[1.2.381] The Wind

When everyone uses X to attack, and Y and Z do no actual to the way you play, you pick whichever gives you the most damage. There are no skills except Ultimate Inferno that affect "play style". You either use Hurricane or you use Ultimate Inferno. There's no "max x first to suit playstyle A, and max y first to suit play style B" because it doesn't exist. "Play style" only applies to a job that have a large variety of skills or application. That doesn't exist for Bow Masters, and hardly for Marksmen because they both get two attacking skills that are usually maxed first. Every skill Archers get that isn't Hurricane, Pierce, Ultimate Inferno, Ultimate Strafe are buffs to damage. The only importance is which ones give more damage because it's literally meaningless to get them in an order that makes you weaker unless you're just poor and can't afford the books, or you're naive enough to believe that an increase in avoid, or more damage from Elite Puppet will make you train faster than actual damage buffs.

I guarantee you based on what skill you don't put into will effect whether or not people will want you in a party.

Besides, this isn't JUST Bowmasters. Someone else mentioned that Mages also have this now. They have all useful skills but not enough points to max every single one. I wouldn't be surprised if Thieves and Pirates get the same changes. They (Nexon) don't want people playing all exactly the same, and I don't blame them. The game became a formula for just about everything a long time ago, it's about time they added potential for change. Back when the game first started, if you put points into certain skills, you were a moron. Now, it might have been a good idea not to follow the guide exactly.

Outside of MS, most skill point guides for MMOs weren't ever meant to be completely followed 100% anyway. In MS, it made sense because the skills left out were useless, but in other games they typically made the (non-drone) player think "Why would he/she do that?", and still make your own decisions. That never happened in MS because the skills people skipped out on, they skipped out on for a reason, because they were useless. That's not the case anymore.

Look, I'm not saying that people aren't going to follow guides to the letter, because a majority of people seem to rather have things spelt out for them instead of figuring it out for themselves, but meanwhile now the guy who thinks independently, just may not have the same build as you or me, and that alone is the best change you can possibly put into this game.