Library of Magic HS Compliation Project!

[White Mage Abyss]

I'm currently taking submissions and ideas for a general mage guide, If you have a section or something you want to add, you can spoiler it in this topic, or send me a PM, and I will quote you and give you full credit. One of the most frequently asked questions is "Which Mage Should I Pick?" So I'm asking the experienced mages at HS to help me create a massive guide spanning across the 3 main explorer mages.

Spoiler!

Disclaimer: To all Bishops and Aspiring Bishops, BISHOP IS A SUPPORT CLASS, NOT A DAMAGE CLASS, PLAY RIGHT OR GO HOME.

Spoiler!

Do we understand? Good. Let's begin.

Class Overview:

Bishops, Clerics and Priests are classes that use supportive abilities like Bless, Holy Symbol, and Maple Warrior. to buff and support the party and overall economize the rest of the party. They're valued members in the right hands. However, recently bishops have been scrutinized for being one of the worst classes in the game. This is due to the influx of poor bishop players and players who obsess over damage.

Bishops are valued teammates who save the party time and money when used as a support. They are the worst attackers in the game, and are very boring to train solo as a result. Some of their best attacks, are among the worst in terms of DPS, However in certain cases a bishop attack would benefit. Casual Training, and non- Lion Heart Castle areas are some of those examples. You will excel on mobs that are weak against Holy magic, and Heal Magic. These are generally Labeled Dark Or will be undead in some variety. They will be your best friend while 'climbing the stairway to heaven' as we say.

Know your attributes!

INT: Intelligence, Your primary stat for Skills and Damage, This is your main stat and should receive the bulk of your AP, INT is used in the Damage, and the MP Gain Formula's.

LUK: Luck, Your Secondary Stat, This stat is used in the Magic Damage Formula as well, though it is not nearly as potent. It is primarily used to Wear Stronger equipment, You'll want to use LUK Sparingly as too much is a bad thing for this stat.

MP: Mana/Magic Points, Your veritable health bar, Every skill uses MP, and The Skill Magic Guard allows you to use your considerable MP Stat to absorb damage, rather than taking the full hit with your HP. The MP Gain Formula is: 15 + (total int * 0.1) +/- 1 +/- 1 is a random variation, adding one or subtracting 1 MP from the total gained upon level up.

Weapon Modifier: This is used in the Maximum Damage Calculation as well as the minimum damage calculation. The Weapon Modifier for Staves and Wands is 1.00, Meaning it's exactly the number you see on the weapon.

The Maximum Damage Modifier for all classes, Including Mages is: Weapon Multiplier * ((4 * Primary Stat) + Secondary Stat) * (Attack / 100) As you can see, Int is Four Times as potent as luck, Another reason to carefully use your AP points. Maintaining a fine balance of wearing stronger equipment, and using extra int from leveling up to do more damage.

Credits Go to AyumiLove for the Formulas, You can view these and others

Here

Travel the world, Bring a map!

This section will cover noteworthy monsters throughout the course of your priesthood.

Faust: This zombie monkey is quite a good monster to kill through your early cleric levels, However being an area boss he's not the most reliable spot to train at, don't count on him being there, think of him as a bonus. Being an area boss, he also yields Ambition EXP.

Latest Hit's Compilation: These tiny CD's, while not vulnerable to heal; Are extremely good to train on with your magic claw skill. The map is flat, and the spawn is dense, use this map to practice 'Telecasting' Spells.

Dead Scarecrows: While the map is extremely crowded and the monsters tend to be glitchy, The EXP/HP ratio on these monster is just batty, they're also vulnerable to heal!

[Tesiqurasa]

Quick overview of what i'd like to submit; let me know if there's anything I missed or what I should add (besides 4th job, working on that)

Spoiler!

Ice Lightning Mage

Have you ever wanted to freeze hoards of enemies with deadly ice storms, summon bone chilling demons, or launch lightning from your enchanted staff? If so, Ice Lightning Mage is the class for you! This class focuses heavily on powerful mobbing moves, AoE (area of effect) skills, and freezing abilities.

That all sounds wonderful, but there have to be some negatives to the class, right?

While potion costs can be daunting at first, the Ice Lightning’s arsenal of incapacitating moves and MP eater will eventually help offset the pricy potions. Chain Lightning, the main attack in 4^th job, is indeed an incredibly powerful small mobbing move and has a massive range. However, the Ice Lightning Arch Mage is only a mediocre single target attacker, so if your goal is straight up bossing damage, this may not be the character for you.

Alright, how do I go about making an Ice Lightning Mage?

First you must create an Explorer/Adventurer (or an Ultimate Adventurer). Don’t worry about your stat allocations early on. In fact, you can now stay on Maple Island finishing those quests until level 10, if you so choose. The earliest you can advance is level 8 (Mages advance 2 levels earlier than all other classes), and I wouldn’t suggest staying on the island past level 10. Make your way to Ellinia and talk to Grendel. Listen to what he has to say, and then make the advancement to Magician. Complete those quests, and then follow this guide for training spots.

1st Job
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Here is my personal recommended build for 1^st job Ice Lightning Mages:

Spoiler!

lvl8: 1 Energy Bolt
lvl9: +3 Magic Claw (3)
lvl10: +3 Magic Claw (6)
lvl11: +3 Magic Claw (9)
lvl12: +3 Magic Claw (12)
lvl13: +3 Magic Claw (15)
lvl14: +3 Magic Claw (18)
lvl15: +2 Magic Claw (20) +1 Magic Guard (1)

Magic Claw is maxed first so you will be able to 1-2 hit Golems by level 20. If you feel you are using too many HP pots, upgrade 1 Magic Guard earlier.
lvl16: +3 Magic Guard (4)
lvl17: +3 Magic Guard (7)
lvl18: +3 Magic Guard (10)
lvl19: +3 Magic Guard (13)
lvl20: +2 Magic Guard (15) +1 MP Boost (1)
This will allow you to take the relatively strong Mixed Golem hits without burning through HP pots. Since MP Boost is now based on % instead of total gained per level, it no longer needs to be maxed as soon as possible.
lvl21: +3 MP Boost (4)
lvl22: +3 MP Boost (7)
lvl23: +3 MP Boost (10)

The final point allocation is up to you. Energy Bolt is a terrible skill. It is only single target and acts as a “missile”, meaning it will not be as open ranged as Magic Claw. Even worse, when max it only gives 40% more damage than Magic Claw (280% vs 120%x2). Max Thunder Bolt (a mobbing skill in 2^nd job) is only 10% weaker than max Energy Bolt, meaning you will almost never use Bolt beyond early 2^nd job. In this build, I recommend going with Magic Armor instead.

From lvl 23-30, finish maxing out Magic Armor (level 15). Energy Bolt will be upgraded to level 7 simply because you cannot save points.
End Result:
Magic Guard (15-Max)
Magic Claw (20-Max)
MP Boost (10-Max)
Magic Armor (15-Max)
Energy Bolt (7-Max)

2nd Job
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Congrats! You made it to level 30! Talk to Grendel once more and follow his instructions. Complete the tedious 2^nd job test and pick “Ice Lightning Wizard” as your path.

My recommended 2^nd job build. This is the “slow” build in that you max Slow instead of Cold Beam. Should you decide Cold Beam is more important, feel free to max that instead. In my opinion, Slow is far more effective in Player vs. Player and in high level scenarios. Lion King Castle mobs (training from 120 on) cannot be frozen, stunned, or sealed, but they can be slowed. The same goes for mobile bosses.

Spoiler!

lvl30: +1 teleport (1)
lvl31: +2 Thunder Bolt (2) +1 Spell Mastery (1)
lvl32: +3 Thunder Bolt (5)
lvl33: +3 Thunder Bolt (8)
lvl34: +3 Thunder Bolt (11)
lvl35: +3 Thunder Bolt (14)
lvl36: +3 Thunder Bolt (17)
lvl37: +3 Thunder Bolt (20)
lvl38: +3 Spell Mastery (4)
lvl39: +3 Spell Mastery (7)
lvl40: +3 Spell Mastery (10)
lvl41: +3 Spell Mastery (13)
lvl42: +3 Spell Mastery (16)
lvl43: +3 Spell Mastery (19)
lvl44: +1 Spell Mastery (20) +1 Cold Beam (1) +1 MP Eater* (1)

I recommend upgrading just 1 point of Cold Beam here mainly for variety and the ability to freeze. I know that as a beginner I loved getting new skills, so sacrificing one point into Cold Beam is not a bad thing; you’ll have it at least there regardless of the build you choose. If you want to put that point into something else, feel free.

*This is also where the build begins to vary. If you are not well funded and do not wish to purchase New Leaf City potions, upgrade Meditation. If you can live with shelling out 5k every 8 minutes for +20 magic attack, go with teleport now. MP Eater is upgraded to level 3 simply to unlock Meditation. Should you choose the teleport route, begin pumping points into that instead. After Chaos, MP Eater lost much of its appeal. You will save far more with Meditation and Teleport than you will with MP Eater. I will continue with the “beginner” route…

lvl45: +2 MP Eater (3) +1 Meditation (1)
lvl46: +3 Meditation (4)
lvl47: +3 Meditation (7)
lvl48: +3 Meditation (10)
lvl49: +3 Meditation (13)
lvl50: +3 Meditation (16)
lvl51: +3 Meditation (19)
lvl52: +1 Meditation (20) +2 Teleport (3)
lvl53: +3 Teleport (6)
lvl54: +3 Teleport (9)
lvl55: +3 Teleport (12)
lvl56: +3 Teleport (15)
lvl57: +3 Teleport (18)
lvl58: +2 Teleport (20) +1 MP Eater (4)*

*If you chose to go with the Cold Beam route, insert Cold Beam here instead. It’s going to reach its peak at Jesters, so it should be upgraded a bit by the time you go there. After Jesters comes Iron Mutae, and you will almost exclusively use Ice Strike (3^rd job) and Thunder Bolt. Again, I continue with the “Slow” route…
lvl59: +3 MP Eater (7)
lvl60: +3 MP Eater (10)
lvl61: +3MP Eater (13)
lvl62: +3 MP Eater (16)
lvl63: +3 MP Eater (19)
lvl64: +1 MP Eater (20) +2 Slow (2)
lvl65: +3 Slow (5)
lvl66: +3 Slow (8)
lvl67: +3 Slow (11)
lvl68: +3 Slow (14)
lvl69: +3 Slow (17)
lvl70: +3 Slow (20)

End Result:
MP Eater (20-Max)
Meditation (20-Max)
Teleport (20-Max)
Thunder Bolt (20-Max)
Spell Mastery (20-Max)
Slow (20-Max or 1)
Cold Beam (1 or 20-Max)

3rd Job
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Once again, congratulations on reaching level 70! Are you ready for a lot of boat riding? Head to El Nath and talk to Roberia (the magician). Next, head back to Ellinia and talk to Grendel. He will have you go far into the Sleepywood Dungeon, to the map called Cursed Temple: Prohibited Alter. Defeat Grendel’s clone, and return to Grendel. Finally, return to El Nath and talk to the 3^rd job instructor. She will send you on a quest to answer 5 questions. Climb up to the first map after Jeff, or take the taxi. Enter the hidden street at the bottom of the map and answer the rock’s questions. Return to Roberia once again and complete the 3^rd job advance!

3^rd job is where the builds will begin to greatly vary. Instead of giving you a level-by-level guide, I’m going to give you explanations of when to upgrade skills, because by this point you should have some sense of how the game works.

Spoiler!

At level 70 put 1 point into Ice Strike. It is incredibly powerful, even at level 1, and has a massive range. Using this at Iron Mutaes (even at lvl 70) will make for great training. At level 71, put at least one point into Element Amplification. This gives an initial 12% boost to all magic spells, including Thunder Bolt. Put one point into Teleport Mastery. When toggled on, your teleports will do damage (a whopping 210% at lvl 1) and give a 35% chance to stun. Keep it at lvl 1 for now. If you’re dying for a single target attack, you can put one point into either Thunder Spear or Elemental Composition. Even though Compo is more powerful, Tspear is multi hit, meaning if you simply need to finish off a target, Tspear will be the winner.

After that initial level, upgrade at least two points of Amp. This will unlock Spell Booster, an essential skill. Since this has a relatively long cast time, simply leaving it at level 6 may not be enough. I personally suggest upgrading it to about lvl7-12, depending on your preference. If you don’t want to be bothered to activate it often, go closer to 12. If you don’t mind, keep it low. A quick tip: cast this buff while holding onto a ladder. That will greatly reduce the delay after casting.

After Spell Booster is at a decent level, I suggest maxing Amplification. Even though Ice Strike adds slightly more damage (and I do mean slightly), Amp will affect all skills. The MP increase from the skill is minimal at best since you should be using Mana Bulls by this time. After Amp, max Ice Strike. These two will be your two main “damage” skills in 3^rd job.

If you already upgraded Spell Booster to around lvl 12, keep that there and focus on Teleport Mastery. The increased damage, stun chance, and teleport distance is incredibly helpful; much more so than about 80 additional seconds of Booster. However, if Booster is still very low, bring it up to around 12. After Teleport Mastery is maxed, you can now finish off Booster and macro it with Meditation.

At this point, all of your main 3^rd job skills will be finished. If you still do not personally find uses for strong single target attacks, upgrade Elemental Decrease. This will be helpful when facing elementally strong enemies, something you will commonly do during quests and bossing. If you have no plans for this in 3^rd job and desire a strong single target skill, max Thunder Spear (155%x5) or Composition (625%). Compo is slightly faster, although still a “missile” attack. Thunder Spear is stronger and multi target, and is much more forgiving in terms of range. In my opinion, both should be maxed in the end, so pick the order that best suits your desires.

At this point, finish upgrading Seal and Elemental Reset (if you have not done so already). Put your remaining points into Partial Resistance (11). I personally find this skill completely useless. I rarely die in PvP and almost never face Ice/Lightning bosses. Even then, mages are very easy to keep alive in normal scenarios, so an additional 27% I/L resistance is minimal. If you find this skill useful, drop either Thunder Spear or Composition. I’d personally recommend dropping Compo should you go this route.

End Result (with my recommended build):
Partial Resistance (11)
Element Amplification (20-Max)
Ice Strike (20-Max)
Thunder Spear (20-Max)
Seal (20-Max)
Spell Booster (20-Max)
Element Composition (20-Max)
Teleport Mastery (10-Max)
Elemental Decrease (10-Max)

[SienZ1991]

To add on what Tesi said about Booster, here's a few general tips for mages:

Spoiler!

For Holy Symbol and Magic Booster, there's a delay after you finish casting them. You won't be able to cast any spells aside from teleport during this delay. Casting these spells on ladders / ropes cuts down the delay significantly. For Priests training on flat maps without ladders it's essential to bring HP potions along as you won't be able to heal during that delay.

Teleport cancelling: Just a small trick I like to use in training. For those who play DotA / HoN it's the same concept as animation cancelling. Basically whenever you cast a spell with a projectile (eg. Angel Ray / Chain Lightning) you're free to teleport after the projectile has left your hand. Incredibly useful skill not just to speed up mobility around the map but avoiding painful damage from enemy projectiles (most ranged monster attacks can be dodged)