Easy Survival Arena
From EssenceRO Wiki
Contents |
Getting Started
Hello, it's me, Emily, and I'll be briefing you on the Easy Survival Arena, (along with whomever edits this page =P), commonly abbreviated to Easy SA, which is an event unique to EssenceRO. It's limited to players of levels 75-99, so instead of simply maxing out a character's stats, the player who controls their character must actually think quite a bit to create the best possible character for the SA. Almost all classes can still be used effectively in the Arena, but there are a few tricks that will help any character.
Gearing Up
Most people create a character separate for Easy SA; it's easier to gear a super low level character in this way. With few exceptions, most people just want HP gear. HP Gear usually entails Raydric Carded Wool Scarf with Freezer Carded Tidal Shoes, as well as Incubus/Succubus Carded gear, or Remover, if your headgear slots are full. A Valkyrie Helm/Wings that match your character is also nice, and while accessories should match your character's abilities, Armor Charm with Padded Armor is always nice if you can use it.
Then there is the Apocalipse Carded Armor. Apocalipse adds a whopping 5000 life to your score, but only if the armor is +9-10. I'd suggest unless your character can equip Padded Armor/Armor Charm, to strive to get one. Probably the easiest way to get one is by getting a Star Gladiator to level off of Skeggiolds when it gains Job Level 90. You'll have tons of slotted Silk Robes/Odin's Blessings to mess with. Elunium is generally cheap in comparison.
Additional gear that can be quite useful is the diablos boots and manteau set: although it's quite a bit more expensive, most classes at this level will get significantly better boost from the set than they would from wool scarf and tidal shoes. (Doing the math, if your HP is less than 25,000 without % gears on, the diablos set will be better at this level.)
Other gear that's handy- on most melee classes at least, is %aspd gear. Due to the nature of the fact one can get max aspd with little to no stat input, the % gear is far more valuable at lower levels than it might be at higher.
There are also gears you might need for very particular mobs: Armor with a Pasana Card will help vastly against Kasa at the very end, for one. Endowment items(specifically box of storm for water, and cursed water for shadow), as well as enchantments, will help you deal damage to it as well as other mobs, such as Arc Angeling/Mutant Dragonoid, etc..
Another bit of gearing that's handy for preparing BEFORE survival, are cards that allow the drop of +3 stat increasing foods. These allow for an easy bit of stat alteration, without the cost of buying them- which most people prefer not to do for easy SA. These include Anopheles card, which drops +3 AGI food from insect monsters- Armeyer Dinze card, which drops +3 VIT food from fish monsters- Dragon Egg card, which drops +3 INT food from dragon monsters- Green Iguana card, which drops +3 DEX food from formless monsters- Gremlin card, which drops +3 STR food from brute monsters- and Retribution card, which drops +3 LUK food from angel monsters.
Guild Taxing
To get a character with a respectably high Job Level, it's generally necessary to Guild Tax. To do this, form a guild using /guild DESIREDNAME while having an Emperium in your inventory. You'll form a guild with that desired name. Then move to the taxation, and tax yourself. Your Job Level won't be taxed, but your EXP will: by a lot if you set it to 99%. And no, you can't set it to 100%. This'll help you get to 3rd Job should you desire it the second you reach level 99.
Save that last mob, if it's necessary
We at the Easy SA pride ourselves on our ridiculous ability to clear the game in two-three minutes. However, it's usually clear when we're struggling, and if we are, don't kill that last monster. If you do, you'll likely piss off the other fourteen members of the SA, as well as kill us all in the following mob. Spare us, and yourself, of that misery. Please.
Luring. Just Don't.
Don't be afraid to die. We won't abandon you; in fact many characters after the SA will run around to make sure no one's dead. If you run away from the mobs, you'll probably lure (and kill) people who could generally kill one or two mobs at a time, but not ten. The exception might be Bitch's Amistr, see below. Don't lure it to the actual Alchemist though, that's still bad.
An additional exception when luring is ok- is if you're luring AWAY from the group, giving it time to recuperate if the start of a round goes badly. A class that's exceptionally good for this is Guillotine Cross: with the skill Cloaking Exceed, they can not only lure the mobs away, but then actually have the ability to escape themselves, due to the skill avoiding the sight of the highly prevalent demon mobs. And even slightly against the lords- as even though they can see through and follow you, the skill also grants a significant boost to walking speed.
Other General 'Yes's and 'No's
Most of the Easy SA is undead/poison, so don't use Poison Enchant if you're a Sin/SinX. It's just a bad move. Don't use Regular Overthrust if you're a smith unless it's specifically requested (Like in the case an alchemist is using weapon protect on people, or a high damage dealer has an unbreakable weapon), because lots of people, (like me), will get owned if their weapon breaks; if you want an Overthrust move, become a Whitesmith and use Maximum Overthrust, which only affects you. Don't wear Evil Druid carded armor; you won't be ressed that way, and it's pretty easy to die in the SA at least once.
Priests, you need basically all the buffs you can give. If you're a 3rd Job Archbishop, use the group buffs for Blessing/Agi Up, they're much more time effective. DON'T use Kyrie Eleison/Praefatio, instead use Assumptio; Assumptio generally does more for people. If someone IS stupid enough to wear Evil Druid armor, (don't do it), you can ress them using Redemptio. Aspersio is ALWAYS nice until the last round, where two of the bosses are holy, because almost every melee class has need of it- especially with the ghost property mobs in the fourth round. Make sure to have both the skill, and holy waters available. AND ALWAYS BRING BLUE GEMSTONES, AND HAVE RESURRECTION MAXED.
The Important Mobs
Round Three has a Gemini, which deals tons of damage to the unprepared people. The general mobs are quite easy at Rounds 1-3, but Round 4 proves to be an exception with many Zombie Slaughters/Wraith Deads. Necromancer is also a guest of Round 4, and has Shield Reflect, so melee fighters need to be wary of this fact, and should instead focus on the Zombie Slaughters and tank the Necromancer, while a priest or a wizzy takes on the actual Necro.
Round Five has five boss monsters: Kasa, Mistress of Shelter, Mutant Dragonoid, Arc Angeling, and Maya Purple. The main idea is to always kill Kasa/Mistress first. Kasa has a fireball that can wreck unprepared parties, (if you're hit by it, you're dead at level 99 unless you've got supreme gear), while Mistress can deal poison, which hampers the team's ability to fight. After that, it shoul be a piece of cake; take advantage of the fact that Arc Angeling will always cast Sanctuary at least once, so you can run in there and heal if necessary. Mutant Dragonoid and Maya Purple might hit hard, but they miss quite frequently, so don't fear running in unless you've not properly geared up. (See above on how to gear up.)
Mob Table
Bosses are listed in bold.
| Round | Mob Names | Elements to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Orc, Orc Archer, Penomena, Joker, Gallion | Water / Earth |
| 2 | Remover, Megalith, Kavach Icarus, Egnigem Cenia, Skeling (x2) | Water / Earth / Holy |
| 3 | Wraith, Mini Demon, Nightmare Terror, Gig, Gemini-S58 | Holy / Water |
| 4 | Flame Skull, Zombie Slaughter, Hell Poodle, Wraith Dead, Necromancer | Holy |
| 5 | Maya Purple, Mutant Dragonoid, Arc Angeling, Mistress of Shelter, Kasa | Fire / Shadow / Water |
Your role in the SA
First, foremost, and before anything else whatsoever: If someone tells you to do, or not do something, LISTEN. Many a time there've been rounds that have failed purely because someone was inattentive to the shouts around them to res or buff, or not to kill the last mob (Sometimes you might not realize it is the last if you're not paying attention to the shouts of the people around you), or to set traps, or not to set traps, or to not hang around a specific side of the field, etc. Before even fulfilling your role on your specific class, fulfill this basic role of LISTENING, and acting as a competent member of the group.
After that- you've gotta know if your role is Support, Tanker, or Damage the second you arrive. Trying to do some awkward combination will most likely get you and others (who know what they're doing) killed, unless you're a veteran, (and then you wouldn't be reading this seriously =P). It should be simple; if your character can heal respectably or give buffs (Priest/Soul Linker), you should focus on that. Priests: do your jobs, because if you don't we'll be angry, and rightfully so. You are to enter the Survival Arena with a plentiful supply of Blue Gemstones(30-50, though I usually bring ~200), Ress, Buff, and Heal when necessary, NOT WHEN COMMANDED, (if you're being asked to do something, you're late, unless it's Aspersio). Though there are some pretty crazy Soul Linkers in Easy, (Tweedledee/Soul Breaker/Tweedle Dum, hi. :D), usually the role of Soul Linker is to Link, then Auto-Ress Buff. Tankers should basically be limited to anyone who can take damage; note that if you're properly geared you can probably tank everything but Kasa; Paladins should always be ready to tank with at least 25k life. Finally the damage dealers, who usually can't take too much damage before biting the dust, but can kill so quickly that this fact rarely matters. Usually Damage Dealers need some form of protection, especially Wizards, with their very low life, (exception: Ellestriel, no need to worry about her), and should be protected at all costs.
Stay Away From Immortal Sheep
There are many inside jokes to the Easy SA, because we're generally a close group of friends. Myself, (Goddess Emily/Goddess Luna/etc.), Ellestriel, Lex/Fee, Puk/Flexo, Oscar DeJarjayes/Drunken Bitch/RoboGal, BreakingDawn, xGibbs/xBiggs, Soul Breaker, Rinarin, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, etc... (sorry if I've missed you). Anyway, the point being, we've all got our pet peeves, but none so bad as Drunken Bitch's infamous "stay away from the sheep". He has a level 170 Amistr, which WILL NOT DIE under most any circumstance. There's no point to attacking the mobs on the sheep, because the mobs will eventually die regardless of who is attacking them: you're better off fighting somewhere else. The only drawback is that when anyone attacks the mobs that is next to the Amistr, and they die (and trust me, if the Amistr is gathering mobs, and you're running into those mobs, you're dead =)), the mobs will instead be attracted to anyone, usually the Alchemist himself (Bitch). This causes a few problems for that alchemist, who can usually deal with it, but it's a hassle. Lesson to be learned: Stay away from the immortal sheep.
Specific Classes
I'll (Emily) be working on this as best I can; I don't play as all the classes, so naturally I've not a clue on how to play _everything_. But I do basically know the gist of quite a few classes, so I'll post what I know and hopefully others can help out. (I'm making this section because some people are absolutely _horrendous_ at this SA, and I'd like to improve the standards a bit.)
Assassin Cross/ Guillotine Cross
This class is one of the more commonly misplayed classes; they're a strong class, but without proper gearing they are absolutely horrendous in the SA. They naturally have a comparatively low HP pool, so you need some HP gear. Currently, the Guillotine Cross skills are not as powerful as the Assassin Cross's Sonic Blow (when the Sonic Blow is Soul Linked, its damage doubles; there's usually a Soul Linker, so use Sonic Blow if you're using a skill). Enchant Deadly Poison is really nice to add some serious damage and it let's you also poison your targets, but don't use the plain Enchant Poison, because most of the monsters of the Easy SA are poison resistant. DO NOT use Enchant Poison on another character; it will _never_ help them. To be honest, my SinX (not even Guillotine Cross here, people) out damages any other SinX I've ever seen at the SA, and she doesn't even use Sonic Blow; If you want to go with a Critical Build (my favorite/what I use), go with Critical Gear as well as ASPD gear; Specialty Jur, Red Butterfly Wings, ASPD Helm, Cecil Damon Cards/Soldier Skeleton Cards, Kobold Cards, Chung E Card, are really useful for a Critical SinX. Alternatively, you can also use The Paper Card set.
Backsliding is a skill that I rarely see used as well. You can reverse lure mobs should the occasion arise; run to a corridor of the SA, Backslide out of it, and if you do it rapidly enough the monster won't follow you. This is one of the _best_ ways to "save" the last monster, so if you want to play as an Assassin, learn to use this skill well!
Gunslinger
A very nice damage dealer. I personally think the best build for the Easy SA is Gatling Build; you've not enough life to Desperado, because that will lure mass amounts of mobs to you, and at Level 99, you can't take any damage, essentially. HP and Critical Gear are musts for the Gatling Build, as you can reach 100 Critical Rate and 193 ASPD fairly easily. Once you get those items down, the only part you need to worry about it surviving in the actual Arena. Ask for Devotion _whenever_ possible, ask for Priest support _whenever_ possible; they'll generally be glad to help you out.
Paladin
The main role of Paladins is to Devote other classes. Yes, they can deal a fair amount of damage, but their supportive roles are much more effective for Easy SA. I'd also suggest _against_ Grand Cross and Sacrifice, as those both take out portions of your life. You _want_ to have the most life as possible, so if you're seeking to do damage as well, I'd suggest getting Shield Chain instead. Padded Armor, Armor Charm, Cross Shield, and an HP Valkyrie Helm are _very_ nice items to have as a Paladin, (and most come fairly cheaply).
Grand Cross/Devo Builds
GC is actually possible while using devo on people. If you're in this build you're bound to have lots of HP, but you have to make sure that you aren't getting hammered by damage when you cast GC. You will also have to Heal yourself during every cast to avoid losing too much HP and randomly dying due to low HP. The main priority of Devo Paladins/Royal Guards is to keep people alive by Devoing them. For this you will want a lot of HP. 25000 - 35000 is a number you'll be wanting to have as maximum HP, while still maintaining plenty of reductions for monsters and minibosses in Round 5.
Priest(ess)/ Archbishop
Basically the nicest class to have around in the SA. Yes, it's possible to do Easy SA without a priest, but it helps immensely to have one around. Don't bother going melee/Adoramus; at level 99, it's really not worth it. If you don't want to use /bm (I find it horrendously confusing), it's generally easier to use two hotkey sets, one for general use, (Heal, Sanctuary, Lex Aeterna, Magnus Exorcismus, etc.), and one for buffing (Blessing, AGI Up, Assumptio, etc.). Do NOT use Kyrie Eleison, unless it is on a Soul Linker, (don't use Praefatio either).
Have Redemptio; it really helps if someone's unintelligent enough as to have Evil Druid Armor on, and always have plenty of Blue Gemstones on hand. A fair amount of Skill Points are required to fully play your class, and it's important to play Priest to the best of your abilities. One final note: I generally don't care for buffing as much as I do Heal. During the actual SA, just focus on healing and resurrecting people, and basically only buff when people _ask_; the only exception being Assumptio, which can be cast whenever you see it run out.
Soul Linker
Another mainly supportive class, Soul Linkers can do insane damage on mobs as well. (I recall seeing Soul Breaker do 32k on a mob). Soul Linker is basically self-explanatory; Soul Link the people who want it before the SA, use Kaizel on everyone, (but not Kaahi, unless the other SA'ers ask). During the SA, make sure you're properly elemented (Warm Wind correctly; it's usually Holy until the final round), and feel free to use Estun and Esma. This one is a class I played slightly differently, but basically if you play right and don't get mobbed, you'll never die. If you use Kaizel on yourself and then die, immediately use Kaizel on yourself again. You'll stay alive _forever_ (until your SP runs out, which is like never. You can't use this strategy with Kaahi though).
Star Gladiator
The main damage dealing class. Gain Miracle before hand, then use your Comforts and kill everything. I'd suggest _not_ using Warmth until the last round, or you'll knock back all the mobs you're aiming to kill. Keep Holy element on at all times except for the final round. Star Gladiator is an incredibly powerful class; we'll expect you to be doing a _lot_ of damage, so get ASPD and Attack up, (which honestly isn't too difficult with a Gladiator), and you'll be fine.
Whitesmith/Mechanic
Don't use Overthrust. That is the first thing I'm going to say. It is irritating, it DOES break other peoples' weapons, and it DOES ruin SA for a lot of people. Feel free to use Maximum Overthrust, (which is basically _very_ cheap, considering the insane damage you'll do). ASPD is great, and if you can spare the gear, get Critical as well. All of the Blacksmith Buffs are great to have on at all times, and Full Adrenaline Rush will make you extremely popular. (I will personally love you for that ~_~;)
