Squid Training Guide for F/P Mages

Author’s Note: Looking back during my 8x days, Squid training (last year, pre-4th job) was a Godsend from heaven for F/P’s, literally. However, thanks to the massive updates that we got over the past year, the art of Squid training is replaced with many new areas and such. Coming from the older generation of F/P’s, I felt that this lucrative spot for F/P’s is falling out of popularity and virtually into extinction. Since this guide has been up in Basil for a year, I felt like it was time for me to step up once more and make some massive changes to keep this up-to-date. With Harrisionzed’s motivational prodding and his contribution to this guide (his incredible editing skills), I managed to rework this guide to match with the new content we have in GMS today.

So enjoy this 1st anniversary edition of my Squid guide!

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  
• Overview
  
• Targeted Monster
  [INDENT]
• Drops/Additional Info[/INDENT]
  
• Recommended Skills
  
• Potions
  
• Recommended equips
  [INDENT]
• Hat[/INDENT]
  [INDENT]
• Overall[/INDENT]
  [INDENT]
• Shoes[/INDENT]
  [INDENT]
• Weapons[/INDENT]
  [INDENT][INDENT]
• Normal/Low-LUK[/INDENT][/INDENT]
  [INDENT][INDENT]
• LUK-less [/INDENT][/INDENT]
  [INDENT][INDENT]
• Commentary – Normal/Low-LUK weapons [/INDENT][/INDENT]
  [INDENT][INDENT]
• Commentary- LUK-less weapons[/INDENT][/INDENT]
  [INDENT]
• Cape[/INDENT]
  
• Training at Squids in Two Ways
  [INDENT]
• For People with Level 22+ Mist…[/INDENT]
  [INDENT][INDENT]
• Misting/Killing Routes[/INDENT][/INDENT]
  [INDENT]
• For People with Level 21 Mist and below…[/INDENT]
  [INDENT]
• Side Note About Using Mount/Drop-down function[/INDENT]
  
• Maintaining Financial Stability (A recession term?)
  
• Pros and Cons of Squid Training
  
• Credits
  
• Conclusion
  

[SIZE="5"]Introduction[/SIZE]

Hello everyone, this is WillDaSnail, the present-day F/P Arch Mage in Khaini. I had trained from 75-85 at Squids, and developed my own training styles by learning what I did wrong and improvising to make my needs meet. Reading the old Squid guides for F/Ps that was available at that time wasn’t getting through into my mind, so I decided to simply find a new way to train. The techniques that I developed and used are in this guide.

[SIZE="5"]Overview[/SIZE]

Squids have been an ancient F/P Misting spot since Aqua Road (Dungeon) was released. Back then (with Squid parties or solo), it was probably the best EXP around, second to sharks (Pre-Leafre days). Mist Squid training is not rocket science; it is pretty simple, straightforward, and cheap, decent training all in one.

Minimum level to train at Squids with Mist is Level 75.


[SIZE="5"]Targeted monster:[/SIZE]




Level: 97
HP: 49,000
MP: 210
KB: 4200
EXP: 2500
Avoid: 37

Effective Elements: Ice, Poison, and Holy
Resistant to Fire, Lightning, and Heal.

I don't remember Risell Squids being weak to Ice. It's possible it could have changed over the months, but I've remembered Aqua Dungeon to be notoriously unfriendly to WKs since virtually no monsters are weak to any element aside from poison. I was in Ludibrium toasting Grims since there was no place for WKs in the formerly legendary Squids area.

Well, I used Hidden-street's definition of elemental weakness. "Effective to" is defined as elements that can deal normal damage to it. If I were to put "Weak to", then those are the elements that the monsters are weak to, and take extra damage if they were attacked with it. Good point you brought up though xD

[SIZE="5"]Drops:[/SIZE]

 Spoiler

Butter-Toasted Squid, Mana Elixir, Power Elixir, Glove Production Stimulator, Shoes Production Stimulator

The Summoning Rock, The Magic Rock, Silver Ore, Opal Ore, Wisdom Crystal Ore

Scroll for Gloves for ATT (60%), Scroll for Gloves for DEX (60%)

Rose Earrings

Helios, Orihalcon War Greave, Bronze Kalkan, Gold Kalkan, Gigantic Sledge, Gold Aquila Shield, Green Crescent Boots

Black Oriental Fury Coat (M), Black Oriental Fury Coat (F)

Green Ades (M), Green Anes (F)

Dark Pirate Top (M), Dark Pirate Bottom (M), Purple Osfa Hat, Red Osfa Suit (F), Red Osfa Pants (F)

[SIZE="5"]Recommended skills:[/SIZE]

– Level 1 minimum
Despite the fact that Level 1 Explosion may not do anything much, it has quite a few uses here in Squid training. With this skill, this allows you the ability to quickly clear good-sized mobs that might take some time to kill one by one with Magic Claw.
– Level 14 or more minimum
Referring to ThunderStrike’s Poison Calculations: http://sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1222698

With a few exceptions, Level 14 Mist is just enough to eat out all the Squid’s HP with 2 castings (if you’re using the “Double Misting” method), and able to OHKO after using Magic Claw
Note: If you had put in 3 Mist at Level 71 and had gone from there, you’ll get 16 Mist. Probably a better route to take if you want to guarantee a fully poisoned Squid by the time you’re ready to kill them

This old 1st job skill still has its uses here. For one, its versatility is unmatched thanks to its nature and its casting speed. Its 2x attack allows you to get a hit even if you get a miss on either of the two hits. The fast casting speed allows you to simply hit a Squid and move out of the way without delay.

[SIZE="5"]Potions:[/SIZE]

When it comes down to potions, everyone has their preferences. Some use certain NLC pots, some use that coupled with certain HP pots, and so forth.

For this, I strongly recommend Ginger Roots () (Recovers 40% HP and MP). Its cheap, and has both MP and HP recovery in one, which is much more cost-efficient than buying two different pots at the same time. You only need to pot every time you get hit with Risell Squid’s magic attacks or bumping into one.

On top of that, Speed pills () (from Ludi pot shop) are strongly recommended. This will boost your speed significantly (on top of possible speed effects from equips) and helps with mobility during training. Once you are on this stuff, you’ll realize how much it helps.

[SIZE="5"]Recommended Equips:[/SIZE]

Recent updates brought us more new equips to toy around with. After doing some research, here are recommended equips to use for training:

[SIZE="4"]Hat:[/SIZE]



If you’re lucky to obtain this (through quest or purchase), its strongly recommended to use it. The speed and jump boost that it gives is quite beneficial, especially when you’re moving around a lot during training.



Since everyone’s toting Zhelms on their heads nowadays, I’m going to include this piece of rock here. IF you purchased/earned a Zhelm by the time you Squid, use it instead. Despite the fact it doesn’t have speed or jump boost, its Avoid + high defense boost cuts down significantly on damage and pot use. If you had to pick between a Bone Helm and Zhelm to use for training, I’d take this instead.

[SIZE="4"]Overall:[/SIZE]



Since Showa came out, this overall was introduced. This overall is probably better than anything around speed-wise since it’s the only overall in-game that gives Speed w/o being scrolled.

For 20K mesos a pop, this is a must-have for Squidding. Despite the fact I never used this in my Squidding career, I do know that it’ll definitely help a lot.

[SIZE="4"]Shoes:[/SIZE]



These shoes – despite the fact they look out of place when training – are the picks for Squid training. Since Whitebottoms are widely available (with base speed clean), its recommended you use it. Scroll it either with 100% or 60%, whether you feel comfortable.

Snowshoes have no speed, but it can hold up to 7 speed or up to 14 speed, depending if you scroll it with 100% or 60%. If you want to try for more speed than Whitebottoms, then this is your toy.

If you want to go further, you might want to consider Violet Snowshoes, which are relatively cheap at ~10m each in price (price can vary depending on what server you're on) and comes at 6 speed already. Since Shoe Speed 60% scrolls are extremely cheap and in abundance, scrolling one could easily yield you with 14+ speed.

Jump still has an effect while swimming. If you can, get jump too. Violet SSes are a bonus since they have speed AND jump =P Just in case you have trouble being convinced, try testing various speed/jump in the waters of Nautilus Port. I'd still consider speed as the better priority though.

With this quote, this reminds me that VSS has a jump bonus on top of the speed bonus it gives. Thanks for reminding me Kaj xD

[SIZE="4"]Weapons:[/SIZE]

Plenty of weapons nowadays! Here are my picks for weapons that are suitable for Squid training:

[SIZE="3"]Normal/Low LUK:[/SIZE]

-
-
- (which is hella expensive…

[SIZE="3"]LUK-less:[/SIZE]

- *
-
-
- *
-

(* = denotes possible usage by both normal-LUK/Low-LUK and LUK-less F/P Mages)

[SIZE="3"]Commentary on Normal/Low-LUK weapons:[/SIZE]

Evil Wings/Hinomaru Fan: Since they’re Level 6x weapons, I might as well include them together as whole. Both of these weapons are great Fast (4) type weapons, making mob clearance much faster with Explosion. Both are available very cheaply in many ways possible. For training, it doesn’t matter if it’s scrolled or not; you don’t need to spend tons of mesos to get a good one. The point here is to train as fast as you can while trying to sacrifice the least of anything as possible.

Zhu-Ge Liang Wand: This may be a bit more expensive since it’s a Grandpa Boss-only drop. If you get your hands on one and want to use it over Hinomaru/Evil Wings, go for it. Can be used clean or scrolled (preferably clean, if you want to save $).

[SIZE="3"]Commentary on LUK-less weapons:[/SIZE]

- Poison Mushroom: This weapon is widely available through Gach, and is the ONLY Fast(4) weapon (and the only LUK-less weapon to be able to use Booster on) due to its 10-LUK requirement. If you get your hands on this one, you’re basically set to go. It’s worth about twice as much as Maple Lama Staff, and can be easily obtainable.

- Maple Staff/Lama Staff/Nocturnal Staff/Shine Wand/Wisdom Staff/Umbrellas: If you’re a LUK-less and cannot obtain a Poison Mushroom, then you’re basically stuck with any of those weapons listed above. Depending on your situation, you may have a scrolled or unscrolled weapon; both of those are fine either way.

- Red Whip/Pico-Pico Hammer: If you simply want speed over a nice decrease in magic attack, go for it. However, I would not recommend strongly using this weapon since it may be hard to OHKO poisoned mobs, especially in the earlier levels (due to insufficient magic – you’ll see MISS pop out frequently).

NOTE: Some of you may wonder why Level 70 Elemental Wands are NOT up there. Here’s the reason: The speed of it is utterly slow, and is not suitable either way for this type of training. Plus this type of training isn't about flaunting how much damage you can do.....

Note: Don’t use a red whip or an umbrella unless you don’t have booster yet.


[SIZE="3"]Cape:[/SIZE]

- Icarus Cape (2) - +10 Speed
- Icarus Cape (3) - +5 Jump.
- Alcadno Cape or Zemunist Cape

All of these capes work (pick and choose), and are available cheaply. It’s recommended to get a clean one.

Side note: If you finished the chain of quests and obtained the Alcando or Zemunist Capes, its better to use them since they offer more Speed and Jump.

That’s all for the recommended equips for Speed Squid training. Pick and choose to your own liking!

[SIZE="5"]Training at Squids in Two Ways:[/SIZE]

Now you’re ready to go kill some Squids. But still wondering how to train? Here are two ways you can train (Pick the one that corresponds to how much points you have in Mist right now)

Here are the routes that I used in the past specifically.

[SIZE="4"]Top to Bottom Method:[/SIZE]

Top To Bottom (Misting)

Need to rework the map.

Top to Bottom (Killing)

 Spoiler

[SIZE="4"]Bottom to Top Method:[/SIZE]

Bottom to Top (Misting)

need to rework mini-map.

Bottom to Top (Killing)

 Spoiler

Key:

Colored Lines: Routes
Brown Dots: Misting spots
Purple Dots: (Prime) mobbing spots
(Note: Ignore the other colored dots, as I copied the mini-map off Hidden-Street.......)

(Side note:. I’m working on getting an enlarged image from Slip’s map rendering station and edit it with routes, mist locations, etc. Once I get that done, it’ll be added into the guide)

Truly, the ways I’ve shown looks like a load of memorization. HOWEVER, this is not the case. When you finish misting, you’ll end up either at top or bottom and have to CC. Instead of having to go to a certain spot to CC, you simply just CC where you end up and just go the opposite way when you hit the next channel. For example, if you end up at top and CC, you’ll spawn at top and simply Mist/Claw/Explode your way down the map. After a level training like this, you’ll get used to the cycling.

Note regarding the usage of Mounts and the Jump Down functions: As much as you would think that Mounts are extremely useful during training, I strongly recommend not using it, unless you find a way to mount/demount in a moment’s notice. When you’re mounted, you’re pretty much vulnerable in terms of not being able to pot, as well as not being able to attack. The delay in mounting/demounting is quite unbearable, as it'll mostly slow you down. Also, if you noticed, the routes that I marked will take you through areas where monsters are numerous, which will increase the chances of you bumping into a Squid. In short, its going to be more of a hassle than a benefit to use a mount during training.

For the Jump Down function: this function is a must-use when you’re training. This gets especially handy when you need a quick escape from provoked mobs or want to go to an area below that is non-teleable. Utilize this while training, you’ll find it very, very useful. Even though I didn’t have this function during my Squid days, all I can say is that I’d save myself quite a few times if that function was available.

[SIZE="4"]For people with Level 21 Mist or below:[/SIZE]

For starters, minimum level to train at Squids is at least Level 75. But Mist is not at its prime yet.

The only way you can train here is using the “Double” Misting method. This is the method I improvised when I was here during my late 7x’s. Basically, you go through the map in the same fashion if you had level 22+ Mist. BUT you go back to where you started and Mist again. (Note that Mist is not high enough to completely kill off a monster, if you have 21 Mist or below).

Since this is slow killing, its best to stick with single channel. But EXP isn’t half-bad either: You get better EXP than anywhere else during the anagonizing grindfest of 7x.

(Note: Its recommended to use Explosion if you encounter a mob of 3 or more Squids)

[SIZE="5"]Maintaining financial stability (a recession term?)[/SIZE]

If you think Squid training takes a lot of $, it really doesn’t. Thanks to the NLC pots providing great healing effects for decent amount of mesos per pot today and the zero-gravity that characterizes Aqua Road, both of those factors are cost-friendly to you. To really sum up how cheap it really is: Selling only one apple obtained from APQ will literally fund you for a whole level.

To make sure pots stretch to the max, try following these tips:

- Avoid unnecessary bumping/provocation of Squids.
- Use the zero-gravity of Aqua Road to your advantage (running/jumping away from attacked Squids, teleporting)
- Pot when necessary.

General rule of thumb: Bring 800+ Roots. Usually, 800 roots will sustain you for a whole level, provided you don’t waste them on unnecessary expenditures. Having a NLC pot mule (connected to the account that your F/P is in) helps greatly.

[SIZE="5"]The Pros and Cons of Misting Squids[/SIZE]

Let us examine the Pros and Cons of Squid Training

Pros:

- Fast EXP/hr (faster than any other class in your level solo)
- "Weightlessness" maneuverability
- Decent map size
- Significantly easier than sharks and their annoying Dispel
- Lower touch damage than some other monsters that give similar exp rates

Cons:

- Probably the worst annoyances you’ll encounter while Squidding: Black Squids. They do spawn alongside Risell Squids that you’re targeting, and do take up the Risell spawn. About 5+ are enough to clutter the whole spawn of Risells over, and you’re faced with finding another channel to start out with, or finding someone to clear them out. Either way, those guys are a pain. (Or you can clear them up yourself by using magic claw, it just takes a while, but should be shorter than finding someone to clear it out for you.)

[SIZE="5"]Credits[/SIZE]


There isn’t much. But heck to that, I would like to acknowledge these people and sites for their contribution to the guide:

- Hidden-Street for the Dangerous Sea Gorge Mini-map, Risell Squid information, and the equipment/skill images.

- Southperry (http://www.southperry.net) for hosting this.

- Harrisonized – Special thanks to him for giving me valuable advice and thoroughly editing my guide. Thank you so much!

- ThunderStrike for his Poison Damage Calculations Guide

- SlipNSlide for his enlarged maps from his map rendering station

[SIZE="5"]Conclusion[/SIZE]

That's all folks! If you have any questions, comments, or anything regarding this guide, please contact me through:

- Private messaging (PM): http://www.southperry.net/forums/private...newpm&u=73

- In game: WillDaSnail (I’m usually on during weekends unless its holidays)

- If you need a live in-game demonstration, PM me or find me in-game so arrangements can be made.

Thanks for reading my guide. Have a good day!

- Reserved post -

You should post this on SW. Get more ppl to review it. xD

I haven't read everything yet, but I will edit as I go along.

I don't remember Risell Squids being weak to Ice. It's possible it could have changed over the months, but I've remembered Aqua Dungeon to be notoriously unfriendly to WKs since virtually no monsters are weak to any element aside from poison. I was in Ludibrium toasting Grims since there was no place for WKs in the formerly legendary Squids area.

Pirate Hats have speed and jump, and are like mini-zhelms. You can use those if for some reason you have one.

Jump still has an effect while swimming. If you can, get jump too. Violet SSes are a bonus since they have speed AND jump =P Just in case you have trouble being convinced, try testing various speed/jump in the waters of Nautilus Port. I'd still consider speed as the better priority though.

Substitutes for the Red Whip and Pico-Pico Hammer (since you put them up there) are the Flaming Katana (+17 speed) and the Glowing Whip. How you're going to get them is another issue. EDIT: kkz, scratch the Glowing Whip, it holds no advantage over the Red Whip for Mages.


To be continued...

^To add on to that, red flowery tube can be very cheaply obtained in the MTS for the low, low price of 221 and adds a fair amount of speed, around 10 if I remember correctly, effectively dodging the inflation on red whips.

Another thing about your equipment section; if people can't afford decent speed equipment, I'd strongly suggest hp equipment. Because damage doesn't matter and int/luk's effect on accuracy is somewhat negligible, adding hp equipment is great for making potions heal more and decreasing risk of death for less-experienced people. Also, I think you're over-exaggerating the importance of the speed of the weapon (attack speed, not movement speed). While it does affect explosion casting rate, it's quite insignificant (around the order of ~15% of a decrease, which is really barely anything if you think about it), and I'd personally rather take the 150hp, normal speed wisdom staff over the 0hp, fast 4 speed poison mushroom, evil wings, fan, or whatever.

About the requirements thing, I don't think that level 1 explosion is an absolute minimum requirement. This might mislead people into geting level 1 explosion early, which delays poison mist's optimal levels (3x+1). Especially due to low accuracy, level 1 explosion rarely hits more than 3 or so monsters, so low-level explosion really should be avoided until you get decent accuracy on the squids. In my opinion, you should separate recommended skills into required and optimal, with required with whatever level mist you can use to start double misting, and optimal with 28-30 mist, 28+ explosion, and 11+ booster.

I can't say much about the routes because jump down, which should dramatically change the pace of this map for misting, wasn't around back then =/

Great guide by the way =]

I haven't read everything yet, but I will edit as I go along.

I don't remember Risell Squids being weak to Ice. It's possible it could have changed over the months, but I've remembered Aqua Dungeon to be notoriously unfriendly to WKs since virtually no monsters are weak to any element aside from poison. I was in Ludibrium toasting Grims since there was no place for WKs in the formerly legendary Squids area.

Pirate Hats have speed and jump, and are like mini-zhelms. You can use those if for some reason you have one.

Jump still has an effect while swimming. If you can, get jump too. Violet SSes are a bonus since they have speed AND jump =P Just in case you have trouble being convinced, try testing various speed/jump in the waters of Nautilus Port. I'd still consider speed as the better priority though.

Substitutes for the Red Whip and Pico-Pico Hammer (since you put them up there) are the Flaming Katana (+17 speed) and the Glowing Whip. How you're going to get them is another issue. EDIT: kkz, scratch the Glowing Whip, it holds no advantage over the Red Whip for Mages.


To be continued...

Ah, I forgot about the other effects of VSS. Thanks for reminding me! xD

Pirate hats, I'll add that in too. I was probably too concretrated on the fact that more lower level people have zhelms nowdays, lol.

^To add on to that, red flowery tube can be very cheaply obtained in the MTS for the low, low price of 221 and adds a fair amount of speed, around 10 if I remember correctly, effectively dodging the inflation on red whips.

Hm, interesting. Let me look into this as a possible addition. Thanks for the suggestion!

Another thing about your equipment section; if people can't afford decent speed equipment, I'd strongly suggest hp equipment. Because damage doesn't matter and int/luk's effect on accuracy is somewhat negligible, adding hp equipment is great for making potions heal more and decreasing risk of death for less-experienced people. Also, I think you're over-exaggerating the importance of the speed of the weapon (attack speed, not movement speed). While it does affect explosion casting rate, it's quite insignificant (around the order of ~15% of a decrease, which is really barely anything if you think about it), and I'd personally rather take the 150hp, normal speed wisdom staff over the 0hp, fast 4 speed poison mushroom, evil wings, fan, or whatever.

While HP equips were not as common back in my older days, I learned by experince on how to survive. But note that once one gets used to the pace of the training, HP equips only serve as a buffer as a "just in case", and he/she eventually will not use them anymore. You can say that the gravity in Aqua Road contributes to getting the training routine quick. xD

Good point you made there though, I haven't even thought of using HP equipment down at Squids. I'll give this a major consideration.

About the requirements thing, I don't think that level 1 explosion is an absolute minimum requirement. This might mislead people into geting level 1 explosion early, which delays poison mist's optimal levels (3x+1). Especially due to low accuracy, level 1 explosion rarely hits more than 3 or so monsters, so low-level explosion really should be avoided until you get decent accuracy on the squids. In my opinion, you should separate recommended skills into required and optimal, with required with whatever level mist you can use to start double misting, and optimal with 28-30 mist, 28+ explosion, and 11+ booster.

Well, note that the Mist's range increase that I based it on (starting from level 1, and increase by increments 3 every time you level). Truly, it doesn't delay optimal levels of Mist. The reason why I put Explosion up there so the player can gain the ability to clear any large-sized mobs that might accumulate. Basically, its to make life easier.

I was thinking about having Explosion as a optional skill while I was piecing this guide together, all due to its crappy range and base atk (at level 1).

About the "optimal" and "required": Hm, while giving this a thought, I think that might help define the requirements of skills that I might have. Thanks for the suggestion xD

For this, I strongly recommend Ginger Roots () (Recovers 40% HP and MP). Its cheap, and has both MP and HP recovery in one, which is much more cost-efficient than buying two different pots at the same time. You only need to pot every time you get hit with Risell Squid’s magic attacks or bumping into one.

Might wanna include ginger ales as well. They're a bit cheaper for their cost. Preference is at play, give the people more options.

- *
-
-
- *
-

(* = denotes possible usage by both normal-LUK/Low-LUK and LUK-less F/P Mages)

Nothing wrong with this part, but just saying it's a bit hard to see the asterisks because you spaced it so close to your picture.

- Red Whip/Pico-Pico Hammer: If you simply want speed over a nice decrease in magic attack, go for it. However, I would not recommend strongly using this weapon since it may be hard to OHKO poisoned mobs, especially in the earlier levels (due to insufficient magic – you’ll see MISS pop out frequently).

Woops. Might wanna fix this. Mage accuracy isn't dependent on magic attack, so you won't see "MISS" any more than what you had seen before.

NOTE: Some of you may wonder why Level 70 Elemental Wands are NOT up there. Here’s the reason: The speed of it is utterly slow, and is not suitable either way for this type of training. Plus this type of training isn't about flaunting how much damage you can do.....

Should make this a bit more clear by saying that "damage is irrelevant here".

Note regarding the usage of Mounts and the Jump Down functions: As much as you would think that Mounts are extremely useful during training, I strongly recommend not using it, unless you find a way to mount/demount in a moment’s notice. When you’re mounted, you’re pretty much vulnerable in terms of not being able to pot, as well as not being able to attack. The delay in mounting/demounting is quite unbearable, as it'll mostly slow you down. Also, if you noticed, the routes that I marked will take you through areas where monsters are numerous, which will increase the chances of you bumping into a Squid. In short, its going to be more of a hassle than a benefit to use a mount during training

Actually, this is not true. I've used my mount quite a bit now, and well... I find it HELPFUL to have an "adjustable" speed. Whenever I need a speed boost, I press my mount. When I no longer need the speed boost, I dismount. Because of my keyboard layout, whenever I reach a ladder, I basically press [mount+jump+mount]. This gives me what I call a "hasted jump". Same goes for if I'm falling, I'll tap my mount button when I jump off and re-tap it just as I'm about to hit the ground. The casting speed of mount is about 40 times a minute, roughly the speed of explosion, except that you CAN use the mount's effect before the animation turns off.

Now, when playing with the mount in Aqua, I found mount quite useless for moving upwards, because when moving UP with my mount, I shoot up VERY quickly and as a result, end up crashing uncontrollably. However, mount's are excellent for moving DOWN, because I would not shoot down, and rather can control varying speeds.

I theorize that the "shooting up" is because of the configuration of Aqua road. When moving up, instead of pressing up arrow to signify the up direction, one must jump... up. However, because of the "low-gravity" design of aqua, once you jump up, the distance that is allowed for that jump is determined by speed (much like when jumping sideways on land, the distance of the jump is determined by the speed, but instead the distance of the up movement is determined by the speed).

Now, having said that, it's actually quite simple. Because teleport usually (usually emphasized) has the horizontal distance covered, mount is the only way a mage can increase his/her speed VERTICALLY (when there are no platforms above you).

Vertical positions are up/down. Since up, as I explained, is pretty much useless, let us explore the capacities of the mount for "down". In Aqua, one has quite a lot of control over the speed of his/her character. A person has control over two speeds:
1) Speed of character sinking
2) Speed of character swimming down (by holding the down button)

Adding a mount will give you control of TWO more speeds
3) Speed of mount sinking
4) Speed of mount swimming down (by holding the down button)

What I find though, is that mount is especially useful when the speed of your character and the speed of the mount vary a lot. When you need fast speed, use the mount. If you're about to crash, dismount immediately and jump. When you dismount in such a fashion, your character starts moving slowly, and because the character is slow, it will propel you only a small bit, and that will land you just above the mob that you were intending to reach.

I believe that people should cut down on the speed potions. Why use them at all when you can just mount/dismount at variable intervals to have supreme control over speed? Also, going for maxed speed/jump (or haste), would be destroying the usage of your mount.

What I recommend people do is that they set mount close to teleport and jump. Only when using all three can the full mobility of a mage be utilized properly.

I believe that people should cut down on the speed potions. Why use them at all when you can just mount/dismount at variable intervals to have supreme control over speed? Also, going for maxed speed/jump (or haste), would be destroying the usage of your mount.

Some people aren't that rich. Speed potions are vastly cheaper (after 112 hours of using the mount, the money gets returned), and they're good for if you're in some intense combat anyways. Mounting at pap = phailure.

Might wanna include ginger ales as well. They're a bit cheaper for their cost. Preference is at play, give the people more options.

Well, here's the thing: A late 7x-early 8x F/P only have enough HP and MP to take about 3-4 touch or magic damage before they die. And if they want to pot every time they get hit with attacks/touch, watch the costs pile up. Plus, MP:meso-wise, its not worth it, EVEN if it reaches to where you even out with the MP:meso ratio. Those pots are meant to be used at higher levels, hence their effects and the matching cost. Ginger Roots, on the other hand, are quite cheap, are supposed to be used at lower levels, and just enough to heal back to full health, if you pot every hit. Combine with responsible navigation during training (aka don't go reckless and provoke/bump every Squid you see), and the costs with the Roots will be low enough to the point where you can break even or make some extra cash.

Hope you understand.

Woops. Might wanna fix this. Mage accuracy isn't dependent on magic attack, so you won't see "MISS" any more than what you had seen before.

Should make this a bit more clear by saying that "damage is irrelevant here".

Well, what I was trying to say is that if you use a weapon w/o magic attack on them, your magic will be too low to the point where the magic defense of Risell Squids are enough to see some "MISS"es pop up. Well, that's from what I saw when I trained there. (Note that when I used a normal mage weapon, the "MISS"es reduced drastically).

Actually, this is not true. I've used my mount quite a bit now, and well... I find it HELPFUL to have an "adjustable" speed. Whenever I need a speed boost, I press my mount. When I no longer need the speed boost, I dismount. Because of my keyboard layout, whenever I reach a ladder, I basically press [mount+jump+mount]. This gives me what I call a "hasted jump". Same goes for if I'm falling, I'll tap my mount button when I jump off and re-tap it just as I'm about to hit the ground. The casting speed of mount is about 40 times a minute, roughly the speed of explosion, except that you CAN use the mount's effect before the animation turns off.

Now, when playing with the mount in Aqua, I found mount quite useless for moving upwards, because when moving UP with my mount, I shoot up VERY quickly and as a result, end up crashing uncontrollably. However, mount's are excellent for moving DOWN, because I would not shoot down, and rather can control varying speeds.

I theorize that the "shooting up" is because of the configuration of Aqua road. When moving up, instead of pressing up arrow to signify the up direction, one must jump... up. However, because of the "low-gravity" design of aqua, once you jump up, the distance that is allowed for that jump is determined by speed (much like when jumping sideways on land, the distance of the jump is determined by the speed, but instead the distance of the up movement is determined by the speed).

Now, having said that, it's actually quite simple. Because teleport usually (usually emphasized) has the horizontal distance covered, mount is the only way a mage can increase his/her speed VERTICALLY (when there are no platforms above you).

Vertical positions are up/down. Since up, as I explained, is pretty much useless, let us explore the capacities of the mount for "down". In Aqua, one has quite a lot of control over the speed of his/her character. A person has control over two speeds:
1) Speed of character sinking
2) Speed of character swimming down (by holding the down button)

Adding a mount will give you control of TWO more speeds
3) Speed of mount sinking
4) Speed of mount swimming down (by holding the down button)

What I find though, is that mount is especially useful when the speed of your character and the speed of the mount vary a lot. When you need fast speed, use the mount. If you're about to crash, dismount immediately and jump. When you dismount in such a fashion, your character starts moving slowly, and because the character is slow, it will propel you only a small bit, and that will land you just above the mob that you were intending to reach.

I believe that people should cut down on the speed potions. Why use them at all when you can just mount/dismount at variable intervals to have supreme control over speed? Also, going for maxed speed/jump (or haste), would be destroying the usage of your mount.

What I recommend people do is that they set mount close to teleport and jump. Only when using all three can the full mobility of a mage be utilized properly.

Well Harrison, as Kajitii said, not everyone can afford a mount. Speed potions are pretty much a godsend from Nexon since they give a good boost of speed for a very good amount of time, and is cheap per pill.

I do agree on you with pressing the down arrow in Aqua, as it accelerates your speed. However, there are some disadvantages:

1) Despite the control you have, you might bump into a Squid that's right below you, that you couldn't see, and couldn't get out of the way in time.

2) Following up with that, you cannot rebuff, or do anything that might determine your survival. Especially if you run into a mob of Squids, and you lag and not pot in time.

3) Everyone has its preferences. However, I find dismounting/mounting very annoying. The millimeter-second delay it has slow things down enough to the point where it drives you nuts. Don't forget the things you cannot do when you're on a mount. Hence this is why I strongly don't recommend using Mounts during training is because the fast-paced training will be fast to the point that you wouldn't be using the Mount anymore to navigate.

Regarding speed/jump: Unless someone is crazy and decides to get enough speed/jump equipment to the maximum allowed possible, I do not recommend this. First, the excessive jump will make you crash uncontrollably. Second, the speed/jump equips will take away the ability to wear equips that might have more value in training, such as Zhelm. Third, the cost to obtain/scrolling them is quite unnecessary.

Magic accuracy is not affected by magic attack by the way, and I'm pretty sure that squids' magic defense is nowhere near high enough so that an F/P can deal lower than 1 damage stripped with level 1 magic claw.

What I meant was that Claw can do reduced damage (not 1's). However, there will be "MISS" popping up if you were using a weapon w/o magic atk.

(Level difference can also contribute to this)

Hope that clears it up.

Reduced damage doesn't matter though, and why would anyone want to whack squids to death? O_o

Level difference doesn't affect magic damage by the way, only magic accuracy.

Mounting at pap = phailure.

Eh, no it's not. I always use mount to get up to the top platform on the left side of pap. Mount-Jump (imagine I'm on rope now), climb up a small section of rope - jump off (the extra jump on the mount will allow you to jump on the platform even while you're below it on the rope), and then dismount as falling.

It's so much faster than climbing by self. If you're just using mount for movement though, that's failure because you can just teleport.

Well, here's the thing: A late 7x-early 8x F/P only have enough HP and MP to take about 3-4 touch or magic damage before they die. And if they want to pot every time they get hit with attacks/touch, watch the costs pile up. Plus, MP:meso-wise, its not worth it, EVEN if it reaches to where you even out with the MP:meso ratio. Those pots are meant to be used at higher levels, hence their effects and the matching cost. Ginger Roots, on the other hand, are quite cheap, are supposed to be used at lower levels, and just enough to heal back to full health, if you pot every hit. Combine with responsible navigation during training (aka don't go reckless and provoke/bump every Squid you see), and the costs with the Roots will be low enough to the point where you can break even or make some extra cash.

Hope you understand.

The point is not to pot after every hit, because you don't need it. As long as you can use the pot to it's full effects, you'll save money with the ginger ales.

Well, what I was trying to say is that if you use a weapon w/o magic attack on them, your magic will be too low to the point where the magic defense of Risell Squids are enough to see some "MISS"es pop up. Well, that's from what I saw when I trained there. (Note that when I used a normal mage weapon, the "MISS"es reduced drastically).

Unless you are whacking the monster, I don't see how this is possible.

Well Harrison, as Kajitii said, not everyone can afford a mount. Speed potions are pretty much a godsend from Nexon since they give a good boost of speed for a very good amount of time, and is cheap per pill.

Of course. But what of the people who can? 20m isn't much to accumulate for the people who buy NX (which is practically everyone). If they can afford a Zhelm, I'm pretty sure they can afford a mount as well.

I do agree on you with pressing the down arrow in Aqua, as it accelerates your speed. However, there are some disadvantages:

1) Despite the control you have, you might bump into a Squid that's right below you, that you couldn't see, and couldn't get out of the way in time.

2) Following up with that, you cannot rebuff, or do anything that might determine your survival. Especially if you run into a mob of Squids, and you lag and not pot in time.

3) Everyone has its preferences. However, I find dismounting/mounting very annoying. The millimeter-second delay it has slow things down enough to the point where it drives you nuts. Don't forget the things you cannot do when you're on a mount. Hence this is why I strongly don't recommend using Mounts during training is because the fast-paced training will be fast to the point that you wouldn't be using the Mount anymore to navigate.

1) After 15 minutes of training there, you should know where all the platforms are. If you know where the platforms are, you know when to stop.

2) Of course not. But, squids don't have dispel. Why would you re-buff? Regarding potting, I usually make sure I can take a hit before mounting. If I fall below that, just tap mount-pot-mount. Should take no more than a second.

3) The millimeter-second delay is only an illusion, as you can use it's effect as soon as you press the button. The Mount just doesn't appear until the "delay". The things you cannot do on a mount are: cast skills and pot. Mount is merely for movement. However, if you do need to travel a longer-than-teleport distance, mount is faster. You just need to press dismount early and before you hit what's below you.

Regarding speed/jump: Unless someone is crazy and decides to get enough speed/jump equipment to the maximum allowed possible, I do not recommend this. First, the excessive jump will make you crash uncontrollably. Second, the speed/jump equips will take away the ability to wear equips that might have more value in training, such as Zhelm. Third, the cost to obtain/scrolling them is quite unnecessary.

Of course. I wasn't suggesting that though. I was suggesting that someone make their char speed farther (in other words, have a lower speed if they have a mount) from the speed of their mount to have better control over their own speed. (This is assuming they had a mount though).