Weapon Guide
by M. Fitzpatrick (aka RoboShop)
mattfitz at oco dot net
Release 2: Fri 22 Nov 2002
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Introduction
With the introduction of new classes, new skills, refining, upgrading,
forging, new weapons, and even new properties and level limits on old weapons,
the old question of "What weapon should I use?" demands a whole new answer.
For a simple, on-the-spot answer of what weapon to use, please scroll to
the bottom of this document-- the chart will outline good choices for weapons
without getting too in-depth.
For a more detailed explanation of what makes some weapons good and
others bad-- a must-read if you plan on playing multiple characters, a weapon
vendor, or a difficult character such as a Merchant or pre-spellcasting
Novice-- please browse the three explanatory sections that precede the charts.
Warning: This data is not based on the English Beta2 service, but instead
Japanese Beta2, which is more likely to reflect changes that will be made upon
English Beta2's December 2nd relaunch. Likely, but not completely certain, so
expect some changes to be made next month.
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Contents
I. Classes, Proficiencies, Weapon Types, and Level Limits
- Table: Weapon Types by Class Availability
- Table: Level Limits by Weapon Type and Level
II. How to Upgrade Weapons
- Table: Upgrade Shops by Location
- Table: Upgrade Data by Weapon Level
III. Attack Speed and Damage Formulas
- Table: Weapon Swing Time by Class and Weapon Type
- Table: Effective Double Slash Swing Time by Skill Level
- Table: Determining BASE Damage (non-bows/unarmed)
- Table: Determining BASE Damage (bows)
- Table: Size Factors by Weapon Type
- Table: Damage Reduction from VIT
IV. Good Novice-Level Weapons
- Wands, Daggers, 1H-Swords, Maces
V. Good Low-Level Weapons
- Wands, Daggers, Bows, 1H-Swords, Maces, 2H-Swords, Spears, Axes
VI. Good High-Level Weapons
- Wands, Daggers, Bows, 1H-Swords, Maces, 2H-Swords, Spears, Axes
VII. Bad Weapons - Throw These AWAY!
VIII.Weapon Cards
- Table: Weapon Cards, Alphabetical
IX. Monster Data: Size, Form, Property, Weapon Drops (partial)
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I. Classes, Proficiencies, Weapon Types, and Level Limits
Beta2 offers thirteen classes: one Novice class all players start as, six
low-level classes to choose from upon mastering the Novice class, and one
high-level class to match each of the six low-level ones. [Beta3 note: In the
future, there will be TWO high-level classes to choose from for each low-level
one, except two gender-dependent high-level classes for Archers, making a
grand total of twenty classes in the game.]
Each class is limited to certain weapon types-- a Mage, for instance,
cannot use a Spear, while a Swordsman cannot equip a Wand. In addition, most
classes grant skills that work only with certain weapon types-- a Swordsman
could use an Axe, for instance, but will usually use a Sword since he has
access to skills that increase his damage with Swords.
The Weapon Types and their availability to the different low-level
classes are as follows (high-level classes generally can still use whatever
the corresponding low-level class can use):
Weapon type "Books" exists but is only for the high-level class Priest.
Weapon type "Katar" exists but is only for the high-level class Assassin.
[Beta3 note: Weapon types "Lutes" and "Whips" for the future Bard and Dancer
classes (high-level job changes for Archers) will eventually be enabled.]
Slightly complicating the situation is attack speeds-- different classes
have different attack speeds with each weapon. A Merchant, for instance, is
equally slow with an Axe or a Sword, but a Thief can wield a Dagger much more
quickly than a Sword or Bow. More information on this will be given in part
III of this guide.
In addition, all weapons have level limits-- required minimum base level
to be able to use a weapon. This also serves to diversify the number of
weapons you'll have to use on the way to high levels. The base level needed
for a weapon depends on the weapon type and its weapon level-- weapon level is
a number from 1 to 4 roughly describing the weapon's power level.
Weapon type "Unarmed," of course, has no level requirement.
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II. How to Upgrade Weapons
In the weapon charts, you'll notice I've included numbers in front of
many of the entries... "+6 Stiletto", for instance. This means the number of
times the weapon has been refined, or (to avoid confusion with a Blacksmith
player's skills to refine ores and elemental stones) "upgraded."
Anyone with the proper ore, upgrade fee, and ability to equip a weapon
can upgrade it by visiting an upgrade shop. There are four upgrade shops:
- Table: Upgrade Shops by Location
Alberta - Merchant Guild (bottom-left corner building), north room
Morroc - Bottom-left corner building, basement
Payon - Armory (top-left corner building), west room
Prontera - Building down and right from the center statue
(i.e. half a screen straight down from the Armory)
Each upgrade shop houses three NPC's: one who will sell you Phracon and
Emveretarcon, one who will change Rough Elunium into Elunium and Rough
Oridecon into Oridecon, and a third who will perform the actual upgrades.
Phracon costs 200z and Emvertarcon costs 1000z: because they're bought through
an NPC conversation interface rather than a shop, Merchant Discount doesn't
work, but they can now be bought in multiples.
There is risk to upgrading, however-- after upgrading beyond a certain
safe point, there is a very large chance (an estimated 50%) each additional
upgrade will fail, reducing the weapon back to non-upgraded state. There also
used to be a small chance (an estimated 1-2%) of failure up to the safe point,
but that has been removed. I've been told +10 is the maximum; it's a good
number to take a weapon to if you've got enough zeny and loads of time on your
hands, but better make sure it has the extra slot so it's worth it.
This means a Mace, which is Weapon Level 1, requires Phracon and 50z for
each upgrade, can be upgraded seven times easily, and gives +14 bonus Atk when
upgraded seven times. Little is known about Weapon Level 4 items, which are
extremely rare except in the longer-established Beta2 services, such as Korean
Sakray service.
Armor can also be upgraded, but I haven't gathered the data for it. Also
please note that Rough Elunium is very rare (definitely more rare than
Elemental ores) and Rough Oridecon is extremely rare (refined Oridecon, though
available from more sources than Empirium, is less actively hunted and so is
about as valuable as Empirium). Iron Ore, Iron, and Steel are used for
forging new weapons, not for upgrading-- and only Blacksmith players can use
them.
An alternative to self-upgrading is buying through a Merchant player who
specializes in upgraded weapons-- since the Merchant has already assumed the
risk of upgrade failure, he'll have spread out the failure costs over all his
items. It's kind of like upgrade insurance, and a good alternative for people
who don't have the time to deal with upgrading, or have had too much bad luck
in the past. Make sure you're either buying an over-upgraded weapon or a
correctly-priced safe-upgraded weapon, though-- a lot of Merchants seek to
profit from people who don't know how to upgrade themselves.
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III. Attack Speed and Damage Formulas
Attack speed in Ragnarok Online is measured by ASpd-- a figure which,
like most of the numbers in your status display, doesn't really describe
what's actually happening. Attack speed is based on a weapon swing time--
the larger the swing time, the slower the weapon.
- Table: Weapon Swing Time by Class and Weapon Type
Weapon speed is made quicker (i.e., the swing time becomes smaller)
with AGI and DEX. Every 2 points in AGI will reduce the decimal speed
value by 1/150th... Every 5 points in DEX also reduces the value by
1/150th.
The Thief skill Double Slash gives each attack with a knife a chance
to hit twice instead of once, though double attacks still take the same
amount of time as single attacks. Increasing Double Slash skill reduces a
Thief's effective knife slowness if you average out those bonus attacks:
- Table: Effective Double Slash Swing Time by Skill Level
This is why Thieves with Double Slash should still use Knife class
weapons against enemies of all sizes-- Knives for Lv.10 Double Slash
Thieves swing about as fast as an unarmed Acolyte, if you average all the
extra slashes in.
For reference, the in-game displayed ASpd equals 2.00 minus your stat-
adjusted swing time, then multiplied by 100. This explains why a 1-AGI
1-DEX Axe Novice with a listed ASpd of 120 seems half as fast as a 70-AGI
30-DEX Ring Pommel Saber Swordsman with a listed ASpd of 160... the AGI
Swordsman really is twice as fast: his swing time is 0.40 to the Axe
Novice's 0.80!
Damage is a little bit tougher to figure, since you have two components
that add together: BASE damage granted by your stats, masteries, and
refining, and a damage RANGE on top. Both are calculated very differently.
- Table: Determining BASE Damage (non-bows/unarmed)
Each point in STR: +1
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 1): +2
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 2): +3
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 3): +5
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 4): +5?
For having 10-19 STR: +1
For having 20-29 STR: +4
For having 30-39 STR: +9
For having 40-49 STR: +16
For having 50-59 STR: +25
For having 60-69 STR: +36
For having 70-79 STR: +49
For having 80-89 STR: +64
For having 90-99 STR: +81
For having 100-109 STR: +100
For having 110-119 STR: +121
For having 120-129 STR: +144
Every 5 full points in DEX: +1
Every 5 full points in LUK: +1
Weapon Mastery bonuses: As given
Please note the 10-point STR tier bonuses are not cumulative in this
table.
- Table: Determining BASE Damage (bows)
Each point in DEX: +1
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 1): +2
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 2): +3
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 3): +5
Every +1 upgrade (Weapon Level 4): +5?
For having 10-19 DEX: +1
For having 20-29 DEX: +4
For having 30-39 DEX: +9
For having 40-49 DEX: +16
For having 50-59 DEX: +25
For having 60-69 DEX: +36
For having 70-79 DEX: +49
For having 80-89 DEX: +64
For having 90-99 DEX: +81
For having 100-109 DEX: +100
For having 110-119 DEX: +121
For having 120-129 DEX: +144
Every 5 full points in STR: +1
Every 5 full points in LUK: +1
Please note the 10-point DEX tier bonuses are not cumulative in this
table.
The damage RANGE that generates a random number to add on top of your
BASE damage is easier to figure. The high end of the range equals your
weapon's listed Atk value (plus arrow Atk value, if applicable). The low
end of the range equals your DEX, but cannot exceed the high end of the
range. If you're unarmed, your RANGE value is zero. For instance, a
Merchant with a Ring Pommel Saber and 20 DEX has a damage RANGE of 20-100,
because Ring Pommel Saber's Atk is 100.
Once the damage RANGE is determined, a number within the RANGE is
picked at random (each number in the range having equal odds), then the
RANGE result is reduced by size penalties, if the size of your weapon does
not match the size of your target. The size-adjusted RANGE result is then
added to BASE damage (which is not size-adjusted), reduced by a percentage
equal to your target's DEF, then reduced according to your target's VIT.
As an example, if a Merchant has BASE damage of 48, a damage RANGE of
20-100, and attacks an great-sized Ambernite with a Ring Pommel Saber, a
number is selected from 20-100, reduced by 75% (due to size mismatch),
then added to the BASE of 48, then reduced by the Ambernite's DEF, and
VIT. See part IX, Monster Data, for information on monster sizes.
Critical hits deal damage equal to your BASE plus the maximum limit
of your RANGE-- i.e., your Atk value-- and completely ignore enemy DEF and
VIT. The RANGE is still size-adjusted, though-- this makes critical hits
handy for figuring out enemy sizes, even if their DEF and VIT is unknown.
Every 2 points in VIT: 1 damage reduction
For having 10-19 VIT: 1 damage reduction
For having 20-29 VIT: 2 damage reduction
For having 30-39 VIT: 3 damage reduction
For having 40-49 VIT: 4 damage reduction
... etc.
This means a target with 47 VIT receives (47 / 2) + 4 = 23 + 4 = 27
total damage reduction applied after the DEF percentage is taken. [Beta3
note: the VIT bonus has been tweaked more than any other one, and damage
reduction is almost sure to change again by the time eBeta returns.]
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IV. Good Novice-Level Weapons
"Effective Atk" is a number I use to describe a weapon's overall power.
It's based on the weapon's actual Atk value (adjusted for any size penalties)
plus double any bonus from refining (since refining adds both minimum and
maximum damage, and isn't affected by size penalties). > < denotes no size
penalties applied. 20%DC is buying price assuming a 20% Discount. No price
is given for "OVER" (over the safe upgrade limit), "RARE" (rare weapons), or
"ORID" (upgrades requiring Oridecon) because these are all difficult to get!
Under slots, a colon (:) indicates store-bought slots on the weapon,
while a period (.) indicates monster-drop bonus slots on a weapon. For
example, ::. indicates the store-bought version has 2 slots, and the monster-
dropped version has 3. 0 means no slots. Lv indicates Base Level required
to use the weapon. Don't forget to take weapon speed and one- or two-
handedness into account when selecting a weapon.
Upgraded Weapon Level 1 pricing comments:
+7: Anyone can get a Weapon Level 1 to +7 with a mere 1750 zeny investment,
with no risk involved and very little time invested.
+8: Uncommon but not difficult to get. Plan to invest another 7K (less if
you're lucky with upgrading).
+9: Not often seen. Having an extra slot is a good idea if you plan on
taking a weapon to this level.
+10:Nobody does this, but nobody's stopping you. Rare due to most people not
bothering to upgrade this much on a Weapon Level 1. Max upgrade.
Limited use, but not too hard to make one yourself if you have the time
and 100K or more extra zeny and an absolute need for four card slots.
Upgraded Weapon Level 2 pricing comments:
+6: Anyone can get a Weapon Level 2 to +6. A good level to shoot for if
you're short on zeny. It only costs 7200 zeny to get a +6.
+7: Buying through a merchant is safe, though you can expect it to run
about 30K above the +6 price. Not too hard to do yourself, though.
+8: Most people shoot for this level. Having a monster-drop weapon (i.e.
extra slot) is a good idea if you plan on taking it to +8 or higher.
+8 Weapon Level 2 weapons usually run over 100K when vended.
+9: Super-rare. Definitely better have extra slot. Expect to pay top zeny.
If doing it yourself, it's best to upgrade two weapons in tandem so
you have a +8 to fall back on no matter how many times you fail.
+10:The coveted max upgrade-- I don't expect to see any of these for a very
long time. Good luck getting anyone to part with such a weapon for less
than two million.
Weapon Level 3/4, of course, will almost always stop at +5, since the risk
involved in over-upgrading is huge-- pure Oridecon, needed for each upgrade,
typically fetches a price of around a quarter million apiece on the English
servers (half as much on Asian language servers). Even a +6 Weapon Level
3/4 item is likely to be a highly prized possession, and the maximum of +10
is unlikely to ever be seen in the game. If you manage to over-upgrade one
of these, add 10 to Effective Atk across all sizes per over-upgrade.
Effective Atk vs: Small Med Great| Wgt Slot 20%DC Lv Special
Rod >15< >15< >15< | 40 :::. 40 1 MAtk+15%
+7 Rod >43< >43< >43< | 40 :::. 1790 1 MAtk+15%
+10 Rod >55< >55< >55< | 40 :::. OVER 1 MAtk+15%
Yeah, a Novice could use an "Axe," but at 35 Atk, slower than a mace, and
lacking any low-level Great enemies (easiest one is Pecopeco), what'd be the
point?
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V. Good Low-Level Weapons
I've assumed low-level characters don't have access to Oridecon or Cards
yet so I've excluded upgraded Weapon Level 3/4 items as well as weapons such as
Gladius that have poor Atk for their Weapon Level but have an extra slot-- if
you do have Oridecon to use or Cards to slot, then please cross-reference the
high-level weapon table for more options.
Effective Atk vs: Small Med Great| Wgt Slot 20%DC Lv Special
Certain Weapon Level 3 weapons, though popular, are worse than the
corresponding upgraded Weapon Level 2 weapon-- heavier and more
expensive too! Unless you've got Oridecon to upgrade these, or have cards
you positively do not want to put into a Weapon Level 2 item, get rid of
them!
Effective Atk vs: Small Med Great| Wgt Slot 20%DC Lv Special
Not to mention that for the cost of the Weapon Level 3 items here, it's
not too hard to over-upgrade to +7 on the Weapon Level 2 items for an
additional 6 effective Atk against all enemy sizes.
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VIII.Weapon Cards
Cards can be inserted in any combination-- cards can even be
duplicated, thus why you'll occasionally see Double Smart Arc
Wands for spellcasters, or Triple Clamorous Bastard Swords for beast-
hunting swordsmen. Asterisks indicate cards for bosses, which are
ultra-rare-- don't expect to get your hands on them without a lot of
time, a lot of levels, and a lot of luck. The precise numerical
effects of "25% more damages" cards are still being investigated.
- Table: Weapon Cards, Alphabetical
Abysmal Knight Card
"Enable to do more damages by 25% on a Boss Monster"
Adds Prefix: "Liberation"
Anacondaq Card
"Enable to do 25% more damages on a Poison Property Monster"
Adds Prefix: "Envenom"
Andre Card
"ATK + 10"
Adds Prefix: "Hurricane"
Andre Larva Card
"INT + 1"
Adds Prefix: "Smart"
Archer Skeleton Card
"Enable to do 25% more damages on a Flying Monster"
Adds Prefix: "Kingbird"
Baphomet Card*
"Amplify every attack to do splashed damages around 9 cells"
Adds Prefix: "Scythelike"
Caramel Card
"Enable to do 25% more damages on a Insect-like Monster"
Adds Prefix: "Insecticide"
Desert Wolf Card
"Enable to do 25% more damages on a Small Sized Monster"
Adds Prefix: "Gigantic"
Deviace Card*
"Enchant a Weapon with the Water Property"
Adds Prefix: "Aqua"
Doppelganger Card*
"Enable to do Faster-Attack all the time"
Adds Suffix: "of Verserk"
Dracula Card
"Regain 10% of the Damage Done on an Enemy as SP (Success Chance 25%)"
Adds Prefix: "Spiritual"
Drainliar Card
"Enable to do 25% more damages on a Water property Monster"
Adds Prefix: "Saharic"
Drake Card*
"Enable to do perfect damages on every sized monsters"
Adds Suffix: "of Infinity"
Drops Card
"DEX + 1"
Adds Prefix: "Dexterous"
Earth Petite Card
"Enable to do 25% more damages on a Dragon-like Monster"
Adds Prefix: "Dragoon"
IX. Monster Data: Size, Form, Property, Weapon Drops (partial)
Monsters have a size which determines how effective different weapons
are, a form which describes their general classification, and a property
which defines their elemental weaknesses. "25%" type Weapon Cards exist
specific to size, form, and elemental property too!
--Monster------Size-Form----Propty.-Weapon Drop(not confirmed)
Santa Poring M Veggie Holy
Poring M Veggie Water Knife
Pupa S Insect Earth
Fabre S Insect Earth Club
Drops M Veggie Fire Rod
Pecopeco Egg S Formless Neutral
Picky S Animal Fire
Willow M Veggie Earth
Chonchon S Insect Wind Cutter
Picky(hat) S Animal Fire
Condor M Animal Wind Bow
Lunatic S Animal Neutral Sword
Roda Frog M Fish Water
Thief Bug Egg S Formless Neutral
Ant Egg S Formless Neutral Katana
Savage Bebe S Animal Earth Axe
Hornet S Insect Wind Main Gauche
Thief Bug S Insect Dark
Rocker M Insect Earth Javelin
Spore M Veggie Water
Desert Wolf(s) S Animal Fire
Plankton S Fish Water
Farmiliar S Animal Dark Falchion
Thief Bug(f) M Insect Dark Slayer, Blade
Kukre S Fish Water
Mandragora M Veggie Earth Spear
Wolf M Animal Earth
Ambernite G Fish Water Blade
Zombie M Undead Undead Smasher
Tarou S Animal Earth
Hydra S Veggie Water
Wormtail M Veggie Earth Pike
Muka G Veggie Wind Guisarme
Boa(snake) M Animal Earth Katana
Poporing M Veggie Poison
Pecopeco G Animal Fire Wand
Creamy S Insect Wind
Stainer S Insect Earth
Andre S Insect Earth
Coco S Animal Earth
Steel Chonchon S Insect Wind
Horn M Insect Earth
Martin S Animal Earth Jur
Pierre S Insect Earth
Smokie S Animal Earth
Deniro S Insect Earth
Vadon S Fish Water
Yoyo S Animal Earth
Elder Willow M Veggie Fire Mighty Staff
Vitata S Insect Earth
Poison Spore M Veggie Poison
Eggyra M Veggie Spirit
Megalodon M Undead Undead
Orc Zombie G Undead Undead
Savage G Animal Earth
Dustiness S Insect Wind
Marina M Fish Water
Pirate Skeleton M Undead Undead
Goblin Brother M Human Neutral
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Contact
All contributions, clarifications, questions and concerns are
welcomed and appreciated-- I'll be happy to credit you in the next update!
My email address is mattfitz at oco dot net. Please identify this guide
in the subject of your email so I know it's important and has nothing to do
with the diploma-mill spam I get on a daily basis. In particular, I'm
looking for corrections to any errors I've made or data on items I've
marked with question marks!
