Warriors are the strongest melee characters in MapleStory in terms of raw damage. Warriors also have the largest amount of HP out of all the classes, as well as the highest defense. There are three main types of Warriors: Fighters, Pages, and Spearmen; each having their own pros and cons.
Pros:
- Warriors are the strongest melee attackers in the game in terms of raw damage.
- Warriors have a huge amount of HP; up to twice as much as the other classes, and Spearmen even more so with their skill "Hyper Body".
- Warriors have the strongest armors in the game in terms of defense. For example, the level 60 Warrior helm has twice as much defense as the level 60 Magician helm. Fighters and Pages also receive the skill "Power Guard", which nullifies 40% of the damage they receive and reflects it back to the enemy.
- Because of their high damage, HP, and DEF, Warriors can hunt some higher level monsters more easily.
- Warriors are able to "tank" most monsters.
- Having high "Str", Warriors are ideal for first time players to get through the game.
- Warriors can easily take down monsters faster than any other class, which makes them perfect for parties with Thieves or Magicians.
Cons:
- Other classes such as Bowmen and Assassins attack long-ranged, meaning that they would be able to kill monsters more quickly than Warriors. This can also lead to Warriors being KSed often. To make matters worse, Warriors are also the slowest class in the game in terms of speed.
- Despite their high HP and defense, accuracy remains the downfall of every Warrior. However, Warriors often compensate through the use of "Sniper Potions/Pills" and equipment scrolled with DEX-scrolls.
- Because Warriors have to get up close to the monsters to kill them, they usually end up being hit more often. Therefore, they spend more Mesos on potions.
- Warriors can wear equipment such as the Jousting Helm that hides the entire head. Even though these helmets are high in defense, any NX Cash that was spent to improve facial appearances are sacrificed to some degree unless more NX Cash is used to cloak the helm.
- Because Warriors are melee characters and get hit often, low-leveled Warriors spend a lot on HP potions. However, they make up for it later in the game as their defense grows.
Starting off
So you want to be a Warrior? You'll have to start at the beginning like everyone else. On the character creation screen, roll the dice until you get 4 in INT and 4 in LUK, which are the "perfect" stats. However, if you do not want to wait until a 4/4, consider stopping at 4 INT and 5 LUK or vice versa because this really doesn't affect you in any way. Just make sure that STR is always the highest and DEX is somewhat close behind. If you want to create the perfect Warrior, stop rolling when you receive a 12 or more in STR, 4 in INT, and 4 in LUK. However, this is not recommended unless you have another character which can provide substantial financial support to your Warrior.
Be cautious when rolling the dice. It will probably take some time before you can get 4/4 on Int and Luk. Many people just click away and skip through the lucky throw. Have patience and slowly throw your dice once at a time.
Choose your character's name and appearance. Your clothing will not matter much as you will have the opportunity to change it at level 10. Enter the game, complete the tutorial, and voilà! You can now fight with Snails and other monsters. Being a warrior, its a breeze in Maple Island. Lvl 5 onwards, all monsters are possible; just be cautious against Orange Mushrooms.
- Level 1-5: Snail Hunting Ground I-II. Snails, and Blue Snail
- Level 1-9: Split Road. Blue Snails, Red Snails, and Shrooms
- Level 9-10: Dangerous Forest. Lots of Orange Mushrooms.Try to kill two at a time as it will save A LOT of mesos.
Keep training until around level 10, then head to Southperry and head off to Victoria Island to finally become a Warrior!
- A good level to leave the tutorial is at and up to level 8, 9, or 10 and head off to Victoria (6 or 7 if you are planning to become a warrior because you can get more money killing monsters at Henesys).
First job advancement
Once you hit level 10, rush your way off to the town of Southperry. Talk to "Shanks" and pay the 150 mesos fee straight to Victoria Island. Once there, jump off the ship and move to the left of Lith Harbor to see a NPC named Phil. Talk to him and he will let you go to one of the towns in Victoria Island, with a small fee. Go to Perion and climb all the way up to the top. Head inside to the tent and speak with "Dances with Balrog".
First job training areas
- Level 10-16: Slimes and Orange Mushrooms are your best bets right now. Go to the town of Ellinia, and go north two rooms to "The Tree That Grew 1." There are lots of slimes there that give 10 experience per kill. You could also ask someone to show you where it is, if you are lost. You may also want to go to the "Henesys Hunting Ground 1," which is the first room to the left of Henesys and kill Orange Mushrooms, which give 15 experience per shroom. Try to join a party with at least 3 active members as even though you get less experience from killing monsters by yourself, it will be easier to level up because party experience is coming in all the time. Henesys Party Quest for all levels is good too.
- Level 17-19: Now is where it begins to become a challenge to level up. You could kill Orange Mushrooms at the Henesys Hunting Ground 1, or if you believe that you are strong enough, you could kill Pigs (15 experience per kill) or Ribbon Pigs (20 experience per kill). They can be found about one or two rooms left of the Henesys Hunting Ground 1. If you plan to kill Pigs over Orange Mushrooms, I suggest you have some backup money to pay for potions. Another great training area is the Rain Forest East of Henesys. There are many pigs and ribbon pigs there.... almost like pig beach. You could also party with at least 3 maplers and go to an Ellinia Danger Zone and take shifts in killing hornies.
- "Henesys Hunting Ground II" is also ideal because not many players go up there to train, so the lack there of players in Henesys Hunting Ground II makes it a perfect place to not only gain EXP but also items and event items.
- Level 20-24: Congratulate yourself for getting to level 20! Now you can buy weapons and armor that you couldn't purchase before, and kill Pigs with insane ease. Now you are in for one heck of a challenge. Go to Pig Beach. If you don't know where to find Pig Beach, then follow these simple instructions.
1. Go to the "3-Way Split" between Lith Harbor, Kerning City, and Henesys.
2. If you came from the left side of the screen, go towards the middle then up one level to a large yellow flower patch.
3. There is a hidden teleport here, towards the middle of the patch, but a little to the right. Check to see if a teleport is there by pressing the "up" button on every small step.
Once you get teleported, you are now at Pig Beach, a place where many Pigs, and Ribbon Pigs spawn about every 15 seconds. NOTE! Bring plenty of potions with you here, for you will get insanely hurt by the constant stampede of Pigs. If you are very unlucky, you will come upon an Iron Hog here (Pig in armor). Try not to attack him. If you do though, he will follow you a lot and hurt you for about 30-60 damage. Also, at your level, you will also miss a lot more than usual on iron hogs, therefore not knocking it back and not delaying it from getting it to you. At level 21, you will be able to enter the first Party Quest which is a very good place to gain EXP, though it can take a while to get in. Fighting Green Mushrooms at Henesys Hunting Ground I is also a decent place to train.
- Note: As a warrior you will always have large amounts of hp and your weapon defense will be extremely high for your level so waste less money on hp and mp pots, and buy more sniper pots/pills because this will allow you to hit higher level monsters.
- Level 25-29: Now is the time to go to Ellinia Dungeon Stalks in the rooms near Ellinia. Here you will find Green Mushrooms(gives 26 exp) and Horny Mushrooms(35 exp), which is just what we are looking for. Again, bring many potions, as you will be spending much time here. Also by level 27 it might be an idea to fight wild boars in Perion. Hp loss will be pretty high because the boars are fast and they take a lot of health. Dexterity should be somewhat high to hit them constantly.
- Note: Most places have "Axe Stumps", which seem to never get in these things, they give you 30 EXP and can be killed at Level 15.
- Also if you really feel like burning money go fight green and horny mushrooms at about level 20. be prepared for a lot of damage done by the horny mushrooms, and if you have lower than 26 dex you will be missing so if you do have less bring lots of potions, and sniper pots/pills.
If you feel like burning money, go to Fish Resting Spot. Lots of Cicles and Cicos there so you can Slash Blast to your heart's delight, but even with good maneuvers you'll be losing some money.
From the subway of Kerning City, the first area is full of Bubblings who give decent EXP.
If you get bored of training, you can always to Party Quests in Kerning City. Advised not to do a party quest until you are level 25, because you will not be able to do much damage to the boss monster.
Second job advancement
Once you've hit level 30, congratulations! After many levels of being KSed by almost every other class and leveling at a very slow pace, you will finally receive a well deserved power boost so you can stand on your own. Your average damage will stabilize at a much higher level, and your HP and defense will let you stand out among all the classes. There are three paths that lie ahead, all leading to their own brilliant glory. However, there’s still the second job advance test, an obstacle that must be passed to unlock your true power. You need to prepare for this next step and take the challenge head on.
To reach your test area, you first need to talk to Dances with Balrog, then head west from Perion two screens (where the music changes), then keep heading up until you see a guy standing. Talk to the guy, and he will transport you to your testing area. At the test area, you will be fighting Fire Boars and Lupins. They are different from the everyday Fire Boars and Lupins you will see in Perion and Ellinia. No sir, they're evil, pure evil, all the way to their burning flesh/banana filled stomach (yuck!), and they actually have less HP than their normal counterparts. You will need 43 accuracy to hit them 100% of the time, so if your accuracy is lower, Sniper Pots might do you some good. The lupins are really difficult to bring down (WARNING!!! Do NOT use Slash Blast on Lupin; being swarmed with unavoidable attacks that do up to 10% of your max HP is the LEAST thing you would want), so you might want to stick with Fire Boars only. In any case, it shouldn't be long before they bite the dust and either drop their evil, sinister mind, in the form of a marble, or just disappear completely into Purgatory. Once you've found your 30 Marbles, talk to the guy inside the test area and he will let you out with Proof of Hero. Now, bring your proof, Talk to Dances with Balrog, and you will be able to make your decision to either be a Fighter, a Page, or a Spearman. If you're unsure which path to choose (as most people who are indecisive), don't fret. I will list out their advantages and disadvantages below.
Before level 50, Fighters and Pages are basically the same thing with tiny differences. Spearman, however, suffers from instability of damage and slow attacking speed, so the other two classes come slightly ahead.
At level 50-70, Fighters gain Rage and become the most damaging class of all Maple Story (I'm talking about average damage: nobody can top Archer in maximum damage, except perhaps a super-duper-powered-up assassin), and Spearman catch up with the ability to use Hyper Body and the fact their damage edge is becoming more significant. Pages, however, suffer from the mediocrity of Threaten, and become the weakest link of the Warrior family.
At level 70+, you will receive your 3rd job advance. Dragon Knights become MUCH faster with Spear Crusher, and though they do not do massive damage in a single hit you do lower damage spread out over A LOT of hits, Crusaders will be known for doing MASSIVE damage from here on, once you've leveled up Combo and preferably Panic over Coma. Crusaders, as they use mainly swords (axes on fewer occasions but they do fine if you use axe booster) which are faster then blunt weapons (which are the better choice for White Knights)(Swords can be used too, for more stable damage, and more damage over time, with a better speed) and spears and pole arms, all of these weapons are slower then swords making for faster kills, and swords have the most reliable damage of I think any weapon in the game. This makes most Crusaders both faster AND stronger then other classes. Now pages,(finally) though they are not known for massive damage they have one thing that would make any Crusader or Spearman A LOT stronger...elements. (Although they do have elements, you will need to be a very high level, like 85+, to have all elements maxed out) Pages have the ability to attack with Fire, Ice, and Lightning. This means that if they find themselves in a situation where they are surrounded by monsters weak to fire they can whip out their fire attacks, if the situation changes to ice-weak monsters they can quickly adapt to the change. Plus, ice charge freezes the enemy for a second or two. They also have Magic Crash which will allow them cancel out Magic Defense.
So basically: If you're a guy who loves seeing big damage (REALLY big damage), and kill a high level monster such as Lycanthrope in one hit, go for Fighter. If you're a guy who wants to kill a large number of enemies in half the amount of attacks that it would take to solo them, go for Spearman. If you're a guy who likes to be cool and use elemental attacks, go for Page.
Seeing that the 2nd jobs for warrior are so similar, there's really no need to divide into three sections. The unique thing about warrior is that, while most other 2nd jobs must choose one specific weapon, each separation of the warrior guild can choose between two weapons to use:
- Fighters can choose to use either sword or axe;
- Pages can choose to use either sword or mace/blunt weapon;
- Spearmen can choose to use either spear or pole arm.
With the exception of Spearmen, it's strongly recommended that you stick with one weapon. Spearmen can choose to either stick with one weapon or go hybrid, meaning to master both weapons.
Second job training areas
- Level 30-34: For GMS, Psycho Jacks in Haunted Mansion are great, as with many of the 1k HP monsters in Ludi (Teddies, Ratz, etc). Trixters can also be good as they never move horizontally, meaning you'll never get hit unless you go and collect loot yourself. Jr Sentinels works well as an alternative, but it's pretty slow training. It's a bit early for Land of Wild Boar II but it can be a good change of scenery.
- Level 35-39: Go to Land of Wild Boar II and start mass killing boars. They don't do much damage, and they have drops that are worth quite a bit to the NPCs. Alternatives include Evil Eye Cave, which is fast but burns money a bit, and Jr Sentinels, which earns money quite fast but is unbearably slow on training. Teddies and Pink teddies are also worth a try, generally because there is lots of space, along with good experience and money.
- Level 40-44: If you can hit Jr Boogies, Go to Evil Eye Cave. There are a LOT of evil eyes there, and the map is quite small. Furthermore, you don't have mages bothering you there, and while you will meet the occasional assassin the terrain's terrible for them. You won't earn a lot of money but hey, at least you're training. Jr. Cellion/Lioner/Grupin, found near Orbis at The Garden of 3 Colors, or their respective gardens, are also good experience. One particular training spot that is never crowded but is very good experience is Floor 10 of the Eos tower, which has very rapid spawn of Bloctopi and Block Golems. The reason people don't frequent this area is because of its distance from potting points. Training enthusiasts would be best off here, and later on Floor 8, which has massive Block Golem and King Block Golem spawn. Alternatives: Fire Boars (bad experience, good money) and Leatties.
- Ludibrium Party Quest is a good way to train, especially for spearmen (hyperbody). It is often hard to get in, however. Other methods of training are sometimes more effective. {Just a suggestion}
- Level 45-49: Continue at Floor 8 or Hidden Tower for more Block Golems. Their low accuracy requirement makes these ideal monsters to those who tailor their DEX to be as low as possible. As a (slower) alternative, go to Dangerous Valley and train on Fire Boars and Copper Drakes for a while. The bottom part and the middle part are generally very good since there are a lot of spawns, but try to go to a map with two people already there (you'll be the third person) so you don't have to run around to kill things. You can also try Dark Leatties or Jr Kitties, but the former isn't really good for money and the latter is rather slow, and you'll get KSed a lot. The Lanterns in Mushroom Shrine are also great training, and while pot cost will be hefty, their drops can cover it nicely.
- Level 50-54: Lanterns and Block Golems still work, but for new palces you can either go to Cloud Park IV or Jr Yetis. Jr Yetis are considered a bit better because there are a LOT of them over there, so you can slash blast to your heart's delight. Cloud Park IV is more focused on single attack, but Lunar and Star Pixies are not hard to kill and have decent drops. Fighting Platoon Chronos in Lost Time <1> or The Road of Time <1> is also a possibility. Iron Hog are recommended if one can KO with no more than 3-hits. Their spawn rates are ideal and they deal low damage; ideal for meso saving. They can be found at Pig Park. The best place at this level, however, are probably the Straw Target Dummies (aka STDs) in Mu Lung. Their spawn is pretty hyper, and they're slow and rather weak.
- Level 55-59: STDs are still very nice at this point, as with Jr Yetis and Luster Pixies. Drake's Meal Table also open up as a very nice training place, as their exp is quite awesome and drops are not half bad either. Prepare to be drowned in Pink Cone Hats though.
- Level 60-69: Remember Drake's Meal Table? If you have Power Guard, it now switches from awesome experience and little profit to decent experience and HECK OF A LOT OF profit. STDs and Lusters still work as well. Some new places are Hectors, Zombies, Forest of Golem and Gryphons. Voodoo/Hoodoos are also an option, but rude assassins, bandits, and heck... ANYTHING will ks the crap out of 6x warriors at this point.
- LEVEL 70-80: The best training spot in most versions remains to be Forest of Golem. In MapleSEA, however, the exclusive Singapore Map provides unbelievable experience, ranging from a ratio of HP:EXP 5000:200, 5500:220, or 5800:250. Mr. Anchors are not recommended as their magic attack deals a surprising 2000, and their HP is nearly twice that of Slimy, giving only 25 more Exp. However, all of them drop either Tobi Throwing-Stars or Steely Throwing-Knives, coupled with good drops, making it the best training place for MapleSEA players in this level range. Some alternatives to Golems are Hectors, Coolie Zombies (Forest of Dead Tress I-IV), or Drakes, Cold Eyes, and Ice Drakes (Drake Area, take the middle east exit from Drake's Meal Table). At high 70s, warriors are able to train in the Ludibrium dungeon. Dragon Knights will be able to train with priests at Death Teddies or Master Death Teddies since they help the priest train without MG because of Hyper Body, while Crusaders and White Knights are better off soloing Ghost Pirates, although if they are able to get a priest they too can train at the aforementioned areas.
Information on DEX
A big controversy in warrior build is the DEX Cap. The whole point of DEX is accuracy. However, you will also want to keep your damage as high as possible. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the DEX you have just as much as you need, so you'll have no problem hitting everything while doing as high damage as possible under that condition.
First of all, the whole point of DEX is to increase your accuracy. There are a lot of ways to improve your accuracy. Listed below are most of the ways.
- Adding points into DEX (1 DEX = 0.8 accuracy)
- Mastery skill (Passive Skill) (provides a +20 accuracy at max)
- Scrolling shoes for DEX (Better accuracy bonus than scrolling for jump from cheaper scrolls)
- Scrolling shoes for Jump (Worse accuracy bonus than scrolling for DEX, but these add jump, which s nice for warriors. DEX also adds a small amount of damage)
- Scrolling overall for DEX (A prime source of DEX for level 80+ and most low DEX warriors)
- Scrolling cape for DEX (Depending on the price of STR cape scrolls and DEX cape scrolls)
- Scrolling glove for DEX (Not recommended. You'd do better to put points into DEX and get an attack glove)
- Scrolling helmets for accuracy (Not recommended, as it is only available in 30% and 70% scrolls by Gachapon. You run the risk of destroying your helmet.)
- Sniper Potions (+5 accuracy for 3 minutes.)
- Sniper Pills (+10 accuracy for 10 minutes, only available in the Ludibrium potion store. They're cheaper and more effective.)
- Having a Cleric/Priest cast Bless (+20 accuracy for 200 seconds, but it cancels out any sniper pills/potions)
- Zakum Helm (The single best accuracy raising equip in the game. An average stat Zakum Helm will grant 39.5 accuracy to the player. To obtain, player must go with a group of players to defeat Zakum since it cannot be traded.)
As you can see, adding DEX is not the only option of raising accuracy you will need to hit a specific monster.
These formula are used by the calculator here. Another calculator can be found here.
The following values are required
- (AVOID) Monster avoidability
- (ACC) Character Accuracy
- (LVLDIFF) Difference between the monsters level and your own. This is calculated as Monster level - Character level. If the value is less than 0, just use 0
If you are a higher level than the enemy, this formula tells how much accuracy is required to hit every time:
3.68 * AVOID
This formula tells how much accuracy is required to hit the enemy 100% at your level:
3.68 * AVOID + 0.15 * LVLDIFF * AVOID
This formula tells the hit ratio for any enemy at your level:
Hit Ratio = 100% * (ACC/(AVOID * (1.84 + 0.075 * LVLDIFF))-1)
For example, you will need an accuracy of 111 to fully hit a Yeti & Pepe at level 78+ (Recommended level 80+ so you can save DEX by scrolling the overall instead), 140 accuracy to hit Bains on level 90+, and 148 accuracy to hit Crimson Balrog on level 100+. To be accurate, you need 92 accuracy at level 57 to hit Zombies 100%.
Warrior Tips
Even though warriors are known for fighting up front and soaking up a lot of damage, measures should always be taken to minimize the amount of damage taken to save pots and mesos:
- Jump attacking: Jumping over a small monster while attacking it, then proceeding to attack it from its behind is a good way to avoid bumping into it. One must always take note, however, of the terrain and position of other monsters so as to not take more damage than is necessary.
- Knowledge of enemy skills and habits: Know your enemy! Certain monsters have certain skills and attack patterns. Ghost Pirates and Dual Ghost Pirates don't use their unavoidable magic attack when you are on level ground with them a short distance away. Therefore, it would be wise to not jump around while attacking while staying close to the monster. Grim Phantom Watches only use their ice attack when they are facing left. Attack them from the right! It is knowledge that differentiates a good warrior from an average one.
- Knowledge of terrain: If there exists a spot on the map which allows you to attack your enemy while not getting hit, why not use it?
- Use appropriate pots: Use pots appropriate for your HP/MP. Smaller pots usually have better meso/HP or MP ratio. Good MS players should seriously consider pots sold in New Leaf City, which for warriors and mages quickly become much more cost efficient than potions sold anywhere else.
Comparison between Warrior Jobs
Differences between Second Jobs
Most of the warrior classes are basically the same during 2nd job. All of them use Power Strike and Slash Blast as their main attacks. Basically the differences can be summed up in two areas: skills and weapon choices.
- The main skill difference is that Fighters get Rage, which boosts your party's weapon attack by 10. During 2nd job this is strongly appreciated, as it is free, takes no Use slots and increases each party member's damage (except Mages) by several hundreds. The other classes can give themselves a weapon attack boost as well, but need items to do so. Fighters also get Power Guard, reducing touch damage by 40% and deals it back to the monster. This is the main reason why Fighters/Crusaders are considered soloers is because this reduces pot costs immensely.
- Pages get Threaten, a skill that lowers the enemies' weapon defense and weapon attack by 20; this is mostly used to lower damage dealt to you. Pages also get Power Guard, reducing touch damage by 40% and deals it back to the monster. This is one of the main reason why Pages/WKs are considered soloers is because this reduces pot costs immensely. Of course, constant KB and Ice Charge helps also to the soloing factor.
- Spearmen get Hyper Body, which boosts your max HP/MP and that of your party by 60% when maxed. This skill is particularly useful for helping partied Thieves, Archers, and Mages to survive more hits from enemies and/or PQ bosses. They also get Iron Will which gives +20 wep def and +20 mag def for 300 sec. It is basically a nerfed Bless with 100 seconds more duration but gives no accuracy or avoidability bonus. Even with this skill maxed, it isn't even close to being in the same league as Power Guard and is why Spearman/DKs are not considered a soloing class.
- The other difference is weapon options. Fighters and Pages can both choose between unstable weapons with high max damage, stable weapons with higher min damage, fast weapons, slow weapons, long reach, short reach, etc. Spearmen get weapons with the highest maximum damage, but lowest minimum damage, and with the longest reach but (with a few exceptions) the slowest attack speed.
Crusaders
- Gameplay summary
As a Crusader, you will eventually learn two new major attacks: Coma and Panic, the two strongest individual attacks in the game. Each of these is very powerful, but requires that you charge up a "Combo," similar to fighting games, meaning that you can only use these once every several attacks, and the rest of the time you use weaker attacks. You build this combo by using other attacks, such as Power Strike or Slash Blast. Each time you hit with something, you charge an orb. Each orb adds to your power, until you use either Coma or Panic, which releases the orbs. This results in several smaller hits, leading up to one very powerful hit. Crusaders are also something of a "balanced" class in that their skills are equally suited to both soloing and partying, no matter what they're fighting. If you like seeing big, 5-digit individual numbers appear on your screen, this is your class. Crusaders, after level 100, deal the most total damage over time on single targets, bosses, and large mobs, as long as the monster they're hitting isn't weak to any elements.
- Damage against single targets
Crusaders continue to use Power Strike as their main attack. Each time they hit with it, they charge an orb on their Combo. The orbs will add to your damage with each hit. You can also use a new attack called Panic, once you have a certain number of orbs charged. Using Panic resets your orb count to 0.
- 0 orb Power Strike - 260%
- 1 orb Power Strike - 312%
- 2 orb Power Strike - 325%
- 3 orb Power Strike - 338%
- 4 orb Power Strike - 351%
- 5 orb Power Strike - 364%
- Panic with 5 orbs - 1225%
Crusaders deal the most damage to single monsters overtime compared to the other Warrior Classes. But, if the monster is elementally weak and a WK can benefit from this, then the WK will win in overall damage. This advantage doesn't really show unless the monster has a lot of HP (Primarily Bosses) due to constant Charge Up to Finisher playing style.
- Damage against mobs
Crusaders will continue to use the same basic tactics as in second job - Power Strike if there are two or less monsters, Slash Blast if there are more, as long as you can knock back with it. Similar to Panic, Crusaders also get a mobbing "finisher" called Coma. Coma hits a mob of up to 6 with the range of Fury, stuns most of the time, but resets your orb count to 0. With Slash Blast and Coma, Crusaders can very slightly outdamage the other warrior classes on mobs of 5 or 6 enemies, but it is a very close call with Dragon Knights and unstable damage strings result in less knockback
- 0 orb Slash Blast - 130% on up to 6
- 1 orb Slash Blast - 156%
- 2 orb Slash Blast - 162.5%
- 3 orb Slash Blast - 169%
- 4 orb Slash Blast - 175.5%
- 5 orb Slash Blast - 182%
- Coma with 5 orbs - 700% on up to 6
Based on inefficiency of FA on mobs and range, Crusaders and WKs are both less effective in mobs of 5 and 6 monsters in comparison to DKs, though FA has the same range as Fury. Coma also has the same range. Though the total damage that will be dealt by FA is 250% which is close to another Power Strike, if dealt to other monsters, it divides that 250% disproportionately. The FA damage divided up with a mob of 6 is "1.67*, .56*, .18*, .06*, .02*, .006*." This seriously hinders overall damage while DKs do not have to worry with such inconsistency through Fury/Buster. Also, they don't have to worry about KB as much. The 2nd monster will only receive around 34% of the damage the 1st monster received, the 3rd monster will only receive around 32% of the damage the 2nd monster received, and so on. This seriously hinders keeping a mob at bay to reduce pot costs. That is why such Defensive Tactics are noted as follows.
- Defensive tactics
Crusaders have several gameplay tactics they can use defensively. For instance, they can use Coma with less than 5 orbs to stun enemies at any time, as long as they have at least one orb charged. This becomes key when dealing with large mobs to minimize pot costs. Such a method is as follows: Stun the mob with coma (No matter the number of orbs), then Power Strike a single monster repeatedly. Then, with 5 orbs, or if needed to keep control over the mob, stun the mob again and repeat. This is a very useful skill that many crusaders use which helps soloing. At higher levels, Crusaders also get Shout, an attack that stuns an enemy (95% chance) within a certain area, including those above or below you. It lasts a full 10 seconds with the skill maxed, unless the stun is interrupted.
- In parties
Rage provides a free 10 weapon attack boost for a party of 6. They are also very fast killers at big mob spots like Himes, and their specific tactics also rack up fast experience at Gobies.
- At bosses
Because many characters use stronger attack boosts when bossing, their party skill, Rage, is often not considered as a factor. Crusaders are mainly used in bossing parties for their damage-dealing; on single elementally neutral monsters, Crusaders rack up the most total damage per minute of the warrior classes, and the second most at elementally weak bosses. Crusaders suffer against bosses that Dispel constantly, since this can eliminate their charged orbs.
- Attack speed/weapon choices
Crusaders can choose from a variety of weapons. They can choose axes for low scrolling costs resulting in high weapon attack, but unstable damage, or swords for high costs but stable damage; they can choose 2-handed weapons for slower attack speed but higher damage per hit, or 1-handed weapons for faster attack speed but lower damage per hit.
- Weaknesses
One weakness of Crusaders is that their skills result in a string of unstable damage. Against some monsters, this can result in wild damage variety, causing knockback issues in some cases compared to the stable damage of White Knights. Also, Crusader's stun is interruptible, meaning if you were to hit the stunned monster after using coma/shout on it, it will become unstunned. This can be quite irritating dealing with a large mob around you. If Power Guard is on, bumping into the stunned monster will cause it to become unstunned.
Crusaders also take a long time to master their attack skills, as they spend many levels mastering Combo first.
White Knights
- Gameplay summary
White Knights are patterned around two main areas: elemental attacks and defensive tactics. Their ability to use Fire, Ice, and Lightning charges makes them very strong against anything weak to those elements, outdamaging the other two classes over time and providing steadier knockback, although they deal less damage over time against enemies not weak to an element. Additionally, they can freeze and stun mobs; combined with Threaten, this provides them with a good balance of defense and offense that makes them the game's premier solo class.
For WKs, though the holy element wont be available until 4th, the only things set in stone about elements are that fire is good against ice, ice against fire, and holy against undead. For the rest, lightning is good against some fire monsters and some water monsters.
- Damage against single targets
White Knights continue to use Power Strike (260% damage) and Slash Blast (130% damage) as their main attacks. However, they may use these with an elemental charge. The charges provide attack boosts as follows, on Power Strike:
- With Lightning Charge - 325%
- Fire Charge (on fire weak) - 468%
- Ice Charge (on ice weak) - 409.5%
- Lightning Charge (on lightning weak) - 487.5%
This steady string of damage results in more damage over time on a single target than Crusaders or Dragon Knights, as long as the monster is weak to fire or lightning. If not, Crusaders will deal more.
- Damage on mobs
White Knights continue to use Slash Blast for mobbing; it always deals exactly half of Power Strike's damage, on a mob of up to 6. Therefore:
- With Lightning Charge - 162.5% per target
- Fire Charge (on fire weak) - 234% per target
- Ice Charge (on ice weak) - 204.75% per target
- Lightning Charge (on lightning weak) - 243.75% per target
They can also use Charged Blow, which deals base 250% damage to each monster in a mob, and stuns them; in exchange, you lose your elemental charge and have to use it again.
- With Lightning Charge - 312.5% on up to 6
- Fire Charge (on fire weak) - 450%
- Ice Charge (on ice weak) - 393.75%
- Lightning Charge (on lightning weak) - 468.75%
Unfortunately, due to Slash Blast and Charge Blow being their only arsenal for mobs, they do the least damage overtime to mobs of 5-6 Monsters. FA hinders this also as explained under the Crusader Section "Damage on Mobs." Only in 4th job will WKs truly shine, being able to spam Charge Blow, but until then, they remain a great soloer and #1 on overall damage to single targets that are elementally weak.
- Defensive tactics
White Knights are very good at using tactics to avoid damage. Their second job skill, Threaten, reduces damage from any target; adding to the picture the ability to freeze with Ice Charge, or to stun with Charged Blow, also helps immensely. Charged Blow's stun, unlike that from Coma or Shout (Crusader skills), isn't interrupted when the enemy is hit. Finally, against any enemy with an elemental weakness, White Knights have the steadiest knockback of the three warriors, which helps to keep enemies at bay and prevents bump damage.
- In parties
Since they have no party skills, White Knights are usually soloists. They do sometimes appear in parties for training monsters weak to an element, though, such as Duals or Grims, at which they would be the fastest killers of the warrior classes.
- At bosses
White Knights dish out the most damage per minute of any warrior class at Pianus, which is weak to Fire, and Black Crow, which is weak to Lightning. They see limited use at other bosses, such as Papulatus or Zakum, since they have no party skills and Crusaders dish out more total damage than they do at those bosses. But as an exception, high lvl WKs are recruited into Pap runs for their constant KB.
- Attack speed/weapon choices
See Crusader, above. Replace axes with blunt weapons.
- Weaknesses
Due to their lack of party skills, White Knights aren't often sought as party members (exceptions include Grims, Duals, etc from levels 80-100); however, since they have tactics suited to avoiding damage and killing fast, they are gods of soloing anyway. Against an enemy which isn't weak to any element, White Knights also dish out less damage than even a Crusader without Panic or Coma. Since the two fastest leveling spots in GMS (Himes and Gobies) are currently both neutral, this poses a difficult situation for very high leveled White Knights.
Dragon Knights
- Gameplay summary
Dragon Knights are the Party Animals of MapleStory, a balance between damage-dealing warrior and support character. Their skill Hyper Body is up there with the likes of Bless, Heal, and Holy Symbol as one of the most sought-after party skills. Additionally, they have strong mobbing attacks that cause them to deal very high damage against mobs, making them good training partners for Priests, among others. They don't do too well with knockback and have few defensive abilities; therefore, they rely heavily on Priests or exceptional tactics to avoid damage. Their damage on single targets isn't so high over time, and while they can play without a party, they're not usually the preferred class for those who play this way. However, if you like to play socially, with your friends, partying random people, helping others survive boss battles, and so on, this just might be the class for you...
- Damage against single targets
Individually, Dragon Knights with Crusher hit the highest average damage per hit on a single target; however, because Crusher is a very slow attack, this results in less total damage over time. Dragon Knights also learn a few other new attacks, the other single-target one being Sacrifice. When maxed, their attacks deal approximately the following damage to a single target:
- Crusher - 170% per hit, 3 hits on the same target (approximately 510% total)
- Fury - 250%
- Sacrifice - 350%, regardless of the monster's wep def
- Damage on mobs
Dragon Knights' attacks shine more against mobs than they do against single targets; knockback is still an issue, but their raw damage on most mob sizes is the highest of the warrior classes. Their mob attacks, when maxed out, are the following:
- Crusher - 510% (see above) on up to 3 enemies
- Fury - 250% on up to 6 enemies
- Dragon Roar - 240% on up to 15 enemies
Roar is rarely used because of its casting time and the fact that you become stunned for 2 seconds after using it; however, it's there.
DKs, having two main attacks that are both mob attacks, do the most damage to mobs of 5 and 6 monsters overtime due to range and damage of Fury. Though Crusaders outdamage DKs on mobs of 5-6 monsters, due to range, DKs have a tendency to do better because they can hit more monsters easier. They are also superior in mobs of 2-3 with Buster.
- Defensive tactics
Because a Dragon Knight's main small-mob and single-target attack, Crusher, is poor with knockback, they rely strongly on partying Priests to keep themselves from burning potions. However, they have defensive advantages to help. For starters, Fury is a very long ranged attack that can be used to kill mobs while running away from them. Additionally, Sacrifice can be used if necessary to help keep an enemy at bay. Also, using ER to reduce 40% of damage dealt by magic attacks and using long range tactics, the DK receives less damage. Of course, dealing with mobs usually ends up with taking touch damage. So it is debatable on exactly how much it helps.
- In parties
Dragon Knights are one of the game's most partied classes because of Hyper Body. This vital skill makes it possible for Archers, Mages, Bandits, and even Hermits to survive most of the strongest enemies' attacks, including those of bosses. Their mobbing skills, especially on both small and large mobs, also makes them desirable training partners, particularly at the game's currently most popular high-level training spot, Himes.
- At bosses
See above for the benefits of Hyper Body. Dragon Knights are one of the few classes in the game that can provide vital support skills while still dishing out damage to a boss, even though their damage over time is somewhat less than the other two classes'. They are priceless for their contributions in bomb control. A constant 10k+ damage can save many in Pianus from the devastating 10k+ damage dealt when the blood booms explode. Also, Roar is used in Pap runs to explode the dark stars on the top platforms, thus neutralizing threats that can potentially deal 8k+ damage.
- Attack speed/weapon choices
Dragon Knights' weapons lose their 2nd job instability by using forced stab or swing attacks in 3rd job. Spears and Polearms also both have very long reach, but slower attacks. Combined with Buster's slow skill speed, this is why Dragon Knights are outdamaged by the other two classes over time on bosses. However, Polearms are the only warrior weapon in 3rd job capable of hitting Zakum's top arms, which is just one of many benefits from their range.
Spear Users will use Buster to maximize damage output, which does the most damage to mobs of 2-3 monsters overtime. They tend to lvl faster in the early stages of 3rd job as their training spots have more mobs of 2-3 monsters. Polearm Users will use Fury to maximize damage output, which does the 2nd most damage to mobs of 5-6 monsters overtime and has greater KB capabilities than Buster. They tend to lvl faster in the later stages of 3rd job because their mobbing capabilities do well against Gobies and Himes. Hybrid users have the use of both weapons to use both Buster and Fury to their full potential. Unfortunately, it tends to take longer w/o FA in 2nd job, and it sometimes costs more for Hybrids who have two weapons.
- Weaknesses
As mentioned above, Dragon Knights have the lowest damage over time on single targets, but since training generally involves fighting mobs and they have Hyper Body for boss parties, they will always be a contribution in parties anyway. Additionally, since the strongest attack for knockback that a DK can use without sacrificing HP is an unbuffed Power Strike, their KB rates are much lower than the other classes, which causes them to generally take more damage from fast-moving enemies. Combined with a lack of Power Guard, this makes it very difficult for DKs to solo, but it can be done. DKs lvl 100+ with ER, HB, and NLC pots combined will eventually spend around the same amount of money on pots if compared to a Sader and WK if they both took the same amount of touch damage (Example: Himes).