Rogue-archer is a very playable class, both as a party member and for soloing. Some of the stuff below is applicable to rogue-assasins ("sins"). This guide discusses stats/skills, weapons, armor, soloing and party tactics, hotkey setup, and, most importantly, PvP (player vs player) tips.
Table of Contents:
1 Stats/Skills
2 Weapons
3 Armor
4 Soloing Tactics
5 Partying Tactics
6 PvP Tactics
7 Hotkey Setup
8 Archer vs Assasin
If you have a question that is not addressed in this guide, check out the archer discussion thread on KnightsUnited.
Stats/Skills
You have 2 options in terms of stats, "paper" archer or "traditional" archer.
A paper archer puts stat points only into dex, and therefore can't wear any armor heavier than plate. Some people prefer leveling as paper because paper archers hit for more damage and the plate armor is very affordable. The downside? Paper archers have low defense. Weaz has written a guide on paper archers.
A traditional archer targets 82 hp (for full plate pauldron) or 90 hp (for chitin). I recommend putting all stat points into dex until level 30, and then splitting stat points between dex and hp. You should add points to hp such that your target hp is a multiple of 3 away. E.g. if your target hp is 82 , it is good to move up to 76, then 79, hp. If you are at 78 hp, you are in no-man's land because it will still take you 2 levels to get to the desired hp of 82.
With respect to skills, here is the progression I recommend:
Explorer to 5 (Minor Healing)
Archery to 15 (Multiple Shot)
Explorer to 10 (Evade)
Archery to 25 (Perfect Shot)
Archery to 40 (Arc Shot)
Explorer to 30 (Safety)
Explorer to 36 (Cure Curse)
Archery to 55 (Arc Shower)
Archery to 60 (Shadow Hunter)
The core archer long-range attack skills (Through Shot, Perfect Shot, Arc Shot, and Shadow Hunter) and close-range attack skills (Multiple Shot, Arrow Shower) are good skills because they can be spammed (i.e. no cooldown). The fire and poison damage spells have a cooldown and slow casting time, and the DOT (damage over time) they inflict is pretty pathetic, so I don't bother using them.
Weapons
As soon as you can afford it, buy the +1 horn crossbow (xbow) from the NPC Amrase in Moradon. It has a very good attack power (74). The item has a purple name, which indicates it is upgradable, and costs ~162k. When you have the money, buy 2 middle class upgrade scrolls (MUS), and upgrade your +1 to +3, because there is a noticable difference in terms of the damage inflicted for each additional plus rating. You can buy an MUS from Charon (NPC) for ~100k. You should have 100% success getting to +3. Upgrade with 1 scroll at a time. If you don't know how to upgrade, read the item upgrade instructions on KO's web site. Check out my upgrading guide for upgrade percentages for Knight Empire (KE). Upgrading past +3 entails risk, so ALWAYS make sure you either have an equivalent replacement or can get one before trying to upgrade a weapon. When you can afford it, you should try to get a horn xbow up to +6, then +7. A +7 horn xbow will last you a long time. There is considerable debate whether you should add elemental (poison) damage to the weapon on KnightsUnited.com. I think poison is worth adding, esp for PvP.
Here is the bow progression I recommend, based on attack power:
horn xbow +6 (ap 94): costs ~2.1 mil to build, on average
horn xbow +7 (ap 100): costs ~6.4 mil to build, on average
iron xbow +6 (ap 104)
iron bow +4 (ap 105)
iron bow +5 (ap 109)
iron bow +6 (ap 113)
iron bow +7 (ap 119)
There are 3 unique bow weapons: scorpion bow, enion bow, and chitin bow. Don't buy or use a scorpion bow, it sucks, because it has an attack power of 71 at +1, which is worse than a horn xbow.
Armor
If you are under level 35, you should build or buy goblin armor for the pauldron, helm, and boots, tier 2 (half plate) or tier 3 (plate) as soon as possible after getting your horn xbow to +5 or +6. Don't waste your time with silan armor, it sucks.
I don't recommend using the goblin pads or gauntlets as they boost health instead of dex, and dex is the most important stat for rogues. Instead you should build or buy upgraded +dex armor for the gauntlets and pads. If you build +dex armor, don't apply the enchant scroll to add dex until the armor is at least +5. +5 armor gives +8 dex, +6 armor gives +10 dex, +7 armor gives +12 dex.
For paper archers, you'll eventually need to get +7/12 dex plate armor, which is relatively affordable (even if it looks lame).
For traditional archers, over time you'll want to move up to tier 4 (full plate) or tier 5 (chitin) armor. Goblin full plate and goblin chitin are very rare and expensive, so +dex armor is probably a better value. Here's how I rank the various types of each piece, from a performance perspective (damage and defense) not a cost perspective:
Pauldron: +7/12 dex chitin or goblin chitin (+10 dex) > +6/10 dex chitin > +7/12 dex full plate or goblin full plate (+10 dex) > +6/10 dex full plate
Helm: +7/12 dex chitin > +6/10 dex chitin > +7/12 dex full plate > goblin chitin (+8 dex) > +6/10 dex full plate; goblin full plate (+8 dex)
Boots: +7/12 dex chitin > +6/10 dex chitin > +7/12 dex full plate > goblin chitin (+7 dex) > +6/10 dex full plate; goblin full plate (+7 dex)
Pads: +7/12 dex chitin > +6/10 dex chitin > +7/12 dex full plate > +6/10 dex full plate
Gauntlets: +7/12 dex chitin > +6/10 dex chitin > +7/12 dex full plate > +6/10 dex full plate
I'm well aware that +5/8 dex chitin and gob chitin are more expensive than +7/12 dex full plate, but I'd take the extra +dex in some cases from a performance perspective. Just my 2 cents.
For PvP, the goblin pauldron is terrific because of its resistances and dex bonus. Some people also like to use goblin pads for PvP, although I prefer to use +dex pads.
When you reach level 60, you'll be able to use chitin shell armor. When should move up to shell? When you can afford +7/12 shell. Why? A full set of +6/10 shell (defense 411) has only 14 defense more than a full set of +7/12 chitin (defense 397), and the +7/12 gives you 10 more dex points, plus another 4 dex points you save by staying at 90 health points instead of 94. And +7/12 chitin is far more affordable. By the same token +8/15 chitin (def 432) is better than +7/12 shell (def 434).
+8/15 chitin > +7/12 shell > +7/12 chitin > +6/10 shell
Soloing Tactics
Rogues have some skills that are excellent for soloing:
Swift: run away bravely!
Strength of Wolf (SoW): boosts your attack power, so you do more damage
Hide: stops the monster from targeting you
Safety/Evade: short-term boost to defense
Using just those 3 of skills (Swift, SoW, and Hide) and a solid attack (e.g. Perfect Shot, level 25), I can solo monsters (mobs) that are that are 15-20 levels above me. As a level 43 archer, I could solo lamias (level 60) by kiting (this simply means attacking from maximum range), running when they are close and casting Hide, waiting several seconds for the monster to "forget" about me, running to create separation, then re-attacking. It's best to cast Hide when you are moving away from the monster. If you try to cast it when the monster is in your face, they can ruin the spell cast by hitting you.
Partying Tactics
Make sure all party members have Swift and have Strength of Wolf. Use the party member bars on the right-hand of the screen to target a given person. Don't try to click on their character because if they are moving it will be much harder
Minor Heal is a very underrated skill because it is spammable. Use it to help someone in trouble (e.g. a monster spawned on them)
When you get to level 55, the whole hunting experience for archers changes, because you get the awesome attack skill Arrow Shower. With it you can inflict 5 times your normal damage. It is the highest damage spammable attack in the game. You do have to be right on top of the monster for all 5 arrows to hit. Once you get arrow shower, with a solid buffer/healer you can easily tank mobs such as dragon tooth skeletons and trolls to take them down quickly.
If you are in an apostle or deruvish party, make sure to only use Multiple Shot or Arrow Shower (and get right on top of the monster).
PvP Tactics
Play smart. Keep in mind the following:
You are a RANGED attacker, so play accordingly. Don't try to tank or you'll get spanked. Stay off the front of a battle line (unless the enemy is retreating). Being at the front is an easy way to get Novad to death
In Lunar War (LW) and CZ (Colony Zone), many characters will be higher level and/or better equipped than you
To earn np's, the #1 thing you must avoid is dying (duh!). If you are in a party, you get less than 50 np's per kill but you still lose 50 when you die. Run away bravely at the first sign of trouble. If you don't run early enough, you'll find gaining np's to be tough. Retreat until you find a cluster of blue dots (friendlies) to draw the heat away from you. Once you pass a group of blue dots, it is usually safe to turn around and attack again, because you can outrun anyone Swifted. Run away from any scumbag cheating archer using the Arrow Shower hack. Getting hit by AS hack is like having Spike spammed on you
You should "probe" enemy players you've never seen before with Shadow Hunter: shoot them and check the damage to get an idea how strong they are. Make a mental note of those targets you can hit for a lot of damage. These are your np donors
You should frequently press "z" to target the nearest enemy. If you don't see that enemy, stop running and hit "z" so you can get the direction to them
To rack kills, be selective about targets. I look for targets in this order:
Mages (weak defense, tend to get pounded by everyone)
Battle priests (weakest defense, but be careful or they'll duff you)
Rogues
Non-battle priests
Warriors
Mages often have a warrior or two in front of them acting as meat shields so you may have to target mages manually.
Stay out of LW and CZ until you hit level 60. At level 60, you:
get the awesome skill Shadow Hunter (SH). SH always hits for 250% damage unless you contact something in between, like another player or terrain. Without SH you will miss a lot. I don't recommend using Arrow Shower. It is the best spammable tanking skill for PvM (player vs monster) in the game but is not reliable for PvP. The only time you should AS is when there is a stationary target (e.g. priest spam healing other players). Most of the time though, if you try AS in a mass melee, you will get run over. Most of the other archer skills are not effective in PvP. The DOT (damage-over-time) skills don't do much damage, esp compared to mage DOT skills, and they have a slow casting time.
can do the master quest. The master quest will probably cost you an arm and a leg, but it's worth it. It boosts your attack permanently by about 6.75%. For me the attack boost was 85, which is like having +21 dex. In addition, when your hit points are low, you'll automatically redball, which raises your resistances by 50%
In terms of weapon and armor, here is the recommended minimum:
+6/60 iron bow (ap 113), +6 chitin bow (ap 111), +6 enion bow (ap 111), +7/70 iron xbow (ap 110), or +8/80 horn xbow (ap 109)
goblin pauldron for the 16/16/16 resistances
paper archers: +7/12 plate pads, helm, boots, and gauntlets
82 hp archers: +7/12 full plate pads, helm, boots, and gauntlets. Get +6/10 or +7/12 chitin gauntlets if you can
90 hp archers: +6/10 chitin pads, helm, boots, and gauntlets. Get +7/12 chitin if you can. You can also wear shell helm, boots, and gauntlets, but you don't bother unless they are +6/10
The most important item for PvP is your bow. Focus on getting a good bow over armor.
Learn to use Light Feet (LF) instead of Swift. With LF you can get out of a bad situation in a hurry, or close on someone trying to run away bravely. You can outrun everyone except other LF'd rogues
Constantly keep Lupine Eyes (LE) up. With LE you and your party can see Stealth'd rogues. One thing about LE is that only the rogue who cast it gets the icon. But the rest of the party does get its effect. If another rogue in your party already has LE up, you will not be able to cast it
Don't underestimate the value of Minor Heal (MH). A well-known sin named 0000000 says that MH is the best PvP skill in the game. A skilled rogue can make himself very difficult to kill with MH
If you are in a party, make sure everyone has Swift. It is your #1 responsibility. An unswifted player is a sitting duck
Carry a couple of cure curse potions so you can cure debuffs. They are heavy (15 pounds) but well worth it.
Don't use anything less than 720 hp pots. The 360 hp pots won't cut it. I generally carry 30 720's, 60 960 mp pots, 20 blood of wolf, and 5 cure curse pots.
Don't bother lugging Styx around. Most targets you Styx will either town or run away. The best uses I've found: Styxing an attacker who is close to killing a party member, or Styxing a 1920 healer so your party can finish off the healer's party
Use your arrows to keep Nova mages at a distance. Novas can quickly decimate a party
To get on a level playing field, you'll need have a 1200 or 1500 buffer or use scrolls. Many people use scrolls (+1500 hp, +300 def, +attack) so that they are not vulnerable to buffs and Strength of Wolf running out. To save KC I usually only use the +1500 hp and +300 def and cast SoW when I don't have a buffer
I left this for last because some people will have an issue with this: protect your np's with /town. Why? If you spend any time in CZ you will realize:
if you are facing a cheater (e.g. arrow shower hacker), the odds are heavily against you, and you're better off towning
there will always be players who are much higher level and/or better equipped
many (most?) players use town
Yun_Yuuzhan had a great take on the beauty of towning. It's not like towning is a freebie; you have to have enough hit points remaining to do it. In terms of the best way to town, some people prefer having the command menu up and clicking the Town option. I don't like doing that because the menu obscures the right side of the screen. I put "/town" in my cut and paste buffer (you can do this in any Windows application outside of KO by typing that text, highlighting it, then hitting Ctrl-C). So to town I hit Enter, Ctrl-V, then Enter again.
Hotkey Setup
It's critical to get a usable, functional setup to maximize playability. I have 4 hotkey bars, but for simplicity I only use a given bar 99% of the time:
F1: scouting / party leveling
F2: solo leveling
F3: PvP
F4: support (right-click)
One thing you'll notice when you look at these hotkey bars is the consistency between them for most of the skills (e.g. Minor Heal, Mana pot, HP pot and Swift are in the same location on every bar, and the attack skills are in slots 3 and 4). This is important, as it helps you to remember and use the right skill in a given situation. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid).
F1: scouting / party leveling
This is the default bar when I log in, because I usually have to run around to repair and re-pot. I also use this bar when in a leveling party and when looking for bosses or fighting them.
Minor Heal
Light Feet. No faster way of getting around. After a server restart, you have to move fast to find bosses you can solo (Kekurikekukaka, Antares, Hyde) as well as the bigger ones for a party
Arc Shot/Perfect Shot: strongest long-range attack
Arrow Shower/Multiple Shot: highest-damage attack, for close quarters
Mana Pot (Potion)
HP Pot
Hide
Swift
F2: solo leveling
This is the bread-and-butter solo farming setup:
Minor Heal
Safety/Evade: before the mob is close enough to hit you, cast this to boost your defense. This is a great skill when soloing mobs such as Uruk Hais and Uruk Blades
Arc Shot/Perfect Shot: strongest long-range attack
Arrow Shower/Multiple Shot: highest-damage attack, for close quarters
Mana Pot (Potion)
HP Pot
Hide
Swift
F3: PvP
I use this bar in conjuction with the F4 bar in PvP. But I only use F4 to cast Curse Curse (and I do this by hitting F4, 4, then F3 to get back here...very easy):
Minor Heal
Light Feet: this is a kick-ass skill, one you will need to get used to constantly casting. An LF'd rogue can outrun everyone who is Swifted.
Shadow Hunter
Arrow Shower
Mana Pot (Potion)
HP Pot
Lupine Eyes: another skill you will need to get used to having up all the time
Swift
F4: support (right-click)
Minor Heal
Light Feet
Strength of Wolf: I map this to double-right click. You can do this by single-right clicking it on the hotkey bar
Cure Curse
Mana Pot (Potion)
HP Pot
Lupine Eyes
Swift
Archer vs Assasin
The question has been asked a million times: which class is better? The simple answer is there is no answer, it depends on the style of play you prefer.
But here's my 2 cents...
For PvM, archers are better for leveling. You have the advantage of range (less risk of dying), and at level 55 you get Arrow Shower, the best spammable tanking skill in the game (500% damage).
So which build is better for PvP?
My take is that it depends partly on level. At very high levels (e.g. 65-70), sins are very strong. But most players stop leveling at 61 or 62, because of the XP penalty starting at 61. Some continue to grind past that (and unfortunately others macro).
So which character is better at racking NPs at level 61 or 62?
I'll make a case for archer.
As a sin, you are a melee and have to get close to Spike. Which means if your target is not alone you are going to get Debuffed, Leg Cut / Sword Dancing'd, Spiked, Novad, Shadow Huntered by your target and his buddies. Most of the sins I watch who are not 63+ seem to die a lot. Yes, they get kills (getting the finishing blow, running down fleeing swifted prey, Spiking an isolated mage or player). The problem is that a 60-62 sin will get matched up against melees who are higher level and better equipped.
An archer has the advantage of range. Good archers don't die much. There is no reason they should. They can stay off the front of the battle line, avoid getting targeted (except by Nova mages), and still attack and rack kills.
In my first month in Beramus CZ as a level 60 master archer, I gained over 15k NP, most of that solo. My kill-to-death ratio was roughly 3-to-1 or better, depending on how many mistakes I made. On multiple occassions, I've done an hour of PvP where I racked 15 kills and died at most once. I'm pretty sure I couldn't gain NP's as quickly as a 60 master sin.
As an aside, I believe playing archer will prevent me from getting carpal tunnel. Just managing SH, minor heal, 720 pots, 960 pots, SoW, LF, and cure curse is enough. I would go crazy if I had to replace SH with 6 sin attack skills and had to combo.
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