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well after day 1, i must admit that i was surprised and disappointed with many things about the “marksman” 4th job. here’s a quick overview on what i think of the skills that i have so far.
current build:
9 maple hero
9 expertise
9 sharp eyes
10 pierce
1 dragon pulse
1 articunoo
maple hero
there’s not much to say about maple hero. it’s a really useful skill and the timer is excellent at level 9. as of now, i have no regrets putting points into it. here’s an example of how helpful hero is to boost damage range. keep in mind that i did not add my 5 free AP points yet because i’m thinking about hp washing when i get the chance to head to target.
with no war pill/hero: 2366~3683
with hero: 2468~3843
with war pill: 2574~4008
with hero/war pill: 2686~4183
yeah, definitely no regrets here.
Sharp Eyes
i know this was said over and over again, but sharp eyes is what really defines 4th job for bowman. hitting 12k with strafes on monsters you’d actually train on is amazing – basically with hero and sharp eyes, you have a damage range higher than if you had an apple before 4th job came out. i’ve had random people come up to me and ask for it. i’ve had guildmates requesting me to come (usually i’m the one asking for a party). it’s quite a welcome change, and i hope archers are willing to share it with people. HOWEVER…
there is one major downside to sharp eyes in my opinion, and that flaw lies in the level 9 timer. my goodness, you are going to be casting often. it gets really annoying to even cast it for yourself after 90 seconds – you could imagine the annoyance in a party..
basically, having two more buffs is amazing and a hindrance at the same time. stopping to cast five buffs (warrior pill, soul arrow, booster, maple hero, and sharp eyes) with different timers is just blehhh (especially when sharks dispel you, oh gosh).
Pierce
frankly put? pierce is garbage at level 10, and i cant see it being useful even when maxed. this was my main disappointment with the marksman 4th job. i was optimistic about it, but it really seems you have to have 21 points in it for you to even start considering to use it. i was exploring leafre for a bit by myself, and i never found myself using pierce because it was useful in the situation, but because i just wanted to give it a test run. in leafre, things come at you hard and fast, not giving you any time to charge up your laz0r. how often am i going to have the luxury of sitting back and charging and conveniently hitting six monsters for optimum damage? probably never. i’m honestly considering putting points into the next skill i’m talking about instead of pierce.
Freezer/Frostprey/Articuno
i’m in love with our new bird. although one second freeze is short, it gets the job done doing damage. i’d guestimate and say it does between 4-7k damage, and it has been the difference between two and three strafes to bring down a monster numerous times (strafe damage is really hawt, yet unpredictable at the same time). i’d much rather have a free freezing mob attacker hovering over my head than a puny laser anyday. with strafe being a marksman main attack until 200 (or so i’ve heard), articuno compliments it much better than pierce ever will. another plus about articuno? nibs love it!
Dragon Pulse/Dragon Breath
this was another surprising skill for me. i always assumed that i’d always be strafing, and that using dragon pulse would be a waste of a shot, but it’s the complete opposite. i swear, articuno and dragon pulse were meant for each other – they seem to compliment each other very well. i’m finding myself using it everywhere because it’s comforting having a long distance between you and a monster. i think it’s necessary to have 21 dragon pulse in order to make pierce useful in the long run.
Expertise/Marksman Boost
some of you may be wondering why level 9? expertise is going to be the first skill i want near maxed in the near future, so i figured why not add the points now for the extra attack? the 70% mastery rate and +3 weapon attack are always welcome in my book!
anyways, i’m going to explore some more. finals were over today, and i have some time to kick back and enjoy leafre. i’m planning on buying a 10 day 2xp drop card today to further my chances of getting lvl 20 SE and the book for snipe. that snipe book is going to be a pain in the butt to find..
until then ladies, find me ingame or leave a comment here.
-uhai
ah, first of all i’d like to say i’m sorry for not getting the skill analysis up. i’ve been busy with other social things in my life and studying for finals. anyway, as 4th approaches, i thought i’d just give a couple of pre-4th thoughts that i have had.
1. wow, i have one more very big reason to be thankful that i’m in ascendancy. as very few of you know, i would have quit maplestory for a very long time if i had not found another fun able-quipped guild (previously was in ACFalcons, followed by [A]drenaline, then went guild hopping). by no means am i implying that i’m using the guild, but the family effect and trust within a high level guild, i feel, is almost a godsend to my potential early into 4th job. we’ve agreed for the most part, that skill books would be shared among everyone before selling to someone else. i know a lot of top archers are in very friendly guilds, but i also know a lot of 12x who are not, which could hamper their progress in 4th job. i guess it also helps that i’m a crossbowman, one of two able to use 4th job books right away (120+). hopefully things will work out and i can start running to 150 with relative ease (:
2. here’s just a pet peeve of mine. people who discuss and plan for 4th job that arent even close to experiencing the potential power and damage. i’m not trying to say that i’m elitist, but i really wish that people could level their own characters instead of sitting on a forum talking about something that’s not easy to obtain. with 2x cards, levels are not nearly as hard to get compared to when i was leveling to 120, but i know even with 2x, it requires a certain amount of dedication and time to enjoy 4th job. a lot of people dont seem to realize that 4th is just beginning at level 120, and you need to be near 140-150 with skillbooks to start really having fun as an archer again. in scania, there are around 25-30 archers that are over 140, with much fewer of those being crossbowman. i know that bowman play a pivotal role in the new party era that 4th brings, and i’d like to see nubs and friends join me in enjoying 4th job.
3. here’s my hopeful 140 build..
63 total points
- 9 maple warrior
- 1 dragon pulse
- 9 sharp eyes
- 18 mastery
- 1 articuno
- 21 pierce
- 3 extra points, considering 1 in snipe and saving up. things will change if i get the lvl 20 sharp eyes book early though.
4. oh yeah, i decided to make a 140 video (i forgot that’s where a lot of my time has gone). it’ll have three parts (not three separate videos).
- pre-140 damage [done]
- some footage of the 4th job advance
- post 4th job advance damage with some new skills.
it should be pretty good, though getting the skillbooks for my preferred build might be tougher than i thought.
anyways, i’m going to be busy studying so i can dedicate a little more time to 4th whenever it comes out. finals are next week..
-uhai
well i guess i’ll start off the new year by apologizing for not updating this as often as i should. i’ve been busy with 2x and holiday season, but as break comes to an end, i guess i’ll have a moment of reflection while presenting what i will try to get accomplished here in the following year.
i know i brought up earlier that 2x is indeed worth it if you are working. over break with two sets of 2x cards (my 30 day 7-11pm starting december 2, and my 10 7-11am day starting december 27), i’ve realized that 2xp, or maplestory in general, has helped me overcome a real life problem many people face.
having a long attention span xd
it’s amazing how time flies for me in the course of something tedious or slightly boring. SAT reasoning? wow that sure went by fast, yet all my friends come out moaning about how long a four hour test is. Church (only sometimes, i have to admit, it’s not always exciting)? things are over almost right after it starts. i think maplestory has helped me develop the ability to pay attention to something for a long period of time. i used to think four hours of 2x was so long, yet all of a sudden i found myself doing 2x twice a day (and at 7am i might add, might as well maximize my break..)
anyways, this is probably pretty boring for you guys, so i’ll present some goals for the coming year.
1. the first thing i want to do is analyze all the third job skills based on what i’ve seen and experienced for the past..69 levels. i want to add insight on how, when, and where (dont expect a fat guide) certain skills can be used to their full potential based on my own experience
2. as many of you know, 4th job is right around the corner coming January 15. i’ll also be doing the same thing as with the 3rd job skills, only these posts will probably be more extensive and detailed, since i’m experiencing everything for the first time again. i’m going to try to record my mistakes and successes, so others can avoid or follow my failure/conquest of leafre.
3. lastly, i’ve made the executive decision to not make a lvl 140 video. since i’m aiming for 140 in the next couple of days with 4th job on the horizon, i feel that a video made so soon will not do justice to a snipers 4th job experience. instead i’ve decided to get my skill books, explore leafre, and eventually churn out another 10 levels to make a lvl 150 video. hopefully with the new leafre maps, training wont be so hard. however, i might not be able to find the time for maplestory in the spring because both tennis and basketball seasons are starting.
anyway, happy new years to you all. i’ll try to get the 3rd job skill analysis up this week if the homework load isnt too bad. then again, i might buy more 2x (i’ve also worked a lot during break so i have a lot of spare cash) and try to crank out as many levels before i get overwhelmed with sports. i suppose that 10k from the ascendancy pie victory will help me out.
be excited for 4th job.
but not too excited.
because leveling is a pain in the butt.
and you need levels to enjoy 4th job.
-uhai
