Classes

There are 3 'Stages' to each classes lifetime. Beginning/Middle Game(Level ~1-100), End Game(Level ~101+/Dual Class) and PKing(Will only count this for end-game PK). For most classes, if you are patient enough to get past the first stage, the game can change tremendously for you once you reach end game. Let's begin with a short introduction for each classes first stage followed by a description of the 2nd and the PK/PvP aspect.

This will help in determining if the class you have chosen is indeed the one you were looking for. I will avoid getting into the parrying(shield) issue simply to not make the descriptions too long and will later include a Tips section including the advantages/disadvantages of leveling parry in a low level setting as opposed to high level and vice-versa.

Archers

Archers are a good soloing class, however they would most likely prefer a group as they do not have as much worry about leveling their tactic Archery level as other classes do. Just as Thieves, they also do not get their combat skills until near level 30's. Their main level skill is 'Multiple Fire' which involves 1 arrow shooting out 3-5 instead in a cone formation starting from the archer. Archers will be looking to add stat points into DEX/MOVP/CON and for leveling purposes, they will certainly want to invest in some CHA as well. Weapons of choice; Bow & Arrows.

2nd Stage; As all classes, Archers cannot solo in Venom Dungeon but make very good damage for parties who choose to train on monsters such as Dark Bears. They can solo these monsters and kill them very quickly, however they need to use quite a few potions for each if they choose to tank and use Multiple Fire arrows skill. With a tank at these monsters, they can kill these very quickly and with ease. It is HIGHLY recommended that any Thief/Archer still keep 40 CHA once in the level 100's and possibly even more as they level up further.

PK; Archers need to be more careful then other classes in PK but at the same time need to be as aggressive as possible. It is a very difficult class to play well in PK because of their low survivability/high concentrated damage trade off. It also requires a certain amount of positioning to max out their potential damage. While Archers need to be careful because of the high amounts of damage they take, I personally have always seen and believed that archers who keep and apply as much pressure on their target as possible have a better chance of surviving then being too careful. They are the definition of "A good defense is a good offense". Their main PK skills of choice are Multiple Fire and Extreme Fire.

*Alternative Build: First perfected/pioneered by JeN and ZyPheR (Both Zypern, Malaysian server 2003, International Server 2001), it involves the archer to dual towards wizard at 105, and having THREE distinctive rare types (being Force, Distant and Magic Vigor). The result of the rapid firing rate of Shark Missile(Combat Skill), Magery 100+ and bonus damage from the Distant rare results in a whopping total damage of 300k+ at Archery 140.

Thieves

Thief first Stage; Thieves are a pretty straightforward hit-it-until-it-dies class until the level 30'sish where they start getting their Combat Skills. Their main leveling skill is Icing Blast, which is a great solo or party skill to use. The Thieves greatest aspect is their ability to train solo while barely getting hit at all because of the formation of their Ice Blast. Of course, as all things, it requires to be done right. Thieves will be looking to add stat points into DEX/MOVP/CON and for leveling purposes, they will certainly want to invest in some CHA as well. Weapons of choice; Throwing Knives & Shield.

2nd Stage; The Thief still remains an amazing solo class, with the exception of training in Venom Dungeon where any class would still need a stable party to train effectively. It is HIGHLY recommended that any Thief/Archer still keep 40 CHA once in the level 100's and possibly even more as they level up further.

PK; A great advantage that Thieves have is their ability to wear a shield with their knives on top of their very fast movement speed. Shields give "White AC" which also increases resistance against magic damage as well as physical. This gives them great survivability. They can also use their Ice Shield with their many Ice based skills. They have the ability to turn invisible and deal high amounts of single albeit somewhat slow target damage. Icing Blast and Extreme Ice are their preferred damaging PK skills. Although the Icing Blast is arguably not as effective as the Archers Multi Fire arrow skill, a skilled player can very effectively use what players have termed 'Ice(ing) Death' which involves making all 5 of the Icing Blast hit 1 target.

*Interesting Fact: Ice Death was accidentally done by many thieves by sheer chance and mistake ever since the Japanese server. At March 2002, a player by the name of Asumi in the Malaysian server spent hours finding the source (or method) on intentionally using Ice Death. On May 2002, she taught the method throughout the entire server, eventually replacing '5 line ice/line ice' to 'Ice Death'.

Priests

Priest first Stage; Priests will generally prefer to level with a party, as it is very slow to solo for both exp and tactics. At lower levels, they will be the preferred tanks over warriors because of their spell 'Complete Sanctuary' which makes any monsters who cannot Pierce through protection magic unable to hit the target of the Sanctuary. They can also buff other players and themselves with physical attack damage and physical damage shields. Priests also have the ability to see and resurrect 'ghosts' or dead players. This makes them a very valuable party member to have. Priests will be looking to add stat points into WIS/PS/CON. Weapons of choice; Staff.

2nd Stage; Priests can still serve as tanks at this point, however if there is a warrior they will most likely be used as a healer for that warrior to tank. Soloing at this point is possible but not recommended. It is very slow for Priests to kill Dark Bears and such monsters, however they are a very valued member of Venom Dungeon groups for both tanking and/or healing. Venom Dungeon is not great for their tactics level since they are generally assigned to heal however it is a great place to earn experience.

PK; The Priests advantage comes from the fact that their main PK spell, Life Drain, does not require any sort of rares to make it better. It is based on your CON and level versus your targets level and CON.(Some people may argue this but its true) This means that Priests can concentrate wholly on defensive type rare items. The Life Drain spell is very strong, especially against classes with low HP such as wizards, however in PK, Priests will find themselves having to resurrect dead players and/or buffing others as the fights go on. This does not mean, of course, that they are limited to only doing that. Sometimes killing a Wizard is more important then resurrecting a dead player. One problem that Priests have is their movement speed. While they can deal a high damage blow to the enemy, if they are unable to hit them afterwards it means nothing. They will also have some trouble killing Warriors due to their high HP.

Warriors

Warrior first Stage; Warriors are a somewhat complicated class in terms of leveling. If you choose to level with a 2 handed weapon, then you do not have much to worry about. Simply party as much as you can and you can level quite fast tanking for Wizards. However, if you choose a 1-handed weapon + shield for leveling, you will have to keep in mind your Parrying(shield Tactic level) which is sometimes very slow and tedious to level. You might find yourself having to solo, which is very slow for Warriors in terms of exp and Tactics both. They have many, many skills to choose from so I will not go into those. Warriors will be looking to add stat points into STR/CON/DEX(For Pike Warriors). CHA is not as important for warriors as it is for Thieves & Archers but I would probably still recommend some for leveling. Weapons of choice; Swords(1h/2h), Pikes/Spears, Maces/Axes(1h/2h), Fencing(Female only), Shield, Grappling. Note, 2h Swords & Maces are Male characters only.

2nd Stage; Warriors role continues to be that of the tank(usually) in parties. Their ability to pretty much double their HP with a certain Dark skill makes them invaluable for that role on top of their already very high HP. Depending on their preference, Warriors will tank in Venom Dungeon or monsters like Dark Bear both for exp or tactics.

PK; The Warriors greatest asset in this is, of course, their super human HP. Their downside however is that they are generally slow and unless they can catch up to their targets and slow them, they cannot hit them. The Warrior is a very versatile class in terms of what it can do so it is hard to describe everything at once. I can only say that they are very rare-item dependent but at the same time they have very high potential for both damage and high survivability, depending on the rare items that they choose to make and if they picked a 1h or 2h weapon. I apologize, there is simply too many possibilities to explain even in terms of just combat skills.

Wizards

Wizard first Stage; The Wizard is a great class for leveling quickly, it's main problem being that it has low HP and therefore usually requires a good tanking partner to level smoothly and keeping up their protective spells on themselves constantly. It's AoE(Area of Effect) spells, specifically 5-tile Lightning, are what makes this class a good contribution to any group looking to level quickly. They can also buff other classes attack damage as well as physical defense power. Wizards would be looking to add stat points mainly into INT/WS/CON. Weapons of choice; Staff.

2nd Stage; In terms of leveling, at this point, the Wizard pretty much requires a tank as the monsters are too fast and hit too hard for their HP. The only exception to this would be if they were to train at places such as Dark Bear, however, the Venom Dungeon is where the prime leveling location for the Wizard would be. A stable party is required to level there, though.(Healer/Blaster/Tanker). It is preferable for the Wizard to stay in the low level 100's and keep training at Venom Dungeon level 1 for the Magery Tactic they will get there. Their main leveling spell will still be 5-tile Lightning.

PK; In PK, the Wizard should prefer more hit and run tactics. This meaning that they cast their spell, run away from their target(s) while casting their next spell and coming back at them with it(this is helped even more with their invisibility spell). They cannot tank too many players hitting them without using many potions and they generally move slow, especially if their Haste runs out. If they are to get slowed without Haste, they become very vulnerable to other players attacks. Wizards constantly need their buff and protection spells on themselves otherwise they are vulnerable to one class or another's attacks. They should also watch out for the priests Life Drain attack. Wizards have very high concentrated single target damage spells if used right.

*Tip: When casting the Flame Wave spell, move the character forward towards the target. Due to DragonRaja's damage system that increases the damage the closer you are, this will increase the damage of EACH of the Flame Wave's hits by 10%. With a minimum MOVP of 77 as well as the spell Haste, this should be done pretty easily.
Pioneer/Discovered by players: Blackice and Aiolos from the Malaysian server (2001)
 

Class ranks by level:

Ranks by levels