Choi's SVS Arch Mage Guide

Introduction

The main purpose of this guide is to provide information on the gear progression for Soul Vulcan Strike-focused Arch Mages. However, as the gear and concepts are similar across different builds, this should also be helpful for other Arch Mage builds as well as other Magic Damage classes like Soul Ascetic and Elemental Master. Please feel free to reach out to me (IGN: Choi) for any questions or feedback!

Notes

The Soul Vulcan Strike build has a very fluid progression that will allow the user to be strong throughout all parts of the game. Among the Arch Mage skills, Soul Vulcan Strike has the shortest Fixed Cast Time at 1s. Along with its short cooldown, high damage, and 11 x 11 AoE, Soul Vulcan Strike is a very effective ability for leveling and farming. Additionally, with the Warlock Telekenesis Intense skill providing a 3x damage buff for ghost damage, the Soul Vulcan Strike scales very well into the late game allowing you to MVP even the toughest MVPs.

However, due to the nature of Dim Glacier Weapons providing large damage bonuses to specific abilities and the strength of specific elemental MVP cards, you will be mostly gated to having Soul Vulcan Strike as your main magic damage ability. As such, you will be weaker against Neutral, Holy, Poison, and Shadow Elemental MvPs and mobs (The main one to note here is Betelgeuse). Even so, you will still be a highly effective MVPer!

For other classes and builds, the gear progression and concepts should be fairly similar other than a change in weapon and gear.

Relevant Skills

Relevant Skills Soul Vulcan Strike: Soul Vulcan Strike is your bread-and-butter ability. Mystery Illusion: Mystery Illusion will be your secondary ability due to the enchantment on your Dim Glacier Weapon. It also pairs well with Soul Vulcan Strike as Mystery Illusion does Shadow Property damage which is effective against holy and not resisted by Neutral. Telekinesis Intense: Telekinesis Intense provides a 3x Ghost Magic Damage and 50% Variable Cast Time Reduction Buff for 1 minute or until death. However, it has a 5-minute cooldown, so use it wisely, but don't be frugal about it! Mystical Amplification: Mystical Amplication provides a 1.5x Matk buff. It has no cooldown, so you should always try to keep it up! Recognized Spell: Recognized Spell provides a buff that lets you do the maximum damage. It's a great overall buff and also allows you to test different gear effectively. Drain Life: Drain Life has a 90% chance to absorb 40% of the damage you do with this skill. It should basically full heal you when you use it on a mob. Rain of Crystal: Rain of Crystal is a water elemental 13x13 AoE skill that hits targets around you. Very useful for farming. Comet AKA Reading Spell Book and Release: Comet is a large AoE skill that provides decent damage. However, it's main use is that it applies a 50% elemental resist decrease debuff for 20s to targets hit by it. However, rather than casting the actual ability, most Arch Mages opt to using Reading Spell Book with Spell Book (Comet) (100073) and using Release to cast it to avoid any cast time. Your other Arch Mage skills are still powerful, so feel free to use what you would like!

Gear Progression

[Yvonne's Guide] has a very useful section for Gear Progression and Useful Cards, so please check that out! The information I will provide for Gear Progression will be more specific to Magic Damage Classes, particularly SVS Build Arch Mages.

It may be tempting starting out to want to rush your end-game gear. However, I do not recommend doing this and instead recommend improving your gear gradually, so you can farm more effectively.

Phase Eden

Phase Eden At Level 100, you can talk with Labraham and Louis at @go Eden to get your [Advanced Paradise Gear]. These gears will require Old Pick (7318) , Blue Hair (1034) , and Elastic Band (7200) . Additionally, you can talk with Lucy in the same room to receive your [Advanced Paradise Shadow Gear] by renting it for 20 Eden Coins for 3 days or buying the set permanently for 230 in total.

Phase One

Phase One Moving forward, your main priority is to see where you can reduce your fixed cast time, and your second priority will be increasing your damage output. Abilities will have a specific Fixed Cast Time and Variable Cast Time. For Soul Vulcan Strike your fixed cast time is 1s and your Variable Cast time is 3s. Fixed Cast Time can be reduced by equipment (Most often through Shoes, Costume Enchant Stones, Accessories, and Higher Level Headgear). Variable Cast Time can be reduced by gear (all types of gear) and stats. The formula for Variable Cast Time is (((Int + (Dex*2))/530) * Bonus VCT from gear). For now, just assume that your VCT will come in time and go full int and dex for your stats. At Level 150, you can start using Grace Magic Boots [1] (470021) , which can be obtained after completing the [17.1 Questline] from the [Sentinel NPC]. The boots are the easiest way to obtain some Fixed Cast Reduction, providing .5s at Refine Level 7. At Level 170, you will have access to the [Illusion of Labyrinth and its related equipment]. The Illusion Morpheus Set will provide a good boost in damage, and a +9 Illusion Morpheus's Hood [1] (19428) will give you Skill Cast Interruption Protection. Lastly, the Advanced Paradise Equipment does not provide a Middle or Lower Headgear, so getting middle and lower headgears will provide an easy upgrade. Phase 1 Gear Type Item Notes Upper +9 to +11 Illusion Morpheus's Hood [1] (19428) Middle Cor Core Booster (410091) or Cor Core Booster [1] (410092) Depending on if you have a card or not. Lower CD in Mouth (420003) Armor Advanced Paradise Robe (450186) or +7 to +9 Grace Crimson Robe [1] (450110) Crimson Bolt is a good secondary ability while you level. Weapon Illusion Thorny Staff of Darkness [2] (550030) , Illusion Staff of Bordeaux [2] (26109) or Illusion Wizardry Staff [2] (2039) Shield N/A The Two Handed Mastery Passive provides +20 S.Matk, so use Two Handed for now. Garment +9 to +11 Illusion Morpheus's Shawl [1] (20948) Shoe +7 to +9 Grace Magic Boots [1] (470021) Accessory (Right) Illusion Morpheus's Ring [1] (32238) or Grace Magic Ring [1] (490020) Use the Grace Ring if you're using the Grace Robe. Accessory (Left) Illusion Morpheus's Bracelet [1] (32239)

Phase Two

Phase Two 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 Gray Wolf Shoes [1] (470088) with the Wolf Orb (Fixed Casting) Lv.3 (310602) or whether you want to sit on the Grace Magic Boots [1] (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]/[Sinful] Saphire Accessory Pairs give a good amount of damage and provide .2s and .3s FCT reduction respectively. With the Minor Casting Stone (Garment) (25170) that gives .3s FCT reduction, you'll have a total of 1s or 1.1s FCT reduction. Additionally, you can get a Warlock Stone (1000614) for .5s FCT reduction. I do not recommend getting a Cast Stone (Garment) (25067) ; it's too expensive, and you'll already have enough FCT! Moving forward, we're just working on damage; let's up those numbers!! Phase 2 Gear Type Item Notes Upper +9 to +11 Survival Circlet-LT [1] (400154) [To Craft] and [To Reform] Middle Battle Processor [1] (410017) or Cor Core Booster [1] (410092) Unslotted versions are fine if you don't have a card to use. Lower Orbs of Survival-LT (420066) [To Craft] and [To Reform] Armor +9 to +11 Gray Wolf Robe [1] (450178) Wolf Orb (Shadow Spell) (310532) Wolf Orb (Mage) Lv.3 (310510) Wolf Orb (Mage) Lv.2 (310507) [Can be obtained after completing Episode 18] Weapon +9 Glacier Staff (640033) Glacier Flower Spell (Magical - Element) (311353) Glacier Flower Spell (Magical - Size) (311351) Glacier Flower Spell (Magical - Race) (311349) Glacier Flower Spell (MATK) (311343) Just buy this from a seller! Shield N/A Garment +9 or +11 Illusion Morpheus's Shawl [1] (20948) Shoe +9 Grace Magic Boots [1] (470021) or +7 Gray Wolf Shoes [1] (470088) Wolf Orb (Fixed Casting) Lv.3 (310602) if Gray Wolf Accessory (Right) Brilliant Light Sapphire Ring [1] (490064) or Sinful Sapphire Ring [1] (490052) [For Brilliant Enchants: Any Happiness, Any Destructive Evil]. [For Sinful Enchants: Any Horror, Any Dragon Scale]. I recommend at least level 3 for both. Accessory (Left) Brilliant Light Sapphire Necklace [1] (490065) or Sinful Sapphire Necklace [1] (490053) [For Brilliant Enchants: Any Happiness, Any Destructive Evil]. [For Sinful Enchants: Any Horror, Any Dragon Scale]. I recommend at least level 3 for both. In terms of Priority: Weapon, Accessories, Minor Cast Stone Headgears and Garment Armor and Shoes.

Phase Three

Phase Three You can sit pretty comfortably on the Phase Two gears for a while. The best spots to upgrade are probably the Garment and Shoes if you're still on Grace. Now would be a good time to start farming your [Master Shadow gear] as well! Dim Glacier Weapons are a great place to start dipping your toes into the [painful world of item grading]! Luckily, the Dim Glacier Reinforcement Device (101637) helps ease you in. This is also where you should decide whether you want to go for Two-Handed for more Damage or One-Handed for more tankiness. Phase 3 Gear Type Item Notes Upper +9 to +11 Survival Circlet-LT [1] (400154) Middle Battle Processor [1] (410017) or Deep Blue Sunglasses [1] (410080) Lower Orbs of Survival-LT (420066) Armor +11 Gray Wolf Robe [1] (450178) Wolf Orb (Shadow Spell) (310532) Wolf Orb (Mage) Lv.3 (310510) Wolf Orb (Mage) Lv.2 (310507) Weapon +12 [A] Dim Glacier Staff [1] (640034) or +12[A] Dim Glacier Wand [1] (550089) Glacier Flower Spell (Magical Grade) Lv5 (311458) Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) Shield +10 Illusion Silver Guard [1] (460018) If One-Handed Garment +11 Convertible Magical Wing [1] (480125) Please see below notes for more information on the convertible Wing Shoe +7 to +9 [C] Moan of Corruption [1] (470204) Start on the Dim Glacier Weapon until you have the 30 Poisonous Magic (1001033) [to craft it] Accessory (Right) Brilliant Light Sapphire Ring [1] (490064) or Sinful Sapphire Ring [1] (490052) Accessory (Left) Brilliant Light Sapphire Necklace [1] (490065) or Sinful Sapphire Necklace [1] (490053) [To craft] the Convertible Magical Wing [1] (480125) , you'll need a +7 Supplement Part VIT [1] (20732) , a +7 Upgrade Part - Engine [1] (20733) , a +7 Pile Bunker S [1] (16030) , 5 Opal (727) , and 3 Repair Robot Turbo Card (27015) . The Supplement Part VIT [1] (20732) and Upgrade Part - Engine [1] (20733) can be bought from the Mass Charleston npc with Charleston Component (6752) which are farmed in the [Charleston Crisis instance] or exchanged for instance coins. They are also a random drop from the MVP in the Charleston Crisis The Pile Bunker S [1] (16030) require 300 Dented Iron Plate (6751) , 1 Pile Bunker (1549) , and 15 Broken Engine (6750) , and will be exchanged with the Mass Charleston npc. The Pile Bunker (1549) requires 300 Flexible Tube (7325) and a Brocca (1415) . The Pile Bunker (1549) can be exchanged with the Gomer npc in Yuno. You need Episode 15 done (you can use a clear ticket) You can use Safe to Refine Tickets on Supplement Part VIT [1] (20732) , Upgrade Part - Engine [1] (20733) , Pile Bunker S [1] (16030) , and Convertible Magical Wing [1] (480125)

Phase Four

Phase Four 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). Note: The Vesper Headgear is time-gated, requiring mysterious ores from a 24hr cooldown instance. I recommend going ahead and farming these daily with some friends before you get to Phase Four. Phase 4 Gear Type Item Notes Upper +11 to +12 [A] Vesper Headgear [1] (400111) Middle Battle Processor [1] (410017) or Deep Blue Sunglasses [1] (410080) Lower Young Leaf of World Tree (Intelligence) (420022) SPL Lv2 (311081) or S.MATK Lv.2 (310985) , Spell Lv2 (4814) or MATK Lv.2 (310989) , INT+3 (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. Armor +11 Gray Wolf Robe [1] (450178) Wolf Orb (Shadow Spell) (310532) Wolf Orb (Mage) Lv.3 (310510) Wolf Orb (Mage) Lv.2 (310507) Weapon +12 [A] Dim Glacier Staff [1] (640034) or +12 [A] Dim Glacier Wand [1] (550089) Glacier Flower Spell (Magical Grade) Lv5 (311458) Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) Shield +10 Illusion Silver Guard [1] (460018) If One-Handed Garment +11 Convertible Magical Wing [1] (480125) Shoe +12 [A] Moan of Corruption [1] (470204) Accessory (Right) Temple Rune Ring [1] (490304) Intelligence of Varmundt Lv5 (311958) Fragment of Varmundt (SPL) Lv5 (311998) Second Slot Enchant is your choice. Best is Brilliant Biosphere Gem (Boss Type) (311943) but its a .05% chance. Accessory (Left) Temple Magic Ring [1] (490307) Intelligence of Varmundt Lv5 (311958) Fragment of Varmundt (SPL) Lv5 (311998) Second Slot Enchant is your choice. Best is Brilliant Biosphere Gem (Boss Type) (311943) but it's a .05% chance.

Phase Five

Phase Five AKA the final phase. I was considering combining Phase Four with Phase Five, but Phase Five is essentially gated by the Gear that you get from Constellation Tower. The Enchants on the Stellar Spell Seal provide a large boost in VCT reduction that you'll need after losing the Convertible Magical Wing and Wolf Robe. I don't recommend switching out of the Convertible Magical Wing until you get the Stellar Spell Seal fully enchanted and upgraded. Phase 5 Gear Type Item Notes Upper +11 to +12 [A] Vesper Headgear [1] (400111) Middle Battle Processor [1] (410017) or Deep Blue Sunglasses [1] (410080) Lower Young Leaf of World Tree (Intelligence) (420022) SPL Lv2 (311081) or S.MATK Lv.2 (310985) , Spell Lv2 (4814) or MATK Lv.2 (310989) , INT+3 (4712) Armor +11 to +12 [A] Nebula Robe of Spell [1] (450173) Star Cluster of Spell Lv.3 (310688) , Nebula of Spell Lv.3 (310738) or Nebula of Health Lv.3 (310744) , INT+5 (4714) Weapon +12 [A] Dim Glacier Staff [1] (640034) or +12 [A] Dim Glacier Wand [1] (550089) Glacier Flower Spell (Magical Grade) Lv5 (311458) Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) Shield +10 Illusion Silver Guard [1] (460018) If One-Handed Garment +11 [A] Death Rune Manteau [1] (480233) Spell of Varmundt Lv3 (310925) INT+5 (4714) Second Slot Enchant is your choice. Shoe +12 [A] Moan of Corruption [1] (470204) Accessory (Right) Stellar Spell Seal [1] (490136) Star of Spell Lv.5 (310711) Star of Spell Lv.5 (310711) Accessory (Left) Temple Magic Ring [1] (490307) Intelligence of Varmundt Lv5 (311958) Fragment of Varmundt (SPL) Lv5 (311998) Second Slot Enchant is your choice. Best is Brilliant Biosphere Gem (Boss Type) (311943)

Misc

Misc Shadow Gear: the [Master Shadow Gear] provides the greatest damage boost for magic classes. Especially those that primarily focus on one ability, as [the enchants will increase the damage for one ability]. Costume Stones: The Arch Bishop ( Arch Bishop Stone (Top) (1000857) , Arch Bishop Stone (Low) (1000859) , and Archbishop Stone (Garment) (25709) / Archbishop Stone II (Garment) (1000019) ) Combo provides the largest Magic Damage increase. Cards Type Item Notes Upper Lichtern Green Card (4598) or Katrinn Card (4366) Depends on how much VCT you need Middle Lichtern Green Card (4598) or Dark Illusion Card (4169) Depends on how much VCT you need Armor Observation Card (4392) Pairs with Eldest Card (300269) Weapon Regenschirm Scientist Card (300265) or Mutating White Knight Card (27384) Mutated White Knight if you're using a shield Shield Mutating Khalitzburg Card (27385) Garment Eldest Card (300269) or One Eye Dollocaris Card (300375) One Eyed Dollocaris is better with Level 2 +12 Garment Shoe Nightmare Verit Card (4658) Accessory (Right) Elvira Card (4577) Accessory (Left) Wasted Intermediate Rgan Card (300370)