You could still use the guide and still might get some useful information from it~!
DISCLAIMER: This guide is meant to be for pure PVE. I would also like to note that the formula %+skill damage I use is to simplify the damage output. The % I use is not a T1 modifier but instead just a basic attack modifier. Meaning a 200%+1000 would translate to Your Atk*2+1000 skill damage.
CHANGELOGS: M/D/Y Format
6/1/2016 - Skill Tree Updated
5/17/2016 - Guide Creation
Personal Note: Iâm sorry for not being able to fully list any changes on the guide!
Let me start by introducing myself, Iâm Dream and Iâm known on other forums as âAyaDreamyâ (Aura Kingdom) or âiDreamyâ (Dragon Nest SEA). My in-game username is Sybil, I play on Telsiai [SEA] server.
I create guides on different MMOs time to time. I explain thoroughly and as much as possible, I show sample videos/images to backup my calculations, claims and theories. Some people misunderstand me for being rude or harsh but for me, Iâm just being straightforward with them as I donât like to pretend to be a nice person like the others.
Hereâs a trailer video to start with. Enjoy~
Like the build? Then continue reading below.
Table Of Contents
Part 1
1A. Class Breakdown
1B. Gameplay
1C. Skill Tree and Skillset
1D. Skill Combos and Synergy w/ other Classes
Part 2: Click Here
2A. Stat Distribution
2B. Gearing
2C. Attributes
2D. Leveling Tips
Part 3: Click Here
3A. Videos and Achievements
3B. Trivia
3C. Frequently Asked Questions
3D. Special Thanks
Tip: You can search for the section by copying the number+letter combination of a specific section.
Example: Copy and search 1C if you want to see the Skill Tree immediately.
1A. CLASS BREAKDOWN
Rank 1: Archer - Obviously the build starts with an Archer
Rank 2: Ranger - For Barrage and Steady Aim, eases the leveling
Rank 3: Archer C2 - For Multi-Shot Lv10, Multi-Shotâs Quick-Charging and Swift Step: Critical
Rank 4-6: Scout C3 - For Lv15 Flare Shot and the famous Split Arrow
Rank 7: Rogue - This might be the most confusing part for some and think that a Rogue C1 will never beat Rank 7 classes like Musketeer and Cannoneer but the truth is, this is the most crucial part as this class forms the bridges to connect the classes taken for synergy.
Alternative Path:
Rank 1: Archer
Rank 2: Ranger
Rank 3: Archer C2
Rank 4: Scout C1
Rank 5: Rogue C1
Rank 6-7: Scout C3
The purpose of this alternative path is to be able to make full use of what Rogueâs skills can offer early ie: 7-targets Feint+Barrage, Double Flare and Lv5 Sneak Hit for the long duration.
Having saved some skill points on your Scout C2 before going Scout C3 will also help you be able to get Split Arrow at Lv5 and Flare Shot at Lv15 as early as reaching Lv224. This unleashes the buildâs full potential w/o needing to reach very high levels.
This alternative also favors those who chose to follow the hardcore pure STR setup instead of the budget build since having Lv5 Sneak Hit eases the pain of not having high crit rate early due to no proper gears.
The biggest downside is not being able to farm early on Roxona East upon reaching Rank 6 which really helps if this will be your first character.
Note: Both skill trees will be found on 1C section.
1B. GAMEPLAY
This build is a âJack Of All Tradesâ, itâs meant to be performing well on every PVE aspect of the game. Generally, âJack of All Tradeâ builds are bad but this build is min-maxed in a way that it can perform the same or even outperform other top DPS classes if certain conditions are met.
When I say every PVE aspect, Iâm talking about field farming, grinding, bossing, WB hunting and finally, earth tower.
Leveling the class surely will be boring and not easy since everybody knows that leveling to Scout C3 is a pain. Only at Rank 7 it will show itâs full potential.
For field farming and grinding, you would have Split Arrow, a skill that almost every other archer wishes to have. You also have Feint+Barrage for better AOE burst and Flare Shot if the enemy is really beefy.
For bossing and WB hunting, youâll have Double Flare, Feint+Barrage and Lv10 Multi-Shot. Split Arrow can do lethal damage to bosses as well with the help of a Pyrolinker.
For earth tower, your core AOE will be Double Flare or even capturing your alliesâ spells and burst mobs with proper timing. Feint+Barrage is there to help you do more AOE damage as Flare ticks, Split Arrow spam will be your anytime filler.
1C. SKILL TREE & SKILLSET
Obsolete Normal Tree: http://www.tosbase.com/tools/skill-simulator/build/s3xgz98dwk/
Obsolete Alternative Tree: http://www.tosbase.com/tools/skill-simulator/build/49aut6vx34/
Updated Normal Tree: http://www.tosbase.com/tools/skill-simulator/build/glklg963kx/
Updated Alternative Tree: http://www.tosbase.com/tools/skill-simulator/build/iv9jmttx9q/
Note: Obsolete means itâs outdated. I suggest using the updated build.
For explanation why the skill tree was updated, click here.
1. Swift Step w/ Swift Step: Critical Attribute. Self-explanatory.
2. Multi-Shot w/ Quick-Charging. Everyone knows how this skill works.
3. Full Draw. Your own mini-joint penalty. Makes Split Arrow extremely potent.
4. Barrage. Your most reliable AOE burst damage especially when still leveling.
5. Steady Aim. A really nice buff to use after landing Double Flare or before spamming 3x Barrage.
6. Camouflage. Your mini-safety wall.
7. Flu-Flu. A crowd control, it doesnât show itâs full effect unless you use Cloaking after casting it on a group of enemies.
8. Flare Shot. A true-AOE ground spell with a small aoe range. It really helps dealing with several beefy mobs. Kiting mobs unto Flare Shotâs AOE while spamming Split Arrow will grant you great AOE DPS.
9. Cloaking. Self-explanatory.
10. Perspective Distortion. Really really situational buff that grants melees extended range on their attacks but only affects mobs near the Scout while channeling this skill.
11. Scan. Detects hidden enemy and treasure. I suggest getting a full party before going treasure hunting because Scan is a 1-time use on hidden treasures.
12. Split Arrow. Main reason why you went Scout C3. Great mobbing potential and can be lethal for bossing when thereâs a Pyrolinker around.
13. Sneak Hit. A buff that grants you additional fixed crit chance when hitting from behind. This is an extremely good buff that lets you go for high STR builds.
14. Feint. Useless by itself but it has a hidden mechanic that doubles the damage of Barrage.
15. Capture. A core skill that letâs you keep your Lv15 Flare Shot for later use. Itâs also extremely good with the help of your allies since you can capture alot of spells and burst them in one go. Having a problem getting cube from WB? Grab allies that has potent skills you can capture like Elementalist C3, Fletcher C3, Krivis C3, etc.
1D. SKILL COMBOS AND SYNERGY W/ OTHER CLASSES
Probably the most exciting part.
1. Feint + Barrage.
This is already common but I know some are still not aware of this hidden combo. Mobs affected by Feint will take double hits per arrow from Barrage. Basically x2 damage increase.
Ranger C1 is enough for this because the only difference between Lv5 Barrage and Lv15 Barrage is 293 fixed skill damage per arrow. While 293 per arrow scales well early-game, itâs not a significant increase on late game. I will use my normal Barrage as an example.
My current Lv5 Barrage with Lv70 attribute does 4k crits per arrow most of the time. If I were to have Lv15 Barrage instead, the damage will increase by (293*1.5)1.7 = 747 damage increase per arrow which is only 18% damage increase at the cost of 2 ranks for Ranger C3. This 293 fixed damage will become more irrelevant as my base damage gets higher too due to Barrageâs high innate modifier.
2. Full Draw + Split Arrow.
Since Full Draw acts like a mini joint penalty, it creates a powerful synergy with Split Arrow because not only it shares the main hit but also shares the splitting arrow damage between the pinned mobs.
Hereâs a Scout C3 sample vid who showcases this well,
3. Double Flare Shot. I usually just shorten it to âDouble Flareâ.
This should be self-explanatory but I will still go deeper with the mechanics.
Flare Shot has a unique modifier of 90%. Yes, it doesnât use the common 100%. This means that the total damage it does is reduced to 90% of itâs original per tick.
Using capture on Flare Shot letâs you keep it for use later. This means that you can do a Double Flare Shot burst and get (180%+1130)2 = 360%+1260 DPS from it. While some would argue, Magic Arrow does the same if not better damage compared to Double Flare but Magic Arrow only has 25 max hits each at Lv10. Lv15 Flare Shot on the otherhand has 50 ticks each. It also does not disrupt you from using other skills every 5s unlike Magic Arrow. I know both skills has their PROS and CONS but what Iâm trying to get at is that Double Flare should not be underestimated.
Update: This combo also has a hidden mechanic, the captured flare shotâs duration gets extended by almost double. A captured Lv15 Flare Shot will be extended to 48s duration as an example. Check out the video comparison below.
4. Flu-Flu + Cloaking.
Flu-Fluâs full effect can only be seen if cast on a group of mobs and immediately using Cloaking. This will cause enemies to fight each other.
5. Flare Shot / Double Flare + Camouflage + Perspective Distortion
This is a fun combo. Basically you lure a bunch of beefy melee mobs to walls and cast Flare Shot or Double Flare then immediately hide using Camouflage. This is situational and I use this alot when solo-ing or when my party is being too slow and I have lured a bunch of mobs already. Additionally, you can also use Perspective Distortion while hiding in the barrel for a DPS increase on Double Flare.
Hereâs a sample video,
There will be a noticeable damage increase once Perspective Distortion is used, from 4.2k crits to 4.7k crits.
6. Split Arrow + Joint Penalty + Fireballs.
This is where Split Arrow can be a lethal skill for bossing.
Hereâs my test back on CBT2 to see if the synergy will work,
It works but still glitchy. Sometimes it causes 5 hits instead of just 3 hits.
Note: PLEASE DO NOT MIND THE DAMAGE DEALT, it was just for testing purposes if the synergy will work or not. This is un-optimized setup.
The image should be self-explanatory. With this synergy, the intended damage should only be 500%+3155 per Split Arrow. With the glitch, it becomes 900%+5679.
Update: Please note that somehow Joint Penalty is getting a hit share limit and if it reaches that limit, the links automatically breaks. This is an indirect nerf to this synergy sadly. I have a video proof and might upload it soon.
7. Double Flare + Frost Pillar / Snow Rolling.
Should be self-explanatory as well. Both these Cryo C3 skills helps Double Flare unleash itâs true-AOE dps potential.
Continued on #2 post right below.