Penghaw's Night Watch Guide

Disclaimer:

1. This is a WIP.
2. Last updated: 2023-07-30
3. THIS IS NEITHER THE OPTIMAL NOR THE ONLY WAY TO PLAY NW.
   BE CREATIVE, RAGNAROK OFFERS MULTIPLE VIABLE BUILDS FOR MOST CLASSES.
4. Most of the contents here are just me sharing my thoughts and experience.

Keywords

In this guide I will be using various keywords which are commonly known throughout the game.

Keyword	Acronym For	Notes
NW	Night Watch	The class you're reading this guide for
DPS	Damage Per Second	How much damage you can dish out in 1 second. Also how some people measure their e-peen with.
AOE	Area Of Effect	Unit is measured in cell count from edge to edge. E.g. 11x11 = 5 cells to the left/above + 1 center + 5 cells to the right/below
ASPD	Attack Speed	Max value is 193. Formula: 50 / (200-FinalASPD) = Attacks per second. E.g. 193 ASPD = 50 / (200 - 193) = 7 attacks per second. This and ACD also determines how many skills you can cast per second.
GL	Grenade Launcher	One of NW's weapon options
GG	Gatling Gun	One of NW's weapon options
VITN	The Vigilante at Night	One of NW's GG skills. Sometimes also just referred as Vigilante.
FCT	Fixed Cast Time	One of two element that determines how long it takes to cast your skill
VCT	Variable Cast Time	The other element that determines how long it takes to cast your skill
ACD	After Cast Delay	Determines how long your character is stuck after cast. Can be reduced with ACD reduction effects. Needs the necessary ASPD to utilize properly.

Introduction

Night Watch is one of the extended classes available in Ragnarok Online.
They specialize in doing damage from a distance, be it single-target or area.
There are 5 different types of guns available for them, each useful for various situations.
They cannot farm or do MVPs as efficient as other classes designed for them, but they can do a pretty good job at it.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Extended class means no rebirth hassle and less EXP required to level compared to the main classes
• Extended class also means easy access to 100% DEF Bypass in form of Shadow Gears
• Able to farm relatively well thanks to large AOE skills
• Able to do MVPs relatively well thanks to skills that can crit
• Guns deal 100% damage to all size, meaning you have an extra Shadow Gear slot by skipping Infinity Shadow Gear
• Almost all skills have 0 VCT, and you only need to worry about FCT after you become Night Watch

Cons:

• Extended class also means lower total stats
• Due to how their skill is distributed, you will most likely need 2 weapons - 1 for farming and 1 for doing MVPs
• Above is also the reason why you will most likely need 2 sets of gears to optimize
• Not the best class at farming or doing MVPs
• Small HP pool - meaning you are squishy and dies easily without correct positioning
• Need to invest in 50% ACD reduction to spam skills optimally
• Suffers from CONundrum™ like Wind Hawks and bow-build Abyss Chasers
  • CONundrum™ - a situation where you are forced to spend points into CON while other crit-based classes can optimally go for POW and CRT

Weapon Options

Your weapon choice will determine your playstyle.
Here's a simple breakdown of each gun and what skills you get.

Pistol

Capable of dealing the highest damage in one skill amongst the Night Watch's arsenal.
Can deal with most MVPs swiftly.
Sadly only have single target skills, so you will need to pair this with another gun.

Skill	Properties	Summary
Only One Bullet	Single-target Bypass Defense 1s FCT 0.35s Cooldown 0.5s ACD	Deals significantly less damage compared to Magazine for One. Innate bonus doesn't matter because you will not be using pistols before getting 100% DEF Bypass. Don't bother using.
Magazine for One	Single-target Can crit 1s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	Capable of dealing over 1 billion damage when properly geared in 1 cast. However requires a lot of investment to do so. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).

Rifle

The very weapon that relates with NW's identity as being mediocre.
Capable of competing with Pistol in terms of single-target DPS.
Allows you to use Anti-Material Blast (Obliterator) which has a 70% chance to reduce target's resistance by 50% for 10s.
Can deal the highest AOE DPS, but middling cast range and AOE makes it clunky.

Skill	Properties	Summary
Only One Bullet	Single-target Can crit 1s FCT 0.35s Cooldown 0.5s ACD	Requires 31% ACD reduction and 183 ASPD to spam efficiently. Capable of doing DPS on par with pistol's Magazine for One when spammed to the limit.
Spiral Shooting	Single-target 7x7 AOE Can crit 1s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	The only crit skill that deals AOE damage in NW's arsenal. However cast range is relatively short, AOE is middling, and needs to target an enemy. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).

Shotgun

Honestly I never tried this weapon, because the its skills are bad.
GL has significantly wider AOE with Wild Fire.
GG has significantly wider AOE with Vigilante In The Night AND bypasses defense.
Also has big ASPD penalty.

Skill	Properties	Summary
Wild Fire	Ground-target 7x7 AOE 1s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	Deals more damage at the cost of smaller AOE compared to GL. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).
The Vigilante at Night	No target 7x7 AOE 1.5s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	Deals more damage at the cost of smaller AOE compared to GG. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).

Gatling Gun

One of the best weapon options for NW.
Gets innate DEF Bypass and deals damage in a massive AOE.
Also capable of dealing the most single-target damage excluding crit skills.

Skill	Properties	Summary
Magazine for One	Single-target 1s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	Deals massive single-target damage even though it cannot crit. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).
The Vigilante at Night	No target 11x11 AOE 1.5s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	Deals deals damage in a massive 11x11 AOE around the caster. Has innate 100% DEF Bypass, good for early-mid game. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).

Grenade Launcher

Has the highest base weapon damage among NW's weapon options.
Also has the highest ASPD penalty, making it somewhat hard to spam skills with.
Very effective at clearing enemy clusters from a distance.

Skill	Properties	Summary
Wild Fire	Ground-target 11x11 AOE 1s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	Deals massive damage in a 11x11 AOE. Ignores terrain, meaning enemies behind a wall but still within the AOE will take damage. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).
Spiral Shooting	Single-target 1s FCT 0.5s Cooldown 1s ACD	Deals deals damage in a massive 11x11 AOE around the caster. Has innate 100% DEF Bypass, good for early-mid game. Needs 50% ACD reduction and 175 ASPD to spam efficiently (twice per second).

Status & Skill Build

Status

WIP
Stats breakdown coming soon
Get Critical to 144~150

Skill Build

I will only be listing skills that are good and give explanation on why you should take them.
You can spend leftover points however you see fit.

Gunslinger

Skill	Recommended Lv	Notes
Single Action	10	Free bonus stats.
Snake Eyes	10	Free bonus stats.
Coin Flip	5	Required for .
Increase Accuracy	1	Minor bonus stats.
Chain Action	10	Helps your leveling early game. Required for Rapid Shower (Trigger Happy Shot).
Rapid Shower (Trigger Happy Shot)	10	Helps your leveling early game. Required for Desperado.
Desperado	5	AOE skill with radius too small to make use of. Required for Gatling Fever.
Gatling Fever	1	Required for Fire Rain (Fire Deluge).

Rebellion

Skill	Recommended Lv	Notes
Fire Rain (Fire Deluge)	1 or 5	Gives bonus damage when using Rebellion Stone (1001048) . Required for Round Trip (Circle Dance).
Round Trip (Circle Dance)	10	Rebellion's best skill. Allows you to farm effectively even at early levels. Only usable when using GG.
	1	Instantly gives you 10 coins which will be spent to cast some of your skills.
Fallen Angel (Nephilim)	0 or 1	Optional. Only usable when using Pistol. Allows you to teleport to a cell at the cost of 1 coin.
Platinum Alter	5	Only usable when using Holy bullet. Removed when you change bullets. Gives you a barrier based on your max HP, and gives you an ATK boost. Cannot be used together with Heat Barrel (Acceleration Bullet).
Heat Barrel (Acceleration Bullet)	5	Reduces FCT and gives bonus ATK at the cost of reducing HIT. Cooldown is longer than duration. Cannot be used together with Platinum Alter.
Anti-Material Blast (Obliterator)	0 or 5	Optional. Only usable when using Rifle. Has a 70% chance to reduce enemy resistance by 50% for 10s.

Night Watch

Skill	Recommended Lv	Notes
P.F.I	10	Free MASSIVE damage boost.
Grenade Mastery	10	Free MASSIVE CON boost.
Intensive Aim	1	What makes you capable of doing over 1 billion damage in a single skill. Moving with Fallen Angel (Nephilim) does not cancel the status.
Hidden Card	10	One of the most powerful buffs in-game. Early game this skill alone easily doubles your damage output or more.
The Vigilante at Night	0 or 5	Optional. Mandatory if using GG. An amazing skill that helps you retain the Round Trip (Circle Dance) spam playstyle.
Only One Bullet	0 or 5	Optional. Mandatory if using Rifle. Meant to be spammed, so you will need to stack some ACD reduction and ASPD.
Spiral Shooting	0 or 5	Optional. Mandatory if using Rifle. Rifle's only farming skill.
Magazine for One	0 or 5	Optional. Mandatory if using Pistol or GG. Single-target massive damage that can be spammed up to twice per second.
Wild Fire	0 or 5	Optional. Mandatory if using GL. The best farming skill IMO.

Progression

WIP
Road to Night Watch

Early Game

You spin me right round baby right round trip

Gears

Slot | Item | Enchants | Card | Explanation | How to get Grace set and Paradise weapon Pivot to Illu Butcher etc Eden SG Get Incubus!!

Farming

Location	Loot Setup	Notes
Gefenia F3	@autoloot 100 @nolootid +932|+2864|+1919|+5072|+1974|+2866|+2865	You can start farming here with just Round Trip (Circle Dance). Make sure to sell loot with Overcharge. Girl's Naivety (12370) can translate to a lot of money since taming is super easy here and there's a high demand of Incubus Egg (9052) . Read Pet System Taming Chance section for details. Demand might change depending on player population. Requires a bit of walking from F1. Alternatively you can also farm in F1 with less yield or use Kafra Card (12211) to reduce back and forth.

Mid Game

Figure out your playstyle/weapon choice

Gears

Glacier weapon or Hero stuff? Get 100% Bypass with class/skill SG (CAN BE SKIPPED IF YOU PLAY GG) Wolf suit FCT 1~1.5s Wolf accessories or Auto boosters or Snow Flower accessories

Costume Enchants

AssassinX-2 Top Rebel Mid GX Low GX-2 Garment

Farming

Location	Loot Setup	Notes
Oz Labyrinth F2	@autoloot 20	The best place to farm Amethyst Fragment (1000405) . Amethyst Fragment (1000405) has 0 weight so you can farm almost indefinitely. Bring Water ammo if you're having trouble 1-shotting. Cannot warp directly so you have to walk a bit from F1.
Snake God's Warmth F2	@autoloot 100	Easily accessible by warping to Dungeons > Snake's Nest. Good place if you want to start building your Dim Glacier weapon early. Monsters here have a chance between 4.62% to 9% to drop Etel Dust (1000322) . All loots are decent, so you can just pick up everything. Not as good as Abandoned Pit F1 but this place has lower entry barrier.
Thanatos Tower Revamp F12	@autoloot 100 @nolootid +7054	The best place to farm raw zeny. Requires you to have Kafra Card (12211) otherwise you will go back and forth a lot. Need to clear Thanatos Tower to access. Cannot warp directly, so you'll have to walk all the way up from F9. Brigan (7054) has the worst weight to zeny ratio, so you can opt to skip it.

End Game

Min-maxing time Painchamp

Gears

Get Full Penet SG to free up slots for Max Mammoth SG Remaining weapon and shield SG are free Get Dim glacier A +12 Temporal Circlet Wolf Acc for crit Pirate cap coat nebula? ice rune boots

Farming

Location	Loot ID	Notes
Abandoned Pit F1	@autoloot 100 @nolootid +620019|+587	Best place to farm Dim Glacier weapon as most monsters here also have a 11.96% chance to drop Etel Dust (1000322) . Blacklist Dim Glacier Mechanic Axe [1] (620019) because it is EXTREMELY heavy at 700. Red Prickly Fruit (587) is worthless and weights 5. Can opt for Wind ammo as 2 monsters here are Water. But you have to ignore the Earth monsters then.
Clock Tower Unknown Basement	@autoloot 100 @nolootid +641|+508|+525|+15282|+1259|+1258|+962|+938|+999|+1006|+997+|+637|+1611	The best farming spot available right now. Drops everything you need. Oridecon (984) and Elunium (985) for refining Shadowdecon (25729) can be traded into any of Weapon Upgrade Stone (Low) (1000430) , Armor Upgrade Stone (Low) (1000434) , or Accessory Upgrade Stone (Low) (1000438) . Shadowdecon (25729) can also be traded into Shadow Crate (50034) for Shadow (50033) . Zelunium (25731) can be traded into Blacksmith's Blessing (6635) . Blacklisted items are stuff that are heavy and/or worthless. Personally I think this place is unhealthy for the game because once you reach this place you don't need to farm anything else, reducing social interaction by trading (or is that a good thing?).

My Gear Progression

How I went with my NW. You don't have to 100% copy, this is just a reference.

Early Game

I played Round Trip (Circle Dance) until I become NW.
After that I started building up 1.5s FCT for The Vigilante at Night.

Slot	Gear	Grade/Refine	Enchants	Cards	Notes
Headgear - Top	Stripe Hat [1] (400049)	11			0.2s + 1s (Wolf Boots FCT) + 0.3s (Sinful Ruby combo) = 1.5s FCT for The Vigilante at Night.
Headgear - Middle
Headgear - Lower	Blood Sucker (18754)
Armor	Grace Trip Suit [1] (450108)	9
Weapon	Illusion Butcher [2] (28254)	10		Mutant Heart Hunter Bellare Card (27307) Mutant Heart Hunter Bellare Card (27307)
Garment	Grace Attack Manteau [1] (480018)	9
Shoes	Grace Attack Boots [1] (470020)	9			Later on I switched to Gray Wolf Boots [1] (470087) ( Wolf Orb (Fixed Casting) Lv.3 (310602) ).
Accessory - Pendant	Sheriff's Left Badge [1] (28495)				Later on I switched to Sinful Ruby Necklace [1] (490045) .
Accessory - Ring	Grace Attack Ring [1] (490019)				Later on I switched to Sinful Ruby Ring [1] (490044) .
Costume - Top
Costume - Middle
Costume - Lower
Costume - Garment
Shadow Gear - Weapon	Rebellion Advanced Paradise Shadow Weapon (24711)	0
Shadow Gear - Shield	Advanced Paradise Shadow Shield (24693)	0
Shadow Gear - Armor	Advanced Paradise Shadow Armor (24694)	0
Shadow Gear - Shoes	Advanced Paradise Shadow Shoes (24695)	0
Shadow Gear - Pendant	Advanced Paradise Shadow Pendant (24697)	0
Shadow Gear - Earring	Advanced Paradise Shadow Earring (24696)	0
Pet	Incubus Egg (9052)

Mid Game

I felt that The Vigilante at Night is too clunky since I need to get up close, which takes time.
Wild Fire on the other hand can be cast from afar, has 11x11 AOE, and ignores terrain.
Also at that time someone was selling fully enchanted glacier weapons for 10m.
So I switched to GL and built the DEF Bypass Shadow Gear combo.
It was the easiest decision of my life.

Slot	Gear	Grade/Refine	Enchants	Cards	Notes
Headgear - Top	Crown of Beelzebub [1] (400110)	C 11			I got lucky and made this almost effortlessly.
Headgear - Middle	Victory Wing Ears [1] (400002)		Long range physical attack +2% After cast delay -3%		In hindsight Victory Wing Ears (400001) would be better since I didn't have any good cards.
Headgear - Lower	Blood Sucker (18754)
Armor	Gray Wolf Suit [1] (450177)	11	Wolf Orb (Angle Shot) (310533) Wolf Orb (After Cast Delay) (310515) Wolf Orb (Shooter) Lv.2 (310505)	Observation Card (4392)	Wolf Orb (After Cast Delay) (310515) can be swapped with Wolf Orb (Shooter) Lv.3 (310508) if you don't need ACD.
Weapon	Glacier Launcher (840009)	9	Glacier Flower Spell (Wild Fire) (311329) Glacier Flower Spell (Physical - Element) (311352) Glacier Flower Spell (Physical - Race) (311348) Glacier Flower Spell (ATK) (311342)
Garment	Pirate Captain's Coat [1] (480174)	9		Empathize Card (300270)
Shoes	Gray Wolf Boots [1] (470087)	7	Wolf Orb (Fixed Casting) Lv.3 (310602) Wolf Orb (Health) Lv.1 (310588)	Odorico Card (27260)	The FCT goes a long mile until you can get Ice Rune Boots.
Accessory - Pendant	Automatic Booster R [1] (490024)		Automatic Modification Orb (Attack Speed) (310093) Automatic Modification Orb (All Force) (310120) Automatic Modification Orb (Expert Archer) (310095)	Timbers Card (300449)	Tons of bonus and usable until you can afford Varmundt or Stellar Seal.
Accessory - Ring	Automatic Booster L [1] (490025)		Automatic Modification Orb (Attack Speed) (310093) Automatic Modification Orb (All Force) (310120) Automatic Modification Orb (Expert Archer) (310095)	Aferde Card (300447)	Tons of bonus and usable until you can afford Varmundt or Stellar Seal.
Costume - Top
Costume - Middle
Costume - Lower
Costume - Garment
Shadow Gear - Weapon	God Hammer Shadow Weapon (24607)	9			I had this at +5, then decided to go +9 for the extra bonus.
Shadow Gear - Shield
Shadow Gear - Armor	Rebellion Shadow Armor (24402)	5			Set to +5 to gain 100% DEF Bypass before I refined the weapon to +9.
Shadow Gear - Shoes	Rebellion Shadow Shoes (24405)	5			Set to +5 to gain 100% DEF Bypass before I refined the earring to +9.
Shadow Gear - Pendant	Teleport Shadow Pendant (24143)	0			Helps save money and weight.
Shadow Gear - Earring	Flare Dance Shadow Earring (24604)	9			I had this at +5, then decided to go +9 for the extra bonus.
Pet	Incubus Egg (9052)

Current Setup

At this point I have 2 sets of gears, most are shared between them.
Farming build is for clearing mobs as efficiently as possible.
Crit build is specifically for MVPs, thus why I use Abysmal Knight Card (4140) .

Farming Build

Planned upgrades:

• Beelzebub Crown to A 12
• Sealed Chain to Battle Processor with Long-range 9~10% damage enchant
• Pirate Captain Coat to A 12
• Accessories to Varmundt
• Costume - Middle to Rebellion Mid
• Shadow Gear - Weapon to Mega Blitz

Slot	Gear	Grade/Refine	Enchants	Cards
Headgear - Top	Crown of Beelzebub [1] (400110)	C 11		Limacina Card (300363)
Headgear - Middle	Sealed Chain [1] (410094)			Limacina Card (300363)
Headgear - Lower	Blood Sucker (18754)
Armor	Nebula Suit of Concentration [1] (450171)	A 12	Star Cluster of Concentration Lv.3 (310682) Nebula of Expert Archer Lv.3 (310732) DEX+4 (4723)	Observation Card (4392)
Weapon	Dim Glacier Grenade Launcher [1] (840010)	A 12	Glacier Flower Spell (Physical Grade) Lv5 (311453) Glacier Flower Spell (Wild Fire) (311329) Glacier Flower Spell (Wild Fire) (311329)	Polluted Wander Man Card (27361)
Garment	Pirate Captain's Coat [1] (480174)	B 10		Empathize Card (300270)
Shoes	Ice Rune Boots [1] (470175)	A 12	Varmundt's Crystal(Ice) Lv1 (311867) Concentration of Varmundt Lv3 (310928) DEX+3 (4722)	Entangled Intermediate Rgan Card (300380)
Accessory - Pendant	Automatic Booster R [1] (490024)		Automatic Modification Orb (Attack Speed) (310093) Automatic Modification Orb (All Force) (310120) Automatic Modification Orb (Expert Archer) (310095)	Timbers Card (300449)
Accessory - Ring	Automatic Booster L [1] (490025)		Automatic Modification Orb (Attack Speed) (310093) Automatic Modification Orb (All Force) (310120) Automatic Modification Orb (Expert Archer) (310095)	Aferde Card (300447)
Costume - Top	Rebellion Stone (Top) (311463)
Costume - Middle
Costume - Lower	Guillotine Cross Stone (Low) (311435)
Costume - Garment	Guillotine Cross Stone II (Garment) (310188)
Shadow Gear - Weapon	Physical Power Shadow Weapon (24751)	9
Shadow Gear - Shield	Separate Reload Shadow Shield (24746)	9
Shadow Gear - Armor	Full Penetration Shadow Armor (24663)	10
Shadow Gear - Shoes	Full Penetration Shadow Shoes (24664)	9
Shadow Gear - Pendant	Maximum Mammoth Shadow Pendant (24682)	10
Shadow Gear - Earring	Maximum Mammoth Shadow Earring (24681)	10
Pet	Incubus Egg (9052)

Crit Build

Planned upgrades:

• Acute Lv 6 to Lv 8~10 COPIUM
• Pirate Captain Coat to A 12
• Accessories to Varmundt and Stellar Seal
• Costume - Middle to Rebellion Mid
• Shadow Gear - Weapon to Mega Blitz
• Shadow Gear - Shield to Separate Reload
• Pet to Abysmal Knight

Slot	Gear	Grade/Refine	Enchants	Cards
Headgear - Top	Temporal Circlet (Rebellion) [1] (19488)	12	Acute Lv6 (29086) Temporal Jewel (LUK) Lv 3 (29689) STR+2 (4701)	Limacina Card (300363)
Headgear - Middle	Sealed Chain [1] (410094)			Limacina Card (300363)
Headgear - Lower	Bondage Necklace (420076)
Armor	Nebula Suit of Concentration [1] (450171)	A 12	Star Cluster of Concentration Lv.3 (310682) Nebula of Expert Archer Lv.3 (310732) DEX+4 (4723)	Observation Card (4392)
Weapon	Dim Glacier Revolver [1] (800015)	A 12	Glacier Flower Spell (Physical Grade) Lv5 (311453) Glacier Flower Spell (Magazine for One) (311328) Glacier Flower Spell (Magazine for One) (311328)	Abysmal Knight Card (4140)
Garment	Pirate Captain's Coat [1] (480174)	B 10		Empathize Card (300270)
Shoes	Ice Rune Boots [1] (470175)	A 12	Varmundt's Crystal(Ice) Lv1 (311867) Concentration of Varmundt Lv3 (310928) DEX+3 (4722)	Entangled Intermediate Rgan Card (300380)
Accessory - Pendant	Gray Wolf Pendant [1] (490106)		Wolf Orb (Critical) Lv.4 (310632) Wolf Orb (Critical) Lv.4 (310632) Wolf Orb (VIT) Lv.2 (310488)	Void Mimic Card (300278)
Accessory - Ring	Gray Wolf Ring [1] (490107)		Wolf Orb (Critical) Lv.4 (310632) Wolf Orb (Critical) Lv.4 (310632) Wolf Orb (DEX) Lv.1 (310479)	Void Mimic Card (300278)
Costume - Top	Assassin Cross Stone II (Top) (310191)
Costume - Middle	Fatal (29047)
Costume - Lower	Guillotine Cross Stone (Low) (311435)
Costume - Garment	Guillotine Cross Stone II (Garment) (310188)
Shadow Gear - Weapon	Physical Power Shadow Weapon (24751)	9
Shadow Gear - Shield	Separate Reload Shadow Shield (24746)	9
Shadow Gear - Armor	Full Penetration Shadow Armor (24663)	10
Shadow Gear - Shoes	Full Penetration Shadow Shoes (24664)	9
Shadow Gear - Pendant	Maximum Mammoth Shadow Pendant (24682)	10
Shadow Gear - Earring	Maximum Mammoth Shadow Earring (24681)	10
Pet	Incubus Egg (9052)