Skyforge Archer Builds Guide
Skyforge Archer Builds Guide by Amestris Valon
Hello, my name is Amestris, and welcome to my Archer Guide!-AKA That one guy that just presses left / right click. Here you will find builds for both pve, and pvp. I will be discussing what I find is the best dps rotation, stat prioritization, gear builds and a few archer tricks here and there.
DISCLAIMER : I am in no means the ultimate source of archer information. I provide this information with tests and over 80+ hours of archer experience.
Anyways, let’s begin!
First a quick overview of the archer skills. Archers have 3 sets of basic attacks that are accessed by combos. By right clicking, you change your mode of arrows, and provides you with a different set of left clicks that you can use to manipulate the battlefield.
Single Shot / Pierced Shot / Rain of Arrows – Arrow Storm
[The DPS Stance]
Single shot: This skill is used mainly as a concentration filler, but if you’re properly spec’d for it, this becomes one of the most, if not the best source of damage. You can use amulets such as this one:
They surprisingly provide a ton of damage that is added into your rotation, and is one of the best time fillers in the game, if not the best.
Pierced Shot: Bread and butter. Pair this with Easy Target, and it’s one of your best source of burst damage on a consistent cd of 10 seconds after applying.
ALWAYS USE IT WHENEVER YOU CAN OFF PROC CD.
Rain of Arrows: This skill… I find it useless. I have tried to spec for it, however the damage is very subpar compared to your other skills. Some people say it’s decent for aoe… but I just don’t see it compared to Wildfire Arrow.
Electric Shot / Piercing Discharge / Electromagnetic Pulse
[The Crowd Control Stance]
Electric Shot: Ah yes. The dot. This little skill, when tagged on an enemy, will cause you to cause an electric current to swim through enemy lines and cause dismay. As the current hits them, they’re zapped for a decent amount of damage and slowed for 60%. I love this skill personally, it helps so much with archer soloing, and lets you control packs even more than you already do.
Piercing Discharge: This skill allows you to damage and stun targets within a linear area in front of you. I find this skill pretty useful for a quick stun in case things get bad, however I don’t really find a use for it in a rotation.
Electromagnetic Pulse: This fancy word allows you to damage and stun a circular range at the area around your target. This skill also isn’t really used in pve, but it has its perks in pvp. (Especially 10v10)
Fiery Arrow / Aimed Shot / Wildfire Arrow
[The Burni… fiery..dot… okay the DPS Stance too]
Fiery Arrow: THIS IS WHERE THE REALLLL DOT IS. Okay, in serious talk, this skill is one of the MOST used skills in your kit. In a boss fight, or just on a strong mob, it’s an incredible dot to use. When in a fight, ALWAYS make sure all of your targets are burned. Paired with piercing shot at the last few seconds, your damage will skyrocket in a second. You can also spec for burning using a bow with burning damage increase 36%. Because burning can crit now, a burn build isn’t entirely out of the question, however there are better.
Aimed Shot: This skill has caused so many discussions and arguments it’s not even funny. With the use of Jungle Law, and Perfect Aim, there is a viable option for soloing. However I personally don’t find it the best to use. The cost efficiency and time usage is much higher than a regular piercing shot, and without those two talents, aimed shot if pretty meh. You could also spec for this build with amulets and a bow to increase its damage. With Perfect Aim and the Bow, you’ll see pretty high numbers often at the start of a fight, but is usually the only time. Afterwards, perfect aim becomes a useless talent slot. The other downside is that you can’t usually use it in a group, unless you coordinate with the tank. Aimed shot build is pretty viable as well, especially in pvp, however it’s up to your preference.
Wildfire Arrow: AOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Your best aoe skill for clearing out any type of pack. This move will do an incredible amount of damage over a period of time, and applies burning to all enemies affected. When shot, it will affect a circular area of range around your target, similar to electromagnetic pulse. When soloing as an archer, you can pretty much apply this skill on a trash pack and then dash past them. They’ll all die to the dot, if not- become incredibly low. You could also piercing shot right after the wildfire to remove burning on all targets. With this skill, speed running on archers is incredibly efficient.
Now we’ll move onto your base skills, and the possible choices.
“1” – Electric Rapid Fire / Burning Rapid Fire
Electric Rapid Fire–
This skill will release a full pulse of electric arrows to bombarb a target enemy. It will stun and damage continuously as long as the skill is maintained. Both electric rapid fire and burning rapid fire CAN be interrupted, and the character is stuck in place unless dash canceled. Of the two, this skill has the better usage in pvp, however it can be used in pve equally fine if you can spec for it well. (Talent-wise)
Burning Rapid Fire-
The variant in the rapid fire series released arrows the same way… except you know… burning. Of the two in the variant, this skill does more board damage and has a 20% chance to proc for free when using a burning skill such as fiery arrow, aimed shot, or wildfire arrow. If you are running pve only as an archer, this skill is the better of the two.
“Z” – Jump Shot / Double Somersault
Jump Shot-
This skill allows you to repel backwards and shoot an explosive that knocks back any enemies in the area you were originally at. I honestly don’t use Z that much in general, but it can help you get out in a tight spot.
Double Somersault-
Again, don’t really use Z that much, however this skill would be the one to use. It gives you cc reduction, and almost double the distance of jump shot. Best choice for both pvp and pve.
“X” – Gas Cloud / Smokescreen
Gas Cloud-
Gas cloud releases a cloud of … y’know… gas. The cloud is released in a selected area and slows enemies within it by 60%. You can talent it to deal damage and knockback enemies if they are inflicted with electric shot. I find it useless, but some people find the talented cloud pretty useful for clearing strong packs. Preference here.
Smokescreen-
Smokescreen I find is the more useful of the two skills. It allows you to set up an area of smoke that, when stood in, makes you invisible to mobs / enemies. Be careful though, because if the enemy enters the smokescreen, or is present within the screen, they can still see you. Also, if you leave the smokescreen, and the enemy is still in it, the enemy becomes invisible to you. (This can really mess up groups) The only reason I really use this skill is in case things get too hard to handle and I toss it behind me then dodge backwards to avoid damage. This skill also combos really really well with your ultimate (invisible while full casting). Again, it’s a matter of preference in this case.
“C” – Trip / Trip II
Trip-
This skill is A M A Z I N G in pvp. It allows you to knock down cc anyone that dares come close to you, and gives you distance to kite. However the cd is at 30 seconds, so be careful with this. You could also talent this to cc for a full 6 seconds.
Trip II-
The variation of trip allows you to deal damage, knock back the target, AND stun them after they get knocked back. I would honestly take this if electric barrier II wasn’t so amazing. But, based on personal preference.
“V” – Electric Barrier / Electric Barrier II
Electric Barrier-
This is what you’ve all been waiting for. The one skill that allows archers to survive for so long in both pvp and pve content. Well most of the time, that is. This skill places down a field of electricity around your character. Any enemy that dares to cross the threshold gets shocked for 3 seconds and is immobilized. If you are ever in a pinch, throw this down and kite around the circle to ensure that the mobs get cc’d. You can even gear this skill with your sight to ensure 10-20 seconds of less cd, or 40% less damage applied to the archer while inside.
Electric Barrier II-
AND THE VARIANT GETS BETTER. YOU HEARD RIGHT FOLKS. This variant of the skill allows you to become CC immune while inside the barrier, while still applying the original effects of electric barrier. This skill is a MONSTER in pvp, as it allows you to basically kite around anyone in the circle, while being cc immune. If you pair this with a -40% damage sight in electric barrier, it’s amazing for channeling your rapid fire. Definitely take this over Trip II.
Then there is Sharpened Arrows II, Electric Arrows II, and Fire Arrows II. If you read my explanation of the arrows in the beginning of the guide, then the choices are pretty self-explanatory. If not, pick Electric Arrows II, and Fire Arrows II.
Your ultimate is pretty amazing. I mean, how badass is it to take one knee and start firing fiery arrows of godly range upon your enemies?!?!! The only downside is that you are immobilized throughout the entire duration of the skill, but you can cancel it by pressing “1”. If you pair this with smokescreen, it’s a pretty amazing combo.
Now I will do a quick overview of the talents, and provide information on the various builds.
Concentration – Useless because rain of arrows is useless.
Pyrophobia – Good skill for soloing and survivability, Recommended for PvP and PvE.
Jungle Law – Only good for Aimed Shot Build. Recommended for PvP and PvE.
Electric Burns – More damage for your allies and yourself when attacking a stunned target affected by electric arrows.Recommended for PvP.
Easy Target – TAKE. THIS. TALENT. MUST HAVE for PvP and PvE.
Electric Barrier – Affects your allies too, based on preference, but amazing in pvp. Recommended for PvP and PvE.
Long Queue – Amazing talent to extend electric rapid fire duration + damage. Recommended for PvP, and works well with electric rapid fire build.
Sharp Fragments – Waste of a talent slot unless you are a hardcore pvper, even then there are better talents.
Elemental Fusion –Provides a ton of extra group damage to clear out strong packs. Recommended for PvP and PvE.
Electrocapacity – Longer duration for electric barrier. Amazing skill for both pvp and pve survivability. Recommended for PvP and PvE.
Ionization – Pretty meh, increases damage of your other two electric arrows but not really recommended because there are better talents.
Explosive Mixture – Great for clearing out strong packs, but can scatter the enemies which is bad for the tank. Can be used for both, but not recommended.
Perfect Aim – Great, great, talent for soloing but that’s about it. Great for pvp and aimed shot build. Recommended for PvP and PVE.
Swiftness – Increases movement % after using trip. Great use in pvp, but not recommended as there are better.
Superconductivity – Amazing talent for pvp. Slows down the target even more allowing you to kite. Recommended for PvP.
Electric Disruption – This seems great, but it’s pretty lackluster. Almost as useless as Concentration in my opinion.
Biting Flame – MUST. TAKE. TALENT. Makes your burns even better on targets with more hp, and makes your erp and brp better on burning targets. Recommended for PvP and PvE.
Injuring Strikes – Amazing talent for pvp. Allows your cc skills to last even longer! When tripping someone, it applies an effect that allows you to stun someone for twice the duration based on the skill you are using. Recommended for PvP.
Loading Mechanism – MUST. TAKE. TALENT. Makes it so when switching arrows, it costs 20 less concentration. MUST HAVE for PvP and PvE.
Voltage Arc – Affects electric shot to enemies near the target if hit by aimed shot. Pretty meh talent, never see archers using it.
Bystander – “Hey wait Amestris, I’ve been hearing you talk about all these different kinds of builds and stuff, but never mentioned what exactly it is. Why is that?”
Ah yes, good question. My answer to that is, “WAIT A PICKLE PECKING SECOND OKAY IM STRESSED OUT FROM UNI AND STUFF.” Alright alright, here are the various builds that I’ve been talking about. Click on the links to overview the talents for the different builds. Under the link, I will be talking about how the build works, and what the talents will accomplish.
Build #1 – PEW PEW PEW AIMED SHOT PEW PEW [ PvE ]
Notes – This build is more on the pve side, but it can be used for pvp. Basically the whole gimmick is aimed shot on a strong target to start a fight. If you stat properly it will do an amazing amount of damage and probably one shot the mob if you’re soloing. After that the standard rotation goes as follows:
Fiery Arrow x1
Piercing Shot x1
Fiery Arrow x1
Aimed Shot x1
Electric Shot x1
Piercing Shot x1
Fiery Arrow x1
Auto Attack x5-6
Fill in the gaps with auto attacks to ensure accurate shot is always applied.
[Use burning rapid fire if and only if it procs for free]
With this build you want to use a “Single shot applies an effect that makes it so you do x% more damage x3.” This ensures that you get more damage for every attack you do. Based on your bow it is either 6% or 12% for 10 seconds. With your offhand, it’s really based on preference, but I recommend using “Archer within electric barrier takes x% less damage”. This provides extra survivability for your archer that is greatly, greatly needed for a pinch. For your amulets you want to go with “Single shot has a 25% chance to deal x more damage,” and “Aimed shot deals x more damage”. Since you use single shot to filler most of the time, and aimed shot as your primary source of damage, this is the best option most of the time. You could also go “Wildfire Arrow does x more damage” if you feel as if you need more aoe, but you would replace the single shot filler damage, which is crucial.
Build #2 – I’M FIRIN MY ELECTRIC SHOT THING [ PvP ]
Notes – This build is the epitome of pvp damage, and will make sure that you wreak havoc among your foes. It essentially revolves around the burning + electric rapid fire combo, which if successfully accomplished will probably 100 – 0 a squishy target with almost no hp traded. When in pvp always make sure to apply burning to a target you are fighting and proc piercing shot for big burst. Then apply burn and electric rapid fire for an almost sure kill if you position correctly.
There really is no standard rotation because it’s pvp, but if you had a good / perfect scenario to single someone out, here it is:
Fiery Arrow x1
Piercing Shot x1
Fiery Arrow x1
Electric Rapid Fire x1
So yea, they would probably be dead. But if they aren’t, just keep doing the fiery arrow, piercing shot and place down electric barrier to prevent cc if you think you’re being focused.
For your items, I would recommend single shot applies accuracy as your mainhand, and electric barrier cd is lowered by 10 – 20 seconds. For your amulets, I would recommend single shot does x damage, and wildfire arrow does x more damage.
Build #3 – I’M FIRING MY ELECTRIC SHOT AT…. Wait pve? [ PvE AND PvP ]
Notes – This build combines the best of both the pve build, and the pvp build, utilizing electric rapid fire instead of burning rapid fire due to the talent optimization that electric rapid fire has. It actually does a surprising amount of damage if you are able to channel it completely. It also comes with the added benefit of 20% extra damage to any target affected by erp to your entire team.
The standard rotation isn’t really different:
Fiery Arrow x1
Piercing Shot x1
Fiery Arrow x1
Electric Shot x1
Single shots until you can fit in a time to fully channel erp.
The mainhand and offhand are the same as the pve build. The amulets are the same as well, except instead of aimed shot, you pick wildfire arrow.
“Now, what are we supposed to do about your stats? What do we do what do we do what do we do?!!?!?!??!?”
OKAY CALM DOWN IM HERE TO SAVE YOU DON’T WORRY. –Flops on the floor-
Okay just kidding….
But archers mainly have two builds that are pretty much consistent for all other dps classes. This is : str / luck / accuracy / crit, and str / valor / accuracy / temper.
With the str / luck build your chapels are set up as follows:
1 – Accuracy
2 – Accuracy
3 – Crushing Blow
4 – Discharge Recovery (Kinetic Symbol) / Ranged Damage
5 – Accuracy
6 – Critical Chance
7 – Crushing Blow
8 – Ranged Damage
For the str / valor / temper build, this is how your temples are setup:
1 – Accuracy
2 – Accuacy
3 – Crushing Blow
4 – Temper
5 – Accuracy
6 – Critical Chance / Solidity
7 – Crushing Blow
8 – Ranged Damage
There are arguments over which build is better, but without the dps meter I can’t really provide 100% accurate tests. However with my current stats and different chapel builds, I have performed several tests that prove that str / luck does more damage within the same period of time.
Now for your symbol setup. It’s really simple really, with archers not being very different from other dps classes.
The symbol prioritization is as follows:
Ultimate Strength > Maximum Recoil / Mobilization > Divine Intervention (Pally) > Mark of Death > Lacerated Wounds >Cold Calculation (Archer) > Strength Serum (Alchemist) > Gravitational Perturbation (Kinetic) > Lucky Shot > Bonus Dash
When the new symbol that acts like lacerated wounds, only for valor though is applied into the game, it is on priority along with lacerated wounds.
Last little tips:
- -Get a durable mouse, trust me, you’ll need it
- -Archers have a very good range with minimal line of sight to be effective, here is an example of that range.https://gyazo.com/c6266ae7fcd99c86b153ef247e000209
- -With that minimal amount of sight, it’s actually possible to “wall shoot” and tag burns onto people with your fiery arrow left click.
- -Use your smokescreen in conjunction with wildfire arrow / ultimate to quickly kill big packs.
- -Proc piercing shot EVERY 10 seconds. By doing this, you ensure maximum dps.
Final Words
Don’t give up with archer! Most people are thrown off by the fact that most of your damage comes from auto-attacks, but don’t be afraid of that! Archer is a truly fun class, and great to play in pvp and pve, just keep sticking with it. Thanks to anyone that reads this super long guide that I probably should’ve shorted, and I wish you the best of luck in your archer endeavors. Praise Legolas. Bye!
https://gyazo.com/e1b2606276d1f276a6de9b371ff03f4b
Shoutout to Trace, Dusty (for being a test dummy hue), and the entire Aurora Guild.
These are amazing people!
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