1. I havent the slightest clue on which class to play. yes, ive read 100 of these posts and everyone says play what sounds fun to you, ive done *extensive* research on every class (ive put about 20 hours of reading MANY L2 forums/sites over the net and i havent even made a class yet) and they all sound fun to me...im coming from WoW....ANYTHING sounds fun to me...
i want to be effective in pvp and in pve.
a friend of mine *used* to play L2. he deleted his account when he left, although he didnt reach endgame, and he deleted all of his items and character, so im starting brand new with no outside help at all, he did tell me 3 things...
1. Nuker classes do great in pvp. But they have so much downtime in pve it hardly seems worth the effort. You can kill for a few minutes and then sit for 10...ouch. I understand the need for downtime, and resting, but i really, really dont want to have a lot of downtime. But i want to be effective in pvp..
2. Melee classes can solo better in pve, but arnt very good at pvp because range> all here. Uh oh...that leaves me feeling confused.
I will admit melee does sound more appealing to me because i was a 60 priest in WoW and im ready for something new, but im also still interested in mage classes, dont get me wrong. As i stated earlier, i want to be effective in pvp. But the downtime nightmare he describes sounds nothing short than terrible.
and my 3rd problem, which server do i choose? ive even did a tad research on servers and i hear good things and terrible things. I understand the newbie areas are low population and wont see many characters because the game has been out for a while. Thats fine. i dont mind solo for a while. But then i read and read about this economy trouble. How everything past D grade gear is so outrageous that its hard not to buy Ebay adena or whatever....
I dont, never have, and will never spend RL cash on ingame accomplishments. I would feel like i was cheating. Ive played just about every MMO thats ever been released....i dont mind a long grind for success, but i dont want to be equipped in trash untill i get there....if you know what i mean?
uhoh, im starting to ramble, ill get to the point.
1. Which class will be pvp/pve successful now, and in the coming chronicle 5 ?
(archers do not appeal to me in the slightest, and yes ive read how strong they are, i played WoW hunter, very very boring imho, and here i wont even have a pet to tank)
2. Which server do i choose? This is also extremely important to me. I can be hardcore. I dont mind getting pk'd. But id also like to find a server with maybe helpful players that might give me advice and help me get started in the new world of L2.
ANY advice on ANY of these issues would be greatly appreciated.
ok....it sounds like you wanna play everything, but nothing at the same time. I suggest going ORC, warcryer or overlord. They both have magic skills and are great for parites, but you can solo with these guys as melee too because of their high str and con. the only downfall i see for them is the running speed. but this seems to be the class you are looking for. they are awesome in PvE, and PvP...really really really hard to beat down. for the server, i suggest picking one with a low ping. Hint: if you do go orc, and Kain server is a good ping, i'd say go there, because the Devil(Board Devil that is) is holding an event there, so you'll have lots of help from fellow players. and if you choose sieghardt you can give me a PM ( private message ) and i can give you hits or help
Aduit is my ingame name, if i'm not there leave a mail message, and also...welcome to LineageII...buckle up! :)
Yes, Jute, pvp will be my main priority. but i want to be able to solo pve effectively if i cant find a group.
And to the person that suggested spellhowler, that is my #1 choice so far...ive heard they are good at pvp and have very little downtime in pve. But i heard it takes a while to get there. How will they be in C5? I know nobody knows for sure, but reading the patch notes, i really have no idea how much a casting speed nerf to sleeping spells will matter. and a damage reduction to dark magic, and im guessing spellhowlers use dark magic because they are dark elves, correct me if im wrong please. I would hate to fall in love with a class then an update comes and my class is no longer balanced.
ya, atm Spellhowlers are way overpowered and will still be insanely good at pvp in C5 i believe, and with body to mind they dont have to rest as often in pve. orc overlords and warcryers are also very good and extremly useful (harder to lvl 1-20 imo) w/e u choose, GL and if u still want a server, go to gustin or hindemith for low ping and decent players :)
easist way to reduce your downtime by alot as a Mage is to get a second Account so you have an Shilien Elder with you all the Time (SE can recharge your Mana +heal you+buff you).
If you like to group often id say go for Warcryer, you can solo up to the 60ies and you are like in Parties for the Buffs. They aint too bad in PVP either. Oh and of course you can reduce the downtime too, since Warcryer is like a Melee Class which can buff himself, drain Health from Mobs to keep on leveling.
In later Game Warcryers are the better Buffer for PVE Groups since the buffing itself doesnt take that long (hes buffing the whole group with the same buffs at once).
Orc Warcryer/Overlord *echoes in agreeance*. If you like 2handed weapons and Polearms, try an Orc Raider
Orc casters remind me a lot of a paladin type class, but ugly (i think of the anti-paladin or dark paladin) :) Im currently playing one and enjoy the hell out of it
**newbie tip!!**
you've got multiple character slots, USE THEM! play characters you're interested in up to level 20 at least. Then play another class you're interested in til 20. Keep doing this until you discover YOUR class.
Everyone will tell you what class YOU will enjoy the most and what is most successful. To me, a successful class is a class that I have fun playing. Ive been down that road, tried some of the uber classes and hated them (spellhowler for instance)
I cannot encourage you enough to take what you've learned about the game and apply it by trying out the classes you're interested in..and give them a fair shake. You may find after hitting lvl 15 you hate the class
Having played at least 31 different characters to 20 and many past that level I will say however that for several of the classes you do not really get a flavor of what they are until past level 40.
Examples are Swordsinger and Summoners.
So, while I completely agree that you should play something you like, you may find that the class you like isn't available until after level 40.
my point was to try all the classes hes interested in and not spending too much time doing so. this way he could get a taste of what they are within a few days.
after 3 or 4 toons doing this he'll eventually learn what class he wants to play up to the end game and not waste 40 levels doing so
Yes, Jute, pvp will be my main priority. but i want to be able to solo pve effectively if i cant find a group.
And to the person that suggested spellhowler, that is my #1 choice so far...ive heard they are good at pvp and have very little downtime in pve. But i heard it takes a while to get there. How will they be in C5? I know nobody knows for sure, but reading the patch notes, i really have no idea how much a casting speed nerf to sleeping spells will matter. and a damage reduction to dark magic, and im guessing spellhowlers use dark magic because they are dark elves, correct me if im wrong please. I would hate to fall in love with a class then an update comes and my class is no longer balanced.
Well, no one can really know how C5 will really affect classes until the PTS. (Public Test Server)
I've found that playing a spellhowler is fun, not too difficult and does well in PvP and PvE. However, there are classes that will just take us apart. this might change a little in C5 as sleep will be changed so that the casting time is a little longer. edit: also to point ouut that this is not used a huge amount of times nuker to nuker but I was consistently slept by a sorcerror once ... well, more than once... and it didn't help my chances of winning. Still, we don't cast as fast as some other classes so that can be a drawback.
If I had to do it all again I would still be a Spellhowler. I don't ever worry about "nerfs" because it is futile. If I get nerfed this chronicle I might be overpowered the next.
I did my research, picked this character (my very first one) and have never had any complaints.
However, I am looking forward to my upcoming subclass (destroyer) because I've been nuking since the second month of prelude and I really would enjoy the change.
Yes, we use dark magic. We also use Wind attacks.
The downtime is the same as other mages I imagine until you eventually get body to mind. With subsequent upgrades that helps with downtime.
I can get down to the dregs of mana but not be completley out by the end of every buff round. I can also hunt easier mobs without any buffs (more money that way as I don't have porting costs to hunting grounds) and virtually go non-stop, occassionally taking a healing potion to replenish some health (body to minds takes away from health and gives to mana. It works well but sometimes you need to do it several times to get a good volume to continue for an extended amount of time).
We are somewhat fragile mind you. With slow casting speed, in confined areas that can mean doom.
Quite frankly, it also comes down to "who are you grouping with", "do you have buffs", "where are you hunting".
I'll also tell you that I don't find nuking boring at all but for some reason, I find my experiments with archers to be "less fun". So in the end it really does come down to what you want to play.
Come to this realization as quickly as you can and you'll do ok.
There are TWO grinds in Lineage2. One for levels, the other for cash. You will always be in "trash" (to use your description) equipment unless you learn to make money. And I don't mean by grinding. I mean by buying/selling at a profit. Why? Many would tell you that drop rates are horrible. I disagree. I think they are almost perfect. I do admit I'd like to see non-top grade equipment fall with more frequency. But you will not make the kind of cash you need solely from drops.
One thing you'll notice is almost everyone goes for top of their grade (NG, D, C, B, A and S) weapon/equipment as fast as they can. They do this by purchasing their equipment, not by drops. You will not see many characters in less than top grade.
Once upon a time, I would have said buy all your stuff from private stores (actual player sales) vs NPC stores. Now it depends greatly on what you are looking for. Sometimes players are cheaper, often NPC shops are cheaper. Don't be hasty or you'll be poor your whole career.
Don't be discuoraged by this. The game is mature, and the influx of new blood has slowed.
1. Which class will be pvp/pve successful now, and in the coming chronicle 5 ?
(archers do not appeal to me in the slightest, and yes ive read how strong they are, i played WoW hunter, very very boring imho, and here i wont even have a pet to tank)
2. Which server do i choose? This is also extremely important to me. I can be hardcore. I dont mind getting pk'd. But id also like to find a server with maybe helpful players that might give me advice and help me get started in the new world of L2.
1. I'd say Spellhowler.
I found archer good at solo too, i loved my PR, awesome damage, very fast kill when buffed. It's quite easy to find parties too, and PvP is great, if you can manage to get some good attack speed.
But spellhowler is really uber. :D
I can 2 shot mobs for 10k XP at my level (54), this means i can get 1 level in about 3 hours atm. If you'll have a Shillen Elder friend you 2 will duo a lot, for awesome xp. Maybe SH are a little less requested in parties (with respect to archers), but with the skill you have (body to mind, wich changes HP for mana), or with a SE you can still solo/duo efficently. In PvP SH just own :cool:
2. Come to Hindemith. And pm one of my toons in game, i can give you some help, if you need. ;)
However, I am looking forward to my upcoming subclass (destroyer) because I've been nuking since the second month of prelude and I really would enjoy the change.
Wow, I have also been planning to sub Destroyer with my SH. So far most people say 'are you crazy, why not necromancer?' They don't seem to understand that subbing is a change of pace not a race. And, strangely enough, I also started my SH right at Prelude. Did you find the dark mystic / wizard grind incredibly challenging in Prelude (no devotion set, no bsps, no acumen potions, etc)?
Anyway, Spellhowler is great at PvE (one of the best) either solo or in a duo with SE. As Sovrath indicated, once you get B2M you are very good at controlling MP (with B2M) and HP (with the vampiric spell series).
Someone else mentioned getting a second account and leveling an SE in conjunction with your main. This method will work well, ensure you never have down time (past level 30 at least), however, it does make gameplay more tedious and also presents a more difficult "adena grind" (Really you just trade XP grind for adena grind as you will be tempted to keep your SE in top gear too).
Whatever you choose, be sure to pick a class that has a play style you enjoy or the grind will kill all fun in the game.
However, I am looking forward to my upcoming subclass (destroyer) because I've been nuking since the second month of prelude and I really would enjoy the change.
Wow, I have also been planning to sub Destroyer with my SH. So far most people say 'are you crazy, why not necromancer?' They don't seem to understand that subbing is a change of pace not a race. And, strangely enough, I also started my SH right at Prelude. Did you find the dark mystic / wizard grind incredibly challenging in Prelude (no devotion set, no bsps, no acumen potions, etc)?
I've had people say the same thing to me. I've done nuking. And since SH ("soon" to be Stormscreamer - relative "soon") is my main, I will be nuking until I finish with the game.
I sort of see the destroyer as the Spellhowler of melee. Big chunks of damage but slow in delivering it.
And yes, leveling a dark wizard was so much different in Prelude than it is now. I remember the first time I saw blessed shots. All I thought was "luxury". And proceeded to lvl to 40 using regular shots.
I suggest summoner for you, honestly. Little to NO downtime in PvE. And, when coupled with a party a summoner can hold his own in PvP. Granted, there will be a few nerfs come C5, but I don't seem them as a HUGE downgrade. If you choose summoner, I suggest Elemental Summoner, the LE summoner.
And server of choice would we, of course, my home server Lionna. You won't find a bigger mixture of overly nice and helpful people, and outrageously evil PvPers anywhere else.
Hope you have fun with whatever you choose! (And if you DO play on Lionna, give me a PM on Mehrunes)
I suggest summoner for you, honestly. Little to NO downtime in PvE. And, when coupled with a party a summoner can hold his own in PvP. Granted, there will be a few nerfs come C5, but I don't seem them as a HUGE downgrade. If you choose summoner, I suggest Elemental Summoner, the LE summoner.
And server of choice would we, of course, my home server Lionna. You won't find a bigger mixture of overly nice and helpful people, and outrageously evil PvPers anywhere else.
Hope you have fun with whatever you choose! (And if you DO play on Lionna, give me a PM on Mehrunes)
Too bad if a summoner runs into a healer he's screwed.
Well I read most of what ppl said...lol...before I just decided to ramble off my mouth.
The classes that would probally be best for you is.
1.) Spellhowler - Good at PvE, strong, best mana management out off all nukers which means least down time out off all. They are good at mass PvP (which is pretty much what counts anyway) such as war and seiges. They also are good for small team pvp... So very powerful, but not melee. If you go mage, go this!
2.) Going melee I would go Destroyer. Stong, and so is good at killing stuff, both PvP and PvE.
I will tell you magic is strong in this game, it has it's down sides which can make lvling a problem...but you will be strong in the end. Except the Spellhowler...his is the best solo char in the game in my Honest Opinion. You won't see the true force of a SH tho, until you actually become one..so you will have to stick it out until lvl 40 and after ur class change.
Overlords and Warcryers are nice, but they are difficult to level...
Severs are all about the same. Teon is for europeans mainly. The higher the server number the newer. Lower levels will usually be on the higher numbers...but low level can be lvl 70 in lineage...lol...
Well, everyone says Spellhowler, but I'll tell you now: if it's your first character, you won't be leveling up quickly regardless. This Dark Wizard is my first character, and Body to Mind is the single most overrated spell I have access to. I'm sure SHs have extremely fast leveling if you're in top-of-the-grade equipment, BSPS spam, and healing potions chugging to make BtM worthwhile. Being a new character and having access to none of the above...it's not nearly as smooth. I'd wager that an Elven/Human Wizard wouldn't level much more slowly in this instance, since the main advantage DEs have, BtM, is barely applicable in this instance.
If I had to choose over again, I would have picked a class that is much less equipment dependant than my Wizzie...a healer of some form, maybe. I'll probably be better off once I hit PS, but until then...
I see since your a monk in WoW .. I may suggest an orc monk...since they use fist weapons wich are good and have some self buff especially for spd wich makes traveling easier with out buying haste potions plus later they become tyrants and fist weapons are good cause they are faster and and they use light armor.... wich will make ya feel like home with the monk of WoW plus its resilient thsanks to its 47 con and has equal str as the human. but are slower... also they have a good ranged attack wich is nice against some runners or stopping a spell in progress.
This Dark Wizard is my first character, and Body to Mind is the single most overrated spell I have access to.
>>
You won't see the true force of a SH tho, until you actually become one..so you will have to stick it out until lvl 40 and after ur class change.
Like I said, it will almost be the exact same is lvling any other wizzy class until you actually become a SH. Still faster than others tho, since you do more damage per nuke = less nukes = more mana = less downtime.
All I have to say to you Grak, is if you thought lvling a Dark Wizzy is slow, just wait to lvl a healer of the same lvl...lol.
All I have to say to you Grak, is if you thought lvling a Dark Wizzy is slow, just wait to lvl a healer of the same lvl...lol.
Nah, I'd be leveling faster, since the fastest exp I get even on my wizzie is through grouping, and I'd get a lot more groups if I was a healer. :p I hardly solo anymore, can barely kill things that aren't purp/light blue.
Go DE wizard->Spellhowler:
* Less gear dependant then fighters (e.g. you can go 1-40 in a No Grade devotion set)
* Lower cost in consumables
* XP fast
* DE village has the best money making starter town quests
* Welcome and very useful in raid groups
* Little downtime
* Good in PvP
* You can solo easy
* Not so buff dependant
Well, everyone says Spellhowler, but I'll tell you now: if it's your first character, you won't be leveling up quickly regardless. This Dark Wizard is my first character, and Body to Mind is the single most overrated spell I have access to. I'm sure SHs have extremely fast leveling if you're in top-of-the-grade equipment, BSPS spam, and healing potions chugging to make BtM worthwhile. Being a new character and having access to none of the above...it's not nearly as smooth. I'd wager that an Elven/Human Wizard wouldn't level much more slowly in this instance, since the main advantage DEs have, BtM, is barely applicable in this instance.
The problem is that you use BTM when you're out of mana when you should be throwing one in every now and then. If you use vampiric claw and corpse life drain your HP should always be quite healthy and you don't have to rely on healing potions as much. I used BTM after fighting each mob and I could go for hours without a problem.
Also with getting top grade gear, fighters have to worry about getting top grade armor, wizards only get robe sets for the bonuses, not really for the pdef. If you can get a higher grade robe set with the same bonus its great but not necessary. Every class has the problem of getting top grade weapons.
The problem is that you use BTM when you're out of mana when you should be throwing one in every now and then. If you use vampiric claw and corpse life drain your HP should always be quite healthy and you don't have to rely on healing potions as much. I used BTM after fighting each mob and I could go for hours without a problem.
Also with getting top grade gear, fighters have to worry about getting top grade armor, wizards only get robe sets for the bonuses, not really for the pdef. If you can get a higher grade robe set with the same bonus its great but not necessary. Every class has the problem of getting top grade weapons.
Please do not pretend to know how I play. I do use BtM as you say. BtM so my health is never completely full so HP regen works, CLD, everything. Guess what, I still have downtime and I still don't stay up for a long period of time.
It's simple: 131 HP to 22 MP is not an efficient trade, especially since 22 MP isn't even a nuke. Now, I'm not saying the skill isn't useful, but for 20-40 with no pots, it's not nearly as good as people claim it to be.
Please do not pretend to know how I play. I do use BtM as you say. BtM so my health is never completely full so HP regen works, CLD, everything. Guess what, I still have downtime and I still don't stay up for a long period of time.
It's simple: 131 HP to 22 MP is not an efficient trade, especially since 22 MP isn't even a nuke. Now, I'm not saying the skill isn't useful, but for 20-40 with no pots, it's not nearly as good as people claim it to be.
Sorry for being so presumptuous about your playstyle ..
I never had a problem with downtime with my dark wiz 20-40, vampiric claw->shadow spark followed by 1-2 BTMs seemed to do the trick for me .. but yeh i do admit that I had top D and was spamming blessed shots ... if VC doesn't drain enough HP back then BTM won't be that great.
All I have to say to you Grak, is if you thought lvling a Dark Wizzy is slow, just wait to lvl a healer of the same lvl...lol.
Nah, I'd be leveling faster, since the fastest exp I get even on my wizzie is through grouping, and I'd get a lot more groups if I was a healer. :p I hardly solo anymore, can barely kill things that aren't purp/light blue.
I appreciate your experience but that is not what I found in my gameplay. :cool:
It's simple: 131 HP to 22 MP is not an efficient trade, especially since 22 MP isn't even a nuke. Now, I'm not saying the skill isn't useful, but for 20-40 with no pots, it's not nearly as good as people claim it to be.
ok.. this makes more sense to me, so yes given these stats I can see where b2m is not the end all be all.
Your point is well made about other's experience in leveling.
There is a VAST difference between that first poor toon in low NG and the alts that get geared out in top stuff.
I was recently able to start an elf (to try archer class finally) and at level 4 put him in bronze and give him a falchion....what a difference!
Lol...i kept wondering how folks could write that they went from 1-20 in such short times!!!
Now I know.
With your very first toon, unless you get serious help, you'll be using weapons with patks of 12 and pounding away on mobs that hurt you. Same toon with best-in-class weapon and good armor kills them in 2 hits and barely gets touched.
My first toon was a human fighter..he was in bronze through his 20's and had a gladius that it took me days to afford!
I like the idea one poster gave you of trying a couple of classes out on your various slots.
My de mystic leveled to 20 much faster than i expected. The palus knight was a breeze.
Dwarves and orc were slower (and i'd STILL like to meet the guy that came up with those dwarf class change quests--ugghh). Human figher cause it was my first and I screwed up just about everything possible was a ponderous nightmare!
If you get help with great weapon it will do more to speed up your leveling than any other variable I can think of at this point.
Now that I can trade down top d stuff to a new alt it's surprising to me how fast 20-30 goes these times around too!
Good luck.
Enjoy the journey---really!
And btw--the drops from hunting will afford adequate armor. Shop prices for weapons seem high when u first start but you CAN afford them through quests and grinding eventually.
Best weapon trumps best armor in all the circumstances i've seen--get the best you can afford (after weapon quests at lvl 10 or 12).
Killing FAST is key (said the hapless DA stuck at 50).
Please do not pretend to know how I play. I do use BtM as you say. BtM so my health is never completely full so HP regen works, CLD, everything. Guess what, I still have downtime and I still don't stay up for a long period of time.
It's simple: 131 HP to 22 MP is not an efficient trade, especially since 22 MP isn't even a nuke. Now, I'm not saying the skill isn't useful, but for 20-40 with no pots, it's not nearly as good as people claim it to be.
I have never had top equipment on my Spellhowler. It is not necessary for PvE. That is a true advantage of the Spellhowler class. As an example, I used the Conjurer's Knife up to about level 45 then I switched to Demon Fang's to get to the low 5x levels. I also used a Devotion Set for armor up to maybe the mid 4x levels then I switched to Demon Set which I used until about level 60.
Here is some advice that you may find useful if you are pure solo with no outside buffs:
1> ALWAYS use BSPS. Don't buy BSpS from shops instead craft them in craft shops at significantly lower cost. Buy the spirit ore from Giran on the night that Giran siege occurs - note the drop in price as the tax is reset to 0%!
2> ALWAYS hunt mobs you can kill (just barely) in 2 shots - this means you hunt green and white mobs only
3> ALWAYS cast 1 to 2 B2M per mob. Use Vamp Touch to regen HP when needed.
4> ALWAYS use the acumen2 potions and buy them from Giran store in bulk
5> Don't spend time on money quests that involve lots of running around. Instead do the quests that require you to kill many mobs and return to turn in quest items for a reward.
6> As soon as you hit level 40 get the coin quest and farm coins for profit this is the best money maker quest you'll ever get. Sell the coins in Giran in overnight shops. Hunt the Cave Servant series of monster in Dragon Valley as soon as you hit level 44 or so - you should be able to get 50 coins per hour there at a minimum.
7> Use Devotion Set until you can afford Demon Set or Karmian Set. Get the set items you can from the lux shop in Giran. Demon is easier now since you can get the gloves with silver coins! EDIT: gloves are gold coins, stockings are silver coins. Just get the gloves with gold coins and buy the stockings / tunic from the lux shop in Giran.
8> Don't worry about top grade weapons until you're in A grade. Use the mid-grade weapons and don't worry about OE. Your firepower is adequate to use something like Conjurer's Knife (Matk 52) up to low 4x levels. If you use the Devotion Set and mid-grade weapon up to 4x level you'll have saved enough to buy a Dark Screamer from the lux shop in Giran and exchange it for a Homunkulus's Sword by the time you're in C grade. You can easily use Homunkulus's Sword for the rest of your career as a Spell Howler. I used a +3 Homunkulus's Sword up to level 66.
This approach should work well and ensure you are able to make enough money to upgrade your gear within a few levels of each grade change.
Please do not pretend to know how I play. I do use BtM as you say. BtM so my health is never completely full so HP regen works, CLD, everything. Guess what, I still have downtime and I still don't stay up for a long period of time.
It's simple: 131 HP to 22 MP is not an efficient trade, especially since 22 MP isn't even a nuke. Now, I'm not saying the skill isn't useful, but for 20-40 with no pots, it's not nearly as good as people claim it to be.
I have never had top equipment on my Spellhowler. It is not necessary for PvE. That is a true advantage of the Spellhowler class. As an example, I used the Conjurer's Knife up to about level 45 then I switched to Demon Fang's to get to the low 5x levels. I also used a Devotion Set for armor up to maybe the mid 4x levels then I switched to Demon Set which I used until about level 60.
Here is some advice that you may find useful if you are pure solo with no outside buffs:
1> ALWAYS use BSPS. Don't buy BSpS from shops instead craft them in craft shops at significantly lower cost. Buy the spirit ore from Giran on the night that Giran siege occurs - note the drop in price as the tax is reset to 0%!
2> ALWAYS hunt mobs you can kill (just barely) in 2 shots - this means you hunt green and white mobs only
3> ALWAYS cast 1 to 2 B2M per mob. Use Vamp Touch to regen HP when needed.
4> ALWAYS use the acumen2 potions and buy them from Giran store in bulk
5> Don't spend time on money quests that involve lots of running around. Instead do the quests that require you to kill many mobs and return to turn in quest items for a reward.
6> As soon as you hit level 40 get the coin quest and farm coins for profit this is the best money maker quest you'll ever get. Sell the coins in Giran in overnight shops. Hunt the Cave Servant series of monster in Dragon Valley as soon as you hit level 44 or so - you should be able to get 50 coins per hour there at a minimum.
7> Use Devotion Set until you can afford Demon Set or Karmian Set. Get the set items you can from the lux shop in Giran. Demon is easier now since you can get the gloves with silver coins!
8> Don't worry about top grade weapons until you're in A grade. Use the mid-grade weapons and don't worry about OE. Your firepower is adequate to use something like Conjurer's Knife (Matk 52) up to low 4x levels. If you use the Devotion Set and mid-grade weapon up to 4x level you'll have saved enough to buy a Dark Screamer from the lux shop in Giran and exchange it for a Homunkulus's Sword by the time you're in C grade. You can easily use Homunkulus's Sword for the rest of your career as a Spell Howler. I used a +3 Homunkulus's Sword up to level 66.
This approach should work well and ensure you are able to make enough money to upgrade your gear within a few levels of each grade change.
As a low level Dark Wizard I really appreciate this advice. Thanks.
I tried BSPS last night for the first time and my jaw about hit the floor. I couldn't believe what I could do. I don't have BtM yet and my leveling speed doubled as a result of using these. I am currently finishing up in the Dark Elven village doing the sweetest venom quest and can one shot all spiders including the Arachnid Trackers. This has helped me greatly. The bad news is that BSPS are now like digital crack and I have to have them.
I have two accounts and plan on getting my Dark Wizard to 25 and getting BtM. Then I'll hand off all his gear (I have top NG weapon + Devotion) to a new level 1 Dark Mystic and get her up to 20 and go Shillen Oracle. Then I'll two box them from there. 1-20 should be a piece of cake with top NG equipment plus newbie buffs.
I recommend Spellhowler or Necro. Not because they are just great at pvp (and necro's overpowered) but, because both these classes have less downtime for PVE then the other mages why? BTM (Body To Mind) it's a skill that steals from your health & gives to your mp! You will still have downtime with every mage class. Good luck on picking a class & if you decide to join the Sieg server look me up I would be glad to help ya out :D
My understanding, however, is that Necros are expensive and that may not be a good choice for a new player. Though Tiffy is correct that they are pretty incredible in PvP.
Classes that no one has showed to much interest in are the Dagger classes. Daggers are great in pve, and level very fast from my personal experience. ATM, I have a Treasure Hunter which is great in PvP, and will only get better in C5. Personally, I think Melee classes are much more fun to play then mages, and are a bit more interessting. To the OP, you have said your primary interest lies in PvP. One thing that you have to recognize, is the real PvP on a large scale does not really occure to the higher levels of the game. Your not going to want to play a class that is amazing in PvP but cant grind to the levels at which PvP occurs. Pick a class that is well rounded, fun to play, and fits your playstyle.
For Classes: TH, Destroyer or BD
For Server: Picking your server is almost as important as the class you play. Since I do not know alot about the servers I havent played on, ill tell you what I know. The server Erica has a totally screwed up economic system and market. Teon is the newest server and is pretty well put together, but it is for European players. Bartz, which I play on, was the first server. It has a very large population, lots of high levels, lots of pvp, and quite a few bots. Our economy seems to be fairly normal and the server is relativly stable, but there are not a TON of true new, lower characters. The server is dominated by high levels, so there will be a little less of the lower level ranges. I have always played Bartz, and Im glad I did, and it has my recommendation, but then again I do not know enough about the others to tell you what you should pick.
My understanding, however, is that Necros are expensive and that may not be a good choice for a new player. Though Tiffy is correct that they are pretty incredible in PvP.
A necro can be incredibly cheap... 1 shot mobs spend a total of 285 adena (bsps price) and let the mob drop 1k+
My understanding, however, is that Necros are expensive and that may not be a good choice for a new player. Though Tiffy is correct that they are pretty incredible in PvP.
A necro can be incredibly cheap... 1 shot mobs spend a total of 285 adena (bsps price) and let the mob drop 1k+
Of course that means you are using cdl...
We are talking about a new player here... CDL occurs at level 52! Leveling a Necromancer from 40 to 52 is not cheap as it is usually done with Death Spike (for leveling speed). Any other route with Necro is slow leveling when compared to Spellhowler.
I have never had top equipment on my Spellhowler. It is not necessary for PvE. That is a true advantage of the Spellhowler class. As an example, I used the Conjurer's Knife up to about level 45 then I switched to Demon Fang's to get to the low 5x levels. I also used a Devotion Set for armor up to maybe the mid 4x levels then I switched to Demon Set which I used until about level 60.
Here is some advice that you may find useful if you are pure solo with no outside buffs:
1> ALWAYS use BSPS. Don't buy BSpS from shops instead craft them in craft shops at significantly lower cost. Buy the spirit ore from Giran on the night that Giran siege occurs - note the drop in price as the tax is reset to 0%!
2> ALWAYS hunt mobs you can kill (just barely) in 2 shots - this means you hunt green and white mobs only
3> ALWAYS cast 1 to 2 B2M per mob. Use Vamp Touch to regen HP when needed.
4> ALWAYS use the acumen2 potions and buy them from Giran store in bulk
5> Don't spend time on money quests that involve lots of running around. Instead do the quests that require you to kill many mobs and return to turn in quest items for a reward.
6> As soon as you hit level 40 get the coin quest and farm coins for profit this is the best money maker quest you'll ever get. Sell the coins in Giran in overnight shops. Hunt the Cave Servant series of monster in Dragon Valley as soon as you hit level 44 or so - you should be able to get 50 coins per hour there at a minimum.
7> Use Devotion Set until you can afford Demon Set or Karmian Set. Get the set items you can from the lux shop in Giran. Demon is easier now since you can get the gloves with silver coins! EDIT: gloves are gold coins, stockings are silver coins. Just get the gloves with gold coins and buy the stockings / tunic from the lux shop in Giran.
8> Don't worry about top grade weapons until you're in A grade. Use the mid-grade weapons and don't worry about OE. Your firepower is adequate to use something like Conjurer's Knife (Matk 52) up to low 4x levels. If you use the Devotion Set and mid-grade weapon up to 4x level you'll have saved enough to buy a Dark Screamer from the lux shop in Giran and exchange it for a Homunkulus's Sword by the time you're in C grade. You can easily use Homunkulus's Sword for the rest of your career as a Spell Howler. I used a +3 Homunkulus's Sword up to level 66.
This approach should work well and ensure you are able to make enough money to upgrade your gear within a few levels of each grade change.
I'm sorry, it's not going to happen for me. I'm at about 100K adena, at level 34. If I'm spamming BSPS, there is simply no way I'm going to be able to afford C-grade any time before I hit B-grade. (GG RBGs that don't give me any items. If I had to give any advice to a true newbie, it would be to avoid RBGs and just go Catas.) Acumen2 Pots? That's a great way to drive my cash count to the ground even further. The BtMs cooldown is too large to be casting it twice between mobs.
I'm not sure if this was directed specifically at me, but telling me about 40+ Spellhowler levels isn't useful to me, I'm going PS.
1) Honestly, Spellhowler is a solid choice. They look good, hit hard, and can solo with nice mana recovery. They are squishy, and the definition of a glass cannon. They do, however, look horrible in Dark Crystal which is the only real endgame robe for them.
If you want a melee... Destroyer. You will not dominate in 1v1 PvP vs anything ranged due to slow runspeed and thus archers and mages should defeat you... but its gonna take them a LONG time to kill you with your impressive pile of HP. If they make one mistake, you get to own them and embarrass them. Destroyers hurt anything they can catch very badly and take forever to kill... If that sounds like fun... then the destroyer wil not disappoint.
Warcryer is a nice middle ground.
You can melee quite well, buff everyone to the teeth, and can self-buff Vampiric Rage at mid to higher levels. (this spell owns for any melee) You can also wear robes and cast spells if you desire. (You are no Spellhowler, but you will rock in PvP.) Warcriers take some gumption to start off, but grow more and more powerful as they level. Everyone will love you for your buffs in a group, and you can still solo and PvP with the best. You are the best mid-ground the game has to offer for C4 and C5. Another downside is that Warcriers are expensive to outfit in endgame. (You will want both mage and melee outfits/weapons)
2) Server? Check the server sections for server personalities. I like Hindemith... Lots of different factions - at least three powerful alliances vying for castles, big PvP wars if you want them, massive and full-length sieges, and for the most part friendly people. Hindemith has its share of bots and babies, but for the most part is fun. We do have lots of server drama though... :-)
They do, however, look horrible in Dark Crystal which is the only real endgame robe for them.
The problem is not that they look bad in Dark Crystal. The problem is that the bottom half of Dark Crystal looks bad.
It's as if they put in all this work on the top and then decided to make the male lower half an Apron... like Hazel the Maid. And the Female lower half white stirrup pants.
They do, however, look horrible in Dark Crystal which is the only real endgame robe for them.
The problem is not that they look bad in Dark Crystal. The problem is that the bottom half of Dark Crystal looks bad.
It's as if they put in all this work on the top and then decided to make the male lower half an Apron... like Hazel the Maid. And the Female lower half white stirrup pants.
And it's not that DC looks bad for the DE males. I think it looks cool on the males. But the DE females get horrific looking robes. That and mith sets are two of the worst looking robes on DE females. How could they possibly screw that up, given the DE female physique?
The BtMs cooldown is too large to be casting it twice between mobs.
I'm not sure if this was directed specifically at me, but telling me about 40+ Spellhowler levels isn't useful to me, I'm going PS.
Its great to hear you're going PS, there are way too few summoners and there will be even less in C5 with the upcoming "nerfs". Stick with it, its a great all purpose class and great for farming catacomb rooms :cool:
Some of what the previous poster advises is still applicable tho cos from about 40-44 as a PS IMHO its quicker to nuke your way up until you get the lvl 44 servitor haste buff and the next shadow level (400+ p.atk and 300+ atk speed with perma-VR FTW).
From 25-44 a DE wiz->PS has the same grinding pattern as a DE wiz->SH, pick a mob you can 2 shot with using either sps or bsps (or no sps if critically poor), use vamp claw in that 2 shot and BTM twice after mob is dead. If you're health gets too low BTM just once.
As mentioned before to save adena its possible to use NG Devotion set for the +15% casting speed until you are past 40 and can afford C grade gear.
If you're on Erica send me personal board msg and ill tell you the name of my dwarf .. free stuff if you do, its hard starting from scratch and being legit
'm sorry, it's not going to happen for me. I'm at about 100K adena, at level 34. If I'm spamming BSPS, there is simply no way I'm going to be able to afford C-grade any time before I hit B-grade. (GG RBGs that don't give me any items. If I had to give any advice to a true newbie, it would be to avoid RBGs and just go Catas.) Acumen2 Pots? That's a great way to drive my cash count to the ground even further. The BtMs cooldown is too large to be casting it twice between mobs.
if you are counting on adena drops to equip you, you are going to be very disapointed no matter what class you play
as far as necros being expensive
they can lvl effectively with blaze until 52
you might get the odd spell failure but i still found it cheaper than lvling my ws