Skyforge Archer Guide

Skyforge Archer Guide by Stephen Strange

This is my guide to archer, which I believe is a very fun class with nice stable dps and good burst in pvp. Hope you find it useful

1. Archer basics

Archers is a ranged class that uses a resource called concentration, which is gained through your Sharpened Arrows(Ability section). It’s used for most of your abilities and is maxed at 300. You start a fight with full Concentration and it restores over time while out of combat.

2. Abilities

1) Shots:

Archers have 3 types of arrows you change them with the right mouse button(consuming concentration) and they have 3 charge levels

• Sharpened

-Charge Level 1: Single shot, deals low damage and restores Concentration (Activates impulse charge)

-Charge Level 2: Piercing shot, deals moderately low damage in its path and restores Concentration (Activates impulse charge)

-Charge Level 3: Rain of Arrows (Requires Sharpened Arrows II), deals moderately low damage to your target and enemies in a 8 yard radius around it and restores Concentration (Activates impulse charge)

• Electric

-Charge Level 1: Electric shot, deals moderate damage over time to your target and up to 3 targets around it and slowing them.

-Charge Level 2: Piercing Discharge, deals moderate damage to all targets along its path and stuns them for 2 seconds.

-Charge Level 3: Electromagnetic Pulse (Requires Electric Arrows II), deals moderate damage to your target and everyone in a 9 yard radius, stuning them for 2.5 seconds.

• Fire

-Charge Level 1: Fiery Arrow, applies “Burning” which does high damage over 12 sec

-Charge Level 2: Aimed Shot, does high amount of damage to your target and is increased if the spell is charged for longer (might be bugged). (Activates impulse charge)

-Charge Level 3: Wildfire Arrow (Requires Fire Arrows II), fires an arrow that does low damage, but explodes on impact applying “Burning” to all enemies in 12 yards. (Activates impulse charge)

Sharpened, Electric and Fire Arrows II, can be unlocked from the class atlas, you can have only 2 of them at a time. Preferably Electric and Fire.

2) Rapid Fire(channeled):

There’s 2 versions, one does higher damage, but the other one stuns. Both have their amazing uses first one is for PvE the other for PvP

• Burning Rapid Fire

High damage consumes very high amount of concentration. Fiery Arrow, Aimed Shot and Wildfire Arrow have a 20% chance to make it free.

• Electric Rapid Fire

Lower Damage than the other version, but stuns for the duration and has no cost, just a CD.

3) Mobility:

Both of these spells can be used only when you dash backwards and jump

• Jump Shot

You jump back 6 yards do damage in an AoE and knocks enemies back, consumes Concentration.

• Double Somersault

You jump 10 yards away, removing all negative effects and you become immune to them for 6 seconds. You movement speed is increased and after finishing it you shoot an arrow that disorients your enemies.

Double Somersault is the better version for mobility, but Jump shot can be useful for its AoE and knockback

4) Utility:

Your utility skills are 2 smoke arrows that make clouds in an area, one CC’s enemies while the other conceals everyone who is inside it (yes enemies too)

• Gas cloud

Prefered choice, slows enemies down while inside and disorients them

• Smoke Screen

Might be useful, but concealing enemies too is an annoying downside downside, can be used for some interesting stuff tho.

5) Crowd Control:

There’s 2 spells here which can both have upgrades, but only one can be upgraded at a time.

• Trip I

Close combat skill, knocks your target down for 3 seconds and inflicts low damage

-Can be upgraded to Trip II, which does a bit higher damage (?), pushes your target and knocks it down for 6 seconds while you jump back (PvP choice 50% of the time)

• Electric Barrier I

Crates a stationary barrier around the archer which paralyzes enemies which try to cross it.

-Upgraded to Electric Barrier II, which does damage and makes the archer immune to CC (PvE and 50% of the time in PvP)

6) Ultimate:

You become immobile and gain a really big range allowing you to shoot arrows at enemies that do high damage in an AoE and apply “Burning”. It’s a really big dps increase in AoE fights and single boss fights where you can execute the entire thing. Also nice in pvp to snipe some kills :)

3. Talents

There are a lot of talents ill go briefly through all of them

• Biting Flames

Your “Burning” inflicts 52% more damage on targets with 50%+ hp. All sharpened arrows including your Rapid Fire skills do 62% more damage to “Burning” enemies

Amazing talent, must have

• Jungle Law

Your Aimed shot does 60% more damage to targets above 50% hp.

Also, must have

• Easy target

Your Piercing shot does 600% more damage to “Burning” targets and removes the effect.

This gives you insane burst and stable dps at the same time, must have

• Perfect Aim

Your aimed shot does 100% more damage to monsters when used out of combat

Really good in PvE (must have), doesn’t work in PvP

• Pyrophobia

Your “Burning” has a 20% chance to disorient enemies when it ends enemies are immune to disorient for 15 seconds, works in PvP too.

I wouldn’t say you need it 100%, but its good to keep enemies away, its very good

• Concentration

What it does is increase Concentration you gain by 10 for each target affected by Arrow Storm besides the main one. I’m still not sure what Arrow Storm is, some say it’s the 3^rd charge level of Sharpened Arrows and I think so too.

Not a big fan, not needed

• Elemental Fusion

Electric shot does 150% more damage to “Burning” targets

It’s ok I guess, personal preference

• Superconductivity

Electric shot lasts 4 seconds longer on the main target and slows 20% more.

Good to kite adds, take it if you have space

• Electric Burns

Targets stunned by your electric shots, take 20% more damage by all sources

Take in PvP

• Loading mechanism

Changing Arrow types takes 20 less Concentration

Must have

• Electric Disruption

Charge Level 2 and 3 of Electric arrows do 500% more damage to shields.

Take when needed (bosses with shields) and in PvP

• Ionization

Charge Level 2 and 3 of Electric arrows do 52% more damage.

No good, don’t take.

• Long Queue

Your Electric Rapid Fire lasts 2 seconds longer and knocks target down if fully executed.

Take in PvP

• Electric Field

Your Electric Barrier II affects allies too

Take it if needed, but let your team know what it does.

• Explosive Mixture

If a target affected by Electric Shot enters one of your gas clouds it explodes dealing high damage and knocking enemies back

Not worth it

• Electrocapacity

Your Electric Barrier lasts 4 seconds longer.

Good in PvP

• Swiftness

When you use Trip you gain 25% movement speed for 20 seconds

Amazing in PvP take it!

• Injuring Strikes

Your Trip applies a debuff on the target that increases stun duration by 100%

Meh, don’t take it.

• Voltage Arc

Aimed Shot fired at a target afflicted by Electric Shot hits the 2 nearest targets affected by it too.

I haven’t found a useful scenario where this is useful, yet, don’t take.

• Sharp Fragments

Jump Shot reduces the targets movement speed by 80%

We rarely use Jump shot, don’t take.

4. Stats and gear

As an archer you should be gearing for Strength and Luck according to most Archers including me, some say Spirit is good, but it really isn’t.

Secondary stats I took from the Russian forums

Churches: Crushing Blows(3^rd chapel atm atleast for me)->Crit Chance->Accuracy->Ranged Damage

Rings should be: Strength+Luck and try to aim for Crit+Accuracy for secondary stats with priority on crit.

Weapon: +2% or +4% damage increase when you attack with single shot stacking to +6% or +12% for PvE and +22% or +44% damage on your first aimed shot in PvP.

Sight: you can go for reduced Electric Barrier CD or reduced damage while inside it.

5. Symbols

Symbols are as follows

Ultimate Strength-Strength affects your skills harder.

Lucky shot until you get high enough base crit.

Cold Calculation-Archer symbol.

Lacerate Wound-DoT based on Crit. Get it fast

Maximum Recoil- Crit damage.

Rest are preference if you ask me so ill leave that to you, you wont be getting so much symbols this soon anyway :D

6. Combat Basics

Clearing weak mobs-just use Wildfire Arrow wait 1-2 seconds unless they get to you too fast and piercing shot them for the kill.

Strong mobs-Aimed shot, then get them “Burning” and Piercing shot, if they are alive, a couple of Single shots or Aimed shots should do the job.

Fighting Bosses- This is the interesting part, since Archers have so much damage when enemies are above 50% hp you will have 2 different rotations. One I call “The half hp opener” it is

• Aimed shot->Fiery Arrow->Burning rapid fire every time it procs for free and only then->Aimed shot->Consume “Burning” with Piercing shot when there’s 2-3 seconds left->Reapply “Burning”

This is your “basic” rotation until the enemy is down to 50% hp, it may change bases on boss mechanics and such

When they get to 50% it gets easy

• Apply “Burning”->Consume with Piercing shot->Rinse and repeat

This far this is the most optional rotation I use for my prestige level, it might change when I get higher.

Hope this guide was helpful, Archer is a very fun class, no matter what some people say, you should try it.