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Thread: Path of the Bowmaster

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    Phantom Watch Omar Ranger's Avatar
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    Icon4 Path of the Bowmaster

    Up-to-date as of 07/08/2012

    Omar's Guide to the Path of the Bowmaster


    1. Introduction

    This guide will show you the optimal path you should follow when allocating skill points, ability points, and maybe more later.

    So before we start the guide I should explain why someone would make a bowmaster to begin with. They're not the best. They're not fast. Their best skill is a stream of arrows that can only hit one enemy at a time. Overall they're nothing special and a lot of people take them as only Sharp Eyes mules. Either way I love my bowmaster and went five years with it. It's something that I just enjoy. Of course being in the back of the fleet of maplers might not sound appealing, but bowmasters can be fun if you enjoy the way they play. They're some of the best bossers out there and can take on anything from Zakum to Empress if used correctly. It's nice to have good gear to boost your stats, but as long as you can effectively keep Hurricane going you're doing well already. Bowmasters are about fast shooting. They have decent mobbing abilities in 3rd job with Arrow Rain and Inferno(renamed to Roasting Shot sadly). Puppet makes them able to lure away enemies and other mobile bosses like the Bodyguards leading to you needing to think of a strategy to pin down bosses that would otherwise continuously stun or knock you back. Even recent updates helps them become more mobile with an increased speed cap and a Flash Jump knock-off called "Double Jump" which is a rather decent boost but not as good as Flash Jump itself. Bowmasters aren't the worst class, they're just harder to train at places like LHC since their main skill is a single-target skill. Well anyway there are pros and cons of being this character which I should list out.
    Pros
    • Can move fast before Hurricane
    • No need for excessive ammo carrying after Soul Arrow
    • Good amount of mobbing ability before 4th job
    • Very high single-target DPS (Good at Bossing)
    • Sought after for boss runs because of good bossing damage and Sharp Eyes
    • Good avoidability at high levels
    • High Critical Hit rate

    Cons
    • Low HP
    • Immobile when using Hurricane
    • Poor mobbing ability after 4th job
    • Outdamaged easily in areas with multiple high HP mobs (i.e. Lionheart Castle, Stronghold)


    Those cons can seem pretty heavy at times if people around you are doing the same damage as you but can hit 3 or 4 targets instead of just the one, but it's always good to keep your head held high and keep training because ever since the beginning of MapleStory the archer class has been a patience game. You need to be patient with your bowmaster, it won't be able to do amazing damage unless you work at it and build it correctly with the proper stats and gear. Good luck future Bowmasters!


    2. Ability Point Allocation

    So here we're going to think with what an archer needs when allocating your AP. There are two important stats for you to think about, DEX(terity) and STR(ength). DEX will be your main stat and the one that raises your damage the most along with your accuracy and avoidability. STR is a pretty low priority stat since the only purpose it serves for an archer is to open up the availability of higher level bows. You want as much DEX as you can possibly get which means you want as little STR as possible as well. Every Ability Point counts. So there are a few builds for you to think about. There is STRless, LowSTR, and Regular STR. Each one has their own purposes and helps each player differently.

    For a STRless build you are purposely leaving your STR at the lowest amount: 4. This is a rather difficult build to follow because it means you must replace your STR almost entirely with gear and upgrades. It is, although, a build I would recommend to someone with enough funding to maintain a high amount of STR with a base of 4 or can afford a high level statless bow like a VIP Bow. If you are trying to go for something like an Empress set but cannot afford to have that much STR then maybe this build is not for you.

    For a LowSTR build your goal is to have a very low base. My Bowmaster, for example, is a LowSTR character with a base STR of 28 right now. With a low base you are setting yourself up to be covered at early levels with not too much funding required until the very late levels or until you find a high-end statless bow. At max you should maybe have 50 or 60 STR. You can raise or lower your STR depending on how you want but try to avoid going higher than maybe 70 or 80. I highly recommend this build.

    The next build on the table is Regular STR. This build means that your STR will always be 5 over your level. Always. This means you have the ability to gear any weapon that is your level or lower except for the Empress set I believe. I do not recommend this build. It wastes too much AP on STR instead of DEX like you really need.

    So summary is, you want to replace whatever amount of STR in your base with STR from equips and stay as low as possible. It's not that bad to reset out of STR now with the total AP reset scrolls but it's still a pain and you will save some NX.


    3. Skill Point Allocation

    The skill section is up-to-date as of v112.

    Setting up a plan for your Skill Points is important as you want the path that will make sure you max all of the most significant skills and make sure you do it in the right order so you can take advantage of it as much as possible while training. The skill point allocation is a pure recommendation of what I believe to be the best path, change it however you like.

    Archer
    Your total SP from levels 10-30 of the 1st job is 61 and there are two ways you can take on this route.

    Code:
    Level 10: Arrow Blow - 1
    Level 11 ~ Level 15: Archer Mastery - 3 each level (maxed)
    Level 16 ~ Level 20: Arrow Blow - 3 each level (maxed), Critical Shot - 1
    Level 21 ~ Level 26: Critical Shot - 3 each level (19)
    Level 27: Critical Shot - 1 (maxed), Double Shot - 2
    Level 28 ~ Level 30: Double Shot - 3 each level (11)


    You do not need Double Shot. This game really takes away the need of a single-target attack for first and second job as the mobbing skills do almost as well against single targets and are way better against multiple targets for obvious reasons. Arrow Blow will get you far enough and if you really need to you can use Double Shot. Of course you can say I'm wrong and max Double Shot instead. Your choice.

    Your end result:
    Spoiler!


    Hunter
    Well first off congratulations on your second job. Not too impressive but you're getting there. So now you have a total of 121 SP to use from level 30 up until level 70. There are quite a few new skills but like I said you want the best.

    Code:
    Level 30: Arrow Bomb: Bow - 1
    Level 31: Bow Mastery - 3
    Level 32: Bow Mastery - 2 (5), Bow Booster - 1
    Level 33: Bow Booster - 3 (4)
    Level 34: Bow Booster - 2 (6), Soul Arrow: Bow - 1
    Level 35: Soul Arrow: Bow- 1 (2), Bow Mastery - 2 (7)
    Level 36 ~ Level 39: Bow Mastery - 3 each level (19)
    Level 40: Bow Mastery - 1 (maxed), Physical Training - 2
    Level 41 ~ Level 42: Physical Training - 3 each level (8)
    Level 43: Physical Training - 2 (maxed), Arrow Bomb: Bow - 1 (2)
    Level 44 ~ Level 49: Arrow Bomb: Bow - 3 each level (maxed)
    Level 50 ~ Level 53: Bow Booster - 3 each level (18)
    Level 54: Bow Booster - 2 (maxed), Soul Arrow: Bow - 1 (3)
    Level 55 ~ Level 56: Soul Arrow: Bow - 3 each level (9)
    Level 57: Soul Arrow: Bow - 1 (maxed), Final Attack: Bow - 2
    Level 58 ~ Level 63: Final Attack: Bow - 3 each level (maxed)
    Level 64 ~ Level 66: Double Jump - 3 each level (9)
    Level 67: Double Jump - 1 (maxed), Silver Hawk - 2
    Level 68 ~ Level 70: Silver Hawk - 3 each level (11)


    So Hunter is not as straightforward as Archer. Why? Well because of Bow Booster and Soul Arrow. They are the two buffs that you get in this job and two of the most important buffs you'll ever have. Why? Well simply because Soul Arrow makes it so you never have to carry arrows around with you anymore and Bow Booster increases your attacking speed. Very simple yet very important. The reason I left them at 2 for Soul Arrow and 6 for Bow Booster was so that they both have a 60 second duration. Holding it at that keeps them synchronized and is a decent amount of time between rebuffing to me. Of course you can always change that if you like and instead maybe raise them a little higher. Some other points, having a level 1 Arrow Bomb is okay until you start raising it at level 44 since at level 1 it already outdamages your Arrow Blow. As a last point, Silver Hawk is not an impressive skill. It hits one enemy and is only useful for its stun, which you won't be needing during second job. The only purpose of it is to keep it above level 10 so you can raise Phoenix in third job.

    Your end result:
    Spoiler!


    Ranger
    Awesome. Level 70. Well now there are going to be a few routes you can take and 151 SP to spend. Mainly the route you take will involve your training style and if you prefer a forward-hit mobbing move like Inferno(Roasting Shot) or an Area of Effect skill like Arrow Rain. I went Arrow Rain but you guys can do whatever you like. There are a few differences but personally I followed the Arrow Rain route. I'll lay out both for you.

    Inferno Build
    Code:
    Level 70: Strafe - 1
    Level 71 ~ Level 76: Roasting Shot - 3 per level (18)
    Level 77: Roasting Shot - 2 (maxed), Mortal Blow - 1
    Level 78: Mortal Blow - 3 (4)
    Level 79: Mortal Blow - 1 (5), Arrow Rain - 2
    Level 80 ~ Level 85: Arrow Rain - 3 per level (maxed)

    Arrow Rain Build
    Code:
    Level 70: Strafe - 1
    Level 71: Mortal Blow - 3
    Level 72: Mortal Blow - 2 (5), Arrow Rain - 1
    Level 73 ~ Level 78: Arrow Rain - 3 per level (19)
    Level 79: Arrow Rain - 1 (maxed), Roasting Shot - 2
    Level 80 ~ Level 85: Roasting Shot - 3 per level (maxed)


    So really the only difference between the two is that you're maxing one before the other. It, of course, depends on your preferred playstyle but you will end up with both maxed pretty soon. Now we move on to the rest of the build. The next parts are going to focus on buffing you up and making you have more resources while training. Also I added one in Strafe in the beginning because it's about time you had a single-target skill. Feel free to change that if you want.

    Code:
    Level 86 ~ Level 91: Concentrate - 3 per level (18)
    Level 92: Concentrate - 2 (maxed), Phoenix - 1
    Level 93 ~ Level 98: Phoenix - 3 per level (19)
    Level 99: Phoenix - 1 (maxed), Puppet - 2
    Level 100 ~ Level 103: Puppet - 3 per level (14)
    Level 104: Puppet - 1 (maxed), Evasion Boost - 2
    Level 105 ~ Level 106: Evasion Boost - 3 per level (8)
    Level 107: Evasion Boost - 2 (maxed), Strafe - 1 (2)
    Level 108 ~ Level 113: Strafe - 3 per level (maxed)
    Level 114 ~ Level 116: Mortal Blow - 3 per level (14)
    Level 117: Mortal Blow - 1 (maxed), Drain Arrow - 2
    Level 118 ~ Level 120: Drain Arrow - 3 per level (11)


    So let's think of why I made the build like this. First off there's Concentrate. It's a really nice buff with a good +20 attack and even reduces your MP costs by 25%. That is a pretty significant boost. Then we have Phoenix, well unlike Silver Hawk this one hits mobs of enemies and stuns them as well instead of just one enemy at a time. It's a useful skill to have and is nice at keeping enemies at bay. Puppet isn't too important because it's very stragety-based and as so you will be spending a little bit more time than usual setting it up which although may seem nice it lacks a bit of convenience in its use when instead your goal is to wipe out the enemies fast. I held out on Strafe until here because you're probably going to need a single-target skill if you start training at LHC. You can max it before Evasion Boost because it gets maxed sooner so it'll be more effective at LHC but that is your choice entirely. Totally flexible. I went Evasion Boost first but that's just me. Drain Arrow is to me the least significant skill. It may seem nice at first with an attack that can heal you but it's not something convenient and it interferes with Hurricane streams in 4th job since you have to stop and use it. Well that's 3rd job for you. It's actually a lot more active than 1st and 2nd job.

    Your end result:
    Spoiler!


    Bowmaster
    So you've reached the pinnacle of the class. The big job. The Bowmaster! You now have 243 SP to spend from lvl 120 to lvl 200. Let's try to knock out all of your core skills. There are a few routes to take this but the one I'll be covering now is the training route. The bossing route will be covered later.

    The training route covers the skills you will need to be effective in mobbing at early 4th job levels and also being able to support your party early on with Sharp Eyes. Your first goal is to max Broiler Shot since it enhances Roasting Shot to be very powerful.

    Training Route
    Code:
    Level 120: Hurricane - 1, Bow Expert - 1, Broiler Shot - 1
    Level 121 ~ Level 123: Sharp Eyes - 3 per level (9)
    Level 124: Sharp Eyes - 1 (10), Broiler Shot - 2 (3)
    Level 125 ~ Level 126: Broiler Shot - 3 per level (9)
    Level 127: Broiler Shot - 1 (maxed), Hurricane - 2 (3)
    Level 128 ~ Level 136: Hurricane - 3 per level (maxed)
    Level 137 ~ Level 142: Sharp Eyes - 3 per level (28)
    Level 143: Sharp Eyes - 2 (maxed), Marksmanship - 1
    Level 144 ~ Level 146: Marksmanship - 3 per level (maxed)
    Level 147 ~ Level 155: Bow Expert - 3 per level (28)
    Level 156: Bow Expert - 2 (maxed), Sprit Link: Phoenix - 1
    Level 157 ~ Level 165: Spirit Link: Phoenix - 3 per level (28)
    Level 166: Spirit Link: Phoenix - 2 (maxed), Advanced Final Attack - 1
    Level 167 ~ Level 175: Advanced Final Attack - 3 per level (28)
    Level 176: Advanced Final Attack - 2 (maxed), Illusion Step - 1
    Level 177 ~ Level 185: Illusion Step - 3 per level (28)
    Level 186: Illusion Step - 2 (maxed), Maple Warrior - 1
    Level 187 ~ Level 195: Maple Warrior - 3 per level (28)
    Level 196: Maple Warrior - 2 (maxed), Elite Puppet - 1
    Level 197 ~ Level 200: Elite Puppet - 3 per level (13)


    Pretty much all of the Bowmaster's skills have use to it and they will all be helpful in some way. The purpose of this build is to make it so you can effectively mob early on even though later your mobbing becomes less and less effective. This build is of course my recommendation. Feel free to change it however you like.

    The guide ends here for now. Thanks for reading and I will try expanding this more later.
    Last edited by Omar Ranger; 14th July 2012 at 12:08 PM.
    Spoiler!

    Spoiler!

    Quote Originally Posted by kaglover1 View Post
    But now I'm like screw that, I'm skipping to the part where Bella finally combines with Edward

  2. #2
    Star CVS's Avatar
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    i love you omarand your guide

  3. #3
    Luck kaglover1's Avatar
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    So wait let me get this clear, so I can also follow this guide if I plan to become a Marksman I still follow your AP build and the SP for 2nd job?

  4. #4
    Phantom Watch Omar Ranger's Avatar
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    First of all make a bowmaster. Second if you really want to go Marksman do not follow this SP guide past 1st job is my suggestion since I do not know marksmen. The AP guide is fine, though. Third, go Bowmaster.

  5. #5

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    I has a marksman. Was not great, but primarily because I had no funding.

    Also it's stuck in Kradia.
    Last edited by emailbox; 11th July 2012 at 10:10 PM.

    bolt202/veil225/feint200

  6. #6
    Luck kaglover1's Avatar
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    I clearly have funding so, marksman is not problem

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by kaglover1 View Post
    I clearly have funding so, marksman is not problem
    money and kaglover wut
    [21-11, 13:19] Tesiqurasa: so do their guns
    [21-11, 13:19] Bishopz: Al qaeda has a magazine.

  8. #8
    Luck kaglover1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bishopz View Post
    money and kaglover wut
    Be jelly I had over 1.5 bil from solely merchanting

  9. #9
    Phantom Watch Omar Ranger's Avatar
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    This is a BOWMASTER guide thread so I'll keep saying Bowmaster or gtfo.

  10. #10

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    Yeah try to stay on topic guys.

    *Edits his marksman post*

    bolt202/veil225/feint200

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