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Shaiya Archer/Hunter Skill Guide

Shaiya Archer/Hunter Skill Guide by misterdude

EPISODE DISCLAIMER:

This guide was originally written when Episode 3 was out. I retired from actively playing the game before EP4 was released. However, I did stop back in after the initial release of EP4 in order to update the guide heavily. Regarding this skill guide, it is one of the only portions of the guide that I am updating it for EP5, to the best of my ability, as I will describe now.

As is my modus operandi, whenever there is a major Shaiya episode release, curiosity gets the best of me and I check in, logging in for the first time in roughly 6 months. Typically at that time I get sucked into doing major updates to the guide. However, the changes with EP5 are massive. They raise the level cap and thus go far beyond my ability and desire to make a full EP5 guide. It’s just too much work to access the content and I truly am retired from the game.

Given my in game resources (nearly nothing) I did the best I could to get the information for the skill changes. I could not get every skill because there are not enough skill points to do so. So there are a handful of skills for which I do not have the EP5 information on. I tried to choose some of the least important skills to sacrifice in service of getting the more popular ones. Also, my character is only level 58 and of course there are EP5 skills that reach up to 70 so there is no way for me to grab that info in my current state, save for the ability to view the next level in the skill line. As such, I likely will be missing certain high 60s levels of some of the skills.

If something is listed as “unconfirmed” that means I did as much research as I could but really did not have the skill points to fully check. So it could be completely wrong. If something is listed as “not fully complete” it means some of the information, likely the first Lv or two are correct but I could not check the later Lvs due to lack of skill points mostly but also lack of character level. There are also a few question marks on little bits of information that I could not acquire.

It is therefore not going to be 100% complete, but it will be respectably close, given my situation. If you have missing information for me and want me to include it in this guide you’re going to have to email me as I don’t visit the forums anymore. phantumdragun@netzero.com is how you can reach me, it’s not my primary address but I will get the message in a somewhat timely fashion. Just be sure to put something like SHAIYA SKILL INFO in the subject so it stands out, I get a lot of junk in that inbox.

INTRODUCTION:

This was originally part of Aes’s Archer Guide but due to several factors it was determined it should be its own guide.

Before we get to it I should introduce myself for those who don’t know. In the world of Shaiya I’m known as Aes (pronounced “ace”). My archer is on the Lailah server, a lvl 58 UM named Aes. I’ve played every class in the game and most of them to high level. While I know a lot about all aspects of the game and all classes, archer is where my true expertise is. I have about 2000 hours logged. I’ve reset my stats many times, done multiple tests, and spent billions in gold just to have a better understanding of how things work. So I’ve got quite a bit of experience when it comes to playing and testing stats both in PvP and PvE of all levels. I retired from Shaiya in Spring of 2009 and have no plans to return. I occasionally check this guide and update it.

INDEX:

Those familiar with online guides will recognize the index system. By using your browser’s Find feature (Ctrl + F) you can type in the letter code of the section you want and jump right to it.

Introduction
Index
General Skill Information
Passive Skills – [XPASV]
Basic Skills – [XBASC]
Combat Skills – [XCMBT]
Special Skills – [XSPEC]
Elemental Buff Guide – [XELEG]

GENERAL SKILL INFORMATION:

Here is where you’ll find all the skills an archer/hunter will unlock throughout the course of the game. I’ve also listed my thoughts, if any, about each skill in green underneath the technical information. Easy Mode and Normal mode gets 3 skill points per level, Hard mode gets 4, and Ultimate mode 5 per level. At level 60 an NM will have total 182 points, HM 241, and UM 300. This is NOT enough to get every skill in the game no matter what mode you are. But some skills are not really wanted or needed. Also note that an Easy Mode archer/hunter cannot use any skills in the “Special” category but there is no reason to play in Easy mode anyway.

Also any skill that has the tag abnormal condition of “Dying” will not work on bosses or most high level mobs that have a lot of HP. This includes Sustain Shot, Pantera Vision, and Absolute Attack. To be able to blow away 88% of a boss’s HP in a single shot would mean a single archer could solo every boss in the game.

It is worth noting that there are a few skills that are class specific, meaning a hunter can use them but an archer cannot or an archer can use them but a hunter cannot. Those few skills will be clearly labeled. Most, however, are both archer and hunter skills, unless otherwise noted.

Another thing to note is that both archers and hunters have several weapon options. Archer can use a normal bow, a crossbow, or a one handed sword. Hunters can use a normal bow, a javelin (instead of a crossbow), and a pair of axes (instead of a one handed sword). Archers cannot use javelins or dual axes and hunters cannot use crossbows or one handed swords. The weapon types are equivalent to each other, they are just different to suit the style of the different races.

PASSIVE SKILLS:
Index Code: [XPASV]

Body Training

Lv1 – Raises physical defense power by 09 (available at lvl 05 ) costs 1 skill points
Lv2 – Raises physical defense power by 18 (available at lvl 12 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv3 – Raises physical defense power by 27 (available at lvl 23 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv4 – Raises physical defense power by 36 (available at lvl 34 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv5 – Raises physical defense power by 45 (available at lvl 45 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv6 – Raises physical defense power by 54 (available at lvl 56 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv7 – Raises physical defense power by 63 (available at lvl 67 ) costs 3 skill points

Honestly if you’re looking to save points you could pass on this skill. DEF is nice but it depends on your situation and intentions if this is worth the skill points. It really depends on your build and how many points you have to spare. More DEF is never a bad thing if you have the skill points.

Bow Power Up

Lv1 – Raises attack power by 5 when a bow is equipped (available at lvl 5 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv2 – Raises attack power by 12 when a bow is equipped (available at lvl 16 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv3 – Raises attack power by 20 when a bow is equipped (available at lvl 25 ) costs ? skill points

It depends what weapon type you choose. If you go with normal bow then max this skill. If you go crossbow/javelin then you don’t really need this one. If you do go normal bow in the beginning and switch to crossbow/javelin later, be sure to get the appropriate skills for the weapon you use at the time and then reset your skills later. You won’t have the points to specialize in both weapon types at the same time efficiently. Note that it doesn’t show your ATK stat on the stat window raise. The Lv effects do not stack. For example, Lv2 raises your ATK power by a total of 12, not 5 + 12 (17).

Projectile Power Up

It depends what weapon type you choose. If you go with crossbow/javelin then max this skill. If you go normal bow then you don’t really need this one. If you do go normal bow in the beginning and switch to crossbow/javelin later, be sure to get the appropriate skills for the weapon you use at the time and then reset your skills later. You won’t have the points to specialize in both weapon types at the same time efficiently. Note that it doesn’t show your ATK stat on the stat window raise. The Lv effects do not stack. For example, Lv2 raises your attack power by a total of 12, not 5 + 12 (17).

Relax Body

Regenerates a % of your HP, MP, and SP every 3 seconds, based on your maximum pool while resting (not attacking / sitting when no bless)

Skill Point Cost: 1

Lv1 – Regenerates pools by 10% (available at lvl 6 )
Lv2 – Regenerates pools by 15% (available at lvl 18 )
Lv3 – Regenerates pools by 20% (available at lvl 30 )
Lv4 – Regenerates pools by 25% (available at lvl 42 )
Lv5 – Regenerates pools by 30% (available at lvl 54 )
Lv6 – Regenerates pools by 35% (available at lvl 66 )
Lv7 – ???

I would max this skill in all modes. Without it you take much longer to regenerate your HP, and there’s no point in wasting time, and a slow regen is annoying, very annoying. This skill got a major boost in EP5, now you can regenerate a massive percentage of your pools quickly. Even 30% is awesome.

Backpack Upgrade – Unconfirmed for EP5

Lv1 – Allows you to have 3 tabs in your inventory (available at lvl 12 ) costs 1 skill point
Lv2 – Allows you to have 4 tabs in your inventory (available at lvl 26 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv3 – Allows you to have 5 tabs in your inventory (available at lvl 46 ) costs 2 skill points

I would max this skill to level 3 in all modes. Assuming this archer/hunter is a main character you’ll want more than two tabs in your inventory. If you just bred it to help your guild kill bosses maybe you don’t need to carry a lot of stuff.

Interpretation

Lv1 – Allows you to understand 30% of what the opposing faction says in PvP (available at lvl 13 ) costs 1 skill point
Lv2 – Allows you to understand 60% of what the opposing faction says in PvP (available at lvl 22 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv3 – Allows you to understand all of what the opposing faction says in PvP (available at lvl 51 ) costs 2 skill points

If you plan to PvP I would max this skill to Lv3. If you don’t plan on PvPing then there is no point in getting this skill. If you are NM and short on skill points, this is one of the first things that gets cut as you likely should not be PvPing as a high level archer and anything less than lvl 3 of this skill is like solving a mad libs word puzzle.

Bow Mastery

Lv1 – Ability that increases the player’s attacking speed by one level when a bow is equipped (available at lvl 14) costs 3 skill points
Lv2 – Ability that increases the player’s attacking speed by one level when a bow is equipped (available at lvl 35) costs 5 skill points

You know the story, if you choose normal bow there is no question, max this skill. Remember if you switch weapon types later you can reset your skills. If you choose to use only crossbows/javelins then you don’t need this skill.

Projectile Mastery

Lv1 – Ability that increases the player’s attacking speed by one level when a crossbow or javelin is equipped (available at lvl 14) costs 3 skill points
Lv2 – Ability that increases the player’s attacking speed by two levels when a crossbow or javelin is equipped (available at lvl 35) costs 5 skill points
Lv3 – Ability that increases the player’s attacking speed by three levels when a crossbow or javelin is equipped (available at lvl 50) costs 7 skill points

Again if you choose to use a crossbow or javelin you need to max this skill to Lv3 no question. The wording may cause some confusion so note that the levels of the skill don’t stack. If you have Lv3 mastery your crossbows or javelins will be 3 speeds faster than the original speed.

BASIC SKILLS:
Index Code: [XBASC]

Town Portal

Skill Point Cost: 0
Resource Usage: none
Recharge Time: 10 sec

Lv1 – Transports you to the nearest town/dungeon entrance. Cast time of 10 seconds. (available at lvl 1)
Lv2 – Transports you to the nearest town/dungeon entrance. Cast time of 9 seconds. (available at lvl 20)
Lv3 – Transports you to the nearest town/dungeon entrance. Cast time of 8 seconds. (available at lvl 40)

Just like typing /town in normal chat did. It costs no skill points so why not. It’s easier to click than to type /town.

Sharp Shooter

Recharge Time: none
Skill Point Cost: 2

Lv1 – Buff that increases shooting accuracy by 5% for 15 minutes (available at lvl 2 ) – uses 60 MP and 5 SP
Lv2 – Buff that increases shooting accuracy by 12% for 15 minutes (available at lvl 19 ) – uses 144 MP and 20 SP
Lv3 – Buff that increases shooting accuracy by 21% for 15 minutes (available at lvl 45 ) – uses 400 MP and 45 SP

I would max this skill to lvl 3 in all modes. 21% accuracy boost is a big deal, this is an essential skill.

Slow Shot – not fully updated for EP5

De-buff that decreases an opponent’s moving and attack speed and deals fixed damage, with a fixed success rate of 70%

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: 60 sec
Abnormal Condition: Slow

Lv1 – Slows enemy for 6 seconds and deals 23 damage (available at lvl 3 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 80 SP
Lv2 – Slows enemy for 6 seconds and deals 48 damage (available at lvl 16 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 200 SP

I loved this skill, both for PvE and PvP. At first I overlooked this one but eventually I tried it out. It’s good for the time in PvE when you may wanting to be grinding in Pando/Lanhaarr but still don’t have your endgame good gear made. This will seriously cripple the mobs, making kiting far easier. Slowing moving and attack speed is awesome, though these effects are curable with a potion. The damage it deals is one time fixed, not a DoT effect.

Long Range

Recharge Time: none

Lv1 – Buff that increases the range of attack by 1 meter for 15 minutes (available at lvl 4 ) costs 1 skill point – uses 65 MP and 5 SP
Lv2 – Buff that increases the range of attack by 2 meters for 15 minutes (available at lvl 18 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 140 MP and 15 SP
Lv3 – Buff that increases the range of attack by 3 meters for 15 minutes (available at lvl 31 ) costs 2 skill points- uses 244 MP and 30 SP
Lv4 – Buff that increases the range of attack by 4 meters for 15 minutes (available at lvl 46 ) costs 2 skill points- uses 358 MP and 35 SP
Lv5 – Buff that increases the range of attack by 5 meters for 15 minutes (available at lvl 58 ) costs 2 skill points- uses 472 MP and 40 SP

I would max this skill in all modes. You’re an archer or hunter. Your advantage is range. This skill is a must to maximize that.

Shot Pointer – Unconfirmed for EP5

De-buff that decreases an opponent’s ranged defense power for 30 seconds.

Recharge Time: 30 sec

Lv1 – Decreases targets shooting defense by 25, range of 29m (available at lvl 7 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 5 MP and 35 SP
Lv2 – Decreases targets shooting defense by 50, range of 29m (available at lvl 23 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 25 MP and 85 SP
Lv3 – Decreases shooting defense of all mobs within 10m of target by 75, range of 32m (available at lvl 32 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 30 MP and 115 SP

I personally don’t really care for this skill. I would much rather just attack again rather than debuffing with this skill. However, it does have a longer range than your other skills so there are situations in which it could be useful. But for the most part I think there are not enough skill points to get everything that “could be useful”. This would get cut from my list.

Big Coup

Buff that helps the player to successfully accomplish physical and shooting attack regardless of the targets DEX.

Recharge time: 600 sec (10 min)

Lv1 – Buff that lasts 30 seconds (available at lvl 18 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 35 MP and 80 SP
Lv2 – Buff that lasts 40 seconds (available at lvl 27 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 50 MP and 115 SP
Lv3 – Buff that lasts 60 seconds (available at lvl 37 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 65 MP and 150 SP

This skill is useful for hitting high DEX or higher level opponents in PvP as well as bosses in PvE. It also increases your dodging ability, not just your accuracy of attack. The longer recharge time makes this less practical. If you are low on stat points you may want to consider giving this one up.

Misfortune

Debuff that reduces the target’s LUC for 30 seconds with a 100% success rate.

Recharge Time: none
Requirements: HM or UM
Range: 24m
Abnormal Condition: Bad Luck

Lv1 – Decreases target’s LUC by 15 (available at lvl 19 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 20 MP and 110 SP
Lv2 – Decreases target’s LUC by 35 (available at lvl 31 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 40 MP and 210 SP
Lv3 – Decreases LUC by 55 to all within 5m radius of target (available at lvl 43 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 60 MP and 320 SP
Lv4 – Decreases LUC by 80 to all within 5m radius of target (available at lvl 55 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 80 MP and 430 SP
Lv5 – Decreases LUC by 105 to all within 5m radius of target (available at lvl 67 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 100 MP and 540 SP

This has some potential in PvP, in the area of applying multiple debuffs using a specially constructed debuffing weapon, because it is AoE at higher levels and has no recharge time. There are some uses to this, for sure. 105 reduction in LUC is significant, yet at the same time not crippling. It also has some potential use in PvE, especially an AoE party situation. So it’s neither a must have skill, nor something to be overlooked as useless either. However, Blunt may be a better choice as DEX is far more important than LUC, and thus far more crippling. “Bad Luck” is curable with a potion.

Blunt

Debuff that reduces the target’s DEX for 30 seconds with a 100% success rate.

Recharge Time: none
Requirements: HM or UM
Range: 24m
Abnormal Condition: Dull

Lv1 – Decreases target’s DEX by 15 (available at lvl 19 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 20 MP and 110 SP
Lv2 – Decreases target’s DEX by 35 (available at lvl 31 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 40 MP and 210 SP
Lv3 – Decreases DEX by 55 to all within 5m radius of target (available at lvl 43 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 60 MP and 320 SP
Lv4 – Decreases DEX by 80 to all within 5m radius of target (available at lvl 55 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 80 MP and 430 SP
Lv5 – Decreases DEX by 105 to all within 5m radius of target (available at lvl 67 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 100 MP and 540 SP

This has some potential in PvP, in the area of applying multiple debuffs using a specially constructed debuffing weapon, because it is AoE at higher levels and has no recharge time. There are some uses to this, for sure. 105 reduction in DEX is significant, though it depends on the stats of the enemy player as to whether it would be crippling. It also has some potential use in PvE, especially an AoE party situation. So it’s neither a must have skill, nor something to be overlooked as useless either. However, “Dull” is curable with a potion, regarding its use in PvP.

COMBAT SKILLS:
Index Code: [XCMBT]

Piercing Shot

Skill that deals fixed damage regardless of target’s defense and immobilizes the target for 3 seconds.

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: 30 seconds

Lv1 – Deals 58 damage (available at lvl 01 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 45 SP
Lv2 – Deals 112 damage (available at lvl 15 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 105 SP
Lv3 – Deals 239 damage (available at lvl 30 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 180 SP
Lv4 – Deals 366 damage (available at lvl 43 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 255 SP
Lv5 – Deals 493 damage (available at lvl 57 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 330 SP

Definitely get at least level 1. In the beginning you will need this because you won’t kill the monsters before they can reach you, this will buy you a little more time which means a little less work kiting. It has more use than this though. Against the end game bosses that may be red or purple to you (if you want to join the fight before you are high enough level), you will do very little damage. So having fixed damage is actually higher than your normal hits in some cases. This skill cannot critical hit as its damage is fixed. The benefit of the higher Lvs is nothing more than damage, so you decide if you want this just for the incurable stop effect or the damage and choose accordingly.

Rapid Shot

Skill that fires two arrows. Each arrow damages for basic attack power (and critical / elemental bonuses) plus additional damage.

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: 18 sec

Lv1 – Each arrow wounds target for basic damage (available at lvl 8 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 45 SP
Lv2 – Each arrow wounds target for basic damage + 88 (available at lvl 22 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 90 SP
Lv3 – Each arrow wounds target for basic damage + 220 (available at lvl 36 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 185 SP
Lv4 – Each arrow wounds target for basic damage + 500 (available at lvl 50 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 257 SP
Lv5 – Each arrow wounds target for basic damage + 761 (available at lvl 64 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 324 SP

The bread and butter of a marksman’s arsenal. Rapid Shot has undergone yet another massive change in EP5. It now only fires two arrows (instead of three) and it adds fixed additional damage on top of that. This additional damage does appear to be affected by DEF, and I can only therefore assume it may be run through the elemental and critical bonuses as well. In any case, this is still a must have skill so max it out.

Wide Shot

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: 18 sec

Lv1 – wounds all mobs within 3m of target for basic damage (available at lvl 10 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 100 SP
Lv2 – wounds all mobs within 4m of target for basic damage + 77 (available at lvl 24 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 150 SP
Lv3 – wounds all mobs within 5m of target for basic damage + 189 (available at lvl 38 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 235 SP
Lv4 – wounds all mobs within 6m of target for basic damage + 354 (available at lvl 42 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 300 SP
Lv5 – wounds all mobs within 7m of target for basic damage + 511 (available at lvl 66 ) costs 5 skill points – uses 355 SP

One of the AoE damage skills that archers/hunters get. I like it. In addition to being useful for AoE parties, it’s also nice if you happen to aggro two mobs while kiting, you can deliver the killing blow to one and at the same time damage the other. This skill is only usable with a normal bow. This skill can critical hit.

Ballista Shot

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: 18 sec

Exactly the same as Wide Shot except Wide Shot is only usable with a bow and Ballista Shot uses a crossbow/javelin. You can utilize more AoE skills by switching between bow and crossbow if you really wanted to. If you go with crossbow or javelin I would definitely take this skill. This skill can critical hit.

Sustain Shot – Not Updated for EP5

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: 8 seconds
Abnormal Condition: Dying

Lv1 – Deals damage equal to 2% of the target’s current HP per cycle for 30 seconds (available at lvl 11 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 60 SP
Lv2 – Deals damage equal to 3% of the target’s current HP per cycle for 40 seconds (available at lvl 29 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 120 SP
Lv3 – Deals damage equal to 3% of the target’s current HP per cycle for 60 seconds (available at lvl 39 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 165 SP

This skill can stop enemy assassins/rangers from using stealth in PvP but for PvE I don’t see much use for it. Any mob with enough HP to be worth using this on will be immune to it anyway. Regarding PvP though there are other and better DoT skills, they’re called Viper Sting Shot, so this skill has little to no appeal anymore. This skill cannot critical hit as its damage is DoT.

Magic Defy

Buff that negates magic attacks that would have hit you. Works like a buff that lasts 5 minutes and wears off early once you block the limited number of magic attacks.

Recharge Time: 300 sec (5 min)
Requirements: UM

Lv1 – Negates the next two magic attacks that hit you (available at lvl 11 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 75 MP and 120 SP
Lv2 – Negates the next three magic attacks that hit you (available at lvl 32 ) costs 5 skill points – uses 140 MP and 280 SP
Lv3 – Negates the next five magic attacks that hit you (available at lvl 52 ) costs 5 skill points – uses 240 MP and 430 SP

One of the best skills archers/hunters get. I admit it is a bit unfair to casters in PvP but as a UM it’s your duty to max this to Lv3. It can save you in PvE as well, especially at high level when the mobs have some hard hitting magic attacks. For this reason a UM archer typically does not build in resist at high level which allows you more points to go into other areas.

Mana Shot

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: none

Lv1 – Deals basic damage and drains 243 MP from the target. (available at lvl 12 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 15 MP and 60 SP
Lv2 – Deals basic damage and drains 438 MP from the target. (available at lvl 22 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 25 MP and 100 SP
Lv3 – Deals basic damage and drains 987 MP from the target. (available at lvl 32 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 35 MP and 150 SP
Lv4 – Deals basic damage and drains 1336 MP from the target. (available at lvl 42 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 45 MP and 180 SP
Lv5 – Deals basic damage and drains 1685 MP from the target. (available at lvl 52 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 55 MP and 240 SP
Lv6 – Deals basic damage and drains 1934 MP from the target. (available at lvl 62 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 65 MP and 310 SP

This could be useful for doing extra damage to casters in PvP who have activated their skill Health Assist, which makes their MP act like more HP. Thus at Lv6, in addition to the basic damage it does, which can critical hit, you will get another 1934 MP damage. Once confirming that the target is on HA you can start spamming them with this skill. Could annoy other classes that may need MP to use certain buffs or skills. This is definitely worth considering if you PvP, it’s of no use for PvE though.

Stamina Shot

Range: 24m
Skill Point Cost: 2
Recharge Time: none

Lv1 – Deals basic damage and drains 243 SP from the target. (available at lvl 12 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 15 MP and 60 SP
Lv2 – Deals basic damage and drains 438 SP from the target. (available at lvl 22 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 25 MP and 100 SP
Lv3 – Deals basic damage and drains 987 SP from the target. (available at lvl 32 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 35 MP and 150 SP
Lv4 – Deals basic damage and drains 1336 SP from the target. (available at lvl 42 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 45 MP and 180 SP
Lv5 – Deals basic damage and drains 1685 SP from the target. (available at lvl 52 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 55 MP and 240 SP
Lv6 – Deals basic damage and drains 1934 SP from the target. (available at lvl 62 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 65 MP and 310 SP

This is useful in PvP since it can critical hit it’s superior to a normal shot in that it drains SP as well. Especially against enemy casters that need SP to use health assist, 1934 SP damage is more than enough to take a caster’s entire SP reserve or at least most of it. This is worth considering for PvP but has no use in PvE.

Nailed Shot – Unconfirmed for EP5

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: 8 seconds

Lv1 – Deals 95 damage every 3 seconds for 12 seconds, (available at lvl 14 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 60 SP
Lv2 – Deals 144 damage every 3 seconds for 12 seconds, (available at lvl 27 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 110 SP
Lv3 – Deals 218 damage every 3 seconds for 12 seconds, (available at lvl 41 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 145 SP

I’m not a big fan of most damage over time skills, and the damage is too low to make it useful to most archers/hunters, especially at high levels. This skill cannot critical hit as its damage is DoT. Just like Sustain Shot it prevents assassins/rangers from staying in stealth mode and just like Sustain Shot it is not as good as VSS so high level archers should skip it. However, for what it’s worth, it has no abnormal condition to it so it’s incurable with a potion and will work on any boss.

Deadly Poison Shot

This skill deals initial basic damage plus additional damage and then it does DoT “poison” damage for a duration of time. The poison damage works by starting at a certain figure and doubling itself every cycle, which is 2 seconds. I’ll explain more in comments below.

Range: 24m
Abnormal Condition: Poison
Recharge Time: 10 seconds

Lv1 – Deals basic damage plus 35, then deals 12 seconds of poison damage starting at 40 dmg, (available at lvl 15) costs 4 skill points – uses 70 MP and 114 SP.
Lv2 – Deals basic damage plus 107, then deals 12 seconds of poison damage starting at 85 dmg, (available at lvl 28) costs 4 skill points – uses 114 MP and 243 SP.
Lv3 – Deals basic damage plus 228, then deals 15 seconds of poison damage starting at 160 dmg, (available at lvl 41) costs 4 skill points – uses 157 MP and 391 SP.
Lv4 – Deals basic damage plus 443, then deals 15 seconds of poison damage starting at 255 dmg, (available at lvl 54) costs 5 skill points – uses 222 MP and 604 SP.
Lv5 – Deals basic damage plus 614, then deals 18 seconds of poison damage starting at 390 dmg, (available at lvl 67) costs 6 skill points – uses 318 MP and 754 SP.

Sweet and Deadly. This skill is amazing, at least on paper. It’s hilariously fun in practice. And it’s incredibly powerful. The downside to it is that it is “poison” which means it can be cured with a potion. But that is a necessity because if that were not so it would be far too overpowered in PvP. Archer or not, any sane person can understand that.

So here’s how this skill actually works. It shoots a poisoned arrow at the target. It immediately deals basic damage (which can critical hit) plus additional damage which is listed above. Then it poisons the target with a DoT effect. The duration of the effect again varies depending on Lv of the skill, also listed above. The first poison cycle damages the target for the figures listed above, which again increases with Lv. Every two seconds, the poison will damage the target for double what it did last cycle. So, for example, if you initially damage the target for 200 poison damage, two seconds later they will get hurt for 400, then two seconds later 800, then 1600, then 3200, then 6400, etc. This is insanely powerful. Even twelve second duration means 6 cycles, which is how many I just listed. Total up all that damage and you just dealt over 12,000 HP damage. And that’s just an example. Lv6 starts at nearly twice that initial damage and lasts even longer.

Now, as far as PvE goes, if a mob is not immune to the poison, then you’re looking at a one skill kill, for the most part. But it does take 12 to 18 seconds to do its work of course. It is also not AoE which limits its potential for grinding. I haven’t played against any of the EP5 content so I don’t know that practical use of this in PvE but it is definitely an interesting skill that needs exploration. Don’t overlook it.

Regarding PvP, it is poison, so it is curable with a potion. It’s also dispelable by a healer of course. Still, I feel it’s probably a must have skill because it is so deadly, it is not something that can be ignored. If you get hit with this and do not act, you will be dead in a dozen seconds. Therefore, you MUST switch focus to potting or dispelling it, and that is annoying and distracting in PvP. Even though you’re likely not going to kill the veterans who are ready and expecting it, you will give them something they must deal with now.

The long term practical uses of this are yet to be explored but it’s looking to be an invaluable skill. Of course, bosses will be immune to it.

Tranquilizing Shot

This skill deals basic damage, which can critical hit, reduces the target’s STR and REC for 30 seconds.

Range: 24m
Abnormal Condition: Dull
Recharge Time: 25 seconds

Lv1 – Decreases target’s REC by 18 and STR by 18 (available at lvl 17 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 53 MP and 123 SP
Lv2 – Decreases target’s REC by 30 and STR by 30 (available at lvl 27 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 72 MP and 169 SP
Lv3 – Decreases target’s REC by 65 and STR by 65 (available at lvl 37 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 108 MP and 212 SP
Lv4 – Decreases target’s REC by 112 and STR by 112 (available at lvl 47 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 144 MP and 265 SP
Lv5 – Decreases target’s REC by 155 and STR by 155 (available at lvl 57 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 177 MP and 302 SP
Lv6 – Decreases target’s REC by 200 and STR by 200 (available at lvl 67 ) costs 4 skill points – uses ? MP and ? SP

The skill formerly known as Slump Shot. It deals basic damage, which can critical hit, but also drops STR and REC. It used to drop ATK speed as well, but no longer it seems. Still, it’s decent. The effect is Dull so it is curable with a potion. It seems as though Lv6, however, doesn’t use any MP or SP to cast. Not a must have skill but potentially useful, or at least annoying in PvP. Has some use in PvE as well. 100 REC and STR drop is significant, though perhaps not crucial.

Flash Attack

Recharge Time: 300 sec (5 min)
Requirements:UM

Lv1 – Increases ATK speed by 1 level for 30 seconds, (available at lvl 21 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 100 MP and 185 SP
Lv2 – Increases ATK speed by 1 level for 45 seconds, (available at lvl 34 ) costs 5 skill points – uses 145 MP and 285 SP
Lv3 – Increases ATK speed by 1 level for 60 seconds, (available at lvl 43 ) costs 5 skill points – uses 195 MP and 360 SP

There’s Flash lvl 1 Lapis. There are Flash endowed jewelry. There is weapon mastery nostrum, there is melon ice cream. All those increase your attack speed by one level each. A normal bow with skills maxed is already “Fast”, a crossbow/javelin is “a bit fast” and there are a few that are “fast”. So a normal bow needs two speed increases and a crossbow/javelin needs three in most cases to become maxed out at “extremely fast.” Depending on your setup and what you can acquire, it is possible to get yourself maxed out, thus making this skill useless for you at higher levels. If this does not apply to you then this skill can be useful, especially for certain boss fights. But if you need to cut something out, this one would not be sorely missed. Similar to Big Coup in this area, it’s useful but how often will you actually use it?

Jumping Airshot

Skill Point Cost: 4
Recharge Time: 30 sec

Lv1 – wounds target for 870 regardless of its defense, range 27m (available at lvl 31 ) – uses 360 SP
Lv2 – wounds target for 1100 regardless of its defense, range 28m (available at lvl 41 ) – uses 440 SP
Lv3 – wounds target for 1270 regardless of its defense, range 29m (available at lvl 51 ) – uses 560 SP
Lv4 – wounds target for 1670 regardless of its defense, range 30m (available at lvl 61 ) – uses 770 SP

First, this skill is only for a bow, not a crossbow and not a javelin. It’s a good skill to use when the target gets at close range. Also good against targets that have high defense, or higher level than you, or bosses. Great for NM as well as more defensive builds. This skill cannot critical hit as its damage is fixed. For PvP it’s great against guardians, relics, when fighters get close. It’s a must for PvE bosses because in most cases you won’t be doing 1300 damage against something like Cryptic the Immortal. You won’t use this skill in every fight but depending on your situation you will probably want it.

Shower Time

Range: 24m
Requirements: HM or UM

Lv1 – Wounds everyone within 10m of target for two times basic damage, recharge time of 600 sec. (available at lvl 33 ) costs 4 skill points- uses 165 MP and 415 SP
Lv2 – Wounds everyone within 10m of target for two times basic damage, recharge time of 500 sec. (available at lvl 42 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 230 MP and 525 SP
Lv3 – Wounds everyone within 10m of target for two times basic damage, recharge time of 400 sec. (available at lvl 51 ) costs 5 skill points – uses 320 MP and 670 SP

This is a skill that requires a bow to use. A good AoE skill that does solid damage. The only difference between the Lvs is the decrease in recharge time. This skill can critical hit. The long recharge time is its flaw. You won’t be able to use it very often but unless you are strapped for skill points you should get at least Lv1 of this, assuming a normal bow is your weapon of choice.

Bloody Shower

Range: 24m
Requirements: HM or UM

Same skill as shower time except this is only usable with a crossbow or javelin. It is AoE. The only difference between the Lvs is the recharge time decrease. You won’t be able to use it very often but unless you are strapped for skill points you should get at least Lv1 of this, assuming a crossbow/javelin is your weapon of choice.

Arrow Bombing

This is an AoE skill that damages all enemies within a 5 meter radius of the target for fixed damage. It can only be used with bows.

Range: 24m

Lv1 – Deals 680 damage, recharge time of 60 seconds (available at lvl 36) costs 4 skill points – uses 165 MP and 415 SP.
Lv2 – Deals 918 damage, recharge time of 45 seconds (available at lvl 46) costs 4 skill points – uses 245 MP and 525 SP.
Lv3 – Deals 1140 damage, recharge time of 30 seconds (available at lvl 56) costs 5 skill points – uses 320 MP and 670 SP.
Lv4 – Deals 1408 damage, recharge time of 15 seconds (available at lvl 66) costs 5 skill points – uses 445 MP and 825 SP.

Another AoE. This one deals fixed damage, which is both good and bad, depending on the situation. Against targets that are incredibly defensively powerful, fixed damage is good because your attack power won’t get through their defenses. But against all other targets, fixed damage is usually inferior. Thus, this could have uses in certain situations, yet would be inferior to wide shot in most others. Not a bad skill though. If you have enough points it could be worth getting.

Projectile Bombing

This is an AoE skill that damages all enemies within a 5 meter radius of the target for fixed damage. It can only be used with crossbows or javelins.

Range: 24m

This is the same as Arrow Bombing so refer to that skill for my thoughts. This is only usable with a crossbow or javelin, however.

Viper Sting Shot

This is a damage over time skill. It drains HP, MP, and SP every 3 seconds and lasts for a duration 21 seconds. In other words, it damages 7 times, and the effect is not curable with a potion.

Range: 24m
Recharge Time: none

Lv1 – Drains 185 HP, MP, and SP from the target. (available at lvl 37 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 360 MP and 360 SP
Lv2 – Drains 301 HP, MP, and SP from the target. (available at lvl 47 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 440 MP and 440 SP
Lv3 – Drains 603 HP, MP, and SP from the target. (available at lvl 57 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 540 MP and 540 SP
Lv4 – Drains 887 HP, MP, and SP from the target. (available at lvl 67 ) costs 3 skill points – uses 680 MP and 680 SP

Ah, the sting that kills. It’s a shadow of its former glory. It used to be AoE, but no more, and perhaps rightfully so, as it was annoyingly powerful. Particularly for PvE, this lose is a big one for certain archers. In fact, it renders an entire build option impossible (one man AoE party archer/hunter). Nevertheless, it’s still a useful skill, especially for PvP. Although it’s no longer AoE, it is still incurable with a potion and the damage is respectable. Remember, unless they have a healer to dispel them, the target will take 7x the damage figure over the 21 second duration. It also has no recharge time so you can keep it on the target forever. Even if they have a healer it’s still annoying, as a healer spamming dispel is not spamming heals. On top of this, because it’s DoT, it causes assassins / rangers to be unable to Stealth.

SPECIAL SKILLS:
Index Code: [XSPEC]

Evasion

ARCHER EXCLUSIVE SKILL
Recharge Time: 180 sec (3 minutes)
Skill Point Cost: 0
Resource Usage: All MP and SP

Lv1 – Buff that raises change for evasion of physical and shooting attacks by 90% for 10 seconds (available at lvl 1 )
Lv2 – Buff that raises change for evasion of physical and shooting attacks by 180% for 20 seconds (available at lvl 20 )
Lv3 – Buff that raises change for evasion of physical and shooting attacks by 240% for 30 seconds (available at lvl 40 )

This is the elven race buff. It costs no skill points so there’s no reason to not get it. We don’t really understand evasion mechanics so it’s hard to say what exactly it will do to your evasion rate. Last time I tested it, it performed poorly and others said the same. I don’t know if it is or was bugged or not. I do not know if they fixed this in EP5 or not.

Battle Cry

HUNTER EXCLUSIVE SKILL
Recharge Time: 180 sec (3 minutes)
Skill Point Cost: 0
Resource Usage: 11 MP 11 SP

Lv1 – Buff that raises HP recovery rate by 2% for 90 seconds (available at lvl 1 )
Lv2 – Buff that raises HP recovery rate by 3% for 120 seconds (available at lvl 20 )
Lv3 – Buff that raises HP recovery rate by 5% for 180 seconds (available at lvl 40 )

This is the nordien race buff. It costs no skill points so there’s no reason to not get it. Just like evasion it is, or at least was, said to not work properly. I do not know if this was fixed in EP5 or not.

Marksman Song

This party buff increases the attack power and defense power from RANGED attacks for your entire party (if they are within a 100m radius of you when you cast it). It also increases the total SP of said party members. Effect lasts 15 minutes.

Recharge Time: none

Lv1 – Increases ranged attack and defense by 7 and SP by 100 (available at lvl 7 ) costs 1 skill points – uses 95 MP and 85 SP
Lv2 – Increases ranged attack and defense by 19 and SP by 220 (available at lvl 19 ) costs 1 skill points – uses 220 MP and 210 SP
Lv3 – Increases ranged attack and defense by 39 and SP by 410 (available at lvl 31 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 400 MP and 330 SP
Lv4 – Increases ranged attack and defense by 70 and SP by 785 (available at lvl 43 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 505 MP and 450 SP
Lv5 – Increases ranged attack and defense by 105 and SP by 1290 (available at lvl 55 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 630 MP and 570 SP
Lv6 – Increases ranged attack and defense by 122 and SP by 1500 (available at lvl 67 ) costs 2 skill points – uses 780 MP and 690 SP

There is no reason to not get this skill. Even if you play solo, the extra ATK boost for yourself is worth it. The new addition to this skill is that it increases your party’s SP as well, which makes this a viable party buff for more than just archers and hunters. Definitely max this skill as high as you can and always keep it active.

Bull’s Eye

This skill deals basic damage plus additional damage and it has 100% hit rate.

Range: 24m
Skill Point Cost: 5

Lv1 – Deals basic damage + 25, recharge time of 30 seconds (available at lvl 9 ) – uses 49 SP
Lv2 – Deals basic damage + 117, recharge time of 25 seconds (available at lvl 29 ) – uses 104 SP
Lv3 – Deals basic damage + 229, recharge time of 20 sec (available at lvl 47 ) – uses 225 SP
Lv4 – Deals basic damage + 505, recharge time of 15 sec (available at lvl 69 ) – uses 348 SP

This skill has “perfect accuracy” which means it can’t miss and is not reliant on your DEX to hit. We do know of several defensive measures in PvP that can cause it to miss, as well as a PvE monster resetting itself causes everything to miss. This skill can critical hit and at high level it ends up dealing a significant amount more damage than a normal shot after you factor in elements and critical multipliers. I would max it in all modes.

Potential Viable

This is the archer’s / hunter’s potential skill, which means it gets triggered when you’re about to die. It only triggers once every three minutes though, so in that respect it has a 3 minute recharge time.

Lv1 – Raises movement speed by one level and critical hit rate by 8% for 30 sec when HP falls below 8% (available at lvl 17 ) costs 1 skill points
Lv2 – Raises movement speed by one level and critical hit rate by 15% for 30 sec when HP falls below 10% (available at lvl 29 ) costs 2 skill points
Lv3 – Raises movement speed by one level and critical hit rate by 25% for 30 sec when HP falls below 12% (available at lvl 50 ) costs 3 skill points

I personally don’t find this skill too useful. If you have sonic boots and high LUC it really won’t do anything at all for you. And even if you don’t it still won’t do much for you. If you need to save skill points this is at the top of the list of things to skip.

Absolute Attack

Skill that deals a fixed amount of damage, regardless of target’s defense. And it DOES work against monsters.

Recharge Time: 300 sec (5 min)
Range: 24m
Abnormal Condition: Dying

Lv1 – Does 550 damage, (available at lvl 22 ) costs 7 skill points – uses 230 SP
Lv2 – Does 1010 damage, (available at lvl 34 ) costs 7 skill points – uses 370 SP
Lv3 – Does 1440 damage, (available at lvl 46 ) costs 8 skill points – uses 550 SP
Lv4 – Does 1850 damage, (available at lvl 58) costs 8 skill points – uses 800 SP

This got a major damage reduction in EP5. It used to deal % based damage of up to 20%. Now it does 1850 fixed damage regardless of target’s defense. It’s self explanatory. Make of it what you will. It has an abnormal condition though so it won’t work on bosses. However, it does work on regular monsters, despite what the window says. It certainly is a lot of skill points for mediocre damage though, with a high recharge time.

Soul Menace

This supposedly forces any other players in PvP that are within a 4m radius of you to uncontrollably run away from you for a duration of time. It does not work on NPC monsters.

Abnormal Condition: Unconsciousness
Range: 2m

Lv1 – Causes enemies to go unconscious and run away for 3 seconds, recharge time of 180 sec (available at lvl 26) costs 4 skill points – uses 50 MP and 254 SP
Lv2 – Causes enemies to go unconscious and run away for 4 seconds, recharge time of 150 sec (available at lvl 44) costs 4 skill points – uses 85 MP and 448 SP
Lv3 – Causes enemies to go unconscious and run away for 5 seconds, recharge time of 120 sec (available at lvl 62) costs 4 skill points – uses 120 MP and 701 SP

This seems interesting. I’ve never tried it out myself, as I’m retired from the game. But forcing all enemies to back off of you could be very useful. It is “unconsciousness” so it is curable with potions and dispels. But even if it gets you a pinch of breathing room it could make a difference. Still that’s all just theoretical. Having not put it into practice on the battlefield I cannot give more than that. All I can say is that it doesn’t work on NPC mobs, that I’ve tested.

Flame/Earth/Storm/Surgy Weapon

Lv1 – Overrides weapon elemental attributes and turns any weapon into the element of the buff for 5 minutes, recharge time of 5 minutes (available at lvl 31 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 440 MP and 117 SP
Lv2 – Overrides weapon elemental attributes and turns any weapon into the element of the buff for 10 minutes, no recharge time (available at lvl 47 ) costs 4 skill points – uses 540 MP and 295 SP

This is the big addition for archers/hunters in EP4. It’s too complex to discuss here. I’ve made a separate section located at the very end of the Archer/Hunter Build Guide called Guide to the Elements where I discuss these buffs.

Mana Decay

This skill uses all your remaining MP and takes away a percentage of the target’s maximum MP. It only works with a sword or dual axes.

Resource Usage:All remaining MP
Recharge Time: 600 sec (10 min)
Range: 2m

Lv1 – Takes 40% of target’s total MP (available at lvl 6 ) costs 3 skill points
Lv2 – Takes 50% of target’s total MP (available at lvl 17 ) costs 3 skill points
Lv3 – Takes 60% of target’s total MP (available at lvl 28 ) costs 3 skill points
Lv4 – Takes 70% of target’s total MP (available at lvl 39 ) costs 4 skill points
Lv5 – Takes 80% of target’s total MP (available at lvl 50 ) costs 5 skill points
Lv6 – Takes 90% of target’s total MP (available at lvl 61 ) costs 5 skill points
Lv7 – Takes 100% of target’s total MP (available at lvl ?? ) costs ? skill points

Archers/hunters are supposed to be a ranged class. This skill uses a sword or dual axes at close range. I don’t see much use for it. It could have a strategic use against a caster on HA in PvP though now we are talking unorthodox tactics most won’t use. Remember it takes all your MP as well so at best you would be sacrificing all your MP to remove all of your opponents’. Again, could be a good trade against a caster but it needs a melee weapon to use it. Definitely a good place to save some skill points because you won’t have enough to get everything that has a potential use.

Apocalyptic Shot

Range: 22m
Requirements: HM or UM

Lv1 – Deals 2 times basic ATK and pauses target for 5 sec, cast time of 2 sec, recharge time of 15 min. (available at lvl 49 ) costs 7 skill points – uses 570 MP and 1230 SP
Lv2 – Deals 3 times basic ATK and pauses target for 5 sec, cast time of 1.5 sec, recharge time of 12.5 min. (available at lvl 59 ) costs 9 skill points – uses 750 MP and 1500 SP

This thing went from mere nuclear, to all out apocalyptic. As far as the name goes anyway (it used to be called nuke shot). Unfortunately, that’s the only thing that changed. It’s the same skill as it used to be. High recharge time really hurts this skill, but the effect is nice. Long, unpottable stun plug lots of damage. It does have a cast time though, one of the few archer skills that does.

Sleeper Ban – Unconfirmed for EP5

Skill that makes enemies sleep for a number of seconds with a melee attack. Only able to use it with a sword or dual axes. The affected target falls asleep but will be awakened when damaged.

Requirements: HM or UM
Abnormal Condition: Sleep

Lv1 – Puts target to sleep for 6 seconds, recharge of 60 sec (available at lvl 26 ) costs 6 skill points – uses 72 MP and 165 SP
Lv2 – Puts target to sleep for 8 seconds, recharge of 55 sec (available at lvl 39 ) costs 7 skill points – uses 117 MP and 220 SP
Lv3– Puts target to sleep for 10 seconds, recharge of 50 sec (available at lvl 51 ) costs 8 skill points – uses 154 MP and 266 SP

This skill uses a sword or dual axes at close range. I don’t see much use for it. And the sleeping state is not very useful as the target will wake up the next time it is hit. It has potential use in escaping a fighter/warrior or close combat attacker in PvP but that is advanced tactics most won’t bother with. Definitely skip this if you need points, which you probably will.

Pantera Vision

Powerful shooting skill that ignores all defenses and deals % damage of the target’s max HP. Has a fixed 70% chance to hit. Its effect is limited to some Monsters.

Cast Time: 1 second
Abnormal Condition: Death
Range: 30m
Mode Requirement: HM/UM
Resource Usage: 800 MP and 1650 SP

Lv1 – Deals damage equal to 44% of target’s max HP, recharge time of 15 minutes (available at lvl 50) costs 7 skill points
Lv2 – Deals damage equal to 88% of target’s max HP, recharge time of 12.5 minutes (available at lvl 60) costs 8 skill points

I’m not 100% sure on the exact details of this skill in EP5. I assume that to get the Lv1 you must be HM or UM and to get Lv2 you must be UM, but I’m not positive on that. I’m also not completely sure if it is still fixed hit percentage or not.

This skill of course doesn’t work on bosses so its use is basically limited to PvP, but as a level 60 HM or UM if you’re not going to PvP why did you take the time to level an archer/hunter that high? Still, that doesn’t mean that all high level PvP archers/hunters choose to take this skill. It has a long recharge time. That fact alone would cause me to not take it. In the end it’s a personal choice though.

Deadly Plague Shot

“Infects the target with a plague of deadly pathogens. It doesn’t do any damage on the target but during period of time it gives away effective powerful damages to the enemies within certain range of the target.”

That was the rough translation from the Korean teaser of EP5. This skill was either scratched or it first becomes available after level 59. Either way, I don’t have access to it in the game with my archer, but it was rumored to be in EP5, whatever it may be.

ELEMENTAL BUFF GUIDE:
Index Code: [XELEG]

EPISODE DISCLAIMER:

This was written for EP4. Obviously, subsequent episodes have changed things. Namely, there is level 2 elemental lapis now. This doesn’t mean that there is not longer any value in the following texts though, so I will leave them up. But I will not be researching and rewriting them. As I said, I’m retired from the game. So take that knowledge with you as you read on.

This is a portion of the Guide to the Elements section in the Build Guide. You have two choices regarding elemental weaponry. One is elemental lapis, the other is your elemental buff skills. Both have advantages. I tend to favor the buffs personally.

THE LAPIS ROUTE:

Both the buffs and lapis strategies have pros and cons to them. One downside to using ele lapis is that the lapis is incredibly expensive. Another is that you need multiple high end bows and each bow needs uber lapis and a different ele lapis in it. The third is that if switching between more than two elemental weapons it can get confusing. Two is manageable with the skill bar because you can easily flip back and forth but you can’t do that with three or four weapons easily. You’ll have to check each time you switch to confirm you got the right bow. The advantage that genuine ele bows have is that there is no downtime when switching, it’s instant whereas the buffs are a skill and thus take time to cast. But as said, the complexity of managing more than two bows will cost you more time then the buff casting time will. The cost of making 2,3, or 4 high end uber weapons lapised with level 6s and flash etc. is insane. Your end game weapon will also be high enchanted most likely. We’re talking in the range of 7 billion or more to make one weapon. Having to do that 4 times would be excessively difficult and just plain impossible for most players. Also, new update, new best weapons, now you’re starting over again to remain on top. This makes it not worth it to me.

THE BUFF ROUTE:

There are really two drawbacks of the elemental buff system. One is that it’s a skill so you have to cast it and thus it takes time to switch elements, unlike when switching between ele lapised weapons, which is instant. The other is that they cost quite a bit of skill points (10 each). Dropping 40 skill points may just be unfeasible as even at lvl 60 UM there are going to be choices regarding skills, especially after EP4 because now there are just way more useful skills and you don’t have enough points to get them all. Even taking a few ele buffs may require you to sacrifice other potentially useful skills. But like most things in life we are creatures of habit, and tend to only actually use a handful of the things we have. So while something like wide shot is nice, how often do you use it and is it THAT important? That’s just an example. The upside of the buffs is cost. It’s free, financially speaking. And the most attractive aspect of this setup is that you only need a single high level weapon which will save you billions of gold. Just getting one uber weapon and then only needing to lapis it once and you don’t even need to put an ele lapis on it, now that is a huge burden lifted. And if you want to switch weapon types, no problem, just lapis one new weapon and you’re set. New update, new best weapons, no problem. The most significant drawback of the buffs is the skill point issue but it is definitely the lesser of two evils in my opinion.

THE MIDDLE WAY:

What about a combination of the two. It was originally speculated to be impossible because the buffs were expected to cancel out when combined with an elemental weapon. But now we see that they don’t. So, what if you already have, or just make that one high end bow and put an elemental lapis in it? That cuts down on one buff that you don’t have to get now. Yeah linking an ele isn’t super easy but it might end up being a great option.

Here is my proposed ideal setup. Get a Cloron/Fantasma Dragon drop bow or crossbow/javelin, or failing that, get the best weapon you can. Lapis it with an ele lapis of your choice, a flash lvl 1, an assault 5, a STR 5 (assuming you can’t get 6), and then perhaps something like a SloMo or if not then whatever else you like. That would be the best weapon setup imo. Then get two ele buffs that are different than the lapis in your bow. Then change your epic 45 bow/javelin to whatever element you still don’t have via the quest. Now you have all elements and you have three on a single weapon. The epic is really a specialty weapon that you won’t use except in rare cases. That’s why i recommend that you make it the element you suspect you will use least. So basically you’ll only be using that one uber weapon and you’ll have the ability to switch between three elements with that one weapon. But you’ll have your epic with the remaining ele should you ever need it. If you really can’t afford it though you could omit the ele lapis. For the most part just having two complimentary ele buffs is enough because you’ll never be stuck with the weak element in PvP.

OPTIMIZE FOR YOUR SITUATION

REMEMBER:

This was written for EP4, and the following section talks heavily on point figures and skills, which are completely different in EP5. So depending on the episode you are playing, this will have limited use to you.

When it comes to PvE grinding you have enough skill points to get the elemental buffs and all your other essential skills, yes you do. For this reason, I personally feel that you should, for the purpose of grinding, take all the elemental buffs that you need. If you are talking about the endgame and you grind in the Deep Desert you need Fire and Earth. If you grind in Pando you need at first Wind, and after level 54 all you really need is Water. Having the elemental advantage is important. In the endgame it is far more important to have the right elemental weapon than it is to have any other skill. Even if you had to give up something like Bull’s Eye to get, which you won’t have to. The elemental multiplier adds such a damage boost to your attacks that even a normal arrow with dominant element is stronger than a Bull’s Eye without dominant element. So if an elemental buff is better than Bull’s Eye it’s definitely better than things like Big Coup, Absolute Attack, and other useful but not so important in PvE grinding skills.

So, now I will analyze the amount of skill points you will have in NM, HM, and UM, and what skills that will be essential for PvE grinding and what skills you don’t really need. Every mode has enough skill points to get the elemental buffs and still keep the essential skills. Saying you “can’t afford” to get the elemental buffs is like saying you’re going to level a UM from 1 – 60 without any EXP stones because you “can’t afford it”. The truth is, this would be so unwise that you would be better off leveling up an NM, farming gold with it and then buying the stones for your UM to use. The combined effort and time of this strategy would still be faster than grinding the UM without the stones. “Can’t afford” means “Not willing to give it the proper thought.” So I’ll give you most of the thoughts and all you have to do is read them.

We’re going to use level 50 as the marker, this is when the ele buffs become available in level form, it is also when the game changes. 50+ is what people call the endgame grind. The main maps are Pando/Lanhaar, Deep Desert, and Stable Erde (Jungle). The supplemental spots are Cloron/Fantasma’s Lair and Elemental Cave/Rubber Chaos or D-water dungeon 2. At this stage you want elemental advantage though no matter where you go. Unless you’re super uber or not alone you pretty much need elemental advantage in Pando/Lanhaarr, desert, and jungle. So at level 50 NM has 152 skill points, HM has 201, and UM has 250. Remember this is for grinding, not PvP, endgame PvP is most wisely saved for when you are 60 or very close and you typically reset your build/skills to adjust once you no longer have to grind.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS

Rapid Shot lvl 3 (point cost: 8)
Bow Mastery lvl 2 or Projectile Mastery lvl 3, depending on your weapon choice (point cost: 8 or 15)
Sharp Shooter lvl 3 (point cost: 8)
Long Range lvl 3 (point cost: 9)
Piercing Shot lvl 1 (point cost: 3)
Marksman Song lvl 3 (point cost: 9)
Bull’s Eye lvl 3 (point cost: 21)
Bow/Projectile Power Up lvl 3 (point cost: 9)
Relax Body lvl 3 (point cost: 5)
Town Portal (point cost: 0)
Evasion: (point cost: 0)
Flame/Surgy/Earth/Storm Weapon lvl 2 (point cost 40)

These are the things you NEED, no frills, but this is the meat and potatoes of your grinding setup, if as an NM this is all you could get you would be fine. The total skill point cost of this setup is 120 to 127 depending on if you go with bow or crossbow/javelin. So even NM still has about 25 – 30 more skill points to use and this is only at level 50. Can’t afford the elemental buff? False.

PREFERRED SKILLS

All the skills in the previous list (point cost: 120 – 127)
Backpack Upgrade (point cost: 5)
Piercing Shot lvl3 (point cost: +6)
Slow lvl 3 (point cost: 8)
Viper Sting Shot (point cost: 12)
Nuke Shot lvl 1 (point cost: 8)
Magic Defy lvl 3 (point cost: 14)
Shower Time or Bloody Shower lvl 2 (point cost: 8)
Wide Shot / Ballista Shot lvl 3 (point cost: 12)
Slump Shot lvl 2 (point cost: 9)
Interpretation lvl 3 (point cost: 5)

The total point cost of this setup is 207 to 214. NM won’t be able to get everything on this list, however some of the skills are not for NM anyway. I would recommend NM taking the first list plus VSS, Slow, and Backpack upgrade, but that’s just my opinion. Jumping airshot is not on this list because it doesn’t get decent damage until lvl3 which is available only after level 54. Magic Defy is UM only so HM has enough points to get everything on this list (save magic defy).

LUXURY SKILLS

All the skills on the previous lists (point cost: 207 – 214)
Bow Mastery lvl 2 AND Projectile Mastery lvl 3 (point cost: + 8 to 15)
Bow Power Up AND Projectile Power Up lvl 3 (point cost: + 9)
Wide Shot lvl 3 AND Ballista Shot lvl 3 (point cost: + 12)

Total point cost of specializing in both weapon types is an additional 29 to 36 points, bringing the total skill point cost up to 243. Remember UM has 251 at level 50. There are a few other things like Flash Attack, Absolute Attack, Big Coup, that have uses even in PvE but as you grind higher you will get more skill points, or you could switch around some of the skills I recommend. It is the ESSENTIAL SKILLS that everyone will want though and you can see in HM and UM you have enough points to start getting fancy even with 40 points into the elemental buffs. NM has more than enough to competently get the necessary skills and the buffs. If you are HM and claim you can’t spare the points then you need to learn proper skill management, if you’re UM and “can’t afford” them then you don’t know what you’re doing, no offense. Separate grinding and PvP, that’s how you maximize and optimize your efficiency.

There are many possibilities though of course. You can do whatever you like best, this just lists options.

Thanks for reading. Have fun!
– Aes

Shaiya Archer/Hunter Skill Guide

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Shaiya Archer/Hunter Skill Guide

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