPD -12% and movement speed -8%, 37 SP
  972. Lvl 5: ASPD -15% and movement speed -10%, 40 SP
  973. Lvl 6: ASPD -18% and movement speed -12%, 43 SP
  974. Lvl 7: ASPD -21% and movement speed -14%, 46 SP
  975. Lvl 8: ASPD -24% and movement speed -16%, 49 SP
  976. Lvl 9: ASPD -27% and movement speed -18%, 52 SP
  977. Lvl 10: ASPD -30% and movement speed -20%, 55 SP
  978.  
  979. <The effect of Dancing Lesson is currently unknown>
  980. <DEX improves ASPD reduction but its exact effect is unknown>
  981. <AGI improves movement speed reduction but its exact effect is unknown>
  982.  
  983. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person suffers a reduction in
  984. ASPD and movement speed. 
  985.  
  986. Experienced Dancers absolutely recommend this dance. In solo PVP, awesome.
  987. In WOE, even more awesome. Place the Dancer at strategic points, and
  988. unsuspecting enemies get to suffer an ASPD and movement delay for a fat 20
  989. seconds. Or dance next to your own Emperium, and the enemy Sins/Knights would
  990. just have a terrible time trying to crack the Emp.
  991. Friends' rating: *****
  992.  
  993.  
  994. _______________________________________
  995. 09b) Fortune's Kiss / Lady Luck (Dance)
  996. Requirements: Ugly Dance 3
  997. Requirement for: Invulnerable Siegfried (10)
  998. Duration: 120s
  999. SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds
  1000.  
  1001. Lvl 1: Crit +11, 43 SP
  1002. Lvl 2: Crit +12, 46 SP
  1003. Lvl 3: Crit +13, 49 SP
  1004. Lvl 4: Crit +14, 52 SP
  1005. Lvl 5: Crit +15, 55 SP
  1006. Lvl 6: Crit +16, 58 SP
  1007. Lvl 7: Crit +17, 61 SP
  1008. Lvl 8: Crit +18, 64 SP
  1009. Lvl 9: Crit +19, 67 SP
  1010. Lvl 10: Crit +20, 70 SP
  1011.  
  1012. Dancing Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional Crit +1
  1013. Dancing Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional Crit +2
  1014. Dancing Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional Crit +3
  1015. Dancing Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional Crit +4
  1016. Dancing Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional Crit +5
  1017.  
  1018. If your LUK is 10: Additional Crit +1
  1019. If your LUK is 20: Additional Crit +2
  1020.    <...and so on...for as high LUK as you want>
  1021.  
  1022. (Eg. A Dancer with maxed Fortune's Kiss and Dancing Lesson, with 10 LUK,
  1023. would buff for Crit +26)
  1024.  
  1025. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person receives a Crit upgrade.
  1026.  
  1027. Popular use for supporting Emperium breaking. Dancers are truly friends of
  1028. the Emperium - allied or enemy's.
  1029. Friends' rating: ****
  1030.  
  1031.  
  1032. ___________________________________________
  1033. 10b) Service For You / Gypsy's Kiss (Dance)
  1034. Requirements: Ugly Dance 3
  1035. Requirement for: Sound of a Drum on the Battlefield (10)
  1036. Duration: 180s
  1037. SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds
  1038.  
  1039. Lvl 1: SP cost -13% and max SP +11%, 40 SP
  1040. Lvl 2: SP cost -16% and max SP +12%, 45 SP
  1041. Lvl 3: SP cost -19% and max SP +13%, 50 SP
  1042. Lvl 4: SP cost -22% and max SP +14%, 55 SP
  1043. Lvl 5: SP cost -25% and max SP +15%, 60 SP
  1044. Lvl 6: SP cost -26% and max SP +16%, 65 SP
  1045. Lvl 7: SP cost -31% and max SP +17%, 70 SP
  1046. Lvl 8: SP cost -34% and max SP +18%, 75 SP
  1047. Lvl 9: SP cost -37% and max SP +19%, 80 SP
  1048. Lvl 10: SP cost -40% and max SP +20%, 85 SP
  1049.  
  1050. Dancing Lesson lvl 1 and 2: Additional SP cost -1% and +unknown max SP
  1051. Dancing Lesson lvl 3 and 4: Additional SP cost -2% and +unknown max SP
  1052. Dancing Lesson lvl 5 and 6: Additional SP cost -3% and +unknown max SP
  1053. Dancing Lesson lvl 7 and 8: Additional SP cost -4% and +unknown max SP
  1054. Dancing Lesson lvl 9 and 10: Additional SP cost -5% and +unknown max SP
  1055.  
  1056. If your INT is 10: Additional SP cost -1% and +unknown max SP
  1057. If your INT is 20: Additional SP cost -2% and +unknown max SP
  1058.    <...and so on...for as high INT as you want>
  1059.  
  1060. (Eg. A Dancer with maxed Service For You and Dancing Lesson, with 30 INT,
  1061. would buff for SP cost -55% and max SP +unknown)
  1062.  
  1063. Description: In the 7x7 area of effect, the person gets to use less SP for
  1064. skills and an increase in max SP. Affects party members only?
  1065.  
  1066. Its SP cost reduction is good for levelling parties and potting alchemists,
  1067. while its max SP upgrade is awesome for Asura Monks. Niroku says it's great
  1068. in guild dungeons.
  1069. Friends' rating: *****
  1070.  
  1071.  
  1072. -----
  1073. Duets
  1074. -----
  1075.  
  1076. Note: Notice how they screwed the iRO names. Thank God I don't play that.
  1077.  
  1078.  
  1079. ___________
  1080. 11) Lullaby
  1081. Requirements: A Whistle 10 / Humming 10
  1082. Requirement for: Into the Abyss (1)
  1083. Duration: 60s
  1084. SP cost: 20
  1085. SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds
  1086.  
  1087. Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, makes everyone go to sleep. INT improves
  1088. sleep chances. 
  1089.  
  1090. Future patch: Greatly improves sleep chances.
  1091.  
  1092. No no no, this sucks. Monsters in PVM have high sleep resistance with INT,
  1093. sleep chance isn't high, and wouldn't you be better off using Frost AND
  1094. Scream at the same time, dealing Freeze and Stun to the whole screen. You
  1095. might want to get this for Into the Abyss, but that sucks too.
  1096. My rating: *
  1097.  
  1098.  
  1099. ________________________________
  1100. 12) Into the Abyss / Power Chord
  1101. Requirements: Lullaby 1
  1102. Requirement for: None
  1103. Duration: 60s
  1104. SP cost: 10
  1105. SP depletion: 1 SP per 5 seconds
  1106.  
  1107. Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, skills no longer require gemstones or traps.
  1108. Works only for party members.
  1109.  
  1110. Is very popular for Abracadabra parties. But with an eventual nerf,
  1111. Abracadabra will always require at least one gem, and the chance of MVP-
  1112. summoning in Abra has been drastically lowered. Since its prerequisite Bard
  1113. skill A Whistle is useless, it's screwed up a lot of Bards. Luckily the
  1114. Dancer's Humming is decent. Anyway, with this nerf, there isn't any reason
  1115. why you would want to get this. Gems and trap costs are not your priority in
  1116. critical MVP and WOE situations, and in PVM other skills totally trash it
  1117. flat.
  1118. My rating: *1/2
  1119.  
  1120.  
  1121. _________________________________
  1122. 13) Loki's Wail / Classical Pluck
  1123. Requirements: Assassin Cross of Sunset 10 / Forget Me Not 10
  1124. Requirement for: Eternal Chaos (1)
  1125. Duration: 60s
  1126. SP cost: 15
  1127. SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds
  1128.  
  1129. Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, all players cannot use any skills, including
  1130. the partner who's unable to cast Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow / Adaptation.
  1131. Only the caster can Adapt the duet.
  1132.  
  1133. IMHO the best duet! Get your partner near the portal in a pre-cast room, and
  1134. get your guildmates to stand further away while barraging the portal with all
  1135. sorts of skills and spells. Priests can't heal, Monks can't Asura, Bards can't
  1136. freeze, Dancers can't stun, Blacksmiths can't Mammo, Knights can't Pierce,
  1137. Crusaders can't GC... you get the idea. Thumbs-up!
  1138. My rating: ****
  1139.  
  1140.  
  1141. ______________________________
  1142. 14) Eternal Chaos / Down Tempo
  1143. Requirements: Loki's Wail 1
  1144. Requirement for: None
  1145. Duration: 60s
  1146. SP cost: 30
  1147. SP depletion: 1 SP per 4 seconds
  1148.  
  1149. Lvl 1: In the 9x9 area of effect, all players get 0 VIT DEF.
  1150.  
  1151. Future patch: Only affects your enemies.
  1152.  
  1153. No it doesn't reduce Armour DEF. Only VIT DEF. No one knows any good tactic
  1154. for this yet.
  1155. Friends' rating: *1/2
  1156.  
  1157.  
  1158. ____________________________________________
  1159. 15) Invulnerable Siegfried / Acoustic Rhythm
  1160. Requirements: A Poem of Bragi 10 / Fortune's Kiss 10
  1161. Requirement for: Mr Kim a Rich Man (3)
  1162. Duration: 60s
  1163. SP cost: 20
  1164. SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds
  1165.  
  1166. <Has 5 levels but the effectiveness at the 1st four levels are not known>
  1167. Lvl 5: In the 9x9 area of effect, party mates gain 60% resistance at all
  1168. elements and 50% resistance to status changes.
  1169.  
  1170. Future patch: The elemental resistance at lvl 5 is upgraded to 80%.
  1171.  
  1172. It's received a MAJOR buff. It sounds awesome in MVP and WOE! But my friends
  1173. who've experienced it say that it doesn't work really that well, so I'll use
  1174. their rating instead of my theoretical judgement since I've never even seen
  1175. it in action.
  1176. Friends' rating: ***
  1177.  
  1178.  
  1179. ______________________________________
  1180. 16) Mr Kim a Rich Man / Mental Sensing
  1181. Requirements: Invulnerable Siegfried (3)
  1182. Requirement for: None
  1183. Duration: 60s
  1184. SP cost: 20
  1185. SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds
  1186.  
  1187. Lvl 1: Increases EXP gain by 136%
  1188. Lvl 2: Increases EXP gain by 147%
  1189. Lvl 3: Increases EXP gain by 158%
  1190. Lvl 4: Increases EXP gain by 169%
  1191. Lvl 5: Increases EXP gain by 180%
  1192.  
  1193. Description: For any monsters killed within the 9x9 area of effect, the EXP
  1194. gained is increased.
  1195.  
  1196. The only thing I like about this duet is its name. Even its iRO name got
  1197. screwed. It's only useful for levelling, and what do you do when you level?
  1198. You move around actively, looking for more monsters. Duets root the poor Bard
  1199. and Dancer to one miserable spot. Sure you can get the party mates to lure the
  1200. monsters into the duet area, but how efficient is that? While we are talking
  1201. about efficiency, levelling is all about efficient EXP gain per unit time per
  1202. party member, and adding a Bard and a Dancer just to use this skill is a huge
  1203. waste of party space. And everyone knows that the most efficient levelling
  1204. parties in RO are the two-man Priest + Wizard/Hunter parties. The only saving
  1205. grace is using this skill on Abracadabra'd MVPs.
  1206. My rating: **
  1207.  
  1208.  
  1209. _____________________________________________________
  1210. 17) Sound of a Drum on the Battlefield / Battle Theme
  1211. Requirements: Apple of Idun 10 / Service For You 10
  1212. Requirement for: Ring of Nibelungun (3)
  1213. Duration: 60s
  1214. SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds
  1215.  
  1216. Lvl 1: ATK +50 and DEF +4, 40 SP
  1217. Lvl 2: ATK +75 and DEF +6, 45 SP
  1218. Lvl 3: ATK +100 and DEF +8, 50 SP
  1219. Lvl 4: ATK +125 and DEF +10, 55 SP
  1220. Lvl 5: ATK +150 and DEF +12, 60 SP
  1221.  
  1222. Description: In the 9x9 area of effect, party members get ATK and DEF
  1223. upgrades
  1224.  
  1225. Looks decent. Wish I was able to test it out though. Anyway, while it does
  1226. look good, a Bard singing his own song and a Dancer dancing her own dance
  1227. usually result in better effects.
  1228. My rating: **
  1229.  
  1230.  
  1231. ______________________________________
  1232. 18) Ring of Nibelungen / Harmonic Lick
  1233. Requirements: Sound of a Drum on the Battlefield 3
  1234. Requirement for: None
  1235. Duration: 60s
  1236. SP depletion: 1 SP per 3 seconds
  1237.  
  1238. Lvl 1: ATK +150, 40 SP
  1239. Lvl 2: ATK +200, 45 SP
  1240. Lvl 3: ATK +250, 50 SP
  1241. Lvl 4: ATK +300, 55 SP
  1242. Lvl 5: ATK +350, 60 SP
  1243.  
  1244. Description: In the 9x9 area of effect, party members wielding Lvl 3 and 4
  1245. weapons get an ATK upgrade.
  1246.  
  1247. Future patch: Only works for Lvl 4 weapons, but makes the damage DEF-ignoring.
  1248.  
  1249. IMHO better than Battlefield. +350 ATK is huge! But again, a Bard and a Dancer
  1250. doing their own solo stuff usually results in better cumulative buffs. Plus
  1251. the eventual constraint to Lvl 4 weapons is a major, major nerf. There are
  1252. still very few situations a Lvl 4 weapon is better than a properly-carded or
  1253. elemental weapon, except for the Infiltrator.
  1254. My rating: **
  1255.  
  1256.  
  1257.  
  1258. COMMENTS: Duets generally sound good on paper but they are highly flawed. You
  1259. absolutely need a partner all the time who shares the same skills. Both of you
  1260. can't move. The skill effects disappear immediately when your party members
  1261. step out of the area of effect. And most importantly, it would be better for a
  1262. Bard and a Dancer in the same party but performing their own skills. Think
  1263. twice before you get a duet, because it takes a lot just to use it. The only
  1264. duet I see of practical use is Loki's Wail in siege defence. 
  1265.  
  1266.  
  1267.  
  1268. ======
  1269. BUILDS
  1270. ======
  1271.  
  1272. A Bard/Dancer is not optimal at being a support-only character. Our skills
  1273. have a lot of restrictions and are hardly as indispensible as the Priests'.
  1274. Neither are we good damagers; we are basically Hunters with less HP, slower
  1275. ASPD, no traps and no falcon. However, we specialize in support PLUS damage.
  1276.  
  1277. Our Archer background, bonus stats and equippable armour give us plenty of
  1278. opportunities to reach sky-high DEX and damage, so don't miss them. With the
  1279. skills Melody Strike and Slinging Arrow, you're able to deal huge damage AS
  1280. WELL AS sing/dance your hearts out. Hence the paramount importance of DEX in
  1281. your build.
  1282.  
  1283. As you know your different stats help you in your skills, so you should also
  1284. factor them in deciding your stat build.
  1285.  
  1286. Note that the following builds here are written without much thought. I hate
  1287. the idea of standard builds, and unlike Wizards and Priests, Bards and Dancers
  1288. have a lot to factor in the creation of a build. But there WILL still be
  1289. people too lazy to think of one themselves. Thus I've as lazily created builds
  1290. for these people.
  1291.  
  1292. For you unlazy ones, the best way to create your own build is to understand
  1293. the benefits of each stat, the uses of each skill, and combine your tastes
  1294. with the experienced players' recommendations to make a Bard or Dancer with
  1295. the stats and skills you really want.
  1296.  
  1297. General stat guidelines:
  1298. DEX - Get it very high or max. Otherwise, don't complain if you regret your
  1299.       build forever.
  1300. VIT - Higher for PVP and WOE and even MVP, but don't overdo it. Extremely high
  1301.       VIT is useless.
  1302. AGI - Good for PVM, MVP and levelling, but don't overdo it either. Sky-high
  1303.       AGI ruins your build even worse than high VIT.
  1304. INT - A convenience stat, you can leave it at 9, or push it to a max of 30.
  1305. STR - Get it above 1 only if you want a sub-optimal character.
  1306. LUK - Get it above 1 only if you want a sub-optimal character.
  1307.  
  1308. General skill guidelines:
  1309. Adapt, Encore and Dissonance/Ugly 3 should be in all builds.
  1310. Musical/Dancing Lesson should be put at 10, or 9 if necessary.
  1311. Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow is -highly- recommended in any build.
  1312. Frost/Scream is for WOE.
  1313. Loki's Wail is for WOE; other duets are, for now, not worth the points.
  1314. Solo songs/dances - Choose at your own discretion, keeping in mind who you
  1315. want to buff and bonuses from your stat build. Tip: A Poem of Bragi is a must-
  1316. have for Bards.
  1317.  
  1318.  
  1319. --------------
  1320. The Bad builds
  1321. --------------
  1322.  
  1323. "The Highly Personalized Build"
  1324. 53 STR
  1325. 53 VIT
  1326. 53 AGI
  1327. 53 DEX
  1328. 53 INT
  1329. 53 LUK
  1330.  
  1331. <A melting pot of skills all over the place>
  1332.  
  1333. I've met someone who wanted a stat build like this because he just wants a
  1334. different way of playing. I totally applaud him for trying to be individual,
  1335. but to anyone else reading this, don't do such a thing to any RO build unless
  1336. you are REALLY sure you won't mind a highly ineffective and sub-optimal build.
  1337.  
  1338.  
  1339. ------------------
  1340. The Average builds
  1341. ------------------
  1342.  
  1343. "The Slave Build"
  1344. <Your stats won't even matter, because you wouldn't reach 99 and you wouldn't
  1345. care about this character anyway>
  1346.  
  1347. 1 Adaptation
  1348. 1 Encore
  1349. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1350. 10 A Whistle / Humming
  1351. 10 A Poem of Bragi / Fortune's Kiss
  1352. 1 Lullaby
  1353. 1 Loki's Wail
  1354. 3 Invulnerable Siegfried
  1355. 5 Mr Kim a Rich Man
  1356. 14 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>
  1357.  
  1358. The sole purpose of these builds is to slave for Abracadabra parties by
  1359. eliminating gem usage and buffing experience gain. You really don't need to
  1360. read a guide then. I'm just warning you that sooner or later Abracadabra will
  1361. get weakened badly, and such slave builds would hardly get used anymore.
  1362.  
  1363.  
  1364. "The Full-support WOE Bard/Dancer"
  1365. 90 INT
  1366. 90 VIT
  1367. 50 DEX
  1368. 9 AGI
  1369. 1 STR
  1370. 1 LUK
  1371.  
  1372. 1 Adaptation
  1373. 1 Encore
  1374. 5 Frost Joker / Scream
  1375. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1376. 10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
  1377. 10 <Insert any song/dance here>
  1378. 10 <Insert any song/dance here>
  1379. 9 <Insert any song/dance here>
  1380.  
  1381. Fuelled by the desire to be a "Full-Support" character, builds such as these
  1382. have low DEX and practically no AGI because they wish to "just sing songs and
  1383. not bother about damage". Such high INT is useless!! And remember, additional
  1384. damage for the party is a form of support for the party! I originally
  1385. considered this build a "Bad" one but there exists quite a lot of players who
  1386. disagree with me, because "Full-Support" builds have their place in WOE. Where
  1387. ranged attacks are weakened and your DEX-based ranged attacks aren't good
  1388. enough. Since you won't be doing any damage, might as well go for more SP!
  1389.  
  1390. But I still do not condone this build. The VIT is always always great, but the
  1391. INT is not. Refer to Compare and Contrast section to see why I don't agree
  1392. with this build.
  1393.  
  1394.  
  1395. "The DEX/AGI Build"
  1396. 99 DEX
  1397. 99 AGI
  1398. 9 INT
  1399. 1 STR
  1400. 1 VIT
  1401. 1 LUK
  1402.  
  1403. 1 Adaptation
  1404. 1 Encore
  1405. 10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
  1406. 5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
  1407. 5 Frost Joker / Scream
  1408. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1409. 10 <Insert any song/dance here>
  1410. 10 <Insert any song/dance here>
  1411. 4 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>
  1412.  
  1413. A Hunter with slower attacks, no traps, no falcons, the ability to look good,
  1414. sing/dance, and freeze/stun the whole screen. Bards and Dancers like this do
  1415. exist, and they level very fast, but the lack of VIT means you die often in
  1416. WOE/MVP and the lack of INT means you lose SP fast from singing/dancing. For
  1417. your info this was my Bard build so that I could level up quickly for rebirth.
  1418.  
  1419.  
  1420. "The super-pure WOE Build"
  1421. <umm... not sure... just that it's way lower than 90> DEX
  1422. 9 AGI
  1423. 60 INT
  1424. 20 STR
  1425. 80 VIT
  1426. 1 LUK
  1427.  
  1428. 1 Adaptation
  1429. 1 Encore
  1430. 10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
  1431. 1 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
  1432. 5 Frost Joker / Scream
  1433. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1434. 10 Assassin Cross of Sunset / Forget Me Not
  1435. 10 A Poem of Bragi / Service For You
  1436. 1 Loki's Wail
  1437. 7 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>
  1438.  
  1439. I'd say very good in WOE, but very bad for any other situation. The STR is
  1440. good for carrying pots in WOE, but is a huge waste for any other use. The INT
  1441. is great so that you don't need to carry blues (and can carry whites) in WOE,
  1442. but in any other locations, you'll just be having unused SP. DEX isn't very
  1443. important in WOE, but you'll regret having low DEX when you realize that you
  1444. could have interrupted that pre-casting Wizard had you obtained enough DEX to
  1445. make your MS/SA fast enough. This build is used by someone in mRO who sounds
  1446. like he knows what he's doing. It's interested me greatly although I would
  1447. never use it.
  1448.  
  1449.  
  1450. ---------------
  1451. The Good builds
  1452. ---------------
  1453.  
  1454. *****"The WOE Build"*****
  1455. 90 DEX
  1456. 99 VIT
  1457. 30 INT
  1458. 9 AGI
  1459. 1 STR
  1460. 1 LUK
  1461.  
  1462. 1 Amp
  1463. 1 Encore
  1464. 10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
  1465. 5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
  1466. 5 Frost Joker / Scream
  1467. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1468. 10 Assassin Cross of Sunset / Forget Me Not
  1469. 1 Loki's Wail
  1470. 10 A Poem of Bragi / Fortune's Kiss
  1471. 3 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>
  1472.  
  1473. This build is ***in my opinion the exemplary support build***. VIT is great
  1474. for any support situation. This build is, among the viable builds, one of the
  1475. worst for battle and levelling. Bards could replace Assassin Cross with Apple
  1476. of Idun, while for Dancers could replace Fortune's Kiss with Service For You.
  1477.  
  1478.  
  1479. "The MVP Build"
  1480. 99 DEX
  1481. 75 AGI
  1482. 50 VIT
  1483. 25 INT
  1484. 1 STR
  1485. 1 LUK
  1486.  
  1487. 1 Amp
  1488. 1 Encore
  1489. 10 Musical Lesson / Dancing Lesson
  1490. 5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
  1491. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1492. 10 A Poem of Bragi / Humming
  1493. 10 Apple of Idun / Service For You
  1494. 3 Sound of a Drum on the Battlefield
  1495. 5 Ring of Nibelungen
  1496. 1 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>
  1497.  
  1498. In my opinions the skills listed are good for MVP-support. Stats wise, you
  1499. have enough AGI to spam MS/SA at the MVP or the occasional monster approaching
  1500. your Wizard. Pretty good at levelling too.
  1501.  
  1502. Alternative skill build for the MVP Build:
  1503. 1 Amp
  1504. 1 Encore
  1505. 9 Musical / Dancing Lesson
  1506. 5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
  1507. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1508. 10 A Poem of Bragi / Fortune's Kiss
  1509. 10 Apple of Idun / Service For You
  1510. 10 Assassin Cross of Sunset / Humming
  1511.  
  1512.  
  1513. "All-Purpose Build"
  1514. 99 DEX
  1515. 75 AGI
  1516. 50 VIT
  1517. 25 INT
  1518. 1 STR
  1519. 1 LUK
  1520.  
  1521. 1 Amp
  1522. 1 Encore
  1523. 10 Musical / Dancing Lesson
  1524. 5 Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow
  1525. 5 Frost Joker / Scream
  1526. 3 Dissonance / Ugly Dance
  1527. 10 A Poem of Bragi / Service For You
  1528. 10 Assassin Cross of Sunset / Forget Me Not
  1529. 1 Loki's Wail
  1530. 3 <Insert any song/dance/duet here>
  1531.  
  1532. Basically able to accommodate into any situation, plus able to level fast
  1533. enough. My choice, and my Clown right now is following on track (with more
  1534. skills and stats of course).
  1535.  
  1536.  
  1537. ------------------
  1538. The Unknown Builds
  1539. ------------------
  1540.  
  1541. "The Crit Build"
  1542. 90 DEX
  1543. 90 AGI
  1544. 50 LUK
  1545. 9 INT
  1546. 1 STR
  1547. 1 VIT
  1548.  
  1549. <The skills don't matter>
  1550.  
  1551. I previously thought that Bards and Dancers shouldn't Crit since Melody Strike
  1552. / Slinging Arrow cannot Crit. But today we see Crit Knights, Crusaders and
  1553. Smiths. I don't know yet if a Crit build is good or bad, so I'll just classify
  1554. it as "unknown" for now. Crit builds are probably more suitable for Dancers
  1555. since they have Crit-enhancing weapons, and they are better battlers in
  1556. general.
  1557.  
  1558.  
  1559. "The Insta-cast Build"
  1560. 99 DEX (or whatever is enough to get you to a final value of 150)
  1561. 99 INT
  1562. 9 AGI
  1563. 1 STR
  1564. 1 VIT
  1565. 1 LUK
  1566.  
  1567. <The skills don't matter>
  1568.  
  1569. Just a raw idea that's never been put to practice. Future patchs of RO would
  1570. introduce Magic Scrolls, usable items that allow you to cast magic spells, and
  1571. the Electric Guitar which allows Bards (ONLY) to cast Jupitel Thunder lvl 1.
  1572. As Bards / Dancers we reach DEX 150 easily, and imagine the chaos an instant-
  1573. caster can do. I've thought about Electric Guitar Bards. JT has no after-cast
  1574. delay, and now at 150 DEX with no cast time, you can seriously spam JT with no
  1575. end, and with JT's knock-back effect... well just leave it to the imagination.
  1576.  
  1577.  
  1578.  
  1579. Note: Our skills are an all-or-nothing bunch, so if you're unable to max a
  1580. skill or get it to almost maxed, then don't bother getting that skill at all,
  1581. except to entertain your friends in towns and get some attention.
  1582.  
  1583. Comments: For more detailed stat-planning, use the almighty stat calculator 
  1584. http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~magnusrk/calc/
  1585.  
  1586.  
  1587.  
  1588. =========
  1589. EQUIPMENT
  1590. =========
  1591.  
  1592. I'm only listing the equipment you should actually think of obtaining.
  1593.  
  1594. Note: Credits to Akemi's Monk guide found in Emperium/ROE.
  1595.  
  1596. * - You should have these.
  1597.  
  1598.  
  1599. -------
  1600. Weapons
  1601. -------
  1602.  
  1603. Bow:
  1604. - *4S. Composite Bow, when properly carded is the best bow for High DEX (130
  1605.   and above)
  1606. - 3S. Crossbow, cheapest and most versatile
  1607. - 2S. Gakkung, when properly carded is the best bow for Low Dex (below 120)
  1608.  
  1609. Instrument:
  1610. - *4S. Violin, found only from OBBs and maybe OPBs, when properly carded is
  1611.   the best instrument for 150 DEX and above
  1612. - *3S. Lute, dropped by Wicked Nymphs in Gonryun Dungeon 3, when properly
  1613.   carded is the best instrument for 140 DEX and below
  1614. - 2S. Harp, can be obtained from Bard Job Quest. Has a nice +2 INT bonus; when
  1615.   carded great as your starting instrument before you obtain the rare 4S.
  1616.   Violin or the 3S. Lute.
  1617. - Electric Guitar <rare/unavailable yet>, Wind element, +2 INT, +1 AGI,
  1618.   enables Jupitel Thunder lvl 1
  1619.  
  1620. Whip:
  1621. - *4S. Rope, when properly carded is the best whip, plus very frequently-
  1622.   dropped by Dryads
  1623. - 1S. Rante Whip
  1624. - Chemeti, +5% Crit, +10% Flee and +2 Perfect Dodge
  1625. - Lariat Whip, +5 DEX and +1 AGI
  1626. - Rapture Rose <rare/unavailable yet>, 50% chance of inflicting Poison status
  1627.  
  1628. Dagger:
  1629. - *3S. Knife, 40 Weight, the lightest and cheapest dagger a Bard/Dancer can
  1630.   equip. Use it to stop your song/dance without Amping. Sold by your favourite
  1631.   town NPCs.
  1632.  
  1633.  
  1634. --------
  1635. Headgear
  1636. --------
  1637.  
  1638. Any nice headgear to suit your fancy. I'm currently collecting "theme"
  1639. headgears to play around.
  1640.  
  1641. Functional upper headgear:
  1642. - *Apple o' Archer (AOA), 0 DEF and +3 DEX, most popular headgear in the game
  1643. - Posture Hat, 2 DEF and +2 DEX
  1644. - Ghost Bandana (GHB), 0 DEF and +2 AGI
  1645. - Sombrero, 4 DEF and +1 AGI
  1646. - Sea Otter's Hat, 3 DEF and +1 VIT
  1647. - Corsair, 5 DEF and +1 VIT
  1648. - Crown of the Mistress <rare>, 0 DEF, +2 INT and +100 SP
  1649. - Crown <rare>, 4 DEF and +2 INT
  1650. - Tiara <rare>, 4 DEF and +2 INT, for females only
  1651. - Annoyed Raccoon Hat, +20% resistance to sleep status
  1652. - Drooping Cat, 1 DEF, 15 MDEF, and +30% resistance to curse status
  1653. - *Poopoo Hat, 0 DEF and +10% resistance to human attacks, very good in WOE.
  1654. - Fresh Bluish Fish Hat, 2 DEF and +10% damage to fishes
  1655. - 1S. Cap, 4 DEF
  1656.  
  1657. Functional middle headgear:
  1658. - *Binoculars, 1 DEF and +1 DEX, most Archer classes wear this
  1659. - Masquerade, +3% damage to humans
  1660. - Blinker, 0 DEF and immunity to darkness status
  1661. - 1S. Sunglasses <very rare>
  1662.  
  1663. Functional lower headgear:
  1664. - Romantic Leaf, +3% resistance to plant attacks
  1665. - Romantic Flower, +3% resistance to plant attacks
  1666. - Smoking Pipe, +3% resistance to insect attacks
  1667. - Oxygen Mask, +20% resistance to poison status
  1668. - Gangster Mask, +30% resistance to silence status
  1669.  
  1670. Functional mask (middle and lower) headgear:
  1671. - Phantom of the Opera, 2 DEF
  1672. - Alarm Mask, 2 DEF amd +50% resistance to darkness status
  1673.  
  1674. Functional whole-headgear:
  1675. - Munak Turban, +10% resistance to undead attacks
  1676.  
  1677. Note: Most popularly worn are Apple o' Archer, Poopoo Hat, Binoculars,
  1678. Romantic Leaf, Romantic Flower
  1679.  
  1680.  
  1681. -------
  1682. Shields
  1683. -------
  1684.  
  1685. - *1S. Buckler, 4 DEF, we beat Hunters in defence because we can wear a carded
  1686. Buckler, an extreme importance in critical battles.
  1687.  
  1688.  
  1689. ------
  1690. Armour
  1691. ------
  1692.  
  1693. - *1S. Tights, 6 DEF and +1 DEX, a staple for Archer classes
  1694.  
  1695.  
  1696. -----
  1697. Robes
  1698. -----
  1699.  
  1700. - *1S. Muffler, 2 DEF
  1701. - Ragamuffin Cape, 1 DEF and 10 MDEF
  1702.  
  1703.  
  1704. --------
  1705. Footwear
  1706. --------
  1707.  
  1708. - *1S. Boots, 4 DEF
  1709. - Crystal Pumps, 0 DEF, 10 MDEF and +5 LUK
  1710.  
  1711.  
  1712. -----------
  1713. Accessories
  1714. -----------
  1715.  
  1716. - *1S. Clip, +10 max SP
  1717. - Glove, +2 DEX
  1718. - *1S. Glove, +1 DEX, must be at least lvl 90
  1719. - Brooch, +2 AGI
  1720. - 1S. Brooch, +1 AGI, must be at least lvl 90
  1721. - Necklace, +2 VIT
  1722. - Earring, +2 INT
  1723. - Rosary, +2 LUK
  1724. - *1S. Rosary, 3 MDEF and +1 LUK, must be at least lvl 90
  1725. - Safety Ring <rare>, 3 DEF and 3 MDEF
  1726.  
  1727. Note: Most popularly worn are Clip, Glove and S. Glove
  1728.  
  1729.  
  1730.  
  1731. =====
  1732. CARDS
  1733. =====
  1734.  
  1735. Again I'm only listing the cards you should bother ever getting.
  1736.  
  1737. Note: Credits to Akemi's Monk guide found in Emperium/ROE.
  1738.  
  1739. * - You should have these.
  1740.  
  1741.  
  1742. -------
  1743. Weapons
  1744. -------
  1745.  
  1746. Size modifiers:
  1747. - Desert Wolf (Gigantic), +5 damage and +15% damage to small monsters.
  1748. - *Skeleton Worker (Boned), +5 damage and +15% damage to medium monsters. Most
  1749.   monsters in RO are medium.
  1750. - Minorous (Titan), +5 damage and +15% damage to large monsters. Most bosses
  1751.   are large.
  1752.  
  1753. Racial modifiers:
  1754. - *Hydra (Bloody), +20% ATK to humans.
  1755. - Goblin (Clamorous), +20% ATK to brutes.
  1756. - Caramel (Insecticide), +20% ATK to insects.
  1757. - Strouf (Decussate) <very rare>, +20% ATK to demons.
  1758. - Scorpion King (Holy), +20% ATK to undead.
  1759. - Pecopeco Egg (Beholder), +20% ATK to formless.
  1760.  
  1761. Elemental modifiers:
  1762. - Kaho (Underground), +20% ATK to Earth property monsters.
  1763. - Vadon (Flammable), +20% ATK to Fire property monsters.
  1764. - Drainliar (Saharic), +20% ATK to Water property monsters.
  1765. - Mandragora (Windy), +20% ATK to Wind property monsters.
  1766. - Christring (Hallowed), +20% ATK to Dark property monsters.
  1767.  
  1768. The above cards can be combined to form more powerful and specialized
  1769. combinations. Say you're getting a weapon for High Orcs (large, fire, human).
  1770. You could slot in 4 Vadon cards for 180% damage or 4 Hydra cards for similarly
  1771. 180% damage. But when you combine 2 Vadon with 2 Hydra, you get 140% X 140% =
  1772. 196% damage, which beats the purely-carded combos. In my opinion though, these
  1773. weapons are far too specialized (most get these for individual MVPs) and
  1774. expensive, and seeing that Bards/Dancers are not the main damage dealers, I
  1775. recommend going for a collection of general-purpose weapons (myself, I have
  1776. one slotted with Desert Wolf for small monsters, one with Skel Worker for
  1777. medium monsters, one with Minorous for large monsters, and one with a Hydra-
  1778. Skel Worker combination for WOE and PVP).
  1779.  
  1780. Status cards:
  1781. - Snake (Untouchable), +5 ATK and 5% poison chance. Poison is countered by the
  1782.   target's VIT.
  1783. - Metaller (Silence), +5 ATK and 5% silence chance. Silence is countered by
  1784.   the target's VIT.
  1785. - Savage Bebe (Stun), +5 ATK and 5% stun chance. Stun is countered by the
  1786.   target's VIT.
  1787. - Farmiliar (Blink), +5 ATK and 5% blind chance. Blind is countered by the
  1788.   target's INT.
  1789. - Plankton (Drowsy), +5 ATK and 5% sleep chance. Sleep is countered by the
  1790.   target's INT.
  1791. - Marina (Ice), +5 ATK and 5% freeze chance. Frozen is countered by the
  1792.   target's MDEF.
  1793. - Magnolia (Cursing), +5 ATK and 5% curse chance. Curse is countered by the
  1794.   target's LUK.
  1795.  
  1796. The above cards are best used with a 4-slotted Composite Bow in WOE and to 
  1797. strike a group of enemies with Arrow Shower. While Hunters are often allocated
  1798. this role, you might want to be versatile and prepare some of these. Stun and
  1799. silence are the most popular ones.
  1800.  
  1801.  
  1802. Others:
  1803.  
  1804. - Andre (Hurricane), +20 ATK --- This beats the size, racial and elemental
  1805.   modified cards at low DEX levels, thus suitable for early weapons.
  1806.  
  1807. - Mummy (Ancient), +20 Hit --- Even with such high DEX a few monsters, some
  1808.   MVPs, Rogues and Assassins with incredible Flee are hard to hit without
  1809.   Ancient weapons.
  1810.  
  1811. - Phreeoni (Perfect) <super rare>, +100 Hit --- See above. Great, but I'd
  1812.   rather use it on or sell it to a damager character, like a Blacksmith.
  1813.  
  1814. - Fabre (Vital), +1 VIT, +100 HP --- Suitable for situations you know you
  1815.   won't be doing any damage at all.
  1816.  
  1817. - Hunter Fly (Malicious), 3% chance to drain 15% of damage inflicted as HP ---
  1818.   Popular for solo levelling weapons, as the self-healing removes the need for
  1819.   a healer.
  1820.  
  1821. - Abysmal Knight (Liberation) <very rare>, +25% ATK to bosses --- Great, but
  1822.   I'd rather use it on or sell it to an MVP character, like a Hunter.
  1823.  
  1824. - Doppleganger (Berserk) <super rare>, upgrades ASPD --- Great, but I'd rather
  1825.   use it on or sell it to a damager character, like a Hunter.
  1826.  
  1827.  
  1828. --------
  1829. Headgear
  1830. --------
  1831.  
  1832. - Orc Hero (Neutral) <super rare>, +3 VIT and stun immunity.
  1833.  
  1834. Note: The best headgear for Bards/Dancers are the nonslotted ones like Apple
  1835. o' Archer and Poopoo. For WOE you could also consider carded Caps, which many
  1836. other Bards and Dancers prefer.
  1837.  
  1838.  
  1839. -------
  1840. Shields
  1841. -------
  1842.  
  1843. General purpose:
  1844. - Ambernite (Athena), 2 DEF.
  1845. - Andre Egg (Excellent), +5% max HP.
  1846. - Thief Bug Egg (Rigid), +400 max HP.
  1847. - Golden Thief Bug (Deaf) <super rare>, immunity to targeted magic attacks
  1848. (not AoE spells).
  1849. - Maya (Reflect) <super rare>, 30% chance to reflect targeted magic attacks
  1850. (not AoE spells).
  1851.  
  1852. Racial modifiers:
  1853. - *Thara Frog (Cranial), +30% resistance to human attacks.
  1854. - Orc Warrior (Brutal), +30% resistance to brute attacks.
  1855. - Bigfoot (Gargantua), +30% resistance to insect attacks.
  1856. - Khalitzburg (Hell), +30% resistance to demon attacks.
  1857. - Rafflesia (Homer's) <rare>, +30% resistance to fish attacks.
  1858. - Medusa (Plasterous), +15% resistance to demon attacks, stone curse immunity.
  1859. More Wizards today have Stone Curse in their builds and this is the only card
  1860. that confers any resistance to stone curse.
  1861.  
  1862. Note: Highly recommended are: Thief Bug Egg, Thara Frog, Orc Warrior, Bigfoot
  1863. and Khalitzburg.
  1864.  
  1865.  
  1866. ------
  1867. Armour
  1868. ------
  1869.  
  1870. General purpose:
  1871. - Pecopeco (Ares), +10% max HP.
  1872. - *Pupa (Hard), +700 max HP.
  1873. - Rocker (Skilful), +1 DEX.
  1874. - *Marc (Unfrozen), freeze immunity.
  1875.  
  1876. Elemental modifiers:
  1877. - *Dokebi (Zephyrus), 1 DEF and makes armour wind 1 element.
  1878. - Swordfish (Aqua), 1 DEF and makes armour water 1 element.
  1879. - Pasana (Ifrit), 1 DEF and makes armour fire 1 element.
  1880. - Angelring (Holy) <very rare>, makes armour holy 1 element.
  1881. - Ghostring (Ghost) <very rare>, makes armour sense 1 element.
  1882.  
  1883. Note: Highly recommended are: Either Pecopeco or Pupa, Marc, and all the
  1884. elemental modifiers.
  1885.  
  1886.  
  1887. -----
  1888. Robes
  1889. -----
  1890.  
  1891. - *Raydric (Immune), +20% resistance to neutral attacks.
  1892. - *Whisper (Mocking), +20 Flee and +50% damage from sense element attacks.
  1893.  
  1894. - Dustiness (Warmth), +30% resistance to wind attacks.
  1895. - *Marse (Genie's), +30% resistance to water attacks.
  1896. - Jakk (Flameguard), +30% resistance to fire attacks.
  1897. - Hode (Glorious), +30% resistance to earth attacks.
  1898.  
  1899. Notes: Whisper for levelling and monster-hunting for AGI-based Bard/Dancers.
  1900. Anyone else in any other situation, use Raydric. Use the elemental modifiers
  1901. for specific situations like MVPs; Marse is great for storming into
  1902. pre-casting SGs in WOE.
  1903.  
  1904.  
  1905. --------
  1906. Footwear
  1907. --------
  1908.  
  1909. - Matyr (Green), +1 AGI and +10% max HP.
  1910. - Verit (Fledged), +8% max HP and +8% max SP.
  1911. - Sohee (Soul-enchanted), +15% max SP and +3% SP regen.
  1912. - Moonlight Flower (Rushing) <super rare>, increase in movement speed and -2
  1913.   DEX.
  1914.  
  1915. Notes: Highly recommended is Verit. I didn't indent any of them with * because
  1916. it's up to you to choose between Matyr, Verit or Sohee.
  1917.  
  1918.  
  1919. -----------
  1920. Accessories
  1921. -----------
  1922.  
  1923. - *Zerom (Nimble), +3 DEX.
  1924. - Kukre (Athletic), +2 AGI.
  1925. - Spore (???). +2 VIT.
  1926. - *Vitata (Healing), enables Heal lvl 1 skill.
  1927. - *Creamy (Teleport), enables Teleport lvl 1 skill.
  1928. - Smokie (Hiding), enables Hiding lvl 1 skill.
  1929. - Horong (Clairvoyant), enables Sight lvl 1 skill.
  1930.  
  1931. Notes: Highly recommended are Zerom, Vitata and Creamy.
  1932.  
  1933.  
  1934. ---------
  1935. New Cards
  1936. ---------
  1937.  
  1938. kRO Sakray recently introduced over 90 new cards. Details are still sketchy,
  1939. effects are not permanent, and more new cards might be in the works. But just
  1940. as a teaser, here are the cards I feel might be of interest to you. Credits to
  1941. Lune from Emperium.org
  1942.  
  1943. Flying Deleter Card <HP> and Ground Deleter Card <SP>
  1944. To: Armor
  1945. HP/SP will no longer automatically regenerate. Instead, every time you kill a
  1946. monster, you will recover 100 HP/15 SP.
  1947.  
  1948. Ribio Card
  1949. To: Armor
  1950. When you receive a close-range physical damage, you have 10% chance of causing
  1951. Stun ailment to enemies. If your DEX is over 77, then it will be 30% chance.
  1952.  
  1953. Cemetery Ghoul Card
  1954. To: Weapon
  1955. +20% ATK to ghosts.
  1956.  
  1957. Succubus Card
  1958. To: Armor
  1959. Provides VIT - 3, MaxHP + 1000, and -20% penalty to HP natural regeneration
  1960. rate. If the card is used in conjunction with Incubus Card, it will provide
  1961. VIT + 4, and increase HP natural regeneration rate by +30%.
  1962.  
  1963. Incubus Card
  1964. To: Headgear
  1965. Provides INT - 3, MaxSP + 150, and penalizes SP natural regeneration rate by
  1966. -20%. When used in conjunction with Succubus Card, it will be INT + 3, and SP
  1967. natural regeneration rate +30%.
  1968.  
  1969. Penomena Card
  1970. To: Shield
  1971. +30% resistance to formless attacks.
  1972.  
  1973.  
  1974.  
  1975. ======
  1976. ARROWS
  1977. ======
  1978.  
  1979. Bards and Dancers still cannot avoid the issue of arrows. You need them as an
  1980. Archer, and as a Bard/Dancer you still need them irregardless of your weapon
  1981. choice. Double Strafe, Slinging Arrow, Melody Strike and Arrow Vulcan
  1982. (eventually) take the element of your arrows.
  1983.  
  1984. The aforementioned four skills will ONE DAY require the usage of arrows.
  1985. Irritating nerf!
  1986.  
  1987. Currently you can get arrows from three alternative sources: buy, loot or
  1988. create. Below lists the arrows you should get. Note that MS/SA do not consider
  1989. arrow ATK. Henceforth the first four arrows are actually the least useful.
  1990.  
  1991. Arrow, 25 ATK and neutral element
  1992. Iron Arrow, 30 ATK and neutral element
  1993. Steel Arrow, 40 ATK and neutral element
  1994. Oridecon Arrow, 50 ATK and neutral element
  1995.  
  1996. Fire Arrow, 30 ATK and fire element
  1997. Crystal Arrow, 30 ATK and water element
  1998. Arrow of Wind, 30 ATK and wind element
  1999. Stone Arrow, 30 ATK and earth element
  2000. Immaterial Arrow, 30 ATK and sense element
  2001. Rusty Arrow, 30 ATK and poison element
  2002. Silver Arrow, 30 ATK and holy element
  2003. Arrow of Shadow, 30 ATK and dark element
  2004.  
  2005.  
  2006. -------------
  2007. Buying Arrows
  2008. -------------
  2009.  
  2010. Arrows and Iron Arrows can be bought but because they are essentially useless
  2011. I shan't mislead you so.
  2012.  
  2013. Silver Arrows - 3zn (2zn discounted) from all weapon NPCs, Payon tool NPCs and
  2014.                 Sunken Ship.
  2015. Fire Arrows - 3zn (2zn discounted) from Sunken Ship.
  2016.  
  2017. Silver and Fire are the most important arrows because i) they are very easily
  2018. available from NPCs and ii) Earth, Undead and Dark monsters are the most
  2019. populous in the game; these arrows work great for them!
  2020.  
  2021.  
  2022. --------------
  2023. Looting Arrows
  2024. --------------
  2025.  
  2026. Steel Arrow - Orc Archers
  2027. Oridecon Arrow - Goblin Archers
  2028.  
  2029. Fire Arrow - Skeleton Archers, Horong, Gajomart
  2030. Crystal Arrow - Anolians
  2031. Arrow of Wind - Orc Archers
  2032. Stone Arrow - Orc Archers, Sting
  2033. Arrow of Shadow - Wild Rose
  2034.  
  2035. A conscious effort to harvest arrows by looting is never efficient. To collect
  2036. unbuyable arrows, the following is recommended.
  2037.  
  2038.  
  2039. ---------------
  2040. Creating Arrows
  2041. ---------------
  2042.  
  2043. All right I've changed my mind... there are far too many places you can check
  2044. out the Arrow Creation list from (using your Archer quest skill Arrow Create).
  2045. BUT LISTEN! 
  2046.  
  2047. Subsequent to the future arrow usage patch, Gravity decided to improve Arrow
  2048. Creation on several items to make it easier for us to collect elemental
  2049. arrows. Items not listed below receive no changes. Courtesy of Lune.
  2050.  
  2051. * Wind of Verdure: Wind Arrow 50 --> 150 
  2052. * Rough Wind: Wind Arrow 150 --> 450 
  2053. * Matyr's Leash: Wind Arrow 50 --> 150 
  2054. * Red Blood: Fire Arrow 200 --> 600 
  2055. * Flame Heart: Fire Arrow 600 --> 1800 
  2056. * Matchstick: Fire Arrow 1000 --> 3000 
  2057. * Blue Gemstone: Crystal Arrow 10 --> 30 
  2058. * Crystal Blue: Crystal Arrow 50 --> 150 
  2059. * Mystic Frozen: Crystal Arrow 150 --> 450 
  2060. * Helm of Fin: Crystal Arrow 200 --> 600 
  2061. * Teeth of Hatii: Crystal Arrow 100 --> 300 
  2062. * Tooth of Ancient Fish: Crystal Arrow 100 --> 300 
  2063. * Spiky Fin: Crystal Arrow 50 --> 150 
  2064. * Yellow Gemstone: Stone Arrow 100 --> 30 
  2065. * Green Lives: Stone Arrow 50 --> 150 
  2066. * Great Nature: Stone Arrow 150 --> 450 
  2067. * Mole Spike: Stone Arrow 10 --> 30 
  2068. * Nail of a Mole: Stone Arrow 20 --> 60
  2069.  
  2070. Anyway, it is very useful to know that you can split pure elemental ores into
  2071. rough elemental stones with a quest in Umbala.
  2072.  
  2073. It's still too far away from that patch today but half a year later (present
  2074. date of writing 21 Dec 2004) you could start stocking on the correct stuff.
  2075.  
  2076.  
  2077. -------------------------
  2078. Quivers and Status Arrows
  2079. -------------------------
  2080.  
  2081. Status arrows WILL be implemented around the same time as Quivers. Quivers are
  2082. usable items; clicking on them creates a number of arrows (500 I think). These
  2083. are very preliminary details; look out for more in the future.
  2084.  
  2085.  
  2086.  
  2087. ===========
  2088. WALKTHROUGH
  2089. ===========
  2090.  
  2091. OK! Enough of the talk. Now you've decided what to get, how do you go about
  2092. doing it?
  2093.  
  2094.  
  2095. ----------------
  2096. Stat progression
  2097. ----------------
  2098.  
  2099. You ought to start with 1 STR, 9 INT, 1 LUK, 9 AGI, 1 VIT, 9 DEX. No other way
  2100. around this. 
  2101.  
  2102. If you want more AGI than VIT, add DEX first and intersperse with AGI. Get
  2103. both your DEX and AGI to their intended final values first. After that, add
  2104. your INT and VIT. INT is better for levelling while VIT is better for WOE and
  2105. PVP, so I recommend INT first before VIT.
  2106.  
  2107. If you want more VIT than AGI, Add DEX first and intersperse with both VIT and
  2108. AGI. I regret to say I have no experience in levelling such builds, but I'm
  2109. sure to add INT lastly and definitely start with DEX.
  2110.  
  2111.  
  2112. -----------
  2113. Novice Days
  2114. -----------
  2115.  
  2116. Get tanked. Please. But if you are totally new to the game, find a map with
  2117. lots of Wilows and kill them along with the Porings, Lunatics, Fabres.
  2118. Progress to Roda Frogs and so on. Don't touch the Creamies. Pick up all loot
  2119. and sell all to the NPC EXCEPT the Trunks dropped by the Wilows.
  2120.  
  2121.  
  2122. -----------------
  2123. Archer Job Change
  2124. -----------------
  2125.  
  2126. By now you should have enough Trunks. Deposit any Trunks you can find that do
  2127. not have a prefix; these can be sold to other players. Collect your Barren,
  2128. Fine, blablabla Trunks and head to Payon, one map northeast of it is the
  2129. Archer academy/school/institute, and talk to the guy. Voila!
  2130.  
  2131.  
  2132. -----------
  2133. Archer Days
  2134. -----------
  2135.  
  2136. You can consult any Archer/Hunter guide which has more detail. But in a
  2137. summary, common Archer bait are (in order of difficulty) Rockers, Payon
  2138. Dungeon 1, snipe Greatest Generals (one map south and one map east of Payon),
  2139. Hodes, snipe Geographers (2 maps north of Aldebaran), Zenorcs (Orc Dungeon 2),
  2140. hit and run Zombie Prisoners (GH Prison).
  2141.  
  2142. In my opinion the best ever Archer levelling map is the Greatest Generals. You
  2143. can even start levelling there from Archer Job 01. GGs don't move! Elder
  2144. Wilows will annoy you at your lower levels, but if you die from them, you
  2145. could conveniently respawn in the nearby Payon.
  2146.  
  2147. As mentioned, try go aim for Job 50 and get all Archer skills. It's painful
  2148. for now but beneficial in the long run. Only stop at Job 40 or 41 if you are
  2149. 100% sure you don't need Arrow Shower.
  2150.  
  2151.  
  2152. ---------------
  2153. Bard Job Change
  2154. ---------------
  2155.  
  2156. - Prepare ONE of the following: Witherless Rose (sold in east Morroc for 55000
  2157. zeny), Ment, Hinalle, Singing Flower or Illusion flower.
  2158. - Also prepare one Squid Ink, one Sticky Mucus.
  2159. - Optional Items: 60 Trunks of any type: note that a 2S. harp is unavailable
  2160. unless you receive it via this test.
  2161.  
  2162. 60 Trunks				3S. Violin (may be bought?)
  2163. 60 Solid/Barren Trunks			2S. Mandolin (can be bought)
  2164. 60 Fine Trunks 				2S. Lute (can be bought)
  2165. 60 Fine Trunks + job 50 		2S. Harp (unavailable anywhere else)
  2166.  
  2167. - Talk to the Wandering Bard southeast of the Comodo Kapra and give him the
  2168.   flower.
  2169. - He warps you to Lutie the snowing village.
  2170. - Talk to the Snowman to become his friend.
  2171. - Talk to the Girl inside the building in the 1 o¡¯clock direction.
  2172. - Return to the Snowman.
  2173. - Talk to the Man in the 11 o¡¯clock direction.
  2174. - Talk to the Man in the 2 o¡¯clock direction, and give him the Squid Ink and
  2175.   the Sticky Mucus.
  2176. - Talk to the Lady inside the house northwest of the giant Christmas Tree.
  2177. - Return to the Snowman get the salt the Lady requested.
  2178. - Talk to the Clown by the giant Christmas tree.
  2179. - Talk to the little boy and girl in the 3 o¡¯clock direction.
  2180. - Return to the Snowman, who'll give you a gift. In many cases it is 5 Candy.
  2181. - Return to the Wandering Bard. He will ask you to repeat after his song.
  2182. - Once you finish this make your instrument if you gathered the 60 trunks and
  2183.   then change classes. YAY!
  2184.  
  2185.  
  2186. -----------------
  2187. Dancer Job Change
  2188. -----------------
  2189.  
  2190. - Prepare ONE of the following sets of items. The shoe, sandal and boots must
  2191.   be unslotted. 
  2192. 	Sandals, 10 Black Hair, 20 Jellopy, 5 Yellow Potion, 2 Clam Shell 
  2193. 	1 Shoes, 20 Sticky Mucus, 3 Jellopy, 5 Red Potion 
  2194. 	1 Boots , 5 Earthworm Peeling 
  2195.  
  2196. - Talk to the Man next to the Comodo Kapra.
  2197. - He warps you to a Special Dancing Theatre.
  2198. - Talk with one of the NPCs on the left and give her one of the above sets of
  2199.   items.
  2200. - Talk to the NPC on the right for a Q&A. You have to get at least 80% to
  2201.   pass.          
  2202. - Dancing test: Equip a bow and arrows, and listen to the instructions.
  2203.  
  2204. Dancing pattern :
  2205. Back 
  2206. Front 
  2207. Left 
  2208. Right 
  2209. Center 
  2210. Pose 
  2211. Improve Concentration 
  2212. Left 
  2213. Front 
  2214. Right 
  2215. Pose 
  2216. Left, Center, Right, Back (you can cheat by going from Left to Back directly)
  2217. Right 
  2218. Left, Center, Front, Back (you can cheat as above)
  2219. Left, Center, Front, Back (you can cheat as above)
  2220. Front 
  2221. Left 
  2222. Center 
  2223. Arrow Shower/Double Strafe the Poring at the end. Make sure you are on the
  2224.   tile.
  2225.  
  2226. - Return to the NPC who performed the Q&A and change classes. Yay!
  2227. - Whip rewards:
  2228.  
  2229. Job 50		3S. Line 
  2230. Job 40-49 	3S. Rope
  2231.  
  2232.  
  2233. ----------------
  2234. Bard/Dancer Days
  2235. ----------------
  2236.  
  2237. Party levelling: Anywhere your party can handle. But as we know RO isn't
  2238. party-friendly, and you'd probably do a lot of soloing. You've a lot of
  2239. options here. 
  2240.  
  2241. For more details on individual maps, check out the emperium.org monster
  2242. database. It serves you very well.
  2243.  
  2244. Orc Dungeon 2
  2245. Hunted monsters: Zenorcs, Orc Skeletons
  2246. It's one of the best places to level for any build because i) Zenorcs are non-
  2247. aggressive, ii) the monsters spawn like mad, and iii) they drop loot like mad.
  2248. Bring a Skel Worker bow and silver arrows, and you can practically spend more
  2249. than 50% of your time shooting instead of walking. Beware though, Zenorcs and
  2250. Steel Chonchons loot.
  2251.  
  2252. Pyramids 2 or 4
  2253. Hunted monsters: Isis
  2254. Your main target for experience is the sexy Isis. Lvl 2 has Archer Skels and
  2255. Soldier Skels, which drop awesome rares. Lvl 4 is easier to manoeuvre around
  2256. though.
  2257.  
  2258. Glast Heim Prison
  2259. Hunted monsters: Zombie Prisoners, Injustices
  2260. The Priests are your competition for the Prisoners, but they can't healbomb
  2261. the Injustices. You can slaughter both of them! Bring a Skel Worker bow and
  2262. silver arrows. These monsters spawn like mad, and they are quite slow too,
  2263. so VIT builds do quite well here. It tends to get really crowded though. The
  2264. Rybios are not worth your time, and with such high flee requirements, warp
  2265. away when one approaches.
  2266.  
  2267. Glast Heim Sewers 3
  2268. Hunted monsters: Stings
  2269. Stings are really slow, and they drop S. Gloves! Great for VIT builds to shoot
  2270. and run, but AGI builds should choose an even better place they can flee well.
  2271. Bring a Skel Worker or a Beholder bow and fire arrows. I don't like this map
  2272. though because of the annoying Gargoyle shooters.
  2273.  
  2274. Pyramids B1
  2275. Hunted monsters: Minorous
  2276. Minorous are very popular hunting targets for any class. Beware though, you'd
  2277. better have some VIT to resist their Hammerfalls; getting stunned seriously
  2278. stunts your levelling. The Mummies and Verits drop valuable cards, but you
  2279. have to switch bows and perhaps arrows for them, and that's troublesome.
  2280.  
  2281. Gef_dun14 or Clock Tower B2
  2282. Hunted monsters: High Orcs
  2283. Another favourite of any class. Unfortunately it is difficult for us to flee
  2284. the Orc Archers; I choose to warp away if one gets near. Gef_dun14 has Orc
  2285. Ladies and Orc Warriors, while Clock Tower B2 has Brilights and Arclouses.
  2286. The latter map has better experience due to the high spawn rate, but you'd
  2287. need to be higher in level too.
  2288.  
  2289. Turtle Island surface
  2290. Hunted monsters: Spring Rabbits, Dragon Tails
  2291. The famous levelling ground for solo Hunters. The monsters themselves are
  2292. okay, but it's the shockingly good spawn rate that makes it the premier
  2293. levelling map. I'd bring a Skel Worker bow and Fire Arrows; Stone Arrows
  2294. (against Dragon Tails) are too valuable for levelling. Pests are an annoyance,
  2295. Permeters are too troublesome to kill. It's up to you to want to hit the Thara
  2296. Frogs; nice card, but crap exp.
  2297.  
  2298. Niffleheim maps
  2299. I have no experience at all; give these maps a try yourself. But you're warned
  2300. to be at least lvl 90, because the monsters mob hard, and hit hard.
  2301.  
  2302.  
  2303. Once you've reached high levels (Lvl 80+) you are ready to join MVP parties
  2304. and WOE sieges. Enjoy yourself and be on a continual journey to the lvl 99
  2305. aura.
  2306.  
  2307.  
  2308. -------------------
  2309. Rebirth Walkthrough
  2310. -------------------
  2311.  
  2312. Once you reach Lvl 99 you have the option of rebirth into Clowns and Gypsies.
  2313. I will touch the subject further on the guide.
  2314.  
  2315.  
  2316.  
  2317. ==========
  2318. STRATEGIES
  2319. ==========
  2320.  
  2321. ---------------
  2322. Dagger-stopping
  2323. ---------------
  2324.  
  2325. You can always Adapt your song/dance, but you can only do it 5 seconds after
  2326. you started the skill. For a faster response, click a dagger hotkey and voila,
  2327. your song/dance is interrupted and you are once again free to move about.
  2328. Useful when you want to song/dance-switch and when an enemy is trying to enjoy
  2329. your song/dance. Very very useful in situations where your party is moving
  2330. around because you can just sing for a split-second, interrupt it, and move on
  2331. while your party members receive that buff for 20 seconds. Downside to this is
  2332. that now you need two hotkeys instead of one. (Dagger + Instrument versus just
  2333. Adapt alone)
  2334.  
  2335.  
  2336. --------------------
  2337. Song/dance-switching
  2338. --------------------
  2339.  
  2340. This great tactic is usable in any situation. Anyone who walks out of a solo
  2341. song/dance area-of-effect is able to enjoy that song/dance buffs for 20
  2342. seconds. Song/dance-switching basically uses this rule to continuously allow
  2343. more than one buff for the party at the same time.
  2344.  
  2345. First, use skill #1 to buff your friends. Stop the skill with Amp or dagger-
  2346. equipping, and IMMEDIATELY use skill #2. Your friends enjoy both the buffs
  2347. from #1 and #2 now. Now you need to roughly estimate when the #1 buffs will
  2348. disappear, which would be 20 seconds later, and before that happens, stop the
  2349. skill and immediately use #1 again. Stop, then use #2. Repeat the method 20
  2350. seconds later to give your friends two different buffs simultaneously. You can
  2351. extend this to three different buffs if your party needs so.
  2352.  
  2353. Many times you might need to move around while song-switching. Tankers,
  2354. Priests, Skill users, Crit users, and so on benefit from different songs/
  2355. dances, and if they are not clustered together you have to move around a lot
  2356. (kinda like FFXI).
  2357.  
  2358.  
  2359. --------------------------------
  2360. Solo PVM (Player versus Monster)
  2361. --------------------------------
  2362.  
  2363. There isn't any way around it; bows and DS spam are better. Bows have greater
  2364. range, and so what if they are slower, the elemental compatibility plus the
  2365. higher Double Strafe damage modifier gives bows higher damage output. Yes
  2366. instruments/whips allow you to wear a carded Buckler, but you should have
  2367. decided to level somewhere you can Flee well in the first place.
  2368.  
  2369. Do a lot of Double Strafe, you have relatively high SP. When a tough monster
  2370. approaches, try to use the Charge Arrow-Double Strafe tactic.
  2371.  
  2372. Sometimes you might have no choice but to hunt somewhere you can't Flee well,
  2373. like when hunting for rares (eg. when I was hunting for slotted Lutes in
  2374. Gonryun Dungeon 3). I'd suggest you wear an appropriately-carded Buckler, and
  2375. an instrument/whip.
  2376.  
  2377.  
  2378. ---------------------------------
  2379. Party PVM (Player versus Monster)
  2380. ---------------------------------
  2381.  
  2382. With the 20 second rule and the dagger-stopping tactic, singing/dancing no
  2383. longer slows your party down like before. Use skill, equip dagger to stop it,
  2384. equip back your instrument/whip, and move on. Repeat and rinse every 20
  2385. seconds.
  2386.  
  2387. Know your party's strength and what songs/dances benefit each member of the
  2388. party, and make sure to move around while song-switching if you have to.
  2389. It's all about killing effiency; Poem, Sunset, Fortune and Service work well
  2390. in PVM. The other skills don't have much place here.
  2391.  
  2392. Don't be too zealous with your songs and dances. If the party performs better
  2393. with you as an attacker, just do it. Like when you party with another Priest.
  2394. Instead of trying to Poem him again and again, just get that bow out and DS
  2395. those monsters.
  2396.  
  2397. As far as I know the fastest way to level up is to form a party with a Priest
  2398. and spam DS. A Priest would usually say: Nah, you guys are just weaker
  2399. Hunters, I'd rather party with Hunters. You should reply: Hunters cannot DS
  2400. spam without rest, but we can. 
  2401.  
  2402.  
  2403. -----------------------------
  2404. MVPing (Most Valuable Player)
  2405. -----------------------------
  2406.  
  2407. You have a few options.
  2408.  
  2409. - Double Strafe the MVP like a Hunter.
  2410. - Use duets.
  2411. - Sing/dance one skill and that's it.
  2412. - Sing/dance one skill and attack the MVP with Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow.
  2413. - Song/dance-switching between two skills and that's it.
  2414. - Song/dance-switching between two skills whilst using MS/SA.
  2415. - Song/dance-switching between three skills and that's it.
  2416. - Song/dance-switching between three skills whilst using MS/SA.
  2417.  
  2418. What you choose from above depend on your skills and your SP. The last few
  2419. points above can be achieved efficiently only with a Clown or a Gypsy, who
  2420. enjoy more skills and SP. My Clown is doing the last point right now,
  2421. especially with hard MVPs and smaller parties, and I tend to bring a few blues
  2422. just in case. Sometimes DSing like a Hunter is actually viable. When your
  2423. party doesn't need your songs and dances, just DS DS DS. Finally, don't expect
  2424. to get the MVP sign above your head if you're facing inter and intra-party
  2425. competition; we aren't built for that.
  2426.  
  2427. We absolutely cannot solo MVPs the "brave" way; we don't have enough weight
  2428. capacity to carry hundreds of pots, and our damage just isn't good enough for
  2429. your meagre bag of pots to last through or to outbeat competition.
  2430.  
  2431. We [I]can[/I] solo MVPs with the hit-and-run method; think Eddga, Garm and
  2432. Amon Ra, like Hunters (note: this is in theory, I've never tried this before).
  2433.  
  2434. How about MVPing just with you and a Priest? Well it sounds impossible at the
  2435. beginning, but I've come up with a theoretical suggestion for Bards (note:
  2436. Bards, not Dancers. Dancers don't have the necessary skills. And note: this is
  2437. purely in theory. I've never tried this before).
  2438.  
  2439. - Make sure to avoid the crazily hard MVPs like Stormy and Turtle.
  2440. - Make sure the Priest is fully equipped with the correct shield, garment,
  2441. armour.
  2442. - Make sure you are fully equipped with the similarly correct shield, garment,
  2443. armour, and a good instrument.
  2444. - Let the Priest tank. You sing Poem. Under the influence of the song the
  2445. Priest can HEAL himself FASTER.
  2446. - Even better, alternate with Poem and Apple. Your Priest friend can Heal
  2447. himself faster + have more HP to survive instant mega damage attacks.
  2448. - Whack away at the MVP with Melody Strike till he falls.
  2449. - Both of you need to have a lot of SP recovery items!!!
  2450. - You can't get the MVP sign if there is competition from other players, but
  2451. that doesn't mean you and your Priest friends can't pick up the loot.
  2452. - If there is no competition expect to be fighting for a long long time!
  2453.  
  2454.  
  2455. -----------------------------
  2456. PVPing (Player versus Player)
  2457. -----------------------------
  2458.  
  2459. The Battle Bard/Dancer is quite versatile. Pneuma? Use instrument/whip. Safety
  2460. Wall? Use bow. Weapon-stripped? Freeze/stun away. Hidden? Use Improve
  2461. Concentration next to him.
  2462.  
  2463. These strategies apply to 1 versus 1 PVP situations in arenas and sieges. Note
  2464. that Charge Arrow doesn't work in WOE ><
  2465.  
  2466. Forget Me Not (Dancers only)
  2467. - Straightforward enough, any non-magic user would be significantly enfeebled
  2468. with this movement speed and ASPD-reducing skill. While dancing, spam your
  2469. Sling Arrow. If you're a Gypsy and your server has received the 1200% Arrow
  2470. Vulcan patch, stop dancing and for that 20 seconds your enemy is slowed,
  2471. outrun him and keep spamming AV.
  2472.  
  2473. Scream (Dancers only)
  2474. - You better hope the PVP arena is sparsely populated, because bystanders
  2475. certainly do not like being stunned by someone they don't know. A great way to
  2476. incapacitate low-VIT opponents.
  2477.  
  2478. Frost Joker (Bards only)
  2479. - Just like the above, this easily irritates other players outside the duel.
  2480. Unfortunately for you, freeze status disappears the instance you damage him.
  2481. Fortunately for you, you can combine this with I) Jupitel Thunder from
  2482. Electric Guitars, 2) MS with Arrow of Wind for some good damage, and finally
  2483. 3) Arrow Vulcan with Arrow of Wind (Clowns only) for some REALLY GOOD damage
  2484. that potentially beats Soul Breaker and Falcon Assault. This is only after the
  2485. Arrow Vulcan buff. Very unfortunately, players who know what they're doing
  2486. would equip a Marc Armour if facing a Bard.
  2487.  
  2488. Charge Arrow + Double Strafe
  2489. - If you have very good DEX (which all of you should) + sufficient ASPD, this
  2490. tactic is AWESOME. Strange I don't see a lot of people using this. Swordman
  2491. classes and Merchant classes are generally weakest to this tactic, although
  2492. they are the sturdiest characters too. Thief classes can Hide/Cloak/Stalk,
  2493. and Acolyte classes can Pneuma, but both problems can be solved quite easily.
  2494. Mage classes with Phen are quite strong against this tactic. Don't try to do
  2495. this to Hunters because they can easily do the same thing to you with better
  2496. speed.
  2497.  
  2498. Status bows
  2499. - You can pick from a few. Quad Silence/Stun/Curse Comps are useful against
  2500. different people. Stun and Silence do not work well against VIT characters,
  2501. while Curse can be countered by MDEF. **Status attacks ignore Pneuma**. This
  2502. is how you fight against Aco classes.
  2503.  
  2504. Against Pneuma
  2505. - Whack away with your instrument or whip if the opponent is weaker. Or so
  2506. that the Monk can never cast Asura successfully if he isn't Phen-ned.
  2507. - Stay far far far away so that you can reach him with your bow but he can't
  2508. reach you with his Manipulate Spirit Sphere. It becomes a tight battle and you
  2509. have to pull off a good Charge Arrow while he's not within his Pneuma effect.
  2510. - Use status bows that would penetrate the Pneuma.
  2511.  
  2512. Against Hide/Cloak/Chase Walk
  2513. - Frost Joker / Scream freezes/stuns the guy even while he's invisible. Walk
  2514. up next to him and use Improve Concentration, which would unveil his sorry
  2515. butt.
  2516.  
  2517. Against other Bards
  2518. - Wear a Marc!
  2519.  
  2520. Against other Dancers
  2521. - If you don't have a lot of VIT to counter against Scream, things are not
  2522. looking good for you. Get yourselves as far from her as possible to avoid her
  2523. Forget Me Not.
  2524.  
  2525. Against Hunters
  2526. - Don't try to DS spam! He can do it faster, better, and he has more HP.
  2527. Equip a Cranial Buckler, and MS/SA him to death. As mentioned, the enemy's DS
  2528. interrupts your MS/SA animation, allowing you to spam it faster than your ASPD
  2529. would normally allow.
  2530.  
  2531. Against Anyone
  2532. - Bards and Dancers are quite obviously not very good fighters. Even with the
  2533. strategies above don't expect to surely win against equivalent Hunters,
  2534. Assassin Crosses, Professors, Whitesmiths that melt you, Bow Rogues that strip
  2535. you, VIT Priests and Phen Wizards unless you're THAT good. I believe Swordsman
  2536. and Merchant classes, whilst the sturdiest, are beatable if you have enough
  2537. skill... just get yourself as far as possible!
  2538.  
  2539.  
  2540. ------------------------
  2541. WOEing (War of Emperium)
  2542. ------------------------
  2543.  
  2544. What to bring?
  2545. Whites - Understandably so. I take about 40.
  2546. Blues (or other SP recovery items) - I take 5 or so. You don't need to
  2547. continually spam your skills till you run out of SP every five minutes, but if
  2548. you're holding off a major enemy attack and you really need to give it all
  2549. you've got, spam those skills and those blues too.
  2550. Greens - I take 1 or 2. Priests love to Lex Div people.
  2551. Concentration Potions - I take 1 or 2.
  2552.  
  2553. What to wear?
  2554. Headgear - Poopoo for offense is a must. Defense-wise, feel free to choose
  2555.    between Poopoo, AOA, carded Caps, etc.
  2556. Eyegear - I'm ambivalent between Binos and any 2 DEF mask.
  2557. Shield - Cranial Buckler.
  2558. Shoes - Fledged or Green Boots.
  2559. Robe - Immune Muffler.
  2560. Accessory - If you're rich: Safety Rings. Otherwise, Nimble Gloves, Nimble
  2561. Rosaries or Rosaries carded with Spore cards. Consider getting a Hide Clip.
  2562. You shouldn't be the one doing Sight.
  2563. Weapon - Good carded instrument/whip with Hydra cards and if possible, Skel
  2564. Worker cards. Damage isn't really your main focus but hey, it's WOE, you're
  2565. entitled to splurge on good weapons. And a 3S. Knife for dagger-stopping.
  2566.  
  2567. Should you attack / use MS/SA?
  2568. Yes though that's not your priority. Ranged damage is nerfed in WOE. But when
  2569. the situation necessitates it, like when there's a HUGE wave of enemies trying
  2570. to get past your defenses, MS/SA away at the weaker Wizards, Hunters, SAGES
  2571. and Assassins (and definitely enemy Bards and Dancers). MS/SA is also very
  2572. useful to interrupt pre-cast Wizards.
  2573.  
  2574. Are we popular targets?
  2575. Everyone says yes. Many people don't understand what we can do, but most are
  2576. aware that Bards and Dancers aren't good at the DEF and HP department, and
  2577. once they are aware of what our skills can actually do, they'll come after our
  2578. behinds, considering we die easily. Conclusion: Yes, good armour and VIT is
  2579. quite the necessity.
  2580.  
  2581. Defending the castle:
  2582. Bards have it easy: Bragi Poem the Wizards and the Priests, the Snipers, and
  2583. even the GC Cruzes. Get them to stand near you. If they are too busy to notice
  2584. (I like to think of ourselves as the silent supporters), do the moving around
  2585. tactic. 
  2586. I think everyone would appreciate Dancers' Service For You; pre-casting is
  2587. tiring and SP-draining.
  2588. If you have a couple together, wow that's beyond awesome. Get Loki's Wail out.
  2589.  
  2590. STORMING INTO THE CASTLE:
  2591. More interesting than the monotonous pre-casting support.
  2592.  
  2593. Situation 1: The guild is waiting outside an entrance, eg. the Emperium room.
  2594.    The mood is patient and calculated. Bards use Apple of Idun. The Priests
  2595.    will notice that and heal your team mates to the max. Continue this until
  2596.    the guild rushes in. You've just basically given your whole guild a
  2597.    sizeable increase in HP. Just you alone did it!
  2598.  
  2599. Situation 2: The guild is rushing into an entrance; no time for you to sing
  2600.    Apple of Idun and get the Priests to heal to max. Get near the portal
  2601.    before the rest and immediately hit that song/dance hotkey. Everyone who
  2602.    rushes past you would receive that buff for a good 20 seconds inside the
  2603.    room. Good skills: Poem of Bragi (most useful for most characters),
  2604.    Assassin Cross of Sunset, Humming and Fortune's Kiss (useful for the least
  2605.    characters).
  2606.  
  2607. Situation 3: Emperium breaking. Straightforward enough: Assassin Cross and
  2608.    Fortune's Kiss work wonders here.
  2609.  
  2610. Situation 4: Moving around with your guild: Frost Joker or Scream if number of
  2611.    enemies in the room > number of allies.
  2612.  
  2613. Situation 5: For some reason or other you want to stop an enemy in his/her
  2614.    tracks, especially so that he/she won't manage to get into the enemy Emp
  2615.    room; use Arrow Vulcan (Clown/Gypsy).
  2616.  
  2617. WHEN EVERYTHING'S MESSY:
  2618. Bards and Dancers in WOE are best used at controlled situations, like buffing
  2619. the Emperium breakers or the pre-casting Wizards. But what if everything goes
  2620. haywire? Like when the enemies breach your defences. Or when your formation is
  2621. screwed and you're lost in a sea of enemy guild members?
  2622.  
  2623. - Option 1: Frost Joker and Scream. Note though, this move attracts a lot of
  2624.   attention and the enemies will be aiming at your throat immediately.
  2625.  
  2626. - Option 2: Keep singing or dancing. I've learnt that it's ok to let a few
  2627.   enemy guild members enjoy your buffs, because they don't expect it, they
  2628.   don't know what they can do with it, and at such impromptu situations you
  2629.   probably give useless buffs to them. Humming on Hunters, Sunset on spell-
  2630.   casters, Fortune on Priests, Poem on Blacksmiths....you get the idea. In a
  2631.   sea of confusion, locate your correct guild members, get near them and start
  2632.   singing/dancing. You'll get near your allied Wizards and buff them with
  2633.   Poem, but the nearby enemy Hunters and Assassins have no use for it.
  2634.  
  2635. - Option 3: Forget Me Not or Ugly Dance for Dancers. In a big chaos enemies
  2636.   might not notice that YOU are the cause of their slowed walking speed and
  2637.   their slower ASPD or their depleting SP.
  2638.  
  2639. - Option 4: Attack. Your guildmates are far away from one another, singing and
  2640.   dancing is not an option, frosting and stunning might affect your party
  2641.   mates / is ineffective as the enemies are all wearing Marc / have high VIT.
  2642.   Lock a weak enemy and whack away. I feel that MS/SA is a liability since
  2643.   ranged damage is nerfed + with the lag, it's 100% impossible for you to
  2644.   spam. Just whack/whip them melee-style. You might win, you more probably
  2645.   would not, 1 on 1. Yea you might die, but you would have deviated enemy
  2646.   attention. If you REALLY don't want to die...
  2647.  
  2648. - Option 5: Try to avoid everyone and get to wherever you're supposed to be.
  2649.   It's so damn difficult.
  2650.  
  2651.  
  2652.  
  2653. ===============
  2654. CLOWN AND GYPSY
  2655. ===============
  2656.  
  2657. The advanced classes for Bards and Dancers are Clowns and Gypsies.
  2658.  
  2659. The Clown's Job bonuses at Job 70 are:
  2660. STR 8, AGI 12, VIT 2, INT 5, DEX 14, LUK 4
  2661.  
  2662. The Gypsy's Job bonuses are Job 70 are:
  2663. STR 6, AGI 14, VIT 2, INT 5, DEX 16, LUK 2
  2664.  
  2665. Besides the better job bonuses Clowns and Gypsies have many other leet
  2666. additions:
  2667. - About 30% more HP and SP.
  2668. - 20 more skill points (max Job lvl at 70).
  2669. - New sprites (Clowns remind me of Ricky Martin, Gypsies look cooler now)
  2670. - Three new skills:
  2671.  
  2672. ______________________________________
  2673. 01) Arrow Vulcan (Single Enemy Ranged)
  2674. Requirements: Melody Strike 1 / Slinging Arrow 1 and Arrow Shower 5
  2675. Requirement for: None
  2676.  
  2677. Lvl 1: Damage enemy with 200% ATK, 12 SP, 2s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
  2678. Lvl 2: Damage enemy with 240% ATK, 14 SP, 2.2s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
  2679. Lvl 3: Damage enemy with 280% ATK, 16 SP, 2.4s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
  2680. Lvl 4: Damage enemy with 320% ATK, 18 SP, 2.6s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
  2681. Lvl 5: Damage enemy with 360% ATK, 20 SP, 2.8s cast time and 0.8s cast delay
  2682. Lvl 6: Damage enemy with 400% ATK, 22 SP, 3s cast time and 1s cast delay
  2683. Lvl 7: Damage enemy with 440% ATK, 24 SP, 3.2s cast time and 1s cast delay
  2684. Lvl 8: Damage enemy with 480% ATK, 26 SP, 3.4s cast time and 1s cast delay
  2685. Lvl 9: Damage enemy with 520% ATK, 28 SP, 3.6s cast time and 1s cast delay
  2686. Lvl 10: Damage enemy with 560% ATK, 30 SP, 3.8s cast time and 1s cast delay
  2687.  
  2688. Description: Basically hits the enemy with a crazy damage multiplier. Does not
  2689. use up arrows. Must use instrument/whip. Always neutral element. Does not
  2690. consider bonuses from weapon cards. Cannot be used while singing/dancing.
  2691.  
  2692. Future patch: Requires arrows. Considers weapon cards. Considers arrow
  2693. element. Most importantly, damage is upgraded significantly... at level 10 it
  2694. becomes 1200%!
  2695.  
  2696. Really impressive damage multiplier, but it's bad. Refer to above for the
  2697. numerous crippling restrictions that make MS/SA a much better skill than this
  2698. is. The after-cast delay hurts too. But be patient, because after the future
  2699. upgrading patch, this skill would *rock*! It cannot be used while singing/
  2700. dancing, so it is not a MS/SA replacement. This skill is for those moments in
  2701. PVP and WOE where you need to kill that guy NOW. You could also spam Melody
  2702. Strike / Slinging Arrow and finish off with Arrow Vulcan. You could also use
  2703. this to lock an enemy in his tracks for 1 second plus .
  2704. <Rating pending, but I'm really excited about this>
  2705.  
  2706.  
  2707. ____________________________________________
  2708. 02) Marionette Control (Single Ally Support)
  2709. Requirements: Improve Concentration 10 and Musical / Dancing Lesson 5
  2710. Requirement for: None
  2711. SP cost: 100
  2712.  
  2713. Lvl 1: Gives half of your stats to your party member.
  2714.  
  2715. Description: The person must be your party member and must be within 7 cells
  2716. from you; otherwise the skill would interrupt. The target must be within 5
  2717. levels of you. You cannot raise your party member's stat beyond 99. While in
  2718. MC mode you still retain your stats, but you cannot do *anything*. Using MC
  2719. again ends the skill. Cannot be used in WOE.
  2720.  
  2721. Future patch: The person must be your party member and must be within 7 cells
  2722. from you; otherwise the skill would interrupt. There are no level
  2723. restrictions. You cannot raise your party member's stat beyond 99. While in MC
  2724. mode your stats are halved, but you are free to do whatever you want; sing/
  2725. dance. Using MC again ends the skill. *Can* be used in WOE.
  2726.  
  2727. Imagine buffing a Lord Knight; give him 45 DEX, 40 AGI, 35 VIT and 15 INT;
  2728. with this kind of ASPD and Hit rate he'd be a tanker PLUS an awesome damager.
  2729. Or imagine buffing an Assassin Cross if you're VIT; 40 DEX, 45 VIT, 30 AGI and
  2730. 15 INT; no longer does he need to worry about being stunned, and he gets to
  2731. enjoy maxed AGI for more ASPD! But currently, it's quite lame because you are
  2732. immobilized while performing the skill. However, when the future update
  2733. arrives, rejoice. After using MC, buff them even further by singing/dancing
  2734. the skills you already have! Looks very useful in MVP and some WOE situations.
  2735. Could be very cool for forging Blacksmiths, potting Alchemists and Poison
  2736. Creating SinXs.
  2737. <Rating pending>
  2738.  
  2739.  
  2740. ____________________________________________
  2741. 03) Moonlit Water Mill, Falling Petal (Duet)
  2742. Requirements: Improve Concentration 5 and Musical / Dancing Lesson 7
  2743. Requirement for: None
  2744.  
  2745. Lvl 1: 20s duration, 30 SP cost, 4 SP reduced per 10s
  2746. Lvl 2: 25s duration, 40 SP cost, 8 SP reduced per 10s
  2747. Lvl 3: 30s duration, 50 SP cost, 12 SP reduced per 10s
  2748. Lvl 4: 35s duration, 60 SP cost, 16 SP reduced per 10s
  2749. Lvl 5: 40s duration, 70 SP cost, 20 SP reduced per 10s
  2750.  
  2751. Description: Creates a 3x3 area surrounding you and your partner that no
  2752. enemies can enter, but ranged and magic attacks work normally. The skill
  2753. cannot be used if there are already monsters within 3x3 of the couple. Cannot
  2754. be used in WOE in fear of abuse.
  2755.  
  2756. Future patch: 3x3 becomes 7x7.
  2757.  
  2758. Doesn't look very useful even with its buff from 3x3 to 7x7. Can't be used in
  2759. WOE, and duets suck in PVM. Might be good in MVP but depends on whether the
  2760. boss would teleport away if he can't get to you... no one knows right now.
  2761. <Pending rating>
  2762.  
  2763.  
  2764. How to be a Clown/Gypsy? Get your Bard/Dancer to 99/50. Strip him/her of
  2765. EVERYTHING except for 1,285,000 zeny (if you have a wedding ring, it's ok).
  2766. Go to the 11 o'clock building in Juno, and talk to the Librarian. Then the
  2767. book. Then the Librarian again. I forgot the exact procedure, but if you want
  2768. to be safe, talk to the book again. Then go downstairs and meander around a
  2769. pointless maze to reach the Heart of Ymir, and you'll get warped to the
  2770. Valkyrie's Palace who'd grant you your rebirth desire.
  2771.  
  2772. You'll have to level as a High Novice again. Once you get to Job 10, just talk
  2773. to the Archer guildsman in Payon (remember the guy who changed you into an
  2774. Archer long ago?), and you're now a High Archer. Levelling now takes about
  2775. three times the original experience needed.
  2776.  
  2777. Once you reach at least Job 40 as a High Archer (recommended: change at 50!!),
  2778. go back to the book in Juno and you'll get warped to the Valkyrie's Palace
  2779. (don't bother to find the Heart of Ymir). Talk to the Clown or Gypsy (not the
  2780. Valkyrie) and you'll be like him/her immediately.
  2781.  
  2782. Levelling as a Clown/Gypsy is slow with the triple experience requirement. You
  2783. also won't be happy to know that when you reach base lvl 99, you most probably
  2784. would reach only job lvl 65 or 66. So the levelling doesn't end when you get
  2785. the aura now.
  2786.  
  2787. Build-wise, the best step is to probably follow the same build as your
  2788. predecessor Bard/Dancer, but now with 20 more skill points. You can now
  2789. finally get a respectable collection of skills (my Clown would have 3 solos
  2790. and 1 ensemble on top of the typical MS/ML/FJ/Dis/Adp/Encore repertoire, and
  2791. that's not including the new Clown skills). However, while pure Battle Bards/
  2792. Dancers are not feasible, the Battle Clown/Gypsy idea is worth a thought. If
  2793. Arrow Vulcan fulfils its promise, it will serve as an extremely respectable
  2794. damage skill that puts you on par with Snipers. Remember that AV does not
  2795. require AGI. You can build a 99 DEX 99 VIT and 25 INT monster, wear a carded
  2796. Buckler, have much better defense than a non-FA Sniper, and still terrorize
  2797. MVPs and PVP with Arrow Vulcan. Really worth experimenting.
  2798.  
  2799.  
  2800.  
  2801. ====================
  2802. COMPARE AND CONTRAST
  2803. ====================
  2804.  
  2805. ------------------------
  2806. DEX builds vs INT builds
  2807. ------------------------
  2808.  
  2809. It is true that MVP and WOE are the endgames, and our roles here are support.
  2810. Many people opt for INT instead of DEX in their builds, going for the likes of
  2811. 60 to 90 INT, leaving DEX at medium-low figures. I disagree, because very
  2812. simply, INT doesn't add as much value as DEX. Even when you are supporting.
  2813.  
  2814. I recommend even ¡°Full Support¡± Bards/Dancers to be high/max DEX because of
  2815. efficiency both for the individual and for the party/guild. It becomes
  2816. apparent that a Bard/Dancer able to damage + support + survive decently is
  2817. better than one able to support + survive well with no damage ability.
  2818.  
  2819. Melody Strike or Slinging Arrow is a very important skill in our repertoire.
  2820. The fact that we can use it while singing/dancing is perhaps the most
  2821. significant factor in determining Bard/Dancer gameplay. Extra damage is extra
  2822. support. Do not underestimate the damage we can do. We are definitely not the
  2823. strongest, but we pack punch too. At 140 DEX and a +7 Triple Boned Mandolin
  2824. <not a Lute>, I dealed more than 3k on a Mummy alone. If a Hunter can DS one
  2825. at 4k¨C5k, you can realize that the damage we can contribute to the overall
  2826. yield of the party/guild is significant enough. PVP wise, I have bested
  2827. Assassins and Rogues 1-on-1 with Melody Strike. In serious WOE, imagine doing
  2828. that while supporting your Wizards and tankers who are doing their own stuff.
  2829.  
  2830. In MVP, MS/SA can help the party take down the boss faster, distract the enemy
  2831. that's hampering the Priests/Wizards or kill the mobs while the others
  2832. concentrate on the boss. In WOE, MS/SA can help interrupt pre-casters, take
  2833. down Emperium-bound Assassins, break the Freeze status of the enemy so that
  2834. your allied Wizard's SG can hit him 3 more times, or simply take down someone
  2835. faster. All while you are singing/dancing.
  2836.  
  2837. Remember that MS/SA has a cast time. It isn't long, but when you are thinking
  2838. of spamming, distracting or interrupting, that small time difference could
  2839. spell a lot of difference. You could save your friendly Wizard. You could also
  2840. stop that enemy Wizard. A slow-cast MS/SA can't do that. You need DEX.
  2841.  
  2842. With all that, the best use for a Bard/Dancer is still support, not damage.
  2843. But a Bard/Dancer that can damage at the same time would be more useful in
  2844. almost all aspects. When you are killing nuisances, interrupting casters,
  2845. distracting monsters or plainly adding more damage, you are giving awesome
  2846. support already!
  2847.  
  2848. VIT is always always welcomed. That's why I say that DEX/VIT builds are
  2849. monsters of WOE, like any PVP/WOE character anyway. But investing INT in the
  2850. place of DEX is something like giving away 5 oranges for 1 apple in return.
  2851.  
  2852. INT ups SP - we love it. But at high INT like 80 or 90, we would find
  2853. ourselves never running out of SP. The only way to run out of SP at 90 INT is
  2854. when you song-switch between three songs while performing MS, but with low, no
  2855. point even having MS at your hotkey. INT also provides MDEF. But INT MDEF
  2856. reduces damage by points, not by percentage like armour MDEF. It's useful, but
  2857. not that worth it. INT also helps in Poem and Service, but the small benefit
  2858. it accords isn't significant enough to fashion a stat build just for that
  2859. purpose.
  2860.  
  2861. DEX at high levels - good extra damage to help your party, near-instant MS/SA
  2862. to aid your party in various ways. It's a lot of help compared to INT.
  2863.  
  2864. Lastly, let's compare 99 DEX and 30 INT with 99 INT and 30 DEX. The 30 INT in
  2865. the first build is still useful with more SP, magic defence and 3% improvement
  2866. in Bragi's Poem. But the 30 DEX in the latter build is not the least useful
  2867. besides its Hit bonus. MS/SA takes too long to cast for interrupting/
  2868. distracting, and the damage is so low it's not even worth realizing that you
  2869. had an extra 30 Hit.
  2870.  
  2871. To summarize, in my opinion DEX > INT even for support builds. *****The points
  2872. spent in INT could have been spent in DEX for better results.*****
  2873.  
  2874.  
  2875. --------------
  2876. Bard vs Dancer
  2877. --------------
  2878.  
  2879. Bards are better than Dancers in these aspects:
  2880. - Better Job bonuses (high DEX low LUK), Dancers' are opposite.
  2881. - Support skills are universally known to be better (if not much better).
  2882.  
  2883. Dancers are better than Bards in these aspects:
  2884. - Females get to equip a few stuff males can't, but not the other way round.
  2885. - Better at 1-on-1 fights with Slow Grace.
  2886. - Good whips are much easier to get than good instruments.
  2887. - Scream is somewhat better than Frost Joker.
  2888. - Dancers are VERY popular in towns. Everyone wants to see you groove.
  2889.  
  2890. Unfortunately today, Bards are deemed better than Dancers because everyone
  2891. wants to see your support skills.
  2892.  
  2893.  
  2894. ---------------------
  2895. Bard/Dancer vs Priest
  2896. ---------------------
  2897.  
  2898. Bards/Dancers cannot replace FS Priests, and neither are they supposed to. FS
  2899. Priests are ultimate support; Bards/Dancers provide additional support with
  2900. the ability to give additional damage too. While Priest skills like Heal and
  2901. Ress are must-haves, Bard/Dancer skills are nice-to-haves. They make a party
  2902. stronger, but without them the party won't die.
  2903.  
  2904. Bards and Dancers have skills to actually support the Priests, unlike any
  2905. other class, with the Bard's Poem and the Dancer's Service. A Poem of Bragi
  2906. allows a Priest to heal spam at a faster rate, while Service For You prevents
  2907. them from running out of SP.
  2908.  
  2909.  
  2910. ---------------------
  2911. Bard/Dancer vs Hunter
  2912. ---------------------
  2913.  
  2914. There is no answer to the question "which is stronger/better of the two?"
  2915. Hunters and Bard/Dancers occupy totally different niches in the party. Hunters
  2916. concentrate on standing afar from the enemy, targeting the right enemy, and
  2917. switching bows and arrows actively to suit the current target to deal huge and
  2918. efficient damage. Bards/Dancers concentrate on standing close to the Priests,
  2919. Wizards, Monks, tankers and other characters they wish to buff, often having
  2920. to move around the party, switching between songs/dances for the different
  2921. classes, and trying to deal additional damage to the party's targets. Most
  2922. people say Hunters are cheap, well I've never tried one so I have no comments,
  2923. but Bard/Dancers are NOT cheap.
  2924.  
  2925. As friends, Bard/Dancers have nothing much to give Hunters. Bard skills help
  2926. tankers, casters and melee attackers, while Dancers benefit crit attackers,
  2927. low-DEX melee attackers and Asura Monks.
  2928.  
  2929. As foes, Hunters are more likely to win. Bard/Dancers have a few battle
  2930. advantages over Hunters:
  2931. - Can equip a Cranial Buckler.
  2932. - More SP.
  2933.  
  2934. But Hunters have far more advantages.
  2935. - Can reach higher DEX easily.
  2936. - More HP.
  2937. - Faster ASPD with bows.
  2938. - More range.
  2939. - Double Strafe pwns Melody Strike in damage and lack of cast time.
  2940. - Melody Strike / Slinging Arrow with elemental arrows cannot bypass Immune
  2941.   Muffler.
  2942. - Has auto-blitz if we are unlucky.
  2943.  
  2944. Bards and Dancers aren't exactly the best fighters, while Hunters obviously
  2945. are. But here is a nice fact we can make use of. A Hunter's DS would interrupt
  2946. our MS/SA animation, thus allowing us to spam MS/SA faster than our ASPD would
  2947. allow. This little trick definitely helps in keeping up with the opponent
  2948. Hunter's damage.
  2949.  
  2950.  
  2951. ---------------------
  2952. Clown/Gypsy vs Sniper
  2953. ---------------------
  2954.  
  2955. The alternate advanced classes brought a whole new set of dynamics between the
  2956. Clown/Gypsy and the Sniper. Bards/Dancers never had any good skills that are
  2957. of real use to Hunters, but now Snipers can benefit a LOT from Clowns. Snipers
  2958. are known for their killer skills Falcon Assault and Sharpshooting, both
  2959. beating Double Strafe in raw damage, but suffer from really bad after-cast
  2960. delays. What happens when they get engulfed in Bragi's Poem? 42% to 44%
  2961. reduction in after-cast delay --- 40% increase in damage per minute, making
  2962. Snipers an absolute terror with these two skills.
  2963.  
  2964. Duel-wise, Clowns and Gypsies now have a somewhat better chance of
  2965. withstanding Snipers. Arrow Vulcan deals HUGE damage unaffected by ASPD, and
  2966. this allows Clown/Gypsies to allow much more VIT in their build and still deal
  2967. as much attacks per minute. On the other hand, most Snipers still want lots of
  2968. AGI in their builds since Double Strafe still beats un-Poem'ed Sharpshooting
  2969. and Falcon Assault, thus allowing less VIT in their builds. Don't
  2970. misunderstand me though, Snipers are still stronger than us.
  2971.  
  2972.  
  2973. ----------------------
  2974. Bow vs Instrument/Whip
  2975. ----------------------
  2976.  
  2977. "Should we use a bow or an instrument/whip to level/attack enemies when not
  2978. singing/dancing?" My two cents: get both.
  2979.  
  2980. Bow:
  2981. - Combine with elemental arrows easily.
  2982. - More range.
  2983. - Double Strafe has a higher damage modifier (380% vs 250%).
  2984. - Double Strafe has no cast time.
  2985. - Double Strafe has a higher damage/SP cost ratio.
  2986. - Musical Strike / Slinging Arrow cannot bypass Immune Muffler.
  2987. - Good bows flood the market. Good instruments are like needles in a pile of
  2988.   other needles. Good whips aren't that bad, though.
  2989.  
  2990. Instrument/Whip:
  2991. - Wastes no arrows - cheaper and less hassle.
  2992. - Faster ASPD.
  2993. - Can equip a carded Buckler - excellent for monsters you can't Flee well.
  2994.  
  2995. Bottomline: Bows for general levelling, but instruments/whips when you happen
  2996. to hunt in a place with neutral/wind/water/fire monsters and you can flee
  2997. well. I wouldn't want to waste my Crystal, Stone and Wind arrows just for
  2998. levelling. Get a good instrument/whip and whack them away.
  2999.  
  3000.  
  3001.  
  3002. =============
  3003. PATCH HISTORY
  3004. =============
  3005.  
  3006. For the uninitiated, iRO and all the other servers get their updates from kRO.
  3007. Whatever changes occur in kRO Sakray today are bound to appear in our servers
  3008. some time later (quickly for jRO, months for mRO, many months for iRO, maybe
  3009. a year or more for pRO lol, not sure about the rest). Here is the list of all
  3010. the patch updates regarding B/D/C/G gameplay that have occurred till the day
  3011. of writing. Apart from a few nerfing early patches, B/D/C/G are on a
  3012. continuous road to buffdom...they keep getting better and better. Thanks
  3013. Gravity!
  3014.  
  3015. *6/17/2003*
  3016. - The Bard and Dancer classes were introduced for the very first time.
  3017. - The duet skill Ragnarok was removed for eternity.... dammit that skill
  3018.   rocked.
  3019.  
  3020. 7/1/2003
  3021. - Bard and Dancer damage became based on DEX instead of STR.
  3022. - Monsters became affected by Slow Grace.
  3023. - Frost Joker and Scream could affect party members at a low chance
  3024.   (previously this did not occur). Ugh!
  3025. - Frost Joker's duration was shortened :<
  3026. - A few small changes to various solo songs and dances.
  3027.  
  3028. 7/8/2003
  3029. - A four second after-cast delay was introduced for Frost Joker and Scream.
  3030.  
  3031. 7/15/2003
  3032. - The movement speed for Bards and Dancers while solo singing/dancing was
  3033.   reduced to 1/4.
  3034. - Mr Kim a Rich Man was buffed.
  3035.  
  3036. 7/29/2003
  3037. - Bards and Dancers were allowed to use MS/SA while singing/dancing/dueting.
  3038.  
  3039. <a few very minor changes here and there not worth mentioning>
  3040.  
  3041. 3/16/2004
  3042. - Bards and Dancers (along with the other 2-2 classes) received their extra
  3043.   job bonus point (unsure what it is).
  3044.  
  3045. 4/7/2004
  3046. - Duets could be stopped if either partner quit while performing.
  3047.  
  3048. *4/13/2004*
  3049. Quite a significant buffing patch.
  3050. - Ring of Nibelungen: previously only affecting Lvl 4 weapons, it now affected
  3051.   Lvl 3 and Lvl 4.
  3052. - Invulnerable Siegfried: previously only granting up to 80% resistance to
  3053.   Fire and Water, it now granted up to 60% resistance to all elements and up
  3054.   to 50% resistance to status ailments.
  3055. - Forget Me Not: previously STR improved the ASPD reduction. Now DEX
  3056.   determined it.
  3057. - Service For You: generally buffed.
  3058.  
  3059. *4/20/2004*
  3060. - The Clown and Gypsy classes were introduced for the very first time
  3061.   (actually this was for the kRO common servers, I couldn't find when they
  3062.   were first introduced in Sakray).
  3063.  
  3064. *6/21/2004*
  3065. The all important 7x7 buffing patch.
  3066. - Previously, all solo songs and dancers were 9x9 and once players stepped out
  3067.   of the AoE, they lost their buffs. Now the AoE was reduced to 7x7 and the
  3068.   buff effects lasted for 20 seconds after the players stepped out of the AoE.
  3069.   This basically redefined Bard and Dancer gameplay for those creative enough
  3070.   to use it.
  3071.  
  3072. 9/14/2004
  3073. - Music for the songs/dances/duets that previously went without one was added.
  3074. - The Electric Guitar was introduced.
  3075.  
  3076. 10/11/2004
  3077. - The quests for the Lvl 4 weapons Electric Guitar and Rapture Rose were
  3078.   introduced.
  3079.  
  3080. *11/09/2004*
  3081. THE major Clown/Gypsy buffing patch loved by all.
  3082. - Arrow Vulcan's Lvl 10 damage was improved from 560% to 1200%. Basically more
  3083.   than doubled the effectiveness.
  3084. - Moonlit Water Mill, Falling Petal was improved from 3x3 to 7x7.
  3085. - Marionette Control: Previously, user and recipient must be within 5 levels
  3086.   of each other, user couldn't do a single thing while MCing, user retained
  3087.   his/her stats, and could not be used in WOE. Now, the level requirement and
  3088.   the WOE restriction was removed, user actually lost half his/her stats, and
  3089.   user could do whatever he wanted to throughout the duration of MC. Basically
  3090.   doubled the effectiveness too.
  3091.  
  3092. 12/07/2004
  3093. The arrow nerf/buff patch.
  3094. - Double Strafe, Arrow Shower, Charge Arrow, MS/SA and Arrow Vulcan now needed
  3095.   arrows.
  3096. - The status arrows were introduced.
  3097. - The quiver system was introduced.
  3098.  
  3099. *12/14/2004*
  3100. Another significant buffing patch with a few nerfs.
  3101. - Arrow Vulcan now considered elements and weapon cards.
  3102. - Movement speed during solo singing and dancing was reduced even further.
  3103. - Musical/Dancing Lesson now improved movement speed. At maxed lvl movement
  3104.   speed became half of the normal walking speed... A very important buff.
  3105. - Lullaby's sleep chance was improved.
  3106. - Eternal Chaos previously affected both enemies and friends; now it only
  3107.   affected enemies.
  3108. - Ring of Nibelungen did not work on Lvl 3 weapons anymore. On Lvl 4 weapons
  3109.   the damage bonus became DEF-ignoring...but still a big nerf, man.
  3110. - Invulnerable Siegfried's elemental resistance was boosted from 60% to 80%.
  3111. - MS/SA mechanics were rewritten. At Lvl 5 it became 260% damage for 9 SP, and
  3112.   now you could adjust its skill level.
  3113.  
  3114. 02/08/2005
  3115. - Introduced the new cards.
  3116.  
  3117. *03/08/2005*
  3118. - The Clown and Gypsy sprites were implemented in entirety. Gypsies are hot!
  3119.  
  3120.  
  3121.  
  3122. ============
  3123. MY CHARACTER
  3124. ============
  3125.  
  3126. I play in mRO. Besides a Clown I have a Blacksmith and an Assassin. I often
  3127. laze around in Payon with my guild in the evenings, actively exploring
  3128. different places to hunt and practising for WOE.
  3129.  
  3130. I'm glad to be able to continually impress friends and strangers alike with
  3131. the skills I can use and the damage I can deal. The Knights and Crusaders love
  3132. Apple, the Assassins and Rogues love Sunset, and everyone love Poem. Most of
  3133. their responses usually involve "OMG!", "wow!" or "swt". Attack-wise, no one
  3134. expected me to deal 3000 damage to a Mummy with a Melody Strike, but I did it
  3135. at 140+ DEX.
  3136.  
  3137. I hate PVP no more. I've come to learn how to enjoy it even if idiots run
  3138. around trying to kill me. Let them try to ruin my fun --- I'll enjoy it my
  3139. way... "mini" wars between guilds can be fun when you're bored and it's
  3140. neither Wednesday nor Saturday. Or testing your battle abilities 1 v 1. So far
  3141. these are the enemies I have absolutely no idea how to defeat 1 v 1: Priests,
  3142. Phen Wizards, Phen Sages, similarly levelled/skilled Bards, similarly levelled
  3143. Dancers, Strip-Bow Rogues. Battles with SinCrosses and Monks are very very
  3144. tricky and need a lot of luck. Battles with Swordsman and Merchant classes
  3145. need patience and a whole lot of pots which is bad for us.
  3146.  
  3147. My build is DEX>AGI>VIT>INT. I classified it as the Multi-Purpose build. And
  3148. that's what it is; it is certainly not the best build in any particular
  3149. situation. If you want to build the best support build, concentrate on VIT and
  3150. DEX, and some INT. If you want to build the best battle build (why one would
  3151. do alludes me), concentrate on your DEX, AGI and some good VIT. My build is
  3152. neither, but it does pretty well in both support and battle.
  3153.  
  3154.  
  3155. -----
  3156. Stats
  3157. -----
  3158.  
  3159. Final stats at lv99:
  3160. DEX: 150
  3161. AGI: 112
  3162. VIT: 70
  3163. INT: 30
  3164. STR: 1 + 8 (Job)
  3165. LUK: 1 + 4 (Job)
  3166.  
  3167. DEX:
  3168. 89 + 14 (Job) + 10 (Owl's Eye) + 5 (AoA, Binos, Tights) + 8 (Nimble Gloves) +
  3169. 14 (Concentration) + 10 (Bless) = 150. I did not get DEX 160 because I only
  3170. wanted instant-cast for Melody Strike and Arrow Vulcan. (249 Hit with Bless)
  3171.  
  3172. AGI:
  3173. 78 + 12 (Job) + 10 (Concentration) + 12 (Agi Up) = 112. I wanted to reach 100
  3174. AGI without AGI Up for Sunset. (219 Flee with Mocking without Agi Up)
  3175. (179 ASPD with instrument, 176 ASPD with bow, both with Agi Up)
  3176.  
  3177. VIT:
  3178. 68 + 2 (Job) = 70. This was also to strengthen Apple, but I got it primarily
  3179. for HP and stun resistance. Resulting HP: 9k - 10k. Chance of being stunned:
  3180. 97 - 70 - 5(LUK)/3 = 25.67%. Chance of being stunned by Hammerfall: 25.67% x
  3181. 70% = 17.96%. Chance of being stunned by Scream: 25.67% x 50% = 12.84%.
  3182. Duration of being stunned: 3 X 0.2567 = 0.7701 seconds.
  3183.  
  3184. INT:
  3185. 25 + 5 (Job) = 30. This was for SP, SP regen and to strengthen Poem. Resulting
  3186. SP: Slightly over 1k.
  3187.  
  3188.  
  3189. ------
  3190. Skills
  3191. ------
  3192.  
  3193. 1 Adaptation to Circumstances
  3194. 1 Encore
  3195. 10 Musical Lesson
  3196. 5 Melody Strike
  3197. 5 Frost Joker
  3198. 3 Dissonance
  3199. 10 Assassin Cross of Sunset
  3200. 10 A Poem of Bragi
  3201. 10 Apple of Idun
  3202. 1 Loki's Wail
  3203. 1 Marionette Control
  3204. 10 Arrow Vulcan
  3205.  
  3206. 2 skill points yet to be decided
  3207.  
  3208.  
  3209. ---------
  3210. Equipment
  3211. ---------
  3212.  
  3213. +7 Apple o' Archer
  3214. Binoculars
  3215. Romantic Leaf (hoping for a Pipe in future :P)
  3216. +6 Hard Tights, +4 Tights of Ifrit, Zephyrus, Aqua and Unfrozen
  3217. +7 Double Bloody Boned Mandolin, +7 Triple Boned Mandolin, +7 Triple Titan
  3218.    Mandolin, +9 Double Bloody Double Boned Composite Bow, +7 Double Silence
  3219.    Double Cursing Composite Bow, +8 Triple Boned Crossbow, +7 Double Titan
  3220.    Gakkung, +7 Double Gigantic Gakkung, standard Knife (still hunting for 3S.
  3221.    Lutes!)
  3222. +7 Cranial Buckler, +6 Hell, Brutal and Gargantua Bucklers
  3223. +7 Immune Muffler, +6 Mocking Muffler
  3224. +7 Fledged Boots
  3225. A pair of Nimble Gloves, and the Healing and Teleport Clips
  3226.  
  3227. I'm not a DEF freak, I wouldn't upgrade anything beyond +7 (and also because
  3228. I can't afford that kind of thing).
  3229.  
  3230.  
  3231.  
  3232. =====
  3233. TO-DO
  3234. =====
  3235.  
  3236. Every previous To-Dos have been Done! :> We'll see for more stuff in the
  3237. future.
  3238.  
  3239.  
  3240.  
  3241. ===============
  3242. VERSION HISTORY
  3243. ===============
  3244.  
  3245. v1.0; 13/03/05 - First version of this guide. This is actually an edit of
  3246. v3.1i, a version currently available on RO Empire. The "i" refers to iRO,
  3247. which the "i" guides are written for. The "i" versions use iRO skill names.
  3248.  
  3249.  
  3250.  
  3251. ==========
  3252. REFERENCES
  3253. ==========
  3254.  
  3255. RO Empire - www.roempire.com/forums
  3256. Emperium.org - www.emperium.org and its forums, forums.emperium.org
  3257. RO Universe - www.rouniverse.net/
  3258. RO Guardians - www.ro-guardians.com/
  3259. iRO Stat Calculator - www.stud.ntnu.no/~magnusrk/calc
  3260. Himeyasha's delightful website - www.himeyasha.com (exact skill info, job
  3261.   quests)
  3262. RO Datazone - www.rodatazone.com (stats and status effects info)
  3263.  
  3264. Forever-Zero's Hunter guide in ROE (ideas on guide writing, Archer stuff)
  3265. Sitius' Alchemist guide in both ROE and Emperium (ideas on guide aesthetics)
  3266. Akemi's Monk guide in both ROE and Emperium (equipment, other stuff)
  3267. Borealis' Dancer guide in Emperium (some opinions on Dancer stuff)
  3268.  
  3269.  
  3270.  
  3271. ================
  3272. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  3273. ================
  3274.  
  3275. I wouldn't do it without you.
  3276.  
  3277. AxiaDrake, Eos Rododactylus, Raine, Lotharin, Evand, deadlyasshole and other
  3278. posters in the Bard/Dancer subforum of ROE - for being the motivation behind
  3279. this guide and the active site of discussion and knowledge sharing.
  3280.  
  3281. CJ - for being here for me from then till now, in RO and in real life.
  3282.  
  3283. Kich, Looi, Jade, Domch, Tim, Xingz - for being there for me then, in RO and
  3284. in real life, I miss you guys.
  3285.  
  3286. Dude, Joan, DV, Zen, Neph, Jit, Gene and the others from our guild's lazy sub-
  3287. division that always suntans in Payon - for being here for me now.
  3288.  
  3289. Goon, Junlong, Abel - for being here for me too.
  3290.  
  3291. Siong, Kilven, Xiang, Wire, PQ and all the Xantissimo poops - for being such
  3292. great people.
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