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Archer / Hunter / Ranger Guide

by NessieContribut

Welcome to my Archer/Hunter/Ranger guide for Maple story.

                       __    ____   ___  _   _  ____  ____ 
                      /__\  (  _ \ / __)( )_( )( ___)(  _ \
                     /(__)\  )   /( (__  ) _ (  )__)  )   /
                    (__)(__)(_)\_) \___)(_) (_)(____)(_)\_)
                    
                     _   _  __  __  _  _  ____  ____  ____ 
                    ( )_( )(  )(  )( \( )(_  _)( ___)(  _ \
                     ) _ (  )(__)(  )  (   )(   )__)  )   /
                    (_) (_)(______)(_)\_) (__) (____)(_)\_)

                                __    _  _  ____  
                               /__\  ( \( )(  _ \ 
                              /(__)\  )  (  )(_) )
                             (__)(__)(_)\_)(____/ 

                      ____    __    _  _   ___  ____  ____ 
                     (  _ \  /__\  ( \( ) /___)( ___)(  _ \
                      )   / /(__)\  )  ( ( \  \ )__)  )   /
                     (_)\_)(__)(__)(_)\_) \___/(____)(_)\_)



Written By: nessie (Mathieu Plourde)
Contact Me:mat_087(at)hotmail.com
This document is Copyrighted (c) 2005-06 by Mathieu Plourde and can't be used
without my permission.

  _________________
 /                 \
/ TABLE OF CONTENTS \
\___________________/

1. Version History
2. Why to pick archer/hunter?
3. Being a beginner
4. Becoming an archer
5. Becoming a Hunter
6. Becoming a Ranger
7. Stats points allocation
8. Skill points allocation
9. Training spots
10. Training tips
11. Bosses
12. Critical shot
13. Double shot VS Arrow blow
14. Jump shooting
15. Bows
16. Conclusion
17. Special thanks


  __________________
 /                  \
/ 1. Version History \
\____________________/

Version 1.0
- First version created.

Version 1.01
-Added some training tips, jump shooting section, some more leveling spots.

Version 1.02
-Added some information about the third job Ranger. I need your help for
the skill tables, skill builds, and high level leveling spots! E-mail me!

Version 1.03
-Added all third job skills tables. Becoming a ranger section updated.


  _____________________________
 /                             \
/ 2. Why to pick archer/hunter? \
\_______________________________/

First of all, why would someone pick an archer? Yes, at the beginning, they
are probably the weakest class. Doing 10 with an arrow and doing 250 with
another may not be very fun. The fun part is when you reach higher levels.
Around level 35, your damage should be high enough and stable enough for
people to stop stealing your kills. Before that, leveling can be very boring
and sometimes frustrating. Still, the outcome of these hard levels is
wonderful. Archer is one of the most (or THE most) powerful class in the
game. Their skills are very fun and deadly. Enough with this, let's get to
the real stuff.


  ___________________
 /                   \
/ 3. Being a beginner \
\_____________________/

Beginning as an archer is somewhat easy. Since you will need 15 strength at
level 10, you may want to put those points at your early beginner levels.
Doing a higher damage with your melee weapon on maple island can save you
a lot of time. To make the job advancment, you will need to be level 10 and
have at least 25 DEX. For more information about the stats and leveling tips,
refer to the proper categories of this guide.


  _____________________
 /                     \
/ 4. Becoming an archer \
\_______________________/

As I said in the past section, to become an archer you have to be level 10 and
have at least 25 DEX. Once you hit those, you can quit maple island and go to
Henesys, where you will make the job advancement. I recommend you to take the
taxi, it costs around 100 mesos when you are a beginner. Henesys can be
confusing at first. To find to job advancement place, go in Mushroom park. To
go there, walk to the right from the left entrance. You will reach chief Stan
and right next to him is the entrance to Mushroom park. Once you are in, go to
the far right on the map in the last building. In there, you will see Athena
Pierce, talk to her and she will offer you to become an archer. Say Yes, an
she will make you one. Now that you are an archer, what to do? If it's your
first character, you may not have enough money to buy your equipment and
arrows. You can use a melee weapon until level 20 or so if you are very poor.
Once you are level 20, buying arrows shouldn't be a problem. You can also ask
other players for arrows. Most of them will give you some for free.


  ____________________
 /                    \
/ 5. Becoming a Hunter \
\______________________/

To become a Hunter, you have to be a level 30 archer. Once you hit that level,
go back to Athena Pierce and she will refer to the instructor, which is one map
at the right of Henesys (Upper portal). She (or he?) is at the top right of the
map. Once you reach her, she will ask you if you want to do the "test". Say
Yes. You will be sent at a map full of evil eyes and zombie mushrooms. This
place can be very annyoing since it's full of small plaforms. Very bad for an
archer. Kill the monsters and gather 30 dark marbles. Once you got them, go
talk to the instructor and she will give you the proof of a hero. Bring this
back to Athena Pierce and she will ask you if you want to be a crossbowman or a
hunter. I you want to use bows, go with hunter, if you want to use crossbows go
with crossbowman. Hunters are faster, crossbowmen are stronger.

  ____________________
 /                    \
/ 6. Becoming a Ranger \
\______________________/

When you hit level 70, go in El nath, in Ossyria. There should be a big house
in that town. It's the Chief Residence. Go there and talk to Rene. She should
tell you to go see Athena pierce in Henesys. Go back to Victoria and talk to
her. She will ask you kill her clone to prove your strenght. That door of
dimension is in sleepywood dungeon V. Double click on the door and enter the
other dimension. In there, you'll have to kill Athena Pierce within 20 minutes.
It's not a hard task, as long as your bring some healing items with you. For
some tips on killing her, refer to the Boss section. After she's dead, pick up
the Black Charm and exit by double clicking the sparkling crystal. Go back to
Athena and she'll give you the necklace of strength. Go back to Rene and show
her the necklace. She'll ask you to go answer some questions at the Holy stone.
The stone is located in the Holy grounds in the snowfield. To get there, go
to Sharp cliff II and go in the door at the top right of that map.

Make sure you have a refined Dark Crystal with you. You'll need one to answer
the questions. There are a total of 5 to answer. They are randomly picked from
a selection. They shouldn't be too hard. If you are not sure, check on
internet. If you fail a question, you'll need to pay another refined Dark
Crystal to try again. Once you answered them all, you'll get the necklace of
wisdom. Go back to Rene and she'll make you a ranger. You'll get 1 skill
point and 5 ability point.

  __________________________
 /                          \
/ 7. Stats points allocation \
\____________________________/

First of all, you get 5 stats point every level. You can spend them on 6
categories. These are:
- Strenght (STR)
- Dexterity (DEX)
- Intelligence (INT)
- Luck (LUK)
- Health points (HP)
- Mana points (MP)

As an archer, you will only need STR and DEX. You shouldn't ever put points
in any of the other categories. You should also try to roll a 4 INT and 4 LUK
build when you create your character. If you don't want to waste 15+ minutes,
you can also try to get a 4/5 or a 5/5. 

You should always have 5 more STR than your level since you want to be a
hunter. For a crossbowman (which I'm not covering in this guide), you will
need as much strength as your level.
Example:
Level 35 hunter should have 40 STR.
Level 35 crossbowman should have 35 STR.

This is because of the strength requirement on bows/crossbows and other pieces
of equipment.

Put ALL the remaining points in your DEX. Dexterity is what will affect your
damage. Higher is your DEX, higher is your damage.

What you need to know:
STR = your level +5 (hunter)
DEX = every remaining points

Now, for more concrete stuff, here's a stats allocation table:


(That is if you rolled a 4/4 build when creating the character)

Level - STR
10      15
15      20
20      25
25      30
30      35
35      40
40      45
45      -- (No new equipment)
50      55
55      -- (No new equipment)
60      65
65      70
70      75
80      85
etc.

Every other points should be in DEX.

I would put the 5/10 points in STR at the level you need it. For example,
if you need 20 STR at level 15, I would put the 5 points in STR all in one
shot, at level 15. If you don't, you will do a little less damage from level
11 to 15. Even though level 80, 90, 100 equipement may not be out in your
version yet, they probably will someday. We know already there is level
100 equipement in some versions.


  __________________________
 /                          \
/ 8. Skill points allocation \
\____________________________/

Now the interesting part. First, I'll briefly explain the skills:

~*~*Archer skills*~*~

Amazon's Bless: Increases your accuracy.
Level - Accuracy
1       1
2       2
3       3
4       4
5       5
6       6
7       7
8       8
9       9
10      10
11      11
12      12
13      13
14      14
15      15
16      16

Amazon's Eye: Increases the range of your arrows.
Level - Range % added
1       25
2       50
3       75
4       100
5       125
6       150
7       175
8       200

Critical Shot: Adds 100% more damage to your attack.
Level - Chances (%) - Critical %
1       2             105
2       4             110
3       6             115
4       8             120
5       10            125
6       12            130
7       14            135
8       16            140
9       18            145
10      20            150
11      22            155
12      24            160
13      26            165
14      28            170
15      30            175
16      32            180
17      34            185
18      36            190
19      38            195
20      40            200

Focus: Increases your accuracy and avoidabilty for a short period of time.
Level - MP - Duration (sec) - ACC/AVOID
1       8         15              1
2       8         30              2
3       8         45              3
4       8         60              4
5       8         75              5
6       8         90              6
7       8         105             7
8       8         120             8
9       8         135             9
10      8         150             10
11      16        165             11
12      16        180             12
13      16        195             13
14      16        210             14
15      16        225             15
16      16        240             16
17      16        255             17
18      16        270             18
19      16        285             19
20      16        300             20

Double shot: Shoots 2 arrows.
Level - MP - Damage
1       8      56
2       8      60
3       8      64
4       8      68
5       8      72
6       8      76
7       8      80
8       8      84
9       8      88
10      8      92
11      16     94
12      16     98
13      16     102
14      16     106
15      16     110
16      16     114
17      16     118
18      16     122
19      16     126
20      16     130

Arrow blow: Shoots 1 powerful arrow.
Level - MP - Damage
1       7      108
2       7      116
3       7      124
4       7      132
5       7      140
6       7      148
7       7      156
8       7      164
9       7      172
10      7      180
11      14     188
12      14     196
13      14     204
14      14     212
15      14     220
16      14     228
17      14     236
18      14     244
19      14     252
20      14     260

~*~*Hunter skills*~*~

Bow Mastery: Increases your minimum damage and your accuracy.
Level - Mastery % - ACC
1       15          1
2       15          2
3       20          3
4       20          4
5       25          5
6       25          6
7       30          7
8       30          8
9       35          9
10      35          10
11      40          11
12      40          12
13      45          13
14      45          14
15      50          15
16      50          16
17      55          17
18      55          18
19      60          19
20      60          20

Final Attack Bow: Chances to shoot a powerful arrow after using a skill attack.
Level - Chances (%) - Damage
1           2          105
2           4          110
3           6          115
4           8          120
5           10         125
6           12         130
7           14         135
8           16         140
9           18         145
10          20         150
11          22         155
12          24         160
13          26         165
14          28         170
15          30         175
16          32         180
17          34         185
18          36         190
19          38         195
20          40         200
21          42         205
22          44         210
23          46         215
24          48         220
25          50         225
26          52         230
27          54         235
28          56         240
29          58         245
30          60         250

Bow Booster: Increases your shooting speed for a certain period of time.
Level - MP - HP - Duration (sec)
1       29   29       10
2       28   28       20
3       27   27       30
4       26   26       40
5       25   25       50
6       24   24       60
7       23   23       70
8       22   22       80
9       21   21       90
10      20   20       100
11      19   19       110
12      18   18       120
13      17   17       130
14      16   16       140
15      15   15       150
16      14   14       160
17      13   13       170
18      12   12       180
19      11   11       190
20      10   10       200

Power KnockBack: Chances to knock back enemies by swinging your bow.
Level - MP - Damage (%) - Chances - Enemy number
1       8       105          2           2
2       8       110          4           2
3       8       115          6           2
4       8       120          8           2
5       8       125          10          2
6       8       130          12          3
7       8       135          14          3
8       8       140          16          3
9       8       145          18          3
10      8       150          20          3
11      16      155          22          4
12      16      160          24          4
13      16      165          26          4
14      16      170          28          4
15      16      175          30          4
16      16      180          32          5
17      16      185          34          5
18      16      190          36          5
19      16      195          38          5
20      16      200          40          6

Soul arrow: Doesn't waste anymore arrows.
Level - MP - Duration (sec)
1       15      30
2       15      60
3       15      90
4       15      120
5       15      150
6       15      180
7       15      210
8       15      240
9       15      270
10      15      300
11      20      330
12      20      360
13      20      390
14      20      420
15      20      450
16      20      480
17      20      510
18      20      540
19      20      570
20      20      600

Arrow Bomb: Shoots an exploding arrows that can damage 6 enemies.
Level - MP - Damage (%) - Chances to stun
1       14      72              31
2       14      74              32
3       14      76              33
4       14      78              34
5       14      80              35
6       14      82              36
7       14      84              37
8       14      86              38
9       14      88              39
10      14      90              40
11      14      92              41
12      14      94              42
13      14      96              43
14      14      98              44
15      14      100             45
16      28      102             46
17      28      104             47
18      28      106             48
19      28      108             49
20      28      110             50
21      28      112             51
22      28      114             52
23      28      116             53
24      28      118             54
25      28      120             55
26      28      122             56
27      28      124             57
28      28      126             58
29      28      128             59
30      28      130             60

~*~*Ranger skills*~*~

Arrow rain: Multiple arrows fall from the sky. Can hit up to 6 enemies, and
            even if you are near the enemy, you won't swing your bow.
Level - MP - Damage (%)
1       18       60
2       18       65
3       18       70
4       18       75
5       18       80
6       18       85
7       18       90
8       18       95
9       18       100
10      18       105
11      23       110
12      23       113
13      23       116
14      23       119
15      23       122
16      23       125
17      23       128
18      23       131
19      23       134
20      23       137
21      28       140
22      28       143
23      28       146
24      28       149
25      28       152
26      28       154
27      28       156
28      28       158
29      28       159
30      28       160

Inferno: Fire elemental attack that can hit up to 6 enemies. Good against ice
         foes.
Level - MP - Fire damage (%)
1       20          50
2       20          55
3       20          60
4       20          65
5       20          70
6       20          75
7       20          80
8       20          85
9       20          90
10      20          95
11      25          100
12      25          103
13      25          106
14      25          109
15      25          112
16      25          115
17      25          118
18      25          121
19      25          124
20      25          127
21      30          130
22      30          133
23      30          136
24      30          139
25      30          142
26      30          144
27      30          146
28      30          148
29      30          149
30      30          150

Puppet: Summons a puppet that attracts the enemy's attention and damage.
        (You DON'T need a summoning rock)
Level - MP - Time (seconds) - HP
1       23          5        500
2       23          5        600
3       23          10       700
4       23          10       800
5       23          10       900
6       26          20       1000
7       26          20       1200
8       26          20       1400
9       26          30       1600
10      26          30       1800
11      29          30       2000
12      29          40       2400
13      29          40       2800
14      29          40       3200
15      29          50       3600
16      32          50       4000
17      32          50       4500
18      32          60       5000
19      32          60       5500
20      32          60       6000

Silver Hawk: Summons a hawk that stuns and damage the enemies around you.
       (You DO need a summoning rock)
Level - MP - Time (seconds) - Attack - Stun (%)
1       32         103          23        50
2       34         106          26        53
3       36         109          29        56
4       38         112          32        59
5       40         115          35        62
6       42         118          38        65
7       44         121          41        68
8       46         124          44        71
9       48         127          47        74
10      50         130          50        77
11      52         133          52        80
12      54         136          54        82
13      56         139          56        84
14      58         142          58        86
15      60         145          60        88
16      62         148          62        90
17      64         151          64        91
18      66         154          66        92
19      68         157          68        93
20      70         160          70        94
21      71         162          71        95
22      72         164          72        95
23      73         166          73        96
24      74         168          74        96
25      75         170          75        97
26      76         172          76        97
27      77         174          77        98
28      78         176          78        98
29      79         178          79        99
30      80         180          80        99

Strafe: Shoots 4 arrows at one enemy.
Level - MP - Damage (%)
1       26       52
2       26       54
3       26       56
4       26       58
5       26       60
6       26       62
7       26       64
8       26       66
9       26       68
10      26       70
11      26       72
12      26       74
13      26       76
14      26       78
15      26       80
16      32       82
17      32       84
18      32       86
19      32       88
20      32       90
21      32       91
22      32       92
23      32       93
24      32       94
25      32       95
26      32       96
27      32       97
28      32       98
29      32       99
30      32       100

Mortal Blow: Allows the archer to shoot with your bow when the enemy is very
             close. (I don't know much about this skill yet)
Level - Success (%) - Damage (%) - Kills monster under (HP%) at a rate of (%)
1          32            110                  20                     1
2          34            120                  23                     1
3          36            130                  23                     2
4          38            140                  26                     2
5          40            150                  26                     3
6          42            160                  29                     3
7          44            170                  29                     4
8          46            180                  32                     4
9          48            190                  32                     5
10         50            200                  35                     5
11         52            205                  35                     6
12         54            210                  38                     6
13         56            215                  38                     7
14         58            220                  41                     7
15         60            225                  41                     8
16         62            230                  44                     8
17         64            235                  44                     9
18         66            240                  47                     9
19         68            245                  47                     10
20         70            250                  50                     10

Thrust: Passive skill that boosts your speed.
Level - Speed boost (%)
1            2
2            4
3            6
4            8
5            10
6            12
7            14
8            16
9            18
10           20
11           21
12           22
13           23
14           24
15           25
16           26
17           27
18           28
19           29
20           30

Finally done with the tables.

~*~*Archer builds*~*~

As an archer, you will want to max critical shot as soon as possible. It will
be useful forever. It works with every offensive skills and normal attack.
Amazon's eye is also a must. Shooting monster from a big distance can save you
a lot of time and potions. As for which attack skill to take between arrow
blow and double shot, refer to the proper section.

Poor build:
Level - Skill points
10      +1 blessing
11      +2 blessing +1 eye
12      +3 eye
13      +3 eye
14      +1 eye +2 critical
15      +3 critical
16      +3 critical
17      +3 critical
18      +3 critical
19      +3 critical
20      +3 critical
21      +3 double shot/arrow blow (1 in AB is required for DS)
22      +3 double shot/arrow blow
23      +3 double shot/arrow blow
24      +1 double shot/arrow blow
25      save
26      +8 double shot/arrow blow
27      +2 double shot/arrow blow
28
29
30

Having more range at the beginning will make you save a lot of cash that you
would spend on potions. Having more range means being farther and safer.
Critcal is of course a must. As for level 25, saving your points is a good idea
since after level 10, double shot/arrow blow consumes two times the MP. So if
you save your points, you won't have to buy two times as much MP potions for
only a little more damage. For level 28/29/30, you can spend your points in
either blessing or focus. If you go without final attack in second job, you
should take focus because you will have enough remaining points to max it.


Rich build:
Level - Skill points
10      +1 critical
11      +3 critical
12      +3 critical
13      +3 critical
14      +3 critical
15      +3 critical
16      +3 critical
17      +1 critical +2 double shot/arrow blow (1 in AB is required for DS)
18      +3 double shot/arrow blow
19      +3 double shot/arrow blow
20      +2 double shot/arrow blow
21      save
22      save
23      +10 double shot/arrow blow
24      +3 blessing
25      +3 eye
26      +3 eye
27      +2 eye
28
29      
30

If you want to level faster, go with critical shot first. If you do, you will
need more money to spend on HP potions. After this, double shot/arrow blow is
the way to go. You will need a lot of MP potions, but you will level twice as
fast as other players. Max amazon's eye at the end. Once again, spend your
lasts points on either focus or blessing. If you go without final attack in 
second job, you should take focus because you will have enough remaining points
to max it. 20 avoidability can be useful.

~*~*Hunter builds*~*~

Perfectionist build:
Level - Skill points
30      +1 arrow bomb
31      +3 mastery
32      +3 mastery
33      +3 mastery
34      +3 mastery
35      +3 mastery
36      +3 mastery
37      +1 mastery +2 booster
38      +3 booster
39      +1 booster +2 soul arrow
40      +3 arrow bomb
41      +3 arrow bomb
42      +3 arrow bomb
43      +3 arrow bomb
44      +2 arrow bomb
45      save
46      save
47      save
48      save
49      +15 arrow bomb +1 power knockback
50      +3 power knockback
51      +3 power knockback
52      +3 power knockback
53      save
54      save
55      +9 power knockback
56      +1 power knockback +2 booster
57      +1 booster +1 soul arrow
58      +3 booster +1 soul arrow
59      +3 booster
60      +1 soul arrow
61      +3 booster +1 soul arrow
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70

This is the build you want if you want to be perfect after level 70. Since
final attack doesn't work with ranger(third job) skills, it would be better
to max booster and soul arrow. Both work with ranger skills. There are many
twists with this build. You can max power knockback first if you want to. It's
all about where you are leveling. After spending all those points, you can put
the remaining ones at many places. First, you can max soul arrow and booster.
They won't have the same duration, but it's not that of a problem. You can
still cast them at the same time. Some people want to max focus or the first
job offensive skill they didn't max. If I had the choice, I would go for
focus because having a second offensive skill at this late level is not so
useful. You will make the third job advancement at level 70 and you will be
using strafe (third job skill) as your main attack. Now, why would you put 19
in mastery instead of 20? From level 19 to 20, mastery only gives you one
extra accuracy point, but no damage. Archers already have a lot of accuracy,
so one more or less won't change anything.


Final attack build:
Level - Skill points
30      +1 arrow bomb
31      +3 mastery
32      +3 mastery
33      +3 mastery
34      +3 mastery
35      +3 mastery
36      +3 mastery
37      +1 mastery +2 booster
38      +3 booster
39      +1 booster +2 soul arrow
40      +3 final attack
41      +3 final attack
42      +3 final attack
43      +3 final attack
44      +3 final attack
45      +3 final attack
46      +3 final attack
47      +3 final attack
48      +3 final attack
49      +3 final attack
50      +3 arrow bomb
51      +3 arrow bomb
52      +3 arrow bomb
53      +3 arrow bomb
54      +2 arrow bomb
55      save
56      save
57      save
58      +13 arrow bomb
59      +2 arrow bomb +1 power knockback
60      +3 power knockback
61      +3 power knockback
62      +3 power knockback
63      save
64      save
65      +9 power knockback
66      +1 power knockback +2 booster
67      +1 booster +1 soul arrow
68      +3 booster +1 soul arrow
69      +3 booster
70      +1 soul arrow +2 booster

Use this build if you want to make more money and maybe level a bit faster.
Final attack is and extra 250% damage (at level 30) with NO mana cost. Plus, if
you have double shot, it may be the only attack that can knocback the harder
monsters. Once again, you put 19 in mastery because you only get 1 extra
accuracy at level 20 and no damage boost. You can also go with power knockback
before arrow bomb, it won't matter much. After maxing both of those, I
recommend that you go with booster and soul arrow. You will even use these
after level 70.

~*~*Ranger builds*~*~

First of all, congratulations for hitting level 70, especially if you went
without final attack. For third job, I can't recommend builds yet because
I need to test the skills myself, and I'm not close to level 120. However, here
are some tips and tricks for your skills selection.

Level 1 strafe is stronger than level 20 double shot. Why is that? All because
of our good friend critical shot. So it would be wise to put your first point
in Strafe. This skill is also the one you want to be maxed first. It will be
your main attack from now on. Forget double shot or arrow blow, strafe replaces
both of them. Another interesting points is that Strafe is FASTER than arrow
blow and double shot.

Arrow rain is a very useful skill. At maxed level, it's stronger than arrow
bomb. Plus, even if you're close to the enemy, you won't swing your bow!

Puppet is help you when you fight strong creatures. It also has a lot of
defense and magical defense. You can put some points in it early on, and wait
later for other points. Early on, you don't have to max puppet because monsters
you should level on are not that strong. (Unless you only fight bosses...)

Silver Hawk can be handy in some situations. Don't forget that you need a
summoning rock for it. At high levels it stuns enemies around you 90%+ of the
time. The damage it deals is not so strong. It's mainly used for its stunning
ability. There's one thing though, don't forget you have arrow bomb to stun.

Inferno is good against ice monsters. However, against the other enemies, you
better go with arrow rain. It's a very situational skill. Plus, more points
you put in it, more is the range of the fire.

Mortal blow is good when maxed. The chances to shoot an arrow when the enemy
gets too close is high. You also need 5 points in mortal blow to unlock
arrow rain.

Thrust gives a good and useful speed bonus to outrun your enemies. However,
after level 10, it only gives you 1 extra speed every level. For that reason,
MANY people decides to just leave it at 10, and get speed with equipement.

You have 151 skill points to use in third job. That level 70 to 120.

Here is what seem to be the common FINAL build (NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST ONE):

(In no particular order)
30 Arrow rain
30 Strafe
30 Inferno
20 Mortal blow
XX Puppet
XX Thrust
XX Silver Hawk

People seem to all want to max those. The problem is with the three last
skills. There are many ways to go with this. Some people want maxed puppet,
others want maxed thrust, others want half/half. The order of maxing the
skills may differ with people, but make sure you max strafe AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE.

Send me your builds!

  _________________
 /                 \
/ 9. Training spots \
\___________________/

Level 1-10: Maple Island

Maple island is the place with the most low level monsters. If you don't want
people to steal your kills, you better stay on maple island untill level 10. I
wouldn't try to train with orange mushrooms. They are a little too hard for a
low level archer to be.

Level 10-20: Mushroom garden
             The Hill East of Henesys

Mushroom garden is located two maps west of Henesys. It's a secret area at the
top of the map. There are some mushroom houses, press Up on the entrance of one
of them and you will be sent to mushroom garden. In that map, there are orange
mushrooms, small orange mushrooms and snails. It's not as crowded as Henesys
hunting grounds, and the experience is as good.

The hill east of Henesys is one area at the bottom right of the town. There is
a slime platform there, and you can snipe them without being hit. I don't
recommend slime tree, since the area is not flat, and that's bad for an archer.

Level 20-30: Green and blue horny mushrooms

These can be found near ellinia, both at the north and south. There are some
trees with those monsters in them. Some are very crowded, I don't recommend
those, since people will steal your kills. Go for the less crowded ones. Some
at the north are much less crowded. There is also a tree with only slimes and
green mushrooms. It's a very good place to train for a level 20 archer. Some
of the trees have platforms which you can snipe from. I wouldn't go to pig
beach. The people there will constantly steal your kills. You can also try ant
tunnel when you are near 30.

Level 30-35: Ant tunnel

The entrance to the tunnel is located in sleepywood, in the dungeon. If you
look on your world map, it's at the middle of it. You should stay in the first
map. There should be enough people for the spawn to be good.

Level 35-40: Land of the wild boar

This is located near the town of Perion. Take the exit to Ellinia, and go at
the bottom of the map. There should be a door at the left. Press Up on it and
you will be sent at the land of the wild boar. This place is VERY crowded. As
a level 35 archer, you can probably one hit kill the boars most of the time.
They drop the level 40 archer equipment. Plus, they drop a lot of potions. You
will probably make a lot of cash from those. There are 3 levels in this map.
As an archer, you may want to have to top one for yourself. It's the smallest
one so you won't have to move a lot to kill the boars.

Level 40-45: Burnt land
             Jr. Cellion
             Jr. Lioner
             Jr. Grupin

Burnt land is a good choice for that level. The spawn is good and you may one
hit kill them most of the time. To reach that place, take the exit to the
dungeon from Perion. Go to deep valley 2, and around to middle west of the map,
there should be an entrance with the words "Burning zone" over it. Press Up on
that door and you will be at the burnt land. There are 5 areas in this place.
Choose the one you like the most. I tend to stay in the second one. Arrow bomb
is very useful there since fire boars usually come in mobs.

Jr. Cellion, Lioner and Grupin are Ossyria kittens. To reach this place, you
have to be in Ossyria. Go to Ellinia's station and buy a ticket to Ossyria.
Talk to the ticket usher at the far right and go in the boat and wait. Once you
get to Ossyria, there are two exits at the bottom right of Orbis. Take the
upper one. You should now be at the top of Cloud park. In this area, go to the
top left. There should be a strange structure. Go on it and press Up. You will
be sent at the road to garden of 3 colors. At the top of this map there are 3
entrances. Each one leads at a different kitten area. In those maps, you should
stay at the bottom and have someone do the platforms. The platforms are too
small for an archer. You will waste a lot of potions trying to clear them. The
bottom is ideal if someone is clearing the platforms. Plus, Jr. Lioners drop
60% bow scrolls.

Level 45-50: Burnt land
             Jr. Cellions
             Jr. Lioners
             Jr. Grupins
             Stone golems

Once again, burnt land and the kittens are a good choice since you can one hit
kill them. You can also try stone golems, but the experience may be a little
bit low and you may spend a lot of potions. Stone golems are located two maps
east of Henesys taking the dungeon exit. In this area there is a pit full of
golems. If you look carefully, you will see a danger sign. If you press Up on
it, you will be sent to the breathing rock. At the top of that map is the
entrance to the golem temple. This place is fairly small and is good for
archers.

Level 50-55: Stone golems
             Jr. Yeti
             Hectors

Stone golems are once again a good choice. If you have the level 50 bow olympus
you can kill them pretty fast. Jr. Yetis are also a good alternative. They give
135 experience each and they are fairly easy to kill. The only problem is the
platforms. You will probably need power knockback for those. They drop 60%
glove attack scrolls. When they morph into big yetis, they give 390 experience
points. Be careful because when they morph, they hit very hard. Hectors are
the brown wolves in Ossyria. They  give 170 experience points, exactly like
golems. The spawn is good, but they walk fast and they come in mobs. It may be
hard for you, especially on the platforms. You may want to be teamed with
a cleric or a thief that can haste you. To get to the hectors and the Jr.Yetis,
you have to get to El nath, the snow town. Once you are in Orbis, take the exit
to the tower and go down the 20 levels (You can do a quest to get tower
scrolls.The guy is on the tenth floor). Once you are out of the tower, one area
east and you are in El nath. From this points, take the right exit and you will
be at Jr.Yetis. Go a little deeper to find the hectors.

Level 55-60: Dark stone golems
             Lunar and Luster pixies
             Zombies

Dark stone golems are in Sleepywood, in the sleepywood dungeon(Not ant tunnel).
In Sleepywood, you can press Up on the door of a house and you will be sent in
a kind of forest. Go down to the third, fourth, or fifth area for dark stone.
There are also curse eyes there, You may want to party for better experience.
A very good spot is Cloud Park V. It's full of lunar and luster pixies, and
you get platforms from which you can snipe. Very handy. You can also share
with someone else since the map is huge. Zombies are located in the deep parts
of Ossyria. It's a level 50 or more area (You can access it under level 50
with the help of a priest and the skill mystic door).


Level 60-70: Sanctuary II
             Dark stone golem
             Zombies
             Luster pixies

Dark stone golems are still a good place to level. Sanctuary II is better exp,
but you will waste TONS of potions. Make sure you can one hit kill cold eyes
most of the time, or else the exp may be bad. Sactuary II is one of the deepest
area of the ant tunnel. When you are at another entrance, there is a hidden
rope on the floor. Use it and take the bottom right exit. A couple area after
this will be the one you are looking for. For luster pixies, go to Cloud
park VI. It's full of luster pixies and spots to snipe from. It's much less
crowded than zombies, and the experience gained is quite similar.

Level 70-??: Zombies
             Yeti and Pepe
             Dark Yeti and Pepe

Well when you reach this level, you have choice. Most people stay at zombies.
You can go to the Yeti and Pepe maps. Those big guys give good experience
and good drops. You can also try Dark Yeti and Pepe, but I heard this was
slow exp for an archer. You can have some fun with Inferno on ice monsters.

  ________________
 /                \
/ 10. Training tips \
\__________________/

-In your early levels, you may want to use a melee weapon instead of a bow. If
you do this, you will save a lot of cash, but you will probably level slower.
Some even put points in strength to have a better melee damage. You can do it
if you want to. Just don't put too much points in it.

-Some people will try to steal your kills in your early levels. There is not a
lot of solutions for this. The best one would be to go at a less crowded map,
or to change channels.

-After level 35, you may consider buying mana potions to level. Before this,
it's not really needed. It will just get you poor. Once you start one hit
killing boars, buying mana potions is the best solution. You will level twice
as fast as you did.

-At level 40, you may start to use scrolls on your bow. At first, you probably
won't have enough money for 60%, but 100% can do. One extra attack can give you
around 6 more damage at that level. More you level, more the damage you get is
high.

-Some of you may want to use bronze or steel arrows for more damage. It will
help you only if you don't use soul arrows. I used to think that soul arrow
works with those arrows since the damage is shown in the stats screen. After
some experiments, I came to the conclusion that these arrows don't work with
soul arrow. (I killed a snail and my damage was under my minimum, even if the
snails have 0 defense.)

-Use jump shooting the most possible. You won't have to stop to kill the
monsters, which can same you a lot of time.

-Using warrior potions and speed potions can make your leveling MUCH faster.


  __________
 /          \
/ 11. Bosses \
\____________/

Mushmom
Level 60
20 000 HP
1200 experience points

Mushmom is by far the easiest one to kill. You can kill her when you are around
level 40. She only has one attack; She jumps and hit the ground. All the people
on the ground that are surrounding her gets damaged. At level 40, this attack
can do over 700 damage to you. You can jump to dodge the hit. It is very easy
for an archer to kill her. Archer is the class that can kill her at the lowest
level because of accuracy. To get to mushmom, go at the far left of Henesys.
There is a tree with a staircase there. Climb up the stairs and press Up, there
should be a hidden portal. Now in this map, go at the upper left and press Up
on the metal pig gate. You are now in Pig park. Go to the far right and enter
the gate. Now at Pig park II, go in the gate at the top of the map. Welcome
to Someone else's house. This is Mushmom's map. She should be at the bottom
level of the map. If she isn't there, kill an iron hog, and if fairies spawn,
kill them. Mushmom comes every 40 minutes to one hour.
(If fairies AND mushmom are supposed to spawn, fairies will always spawn
first.)

Jr.Balrog
Level 80
50 000 HP
2000 experience points

Jr.Balrog is at the deepest part of ant tunnel. He is very hard for an archer
since he one hit kills you until you are very high level, What you can do is
party with a spearman. It can use hyper body to boost your HP. Try to always
stay at a safe distance. If you get too close, he will one hit kill you. You
can climb on the rope and go to the right platforms to make him move to the
right, so you can jump down and attack him again from a safe distance.

Crimson Balrog
Level 100
100 000 HP
3500 experience points

Crimson Balrog appears sometimes on the ship to Ossyria and Ellinia. He flies
very fast and he hits very hard. Make sure you have a spearman in your party
or else he will kill you in one hit. He's not worth to kill as an archer.

Athena Pierce
Level 80
120 000 HP
2400 experience points

This is the girl you have to kill during your third job advancement test.
She shouldn't be too hard, but make sure you bring healing items and cure alls
because she can lock your skills and jump. She has a couple of attacks. The
first one is a normal arrow that should do around 700 to you. Not so bad. She
also has a one arrow strafe attack. This one can be deadly. It can do around
1000 damage to you. She can also summon tauromacis. They aren't hard, but can
be very annoying. During the fight she will probably boost her attack and
defense.

  _________________
 /                 \
/ 12. Critical shot \
\___________________/

I made a critical shot section because there is A LOT of confusion with that
skill. The in-game description is very bad. It says it's 200% damage at level
20. Therefore, people seem to think it's two times your damage. IT'S NOT!

It is only a 100% damage boost. Let's say you have maxed final attack, the
damage is 250%. With critical shot, it WILL NOT be 500%, but 350%.

At maxed level, the average of doing a critical hit is 40%. So if you want to
find your average damage, add 40% damage to each arrow.

Example: Maxed arrow blow
         260% + 40% = 300%
         with maxed final attack (60% of 250% is 150%)
         300% + 150% + 40% = 490%
         490% is the average of arrow blow if you have maxed final attack.

With maxed Strafe, each arrow does 100% damage. In that case, you add
another 100% per critical shot. However, it's not two times the damage,
you just add an extra 100%. On average that would be 140% per arrow, so
a total of 560%.

I repeat, critical shot IS NOT two times your damage.


  _____________________________
 /                             \
/ 13. Double shot VS Arrow blow \
\_______________________________/

Double shot:
+Higher average damage
-Less knockback

Arrow blow:
+More knockback
-Lower average damage

Some people think double shot and arrow blow have the same average damage, but
once again, these people don't know how critical shot is calculated. Let's say
we have maxed critical, maxed double shot, and maxed arrow blow.

Double shot average:
130% + 40%(Critical shot average)
+
130% + 40%

That means 340% average.

Arrow blow average:
260% + 40%(Critical shot average)

That means 300% average

Therefore, 340% VS 300%. Monster defense is applied twice with double shot and
only once with arrow blow. The average of double shot is still a bit higher.

Maximum damage with double shot: 460%
                    arrow blow: 360%

Even if double shot IS stronger, some people go with arrow blow because of it's
knockback ability. Some monsters need over 1500 damage to knockback, you can't
do this with double shot until you are high leveled.

Chances to get critical:

Double shot:
No arrows: 36%
1 arrow: 48%
2 arrows: 16%

Arrow blow:
No arrow: 60%
1 arrow: 40%

Chances to get at least 1 critical hit with double shot: 64%
                                        with arrow blow: 40%
 

  _________________
 /                 \
/ 14. Jump shooting \
\___________________/

Jump shooting is when you attack while jumping. It can be very hard to do at 
first. You have to press your attack button AND your jump button at the very
same time. It can even be done with skills. It's mostly used to reduce the
casting delay. If you want to kill a snail on your way for instance, normally,
you would stop, attack it, and continue. With jump shooting, you can shoot it
without EVER stopping. It can make you level a bit faster.

You may have a lot of problems to do it properly. Here's an easy way to do it.
First, set your jump and attack on two close keys of your keyboard. Then, press
them at the same time with the same finger. It should work most of the time.

Example: Set your Double shot to the B key and your jump to the Space key. With
your left index, press both the B and the space bar at the same time.

 
  ________
 /        \
/ 15. Bows \
\__________/

War bow
Level 10
25 attack
Normal speed
20 Knockback

Composite bow
Level 15
30 attack
Normal speed
20 Knockback

Hunter's bow
Level 20
35 attack
Normal speed
25 Knockback
1 DEX

Battle bow
Level 25
40 attack
Fast speed
30 Knockback

Ryden
Level 30
45 attack
Normal speed
30 Knockback
2 DEX

Red viper
Level 35
50 attack
Fast speed
30 Knockback

Vaulter 2000
Level 40
55 attack
Normal speed
35 Knockback

Olympus
Level 50
65 attack
Normal speed
40 Knockback

Asianic bow
Level 60
75 attack
Normal speed
45 Knockback

Blue hinkel
Level 70
80 attack
Normal speed
50 Knockback
1 avoidability

Red hinkel
Level 70
80 attack
Normal speed
50 Knockback
1 accuracy

Golden hinkel
Level 70
80 attack
Normal speed
50 Knockback
10 speed

Marine Arund
Level 80
85 attack
Normal speed
55 Knockback
1 accuracy

  ______________
 /              \
/ 16. Conclusion \
\________________/

I hope this guide helped you to build a good archer. Hopefully you liked it as
much as I liked writing it.

If you want to contribute, contact me at the e-mail at the top of the guide.
If the information gets in the guide, you will be properly credited for it.

There's still some information I need to complete this guide. I would like some
more high level training spots, some more training tips, and of course, some
skill builds. These will come in later updates.


  __________________
 /                  \
/ 17. Special thanks \
\____________________/

-CJayC for creating GameFAQs.

-Wizet for creating Maple story (and the archer class).

-Lightcraft for sending me a level 55 training spot, (Zombies)
 and for helping me with jump shooting.

-Lai who told me I forgot about soul arrow.

-Tim Le for pointing out a MP mistake in the skills.


This guide is Copyright (c) 2005 by Mathieu Plourde (nessie). All Maple story
names are licensed trademarks of Wizet. You may NOT use this guide unless I
say you can. If you STEAL my work, legal actions will be taken.


This guide can officially be found at:

-GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com)

-DLH.net (http://dlh.net)

-Maple gods (http://www.freewebs.com/maplegods)

-GamerHelp (http://www.gamerhelp.com)

-Heart of maple (http://forums.cjb.net/heartofmaple.html)

-Supercheats (http://www.supercheats.com)

-http://maplebenevolence.aceboard.com