Bowman Frequently Asked Questions

I'm so creative with titles aren't I?

Last updated: September 13, 2008 (Current update still in progress)

Legal Information:

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This F.A.Q. was originally created by GrifMoNeY, who has given me permission to repost and edit this F.A.Q.

By order of the Grif, I give Sapphire8, Spiritrival and Technolink the rights to copy and repost my guide, under the condition that proper credit for its creation and maintenance is given, to myself and the other archers. You guys can choose ownership. I also expressly forbid Strongdude from copying, because he is a whiny brat who seems likely to steal the guide as his own.

Thank you very much GrifMoNeY.

This FAQ was written by spirtrival and GrifMoNeY and is Copyright © 2008 spiritrival. You may not take it in whole or in part and claim it as your own. You may not alter it in any way, even if you ask first, and that includes putting it in HTML format or plain text. Please don’t post this on your site unless you have express consent by me, spiritrival. Currently, the only sites with permission to host this guide are Basilmarket, The Forest or Wisdom, Archer Guide Forums, and SouthPerry. spiritrival and GrifMoNeY are the only people with permission to post this FAQ on any of the aforementioned websites.

Useful Links:

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Archer Guide Forums. This is a simple forum that was made so us archers can discuss Bowman stuff without spamming up Basil and/or Sleepywood. This is where the new training guide originated from, as well as the Bow v. Crossbow guide.

AGF's New and Improved Archer Where-to-Train. The training guide thread was developed by the Archer Guide Forums (link above), this is an ever-improving compilation of training places. At the forums, you can suggest and submit new places so it's always accurate!

Bow or Crossbow | The Ultimate Decision. This was also developed by the Archer Guide Forums and answers the ever-important question: Bow or Crossbow. This gives you the most objective facts about each class that you can possibly find.

Archer Skill Build Guide. A very intensive guide written by our own bluebomber24. I recommend this as a great place to view and ask questions about your skill build instead of spamming the forums.

Simplified Archer Guide for the Lazy Bowman. A short guide designed by tzk221 to be short! Pretty much your standard information here with links to their more detailed versions.

Archer Damage Ranges. This is a rolling archive of Bowman damage ranges. It is maintained by Technolink, and is a very accurate way to compare yourself to others by seeing their damage.

Archer Key Settings. Designed after the Archer Damage Ranges, this is a rolling archive of Key Settings of various Bowmen. You can use it to find a setting that's comfortable to you. It's managed by kevvl13.

Archer Damage Ranges Independent Website. The Archer Damage Ranges thread, scripted and maintained by 2mbur2n, is your all purpose Bowman damage ranges, without the Basil. Great to give to Sleepywood people!

Forest of Wisdom. A website made by Sapphire8 that has a lot of useful (and useless) tools for Bowmen! It also includes a detailed explanation of Final Attack.

Sybaris' Damage Calculator is a very awesome way to calculate your damage, as well as how effective certain monsters are to train on. It gives stats such as average hits to kill said monster, average Mesos per shot, and even has most 4th job skills programmed. Best of all, you can edit almost everything in case you disagree with it (for example the shooting speeds).

Bored Bowman. Are you a bored Bowman? Most of us are. This website is designed to get you inspired to start shooting baddies again. With tons of videos, pictures, and helpful tips and tricks, this website is made and maintained by Kiffle.

Pokgai's Wordpress. Pokgai was a high leveled JMS bow master who is now retired (discussion not tolerated in this thread), but in his time in MS, he has answered many questions about 4th job in JMS (and possibly GMS). His website has TONS of information on 4th job, and being a Bowman in general. He also has a pretty funny/informative video-series.

RoyalCatManDo's HP Washing Guide. It speaks for itself, it's an HP washing guide. Learn all about HP washing.

trumark's Blood Master build. Where AP is put into HP and never to return to Dex!

Introduction:

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There are a number of questions in this forum that would be considered redundant. Typically, they involve common myths and questions, and biased arguments. In this article, I hope to address as many of these questions as possible, in as much depth as is necessary to come to a conclusion. This article is not meant to be read start to finish. It is intended to answer some of the most frequently asked questions on this forum, accurately and intuitively. If you find that some information is inaccurate, please, don't hesitate to point it out.

1) AP Distribution:

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By no means do you have to follow any of this, these just show what people commonly do.
A Regular Hunter will have Str equal to his level + 5. So, if a Hunter is level 30, he should have 35 Str. A Regular Crossbowman will have Str equal to her level. So, if a Crossbowman is level 30, she should have 30 Str. From there on, you should add 4 Dex and 1 Str per level. However, when you plan carefully, you should only add Str before you get your new weapon. For example, say you’re level 40 and at level 50 you need an Olympus. You can add Dex using the AP from levels 40 to 47 and add Str from levels 49 and 50. That way, you should have 55 Str right when you need your new weapon. Remember, you’ll need to plan in advance in order to do this properly.

Being a Low-Str Bowman is easily accomplished. Basically, you use Str from equipment to boost your Str up high enough to wear your current weapon. Say you have an Olympus that requires 55 Str and you only have 50 Str. You'll need 5 more Str to wear that Olympus. If you buy a Red Kismet (or Blue Lumati) you'll get 4 Str. You can get that last 1 Str from a pair of Blue Steel Tipped Boots. Now, you have 50+5 Str. Unfortunately, there are no 100% Scrolls for Overall for Str, so you can just scroll your Red Kismet (or Blue Lumati) with 100% Scrolls for Overall for Dex. Always get the better deal unless you really need the extra Str. If there was a Blue Maro (adds 2 Str and 1 Dex) that cost 500k and there was a Green Maro (adds 3 Dex) that was only 100k, you're better off buying the Green Maro. When you're buying equipment, Str equals Dex, excluding cost. Also, with equal funds, a Low-Str Bowman is stronger than a Regular Bowman. A Low-Str bowman will be able to save more Meso when buying equipment, and therefore, have more Meso to buy stronger equipment.

Capping Str is a wise thing to do, but requires attention and planning. First, you'll need to know what your final weapon will be. In this case, let's use the Casa Crow, which needs 90 Str. As soon as you get 90 Str, simply stop adding Str. But it gets a little more complicated. If you're Low-Str, you'll need to make sure that your equipment with Str will not be replaced with equipment with lower Str, otherwise, you can no longer equip the Casa Crow. You may also want to anticipate certain events. If you're going to get a Zakum Helm at level 91, you'll be better off either replacing your current Str equipment with Dex ones, or leave your base Str lower. Common stopping points for Rangers are 85 and 95 Str for the Arund and Metus, respectively. For Snipers, Str is generally capped at 80 for the Raven and 90 for the Casa Crow. Remember, this is total Str, not base Str.

Remember that the amount of Str you have does not affect your total HP. If you compare 10 Str-less Bowmen with 10 "Regular" Bowmen, you should see a very small difference, which only comes because HP is randomly given every level. However, the amount of Int you have does affect your MP. For every 10 Int you have, you will gain an extra 1 MP. If you have 9 Int, it won't count. Also, this is based on total Int.

Read RoyalCatManDo's HP Washing Guide to learn, well, how to HP wash of course! All credits go to him and whoever helped him.

Read trumark's Blood Master build to learn about putting AP into HP and not washing it out. It sounds simple, but I suggest you read it so that you fully understand it. All credits go to him and whoever helped him.

Now for the unorthodox builds. Some have decided to create a Pure Str Bowman (a Bowman with only 25 Dex and the rest in Str). Their main attack would be Power Knockback because they believe it is based on Str. However, Power Knockback is based off of Dex. Various tests have been performed and proven this. Bowjabber, a Pure Str Bowman, became level 30 and used Power Knockback. The highest amount of damage he could deal on a Snail was 29. Surely if it was Str based, the amount of damage would be higher.

For Str-less Bowmen, or Pure Dex Bowmen, see section 13.

2) Arrows and Soul Arrow:

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Some people claim that if you equip arrows that add effects (like Diamond Arrows which add 4 Attack), but cast Soul Arrow, you will keep the Attack benefit without losing arrows. Unfortunately, this is not true. While a physical arrow is equipped and Soul Arrow is activated, the change from the physical arrow is still registered in your stat window, but your actual damage will still be calculated as if you were using a normal arrow. Please note that this has been tested multiple times.
In this example and this example, you’ll see that they have Bronze and Steel Arrows equipped. The damage is registered in their stat window and Soul Arrow is active. Snails and Blue Snails have 0 Def, which means that it should be impossible to hit below their damage range. That means that the status effect from the Bronze and Steel Arrows has been negated. Here are some more recent tests with Diamond Arrows.
Critical Damage of 404
Critical Damage of 396
Critical Damage of 408
Critical Damage of 408
Normal Damage of 202

3) Mastery and Expert:

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When you put points in Mastery, every odd skill level will raise your minimum damage by 5%. When it reaches level 19, the skill gives 60% "skill mastery" (a percent that is multiplied to give your minimum damage), and adds 19 Accuracy. Adding one more skill point only increases your Accuracy by one, which is about as useful as one point in Blessing. Some argue that the flare that appears when you fire an arrow with level 20 Mastery changes. I assure you that the flare stays the same from level 19 to level 20.

There is a 4th job skill called Expert that, at level 30, brings mastery to 90% and adds 10 Atk. A prerequisite for this skill is having Mastery at level 20, so for purposes of planning, it is a good idea to invest that last point in Mastery, perhaps at level 70 before you take the 3rd job quest.

4) Booster:

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When you put points Booster, every skill level increases the duration by 10 seconds, and decreases the MP and HP cost by 1. Investing more points into Booster does not increase your firing speed. While Booster is in effect, your firing speed will increase by the same rate whether the skill is at level 1 or 20; it is only the cost and duration that are affected.

5) Double Summon:

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With the addition of 4th job, came another skill we could use to summon. Some have been wondering whether you can summon two at once; the answer is no. We would be just too powerful with both available at once. If you try to summon Golden Eagle while Frost Prey is out, Golden Eagle will take its place.

6) Jumpshooting:

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Jumpshooting is a technique that takes advantage of a glitch (the designers of Maple Story did not intend for jumpshooting with any ranged weapon other than Claws and Guns, therefore it is a glitch). Normally, Bowmen cannot shoot an arrow while airborne. However, pressing both the attack key and the jump key simultaneously will cause a Bowman to shoot immediately before jumping. Jumpshooting makes it so the arrow is fired where you were last on the ground and you are able to move in the air while the arrow is being fired. This technique does not work with all keyboards. In addition, you may want to move your keys around so that you are more comfortable with jumpshooting.

A Hunter with Final Attack (FA) who does not wish to fire the additional arrow can avoid doing so with a jumpshot, as the second attack will never activate while you’re in the air.

Since it maintains a Bowman's motion while shooting, it adds a useful game play element and can make you slightly faster in battle. You can dodge magical projectiles, ground-based attacks, and move forward while shooting an arrow. You do this by moving forward and then press both Jump and Attack (while still moving). If completed correctly, you should be able to shoot an arrow and move from your original spot.

A simpler way to use this is to use the Alt GR key. Unfortunately, this key is not available to most American keyboards. This key is used to type foreign symbols not used in the English language, like piñata. Now, if you put your attacking skill on Alt and Jump on Control. When you press Alt GR, you will be able to jumpshoot without any hassle.

Another technique, called "reverse jumpshooting" or "backshooting", involves walking forward, then suddenly changing direction while pressing Jump and Attack. Your character will appear to be jumping backwards, and firing an arrow opposite to his motion. It takes advantage of the character's sliding backwards during the turn, and is therefore easier to perform on slippery maps. It is near impossible on Snowshoes, because the instant you turn around, you are moving at full speed in that direction. From that point you can only forward jumpshoot.

There is another method of backshooting that has been shown to me for the very purpose of proving that you can fire backwards while on Snowshoes. In this maneuver, you jump forward and change direction while in mid-air, then do a normal jumpshot the moment you land. This variation of the backshot, which may be unofficially called the "sliding backshot", is more elaborate and somewhat less effective, because you lose backward momentum as you land and must use your jumpshot as soon as possible; however, it all comes down to skill and playing style in the end.

Now, earlier on I mentioned that jumpshooting was a glitch. Due to players being suspended from the game because of Glitch Orbis Party Quest, people are worried that they will get banned from jumpshooting. This is highly unlikely. Firstly, I doubt they could detect someone jumpshooting as it can be misinterpreted as lag on another computer. Secondly, too many players jumpshoot or telecast (they're both very similar). Nexon would never want to lose that much of their population because of a glitch that doesn't even have that great of an effect. You'll save a few potions and train a (very) little bit faster.

Also, to clear up some more confusion, this is not the same as with Claws and Guns. They were meant to jumpshoot. If they were not meant to jumpshoot, Nexon would have prevented them from attacking while in midair. The only weapons where you cannot use skills in midair are Bows, Crossbows, Wands (some skills may work in midair), and Staffs (same as Wands).

7) Walkshooting:

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Walkshooting is a Bow Master only technique, as it is done with Hurricane. Hold either the left or right button and tap the hotkey for Hurricane as you're moving. Your character will slide, almost as if it was on ice/snow. Therefore, you can't walkshoot with Snowshoes equipped.

Each time you tap Hurricane, arrows will fire. The amount of arrows you fire depends on your Speed. With 108% Speed, you'll only be able to get off a single arrow. With 137% Speed, you should be able to fire 2-4 Arrows. After you fire about 6 arrows, your character will stop moving, so you'll need to let go of Hurricane. After you release Hurricane, you will resume walking, as long as you keep holding on to the directional button.

You can also turn around quickly and fire Hurricane arrows in both directions. Since Hurricane fires several independent arrows at high speed, you should be able to fire an arrow to your left, fire one to your right, and then fire another to left before either of them disappear.

Walkshooting with Hurricane can be faster than jumpshooting with Strafe (or any other skill). As you become more experienced at this technique, you should be able to walkshoot at about the same rate as regular walking.

Credit for this section mainly belongs to Icedfire.

8) Speed v. Jump:

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Let's look at the scrolls available for a Shoe (30% and 70% scrolls can be disregarded as they add the same effects as their respective 10% and 60% scrolls).

10% Speed: +3 Speed
60% Speed: +2 Speed
100% Speed: +1 Speed

10% Jump: +5 Jump, +3 Dex, +1 Speed
60% Jump: +2 Jump, +1 Dex
100% Jump: +1 Jump

10% DEX: +5 Avoid, +3 Acc, +1 Speed
60% DEX: +2 Avoid, +1 Acc
100% DEX: +1 Avoid

The primary reason to scroll for Jump is for the Dex bonus (which ironically is absent in the Dex scrolls), since Dex is one of the more influential stats. You should consider buying two Shoes, one that adds Speed and one that adds Dex. In large maps where you always (or for a large portion of the time) kill the monsters in the exact same number of hits, it is useful to have extra Speed to move back and forth laying waste to the monsters. However, if it takes varying amounts of hits to kill a monster, you might consider Dex Shoes to cause more damage and kill the monster faster. It all depends on what you’re training on.

9) Snowshoes v. Whitebottoms:

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Snowshoes have 18 DEF, 7 slots, and the special quality of zero slip. Whitebottoms have 13 DEF, 3 SPD, and 5 slots. With zero slip comes instant turnaround, and more control over your character's movements, but this is a game play mechanic that depends solely on your playing style.

Snowshoes with 7 100% Speed scrolls: +7 SPD
Whitebottoms with 5 100% Speed scrolls: +8 SPD
Snowshoes with 7 60% Speed scrolls: +14 SPD
Whitebottoms with 5 60% Speed scrolls: +13 SPD

Although using 60% Speed scrolls yield a higher SPD benefit with Snowshoes, it is fairly trivial to spend money on a more expensive shoe and two extra scrolls for +1 SPD. If you do not have a need for extra SPD, you can take advantage of the DEX gained from Jump scrolls (see [s=http://www.basilmarket.com/forum/614193/1//Frequently_Asked_Questions.html#7]7) Speed VS Jump[/s]) to cause more damage. As Snowshoes have two more slots, you can add +7 DEX as opposed to +5 with other shoes.

10) Dex v. Attack:

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Some argue that Dex adds more damage than Atk and others argue the opposite. The one arguing that Atk adds more damage is correct. Atk simply has more of an impact on your damage because of how your damage range is calculated.

Bows – [(3.4*Dex+Str)/100]*Atk
Crossbows – [(3.6*Dex+Str)/100]*Atk

If you would like, you can use sapphire8’s Dex/Atk Calculator to figure out exactly how much Dex is equal to 1 Atk. If Dex is less than 1, that means Dex adds more damage. If Dex is more than 1, than Atk adds more damage.

11) Fast Bows v. Strong Bows:

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There are certain levels where you can equip two types of Bows: Bows that are fast, and Bows that have more Atk. To figure out whether the attack Speed balances out with the increase in power, much like Bows and Crossbows, the math is shown below. The Red Viper and the Vaulter 2000 is used as an example.

An average Red Viper shoots at a Fast rate (up to 92 shots per minute) with only 50 Atk. On the other hand, an average Vaulter 2000 shoots at a Normal rate (up to 83 shots per minute) with 55 Atk. Let’s assume that Character A is using the Red Viper is level 40, has 175 Dex, has 40 Str, and has 50 Atk. Let’s also assume that Character B is using the Vaulter 2000 is level 40, has 170 Dex, has 45 Str, and has 55 Atk. The reason Character A has 5 more Dex is because he needs 5 less Str to equip his Bow.

Character A’s Damage Range: 180 ~ 317; Average with Critical: 347
Character B’s Damage Range: 196 ~ 342; Average with Critical: 376

Character A’s Average Damage Over Time: 28,801
Character B’s Average Damage Over Time: 33,088

Now, as you can see here, it would be better to be using a Vaulter 2000. However, if Character A has 4 more Atk than Character B instead of 5 less Atk (total of 9 Atk difference), Character A does more damage over time.

Character A’s Damage Range: 213 ~ 374; Average with Critical: 410
Character A’s Average Damage Over Time: 34,104

It should be noted that since Fast Bows are, well, faster, they take more of a blow from Weapon Defense. More shots means that the total reduction for Defense is higher for Fast Bows.

However, each Bow has certain qualities. The Red Viper fires faster than the Vaulter 2000 does, meaning that in a situation where both Bows one-hit kill, the Red Viper allows you to move to the next monster faster. But because the damage range on Bowmen is quite broad, the increased Atk of the Vaulter 2000 helps ensure that you one-hit kill, and allows you to fight tougher monsters sooner.

12) Arrow Blow v. Double Shot:

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Maxed Arrow Blow (AB) costs 14 MP and one arrow to deal 260% damage before Critical Shot is added. Maxed Double Shot (DS) costs 16 MP and two arrows to do 130% damage each before Critical Shot is added, twice. Seeing that maximized Critical Shot adds 100% damage 40% of the time, it adds an average of 40% to each attack. Because it is added twice to Double Shot, the final damage tabulations are:

Arrow Blow without Critical Shot: 260% min
Arrow Blow average: 260% + 40% = 300% average
Arrow Blow with a Critical Shot: 260% + 100% = 360% max

Double Shot with no Critical Shots: 130% * 2 = 260% min
Double Shot average: (130% + 40%) * 2 = 340% average
Double Shot with two Critical Shots: (130% + 100%) * 2 = 460% max

Obviously, Double Shot does more overall damage. There are a few additional concerns, however.

Because Arrow Blow hits at a maximum 360%, whereas Double Shot hits a maximum of 230% each, there is a better chance to KB some monsters at higher levels. Furthermore, Arrow Blow with Critical Shot causes the greatest single-hit damage available to a Bowman (excluding Pierce and Snipe), meaning that it can be used forever as a KB skill. However, causing KB damage isn't as important as killing the monster outright, and in nearly all forms of training, damage over time is the primary issue.

Double Shot, costing 2 more MP than Arrow Blow, is more expensive to train with, using more MP potions over time. This handicap is of much more interest to a poor Bowman than a rich one, however, the Meso loss from the increased Potion consumption is almost negligible. Strafe uses much more MP than both Arrow Blow and Double Shot; it costs 32 MP. Arrow Blow can be used in third job as a finisher, so as to save 18 MP per shot.

One common myth in the Bowman world is that of monster DEF. Studies have proven that monster DEF reduces your raw damage, not damage on a by-hit basis. The Arrow Blow and Double Shot damage modifiers are not affected in any way: they are still 300% and 340%, respectively. Another myth is that Critical Shot doubles your damage, this is most certainly untrue. Compare a Bowman with maxed Arrow Blow and a Bowman with maxed Double Shot (make sure their equipment are similar) and you’ll see that Double Shot will do more total damage.

To summarize, Double Shot does more average damage and costs slightly more in terms of MP potions (though a 2 MP difference is a small loss), while Arrow Blow has greater Knockback damage, but is less efficient overall.

13) Str-less Bowmen:

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A Str-less Bowman, sometimes called a Pure Dex Bowman, is exactly what it sounds like. A Bowman without Str, or in this case 4 because that’s the minimum. Str-less Bowmen were made possible with the release of the Maple weapons. A Str-less Bowman uses a level 10 War Bow until level 35, when he can then switch to a Maple Bow, and then to a Maple Soul Searcher at level 43. At level 55, the Winkel is available. The Maple Kandiva can be equipped at level 64. Finally, at level 65, Str-less Hunters can equip a Bow of Magical Destruction (BoMD). It should be noted that the Bow of Magical Destruction and Maple Kandiva both have the same average Atk, but the Maple Kandiva fires faster.

This build has some obvious advantages and some obvious setbacks. The fact that a point of Dex does much less for a bowman than Luk for an Assassin or Int for a Wizard, makes this build less practical than a Luk-less Wizard or Dex-less Assassin. The extra Atk from new Bows may overpower the Dex bonus. Also, scrolling rare items isn't cheap, so equipping a Str-less Bowman can be costly. Many consider the short lasting "thrill period" of high damages not worth the cost. Others point out that being a Str-less takes the excitement out of important milestones (level 50, for example), because there is no change of weapon.

It takes a while, about at level 100, before a Str-less Ranger gets outdamaged.

If a 'Regular' Ranger is level 100, has a Nisrock, has 130 Atk, has 105 Str, and has 450 Dex, the damage range will be 1210~2125.
If a Str-less Ranger is level 100, has a Bow of Magical Destruction, has 113 Atk, has 4 Str, and has 550 Dex, the damage range will be 1145~2117.

The 'Regular' Ranger will have 65 more minimum damage and 8 more maximum damage. If I use more realistic statistics for both of them, the conclusion should be fairly similar.

However, the Str-less Ranger can equip the Maple Kandiva as well, which has a Fast attack speed. We'll need to figure out damage over time in order to see how many more levels a Str-less Ranger can stay on par with or surpass a 'Regular' Ranger. Remember that a Normal speed Bow shoots 88 times a minute while a Fast speed Bow shoots 92 times.

Nisrock Minimum: 1210 * 88 = 106,480
Nisrock Maximum: 2125 * 88 = 187,000
Maple Kandiva Minimum: 1145 * 92 = 105,340
Maple Kandiva Maximum: 2117 * 92 = 194,764

As we can see, the Str-less Ranger deals 7,764 more maximum damage, but the 'Regular' Ranger deals 1,140 more minimum damage. It simply becomes a matter of time, still. As the two Rangers level past 100, the gap becomes wider as the 'Regular' Ranger's added Dex is multiplied by 130 Atk while the Str-less Ranger's is multiplied by only 113.

For copyright/plagiarism reasons, this has been put here to prove that spiritrival and GrifMoNeY were the ones who wrote this.

Str-less Crossbowmen were usually considered less practical than Str-less Hunters, mainly because there was no Crossbow equivalent of the Bow of Magical Destruction. Without any high-leveled Str-less Crossbows, a Str-less Crossbowman has no future after level 60. However, a Str-less Crossbowman can now equip the Maple Nishada. Similar to the Maple Kandiva, it has a Fast attack speed. No math should be necessary, as it is practically the same with a Str-less Ranger.

In addition, it should be noted that only the following equipment have a Str requirement (excluding weapons):
Hats
Hunter - level 25
Hawkeye - level 30
Pole-Feather Hat - Level 35
Lockewood Hat - level 35
Distinction - level 40

Tops and Bottoms
Bennis Chainmail - level 25
Bennis Chainpants - level 25

Shoes
Woodsman Boots - level 15
Huntertop - level 20
Jack Boots - level 25

This means that, after level 40, a Str-less Bowman does not have to worry about not being able to use equipment. There is also another Hat that requires Str, the Blue Bamboo Hat. If any Str-less Bowman complains about not being able to wear a Hat that adds 3 Str, you should tell them to read this FAQ.

To sum it up, becoming a Str-less Hunter is an option for those who can afford a decent Maple Bow, Soul Searcher, and Bow of Magical Destruction, have the patience to get through the first 35 levels of "hell", and want a new challenge in the world of MapleStory.

14) Strafe v. Double Shot + Final Attack:

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We already know that level 1 Strafe is stronger than level 20 Double Shot, since 1 Strafe is 368% average damage while 20 Double Shot is 340% average. But which is more effective with level 30 Final Attack? First, note that Final Attack does not activate for 3rd-job skills. Level 1 Strafe costs 26 MP, uses 4 arrows, and causes 52% damage before Critical four times. Level 20 Double Shot costs 16 MP, uses 2 arrows, and causes 130% damage before Critical twice. Level 30 Final Attack attacks freely after Double Shot, activating 60% of the time for 250% damage before Critical.

Stats you need to know:
Double Shot + Final Attack takes 1.12 seconds to fire. In one minute, Double Shot fires 63 times and Final Attack fires 38 times, or 101 times for both of them together, on average. If Final Attack fired every single time after Double Shot, we’d get 54 Double Shots and 53 Final Attacks.
Double Shot and Strafe both take about .72 seconds to fire, making it 83 shots per minute.

Minimum - Strafe, with no Critical Shots: 52% * 4 = 208%
Average - Strafe average: (52% + 40%) * 4 = 92% * 4 = 368%
Maximum - Strafe, with four Critical Shots: (52% + 100%) * 4 = 608%

Minimum - Double Shot, with no Critical Shots: 130% * 2 = 260%
Average - Double Shot average: (130% + 40%) * 2 = 170% * 2 = 340%
Maximum - Double Shot, with two Critical Shots: (130% + 100%) * 2 = 460%
Minimum - Final Attack, with no Critical Shot: 250%
Average - Final Attack average: 250% + 40% = 290%
Maximum - Final Attack, with a Critical Shot: 250% + 100% = 350%

To find damage over time, we simply multiply the number of attacks per minute, by the average damage.

Minimum - Strafe, with no Critical Shots: 208% * 83 = 17,264%
Average - Strafe: 368% * 83 = 30,544%
Maximum - Strafe, with four Critical Shots: 608% * 83 = 50,464%

Minimum - Double Shot with no Critical Shots and no Final Attack: 260% * 83 = 21,580%
Average - Double Shot + Final Attack: (340% * 63) + (290% * 38) = 21,420 + 11,020 = 32,440%
Maximum - Double Shot with two Critical Shots and a Critical Final Attack: (460% * 54) + (350% * 53) = 24,840 + 18,550 = 43,390%

Double Shot + Final Attack beats Strafe with minimum and average damage. However, like Critical Shot, Final Attack is unpredictable and may not activate when you really need it, and may activate after a monster is killed, wasting time on an extra shot. Because this section speaks only to Bowmen with Final Attack, the reasons to avoid the skill are not relevant.

Double Shot + Final Attack causes more damage in one blow than Strafe. Having a greater attack is not automatically superior, even if the math disagrees. Firing twice with massive overkill tends to be slower than firing once and barely killing.

Strafe costs more MP than Double Shot, with 26 MP at level 1 compared to 16. In [s=http://www.basilmarket.com/forum/614193/1//Frequently_Asked_Questions.html#11]11) Arrow Blow VS Double Shot[/s], I found the 2 MP difference to be negligible. However, a 10 MP loss for each Strafe hurts quite a bit more. Because Final Attack is a free attack (with its ups and downs), many people consider it best to use Double Shot until Strafe gains a few levels, to save money.

Strafe: 26 * 83 = 2158 MP
Double Shot: 16 * 63 = 1008 MP

As you can see, you spend much less MP with Double Shot, on average. Again, on average, you’ll save yourself over half of the Meso it costs for you to buy MP Potions.

Strafe will eventually outdamage Double Shot + Final Attack in every way. Final Attack may or may not be used well with other skills, but for the purposes of causing damage, Strafe will become superior as you invest levels in it.

For reference, Arrow Blow + Final Attack:
Minimum - Arrow Blow with no Critical Shots and no Final Attack: 260% * 88 = 22,880%
Average - Arrow Blow + Final Attack: (300% * 63) + (290% * 38) = 18,900 + 11,020 = 29,920%
Maximum - Critical Arrow Blow and Critical Final Attack: (360% * 54) + (350% * 53) = 19,440 + 18,550 = 37,990%

Arrow Blow and Final Attack does less average and maximum damage compared to level 1 Strafe. All other arguments for/against Arrow Blow are more or less the same as with Double Shot.

In summary, Double Shot + Final Attack hits harder for each attack, costs significantly less MP, and deals more minimum damage and slightly more average damage than level 1 Strafe (VERY slightly; 2 Strafe beats it by far in average damage). With each type of monster you face, gauge their HP and how many attacks (both Double Shot and Strafe) you use to kill them, and make a decision on whether training with Double Shot + Final Attack or Strafe is faster or cheaper at that point.

15) Strafe v. Hurricane:

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As we all know, maxed Hurricane is better than maxed Strafe. We can tell that already without math by using common sense. However, when does it become more beneficial to use Hurricane over Strafe? Hurricane always fires 500 arrows per minute, whether you have Booster or a Fast Bow, it will still be 500 arrows per minute. Strafe fires 83 times in a minute, or 332 arrows per minute, but 4 arrows are always bundled together. We’ll be looking at damage over time to compare. To note, level 1 Hurricane deals 51% damage per arrow and Strafe deals 100% damage per arrow.

Minimum - Strafe: (100% * 4) * 83 = 400% * 83 = 33,200%
Average - Strafe: ((100% + 40%) * 4) * 83 = 560% * 83 = 46,480%
Maximum - Strafe: ((100% + 100%) * 4) * 83 = 800% * 83 = 66,400%

Minimum - Level 1 Hurricane: 51% * 500 = 25,500%
Average - Level 1 Hurricane: (51% + 40%) * 500 = 91% * 500 = 45,500%
Maximum - Level 1 Hurricane: (51% + 100%) * 500 = 151% * 500 = 75,500%

Now, it seems that level 1 Hurricane only beats Strafe in maximum damage. Let’s boost up the level of Hurricane to level 3, where it has 53% damage.

Minimum - Level 3 Hurricane: 53% * 500 = 26,500%
Average - Level 3 Hurricane: (53% + 40%) * 500 = 93% * 500 = 46,500%
Maximum - Level 3 Hurricane: (53% + 100%) * 500 = 153% * 500 = 76,500%

Now we can see here that Strafe only beats level 9 Hurricane in minimum damage. You’ll need level 11 Hurricane to completely beat Strafe.

Minimum - Level 11 Hurricane: 71% * 500 = 35,500%
Average - Level 11 Hurricane: (71% + 40%) * 500 = 111% * 500 = 55,500%
Maximum - Level 11 Hurricane: (71% + 100%) * 500 = 171% * 500 = 85,500%

Now, we’ll add in another variable. Fast Bows. They fire at 92 shots per minute compared to a Normal Bow’s 83 shots per minute. Hurricane is unaffected by Fast Bows, so it may give Strafe a chance to catch up.

Minimum - Fast Strafe: (100% * 4) * 92 = 400% * 92 = 36,800%
Average - Fast Strafe: ((100% + 40%) * 4) * 92 = 560% * 92 = 51,520%
Maximum - Fast Strafe: ((100% + 100%) * 4) * 92 = 800% * 92 = 73,600%

This allows Strafe to beat level 3 Hurricane in average damage, but level 11 Hurricane still clearly outdamages Strafe, even with a Fast Bow.

Now, let’s factor in some Sharp Eyes to see if that’ll change the outcome. We’ll start off with level 1 Sharp Eyes, level 1 Hurricane, and level 30 Strafe. Now, level 1 Sharp Eyes makes Bowmen have a 41% chance of landing a Critical that adds 211% damage to any attacking skill that can normally Critical. The average Critical for that would be .41 * 211, or 86%.

Minimum - Strafe: (100% * 4) * 83 = 400% * 83 = 33,200%
Average - Strafe: ((100% + 86%) * 4) * 83 = 744% * 83 = 61,752%
Maximum - Strafe: ((100% + 211%) * 4) * 83 = 1244% * 83 = 103,252%

Minimum - Level 1 Hurricane: 51% * 500 = 25,500%
Average - Level 1 Hurricane: (51% + 86%) * 500 = 137% * 500 = 68,500%
Maximum - Level 1 Hurricane: (51% + 211%) * 500 = 262% * 500 = 131,000%

Now, it seems that level 1 Hurricane is better to use. However, that pesky minimum damage of Hurricane doesn’t rise due to the fact that minimum damage does not include Criticals.

Now, time to calculate for Fast Bows again to see the difference.

Minimum - Fast Strafe: (100% * 4) * 92 = 400% * 92 = 36,800%
Average - Fast Strafe: ((100% + 86%) * 4) * 92 = 744% * 92 = 68,448%
Maximum - Fast Strafe: ((100% + 211%) * 4) * 92 = 1244% * 92 = 114,448%

Well, that certainly brought the average damages much closer with only a 52% difference. Unfortunately, a Fast Bow will not make Strafe with level 1 Sharp Eyes better than level 1 Hurricane with level 1 Sharp Eyes. So it would appear that having just level 1 Hurricane and level 1 Sharp Eyes makes Strafe almost obsolete. Although, I must include that using level 1 Sharp Eyes in everyday training would be pesky because you’ll need to recast it every 10 seconds.

Glitches:

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Glitch - A minor malfunction, mishap, or technical problem
As derived from the above definition, a glitch is an unintentional malfunction. There appears to be many annoying glitches that affects the Bowman class. (Thus, many people think that Nexon hates us Bowmen. Using common sense, that isn't the case.) The following sections will be dealing with glitches that pertain to the Bowman class. I know, I know, glitches aren't frequently asked questions. However, they often lead to questions like, "Am I the only one who _____? Why does _____ happen to me? Why does _____ do this?" I will attempt to describe these glitches, and their solutions, as accurately as possible.

1) Mortal Blow:

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The problem has already been brought to Nexon's attention already and they have fixed it already. This is only being kept for reference.

This particular glitch was a great nuisance to few of those who have Mortal Blow. It would automatically disconnect you from the game's server when a certain event occurs.

Mortal Blow's instant kill ability is not what caused you to disconnect. Having your 3rd job summon was not part of it, nor was taking damage and Mortal Blow activating at once. This glitch is still in the dark. It has been confirmed that it is Mortal Blow that is causing the problem.

Some Bowmen speculate that the Mortal Blow glitch was dependent on the map you're in. For example, some people tended to disconnect frequently when in Leafre, but not so much when in Aqua Road. Others think that this glitch was caused when your internet connectivity was spiking (i.e. 150 kps, 60 kps, and then 140 kps). You may have been more susceptible to disconnect from the game. Another possible explanation is that there was a bug in the coding of one of the files. This may have caused Mortal Blow to randomly disconnect the player because of the miscoding.

2) Summons:

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This glitch involves both Silver Hawk and Golden Eagle. When you go through a portal on a map while either Silver Hawk or Golden Eagle is active, it is possible that your summon will automatically go to the middle of the map and stay there. You can either cast it again or walk within its range. This range is the same range of characters showing on your mini map. Imagine that someone was in the middle of the map, as soon as you see the person on the mini map, they will transport back next to you. Simply replace that someone with your summon and that's the glitch.

There's another glitch that involves Silver Hawk, Golden Eagle, and Frost Prey as well. On occasion, your summoned bird will pretend to attack a monster. By this I mean that it will show the attack, but no damage or status effect will occur. It's almost as if it is attacking nothing. Simply enter the Cash Shop, exit, and resummon it to fix the glitch.

3) Puppet:

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Puppet, the skill that summons a scarecrow (ironically, there's a crow on it) designed to distract the monster's attention away from the user. For this skill to properly work, one must attack a monster and then cast Puppet, preferably in a direction so that the monster no longer attacking you. Normally, you would only have to attack the monster once. However, if another person is in the map, it may take more than one hit for the monster to be attracted to the Puppet instead of you. Most people, including myself, believe it is lag induced. The presence of another person makes it so that the monster does not immediately go to the Puppet. The situation is easily remedied. Simply attack it more than once, preferably so that it is in its flinch state at least once.

4) Phantom Arrow:

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When you use Arrow Rain or Arrow Eruption, it's possible for another user to see a regular arrow shoot right before you use Rain or Eruption. You yourself can't see this phantom arrow, but it's possible for other people. It does not cause any extra damage or anything.

It's the game's way of calculating where to shoot, which is why you may see the arrow acting erratic. It's just that it's not supposed to be visible. All skills need to know which direction to go to and what monster's to hit. That is why when you cast Soul Arrow on a rope or ladder, it always faces to the left.

5) Disconnecting with Pierce:

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As you can tell from the name, some people have been disconnecting with Pierce. Fortunately, we already know the cause. The game's server will automatically disconnect you if you hit more than 99,999 damage. This was to prevent hackers from dealing huge amounts of damage. However, Pierce was meant to be able to surpass 99,999 damage. Currently, Pierce can deal damage up to 200,000, but anymore than that, and the user will disconnect.

Also, some people may have been confusing Pierce with Snipe. I assure you, it is not Snipe that makes Marksmen disconnect. Snipe always hits more than 95,000 damage.

Credits:

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Special thanks to these contributors: wdiablo2004, sapphire8, smacksaw, intoxic, luckymango, illogik, zedex, vortexx01, kalderon, TechnoLink, link545, sybaris, tzkbowman, Reginleif, bluebomber24, kevvl13, sometinynuts, phoenix23, Armonia, Genrou, player1or2, Xenith, and Icedfire. A lot of thanks to GrifMoNeY again for letting the Archer Guide Forums repost his original F.A.Q.