TheSmartGuy's Scamming Prevention Guide

Mercedes Skills points guide

First job advancement

Build 1:
10: 1 Swift Dual Shot [1], 4 Glide Blast [4]
11 - 12: 3 Glide Blast [10] [Max]
13 - 17: 3 Potential Power [15] [Max]
18 - 23: 3 Sharp Aiming [18]
24: 2 Sharp Aiming [20] [Max], 1 Swift Dual Shot [2]
25 - 30: 3 Swift Dual Shot [20] [Max]

Build 2:
10: 1 Swift Dual Shot [1], 4 Glide Blast [4]
11 - 12: 3 Glide Blast [10] [Max]
13 - 18: 3 Swift Dual Shot [18]
19: 2 Swift Dual Shot [20] [Max], 1 Sharp Aiming [1]
20 - 25: 3 Sharp Aiming [18]
26: 2 Sharp Aiming [20] [Max], 1 Potential power [1]
27 - 30: 3 Potential power [20] [Max]

Final results:
Glide Blast: MAX.
Potential power: MAX.
Sharp Aiming: MAX
Swift Dual Shot: MAX

Explanation:
You start out with 1 SP into Swift Dual Shot. For first job, it's going to be your main attacking skill. The Mercedes beginner maps are fairly large. Maxing out Glide Blast will reduce the time taken to reach monsters. You may decide to Max out Swift Dual Shot before Potential power to kill monsters quicker. Don't worry about mistakes, all skills will be maxed out by the time you reach level 30 and all previous mistakes will be forgotten.


Second job advancement.


Build 1:
30: 1 Piercing Storm [1]
31: 1 Rising Rush [1], 1 Parting Shot [1], 1 Physical Training [1]
32 - 34: 3 Physical Training [10] [Max]
35 - 39: 3 Spirit Surge [15] [Max]
40: 3 Parting shot [4]
41: 1 Parting shot [5] [Max], 2 Dual Bowgun Mastery [2]
42 - 47: 3 Dual Bowgun Mastery [20] [Max]
47 - 51: 3 Rising Rush [13]
52: 2 Rising Rush [15] [Max], 1 Final Attack [1]
53 - 58: 3 Final Attack [19]
59: 1 Final Attack [20] [Max], 2 Piercing Storm [3]
60 - 63: 3 Piercing Storm [15]
64: 1 Piercing Storm [16] , 2 Dual Bowgun Booster [2]
65 - 70: 3 Dual Bowgun Booster [20] [Max]

Final results:
Physical training: MAX.
Rising Rush: MAX.
Parting Shot: MAX.
Spirit Surge: MAX.
Dual Bowgun Booster: MAX.
Dual Bowguns Expert: MAX.
Final Attack: Dual Bowgun: MAX.
Piercing Storm: 16

Explanation:
As Piercing Storm might be good in second job, in third job it becomes useless. You will be receiving far better skills that replace Piercing Storm. Yet all other skills will still be beneficial when you've reached third job.

Rising Rush before final attack will help you get a higher damage output.

Third job advancement

Build 1:
70: 1 Stunning Strikes [1]
71: 1 Gust Dive [1], 1 Aerial Barrage [1], 1 Leaf Tornado [1]
72 - 77: 3 Ignis Roar [18]
78: 2 Ignis Roar [20] [Max], 1 Unicorn Spike [1]
79 - 82: 3 Aerial Barrage [13]
83: 2 Aerial Barrage [15] [Max], 1 Stunning Strikes [2]
84 - 89: 3 Stunning Strikes [20] [Max]
90 - 95: 3 Water Shield [18]
96: 2 Water Shield [20] [Max], 1 Leaf Tornado [2]
97 - 102: 3 Leaf Tornado [20] [Max]
103 - 108: 3 Elemental Knight [18]
109: 2 Elemental Knight [20] [Max], 1 Unicorn Spike/Gust Dive [2]
110 - 115: 3 Unicorn Spike/Gust Dive[20] [Max]
116 - 120 3 Unicorn Spike/Gust Dive [16]

Final results:
Ignis Roar: MAX.
Aerial Barrage: MAX.
Stunning Strikes: MAX.
Water shield: MAX.
Leaf Tornado: MAX.
Elemental Knight: MAX.
Gust Dive: 16/MAX.
Unicorn Strike: 16/MAX.

Explanation:
1 point into Stunning Strike, as it is an improvement from Piercing Storm even at level 1. Maxing Ignis Roar is an absolute next, as the damage and avoidability increases that it gives are a major asset while training. Aerial Barrage is a great option to max next, as training areas at those levels are usually high in mobs, and having a powerful(albeit slower than Stunning Strikes) 8-mob attack will definitely come in handy; the nice bonus Aerial Barrage adds to Rising Rush is great too. Stunning Strikes is maxed next as an all around fast and tidy attack. Water Shield is maxed before level 100 to improve defense before the monsters really start to hit hard. Next comes Leap Tornado, which will come in handy in high mob training spots that are common at those levels. After that, Elemental Knight can be added, as those little nymphs really pack a punch. The downside is the randomization of the summons and the cooldown. Finally, in all honesty, Gust Dive and Unicorn Spike are both skills that can either be maxed or not, as neither one affects training a whole lot. Level 16 Gust Dive serves its purpose, and maxing it will only tack on 12% to the damage. Level 16 Unicorn Spike still hits a great amount of damage, and maxing it will only tack on 8% to the damage, although since every hit of Unicorn Spike is critical, this 8% could make a huge difference, which is why it is preferable to have it maxed over Gust Dive. Unicorn Spike has a small cooldown and because of its slow speed, it is not a regular use in training, but the damage bonus it gives is useful for bossing parties.

Fourth job advancement

Build 1:
120: 1 Ishtar's Ring [1], 1 Rolling Moonsault [1], 1 Spikes Royale [1]
121 - 130: 3 Dual Bowguns Expert [30] [Max]
131 - 140: 3 Ancient Warding [30] [Max]
141 - 146: 3 Rolling Moonsault [19]
147: 1 Rolling Moonsault [20] [Max], 2 Advanced Final Attack [2]
148 - 156: 3 Advanced Final Attack [29]
157: 1 Advanced Final Attack [30] [Max], 1 Lightning Edge [1], 1 Ishtar's Ring [2]
158 - 160: 3 Ishtar's Ring [11]
161 - 166: 3 Defense Break [18]
167: 2 Defense Break [20] [Max], 1 Ishtar's Ring [12]
168 - 173: 3 Ishtar's Ring [30] [Max]
174 - 179: 3 Maple Warrior [18]
180: 1 Maple Warrior [19], 2 Spikes Royale [3]
181 - 185: 3 Spikes Royale [18]
186. 2 Spikes Royale [20] [Max], 1 Hero's Will [1]
187 - 189 3 Maple Warrior [28]
190: 1 Maple Warrior [29], 2 Lightning Edge [3]
191 - 199: 3 Lightning Edge [30] [Max]
200: 3 Hero's Will [4]

Explanation:
I'll be quite honest and tell you that this build was not written by me, but written by Rapptz on Ellinforest. I will therefore include his math to support this build. I would personally write it and explain it with math, but I'll be honest again. I nearly failed math in high school and haven't had any classes on it in 3 years. If anyone is able to elaborate this piece of math a bit more, I'd greatly appreciate it. Again, I claim no credit for this.

 

Cannoneer skills points guide

1st Job Skill Build



Level

Skill Points



10

Cannon Blaster +1 (1)



11

Cannon Blaster +1 (2), Blast Back +1 (1), Cannon Strike +1 (1)



12

Cannon Blaster +3 (5)



13

Cannon Blaster +3 (8)



14

Cannon Blaster +3 (11)



15

Cannon Blaster +3 (14)



16

Cannon Blaster +3 (17)



17

Cannon Blaster +3 (MAX)



18

Blast Back +3 (4)



19

Blast Back +3 (7)



20

Blast Back +3 (10)



21

Blast Back +3 (13)



22

Blast Back +2 (MAX), Cannon Boost +1 (1)



23

Cannon Boost +3 (4)



24

Cannon Boost +3 (7)



25

Cannon Boost +3 (MAX)



26

Cannon Strike +3 (4)



27

Cannon Strike +3 (7)



28

Cannon Strike +3 (10)



29

Cannon Strike +3 (13)



30

Cannon Strike +3 (16)


End Results 1st Job
Cannon Blaster MAX(20)
Blast Back MAX(15)
Cannon Boost MAX(10)
Cannon Strike 16

Second Job Skill Build



Level

Skill Points



30

Scatter Shot +1 (1)



31

Barrel Bomb +3 (3)



32

Barrel Bomb +3 (6)



33

Barrel Bomb +3 (9)



34

Barrel Bomb +3 (12)



35

Barrel Bomb +3 (15)



36

Barrel Bomb +3 (18)



37

Barrel Bomb +2 (MAX), Pirate Training +1 (1)



38

Pirate Training +3 (4)



39

Pirate Training +3 (7)



40

Cannon Mastery +3 (3)



41

Cannon Mastery +2 (5), Cannon Booster +1 (1)



42

Cannon Booster +3 (4)



43

Cannon Booster +2 (6), Cannon Mastery +1 (6)



44

Cannon Mastery +3 (9)



45

Cannon Mastery +3 (12)



46

Cannon Mastery +3 (15)



47

Cannon Mastery +3 (18)



48

Cannon Mastery +2 (MAX), Pirate Training +1 (8)



49

Pirate Training +2 (MAX), Critical Fire +1 (1)



50

Critical Fire +3 (4)



51

Critical Fire +3 (7)



52

Critical Fire +3 (10)



53

Critical Fire +3 (13)



54

Critical Fire +2 (MAX), Scatter Shot +1 (2)



55

Scatter Shot +3 (5)



56

Scatter Shot +3 (8)



57

Scatter Shot +3 (11)



58

Scatter Shot +3 (14)



59

Scatter Shot +2 (16), Monkey Magic +1 (1)



60

Monkey Magic +3 (4)



61

Monkey Magic +3 (7)



62

Monkey Magic +3 (10)



63

Monkey Magic +3 (13)



64

Monkey Magic +3 (16)



65

Monkey Magic +3 (19)



66

Monkey Magic +1 (MAX), Cannon Booster +2 (8)



67

Cannon Booster +3 (11)



68

Cannon Booster +3 (14)



69

Cannon Booster +3 (17)



70

Cannon Booster +3 (MAX)


End Results 2nd Job
Critical Fire MAX(15)
Cannon Mastery MAX(20)
Pirate Training MAX(10)
Barrel BombMAX(20)
Cannon Booster MAX(20)
Monkey Magic MAX(20)
Scatter Shot 16

3rd Job Skill Build



Level

Skill Points



70

Cannon Spike +1 (1)



71

Cannon Jump +1 (1), Reinforced Cannon +1 (1), Monkey Madness +1 (1)



72

Monkey Madness +3 (4)



73

Monkey Madness +3 (7)



74

Monkey Madness +3 (10)



75

Monkey Madness +3 (13)



76

Monkey Madness +3 (16)



77

Monkey Madness +3 (19)



78

Monkey Madness +1 (MAX), Reinforced Cannon +2 (3)



79

Reinforced Cannon +3 (6)



80

Reinforced Cannon +3 (9)



81

Reinforced Cannon +3 (12)



82

Reinforced Cannon +3 (MAX)



83

Cannon Jump +3 (4)



84

Cannon Jump +3 (7)



85

Cannon Jump +3 (10)



86

Cannon Jump +3 (13)



87

Cannon Jump +2 (MAX), Cannon Spike +1 (2)



88

Cannon Spike +3 (5)



89

Cannon Spike +3 (8)



90

Cannon Spike +3 (11)



91

Cannon Spike +3 (14



92

Cannon Spike +3 (17)



93

Cannon Spike +3 (MAX)



94

Luck of the Dice +3 (3)



95

Luck of the Dice +3 (6)



96

Luck of the Dice +3 (9)



97

Luck of the Dice +3 (12)



98

Luck of the Dice +3 (15)



99

Luck of the Dice +3 (18)



100

Luck of the Dice +2 (MAX), Pirate Rush +1 (1)



101

Pirate Rush +3 (4)



102

Pirate Rush +3 (7)



103

Pirate Rush +3 (10)



104

Pirate Rush +3 (13)



105

Pirate Rush +3 (16)



106

Pirate Rush +3 (19)



107

Pirate Rush +1 (MAX), Counter Crush +2 (2)



108

Counter Crush +3 (5)



109

Counter Crush +3 (8)



110

Counter Crush +3 (11)



111

Counter Crush +3 (14)



112

Counter Crush +1 (MAX), Monkey Wave +2 (2)



113

Monkey Wave +3 (5)



114

Monkey Wave +3 (8)



115

Monkey Wave +3 (11)



116

Monkey Wave +3 (14)



117

Monkey Wave +3 (17)



118

Monkey Wave +3 (MAX)



119

Barrel Roulette +3 (3)



120

Barrel Roulette +3 (6)


End Results 3rd Job
Reinforced Cannon MAX(15)
Pirate Rush MAX(20)
Counter Crush MAX(15)
Cannon Spike MAX(20)
Monkey Madness MAX(20)
Cannon Jump MAX(15)
Barrel Roulette (6)
Luck of the Dice MAX(20)
Monkey Wave MAX(20)

4th Job Skill Build



Level

Skill Points



120

Cannon Bazooka+1 (1), Cannon Barrage +1 (1), Cannon Overload +1 (1)



121

Mega Monkey Magic +1 (1), Nautilus Strike +1 (1), Anchors Away +1 (1)



122

Monkey Militia +1 (1), Double Down +2 (2)



123

Double Down +3 (MAX)



124

Cannon Overload +3 (4)



125

Cannon Overload +3 (7)



126

Cannon Overload +3 (10)



127

Cannon Overload +3 (13)



128

Cannon Overload +3 (16)



129

Cannon Overload +3 (19)



130

Cannon Overload +3 (22)



131

Cannon Overload +3 (25)



132

Cannon Overload +3 (28)



133

Cannon Overload +2 (MAX), Cannon Barrage +1 (2)



134

Cannon Barrage +3 (5)



135

Cannon Barrage +3 (8)



136

Cannon Barrage +3 (11)



137

Cannon Barrage +3 (14)



138

Cannon Barrage +3 (17)



139

Cannon Barrage +3 (20)



140

Cannon Barrage +3 (23)



141

Cannon Barrage +3 (26)



142

Cannon Barrage +3 (29)



143

Cannon Barrage +1 (MAX), Cannon Bazooka +2 (3)



144

Cannon Bazooka +3 (6)



145

Cannon Bazooka +3 (9)



146

Cannon Bazooka +3 (12)



147

Cannon Bazooka +3 (15)



148

Cannon Bazooka +3 (18)



149

Cannon Bazooka +3 (21)



150

Cannon Bazooka +3 (24)



151

Cannon Bazooka +3 (27)



152

Cannon Bazooka +3 (MAX)



153

Anchors Away +3 (4)



154

Anchors Away +3 (7)



155

Anchors Away +3 (10)



156

Anchors Away +3 (13)



157

Anchors Away +2 (MAX), Pirate's Spirit +1 (1)



158

Pirate's Spirit +3 (4)



159

Pirate's Spirit +3 (7)



160

Pirate's Spirit +3 (10)



161

Pirate's Spirit +3 (13)



162

Pirate's Spirit +3 (16)



163

Pirate's Spirit +3 (19)



164

Pirate's Spirit +3 (22)



165

Pirate's Spirit +3 (25)



166

Pirate's Spirit +3 (28)



167

Pirate's Spirit +2 (MAX), Mega Monkey Magic +1 (2)



168

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (5)



169

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (8)



170

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (11)



171

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (14)



172

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (17)



173

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (20)



174

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (23)



175

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (26)



176

Mega Monkey Magic +3 (29)



177

Mega Monkey Magic +1 (MAX), Monkey Militia +2 (3)



178

Monkey Militia +3 (6)



179

Monkey Militia +3 (9)



180

Monkey Militia +3 (12)



181

Monkey Militia +3 (MAX)

 

Hello there, people of Southperry! Welcome to my scamming prevention guide. This was the first Maplestory guide I ever wrote, so it might not be as good as some of my other ones. I hope you still find it helpful, though.

Oh, and PLEASE don't ask me why I ended every situation with the phrase, "You've been had." I have no idea myself.

Introduction
Scammers: One of low down races of Maplestory. I have been scammed (several times, unfortunately) before, and want to prevent YOU from being the next victim. Now, some of you may think that you’re just sooooo freaking smart and won’t give a crap about this thread. If you think you’re just sooooo freaking smart, please leave. Now, for the rest of you, read on.

How to Spot a Scammer
There is no definite way to spot a scammer, though you might want to watch out for their:

-Fame
Many scammers have low or negative fame. However, discriminating ever guy you see on the streets with negative fame is a VERY ineffective way to spot a scammer. They may have been mass defamed, buy defames, or just don’t give a crap. But if a random person with -12 fame invites you to a drop game, you may want to be careful.
-Level
Would you rather have your level 15 account banned for scamming or your level 60 one? Any human with a shred of common sense would choose the first option. Guess what: scammers are humans too (gasp). So be careful if a level 13 wants you to follow him to the Kerning Hospital because he is “dropping free steelys"

The Amazing Item Copier
NOTE: Hazzy has informed me that this scam no longer works. I have not confirmed this yet, but it is fully possible.

Intro
This is the most commonly performed scam in Maple. It is also the one that works the least.

The situation
A person you’ve never seen before requests a trade with you. You accept it. The following conversation:

Random person: Want to copy your best items? There’s this new glitch that allows you to!
You: Really? How does it work?
Random Person: All you have to do is put an item into the trade box and press tab+tab+space+enter. Try it! It works with mesos and scrolled items too.
You: Ok!

You put your 30-attack maple claw in the trade box and press tab+tab+space+enter. Suddenly the trade window disappears and another window pops up that says, “Trade successful. Please check results.†You check your inventory. No maple claw. You’ve been had.

How to Prevent This
Luckily, this is one of the easiest scams to prevent. Click the “cancel†key and report the person for scamming. Or you could mess with the scammer’s mind for a few minutes and then cancel and report. It doesn’t matter to me. Just DON’T tab+tab+space+enter.

Note: Another version of this scam consists of the scammer telling you to press trade but NOT press "yes" on the trade acception window. Instead, they have you type "copy". Do NOT listen. If you do, you will lose the item you put into the trade box. This is because the word "copy" has the letter "y" in it. "Y" stands for "yes", so you will end up accepting the trade. Other words with "y" (Maplestory, etc.) also work. (Credits for this note go to nummynummy and some other random people.)

Drop Game Cheating

Intro
Here’s a lesson kids: Drop games are for suckers.

The situation
A person is spamming, “Drop game in the Kerning Hospital! Dropping free tobis?You follow him into the hospital for a chance of free stars. You are the only person the follows him into the hospital. The following:

Person: Ok, You stand next to the big air vent. I’ll stand next to this hospital booth. I’m going to drop my tobis. You drop something too. If the item is you drop is worth my than my tobis, you can have them. Got it?
You: Yep.
Person: Ok, ready, set, drop!

The person drops his tobis. You drop a set of steelys. Suddenly, someone you didn’t see behind the air pipe (the Kerning Hospital has no mini-map) comes out and picks up your steelys. He then CCs. The person who dropped the tobis CCs too. You’ve lost your steelys. In other words, you have been had.

How to Prevent This
Like I said in the intro, drop games are for suckers. Never play one, no matter how “fun?it seems. If you want to compare items, why not use a TRADE WINDOW? If you just “have?to play a drop game, don’t drop anything too expensive. Drop a clean WG and claim it’s 10 attack or something. How would they find out?

The “Best Friend Forever" Scam
Intro
Do you have a friend? I’m sure we all do. But even a friend can stab you in the back.

The Situation
You need to transfer a 72 attack wagner to your mule on another account. Unfortunately, you only have one computer available for use. You need the weapon RIGHT NOW, so you don’t have time to send it over Bill. Then suddenly an idea pops from your head: friend transfer. You message your best friend.

You: Hey Rob, I need to give my 72 attack wagner to my mule. Can you hold the wagner for me while I log on to him?
Friend: Sure, meet in the FM.

You think this over. Do you want to trust your wagner with him? Sure, why not. He’s been your buddy for nearly a year now and you two have trained together for 50 levels. You meet him in the FM and give him the weapon. You log off and get on your mule. But when you log on, you’re friend isn’t there. “Oh well,?you think to yourself, “I’ll ask him tomorrow? But you’re friend never logs on again. Hours, weeks, a month passes. You realize that your wagner is gone. You’ve been had.

How to Prevent This
This is the hardest scam to perform. Only the most low-down, rotten, no-hearted scammers will attempt this one. Unfortunately, this is also the hardest scam to prevent. One way to stop this from ever happening is to kick everyone out of your buddy list, quit Maple, and hide under a rock. But most of us are probably not going to do that. A more sensible solution to this scam is to transfer in small portions. If you need to transfer 50 mil, give your friend 5 mil at a time. Losing 5 mil to a scammer is better than losing 50. It’s also a good idea to try to avoid friend transfers altogether. If you only have one computer, send the stuff over Bill. If you have two computers, why are you friend transferring stuff anyway?

“The Gold-Digger" Scam
This is a close version to the previously mentioned scam, but is based around a different kind of relationship between you and the scammer: marriage.

The Situation
You’ve been married with a girl for 3 weeks and give her a wedding present: a set of ilbis. Then, the next day, out of the blue, she divorces from you. You’re devastated, but become enraged the next week when you realize that she’s married another guy. You confront the guy a few weeks later, but he tells you that after taking several mil worth in wedding gifts, divorced from him too. You’ve been had. This time by a “gold-digger?(a girl character in Maple, usually a guy in irl, who marries and breaks up constantly for wedding gifts).

How to Prevent This
There are several different ways to prevent this from ever happening. The way you choose will depend on who you are and the status of your marriage. If you:

- Married for fun : Don’t pay $30 for a computer marriage! If you get married “for the fun of it? let your partner pay for the wedding. When it’s time for wedding gifts, don’t give your 50 attack scarab or your godly scrolled kandayo away; give her/him something like a clean maple staff or a 10 DEX sauna.
- Married your Maple GF : Life’s tough, but people double-cross each other a LOT in the internet. It may be time to get a real girlfriend. If you are a die-hard supporter of MS marriage, it’s ok. Just be careful; don’t trust too much of your stuff with your partner.
- Married your real GF : Your real girlfriend double-crossed you? It’s break-up time!
- Married for APQ : Make it clear to your partner that you married for APQ only. This way, you won’t have to risk anything. If you make sure your partner knows, he/she won’t get mad when you don’t give them a wedding gift, or that you never talk to them.

The “You Can Trust Me" Scam
Intro
Don’t trust people that you’ve only known for 10 minutes, please.

The Situation
A lvl 33 I/L mage is spamming, “Quitting Maple! Dropping everything I own! Follow me to FM 12?You and two other people follow him.

I/L Mage: Ok, here’s how it works: You drop something, then I drop something of equal value and you can pick both of them up. It’s like a drop game, except you always win.

Person #1 drops a Maple Scorpio. The I/L wizard drops a cromi and Person #1 picks both items. He comes out happy. Person #2 drops a lionheart. The wizard drops him a blue chainmail. He comes out happy. You drop a set of steelys; hoping for an extra-big prize. The I/L mage says, “Sorry, but I don’t know anything about thief items L? You get a sap of ancient tree. It’s Person #1’s turn again. He drops a blood slain.

I/L Mage: I SAID, I don’t know anything about thief items. Ok, this is getting dumb.
I/L Mage: Ok, change of rules: To get a good item, you have to actually trade it to me. Then I will retrade you and give you your item and an extra item back. If you’ve got a lot of trust, you’ll get a good prize.

Person #1 seems a bit hesitant, but agrees. Thirty seconds later, he starts jumping around and spamming, “I GOT FREE KUMBIS! I GOT FREE KUMBIS?Person #2 is also hesitant, but is satisfied in the end. You do not hesitate; you’re convinced that this is totally legit. Why wouldn’t you be? Two people have already done it and came out happy! You trade the I/L mage your steelys. Expecting a great prize, you click the trade button. Suddenly, the I/L mage d/ces. You try tracking him for the rest of the day, but he doesn’t log on. It takes you a few hours, but you finally realize you’ve been had.

How to Prevent This
Trust is overrated. Just because a person has been “nice†for the last 15 minutes doesn’t mean you can trust him with your most prized possessions. After you finished reading the article “The Situation†you probably immediately thought, “I’m not that stupid. I could see that scam from a million miles away.†The truth is, you probably can’t. Why? Because of your sense of trust will probably clog up your common sense. Sometimes it helps to look at your actions. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and THINK about what you’re doing. Instincts like trust screw over your thoughts until you can’t realize the stupidity of a situation. If humans followed this advice more, we would find ourselves in a lot fewer dumb situations. In other words: Just be careful and don’t act stupid.

The “Retrade I’m Lagging" Scam
Note: Idea submitted by boombadaboom (I think)

Intro
If something’s too good to be true, it probably is.

The situation
You’re selling tobis for 1 mil in the FM. You know the price is a bit of a stretch, but that’s what merchanting’s about, right? After several minutes of spamming the same old, “S> TOBIS 1MIL? you get tired and start to leave the FM. Suddenly, someone requests to trade with you. You open the box, and-

Random Person: I’ll buy your tobis. But hurry up. My dinner is in 5 minutes. In fact, if you speed things up, I’ll give you 1.1 mil for them.
You: Ok!

You put your stars up and the random person puts 1,111,111 mesos in to the trade box. It’s an awkward number, but you don’t have time for questions. The trade button is hit?and then the other guy cancels the trade. You message him and ask him why he did this, and he answered, “Sorry, I’m really laggy in the FM. Retrade?So you retrade the person, do the same thing all over, and?he cancels again. So you keep on trying. Cancel, cancel, cancel. Tired of the person wasting your time, you start clicking the trade icon as fast as you can. Half of the time, you don’t even look at the screen! Then, after 8 or so retrades, the “Trade Succesful?window finally pops up. You rejoice and check your inventory. But something’s wrong. You’ve barely received 100k! Then you realize what happened. In your rush get a trade, the random guy secretly inserted 111,111 mesos instead of 1,111,111 mesos in the trade box. You’ve been had.

How to Prevent This
When Fming, take things slooooow. Rushing will not help you and it’ll occasionally hurt you. If someone is in a rush to receive your items, its ok to speed things up, but watch what you’re doing. And lastly, like what I said in the intro, if something’s too good to be true, it probably is.

The "Buy High Sell Higher" Scam
Note: I resubmitted this part of the guide. If you think you were the one who gave me the idea, notify me please.

Intro
Just like the previously described scam, this scam also happens in the FM. And once again, if it's too good to be true, it probably is (some people just never learn)

The Situation
You need a new pair of work gloves, so you take with yourself 4 mil and walk to the FM. While passing through, you notice a guy spamming, "B>CLEAN RED HEART EARRINGS 2 MIL!". You think to yourself, "2 mil? What a great deal!" Too bad you don't have any red heart earrings. You keep on walking. Suddenly, you see another person spamming, "S> CLEAN RED HEART EARRINGS 1.5 MIL!" You remember the guy you saw earlier, and automatically trade the person selling the earrings. The person accepts the trade, puts in the heart earrings, and then you pay him. The trade is successful and you walk over to the other side where you last saw the guy buying red hearts. But he's gone. You've been had (either that or you're really unlucky).

How to Prevent This
Man, this is getting really tiring. If it's too good to be true, IT PROBABLY IS. Geez. And that's pretty much all you need to know to prevent yourself from being screwed by this scam.

The “Account Giveaway Sweepstakes†Scam

Intro
See all those “giving away account†threads over there in the General Maplestory section? Many of them aren’t as innocent as they seem…

The Situation
You’re browsing through the General MS section. You see a thread titled “I’m Quitting MapleStoryâ€. You decided to check it out. It turns out to become sob story about how the TS’s friends have quit… blah blah blah… how the MS community sucks…. blah blah blah… how he’s giving his level 90 crusader away to random poster . Your eyes spring at those words. You could totally use a level 90 crusader! So you post on the thread. A day later, you receive a PM from the TS. He gives you his account’s username, passwords, and PIN. You log on immediately. The account’s been stripped, but you don’t really care. Of course, you realize that the account could easily be hacked. So you limit funds flowing into the account for several weeks. Six weeks later… nothing’s happened. You’re pretty sure it’s all clear, so you start funding the account. To start it up, you buy a 105 ATK Devil’s Sunrise. A week later, you get your crusader a 2 ATK 10 STR PAC. By the end of the month, you’ve even gotten a Z-helm. The next day, you turn on Maplestory and type in your account’s info. It doesn’t work. After 5 tries, it still doesn’t work. You realize that the person who “gave†you the account was simply working a scam. You’ve been hacked; the password’s been changed. 110 mil down the drain.

How to Prevent This
People rarely ever give their accounts away to random players for “freeâ€. I mean, if you’re not getting paid, who would you rather give your account to: a close friend or some random person you’ve never met in real life? I thought so. If someone DOES offer you an account, don’t accept it UNLESS they give you the account’s email and answer to Secret Question #2 along with the basic info. This way, you can change the account’s password and recover the pin.

The "I'm Your Friend" Scam
This one probably needed to be retyped... but whatever. XD





Originally Posted by KoLIdiot

Intro: So a noob crosses your path asking for stuff

The situation: A low level character crosses your path. Then he "recognizes" you and says "Hey, remember me? I'm Rick, your maple friend who quit a couple months ago!" And you remember him. You start talking and then "Rick" tells you that he gave away his stuff and needs a startup. You, being a generous guy, give him a load of mesos, believing that he will return it all one day. You buddy each other and the low level character logs off. Then you never see him again. It takes you a while to realize that you've been had.

The solution: You should trust nobody. Make sure your friends can all prove who they are, for example, tell your friends that if they every come back to be prepared to answer a special question. Just make sure that the person behind the character is genuine.
The "Click Faster" Scam





Originally Posted by Maya


Intro
This is why you don't carry all your mesos with you. Ahem. Storage.

The Situation
You see a smega saying that there's a ton of great items for 300 meso each at a guy's store. You CC and go to the FM and see a crowd of people trying to get in one store. The store says to keep clicking and pressing enter on the shop, and you really want to get in so you do what it says. It's full, so you wait and wait. Eventually, you get in, you saw the box pop up and you pressed enter so you've bought something. You get out of the shop and find 20 mill mesos gone and a wooden wand in your inventory. You've been had" o-o

How to Prevent This
Don't listen to those naughty smegas. End of story. You can stop this by waiting around at the spot of the scene and looking to see what people are saying. Once you see a spot open in the store, go in by clicking on it a couple of times, but not enough to buy something and check what was sold first and take your time and study the item first. Of course, if it's something like a level 40 wand that you need for cheap, buy it.
A Basic Overview
A lot of the scams that I just mentioned SEEM very easy to spy and prevent. But this is because the style of writing I used in “The Situation?was stuck to the fact that “that random guy?was always the scammer. Most random guys aren’t scammers, and scams are actually really hard to detect. So don’t make smart remarks like, “Omg I’m so pro there’s no way I can get scammed because I have so much common sense and pro-ness and blah blah blah...? because when YOU get scammed, don’t come crying to me. Happy Mapling!

Constructive Critism
If you don’t like this guide give me some suggestions. If you know of a scam that I haven’t included in here, write it in this format so I can just copy paste it instead of re-type it word for word:

Name of Scam
Intro
The Situation (present tense please)
How to Prevent This

Credits to TheSmartGuy from southperry

 

ShiKage's Post-Big Bang Paladin Build!

I'm not well-versed in the ways of Paladins. I've never actually played one far into third job in the official servers, but I have played the class in JMST and have discussed this build over with a certain player who has made her own Paladin in KMS and this is what I have come up with. This build may not be for everyone, so take it as you will.



First Job

Level 10 : +1 Power Strike
Level 11 : +3 Slash Blast
Level 12 : +3 Slash Blast
Level 13 : +3 Slash Blast
Level 14 : +3 Slash Blast
Level 15 : +3 Slash Blast
Level 16 : +3 Slash Blast
Level 17 : +2 Slash Blast (Max), +1 Power Strike
Level 18 : +3 Power Strike
Level 19 : +3 Power Strike
Level 20 : +3 Power Strike
Level 21 : +3 Power Strike
Level 22 : +3 Power Strike
Level 23 : +3 Power Strike (Max)
Level 24 : +3 HP Increase
Level 25 : +3 HP Increase
Level 26 : +3 HP Increase
Level 27 : +1 HP Increase (Max), +2 Iron Body
Level 28 : +3 Iron Body
Level 29 : +3 Iron Body
Level 30 : +3 Iron Body (11)


Result :
10 HP Increase (MAX)
20 Power Strike (MAX)
20 Slash Blast (MAX)
11 Iron Body

Reason :
In the Big Bang changes, MAX HP Increase was changed completely. Instead of increasing base HP when you level up, it now increases your HP by total percent based on the skill's level. For instance, if you have 1,000 HP and you put 10 points into HP Increase, you will get plus 200 HP at that exact moment. Therefore, instead of going for HP Increase immediately, it's wise to go for Slash Blast. Put one point into Power Strike as a prerequisite to Slash Blast and then proceed to max Slash Blast. After that, finish up Power Strike. For the rest of the time, finish up HP Increase and then dump the rest of your points in Iron Body. Those points in Iron Body will prove to be of some use now. After Big Bang, defense actually helps, so the more defense, the more survivability you will have.

---------------------

Second Job

Level 30 : +1 Ground Smash
Level 31 : +3 Mastery
Level 32 : +2 Mastery, +1 Booster
Level 33 : +3 Booster
Level 34 : +1 Booster (5), +2 Mastery
Level 35 : +3 Mastery
Level 36 : +3 Mastery
Level 37 : +3 Mastery
Level 38 : +3 Mastery
Level 39 : +1 Mastery (Max), +2 Improved Basics
Level 40 : +3 Improved Basics
Level 41 : +3 Improved Basics
Level 42 : +2 Improved Basics (Max), +1 Final Attack
Level 43 : +3 Final Attack
Level 44 : +3 Final Attack
Level 45 : +3 Final Attack
Level 46 : +3 Final Attack
Level 47 : +3 Final Attack
Level 48 : +3 Final Attack
Level 49 : +1 Final Attack (Max), +2 Threaten
Level 50 : +1 Threaten (3), +2 Power Guard
Level 51 : +3 Power Guard
Level 52 : +3 Power Guard
Level 53 : +3 Power Guard
Level 54 : +3 Power Guard
Level 55 : +3 Power Guard
Level 56 : +3 Power Guard (Max)
Level 57 : +3 Threaten
Level 58 : +3 Threaten
Level 59 : +3 Threaten
Level 60 : +3 Threaten
Level 61 : +3 Threaten
Level 62 : +2 Threaten (Max), +1 Booster
Level 63 : +3 Booster
Level 64 : +3 Booster
Level 65 : +3 Booster
Level 66 : +3 Booster
Level 67 : +2 Booster (Max), +1 Ground Smash
Level 68 : +3 Ground Smash
Level 69 : +3 Ground Smash
Level 70 : +3 Ground Smash (11)

Result :
11 Ground Smash
20 Mastery (MAX)
20 Booster (MAX)
20 Final Attack (MAX)
20 Threaten (MAX)
20 Power Guard (MAX)
10 Improved Basics (MAX)

Reason :
You may be thinking, "Only eleven points in Ground Smash!? What are you thinking!?" However, Ground Smash is replaced in third job pretty quickly. Level one Ground Smash is more than efficient enough to get you through second job and into the part of third job where it's completely replaced. Slash Blast with Improved Basics on bigger mobs will be better than Ground Smash, especially in places like Monster Carnival. So, to start out, get one Ground Smash to help a bit with training, then get 5 Mastery for the sake of getting 5 booster, which will help your training a lot, then proceed to max out Mastery. After Mastery, max out Improved Basics so that you deal a lot more damage, which will in turn help you train a bit faster. After that, max out Final Attack. Final Attack, after the Big Bang, is very good. It has absolutely no delay, so it's practically extra damage added to whatever skill you use. This will help out your training by quite a bit. After Final Attack is maxed, you should get 3 Threaten so that you can work on Power Guard. Power Guard, after the Big Bang, has a fifty percent reflection rate, meaning you only take half of the damage you normally would from a monster. This will save a lot in potions, and in turn, money. After that, proceed to max out Threaten and then Booster. After that, you will have ten extra points. Either dump some in Iron Body for an extra bit of defense or dump the rest in Ground Smash.

---------------------



Third Job

Level 70 : +1 Fire Charge
Level 71 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 72 : +2 Fire Charge (6), +1 Lightning Charge
Level 73 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 74 : +2 Lightning Charge (6), +1 Ice Charge
Level 75 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 76 : +2 Ice Charge (6), +1 Restoration
Level 77 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 78 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 79 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 80 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 81 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 82 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 83 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 84 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 85 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 86 : +3 Charge Blow (Max)
Level 87 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 88 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 89 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 90 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 91 : +2 Fire Charge (Max), +1 Lightning Charge
Level 92 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 93 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 94 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 95 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 96 : +1 Lightning Charge (Max), +2 Ice Charge
Level 97 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 98 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 99 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 100 : +3 Ice Charge (Max)
Level 101 : +3 Restoration
Level 102 : +3 Restoration
Level 103 : +3 Restoration (Max)
Level 104 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 105 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 106 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 107 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 108 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 109 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 110 : +2 Combat Orders (Max), +1 Shield Mastery
Level 111 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 112 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 113 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 114 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 115 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 116 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 117 : +1 Shield Mastery (Max), +2 Magic Crash/Iron Body/Ground Smash
Level 118 : +3 Magic Crash/Iron Body/Ground Smash
Level 119 : +3 Magic Crash/Iron Body/Ground Smash
Level 120 : +3 Magic Crash/Iron Body/Ground Smash

Result :
20 Shield Mastery (MAX)
30 Charge Blow (MAX)
20 Fire Charge (MAX)
20 Ice Charge (MAX)
20 Lightning Charge (MAX)
20 Combat Orders (MAX)
10 Restoration (MAX)
11 Magic Crash (Recommended)/Iron Body/Ground Smash

Reason :
Okay, this one is a bit different than pre-Big Bang. Pre-Big Bang, everything was focused around maxing your charges first. However, now, I would suggest work on getting 6 points in all charges for the time. Of course you should get all three charges for versatility and for the stack effect, the added power, and the elemental weaknesses some monsters may have. Once you have those 6 points allocated to all charges, at least one point in Restoration would be really nice. It saves on potions if used right. However, that is purely optional. You don't necessarily need it so early, but it's nice to have. After that, proceed to max Charge Blow. Charge Blow is different than pre-Big Bang in the fact that it no longer cancels your charges. Your charges remain intact 100% of the time you use Charge Bow. This, of course, is the skill that replaces Ground Smash. It does a lot more damage and hits more mobs. So, Charge Blow as soon as possible in third job is a must. After that, you will want to max out Fire Charge, as it's the strongest charge in third job. Not only that, but most monsters you will find will be weak to fire, or at least, at that level they will be. After Fire Charge is maxed, proceed to max Lightning Charge because of the stack effect. It will help with damage and maybe you will find a few lightning-weak monsters to train on around those levels. Ice Charge will be last. It's not too needed at these levels, due to the damage reductions from monsters, the high defense Paladins have, and the Restoration skill that heals you so easily. After all three charges are maxed, you will want to max Restoration. Restoration is very good. It has a very short cool down time and it recovers most of your HP in a single instant. It's almost a replacement for HP potions. Of course, it won't be in all situations. After Restoration is maxed, work on Combat Orders. I didn't tell you to get Combat Orders soon because it's not really too useful in third job. The points you would have used on it could have done the same thing for any other skill. It doesn't go over the max level of skills for any skill except the ones in fourth job, so there was no real point in maxing Combat Orders so soon. After you have Combat Orders maxed, work on Shield Mastery. Shield Mastery will be very helpful if you're a one-handed weapon user, as it adds more defense to your shield, which will help reduce the damage you take. Afer that's maxed, dump the final eleven extra SP into Magic Crash, Iron Body, or Ground Smash. Any of them are fine. I would suggest going with Magic Crash over the other two, since the effect it causes to bosses will be really desired. If you don't want to go that path, however, go with Iron Body, since the defense it gives will be beneficial in the end.


Alternate Third Job Build (Combat Orders to max everything) :

Level 70 : +1 Fire Charge
Level 71 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 72 : +2 Fire Charge (6), +1 Lightning Charge
Level 73 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 74 : +2 Lightning Charge (6), +1 Ice Charge
Level 75 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 76 : +2 Ice Charge (6), +1 Restoration
Level 77 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 78 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 79 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 80 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 81 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 82 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 83 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 84 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 85 : +3 Charge Blow
Level 86 : +3 Charge Blow (Max)
Level 87 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 88 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 89 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 90 : +3 Fire Charge
Level 91 : +1 Fire Charge (19), +2 Lightning Charge
Level 92 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 93 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 94 : +3 Lightning Charge
Level 95 : +2 Lightning Charge (19), +1 Ice Charge
Level 96 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 97 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 98 : +3 Ice Charge
Level 99 : +3 Ice Charge (19)
Level 100 : +3 Restoration
Level 101 : +3 Restoration
Level 102 : +1 Restoration (8), +2 Combat Orders
Level 103 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 104 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 105 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 106 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 107 : +3 Combat Orders
Level 108 : +3 Combat Orders (MAX)
Level 109 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 110 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 111 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 112 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 113 : +3 Shield Mastery
Level 114 : +3 Shield Mastery (18)
Level 115 : +3 Magic Crash
Level 116 : +3 Magic Crash
Level 117 : +3 Magic Crash
Level 118 : +3 Magic Crash
Level 119 : +3 Magic Crash
Level 120 : +3 Magic Crash (18)

Result :
18 Shield Mastery
30 Charge Blow (MAX)
19 Fire Charge
19 Ice Charge
19 Lightning Charge
20 Combat Orders (MAX)
8 Restoration
18 Magic Crash

Reason :
Self explanatory; you get skills to 19 or 18 for the fact that Combat Orders adds +2 to all skills EXCEPT itself. Also, you will need 30 points in Charge Blow due to the fact that Combat Orders does NOT affect prerequisites for later skills (Advanced Charge Blow). The rest of the build is the same as before.


Fourth job will not be a part of this guide. The fourth job builds always vary on what skill books you're able to get your hands on and some things are controversial, so I'll leave it to you to figure out.

Advanced Charge Blow has changed after the Big Bang. Instead of being an enhancement to Charge Blow and getting rid of the charge killing effect, it now not only increases the damage dealt with the skill, but it also adds mastery as long as you have a charge active.


Thank you for reading my guide.

Credits go to ShiKage and Polantaris. Thank you, Polantaris, for your helpful insight in helping me with this build.





Disclaimer about the 3rd job build : The level six charge option is completely optional. I would strongly recommend getting fire charge first for the power. There's really no reason for you to have a specific charge at that level, but the damage from the fire charge is higher than what you'll get with the other two. Also, some people recommend going for max Magic Crash rather than Shield Mastery or sacrificing another skill for it. It's extremely useful for bossing, so I recommend going for what you think is the best for you.

Please notify me if I've made a mistake somewhere. Thank you.

 

The Ultimate Mechanic (4th job) PVP guide!

Warning: This is a guide in making. I will include more information and might include pictures when I have the time.

Ok so, welcome to the ultimate Mechanic (4th job) PVP guide! Like most of you know, mechanics can troll a lot in PVP if you do it right. Here's how to maximize your points during the PVP matches, mostly in free for all.

1. Getting started

The first step in becoming a good PVPer, for all jobs, is the equips. Choose equipments who have a lot of attack and main stats (don't try to get potential stats unless you are going for 180+ PVP). Also, be sure that you can wear all of your equipments without needing the potential stats since they get negated in PVP (except 180+).
The first skills to get as a 4th job PVPer are extreme mech, missile tank and laser blast/maple warrior. You won't need amplifier since you're not really gonna stay in the same place, but you can always go for a normal build.

2. Basic strategies

- Stay on your tank all the time during PVP. Trying to use the normal prototype is pointless and will only make you fail.

- Use the normal attack on your tank most of the time and jump around while using it. Use laser blast every time the cooldown refresh. Try to hit as many ennemies as possible with it!

- Use siege mode when you're sure you're far from the other melee classes and that the ranged classes can't hit you. Be careful for fast moving characters (mages,thieves). In team battle, you can hide behind your comrades to do a maximum of damage!

- Pick every item you see except for the question mark boxes. Never go out of your way to pick anything except life potions. Since you can't climb ropes, try using rocket jump as a shortcut!

-If you have the feeling you're getting hit too much, jump away from the crowd and try to recover some life. Use the healing bot if needed (see advanced strategies).

-Never try to kill a warrior class except if his hp bar is really low.

3. Advanced strategies

If you think you mastered the basics, try out those!

- Try to evaluate your damage and the hp of your foes. After some minutes of playing with the same persons, you will know when you can go into siege mode and destroy someone before he kills you.

- Use your mech dash to move faster and behind your ennemies.

- If there is 2 layers of a platform, you are always better off on the bottom layer (on the top layer, you miss your foes most of the time if they're on the bottom one).

- Try to combo low hp foes to kill them. If they run, use laser blast to finish em off!

- Your healing bot is a precious allie. Set it up on the platform you will be during most of the match. Alternatively, put it far away from the other players and escape there to peacefully recover hp.


Thanks for reading this guide. I will update it regulary as I discover more tricks.

Credits to southperry

 

Guide to the Assassin

Clockwork’s Guide to the Assassin

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. Stat allocation
3. Skill allocation
4. Gear basics
5. General tips and advice
6. Some other point





1. Introduction



Okay yes hi I'm Clockwork.

The only other good guide on this site for the assassin is now horribly out-dated so I wrote this guide. This is a complete guide with explanations about stats, skills, and much much more. Exciting, huh? I plan to keep this guide up-to-date with future patches and accurate with new information. Anyway, I played my NL for 4 years and would like to think I should know a thing or two about this. You must think so too, since you're reading my guide. If you don't think so, why are you reading? =]

I will assume you know how to do job advances. Therefore, this guide does not contain info for that. It shouldn’t be too hard to find out if you don’t know. There is also no section for training locations in this guide. A comprehensive guide for training can be found here. Feel free to ask if you have any specific questions about training.

So you're going to make an assassin?

Pros•Overall a fast class
•Can be inexpensive
•Good single target damage
•Great boosts like Alchemist, Shadow Shifter, and Meso Up
•Easily accepted into parties

Cons•Low HP
•Can be expensive
•Weak mob skills
•Requires summoning rocks and throwing stars
•Can be easily out-damaged by other classes


2. Stat allocation



Okay, when talking about the thief class in general there are a few terms that get thrown around a lot. I’m sure you’ve heard terms like dexless and low-dex by now. In case you don’t know or are confused by the terms, here's what they are.

Dexless refers to a thief who spends no stat points in DEX. All ability points go into LUK. A true dexless thief will also scroll only for LUK. However, I recommend against a true dexless build (explained later). There is also stat dexless. That is, you simply have 25 DEX.

Low-dex refers to a thief who spends as few points in DEX as possible. Everything else goes into LUK. This thief will scroll mostly for DEX so they can take advantage of high-level equips.

High-dex refers to a thief who spends many points in DEX and the rest in LUK. This build is only used when the player cannot get a lot of +DEX from equips.

Reg-dex refers to a thief who spends points in DEX proportional to their level. Under no circumstances should you ever go this route. I only mention it for informational purposes.

But why does an assassin even need DEX anyway?

The only reason we need DEX is to use higher-level equipment, specifically the claw. When planning (yes, you should be planning) what your end-game weapon will be, consider its DEX requirement. Your claw should have the highest requirement of your equips because you will gain DEX from most, if not all, of your other equips.

But what does it all mean?

Dexless and low-dex refer to the base DEX of the person. That is, how many DEX points there are before +DEX from equips.


30 base DEX
167 DEX from gears
197 total DEX


4 base DEX
168 DEX from gears
172 total DEX


For the first job advance, all thieves have to have 25 DEX (this does not apply to UA thieves, who start with 4). So unless you’re an UA thief, the lowest base you can have is 25 DEX. This is the ideal dexless build. Generally speaking, a low-dex build ranges from 40 to 80 base DEX. But wait!

Shouldn’t 26 or 30 or 38 base DEX be considered low-dex too?

Good question and thanks for asking. Depending on whom you ask, you’ll get a different answer. Generally speaking … wait I said that already. Yes, generally speaking most people will consider anything 40 DEX or below to be dexless. Well not technically true, it’s still correct.

The upper range of low-dex is about 80 because you should have plenty of +DEX from equips by then to equip your end-game claw. Any higher and you’ve crossed the threshold into a high-dex build. High-dex ranges from 80 to roughly 100 base DEX. Any higher and I’m afraid you’ve messed up.

So what’s the difference?

Other than the obvious amount of stats, damage output is the difference. Fewer points in DEX means more points in LUK. More points in LUK means more damage. Ironically, a true dexless build, once the strongest, now does the least amount of damage in the long run. The ideal stat build is now low-dex or stat dexless. High-dex will still have good damage but loses out to low-dex and stat dexless.

Shouldn’t dexless do the most since they have the most LUK?

Wrong! Well, yes and no, actually. Early- to mid-game a true dexless sin will do more damage. However, because of potential, the low-dex build gets the best of both worlds: high base LUK and the ability to equip high-level gear for 3rd tier potential stats. A true dexless assassin will not last long after level 70. If you plan to play any further, do not plan to play true dexless.

But wait! It is entirely possible to be stat dexless and still take advantage of maximum potential and end-game claws! However, this requires a lot of funding. In fact, the stat build you choose will depending solely on your funding.

If you’re unsure about what funding you have, keep your DEX low. It is much easier and cheaper to add points later if you need rather than reset them out with AP resets. Consider what gear you have available to you and what else you’ll need to reach your end-game goal (will be discussed more in section 4). It is easy and reasonable to be stat dexless until level 80, when you’ll start getting your end-game gear together. After level 80, you can start adding points into DEX as you figure out what gear you have/will have.

Under no circumstance should you ever use the auto-assign feature.


3. Skill allocation



Deciding where and when to spend your SP takes just as much work as planning out what stat build you want. However, it doesn’t have to be difficult. It might seem silly to seriously plan something for a game but you’ll thank me yourself for it later on.

The Rogue ~ level 10 - 30


You have 61 total SP to use in first job. There’s really only one build for your first job.



Code:
Level 10: Lucky Seven - 1
Level 11 ~ level 16: Lucky Seven - 3 each level (19)
Level 17: Luck Seven - 1 (maxed), Keen Eyes – 2
Level 18: Keen Eyes - 3 (maxed)
Level 19 ~ level 24: Nimble Body - 3 each level (18)
Level 25: Nimble Body - 2 (maxed), Disorder - 1
Level 26: Disorder - 2 (3), Dark Sight - 1
Level 27 ~ level 29: Dark Sight - 3 each level (maxed)
Level 30: ??? You’ll get 3 more SP at level 30 but everything you need in first job is maxed. Put them wherever you like. You will never use Disorder or Double Stab except for the lols. You cannot save them so just dump them into whichever you prefer.

Summary of first job:


Spoiler!


Lucky Seven: maxed
Keen Eyes: maxed
Nimble Body: maxed
Dark Sight: maxed
Disorder: 3
3 free points


The Assassin ~ level 30 - 70


You have 121 total SP to use in second job. There’s actually a few alternatives to second job skill placement.

Every assassin should follow this to start:


Code:
Level 30 (after advance): Claw Mastery - 1
Level 31: Claw Mastery - 2 (3), Critical Throw - 1
Level 32 ~ level 40: Critical Throw - 3 each level (29)
Level 41: Critical Throw - 2 (maxed), Haste – 1 There are some options at this point. This is a general guide.



Code:
Level 42 ~ level 47: Haste - 3 each level (19)
Level 48: Haste - 1 (maxed), Claw Mastery - 2 (5)
Level 49 ~ level 53: Claw Mastery - 3 each level (maxed)
Level 54 ~ level 56: Claw Booster - 3 each level (9)
Level 57: Claw Booster - 2 (11), Shadow Resistance - 1
Level 58 ~ level 63: Shadow Resistance - 3 each level (19)
Level 64: Shadow Resistance -1 (20), Claw Booster - 2 (13)
Level 65 ~ level 66: Claw Booster - 3 each level (19)
Level 67: Claw Booster - 1 (maxed), Drain - 2
Level 68 ~ level 70: Drain - 3 each level (11) It really depends on your play style as to what you do with second job. Honestly, you’ll probably be breezing through these levels so fast you won’t need to pay close attention to where your SP is going. At level 42, it’s up to you and how you want to play that will dictate what skills you focus on first. Want more speed? Put points into Haste and Booster. Want more damage? Put points into Mastery. Need more HP? Put points into Shadow Resist. It’s up to you.

The Booster versus Drain debate

You’ll notice that with this build you’ll have drain at level 11. Unfortunately, you do not have enough SP to max everything in second job. Fortunately, you do have enough SP in third job! It doesn’t matter what you do, you’ll be leaving a skill at 11 until you have free points in late third job.

Here’s why I picked Booster over Drain:
•You won’t ever seriously be using Drain to recover HP.
•When maxed, Booster’s duration is the same as Haste. That means you can macro them together if you like/need.
•Booster is more useful than Drain, especially later in the game.
•I don’t like to recast skills all the time. =]

Again, it’s really up to you. However, your only options for leaving skills un-maxed are Drain and Booster. These are your least useful skills in second job.

Summary of second job:


Spoiler!


Claw Mastery: maxed
Critical Throw: maxed
Shadow Resistance: maxed
Haste: maxed
Drain -OR- Claw Booster: maxed
Drain -OR- Claw Booster: 11


The Hermit ~ level 70 - 120


You have 151 total SP to use in third job. You'll get a few options for builds here too. Again, it depends on what you want to do and what your play style is.



Code:
Level 70 (after advance): Avenger - 1
Level 71: Avenger - 3 (4)
Level 72: Avenger - 1 (5), Flash Jump - 1, Shadow Partner - 1
Level 73 ~ level 78: Shadow Partner - 3 each level (19)
Level 79: Shadow Partner - 1 (maxed), Alchemist - 2
Level 80 ~ level 85: Alchemist - 3 each level (maxed)
Level 86 ~ level 90: Avenger - 3 each level (maxed)
Level 91 ~ level 96: Flash Jump - 3 each level (19)
Level 97: Flash Jump - 1 (maxed), Meso UP - 2
Level 98 ~ 103: Meso UP - 3 each level (maxed) At this point you can choose between maxing Dark Flare or Shadow Web. You won’t seriously use either of these while training. Flare is useful for bossing so if you want to boss as a hermit, max Dark Flare first.



Code:
Level 104 ~ level 109: Dark Flare - 3 each level (18)
Level 110: Dark Flare - 2 (maxed)
OR
Level 104 ~ level 109: Shadow Web - 3 each level (18)
Level 110: Shadow Web - 2 (maxed) It’s finally time to go back into second job and max what you didn’t max! I suggest having Booster maxed already so you’ll be going back to max Drain now. After that, you will max DF or SW, depending on which you maxed earlier.



Code:
Level 110: Drain - 1 (12)
Level 111 ~ level 112: Drain - 3 each level (18)
Level 113: Drain - 2 (maxed)
Level 113: Dark Flare -OR- Shadow Web - 1
Level 114 ~ level 119: Dark Flare -OR- Shadow Web - 3 each level (19)
Level 120: Dark Flare -OR- Shadow Web - 1 (maxed) Now, it is perfectly reasonable to go back and max your second job skill (Booster or Drain) sooner than this build suggests. Again, that depends on what you're doing.

Notice that, like first job, you have free SP. This time you have 2 points. You have to spend them somewhere before you make the advancement. You can put them in Shadow Meso but you will never use this skill. If you like, go back into first job and put them in Double Stab or Disorder for the ultimate lols. It doesn’t matter where you put them.

But you don't get Shadow Partner until level 72! You should get it right away!

Another great question.

You’ll want a mob skill earlier on. Going 70 levels with no mob skill is boring. You want Avenger. It will help agro mobs and keep them near you and will increase training speed. You can hold out on Shadow Partner for a couple more levels. You already made it this far without it, right?

If you're dead set on putting 1 point into Shadow Partner at 70, go right ahead! The skill spread will be the same at 72 so it doesn't really matter. And if you're wondering, yes. You need Flash Jump at level 72 to increase movement and training speeds. So don't skip it.

Summary of third job:


Spoiler!


Alchemist: maxed
Meso UP: maxed
Shadow Partner: maxed
Shadow Web: maxed
Avenger: maxed
Flash Jump: maxed
Dark Flare: maxed
2 free points


The Night Lord ~ level 120 - 200


You get a whooping 243 total SP in fourth job. This means you can max every skill. Well, every useful skill anyway. When talking about 4th job in general, the build is considered finished when all core skills are maxed. For night lords, this will be approximately 162. After that, it’s up to you.

The core skills of the night lord are: Triple Throw, Shadow Shifter, Venomous Star, Shadow Stars, and Expert Throwing Star Handling. And of course, every 4th job build needs Maple Warrior. For the average mapler, MW will be "maxed" at level 20.

Although it’s listed as a core skill, you probably won’t ever need to max Shadow Stars (level 30). If you do, it will be end-game when the build is already finished. At level 10, Shadow Stars has a duration of two minutes. This will give you roughly 3 hours of training or bossing before you need to recharge. The actual level of Shadow Stars you need and the total time between recharging depends on your stars (discussed more in section 4).

Let’s talk about Triple Throw. It is the quintessential skill of the night lord and we don’t even get it when we advance. That’s right. You’ll need a skill book to learn the skill. If you don’t have a TT skillbook and cannot obtain one DO NOT SPEND YOUR SP! Triple Throw is arguably the most important skill regardless of what build you have in mind. Putting skill points into anything else is a waste, at least initially. Save one SP from the advancement and all other SP until you have at least Triple Throw 10.

The same can be said for Triple Throw 30. It is almost as important as the skill itself. Unfortunately, obtaining a TT30 mastery book can be even more difficult and expensive than TT10. Again, if you don’t have TT30 or haven’t passed it yet, DO NOT SPEND YOUR SP! Once you have Triple Throw 20 passed, save 10 SP to use for when you pass Triple Throw 30. When you pass the book, you immediately max the skill. You’ll notice a big difference right away. It does not matter what build you choose. You need TT30 so use your SP wisely.



Triple Throw 30 in action

But wait, there’s more! All 4th job builds (for every class) are dependent on what mastery books you have. Because this can vary greatly from one person to the next, these builds will assume the ideal. That is, all skills are capable of reaching max level (generally 30) except Maple Warrior. If you do not have the mastery books to follow a specific build, don’t fret. It’s only a guideline anyway. Once you’ve gotten each skill to at least 10, start pumping up another skill that will benefit you in your chosen build. The exception here is Triple Throw. DO NOT PUT POINTS INTO ANY SKILLS UNTIL YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO MAX TRIPLE THROW!

For the night lord, there are two main builds. Each build assumes TT30 has passed. If you don’t have it passed, just follow the build but save the SP rather than putting it into TT.

The training build:


Spoiler!




Code:
Level 120 (after advance): Triple Throw - 1, Venomous Star - 1, Shadow Stars - 1
Level 121 ~ level 129: Triple Throw - 3 each level (28)
Level 130: Triple Throw - 2 (maxed), Shadow Shifter - 1
Level 131 ~ level 133: Maple Warrior - 3 each level (9)
Level 134: Shadow Stars - 3 (4)
Level 135: Shadow Stars - 1 (5), Expert Star - 2
Level 136 ~ level 137: Expert Star - 3 each level (8)
Level 138: Expert Star - 2 (maxed), Venomous Star - 1 (2)
Level 139 ~ level 147: Venomous Star - 3 each level (29)
Level 148: Venomous Star - 1 (maxed), Shadow Stars - 2 (7)
Level 149: Shadow Stars - 3 (10)
Level 150 ~ level 158: Shadow Shifter - 3 each level (28)
Level 159: Shadow Shifter - 2 (maxed), Maple Warrior - 1 (10)
Level 160 ~ level 162: Maple Warrior - 3 each level (19) Obviously, you can’t effectively train without some good attacking skills. Triple Throw gets maxed first. You’ll notice a point gets put into Shadow Shifter at level 130. Even at level 1, Shadow Shifter has a proc rate of 25%. This will improve your training speed and ability (and save some pot costs too). You’ll need Shadow Stars for longer training sessions and Expert Star gives a nice boost to Avenger (and Drain should you use it).

Venomous Star is another skill that gives a nice boost to training. You may think you want to max it sooner. Don’t. On the outside it appears like it would be great. However, you’ll be killing things quickly enough without it. In fact, at low skill levels you may never even poison something before it’s dead. Leaving it at level 1 will suffice until you’re ready to max it.

Maple Warrior is another important training buff because it will increase your damage. If you plan to party a lot (at Lion King’s Castle or Monster Park for instance) then you can skip MW for now. It is likely that someone else will have it. If you plan on training solo, you can get MW to 19 before you max Shadow Shifter.

The bossing build:


Spoiler!




Code:
Level 120 (after advance): Triple Throw - 1, Venomous Star - 1, Shadow Stars - 1
Level 121 ~ level 129: Triple Throw - 3 each level (28)
Level 130: Triple Throw - 2 (maxed), Shadow Shifter – 1
Level 131 ~ level 139: Shadow Shifter - 3 each level (28)
Level 140: Shadow Shifter - 2 (maxed), Maple Warrior - 1
Level 141 ~ level 142: Maple Warrior - 3 each level (7)
Level 143: Maple Warrior - 2 (9), Venomous Star - 1 (2)
Level 144 ~ level 152: Venomous Star - 3 each level (29)
Level 153: Venomous Star - 1 (maxed), Maple Warrior - 2 (11)
Level 154 ~ level 155: Maple Warrior - 3 each level (17)
Level 156: Maple Warrior - 2 (19), Shadow Stars - 1 (2)
Level 157 ~ level 158: Shadow Stars - 3 each level (8)
Level 159: Shadow Stars - 2 (10), Expert Star - 1
Level 160 ~ level 162: Expert Star - 3 each level (maxed) You’ll notice this starts exactly like the training build. After level 130 is when they start to differ. Maxing Shadow Shifter early on is an incredible boost to bossing ability and speed. You might think having more attacking skills (like Venomous Star) would be better. It’s not. When Shadow Shifter is maxed it has a 45% proc rate. Being able to constantly attack without potting or recovering from a hit is key to a strong bosser. This makes Shadow Shifter one of the best skills a bossing NL can have.

Now that Venomous Star works on bosses, you’ll want that attacking boost. Unlike training, you won’t be bringing down bosses in a few hits. The extra damage from the poison will boost your overall damage and speed. Note that MW is thrown in-between Shadow Shifter and Venomous Star. This is to boost your damage. If you have a good party to boss with, max Venomous Star and Shadow Stars before Maple Warrior. If you’re going mostly solo, follow the suggested build.

Even at level 1, Shadow Stars has a duration of 93 seconds. This should be plenty of time so max other, more important skills first. If you find yourself running out of stars on boss runs, get Shadow Stars to 10 before you pump MW up to 19. As mentioned before, at level 10 Shadow Stars will give you a few hours. This should be more than enough time for even a major boss run.

As you can see, each build is finished at level 162. At this point, they all have the same skill spread. When you’ve reached this level, you can pretty much do whatever you want and go on major boss runs like Horntail and Chaos Zakum. From this point on, you’re on your own. The only remaining useful skill is Shadow Stars. You already have a few hours’ worth just from level 10 so you don’t need to raise it any further. However, the three remaining NL skills are utterly useless. Unless you want some lols, start pumping up Shadow Stars now. Or, if you’ve got the funds/luck, get MW30. By this late in the game, it doesn’t really matter what you do. You can’t mess up your build.

A final note: there is another build. It is a sort of hybrid build that evenly raises skills. This is not recommended.


4. Gear basics



No assassin can function without good gear. Just like what stat build you have, gear depends entirely on your funding. In fact, stats and gear are inter-dependent on each other. You cannot equip the right gear without the right stats. You cannot get the right stats without the right gear. Confused? Consider the discussion about stats. There are several builds available. Your gear will depend on your stats (you can’t equip a DEX requirement of 120 with only 100 DEX). You are only looking for two stats when it comes to your gear: LUK and DEX (as well as attack for claw and gloves).

When calculating your total DEX from equips, DO NOT COUNT DEX FROM POTENTIAL OR MW! Potential +stats are fine but do not count on them to give you enough DEX to equip your claw. It’s fine to do this mid-game but you’ll be cubing to get %LUK and lose that +DEX by end-game. Make sure you have enough +DEX from equips without counting what you get from potential. Pay close attention to something that has %all stats, as this will increase your DEX as well. Counting on Maple Warrior is another mistake people make. If it gets dispelled or runs out, you’ll find yourself without a weapon. Make sure you can equip all your gear without MW.

Every piece of gear will not be discussed in detail, only a few important ones.

The claw

No assassin is complete without her/his claw and having a strong claw can make all the difference. As mentioned before, the only reason you need DEX is to equip your end-game claw. But what does that mean? "End-game claw" refers to the last claw you will need and use. An end-game claw is a high-level claw that has lots of weapon attack and usually lots of +LUK. There are a few popular choices when it comes to end-game claws.

Red Craven - level 100, DEX requirement of 140


Dragon Sleve - level 110, DEX requirement of 150


Reverse/Timeless Lampion – level 120, DEX requirement of 160


VIP Claw – level 127, no DEX requirement


The list is in order of least expensive to most expensive. All claws on this list are 3rd tier for potential stats.

Red Cravens are common and easy to obtain. The only reason they are end-game for some is because of the low DEX requirement (although they aren’t real end-game material anymore). They have the lowest weapon attack and even a well-scrolled Craven will have low attack compared to a higher level claw. Only use this as your end-game claw if you are minimally funded or cannot get enough +DEX to equip something better.

The Dragon Sleve comes in two flavours: purple and green. Purple is better than green because it has +LUK rather than +DEX. However, like the Craven, they have a low attack when compared to the other claws. Using one of these requires a little more funding than a Craven requires but is still easy enough to obtain.

The "ideal" end-game claw (currently) is the Reverse Lampion. It has great stats to start and can level up! This means it can gain more attack and LUK without scrolling. Even a clean Lampion can cost more than a well-scrolled Craven or Sleve. If you have the funds, this is the claw you want. If you have even more funds, go for the Timeless Lampion. The Timeless Lampion has the advantage of higher stats and more level-ups over the Reverse Lampion. A well-scrolled Lampion can easily be 90+ attack. This is a great goal for an end-game claw (100 or more for the funded).

The VIP Claw is expensive and rare. With the loss of 4th tier potential, the VIP Claw lost most of its advantage over the Lampion. It has better stats and no DEX requirement but it is so expensive that you can only obtain one if you are extremely funded. If you’re funded enough to have a good VIP Claw then the universe was probably created just to house all your money and you don’t really need this guide anyway. =]

The hat

Like claws, there are a few options when it comes to end-game hats. The common and well-known Zakum Helmet is a great mid-game hat to use. Another good option for mid-game is the Ravana Helmet. If you can, use one of these until you can get your hands on a good end-game hat. Neither of these are suitable to be end-game hats, even well-scrolled ones. They are both below level 71 and are thus only 2nd tier for potential. There are three end-game hats.

Scarlion Hat (DEX) - level 80


Targa Hat (LUK) - level 80


Chaos Zakum Helmet - level 100


The Scar helm and Targa helm are pretty easy to find and usually not too expensive. Note which kind is more important. If you plan to go low-dex or stat dexless, you’ll need the extra DEX from the Scar helm. If you’re going to use a Targa helm, go for the LUK one. As it stands now, the cZak helm is the best hat in the game. It gives an astounding +21 to DEX and LUK as well as some other great stats (like 10% HP). Depending on your server, they can be very expensive and rare. Plan on the cZak as your hat only if you have the funds for it. Hats can only be scrolled for DEX. Keep this in mind when planning your stat build. In fact, a lot of your +DEX will come from your hat, especially if you have a cZak (can easily be 30+ DEX).

The gloves

A very important item to consider is the gloves. Unless you plan on playing a true dexless, DO NOT USE Work Gloves or Stormcaster Gloves. You can get the same amount of attack on thief gloves. Not to mention you’ll get better stats like +LUK and +DEX. Any thief glove level 80 or above will do for your end-game glove because you can take advantage of 3rd tier potential. But wait! If you want to take maximum advantage of potential stats and do even more damage, you need Decent Sharp Eyes. This skill is only available on level 120+ gloves.

An important note: if you are going to use these gloves, do not count on gloves for +DEX. Equips at level 120 and above require at least 160 DEX (the same requirement for a Lampion). If you're going to use any other, lower-level glove take its +DEX into consideration when planning out your stats.

Your gloves play a vital role in how much damage you output, especially with potential and Decent SE. You should only scroll your gloves for attack. How much +ATT you get on your gloves will depend on your funding. A good pair of gloves should have no less than 10 ATT (or 14 ATT if you count hammer slots).

But there’s more equips than just those!

Exactly! I can’t say it enough. Your gear will depend on your funding and stats. Do note that the equip itself as well as the scrolls you use on it will depend on your server. Some will be expensive and rare while others will be common and inexpensive. Plan according to your server. Here’s a few basic rules to go by when planning out your gear.
•Lots of gear: The more equips you have, the more potential stats you have. Not every piece of equipment can have potential (e.g. most shoulder accessories). The best combination is a top and bottom. This will give you two pieces of equipment to potential and scroll. The high-level thief equipment is overalls but just ignore them.
•Potential: Aim for at least level 80 on everything. This will give you 3rd tier potential stats with the lowest DEX requirement. On a related note, when you cube your equips, try to get as much %LUK as you can on everything except your claw. Your claw can get some awesome potential stats that your other gear cannot and cubing for %LUK ends up being a waste. Try for %attack, %damage, and %critical on your claw. If you plan on bossing a lot, try to get %boss damage. Another good potential stat for your claw to aim for is ignore target defence.

If you’re confused about potential stats, check out this guide.


•Scrolling: When scrolling, your aim is to get as much +DEX as you can. Things like bottoms, hats, shoes, earrings, and capes can all be scrolled for DEX. It’s not too difficult to get +60 DEX from these items. Just keep in mind what the DEX requirement is for each item. Don’t make the mistake of having a ‘godly’ DEX pair of shoes that has a DEX requirement higher than what you actually have! An example: level 80 thief shoes have a DEX requirement of 120. Even if you have a pair of shoes that adds 20 DEX, it does you no good if you can’t get at least 120 total DEX without the shoes. A good way to help you calculate is to add your base DEX and all +DEX from equips that have no requirement (hat and pendant, for instance). Obviously your other equipment will need scrolling. For instance, scroll your topwear for LUK and scroll your gloves for ATT. Depending on what you need and what you have, scroll your cape and accessories for LUK or DEX. Note: this may not be possible on some items (e.g. face accessories cannot be directly scrolled for LUK). You can try Chaos-scrolling your gear but you can easily end up with equips that add no LUK or DEX. Scroll what you can for DEX until you have enough for your end-game claw. Scroll anything else for LUK if you can. Note: There are LUK scrolls for armour. However, they are uncommon and expensive. Once you have enough +DEX, try to scroll what gear you can for LUK.
•Base stats: Try to get equips that have good base stats. If you can only scroll for a certain stat, try to get the other stat as high as possible. What this means: shoes can only be scrolled for DEX. Try to get a pair that has a high +LUK. A good example is the Dark Pirate Boots. They have 3 LUK while the other level 80 shoes only have 2 LUK.
•Rings: There are many rings in the game now. It is not hard or expensive to get lots of DEX and LUK from rings alone. I suggesting focusing on getting +DEX from rings first, especially if you have trouble getting enough DEX for your claw. Sacrificing a 1 LUK ring for a 2 DEX ring can make a huge difference if it means equipping a better claw.
•Ideal gear: There is no specific ideal gear with the exception of the claw. Anything well-scrolled that is level 71 or higher can be end-game gear. Scrolling for maximum stats and cubing for the most %LUK is the ideal for any gear. This is why you’re aiming for at least level 80 gear (there is no thief gear between 70 and 80).
•Stars: Almost as important as the claw is the stars. What stars you have matters. The key thing to remember about stars: quantity is more important than quality. It is much better to have three sets of Steely than one set of Ilbi, for instance. Early- to mid-game, try to get at least 6 - 8 sets of stars. This will last you until you start getting your end-game gears together and start carrying more sets. Aim for at least 12 sets of stars by late/end-game. Try to fill your inventory with one type of star (e.g. Ilbi). Once you have a good number of sets, focus on upgrading your other equips then upgrade your stars (more attack, more per stack). Steelys are probably the best bet when it comes to stars for early- and mid-game. They have no level requirement, good attack, and are cheap. They’re common enough that you should be able to find some in the FM for cheap enough that you can get a few sets right away. Once you get to at least level 70, you can start focusing on end-game stars. Hwabi are a good candidate because they have 1200 per set (with bonus from Claw Mastery) and one of the highest attacks. If you’re well funded, go for Crystal Ilbi or Balanced Fury.
•Investing: Even if you are well funded, do not waste your time and money on early- and mid-game equipment. Unless of course you plan to stay in that level range. Scrolling your early claws with 100% scrolls might seem like it ruins a good claw but the +7 ATT will be a big boost early on and won’t cost a bundle. Also, consider scrolling a bathrobe or sauna robe with 100% DEX scrolls to give you enough DEX to equip better claws. Remember, the best build for early-game is true dexless, when you can’t equip 3rd tier potential items.
•Upgrading: When it comes to upgrading equipment, it is important to focus on why you are upgrading. Don’t just scroll something to get more +stats if you don’t need to yet. Your goal in upgrading is more damage (ATT on claw and gloves, LUK on all others). Focus on getting enough DEX for your claw first. Don’t just start upgrading unless you actually have a claw ready to use. Upgrading is usually done when all equips are of equal value. That is, each piece is "good" or "godly" or whatever. Once each equip is scrolled and potentialed, start working on getting/making better gear (unless you already have what you want/need). A question many people seem to have is, “What should I upgrade?†Here is the general order for importance of what you should upgrade.

Claw -> Gloves -> Accessories -> Armours -> Stars

5. General tips and advice



So now you know your stats, skills and gear. But how do you actually play the assassin?

First off, the assassin is a ranged-class. This means you’re going to spend your time at distance from the enemy. This also means you have low HP. Even though you get HP from Shadow Resist and equips, you will never be able to take hits like a Paladin. Knowing this weakness can help a lot when training and bossing. Don’t be afraid to use hit-and-run tactics. The assassin is a mobility class and always has been. So use it. Attack an enemy and then flash jump out of its range. Use your range and mobility to your advantage.

The assassin can be extremely fun to play. It has a nice mix of speed, mobility, and attack power. You can be active when you train or you can choose to stand in one place and take down mobs. You can focus on bossing or just training. Although there are no great mobbing skills, Avenger still deals nice damage, especially with buffs from Venomous Star and Expert Star. The versatility of the assassin makes it a great class to play.

However, it is impossible to cover every aspect of playing an assassin. It is something you’ll have to develop on your own. The general play style is fast and furious. Here’s a few suggested tactics.

Using Drain

Although you won’t seriously use Drain, it is a handy skill to have. If you’re in an extreme emergency situation (like you ran out of pots) use Drain to recover some HP and then flash jump out of there. Drain deals decent damage but it loses out to Triple Throw and even Avenger. Drain is most useful in Dojo, when pots are often unavailable.

Dark Flare

This skill appears to be useless. You won’t ever seriously use it when training. However, it has the nice feature of being a party skill. So although you might not be getting hit, your party might be. Dark Flare really shines during boss runs. When you’re on boss runs, keep Dark Flare active. Because it has a range, make sure you put it where you or your party is generally going to be.

Pro tip: Fighting a boss that cancels weapon attack to 1 (like Targa) and find it annoying? Teach it a lesson! If you have the HP to take the touch damage, throw down a Dark Flare and run into the boss. Dark Flare ignores the buff and will still reflect 1300% damage! Just make sure to keep your eye on your HP and pot/heal constantly. When the buff runs out, resume normal attacking.

Dojo

Planning on bossing? Do the Dojo! Start as soon as you can. There is a two-fold benefit. Firstly, you’ll be getting a lot of experience with your character and how to boss. You’ll get a feel for what works best while in a safe environment (you don’t lose exp when you die). Secondly, you’ll get Willpower for every stage you complete! Willpower gives +HP. This is important for boss runs, especially if Hyper Body is unavailable or the boss deals a lot of damage.

Even if you don't plan on bossing often, do the Dojo anyway. The +HP from willpower will help.

Potions

Assassins get one of the best skills in the game during 3rd job. When maxed, Alchemist gives 150% recovery and duration from potions. This means that once you have the skill, you’ll be spending less money on pots than everyone else (except maybe a Bishop). When it comes to what potions you should use, the best options you have come from the Silent Crusade. Make sure to do the Crusade quests so you can upgrade your medal and buy the better potions. With maxed Alchemist you'll be saving lots of money.



3000HP for 1200 mesos

These will be your hp pots for a long time. Don't even think of using HP potions from anywhere else.

When it comes to mp potions, Sorcerer Elixirs are probably your best bet. They are some of the few pots in the game that have a direct 1:1 ratio of mesos to points recovered. This means for every 1 meso you spend, you’ll recover 1 point of MP (or HP). As soon as you have at least 1500 MP, start using Sorc Elixirs. You’ll be using them for a long time (well into fourth job). With Alchemist, they recover 2250 MP.

Another important potion to buy is the Warrior Elixir (also from NLC). They give a nice boost of 12 ATT and speed up any training or boss run. Unless you have some other buff that gives +ATT (Rage, for example) keep plenty of Warrior Elixirs with you and use them often. Thanks to maxed Alchemist, each one will last 12 minutes instead of 8. Later in the game, focus on getting better ATT pots.

Pro tip: If you don't mind going a little out of your way, do this quest as often as possible. You'll get some fame (slowly working your way to pocket equips) and a 12 ATT pot that lasts for 30 mins (after max Alchemist buff)! It's a great, free alternative for those long training/bossing sessions when you don't have better ATT pots. And you won't have to spend the mesos for numerous Warrior Elixirs.

Profession

Accessory crafting and blacksmithing have a great appeal. Especially if you can’t find/afford good rings, belts, and the like. However, I suggest you get alchemy. Even the low-level potions made via alchemy are more cost effective than pots you buy from an NPC. Once you have the Alchemist skill, you’ll be recovering 150%. This means you can be making pots that recover well over 3k HP for less than a fraction of what it would cost to buy something similar. In addition, you can make +LUK pots and increase your damage. Not to mention empathy will net you some nice +MP.

Pro tip: Get crafting or smithing until you get Alchemist (the skill) maxed. Then switch over.

Flash Jump

Flash Jump is a great skill. It can be used to jump on and off ropes and up and down slopes. It can be used in nearly any situation and is useful for escaping dangerous situations (or getting into them). Unfortunately, it is ‘risky’ to use at lower levels. It doesn’t travel very far and can be costly on your MP. Avoid using it at lower levels unless in an emergency. Once you start pumping SP into it, try practicing with it to get a feel for how it works. Once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to do fun things like jump one direction and then FJ the opposite direction to quickly move upward in a map.

When training, don’t be afraid to gather a mob with Avenger and wait for them to come close enough to attack. Quickly Flash Jump over them and attack them from behind. When they turn to attack, FJ back over them. If used properly, this back-and-forth method can significantly reduce how often you are hit. And of course, use FJ when travelling.

Crusader Codex

Make sure you pick up every card you can and don't forget to do the Silent Crusade. The Crusader Codex is a chance for some free +stats that you simply cannot pass up. Once you start collecting sets you can start getting other bonuses. None of the early sets are worth very much to the assassin or hermit except the El Nath set. Make sure you get this one as soon as you can.





The extra weapon attack doesn't seem like much but it will help a lot early on. In addition, you'll also get another point in DEX to help you equip things. A warning: don't count on this DEX when figuring out end-game gears. You'll be changing sets later and will lose that 1 point.

There is some debate about which set is best for a night lord. As always, go for what will give you the greatest damage increase. Some good candidates for end-game sets include: Silent Crusade, Hoblin King, Dead Mine and Von Leon. The Silent Crusade and Hoblin King are easy to complete. Dead Mine and Von Leon require killing Zakum and Von Leon (surprise!), respectively. So the latter two require a little more to complete.

Credits to hiddenstreet

 

POTENTIAL System Guide

Terms:
Pot - Short for potential, ie the potential on an item, or "pot scroll", etc.
EE - Equipment Enhancement scroll, AEE is the same with an "Advanced" before it.
Tier X - What level range the equipment falls into. Explained later on.
Cube - Miracle Cube. Explained later on. Also PMC, premium miracle cube. Also explained later on.
%STAT - Any one of %INT, %LUK, %DEX or %STR

Introduction to potentials

What is the potential system?
It's basically a system that allows your items to have extra stats or features that affect you in addition to any scrolling you do.

How can I get potential on my item, and how does it work?
There are three ways to obtain pot stats on your item.

1. Find an equip dropped from a monster with hidden pot.
2. Via Professions (Smithing, Crafting or Alchemy); scroll down to the spoiler.
3. Use a pot scroll on an equip to give it a hidden pot.

The latter is much easier to do. Once you do obtain a hidden pot, it will have a red frame like so:



Once you have the red frame, you use a magnifying glass on it to "reveal" the pot stats on it.

These can be bought from most (if not all) Potion selling NPCs.

Prices for Magnifying Glasses:
Basic - 2k mesos; Reveals anything in tier 1.
Average 8k mesos; Reveals anything in tier 1 or 2.
Advance 32k mesos; Reveals anything which has a level requirement of 1~120.
Premium 128k mesos; Reveals all items.

Hold on a sec! What's a tier??
The tier of the item is based completely on the item's level requirement. The tier will indicate how "good" or "strong" the potential can be on an item.
Tier 1 - Level req. 1~30
Tier 2 - Level req. 31~70
Tier 3 - Level req. 71+
Tier 4 - Level req. 121+

Currently gMS has tier 4, but kMS does not - it was removed with Chaos patch. There is no sure way to know if gMS will remove tier 4 as well. In kMS, tier 3 goes from level 71~200 (ie, 71+).

gMS has removed Tier4 with Chaos as well. Tier 3 is now 71~200.

So what do the tiers do?
They indicate what sort of stats will appear on your item.

Take, for example, a tier 3 armor, say a top with a level 80 requirement, vs a tier 2 armor, a top from the same class but a level 70 requirement.
You reveal both and they are both Rare. Let's say you obtained %LUK on both of them.

The tier 3 top will have 3% LUK and the tier 2 top will only have 2% LUK.

In short, on one line, you can have:
Tier 1: 1%,2%,3%STAT
Tier 2: 2%,4%,6%STAT
Tier 3: 3%,6%,9%STAT
Tier 4: 4%,8%,12%STAT

For weapons it's a little bit different because you can obtain better potentials for your damage, for example, %Damage or %Attack. These adhere to the same rules as %STAT.
You cannot get anything that's not on that list, including the old 4th tier potentials in gMS. If someone has a 12% stat item, it's a textual glitch on Nexon's part that replaces + with % (so it's actually +12 STAT). Know your shyt, don't get scammed.

Lines?? Weapons? RARE UNIQUE WHAT
Long explanation, WALL OF TEXT.





Lines: The maximum number of lines of potential an item can have is 3. The minimum is 2. You can increase the number of lines ONLY with Premium Miracle Cubes, and it is NOT guaranteed.

Rarity: The order from least to greatest is Rare -> Epic -> Unique.
Unique items can achieve the max stats of a potential. The maximum possible stat on one line is called a "Unique line". The 2nd highest is an "Epic line", and the lowest is a "Rare line".
It is extremely hard and not-worth-your-money to try to get 3 Unique lines, it is (theoretically) possible, but just never happens. Most of the time you will settle for one Unique line and 1 Epic line (15% at tier 3), though it's not uncommon to see 1 Unique and 2 Epic lines (21%@Tier3).

Regular Miracle Cubes (Cubing): cubes reset the potential of an item back to hidden. This means you can "reveal" it again, and it will have different potential stats. Regular cubes do not increase the number of lines an item has. If it has 2 lines, it will always have 2 lines as long as you cube with regular cubes. Upon reveal, it is possible your item will go up in rarity, but it is not possible to go down. Therefore, an Unique item will always be an unique item.

Premium Miracle Cubes: These work exactly like the regular ones, but have a 25% chance at adding another line on 2 line items. There is discrepancy as to whether they increase the rarity of the item more often than regular cubes, but it is, as of now, unconfirmed.

Equipment Enhancement: These scrolls have a chance to add random stats to your item, as long as the item has 0 slots. This means you can use EEs when you have 0 slots Unhammered, 1 hammered, or hammered twice.

The chance for it to work decreases as you use more of them on the same item.
If it fails, the item is guaranteed to blow up. You can prevent the explosion with a Shielding Ward, which is available occasionally (11k nx per though).
Regular EE scrolls start at an 80% success rate and decrease by 10% for every success.
Advanced EE scrolls start at a 100% success rate and decrease by 10% for every success.

Most people will not use these on Armor or Accessories as they have a notorious reputation for breaking things; however, they will use them very commonly on weapons, because they guarantee to add attack on weapons.

EEs add more attack as the attack of the weapon increases. I am not 100% sure on what it adds, but I believe if the weapon has an attack from 100~149 an EE will add 3 ATT, from 150+ it will add 4 ATT. 99 and below will only gain 2 attack from EEs.

Note that the stats added by EEs on other equips are +STAT, HP, MP and the like, never ATT (to my knowledge).



Maker, Alchemy, and such.




With the new maker system (featuring Smithing, Jewelry Crafting and Alchemy), it's now possible to obtain hidden pots on your items at a low rate. This rate is similar to that of hidden pots on dropped equips; very damn low.

All three "crafting" professions can obtain pot. Here's how;

SMITHING
Simply make any item; the item will have a chance to have a hidden pot. The stats are also random (like you would get in a drop), so be wary of that as well.

JEWELRY CRAFTING
Most Accessory CANNOT obtain pot; the only accessories that can randomly come out with pot at this time are all earrings and certain other accessories that have slots. The vast majority of accessories that can be crafted CANNOT obtain pot; note if the item has slots or not and plan accordingly. Again, obtaining pot on earrings is quite rare.

ALCHEMY
Now here's a strange one. The only way you can create hidden pot items in this profession is by fusing. This technique lets you mix together two of the same item with a few Alchemy Stones to create another one of the same item. Two non-potted items can make a potted item; one potted, one non-potted has a slightly higher chance to, and two potted items will (almost) always come out hidden pot. This means if you have two items with bad potentials and you don't have the means to cube, you can fuse them to reset the pot (in a roundabout way). Very useful indeed!