SKILLS
Here I will explain some of the skills that Archers can learn. I'll only explain the more basic ones, up to 59 or so, as that's all you should need to know about to get your Archer started.
To find out more detailed information, I suggest checking out:
http://www.ecatomb.net/skillpwi.php
Added some progression charts for the skills. I got them from this thread
http://pwi-forum.perfectworld.com/sh...d.php?t=153901
which was originally taken from this site
http://asiapworld.com/pw/index.php?
Feel free to check that out also for a different opinion on skills.
Also, adding my opinion on priorities for upgrading skills. Priority 1 = Highest Priority, so keep upgrading it as soon as you reach the next required level. Priority 0 = leave it at level 1.
Level 1
Take Aim
http://xbe.xanga.com/151f31f5c763222...b179895438.jpg
This is one of the first skills you start with as an Archer. You can reach level 10 by level 45. At level 1, it is a 5 second maximum charge and dealing base physical plus 165% weapon damage. At level 10, this becomes a 3.2 second charge dealing base physical plus 300% weapon damage, improving at -.2s and +15% weapon damage each level.
At the early levels, this skill is quite useless. The big usefulness of it comes from the weapon damage bonus. However, at low levels, your weapon is, well, garbage. That makes the damage garbage. Combine this with the relatively long charge time and issues with KSing in this game, its not good at the beginning. However, later on when you get high powered weapons, this spell becomes very strong. I'd recommend leaving this at level 1 until at least level 60 when you can get a TT60 weapon.
Priority: 4 - Not necessary to level until at least 60
Useless in early levels. Leave it at level 1 until around 60+, then max it when you can. You can charge it and shoot it earlier if you need.
Quickshot
http://x30.xanga.com/428f34f46643522...b179896544.jpg
The other skill that your Archer starts with. Able to be maxed at level 43. This skill looks like two arrows shooting. Deals base physical plus 12 damage at level 1, becoming base physical plus 908.4. In the lower levels, this should deal more damage than Take Aim. However, it really loses its usefulness early on. I'd recommend leaving it at level 1 for good and moving on to more useful abilities.
Priority: 0 - not useful at all unless you reach level 89 and choose Demon Path
Leave it at level 1
Level 6
Blazing Arrow
http://x25.xanga.com/bdcf44ea1033622...b179896829.jpg
The first new skill you are able to train. At level 1, it adds 13% of weapon damage as Fire damage to your normal shots. You can max it at level 51, adding an extra 3% per level. It gives your weapon a red glow too!
I recommend maxing this skill whenever you have the SP to spare. At lower levels, its not quite as noticeable due to low weapon power, but as you get higher up, its very useful. Definitely a good skill to have and worth maxing as soon as you can.
Priority: 1 - Keep this leveled
Good skill, max it when you can
Level 9
Frost Arrow
http://x60.xanga.com/e73f35f07623522...b179896844.jpg
One of these new abilities is Frost Arrow. At level 1, it inflicts damage equal to base physical damage plus 150.8 as well as a 50% speed reduction for 3.2 seconds. It can be maxed at level 54, where it will become base physical plus 1381.1 and 50% slow for 5 seconds, with an extra .2s slow and some extra damage for each level. It requires 25 Chi per shot.
This skill is very useful for the early levels. Its the first skill in the slow/stun category of your arsenal, and is quite helpful for keeping your target away from you for a longer amount of time, allowing you to deal more damage more quickly. Due to low weapon damage resulting in little use for Take Aim, I recommend using this as your opening. Frost Arrow -> Normal attacks until death. As for leveling it...you should level it as you feel necessary. The damage isn't necessary later on, so keeping it at level 1 is fine. If you want to level it to help out early on however, getting it to level 3 or 4 is no problem. The SP cost is negligible so you shouldn't worry about it. Note: Its probably worth maxing for an Archer who chose Sage path. But even then, I wouldn't recommend maxing it until you actually get there.
Priority: 3 - Good skill to have, best PvE opener in the lower levels, but not necessary to have it maxed later on unless you choose Sage path.
Good opener for the lower levels. Limited usefulness later on, so level as you feel needed.
Winged Shell
http://x94.xanga.com/60af35eb1443522...b179895439.jpg
A shield that absorbs some damage and regenerates some MP for you. Its on a 30 second cooldown and requires 45 Chi to cast. It can be maxed at level 54. At level 1, it absorbs 135 damage, lasts up to 20 seconds, and recovers 10 MP every 3 seconds up to 6 times (60 MP max). Each additional level adds 65 damage absorbed and 6 MP per tick, ending up at absorbing 810 damage and 64 MP per tick at max level.
A very useful skill. In PvE, it can keep you alive long enough to fly up and lose aggro, or stay alive long enough to get in the last hit you need. In PvP, it can be situationally useful. I recommend maxing this skill when you have the spare SP.
Priority: 4 - Just level it casually, it can save you but its better to level your attack skills first if you don't have enough SP
Another useful skill, max it when you have the SP to spare.
Flight Mastery
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A unique skill for Elves. It increases your flight speed by .2 m/s for each level, ending up at 2.0 m/s at level 10. Note: This only affects the ORIGINAL wings you have. Cash shop items/Eagle wings, everything else is unaffected. Its not essential to level now, or ever if you want. The starter wings do consume 2 mp/s, so its uses can be limited. However, this is a nice way for Elves to get faster flying early without buying different mounts. The choice is yours to level it or not.
Priority: N/A - Completely up to you, you can choose not level it at all if you wish
Only affects original wings. Makes you fly faster, level it or not, your choice.
Winged Blessing
http://x13.xanga.com/caff27f61163422...b179897252.jpg
Able to be maxed at level 54. It increases your maximum range by 1 meter for each level.
Very useful! More range means more time for full damage attacks. Definitely max it.
Priority: 1 - Keep this maxed
If you're too lazy to read that, then you probably haven't gotten this far anyway
Level 13
Lightning Strike
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This is the first skill in your Metal-based damage tree. It can be maxed at level 58. At level 1, it deals Metal damage equal to base physical damage plus 330.3 with a 6 second cooldown. At level 10, it deals base physical damage plus 2214.9
This is another useful skill for Archers. This tree is part of what makes Archers a versatile and dangerous class for anyone to deal with. Since Archers focus on phsyical damage, high HP/high defense targets can be difficult. However, this tree deals metal-based damage, meaning its magical! If you're on Lost City and intend to PK/PvP often, this is very useful, as it deals full damage at close range. If you're on a PvE server, it is still useful to have when grinding on Wood element mobs, and for PvP later on if you're interested in it.
Priority: 2 or 3 - Good skill for PvP. If you're on Lost City, I'd keep this leveled fairly high as it will be very useful. If you're on PvE server, it is a useful skill to have for grinding, but not too high of priority.
Deals full damage at close range. Metal-based damage, so strong against Wood element mobs and Heavy Armor player targets.
PvP Server - Definitely good to level it when you can to deal with Heavy Armor targets and for anything that gets into melee range.
PvE Server - Still useful, I recommend leveling it if you have SP to spare.
Level 19
Vicious Arrow
http://x08.xanga.com/018f27f674c3422...b179896864.jpg
Able to be maxed at level 64. It has an 8 second cooldown and at level 1, deals base physical damage, then 628.7 Wood damage over 15 seconds. At level 10, the Wood damage becomes 3109.1 over 15 seconds.
Not a very useful skill. I recommend just leaving it at level 1 as a requirement to continue down the tree. This is very low priority however. Really, the last 3 abilities in this tree I don't find so useful. The final one, Sharpened Tooth Arrow, is useful on bosses later on, but it isn't much of a priority for now. So if you don't have the SP to spare, don't worry about this skill or any of the following ones until later.
Priority: 0 - Leave it at level 1
Knockback Arrow
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Able to be maxed at level 64. It has a 12 second cooldown and at level 1, deals base physical damage plus 376.0 and knocks the target back 12 meters. At max level, the damage bonus becomes 1864.6.
This is also a pretty useful ability, knocking back your target, allowing you to get in a couple more full damage attacks. The damage is halved at close range though, as with normal attacks. The main usefulness of this skill is the knockback, so level it casually as you see fit. At low levels, the order I used was Frost Arrow -> Normal attack twice -> Knockback -> Normal until dead. That allows you to get full damage on the Knockback Arrow while keeping your target in range so you don't have to move forward to continue attacking. Note: The knockback doesn't work in PvP.
Priority: 3 - Knockback distance doesn't increase with levels, so only thing that increases is damage. For PvE, I'd recommend leaving it at 1 for low mana cost. However, the damage can still be useful in PvP even if the knockback doesn't work.
Level 23
Wings of Protection
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This skill can be maxed at level 68. At level 1, it increases squad members' evasion by 8% as well as a 15% movement speed increase for 60 seconds. At level 10, it increases evasion by 35% and movement speed for 600 seconds, improving at 3% and 60 seconds per level.
A somewhat useful skill to have. The difference it makes...well it will vary from one experience to the next. I personally find it nice to have, but not essential. The movement speed is nice as well. The choice is yours to make. Early it, probably best to focus on passives/damage skills first.
Priority: 4 - Useful skill, but not important to max it early on. Level it as you see fit.
Winged Pledge
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The first "melee" attack you get. It can be maxed at level 68. At level 1, it deals base physical plus 490 with a 2 second cooldown. At level 10, the bonus damage becomes 2098.3.
This is a useful spell for PvP and is a pre-requisite for Wingspan which is very nice to have. If you plan on doing low-mid level PvP, I'd recommend getting a couple levels of this. It can be useful for when Lightning Strike/Thunder Shock is on cooldown. If you're strictly PvE, I'd probably recommend leaving it at level 1 as a pre-requisite since it is a bit mana inefficient and you shouldn't really need it.
Priority: 5 - For PvE, leave it at level 1 as pre-requisite. For PvP, it might be worth it to get a few levels. Up to you however.
Level 29
Thunder Shock
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The second skill in your Metal-based tree. Can be maxed at level 74. At level 1, it deals Metal damage equal to base physical damage plus 330.3 and reduces Metal resistance by 23% for 15 seconds. At level 10, it deals base physical plus 2214.9 and reduces Metal resistance by 50% for 15 seconds. Each level adds some damage and increases the amount of resistance reduced by 3%. Requires 30 Chi to cast.
Great skill! This will be the opening for your "Lightning Combo" since it decreases the target's Metal resistance. Like Lightning Strike, it will deal full damage at close range. Also like Lightning Strike, this is a definite must for PvP enthusiasts. For PvE focused players, again, its still useful for Wood element mobs or finishing close range mobs, but not necessary for now, so level it as you feel necessary.
Priority: 2 or 3 - Same as Lightning Strike. Great skill for PvP, and still useful for PvE.
Aim Low
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Now that you have a spark, you get your first ability that takes a spark! Aim Low can be maxed at level 74. At level 1, it deals base physical damage plus 953.1 and stuns the target for 5.3 seconds on a 15 second cooldown. At level 10, it deals base physical damage plus 3469.5 and stuns the target for 8.0 seconds. Each additional level adds .3 seconds to the stun and some extra damage.
This is definitely a great skill. In PvE, its a good opener for when you have a spark. The damage is good and the mana cost is pretty reasonable. For PvP, well I think its uses are very obvious. Good for opening as well as stopping runners. Very good against Robe users. For PvP, definitely max this as soon as you can. For PvE, max it as you see fit. I used it a good amount in the lower levels until Deadly Shot/Take Aim became useful.
Priority: 2 - Great skill, good damage and a stun.
Bow Mastery
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Can be maxed at level 74. Increases ranged weapon attack damage by 6% every level, becoming a 60% increase at level 10.
More damage! Definitely good. Max it as soon as you can.
Priority: 1 - Keep it maxed.
Level 34
Serrated Arrow
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Able to be maxed at level 79. At level 1, it deals base physical damage and adds a bleed effect. The bleed deals 1398.9 physical damage over 15 seconds. At level 10, the bleed damage becomes 4571.4 over 15 seconds.
I've never found any use for this skill really. Archers aren't about steady damage like Serrated Arrow or Vicious Arrow, they're about heavy spike damage. I've seen some people say they like this spell for robe users, but personally I don't think its worth it at all. I'd recommend leaving it at level 1. See the explanation I gave for Vicious Arrow also, this skill is low priority if you're short on SP for skills you will actually use.
Priority: 0 - Leave it at level 1
Level 39
Stunning Arrow
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Able to be maxed at level 75. At level 1, it deals base physical damage plus 697.5 with a 45% chance to stun for 3 seconds. At level, it deals base physical plus 1761.3 and a 90% chance to stun for 3 seconds, adding 5% chance to stun and some damage for every additional level.
A great skill for PvP! Stun that doesn't take any Sparks/Vigor! Definitely level this as soon as you can if you plan on PvPing. Even for PvE, it can be very useful. If you're on Lost City, I'd recommend making this a high priority spell. For PvE, still very useful so keep it leveled if you can afford it.
Priority: 2 or 3 - For PvP, definitely important to level. For PvE, level it if you can afford it, but not over more important skills
Wing Span
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Able to be maxed at level 75. This is an AoE spell, affecting all enemies in an 8-yard radius of you. At level 1, it deals base physical plus 1128.5 and knocks enemies back 6.3 meters. At level 10, it deals base physical plus 2844.8 and knocks back 9 meters, adding some damage an .3 meters with each level.
Like Knockback Arrow, the knockback does not work in PvP, but it deals full damage at close range. This is a useful ability to have in PvE. In PvP, the usefulness can vary. It is an AoE attack, but that means you have to be in the middle of a group - a place no archer wants to be. However, many times Mages will try to Distance Shrink into your "dead zone" so this can be useful for those moments. It depends on your playstyle on whether you want to level this or not.
Priority: 4 - Level it as you see fit, it does have its uses. Your experience and how you play your Archer should determine how much you level this.
Level 44
Thunderous Blast
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Able to be maxed at level 80. At level 1, it deals Metal damage equal to base physical plus 1420.3 to your target and all enemies within a 4.4 meter radius. Each new level increases the damage and also increases the radius by .4 meters. At level 10, the bonus damage becomes 3354.4 with a radius of 8 meters.
The next skill in our metal damage tree. As with the others in this tree, I think its worth leveling for PvP. The AoE damage can be useful in TWs, so if you are interested in getting involved with that, this skill is worth upgrading. However, unlike the others, it isn't so important to level this until 60-70+ when you start doing TWs. You generally won't use this at all in PvE due to the high mana cost, and Lightning Strike + Thunder Shock should be enough for you in PKing/normal PvP at these levels, so you won't need a third spell for now.
Priority: 4 - Not necessary to level until you start participating in TWs
Level 49
Sharpened Tooth Arrow
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Able to be maxed at level 85. At level 1, it deals base physical plus 1299.5 and reduces maximum HP by 2.5% for 30 seconds and affects all enemies within a 6 meter radius of your target. Each additional level increases the % of HP reduced by 1.5% and increases the damage dealt. At level 10, it deals base phsyical plus 2901.5 and reduces maximum HP by 16.0% for 30 seconds.
The only use for this ability is against Boss monsters really. It has limited usefulness in TWs, but its up to you whether you like using it there. There's no other situation that its particularly useful. Due to this, this spell is not at all important to max until later if you start running a lot of high level dungeons. If you didn't get Vicious Arrow or Serrated Arrow yet, there's no rush to get this skill yet either.
Priority: 5 - Leave it for later
Deadly Shot
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Able to be maxed at level 85. At level 1, it deals base physical plus 55% of weapon damage plus 2235.3. Each level increases the damage bonus as well as increasing the weapon damage bonus by 5%. At level 10, it deals base physical plus 100% of weapon damage plus 4986.6.
A pretty nice ability. It is similar to Take Aim but still deals a lot of damage even before getting a very good weapon. The mana cost is a little high, but depending on how much you leveled Frost Arrow/Knockback Arrow, it can be a great opener. It is definitely worth leveling in my opinion, but how often you use it will depend on your playstyle.
Priority: 3 - Useful spell to have, worth maxing as it deals a good amount of damage.
Good Luck and Have Fun!
if all players ingame would be like you, even a PK server would turn into a friendly one... ^^
