Choi's Soul Ascetic Guide: Difference between revisions

The main purpose of this guide is to provide information on the gear progression for Soul Ascetics. For more general information on magic builds please check out [[Choi's Guide To Magic]]. However, as the gear and concepts are similar across different builds, this should also be helpful for other magic builds as well. Please feel free to reach out to me (IGN: Choi or Tokki) for any questions or feedback!

* '''Talisman Build''' mainly focuses on {{#skill:5429}} White Tiger and {{#skill:5427}} Black Tortoise but later on can also use {{#skill:5428}} Red Phoenix and {{#skill:5426}} Blue Dragon for strong single target damage. However, {{#skill:5429}} White Tiger and {{#skill:5427}} Black Tortoise will still likely be your main skills. Black Tortoise is the more powerful of the skills with a decent AOE, so you will likely use this skill the most as you level. White Tiger on the other hand has a huge AOE and short cooldown which makes it very effective for farming. The Talisman Build is weaker than the EXO build early on but will really hit its stride once you get the time dimensions weapon for it.  

* EXO Build focuses on {{#skill:5425}} Exorcism of Malicious Soul and is an incredibly high damaging ability with a large AOE around the user. It's not as fluid as you have to use {{#skill: 5421}} Soul Gathering every cast, but if you enjoy the build, you'll have higher damage output at the same progression level as the Talisman build.  

One of the benefits of the Soul Ascetic is its access to {{#skill:425}} Mild Wind which allows you to change the element of your skills. This will be very helpful leveling but will also be really useful for farming and MVPing. Due to the Soul Reaper skill {{#skill:2601}} Curse of Wicked Soul, Shadow Element is the highest cap in terms of damage for Soul Ascetic. However, Neutral Element is generally what I focus on, as it is a great element since it can hit almost anything without any negative elemental modifiers aka you don't have to think too much about elements.  

* {{#skill:5427}}: Talisman of Black Tortoise will be your main ability while leveling. It provides good damage and a large 11x11 ground targeted AOE.  

* {{#skill:5429}}: Talisman of White Tiger has a huge 15x15 AOE around the caster but provides significantly less damage than Black Tortoise. However, it is super useful for farming and once you get your Time Dimension Combo, every time you cast White Tiger, you will auto-cast Black Tortoise.  

* {{#skill:5431}}: Circle of Direction and Elementals is a powerful ability but its main benefit is that it activates the Blessing of the Four Directions which provides a very significant buff to all of your Talisman Skills. To activate it, you cast Blue Dragon -> White Tiger -> Red Phoenix -> Black Tortoise -> Circle of Direction and Elementals. It's confusing at first, but you'll quickly get the hang of it!  

* {{#skill:5428}} Red Phoenix and {{#skill:5426}} Blue Dragon: While not powerful on their own, the combo becomes very powerful for single targets with the Time Dimension combo that auto-casts Red Phoenix when Blue Dragon is cast.

* {{#skill:5425}}: Exorcism of Malicious Soul is your main skill in the EXO build. It is very powerful and has a large 13x13 AOE around the caster.  

* {{#skill:5421}}: Soul Gathering allows the user to collect souls while {{#skill:2609}} is active. Everytime you use EXO, you will have to cast Soul Gathering, so your combo will be Soul Gathering -> EXO -> Soul Gathering -> EXO, and so on.

* {{#skill:5422}}: Totem of Tutelary is a really useful supportive skill that provides HP and SP in an AOE. However, it also provides a huge buff to EXO when the user is under the Totem of Tutelary effect.  

* {{#skill:425}}: Mild Wind is a super useful ability that allows you to change the element of your damaging abilities. Use this effectively to take advantage of [[Elements|elemental weaknesses]].  

* {{#skill:426}}: Leap is movement ability that allows you to leap a decent distance and over terrain.  

* {{#skill:420}}: Tumbling is a self buff that provides a 20% chance of blocking long ranged abilities.

* {{#skill:465}}: Kaite provides a buff that resurrects you when you die. But surely you won't ever die if you follow my guide right?  

* {{#skill:463}}: Kaahi provides a buff that trades some of your SP to gain HP whenever you are hit.  

* {{#skill:2612}}: Kaute on the other hand trades some of your HP to gain SP.  

* {{#skill:5424}}: Talisman of Soul Stealing is a damaging ability that also restores some of your SP.  

* {{#skill:2599}}: Fairy Soul provides MATK and VCT% reduction

* {{#skill:5420}}: Talisman of Magician provides S.MATK

* {{#skill:5423}}: Talisman of Five Elements provides an increase in damage against water, wind, earth, fire, and neutral element

* {{#skill:5432}}: Soul of Heaven and Earth is a party buff that provides a large buff in damage and recovers AP

* {{#skill:5418}}: Talisman of Protection provides HP recovery every 3 seconds

* {{#skill:5419}}: Talisman of Warrior provides P.ATK

* {{#skill:2598}}: Falcon Soul provides ATK and HIT  

* {{#skill:2596}}: Golem Soul provides DEF and MDEF

* {{#skill:2597}}: Shadow Soul provides Critical and ASPD

* {{#skill:2605}}: Soul Unity is a party buff that provides HP recovery every 3 seconds

Generally, if I am playing by myself, Fairy Soul, Talisman of Magician, and Talisman of Five Elements is the main buffs that I provide to myself. If I have the available skill points for Soul of Heaven and Earth, then I will cast that on myself as well.  

# '''SPL (100):''' Provides the highest bonus in S.MATK and your abilities will additionally scale off SPL.

# '''CON (90-100):''' Provides the second-highest bonus in S.MATK.

# '''WIS (25-45):''' Provides Magical Resistance which I prioritize over Physical Resistance, as you will have a lot of Flee for physical damage.   

# '''STA (0-20):''' Provides Physical Resistance.

| Weapon || {{#item:2051}} or {{#item:550030}} ||

Zeny Tip: Illusion of Underwater 2 and Illusion of Labyrinth are great places to farm zeny starting out, and you'll be able to get {{#item:100425}} and {{#item:100423}} to upgrade your gear or to make Safe to Refine tickets!  

1s Fixed Cast Reduction is what you need. However, 1.5s is better since most of your other skills (Mystery Illusion, Rain of Crystal, etc.) have 1.5s Fixed Cast. It's up to you to decide whether you want to upgrade to 1.5s by getting the {{#item:470088}} with the {{#item:310602}} or whether you want to sit on the {{#item:470021}} until Phase Three.

* For Soul Ascetics and Elemental Masters, go for the Gray Wolf Boots; the 1s Fixed Cast Reduction is necessary for you.  

The [[Brilliant_Light_Accessories| Brilliant]]/[[Sinful_Accessories| Sinful]] Sapphire Accessory Pairs give a good amount of damage and provide .2s and .3s FCT reduction respectively. With the {{#item:25170}} that gives .3s FCT reduction, you'll have a total of 1s or 1.1s FCT reduction. Additionally, you can get a {{#item:1000614}} for .5s FCT reduction. I do not recommend getting a {{#item:25067}}; it's too expensive, and you'll already have enough FCT!<br>

| Armor || +9 to +11 {{#item:450178}} <br> +9 to +11 {{#item:450207}} <br> +9 to +11 {{#item:450265}} || For Gray Wolf: {{#item:310532}}{{#item:310510}}{{#item:310507}}. [[Gray_Wolf_Equipment#Gray_Wolf_Armor_Enchantments| Gray Wolf Gear can be obtained after completing Episode 18 ]]  

For Snow Flower: {{#item:1000717}} or {{#item:1000718}}, {{#item:1000721}}, {{#item:1000773}}. [[Issgard_Equipment#Enchantment_Snow_Flower| Snow Flower gear can be obtained after completing Episode 19 ]]. Only get Snow Flower if the related Ice Flower Magic Stones are easily obtainable (available in vend). <br> For Glacier: {{#item:312066}}, {{#item:312063}} or {{#item:312067}}, {{#item:312059}}. [[20_The_Immortal| Glacier gear can be obtained after completing Episode 20 ]].

| Shoe || +9 {{#item:470021}} <br> +7 {{#item:470088}} <br> +7 {{#item:450268}} || <br> {{#item:310602}} if Gray Wolf <br> {{#item:312076}} if Glacier

| Accessory (Right) || {{#item:490064}} or {{#item:490052}} || [[Brilliant_Light_Enchantment| For Brilliant Enchants: Any Happiness, Any Destructive Evil]]. [[Sinful_Enchantment| For Sinful Enchants: Any Horror, Any Dragon Scale]]. I recommend at least level 3 for both.  

| Accessory (Left) || {{#item:490065}} or {{#item:490053}} || [[Brilliant_Light_Enchantment| For Brilliant Enchants: Any Happiness, Any Destructive Evil]]. [[Sinful_Enchantment| For Sinful Enchants: Any Horror, Any Dragon Scale]]. I recommend at least level 3 for both.

# Weapon, Accessories, Minor Cast Stone  

Dim Glacier Weapons are a great place to start dipping your toes into the [[Grade_Enhancing| painful world of item grading]]! Luckily, the {{#item:101637}} helps ease you in. [[Issgard_Equipment|Dim Glacier and Snow equipment can be obtained after completing Episode 19]]. The Dim Glacier Staff is stronger initially, but the s.matk you gain from {{#skill:5228}} will lose value as you gain more s.matk.

* For other magic classes, the main difference here is going to be in the weapon you use.

| Upper || +9 to +11 {{#item:400154}} or +9 {{#item:400111}}|| [[Equipment_Crafting#Orbs_of_Survival.2C_Survival_Circlet.2C_Heart_Wings_Hairband.2C_Rosary.27s_Necklace.2C_Drooping_Gunslinger| To Craft]] and [[Various_Headgears_Reform#Survival_Circlet| To Reform the Survival Circlet]]. [[Equipment_Crafting#EXP_Advisor,_Vesper_Headgear|To Craft the Vesper Helmet]]

| Shield || +11 {{#item:460018}} <br> +10 {{#item:460040}} || {{#item:29001}} {{#item:29001}} <br> Your choice on the enchants for the Glacier Guard. <br> Switch to shield if you're using a One-Handed weapon.  

| Garment || +11 {{#item:480125}} <br> +9 or +10 {{#item:450267}} || Please see below notes for more information on the convertible Wing <br> {{#item:312070}} for Slot 2

| Shoe || +7 to +9 [C] {{#item:470204}} || Start on the Dim Glacier Weapon until you have the 30 {{#item:1001033}} [[Equipment_Crafting#Pirate_Captain's_Coat,_Moan_of_Corruption,_Crown_of_Beelzebub| to craft it]]

| Accessory (Right) || {{#item:490064}} or {{#item:490052}} ||  

| Accessory (Left) || {{#item:490065}} or {{#item:490053}} ||

We're almost at End Game. Time to make some of the tougher gears. You can skip to Phase Five if you think you can comfortably get the Equipment from Constellation Tower (Hard) and Alice Twisted Madness (Hard).  

| Upper || +11 to +12  [A]{{#item:400111}} ||  

| Lower || {{#item:420022}} || {{#item:311081}} or {{#item:310985}}, {{#item:4814}} or {{#item:310989}}, {{#item:4712}}. Do not change to Young Leaf until you switch to the Vesper Headgear. Any Young Leaf is fine; it's the enchants that matter.  

| Shield || +11 {{#item:460018}} or <br> +10 or +11 [C] {{#item:460040}} || {{#item:29001}} {{#item:29001}} <br> Your choice on the enchants for the Glacier Guard.

| Garment || +11 {{#item:480125}} <br> +9 or +10 {{#item:450267}} || <br> {{#item:312070}} for Slot 2

| Upper || EXO: +11 to +12  [A]{{#item:400111}} <br> Talisman: +11 to +12  [A]{{#item:400544}} || <br> Time Dimensions: {{#item:4714}}, {{#item:312709}}, {{#item:312769}}

| Weapon || EXO: +12 [A] {{#item:550089}} <br> EXO: +11 [A] {{#item: 550092}} <br> Talisman: +12 [A] {{#item:550131}} or +12 [A] {{#item:550132}} || {{#item:311458}}{{#item:311320}}{{#item:311320}} <br> {{#item:311393}}{{#item:311404}} <br> For the Dimensions Weapon, use the enchant you prefer.  

| Shield || +9 to +12 [A] {{#item:460020}} <br> +10 to +12  [C] {{#item:460040}} || {{#item:310860}} or {{#item:310872}}. <br> Your choice on the enchants for the Glacier Guard. <br> With the Dimensions Weapons, you will not be able to use a shield.

| Garment || +11 [A] {{#item:480233}} <br> +11 [A] {{#item:480284}} || {{#item:310925}}{{#item:4714}} Second Slot Enchant is your choice. <br> {{#item:312157}}, {{#item:312156}}, {{#item:312136}}

| Accessory (Right) || {{#item:490136}} <br> {{#item:490304}} || {{#item:310711}}{{#item:310711}} <br> {{#item:311958}}{{#item:311998}} If you don't need the VCT Reduction from Stellar Spell Seal you can use a Temple Rune Ring instead.  

| Accessory (Left) || {{#item:490307}} || {{#item:311958}}{{#item:311998}} Second Slot Enchant is your choice. Best is {{#item:311943}}

* Arch Bishop Combo: {{#item:1000857}}, {{#item:1000859}}, and {{#item:25709}}/{{#item:1000019}}) The Arch Bishop Combo is better for EXO builds<br><br>

[[Pet_System|Cute Pets]]: {{#item:9134}}, {{#item:9122}}, {{#item:9139}}, and Icewind Egg (9147) are good choices.  

You can find a list of cards to use [[Choi's_Guide_To_Magic#Cards|Guide to Magic]]. Depending on which element you are planning on using with {{#skill:425}}, the cards that you use may be different. However, the focus of the cards below are for a neutral element focus.  

| Armor || {{#item:300376}} or {{#item:300308}} || {{#item:4392}} Pairs with {{#item:300269}}