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Atlantica Online’s economy and guide to making more money

May 24, 2010 Articles Recommend|398views

In the Fourth Age, the Era of Global Recession, when the stress monster reigned supreme, sending the helpless pocketbooks fleeing for the hills, there arose a champion to fight for the masses. This was the MMO: an incredibly cheap source of entertainment that allows the average Joe and Jane to blow off some steam by hitting a dragon in the head with a hammer. Come home and relax, kill some monsters, chat with your guildies, and buy and sell your virtual goods in a stable, reliable market.

Oops. Stable, reliable market? Not anymore!

Whether you’ve been reading the AO forums or not, chances are that you’ve noticed that prices keep going up, and up, and up, and up. That long-awaited shiny new piece of conqueror’s armor is going to cost you an increasingly large amount of shiny pennies. When I first bought my Conqueror boxes, they went for less than a million each. Now, just a few months later.

We’ve seen more than 100% inflation in only two months. Holy cow! (For those of you interested in such comparisons, the average annual inflation rate of the US Dollar is about three percent).

The theories for the cause of inflation are many:

Some say that the inclusion of the Hwarang quest, which requires 500 collection points (points which would have previously been spent on equipment boxes) and its heady 100m in cash has resulted in an overflow of gold.

Others have noted that removing the ability to JP indy items (i.e. torn pages, water dragon scales, etc) has removed an easy source of Sea and Earth Elements, which are often used in the Barter Shop to obtain high end crafting items. Thus high end crafters (i.e. the ones with the full bank accounts) have had no choice but to rely on Dragon, Conqueror, Freezing, and Divine gear to obtain their elements.

Still others have blamed the various minor adjustments, a supposed ninja nerf in Goonzu loot and an overall 80% reduction in item drops.

Whatever the reason, it’s quite clear that outfitting our mercenaries in the latest gear grows increasingly costly. We are left with a choice: do we try to stick our fingers in the overflowing dam as it breaks apart, calling on players to be less greedy as if the market wasn’t simply following the tides of supply and demand, or do we accept that that the dam is lost and build a boat, stock it full of delicious ripe apples (so as to avoid scurvy), put on our pirate hat, raise the ol’ skull and cross bones, rattle our cutlasses, then sail forth to pillage the seas?!

Okay, perhaps I got a little carried away with my metaphor, but nevertheless I say: avast!

And so we come to the useful part of the article: how to make money in AO. Of course you’ve got your obvious methods: do some quests, kill some monsters and break their piggy banks, scam honest players by selling a freezing orb as a crystal ball of harmony… er wait… ahem… but I’m here to offer you some tips and tricks and hopefully soon you’ll be sailing along, your weapons glittering as they smash newly-killable monsters left and right.

Jackpot

Jackpot is a non-secret alternative method of looting and the savior of my constantly depleted bank account. All of the high levels know it and use it, but I find that many low levels are simply unaware of its existence. I even have some level 90+ guildies who ask me what jackpot is all about.

The process is simple: buy a jackpot license appropriate for your level at a fixed price (300k for II, 3.6m for IV) from the market and let the looting begin. You’ve got twelve item slots to fill with quantities up to 9999 and at any time you can acquire all (which simply moves the items into your inventory) or you can select one item in the list and do a “Jackpot Challenge” which converts all of the items in your jackpot window into a single item, the quantity of which depends on what else you’ve got in there.

It is with the Jackpot Challenge that the real profits come about. At first, you can just leave jackpot on and simply pick any items you want, this is one of the best ways for low levels to get Ashen Crystals, which you’ll need to upgrade mercenaries. Once you get into higher levels, though, you’ll want to start setting up a specific jackpot by finding some highly used low cost material to place into your first slot, then filling the rest up with high value boxes and goods. For the purposes of demonstrating this, I used a low level boss to get an enchant II box and then ran ind. dungeon 101 (and photoshopped the result into the same picture):

In this case the result (using prices on my server) is worth twice as much as the input. Ta-da, magic makes it happen! Though some people accumulate month-long War Cry jackpots worth billions of gold, your best bets are commodities that many crafts use: topaz, animal bones, crystals, etc.

The Box Method

This is a golden oldie: you buy an equipment box or a book box or an enchant box or some other box, open it up, and sell the result. As of this writing, a shogun equipment box is selling for 240,000 gold. And yet a ghost warrior heavy armor, which can be found in the box, sells for nearly 4 times as much!

For the uninitiated, you might be saying what, what, what, what, people are dumb! but it’s a rather simple economic principle. The more processed a good is, the more money it will sell for. Take raw shrimp, for example. I’m a cooking elitist, I like to make everything from scratch and so a bag of fresh raw shrimp might cost me $5. But on Tuesdays I become exceptionally lazy, so let’s process it some more, let’s say it’s been de-shelled, de-veined, and pre-cooked. Now that same bag is $7. Let’s go the extra mile and say on top of being de-shelled, de-veined, and pre-cooked, it’s also been spiced up with Chef de Gustave’s famous cocktail spice mix. Now the bag is $8.

The box method works on basically the same principle. Someone is paying you for having the fortune of finding the specific piece of equipment they wanted.

Quest Resets

Though often touted as a source of experience, quest resets can also be good money makers. In early levels, your options are limited, but there remain several good opportunities. Mercenary recruitment quests can be repeated to obtain the summoning marbles or other goodies (like the small marionettes in the Witch quest). At the 80-90 level range, inventor and necropolis ring quests can net you an extra nickel to buy some soda pop at the store.

Once you get into the higher ranges, though, many veterans suggest that the repetition of certain quests becomes a necessity. This starts, at least in my experience, with Knud, found in the Frozen Adlivun. For a relatively minor number of steps, you’ll get a whole bunch of experience and gold and a final reward of 3 Freezing Boxes. Once you’ve so thoroughly exhausted Knud, such that if you ever see a Chimera again you’re liable to vomit, you can move on to James the Pretender, whose final reward is 3 Divine Boxes. Plenty of other quests will do, though the above two are some of the most popular.

And, since Ndoors recently increased the maximum number of quest resets from 50 to 100, you can enjoy double the Chimeras!

Gambling

Ah, vice. Nearest and dearest to my heart. If ever there was a MMO in which gambling was an option, it would be Atlantica Online. The game’s very lifeblood, its item mall, is based upon the gambler’s addiction: just one more Hercules box for a hydra!

I hesitate to include gambling as a method for making gold as, nine times out of ten, you’ll end up short, but… what am I saying?! Everyone loves to shoot for the big score! Just be careful you don’t end up gambling away the armor off your back. Here are just a few of the options for gambling in AO:

Box-opening: many high-end nation or guild dungeons reward expensive boxes that contain items needed to recruit the game’s best mercenaries. Evil Protector Boxes, which come from the guild dungeon Valley of Oblivion, have a rare chance of containing a Crystal Ball of Harmony (aka a cboh) which will be worth at least 1 billion and probably much more, depending on your server’s economy. Others include Nimrod Boxes, Prison Safes, and Pirates Chests. The boxes are quite expensive, though, and can result in you throwing your computer out the window after you get your millionth mandragora.

Medici’s Gold Box: a newly implemented feature, and obviously a gambling gold sink, where you spend 1 million gold for boxes that contain mostly experience books but have a chance of containing a rare weapon such an Officer’s Shotgun or a Stormbringer. I’ve only seen a single rare weapon pop-up on Delphi, but there you are.

Arena: Every 4 hours (3, 7, 11, etc. EST, or GMT-5), 8 mercenary heroes and one of their several pre-set formations are randomly placed in a tournament against each other. Using the game’s sometimes frustrating AI, they battle it off until one is the champion. Either remotely or through Maximus in person, you can place bets on the winner, the 1st/2nd match-ups, and the final rounds.

Going into the full ins and outs of successfully gambling on arena is an article in and of itself (I have a suspicion that it will be coming soon), but I can offer a few easy tips. Learn to recognize the strong formations: any formation with several Red-tooths (Red-teeth?), Alexandra with lots of spears, Hasard with a back row of gunners, etc. Likewise learn to recognize the weak formations: any formation with Raphael or Alkinarpay, archer heavy builds (excepting when combined with Guan Chang), or other bad mix-ups. Keep an eye out for high-dividends. When I was first getting into arena, I would often put minimum (10k) bets on high dividend 1st/2nd or final round match-ups because, even though they had a low chance of winning, you can never be certain with the arena AI.

In short, don’t despair about inflation. Sure, it’s tough to see everything going up in price, but one of the major draws of Atlantica Online is that the market has everything. When that’s the case, you end up with a complex economy, where every little change can cause far-reaching and sometimes unintended consequences. And, call me crazy, I think that’s really cool.

Tags: Atlantica Online, economy, guide

Atlantica Online one year anniversary Q&A

Oct 13, 2009 Articles Recommend|581views

A : Atlantica Online has been out for one year now. How has the game grown?
Q : Similar to many other living beings, Atlantica has changed significantly during its first year. Content-wise, we’ve added three new mercenaries (with many more on the way), several new instanced dungeons (designed for parties, guilds, or nations), countless new quests and NPCs, tons of new items and features, swarms of enemiesmobs, and 50 more levels to the level cap. While a lot of the core gameplay remains the same, the overall game experience has expanded to embody a lot more game. In addition to content, Atlantica has launched hundreds of contests and events giving away prizes ranging from in-game items to a brand new Scion tC! What’s important to note is that throughout Atlantica’s evolution and growth, our users have been at the forefront of driving factors for growing the game.

A : What do you have planned as an event for your one year anniversary?
Q : Our one year anniversary is a very special occasion and we wanted to do things that both new and existing players would enjoy. For our existing players, we have our tournaments with greater cash prizes, and for our newer players, we wanted to target the initiatives of social growth with events circling community building. Given the understanding of gameplay and our player base’s interests, we also wanted to give players, both new and existing, an opportunity to drive the expansion of Atlantica Online through the development of a new mercenary. As part of our one year celebration, we will be hosting a mercenary design contest where players can bring their own concepts to life in the world of Atlantica. So if you think you have a cool idea for a mercenary, start drafting away! But that’s not all - we have several other events that will be announced very soon.

A : Looking back are there any changes you wish you could have made to the game before launch?
Q : We wanted to ultimately have a game with great content and the good thing about online games is that they can constantly be improved and added to. Looking back at launch, anything that we might have wanted to add has been added over this past year and we hope to continue doing just that - constantly improve the game and add new features that players will enjoy, resulting in more player engagement and mindshare outside of the game.

A : Have you been able to work with players over the first year of development to meet their expectations?
Q : A large amount of Atlantica Online’s evolution has been driven by feedback and suggestions from our players. We also wanted to include brand new, additional content that we knew the players would enjoy. Basically, the goal is to create a better environment for the players and a huge part of that is considering what the players want.

A : How has Atlantica’s monetization worked over the first year? With micro-transactions and subscription models being debated, are you happy with your choice?
Q : Atlantica’s monetization over the first year has primarily revolved around providing players choice within an engaging world that’s free-to-play. Our intention from the very beginning has been to offer a compelling experience to the consumer to get in and play. Our microtransaction model offers choices of convenience and customization to players so that they can pay according to their level of engagement.

A : Players have commented that character customization is something they would like to see more of, what are your plans for customization?
Q : We don’t want to spoil anything, but there are some additional character customization features in the pipeline. We encourage players to stay tuned to see what’s next! With several holiday events in the near horizon, players won’t have to wait very long.

A : What goals have you set for the game in year two?
Q : One of our goals is to offer more flexibility and choice, and whether it’s through playing the game or using the Item Mall, we feel that it will ultimately help us do a better job of engaging our players.

A : How have players responded to the goals you set within year one?
Q : We’ve generated a lot of excitement in sharing our goals throughout the year. Atlantica Online still has a lot of potential and there is so much more we want to accomplish. So, to our players, please cheer us on while we strive to reach our goals in the future!

A : Are there new content updates planned for the game?
Q : We are constantly improving and adding to the game in order to increase player enjoyment and regularly release content patches for new content and features.

A : What has been the best part about seeing Atlantica Online reach its one year anniversary?
Q : The best part about seeing Atlantica Online reach its one year anniversary is seeing how many of our players have supported us during this growing and momentous time. We’ve had an opportunity to watch our game evolve and watch our player base grow and become such an enthusiastic and supportive group. Some of our continuing goals are focused around garnering excitement and passion from our players and we hope to continue providing our users with a quality experience.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online: Introducing The Punisher!

Oct 6, 2009 Articles Recommend|488views

They say good things come in threes. Well, we’re happy to introduce to you the next new mercenary, in our third consecutive update, the Punisher! Inspired after a popular character of the 19th century dime novels, the Punisher’s hero form is Frank Reade, the adventurous hero inventor created and popularized by Harry Enton.

The Punisher will be the first power saw mercenary introduced to Atlantica Online, so those of you who have yet to play as the power saw hero can still experience his power as your mercenary.

To begin the Punisher recruitment quest, you start by speaking to Christine, an NPC just outside of Detroit. She lost her family in the infamous “Detroit Massacre” of 5 years back, and became a sheriff to take vengeance on the two men she blames for the massacre: Frank Reade and Ed Gein—yes, it was influenced by the notorious serial killer of the same name.

As it turns out, there was an accident 5 years ago when Ed and Frank were working at Henry Ford’s robot factory. They were both killed, but Ford used his pilfered Atlantis technology to bring them back to life. Ed turned into a power saw wielding maniac, while Frank turned into a cyborg. However, Frank Reade was too stunned to stop Ed Gein from killing everyone around them.

With good strength and a powerful weapon, the Punisher has high attack power, but his low magic defense makes him more vulnerable to magic than other mercenaries. In this regard, the Punisher is very similar to the Viking—but still better than a Viking, though!

The Punisher’s first of three spells is called Broken Arrows, a powerful skill that debuffs enemy archers’ attack power and silences them. This spell was designed to effectively counter the powerful abilities of the newly introduced Hwarang and maintain balance among the new mercenaries that have been introduced in the last couple of patches.

His second spell, called the Power Saw Raid, causes him to jump into the enemy formation and swing his saw about wildly. It is a powerful AOE attack that deals damage to everyone in your opponent’s squad.

The Punisher’s third spell is Sacrificial Awakening. It works the same way the Monk’s awakening works, in that it removes stun counters from your squad, but the Punisher takes some damage when using this magic. This skill was designed to pull away so much of the reliance that Monks have been able to generate, and we hope to see these changes diversify formations.

The Punisher fits in well with stun pressure and AoE builds, and can provide support for or even replace a Monk in certain formations with his awakening magic. He has decent vitality, and with good armor he can act as a serviceable tank or off-tank when necessary. He is also effective against snipe builds with his Broken Arrows spell to greatly reduce the spike damage archers are capable of. But we’re especially excited to see all the strategies that you all will come up with.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online: The Van Gogh Dungeon

Aug 26, 2009 Articles Recommend|284views

Continuing in the mold of building and establishing a parallel Earth brimming with historical culture and lore, this newest addition to Atlantica Online expands the universe as we continue to take a page out of history. Players can already traverse the globe and visit real-world locales such as the Great Pyramid of Egypt and the Great Wall of China. Or if they’re not too keen on sight-seeing, players can meet and take quests from historical figures from the likes of King Tut and Beowulf to the great modern inventor, Henry Ford.

In the next major content update, we introduce a brand new dungeon heavily influenced by the great, yet troubled Post-Impressionist artist, Vincent Van Gogh (be forewarned though, it will contain some spoilers). And it is the tragic-hero nature of his curious, yet influential life that we want to share with our players, not only because it makes great content, but because it also adds to the plethora of historical events in Atlantica Online. While a lot of the quests have been historical fiction thus far, much of the events in this dungeon are based on actual occurrences—like his letters to his brother Theo, as a matter of fact. So it is a very different approach as players will find themselves learning about an influential figure through an uncommon medium.

The Vincent Van Gogh dungeon, called the Van Gogh Gallery will be a level 124 zone located near Paris, in a small town called Auvers-sur-Oise, where some of his most famous paintings were completed. There, you will see a familiar landscape as you cross a bridge to The Church at Auvers, one of Van Gogh’s later, and more recognizable, paintings.

Here, you will come across the NPC Joseph Roulin—art savvy players will recognize him as the Postman portrayed by Van Gogh during his stay in Arles. After a short conversation with the Postman, you learn that it has been a few years since Van Gogh’s passing, and that something strange has been occurring around the Church at Auvers. There’s something amuck at the church, and it is up to you to figure out what is going on.

Upon entrance at the Church at Auvers, players will see that the church has been turned into a gallery of real-life works of art by Van Gogh. The church will also have four wings that will lead players to different parts of the dungeon, where three of which are actually re-creations of other Van Gogh paintings. The aforementioned three dungeons are called the Café Terrace, the Langlois Bridge and the Arles Hospital, all named after his famous paintings.

You will eventually make the acquaintance of Marguerite Gachet, the daughter of Dr. Paul Gachet, the doctor most famous for treating Van Gogh during the later stages of his life. Throughout the journey, she will guide you through the conflicted mind of Van Gogh, and as you hop through one painting to another, it is revealed that the effects of the mysterious substance called the Oriharukon may have affected his health.

A lot of research went into studying the letters Vincent wrote to his brother Theo, revealing great insight into the life of Van Gogh, and we wanted to share his life with the players. As you unearth the mysteries behind the life of Van Gogh, we hope the journey through the small town in France will have you wanting to learn more about the great artist.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online: Stamina, Free League, Guilds and Nations

Aug 20, 2009 Articles Recommend|531views

Welcome back travelers! I see that you have begun your journey throughout the world of Atlantica, and you are looking for more in-depth information on the economy, and features available to you.

I had a feeling that you would be back, so I wrote this guide to assist you in your query.

Many people begin traveling in Atlantica, and start to wonder what that weird number is on the right side of their screen.

Stamina

That, my friends, is the Stamina counter. For each battle you enter, it takes one stamina away from that counter. Stamina gives you three times the amount of Experience gained, and double the chance to pick up items. When the number depletes to zero, you lose those two bonuses and it becomes very difficult to gain experience or items.

But do not fret! There are ways to regain your stamina over time.

First, let’s start with Stamina regeneration over time. Every ten minutes that your character is out of battle, you regain one stamina point. This is good for people who tend to go AFK for long periods of time.

If you are in a party of at least two people, you still use one stamina point per battle, but you regain one stamina point per two battles, so you actually can get double the points in a party of two. In a party of three, you regain two stamina points per three battles.

Also, you can regain stamina points by sharing information or giving a gift five times per day. Or you can regain stamina by fighting in Free League. With this method, you can regain three stamina points per battle, as many times as needed!

Free League

On that note, let’s take a look at Free League! Also known to many in Atlantica as FL abbreviated, this is the main PVP system used by anyone who wishes to test their skill. FL is sorted by ranks ranging from rank 18 (lowest) to rank one (highest), and by titles gained by increasing your Fame. Fame can be gained from each battle, and is sorted by rank as well. Ranging from Soldier (lowest) to General (highest). Once you first start Free League, you will quickly realize how the rules change. Equipment matters less, and skill matters more. I am not trying to scare our newer adventurers, because you have to remember that the people you are fighting are pretty much at the same level you are. Starting Free League around level 50 is suggested, but if you want to start earlier, you are more than welcome to try! All in all, Free League is a very fun way to enjoy the game when you aren’t grinding out quests for the 10th hour straight! And I almost forgot to mention, you receive rewards exchangeable for money whether you win or lose!

Guilds

The next aspect that we should talk about is joining a Guild.

After you have traveled for a bit, you may start to feel a little lonely in this big ol’ world. That is where guilds come into play.

Hundreds of guilds are waiting for new adventurers such as yourselves. If you are not currently in a guild, a button appears on the right side of your screen. It shows you all of the guilds that are currently looking for new members, and provides a brief description of each. Joining a guild can be beneficial for everyone. You may find yourself in a guild that enjoys providing help for the newer generations. They may help you on quests, provide free items for increasing your level, and sharing valuable information on monsters you may be fighting. As for when you attain a higher level, you may even join in what is called a Guild Dungeon. It is just as it sounds. The guild takes qualified members into an instanced dungeon, and tries to fill certain requirements to complete it. Most Guild Dungeons have a limit of two hours, but if you complete it, the Guild Leader is rewarded with item boxes, which he distributes among the participating members.

Some guilds may even have joined a Nation! What is a Nation? Well, it is basically a collection of guilds that have banded together in alliance. Nations can house up to 10 guilds, and each guild can hold a possible 50 members each.

Nations

Nations can also attempt what are called Nation Dungeons. They are almost the same as Guild Dungeons, except any member of that Nation, regardless of guild, can join. Just be sure that you are high enough level to join. Nation Dungeons are much tougher than Guild Dungeons, because the difficulty, and amount of monsters have been scaled to fit the large increase in participating members. The reward system is pretty much the same. The Nation’s King is given item boxes to distribute among all of the participating nation members.

Now that we are talking about attaining higher levels, we should bring out the subject of Independent Dungeons.

These dungeons are much like Guild Dungeons, and Nation Dungeons, except they are much smaller, and easier.

The only down side is that only three members can join. They have to be partied together, and you can only complete one Independent Dungeon every 20 hours. You have to be at least level 90 to start your first Independent Dungeon. More dungeons become available as you level up. The levels that you can join new Dungeons is : 90, 94, 98, 101, and 105.

The rules for these dungeons are simple: Kill all of the monsters before time expires. Once you complete the dungeon, you are mailed an item from which you can obtain special equipment. These dungeons are a great way to gain experience and items.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online: Tactical Battle System

Aug 12, 2009 Articles Recommend|438views

It has been some time since we last discussed the Tactical Battle System (TBS), a brand new system which has been generating much excitement to our very own team here at Ndoors. Continuing in our goal of providing fresh gameplay to the MMORPG genre, this system is sure to have heads turning, and bring a whole new element of cooperative gameplay to Atlantica Online.

With massive battles of up to 200 in-game characters, regardless of the number of actual players controlling them, players can expect to face off against others or against monsters in up to teams of eight. So the battle will feel a lot like a real-time strategy game, much in the same vein as Warcraft, where players will gather resources, construct buildings and set traps, upgrade units, and raze enemy bases as ordered by their commander.

Battles are placed on a grid, with all player action measured by resources. Players will be able to attack or use a special action once per turn–special action can be the use of magic, building construction, or resource collection. During their turn, players will be able to move and attack, but not vice versa, to prevent hit-and-runs. The grid will show how far you can move to assist in measuring up your opponent. It will also show from what range you will be able to attack from, which is all dependent on class of course.

Some basic tactics include the use of fire, traps, and the ability to sneak up on enemies. Players will be able to use fire to burn through trees and obstacles to advance, and depending on the wind’s direction and speed, fires will grow to either your advantage or disadvantage. Players will also be able to set traps to take advantage of unsuspecting enemies. It will be difficult for the enemy to track traps, so classes who can detect traps will be vital to any team. And for those who like to sneak around in the fields, there will be plenty of places to hide, and they will have a field day catching enemies off guard. Sneak attacks will deal extra damage and will easily turn any fight to your favor.

Tactics will also depend on terrain and topography, so whether you’re attacking or on the defense, players will need to keep terrain in the back of their minds to find success on the battlefield. For example, an archer positioned on higher ground will be able to hit targets at a further distance. Weather will also play into battles. For example, rain will be able to subdue fires that may be destroying your resources.

One of the TBS Guild Dungeons we’re currently working on is called Troy, which is a huge battlefield designed for large-scale PVE battles. In the early stages of battle, players will have time to build buildings, from houses and factories to unit-upgrade structures. Once constructed, battle in Troy begins! Players will be fighting enemies and destroying obstacles in their path, but it won’t be possible alone as each class will have something special to bring to the table. For example, some targets will require ranged attacks to be defeated, so cooperation will be key in this guild dungeon. Once you successfully destroy the enemy base, victory will be yours. But the path to victory will be heavily guarded, including a meeting with the Troy Gatekeeper.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online: Basic Combat System

Aug 6, 2009 Articles Recommend|420views

The first thing that you may realize is that, in this world, you play the role of a troop leader, in charge of a possible eight other mercenaries. But do not fret! You have plenty of time to decide your strategy, whatever the case.

There are eight possible weapon types to choose from when you first begin, they are:

• Sword - Only able to hit one enemy, but the sword also comes with a shield and heavy armor, and it possesses the highest defense of all of the other classes. The sword’s main skill is Flame Sword. It can hit only one enemy of course, but it does tons of damage!
• Spear - Able to hit two enemies in a column, the spear is able to equip heavy armor, and the spear does huge amounts of damage. The spear’s main skill is Lightning Spear. It can hit up to three enemies in a column, draining their Action Power! (Check below for information about AP)
• Axe - Able to hit three enemies in a row, the axe is one mean mamajama. The axe comes with heavy armor as well, but lacks in skill defense. The axe’s main skill is Freezing Axe. It can put an entire row of enemies on ice, blocking them from movement for up to two turns.
• Gun - Able to hit three enemies in a column, the gun is the choice for many players who want to add a bit more stun to their gun. (Stun information is also located below.) Only able to equip light armor, defense is not your strong suit. The gun’s main skill is called Wild Shot. It is almost like a basic attack, but does a lot more damage to all three enemies in a column.
• Bow - Able to hit only one enemy, the bow is the choice for many players who like to pinpoint damage to a certain enemy. While only equipping light armor, the bow does not specialize in defense, as much as it specializes in offense. The bows’ main skill is called Silence. Having trouble because the enemy keeps casting magic on you? Well worry no more. Silence can take care of that for you, blocking any skills from being cast to all enemies in a row.

• Cannon - Able to hit up to five enemies in a cross formation (+), the cannon is a favorite among many stun builds. The cannon doesn’t defend much against enemy attacks, with its Light Armor, but watch out when it casts its skill! The cannons’ main skill is called Deep Insight. It does damage over time (DoT) and it can lower all enemies’ defense!
• Staff - Only able to hit one enemy, the staff is definitely not the choice for melee damage. With the ability to only wear magic armor (Robes), its place is in the back of your formation, pummeling enemies from afar! The staff has an arsenal of skills to use, but its beginning skill is Blessing of Life. Healing all of your mercenaries across any row you choose. But if healing isn’t your main concern, maybe Evanescent Scud might tickle your fancy. With its ability to hit all enemies with tremendous power, it is not a skill to be taken lightly!
• Instrument - Able to hit two enemies in a row, the instrument is a new addition to the line of weapons able to be used, to pummel your opponents.Crafted after the mystical “Bard”, the musician can wield a guitar, and attack all enemies with it’s oddly powerful “Ravaging Melody”All of musicians’ skills are considered DoT’s with status effects included!So if you enjoy watching your enemies crumble with the sounds of a rockin’ guitar, this would be your choice!”

Now that we have covered all of the weapon types, let’s talk about the fundamentals of Atlantica Online.

First, let’s talk about skills. Many of your skills (located in the bottom right of your battle screen) can be used with the “QWERT” keys. But whichever skill is closest to the Q key, you can right click to use it!

There are three types of skills as well: Passive, Offensive, and Defensive. Offensive skills you can use on enemies, Defensive Skills you use on your own team, and Passive… they just sit there and do what they do.

All skills can be leveled up to acquire even more damage, but you can only have as many skill levels in all of your combined skills as your total level. Example: Your character is level 52, you can have one skill level 28, and the other level 24.

That is pretty much everything about skills… You will find out which ones work for you as you play.

Next, let’s talk about battle effects:

There are many skills and such that can be used in battle to turn the tide.

There are: Stun, Damage Over Time, Negative Attribute, Action Point Drain, Skill Blockers and Movement Blockers.

There is even a skill that can keep the enemy from using abilities on certain mercenaries, called Holy Guard.

Out of all of the skills, each mercenary has their own arsenal. As I said earlier, the more you play, the more you will get a feel for which skills you like more.

Stun - If you hit an enemy at least once, in the course of three turns in a row, they become stunned. They do not gain AP, and they cannot move. The only way to break the combo is to use the monk’s Awakening, not attack an enemy for one turn, or becoming stunned and waiting three turns for it to wear off.

Damage Over Time - Most damage over time skills come with extra effects such as -DEF, or it can come in Freezing axe and Silence. Having a DoT on your mercenaries is never a good thing, and the only thing that can dispel them is either using Holy Guard, a monk’s skill, or waiting until it wears off. Different DoT’s last for different amounts of time, but if you can dispel it early, then it would be advisable to do so.

All other effects - Freezing Axe, Silence etc. All do different things, but they can all be dispelled with Holy Guard.

Now that we have covered almost all of the skill basics, let’s move on to moving your mercenaries:

Action Points (AP) - Ahh, action points, the lifeline of your mercenaries. Typically you cannot use a mercenary if they do not have at least 100 AP. But in some cases, like if you have only one mercenary left, you can use them with less. Each turn you regain some AP on all of your mercenaries, but you cannot use more than five mercenaries in one turn. Having said that, if you want to use a mercenary that was not selected at the start of the turn, you can guard a mercenary, and switch to a mercenary that has at least 100 AP.

And as I said before, if your mercenary is stunned, they cannot regain AP until they are un-stunned.

That is pretty much everything about battle that I can tell you for now. As you explore more of the world, you will realize that every situation can change drastically, depending on what you decide to do.

With a maximum level of 120, you have plenty of time to figure things out.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online developer journal-Public Test Server

Jul 28, 2009 Articles Recommend|390views

The Atlantica Online development team has drastically loaded the next content patch with new features and game enhancing updates and has created a test server to help the new transition move along more smoothly. This test server was designed to help enhance the QA process in order to deliver patches with fewer bugs and faster than ever before. As careful as we are, we cannot catch every bug during our QA sessions, so opening up patches early will help find bugs that can slip through the QA process. Already launched, we have started letting a select number of players from the North American servers start helping us on July 22nd.

Just to start out, we wanted the program to be relatively small to avoid hitches and any problems that can be encountered when launching a public test server. As it stands now, we will be allowing 150-200 players to access the newest updated content in Atlantica Online to test and provide feedback on. This select group of players will be chosen via the online application as described in our forum. The application is short and to the point, requiring basic information such as you gaming experience. If the process goes well this time around, we hope to eventually open up the test servers to a larger group of players.

Because the test server gives players a great opportunity to access features and content not yet available in the live version of the game, players are definitely eager to take this opportunity to not only help us test for problems, but to also get informed about what to expect when the next content patch goes live. However, there are some very strict rules these selected testers must abide by in order to be able to participate.

Those selected to help us test the new game content will not be able to transfer their characters, but will find that leveling will be a lot easier and faster. One such way we plan to help this happen is by permanently providing double the experience points and free items. We want the players to test as much of the new content as they can to help us ensure a smoother, bug-free update for everyone else. In addition to experiencing new content, those testing the new server will have access to new mercenaries. There will be frequent character wipes, as well as occasional downtime, as the test server is meant to be used mainly to test the new content and get rid of bugs. We’ll have a private forum set up just for those participating in the test server where they can engage in discussion with fellow testers, report bugs, and provide feedback to the Atlantica team.

This is a new process that we are confident will help reduce bugs and reduce the time it takes to release content updates in the future. This upcoming content patch is so big that we felt that now is an appropriate time to launch the test server. We want our players to continue having an incredible game experience. The test server will definitely help us incorporate player opinions and feedback before it goes live.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Developer journal-Discussing the Upcoming Patch

Jul 15, 2009 Articles Recommend|241views

It’s a new month, and it’s time for a new patch, with great new features just around the corner. In the last journal, we hinted at the Hwarang’s arrival with an in-depth feature. Well, the wait’s over, and players will be finally able to get their hands on the Hwarang. As we mentioned previously, the Hwarang quest will be available near the level 112 dungeon, Bulguksa, from a Hwarang NPC named “Kim Yoo Shin.” But that’s just a small piece of the large up-coming patch.

One of the biggest changes players will notice is the upgrade of our game engine. Atlantica was optimized to perform at a smoother pace with less loading times for those with lower-end machines. Those who frequent Rome, the hub of Atlantica, will notice that issues that normally arise due to high population will be less apparent. Furthermore, an automatic graphic option has been added. So depending on the situation, graphical settings will be adjusted automatically to increase performance. Of course, we don’t want to force anything on the players so this feature is entirely optional and can be changed in the graphics menu.

We’re also addressing a balancing concern that players have been battling against, which is the dreaded flavor-of-the-month issue that every MMORPG encounters. In our case, it has been the double-Monk setup. For those who are not familiar with the PvP in Atlantica, the double-monk setup allows players to take advantage of the unintended strengths of having two Monks in a party. By utilizing the Monks’ spells (Awakening and Holy Guard), players have been dragging out matches and winning by time. Is it strategic? Yes. Fun and balanced? As we’ve seen from the matches on the Titan server, not quite. So the first step we’re taking is reducing the healing effects and the physical defense provided by the Monk’s Holy Guard spell, a spell that prevents magic to be used on their squad. And once the other brand new mercenaries, the Minstrel and Punisher, are released, we hope to see a further decline and necessity for a double-Monk build.

When we discuss balancing issues, many times people forget that it’s not just about stats or battles, but it’s also about the economy and the in-game world. One of the additions will be tackling this very issue. In the next patch, we’ll be introducing Guild Activity Points to complement existing Guild Points, and the benefits of this are twofold. First, we want the Atlantica world to be dynamic, so we don’t want towns to be controlled by inactive guilds. Now, in order to maintain and control a town, a guild must now have Guild Activity Points, which is earned through guild member participation through killing monsters and other activities. We hope this measure will encourage guilds to be more active and compete for town control, creating more fun for everyone.

Another guild change is the implementation of the “initiate” rank, and this is to deter guild hopping. When a player is newly recruited to a guild, their rank will automatically be set as an initiative for 12 hours from the time of joining the guild. There have been instances where players from the high tier guilds switching back and forth to take advantage of the timer on the guild dungeons. Because better loot can be found in guild dungeons, it needs to be monitored to maintain the balance of the in-game economy.

These are just some of the changes coming to Atlantica, as we continue to patch and make Atlantica a better game. We hope to see you all in-game! (Did we mention we’re giving away a free car?)

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online Independent Dungeons 90-98

Jul 12, 2009 Articles Recommend|996views

Hello Atlantica Online fans and inquirers!

Today I bring you a guide on the independent dungeons (IDs) Forbidden Abyss, Arachne’s Nest, and Hypogeum of Death, more commonly known as ID 90, ID 94, and ID 98, respectively.

Hm…. Why Should I Even Bother?

Independent dungeons are basically a fun way to grind. Features that are unique to IDs require the player to strategize a little bit differently than in the usual dungeon. For example, you may only bring five mercenaries in addition to your main character, so ready your flexible mercenaries who can adapt to any situation. Additionally, knowledge of mob behavior will inform how to construct your more bare formation.

IDs also dole out a relatively high amount of experience points, compared to monsters of similar difficulty. Many will use IDs to help level their new mercenaries.

For most though, the primary motivations for completing independent dungeons are the goodies; the reward that comes from completing a dungeon and mob drops. Once a dungeon is completed, the reward box is left in your inbox. Inside the reward box you will find a variety of equipment; you are basically getting equipment for free! Compared to equipment of the same level requirement, they are usually noticeably lower in certain stats while noticeably higher in others. Depending on your mercenaries’ utility in your formation(s), ID equipment can be very useful. Since the equipment cannot be sold at the market, it’s a good idea to focus on one or two equipments rather than several (only applicable to ID 90 & 94 rewards where you manually select your reward).

Ahh!!! I’m Scared to Enter!

Having heard many intriguing stories of Independent dungeons, many level 90 players often enter ID 90 unprepared, simply for the experience. As a result, many who do an ID for the first time die frequently; but most importantly, they enjoy the experience. Eventually, a much higher level guild/nation mate or a friend will be willing to team up with the inexperienced player, offering advice when needed.

All mobs are above level 100. IDs 90-98 each have a time limit of one hour.

As with any dungeon, information sharing will improve your ability to kill and item drop rate. This guide will list the mobs that are present in each ID as well as their attack/skills so you can be ready to face the challenge.

Lastly, I’ll be here to help you plow your way through providing some tips. For example, did you know that per mercenary, AP regeneration is higher when fewer mercs are active? Use this knowledge to your advantage!

ID90, The Forbidden Abyss

Key: Sea King’s Scale; Obtained from Pointry in Bazaar; 150 Battle Points
Reward: Orb of Forbidden Abyss
Contains Level 90 Weapons
Sea Palace General’s Lance (Spear), Bow of Forbidden Abyss, Water Dragon Scale Cannon, and Dead Sea Wand (Staff)
Mob name: Weapon Type; Skill(s)
Deep-Sea Guardian: Bow (Weak); Freezing Axe
Clawed Guardian: Sword; Powerful Charge Attack (Flame Sword?)
Sea Palace Head Maid: Bow; Silence [Any row]
Sea King’s Royal Guards: Bow; Flame AoE
Dead Sea King [boss]: Bow; Powerful AoE
Suggested Formation: 2 Front, 2 Mid, 2 Back (empty middle column)

Strategy: Deep-Sea Guardians can be extremely detrimental to Three Front, Three Back formations without a monk. Though they are of bow weapon type, they rarely attack the back row, primarily attacking your front.

Bringing along a monk may decrease your offensive power and thus your speed in completing the dungeon, but if you are dying frequently, a monk may be essential. Monks can help prevent freezing and also silence. Since Sea Palace Head Maids usually do not silence the same row that has been frozen by a Deep-Sea Guardian, a monk-less formation may find their front-link tanks frozen and their support silenced rather quickly in a battle. Princess can be useful to debuff the many bows.

Sea King’s Royal Guards can be considered the advanced mobs of the dungeon, threatening your party with a strong fire-based AoE and fearlessly sniping anyone in your formation. Killing them first may need to be a priority. They are only present in mob groups closer to the boss.

Clawed Guards may be the least threatening but have the best survivability of the mobs.

Notes: ID 90 is infamous for having “hidden” mobs. Because of typical clearing practice (going from entrance to boss), the physical layout of the dungeon, and mobs’ visual similarity to the surroundings, it’s easy to overlook mobs. One commonly awkward place to find a mob is on the apex of the left side hill. Check behind the translucent curtain veils overlooking the cliff and you may find a mob lurking. Don’t let it get away!

The right passage from the entrance can be considered easier since the space is less cramped, which means there are less chances for aggro.

ID 94, Arachne’s Nest

Key: Arachne’s Web; 200 battle points
Reward: Arachne’s Egg
Contains Level 90 Weapons
Arachne’s Fang (Sword), Gatekeeper’s Sickle (Axe), Destroyer’s Stinger (Gun), Thick Larva Shell Shield

Arachne’s Bodyguard: Irregular (can attack an entire column; can target 2nd row deep; sometimes when targeting front, back row will not be considered); no skill
Follower of Arachne: Irregular (similar to Arachne’s Bodyguard); Passive Heal to Melee
Giant Destroyer [flying]: Bow (with one row penetration); Poison Arrow
Mad Destroyer [flying]: Bow (with one row penetration); Immediate High AP Drain (Single, infrequent)
Nest Gatekeeper: Spear; Single Attack Petrify (infrequent)
Nest Warrior: Spear; Single Charge Attack

Evil Arachne[boss]: Sword; Powerful Lightning AoE

Suggested Formation: three front (at least two tank), three back (empty middle row) - gun/bow heavy to lay consistent damage to flying mobs

Strategy: Unlike ID 90, the difficult mobs are undoubtedly near the entrance. Aggro is high in the initial pathways primarily due to the pathways’ claustrophobia-inducing corridors. However, much like ID 90, if splitting the clearing process into two with a duo group and a more experienced soloer, give the soloer the right side as the right pathway is not as cramped.

ID 94 has dangerous Bow type mobs (the Destroyers), just like ID90. However these Bows are much stronger, so protecting your main (especially if you have a spongey ranged/staff main) is much more crucial. The mobs also seem more intelligent as they can be extremely aggressive and collaborative in their sniping objectives. On the left pathway are tons of mob groups that consist of just Destroyers, which can be much more threatening to a main character than mixed mob groups, which is another reason to give the soloer the right side.

Notes: Arachne’s Bodyguard and Follower of Arachne can’t be debuffed by signets or by any weapon-specific move. Thankfully though, they are the least threatening mobs.

Poison Arrow AP drain lasts 3 rounds (including the initial attack)

ID 98, Hypogeum of Death

Key: Three Headed Dragon Tag; 250 battle points
Reward: Death Jar
Contains Level 95 Rings
Sumbha’s Determination (+Vitality); Masan’s Grudge (+Dexterity); Asura’s Rage (+Strength); Phantom fo Agasura (+Intelligence)

Hades Gateekeper: Bow; Multi-Arrow
Hades Patroller: Mage; Highly Damaging AoE
Enraged Masan (flying): Staff; Multi-Hit Fire Attack
Possessed Masan (flying): Staff; Simple Single-Hit Fire Attack
Nisumbha: Sword; Light Slash (can target back row)
Sumbha: Sword; Simple Single-Hit Fire Attack

Agasura [boss]: Bow (debuffable); Powerful AoE

Suggested Formation: three front (at least two tank), three back (empty middle row)

Strategy: If you think ID 94 is relentless, then I give you permission to cry in advance. ID 98 is infamous for being difficult to clear for its level requirement; almost all would agree that the mobs are significantly more irritating than the mobs in the first two floors of ID 101. Here are some reasons why:

• High Aggro
• Self-Resurrection
• Simultaneous Skill Usage

Because of the High Aggro, do not hesitate to flee. Especially in the two initial pathways, choose mobs carefully so as to not excite too many. Solo-ing for pride is definitely possible for those under level 105, but watch the clock.

In mob groups with Hades Patrollers, snipe (and loot if possible) them down first as they are the most deadly. Hades Gatekeepers are not as much of a direct threat unless you are against several mob groups of once (or are not careful to keep health high on your main); however, their high amount of health makes them difficult to kill. Compounded with mobs’ self-resurrection, a Hades Gatekeeper in front of a lootable mob can be a major nuisance.

Likely because of cooldown, ID98 mobs usually unleash their skills simultaneously, which can be extremely deleterious if against 3 mob groups in a row. Thus, while in one turn, only a few mobs will act using regular attacks, in the following, hell may descend upon your dead carcass. Study their attack patterns, and keep in mind how often they resurrect — you will learn to recognize which mob becomes imperative to kill each turn.

Notes: Three Headed Dragon Ring is, on rare occasion, dropped by Agasura. The +0 ring provides +80 Vitality and 50-100 Attack Power, among other bonuses.

Agasura is stationery, so you will not be aggro’ed by Agasura if attacking a nearby mob.

I’m So Itchy! Get Rid of These Bugs!

A rather common bug in Atlantica is the occurrence of invisible opponents or teammates in battle. I am not sure what causes this bug to occur, though it seems to happen more frequently when a teammate joins a battle mid-fight. In my experience, this bug occurs rather frequently in independent dungeons, especially ID 98. If anything becomes invisible to you (it will be obvious if you see a teammate attacking invisible monsters or monsters attacking an invisible ally), then you may need to “reset” your presence in the dungeon so that you can properly recognize mobs again. To “reset”, simply teleport out of or exit the dungeon and re-enter.

I Want More Equips!

Don’t forget to collect Water Dragon Scales, Insect Shells, and Dust of Deaths from ID90, ID94, and ID98, respectively. By visiting Merchant Mercurius in the Bazaar, these drops can be exchanged for their respective dungeon’s equipment. 200 Water Dragon Scales are needed for one piece of equipment ; 200 Insect Shells; 250 Dust of Deaths.

If you want to increase your number of these drops, don’t forget to take advantage of the new Jackpot System.

Lastly, the bosses will, on occasion, drop the reward box of their respective dungeon.

You have the information now. So go forth my students; let’s get to killing some mobs already!

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online developer journal about newest Mercenary, The Hwarang.

Jul 1, 2009 Articles Recommend|826views

Back in March, we promised to introduce a trio of brand new mercenaries to the Atlantica world: the Hwarang, the Minstrel, and the Punisher. Many bumps and tumbles later, we’re pleased to further delve into the first of three mercenaries: the Hwarang–scheduled to arrive in the next patch (and already out in Korea).

Many of our inspirations behind Atlantica and its mercenaries are heavily influenced by history and cultures of the world, and the Hwarang is no exception. Like the Viking of Scandinavia and the Oracle of Egypt, the Hwarang is based on the warriors of ancient Korea. He’ll be introduced as a bow-wielding mercenary to counter the Musician class. As we mentioned in a previous journal, we’re always working to balance Atlantica, and it’ll always be a work in progress as we continue to introduce new content. So in the near future, the aforementioned Punisher will be the counter to the Hwarang while the Minstrel will be the counter to the Punisher, and to round it out, the Hwarang will be the counter to the Minstrel as well.

The Hwarang has been in development for about three months. After agreeing on the initial design and concept of the Hwarang, we quickly moved to outfitting the model in a more modernized fashion while maintaining the authenticity of the look and appeal. Meantime, the planning team set up the mercenary’s skills and magic spells. In addition to his counter moves, the Hwarang is unique in that he has the ability to sacrifice himself to increase the attack power of allies. And although an offensive firepower, he lacks in defense, so his ability to sacrifice himself for the team will be very beneficial to the squad. In addition, the Hwarang will also be able to increase the combo rate of the squad. The last phase of the development cycle was adding up the finishing touches to the graphical effects and also incorporating the recruitment quest into the Atlantica lore. Furthermore, the Hwarang will be introduced in the story through the tale of one of the most famous Hwarang in Korean history, Kim Yoo Shin.

Players will be able to recruit the Hwarang through a quest near Bulguksa once they reach level 112. And although it is a C-class mercenary, it was only fitting considering that the storyline and Bulguksa is based in Korea. That being said, the rest of the requirements will be much easier. In addition, this does not mean that a player under 112 will not be able to use the Hwarang; lower level players lucky enough may even find the summoning stone in the market. We wanted the Hwarang to be as accessible as possible, so we decided on it being C-class for this very reason. There are still level requirements, of course, so not everyone will be able to hire the services of the Hwarang immediately.

Players who recruit the Hwarang to their squad will find an immensely effective damage dealer and a great addition to players with an offensive-oriented playing style. However, the Hwarang has poor defense and a low hp, so it’s really how the player utilizes the Hwarang’s ability to sacrifice himself that will deepen the strategy in battle. As we continue to develop more mercenaries for Atlantica Online, we hope to provide an even deeper, strategic turn-based battle system.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online developer journals with this entry from Orion Al-Shamma-Jones about quests

Jun 17, 2009 Articles Recommend|328views

As I type this, I sit at my desk, the final draft of a new quest script laid out before me. Over the last month, this script has gone through several revisions, as we’ve received new information, new insight, and new flashes of inspiration. The relief of having the finished project in hand is incredibly freeing, and yet there’s a part of me that feels trepidation at the thought that soon, thousands upon thousands of players will be running through these quests. This work that I’ve poured so much effort into will soon face the judgment of that core group of players who closely follow the Atlantica plot.

We take our quests very seriously. A lot of care is taken in crafting intriguing scenarios, with an intricate web of figures and organizations working in the background of the story for the players to puzzle out. And of course, there’s also the experience–one of Atlantica’s crown jewels is its battle system, so why would we want to waste that by making players grind their levels out? Your experience of the game should be the exciting quests you went on, the guild and nation raids you did with your friends, and the heated battles you have with your rivals, not hours spent fighting the same mobs over and over again.

To this end, with every patch we do we focus on adding quests in two directions. First, we add new high-level dungeons, typically with one or two questlines, offering a new level of challenge for our highest level players. Second, we flesh out existing areas, adding new quests and bits of lore to help our users edge their way to the next tier. During beta, I remember players mentioning that there weren’t enough quests around level 70 to 80, and that they had to grind. A little after launch, the big gap was in the high 90s. At the time of this writing, the most grind happens after level 100, but even that is rapidly changing with each addition of new content.

As the game has grown, we’ve also seen new storylines emerge that run in parallel with the main quest to find Atlantis. In North America, mysterious forces are at work to wreck havoc (as mysterious forces are wont to do). In Central Asia, a group called Chin Tai Dong Do is pulling the strings of several nations. And throughout the world, the Historia Association is creating a monopoly on historical artifacts, a theme that Atlantica Online takes and runs with.

The Historia plotline is somewhat unique in its structure. For several patches, players have been able to find dispatchers and representatives of the association who would send them on various tasks, protecting ancient ruins or excavating precious treasures. It’s a great way to gain some extra experience when you’re between levels, and even better, some of these quests can be repeated daily without having to use any extra items to reset them. Many of these quests also rewarded the players with special insignias that could be collected and traded for goods and supplies, creating a sort of secondary currency within the game. Still, until now, we’ve only seen the surface of Historia’s operations, which is one of the things that has me excited about our next update.

Sitting in my pile of scripts is the newest series of quests in the Historia line. Very soon, players will have the opportunity to become a full-fledged member of the Association, as they get to know and work with one of Historia’s top minds. We’ll get to learn more about the Association’s inner workings, motivations, and best of all, actually get to become a part of it.

As we continue to build up and add more of these side quests, you can be certain to see more such crowning moments. There are entire continents left to explore, and even in the regions that are open there’s plenty of room for more intrigue and mystery. One thing is certain: the possibilities for future adventures are endless.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online:Build Flexibility-2

Jun 4, 2009 Articles Recommend|1,673views

Part 2 continues discussing unconventional builds’ functionality. Tips on changing one’s build, the purpose of flexibility, as well as extreme imbalanced builds are also provided.

Unconventionality in Other Builds

As seen in Part 1, we can apply the ways we created Monk-less and Exorcist-less builds, in forming and improving almost any unconventional build.

Steps to improving the efficacy of an unconventional build:

1. Identify the common strategies that your build sacrifices
2. Explore potential strengths and growth opportunities of your build
3. Be prepared to handle opponents capitalizing on your build’s weaknesses
4. Recognize how you can catch opponents off-guard with unconventional play
5. Toy around with your formations and remember the importance of shifting around mercenaries during battle

For example, if you didn’t want to use an Oracle or a Shaman, you would lose the ability to use an active heal. Compensate with either greater damage or using a lot of passive heals, especially two for your main (Monk + Prophet/Exorcist/Princess). Additionally, since you have less Staff, a high level Fast Casting may not be entirely necessary. Be prepared to lose mercenaries from spike damage. Highly aggressive or highly defensive play through turtling can mentally frustrate the opponent. Be careful which mercenaries you front line, and be prepared to move ailing mercenaries to the back during battle.

I want to win in PvP! OP IMBA builds FTW!

As in most MMOs (and PvP games in general), Atlantica has its share of overpowered strategies.

However, creating (or in most cases, copying) an OP IMBA build is not always an easy choice, as unconventional builds do not possess extreme exploits.

Firstly, it requires the player to take some risks when choosing mercenaries. An OP IMBA build is never guaranteed to be OP IMBA forever. Therefore, the player also has to plan ahead in the case the OP IMBA-ness ends soon or finds the build not to his liking.

Secondly, it usually requires the user using moderately intelligent strategy, and living in the moment of the current patch. Overpowered builds are usually deflowered in a future patch whether it be by nerfing the overpowered mercenary combinations, or by introducing a new skill in a new or existing mercenary that limits the build’s strength.

Lastly, even if their strength does not diminish in the next patch, the current patch will always have counters to OP IMBA builds. When the overpowered builds become popular enough, other players will use the system in place to find the effective strategies.

Structurally, how does Atlantica allow for such unconventional flexibility?

Skills exist to counter lop-sided builds. For example, too many bows? Whip out a Princess! Too many staffs? Whip out an Exorcist! Too many long-ranged stunners? Whip out a Spartan! Scroll usage, while expensive and not the most popular option, can partially replace the function of essential mercenaries such as the monk.

Even though there are many ways to gain the upper hand in battle, each way currently has an ample enough amount of counters

Whenever new mercenaries or skills are added, the team at nDoors seems to try to use those mercenaries to provide counters to existing overpowered builds.

Atlantica allows players to raise dozens of mercenaries at once, giving players the ability to change formations rather quickly. Since players in PvP often fight against other players whom they are familiar with, ideally, a player can anticipate his opponent’s strategies. Thus, “extra” mercenaries could be swapped in before the fight to help specifically counter the anticipated tactics of the opponent.

Players have the flexibility to try and use different builds without having to create a new character.

Want to change your build? Let’s make it happen!

Unlike in most MMORPGs where you are stuck with your main character’s class and sometimes even skills indefinitely, you can change both rather easily in Atlantica.

Changing your main’s and your mercenaries’ skills as well as the skill point distribution can be a good way to try something new. By using skill decrease books, though costly, you can easily change the functionality of your entire formation.

One of the quickest ways to make a more drastic change to your formation is by changing your main character’s class (and appearance as well). (The only way to create a Chainsaw main is to create a new character once you have a character who has reached level 100.) Simply obtain a Secret Vial of Amnesia in-game or through the item-mall. Then, visit the shaman-like Divine Deity in the Bazaar in Rome. You will be greeted with a screen that looks similar to the character creation screen. Once completed, note that “all your skills will be reset to zero”. You will also have to re-do any quests related to quest-based skills, such as the level 100 Monk Dingxian quest.

Once you bring your main character back up to par, obtaining new mercenaries may be in order. Unless you completely despise certain mercenaries and/or have a slew of extra mercenaries, be wary of firing your mercenaries before level 100. The potential benefits of sending a mercenary independent at level 100 can outweigh the cost of purchasing an extra mercenary room. Additionally, do not send more than one mercenary independent (or fire him/her) unless you have another mercenary of adequate level to replace the let go mercenary. Doing this may leave glaring holes in your formation. As the game becomes increasingly difficult in higher levels, you may become more frustrated than you anticipated when raising your low level mercenaries.

Having difficulty leveling your new mercenaries? Here are some atypical words of advice.

1. Once you are past level 50-ish, do not change your formation drastically until you are a little bit past level 100 and several of your mercs are at or very close to hitting level 100. Why? It’s much more difficult (and possibly time consuming) to level a team of half-low-level mercenaries if you are not of high enough level than it is to raise a few mercenaries to 100, one-by-one gradually implementing new mercenaries. If you do change your formation drastically, store the swapped out mercenaries in mercenary rooms if you can.
2. Unless you can handle it, don’t bring too many low level mercenaries into any battle. Both in parties and in solo play, the quantity of EXP received by a mercenary partially correlates with level.
3. When completing quests with high experience rewards, swap in as many low level mercenaries as you can. Use easy low level quests + your high level mercenaries for the daily 3% and for daily 2% in Free Leagues; this will save your low level mercenaries for high reward quests while still giving you the maximum total amount of experience possible.

Fighting for the Future

Players can also hire mercenaries and teach them skills for short periods of time through Gladiator Proximo in the Rome Plaza. When hired, their levels match that of the main character. Though pricey, using Proximo is quick and easy way to test if mercenaries will work in your build and whether or not you like them, without having to go through the arduous process of leveling.

So what good is build flexibility? All I care about is winning.

• Distinguishes Atlantica from other MMOs
• Integrates a plethora of strategies
• Provides greater entertainment and greater game longevity through variety
• Forms a stronger community through greater individuality
• Brings greater pleasure in winning; not the same challenges over and over again

Who cares about winning? I just want to have fun with friends in PvE.

Then you can have any build. However, this is not suggesting that the game is so easy that any build with zero strategy will work indefinitely.

As in most MMORPGs, with enough grinding/farming for level and/or equipment in addition to items, it’s very possible to work one’s way through much of the game with little thought to one’s build/formation.

This is possible since every mercenary is useful in PvE. For example, one of the least commonly used mercenaries in the game (in general) is the Princess. Even if you have zero long ranged characters, she can be extremely useful against long-range heavy mobs. For example, she is extremely useful against the Servants in Frozen Adlivun, one of the most annoying mob groups for players around level 100.

For those primarily interested in PvE, even though you may think you have a build that does not work for PvP, you may want to take a closer look. While peculiar build choices are typically not as powerful as standard formations, they can be extremely dangerous in the hands of a skilled, intelligent player, especially when faced against an opponent who is not prepared to deal with the peculiar build. If you find yourself losing very frequently in Free Leagues, plan your skills more diligently and consider trying different strategies.

Unlike in other MMOs, other players rarely laugh at your peculiar build, provided it can work.

As a side note, the best builds for PvE are AoE builds with strong survivability, and a few long-ranged for hitting flying mobs.

I am a true rebel! Even at the cost of my sanity!

Here are a few ideas for themed builds that could work even with extreme/glaring weaknesses.

Theme: Absolutely Zero Healing
Example Build:
BT | Spartan | LK
Janissary | Witch | Main(Sword)
Elementalist | D. Archer | Viking/Inventor

Victory: Killing the main.
Weaknesses: Other spikers, stun.

Notes: With zero healing (active / non-passive), your ability to survive becomes greatly diminished. Therefore, you have to find other ways to diminish damage. Additionally, you could try using any of the healing mercenaries, just don’t give them any healing skills. Since the temptation is there to give them those skills, part of the challenge would be the strength in your willpower. :]

Theme: Monk-less, Exorcist-less, No Active Healer, Weak Front Line, Minimal Long Ranged Build

Witch | Spear | Spear
Spear | Sailor | Princess/Spear
Elementalist | Prophet | Musician(Main)
Victory: Varies wildly depending on opponent
Weaknesses: Spikers, AoE, Debuffers

Notes: This build attempts to stray far away from conventionality (as described in part 1) while still being reasonable. It attempts to utilize the Spear’s AP drain capabilities to the fullest extent. Be prepared for many quick losses against certain formations.

If you are really up to the challenge (as well as some tedium), you could always raise a slew of the same D-Mercenaries, such as in some of the formations that arise in Arena. Whenever builds like this come up in Arena, their payout dividends usually stay low. These builds - or builds similar to them that are slightly more balanced - would also likely be ferocious in auto-battle free-league.

So now what? I have an unconventional build.

Go play and have fun in Atlantica! Did you know there will be new mercenaries coming soon? Don’t fret! You have the flexibility to make relatively easy, strategic changes to your formation for both need and entertainment.

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online:Build Felxibility-1

Jun 4, 2009 Articles Recommend|1,808views

Recently selected as a game for GNGWC (Game and Game World Championship) 2009 for the second year in a row, Atlantica Online has proven itself to be one of the premier microtransaction MMOs for PvP.

With its intricate strategy, decently-executed balancing, and, most importantly, build flexibility, Atlantica provides great appeal for those looking for a solid tactical experience in an MMORPG.

In a majority of PvP in MMORPGs, build flexibility is little or nonexistent. For purposes of this article, the term “flexibility” refers to both 1) flexibility as in variety of choice when creating a build and 2) flexibility as in relative ease in changing one’s build.

 

Build flexibility naturally allows for the possibility of strong atypical builds. In Atlantica, atypical builds can be - but are not necessarily - more powerful than standard builds. This balance allows players greater freedom when choosing mercenaries for their build since they do not feel they have to be greatly limited in order to be effective.

But first, to understand what makes a build unconventional in Atlantica, we need to talk about what makes a build conventional.

The Conventional Convention of Mercenaries in PvP

There are a few mercenaries that you will see in a significant majority of most successful PvP builds (division 4 and higher). The most frequently seen two mercenaries are easily the monk and the exorcist.

The monk is the premier support character in PvP. He serves three purposes, all of which are unique to the monk and extremely useful. 1) Protect or Shield of Protection - passive healing to the main character. 2) Awakening - Decreases stun counter. 3) Holy Guard - Purification and protection of a row of mercs from skills. Currently, besides using stimulant, awakening scrolls, and purification scrolls, the monk is the only mercenary who can relieve from stun or purify through skills.

The exorcist is primarily used for his “Mana Seal” skill, which silences staff characters for two turns, thus preventing healing, many forms of AoE damage, and any of the monk’s utilities. But since the skill’s cooldown is three, the exorcist’s staff opponents usually have at least a one turn window of opportunity to act, in which healing, damage, and, most importantly, holy guard can occur. Staff mercenaries on the player’s own team under the effect of Holy Guard will prevent them from sealing. Still, even though his primary utility can be sapped from him quite quickly, the exorcist’s mere presence applies pressure on the opponent team to holy guard characters that he may want to or to use purification scrolls. Additionally, the exorcist provides passive Fast Casting support to his staff teammates.

Other mercenaries that are used quite frequently depend on the current patch, but as of now, they are Oracle (and/or Shaman), Northern Viking, and Dark Archer, as well as Spartan in high level builds.

Essentially, a conventional build is one that is well-balanced at adapting to many situations and is common among moderately-to-highly successful players. A build usually possesses a few basic qualities to be considered “conventional” and likely to be successful in PvP:

1. Monk
2. Exorcist
3. a Primarily Healer (Oracle or Shaman), primarily to help decrease effects of focus fire
4. a Strong Front Line for tanking and damage
5. a few Long-ranged mercenaries for stun, scroll cancel, and/or mid & back-row spike damage
6. one or two mercenaries besides Exorcist that limits opponent’s actions (such as N. Viking or D. Archer)

A typical long-ranged/staff main formation may be

Tank / Tank / Viking (front row) Long-Range /Open-Spot / Exorcist (middle row) Monk / Main / Oracle (back row)

A typical melee main formation may be

Tank / Tank / Main Exorcist / Open-Spot / Long-Range Monk / D. Archer / Oracle

These criteria are considered essential to conventional builds because they provide the user the simplest ways to counter the most common strategies, as well as a variety of ways to inflict damage on the opposing team.

As seen in these examples of typical formations, there are many mercenary slots that have some flexibility. Therefore, even within this realm of conventionality, the user possesses a great level of variety in mercenary and thus strategy selection.

Not following one of these basic criteria allows the user increased flexibility and, in most cases, makes their build unconventional. While those who step out of the box of unconventionality will be met with greater challenges, there are definite advantages to doing so.

Advantages and Disadvantages of an Atypical Build in PvP

Advantages

• Many opponents and builds will not be ready with strategies to effectively deal with your build
• Fun, uniqueness, and creativity all provides greater entertainment to observers

Disadvantages

• Not many people will be able to provide you with build assistance
• The build is likely to have glaring weaknesses that a smart player and/or another atypical build is easily able to take care of

Next I will detail how to make effective atypical builds.

But everyone uses a monk and exorcist in PvP!? Does that I mean I have to?

Oh, that is not true my friend! In fact, you can get away without having both. However, if you want to be rather successful, building a monk-less and/or an exorcist-less build may require some extra brain work.

First, let’s look at a monk-less build.

Think about what you are sacrificing most. Passive protection to your main character = gone. Ability to remove DoTs, debuffs, and limiting effects such as Silence = greatly diminished. Ability to remove stun = greatly diminished. A monkless build requires the user to accept these limitations and be able to work around them. For example, the user must find ways to kill off an opponent’s viking quickly or be able to handle frequent freezing axe.

Because of much lower overall level protection, that means you are likely to die much more quickly than the opposing team. In order to compensate for the lower level of survivability in addition to the inability to heal as frequently (inability to remove silence, seal, etc. on staff), the player must either 1) use mercenaries that have a high level of survivability or increase overall survivability or 2) somewhat neglect survivability and instead focus on very high damage output, through focus fire or multi-hit/AoE.

But also think about what you can gain by dropping the monk. The monk has the lowest direct damage output in the game, and additionally, he is susceptible to physical attack. Replacing the monk with a mercenary that drastically improves damage output and/or increases overall resistance to physical attacks can be a good move especially in builds focused on those themes.

Example Monk-less Survivability Build:

Sword / LK / Spartan Prophet / Exorcist/Viking / Inventor Oracle / Shaman/D.Archer/Viking |/Main (Melee/Staff)

Strategy: Freeze, Heal, Silence, & Seal whenever possible. Use purification scrolls and potions, making sure you protect any vulnerable mercenaries from death. Focus fire as much as possible.

Example Monk-less Multi-Hit Build:

LK / Spartan / Spear/BT Janissary | Viking/Witch/Prophet/Exorcist / Exorcist/Artillery Main (Gun/Chainsaw/Musician) / Oracle / Inventor

Strategy: Pummel columns with this build. Use freeze and stun to help prevent turtling. Use defense debuffs to help expand power of multi-hit.

Example Monk-less Focus Fire Build:

Sword / Viking / LK/Spartan Prophet/Janissary/Witch/Princess/Artillery/Inventor/Exorcist Shaman (with HoD) / D. Archer / Main (Bow/Gun)

Strategy: Focus fire and snipe on mercenaries that are most threatening to the formation. Then focus fire on the main, using the Silence/Seal to stop heals.

Secondly, let’s look at an Exorcist-less build.

Exorcist-less builds are currently a bit more reasonable than monk-less builds. Without an exorcist, the player sacrifices the ability to seal the back-line early in a match. Additionally, builds won’t get the benefit of the Fast Casting passive, so minimal staff usage is ideal. The most a player gains from dropping the exorcist is greater damage output. How can both of these problems be addressed, while maximizing the gain?

Example Exorcist-less Focus Fire+Stun Build:

LK / Spartan / Sailor/Spear/Viking/Inventor Janissary/Cannoneer/Artillery/Princess/Oracle Monk / D. Archer / Main (Ranged)

Strategy: Attempt to poke a hole in the formation as soon as possible. Stun to prevent action and movement. Silence the back-row when possible and focus fire on the main or on other weakened mercenaries. Use monk to diminish War Cry.

Example Exorcist-less Stun Build

LK | Spartan | Viking/Spear Inventor/Janissary/Cannoneer/Artillery Monk / Oracle/Princess/Open-Slot / Main (Gun/Cannon/Axe/Chainsaw)

Strategy: With a lot of somewhat weak mercenaries, this team must stun and prevent scroll usage in order to minimize damage. Consider eliminating an opponent witch quickly so as to prevent scroll usage.

Notice that all aforementioned builds, while missing 1 standard criterion of a conventional build, possess the other 5.

Living without a Monk & an Exorcist

Is it possible to go a step further and take out both?

Taking out both, the player’s survivability decreases greatly, however, the potential for causing stun and damage increases significantly.

Additionally, because Holy Guard isn’t available to erase silence and seal and because there is no Fast Casting, skill-heavy-dependent magic builds may be extremely difficult to work with (and work against), so a staff main is out of the question.

Example Monk-less & Exorcist-less Survivability+Light Stun Build:

Sword | LK | Spartan Prophet | Main(Melee) | Inventor Oracle | Princess/Witch/Cannoneer | Janissary

Strategy: The prophet provides a small amount of protection to the melee main. Stun key mercenaries, and play aggressively.

Example Monk-less & Exorcist-less Stun Heavy Build:

Inventor / N. Viking / Spartan Artilleryman / D. Archer / Janissary/Sailor Princess / Main (Ranged) / Cannoneer/Sailor

Strategy: Use debuffs and skills whenever able to cripple and expose the enemy formation. Use Sailor instead of a long-ranged if wanting focus fire.

Using the thought processes above, we will explore build unconventionality beyond monks and exorcists in part 2!

Tags: Atlantica Online

Atlantica Online:Dark Archer Guide

May 12, 2009 Articles Recommend|1,518views

Quick Profile

Class: Upgraded C-class mercenary from D-classWeapon: Bow + ArrowArmor: Long-Range

Why Dark Archer? She’s quick, agile, and sexy to boot. Like any wielder of the bow, she is lethal to any character or monster no matter where they try to hide in a formation. Though she has rather low survivability, if used well, she can be a vital force in crippling the enemy formation at any point during battle.

Once you get your archer to level 100, you may transform your D-class archer into the C-class Dark Archer through a quest. Aside from the class difference, there are two major functional abilities that separate the C-class Dark Archer from the level 100 D-class upgrade of the archer, Hero Robin Hood - the Dark Archer has a much higher base defense stat and can also learn an additional skill.

Obtaining A Dark Archer

The Dark Archer quest giver is the prophet-look-a-like centaur, Chironia, who stands among the trees right outside of Prague.

Chironia won’t give you the first objective until your main character meets the quest’s level requirement of level 100; otherwise, you are good to go. Chironia’s first objective requires an archer at level 100. If you do not even have an archer yet, you may obtain one by persuading one who is wandering around the map or in a town.

Unlike the majority of the standard scenario quests, Chironia’s Dark Archer quest requires you to fight monsters in independent and guild dungeons. Here is a summary of the mob killing portions of Chironia’s quest line so that you can plan your conquests ahead of time:

1. Open Independent Dungeon 94, Arachne’s Nest, and kill Giant Destroyers (the purple bees who are more plentiful on the left side of the map), then obtain location info on Arachne’s Bodyguard (the blue spiders), then the dungeon boss, Evil Arachne
2. Open Guild Dungeon Marksburg Castle, and kill Veteran Snipers, one Enraged Rock Beast (2nd floor mini-boss), and then Luxurious Clocks (only on third floor)3) Open Independent Dungeon 98, Hypogeum of Death, and loot Hades monsters (the two more lethal monsters of the dungeon), then kill the dungeon boss, Agasura

Unless you are capable of surviving these dungeons on your own, team with others who are adept at completing the dungeons. If you don’t want to run any of the three dungeons multiple times, as you run each dungeon, once you complete an objective, teleport to Chironia, receive your next objective, and teleport back to the dungeon to finish the next objective. Be sure to let your party/guild know that you need these quests for Dark Archer so that the proper mobs can be allocated to you.

Once these mobs have been vanquished, Chironia is surprised and more than satisfied by your talent, rewarding you with the item required to upgrade your lovely lady into the even more lovely Dark Archer.

Skills

Just like regular archers, Dark Archers are primarily used for two purposes: sniping (regular bow attack) and silence. Thus, early on, most prioritize raising Silence over the extremely situational Deadly Shot. It is also wise to preserve some skill points for “Multi-Arrow”, a skill unique to the Dark Archer, which is useful for hitting multiple targets.

Silence

Silence prevents enemies from using any skills. Silence is a row skill (after level 20 upgrade) that can be targeted two rows deep. It lasts three turns instead of two once the archer has received either the level 100 Hero Robin Hood upgrade or Dark Archer upgrade. Like many skills, raising Silence level significantly increases its accuracy.

Silence usually does not have much use in PvE, especially since most mobs do not use powerful magic skills. In addition to its high, 3-turn cooldown, Silence only targets a row of mobs, making it impractical for 1v3 PvE. However, for many bosses without Silence Immunity, Silence can prevent the boss from casting extremely powerful AoEs. Since most bosses will only execute an AoE every few turns, plan ahead, always leaving your archer with enough action points and cooldown points to cast Silence when needed. It is important to keep in mind two things when casting Silence on bosses:

1. bosses can dodge Silence regularly, even if it is at maximum level plus charms;
2. Silence is dark magic so it will provide a minor heal to Evil type bosses.

Silence has much more significant use in PvP, where most skilled PvP players have their Dark Archers’ Silence at maximum level.

Early in a match, your Dark Archer can snipe, cast Multi-Arrow, or cast Silence on the front or middle row.

Silencing the front row early in battle is usually the least useful tactic. Besides already being exposed to skills such as the Viking’s Freezing Axe, front rows are usually comprised of melee, many of which cannot use magic to penetrate a Holy Guarded front line.

Silencing the middle row early is especially useful if you have a Viking or Elementalist who can freeze or silence the front-line. This forces the opponent (if they only have one monk) to choose a row for Holy Guard. Silence on mid-row cripples the opponent even more if you have an Exorcist to seal back row staffs. Unless the opponent is keen to move his staff characters out of the back row, a Viking/Elementalist, Exorcist, and Dark Archer combo can silence nearly an entire party, if not all, for two turns.

Silence is usually most harmful when used on the back row (where most players place their staffs). Therefore, many often opt out of using Silence early in battle, instead using Dark Archer’s focus fire abilities to create a hole in the opponent’s formation as soon as possible. Once a character in the back row is exposed to Silence, aim and fire. Beware though, many players will prevent back row silencing by switching a near dead mercenary to the rear; if that near-dead mercenary dies before other mercenaries in front of it, the other two characters still in the rear to will remain free from Silence until one of them is exposed.

Purification scrolls and Holy Guard can destroy a non-flexible plan that depends on Silence. Consider using the Dark Archer to help cancel a purification scroll instead of casting Silence, especially if the scroll is used pre-emptively. If your build relies on other hexes/debuffs/dots, the Dark Archer can help stun or kill the monk before she is used to cast Silence.

Deadly Shot

While a fun skill to have, its use is rather limited in PvE because of its massive Action Power cost.

On the contrary, Deadly Shot can be extremely frightening in PvP, especially if your archer’s health and Action Power managed properly. If combined with other damage, Deadly Shot can be critical in making a successful surprise assassination on the opponent’s main character. Near the end of a long battle, with damage from the timer and with time running out, Deadly Shot (as well as Deadly Strike from other mercenaries) can give you a kill to put you ahead. Especially in a formation with other D-Class ranged with Deadly Shot, consider raising Deadly Shot to an Intermediate level. Use Secret Vials of Potential if necessary.

Multi-Arrow

Multi-Arrow is a low-to-mid damage magic skill with a cross targeting range. Because of its relatively low, 2-turn cool-down and Action Power cost (low compared to most multi-hit damage magic skills), Multi-Arrow can be released early in battle and frequently.

In PvE, multi-arrow is seen frequently, especially since the Dark Archer’s other magic skills are not as useful in usual PvE. In combination with the basic bow attack, multi-arrow can be particularly cruel to flying mobs because of its quick cooldown, and as other mercenaries have difficulty striking them regularly.

Multi-Arrow usefulness in PvP is limited since the Dark Archer is better used for Silence, scroll snipe, or damage snipe. However, it can be useful for adding damage to or perhaps even killing a few mercenaries that are near death.

Initial Formation Placement

If the importance of the Dark Archer’s Silence ability is high in your formation, and if the opponent has the ability to use Silence, placing the Dark Archer in the back-row will help preserve your Dark Archer from harm and give her freedom to act. Additionally, though not a bad choice, placing her in the middle row can be risky. Even with her increased defense and high level of dexterity, she has a somewhat low survivability for a ranged C-class mercenary, almost comparable to a Cannoneer. She is most susceptible to magic damage. However, if your formation has several staff characters or if others have skills that are more essential to your strategy, placing her in the middle row may be the wisest choice.

The Dark Archer is a feisty and tenacious mercenary. Focus on her strengths, and your opponents will be frustrated endlessly.

Tags: Atlantica Online