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 or Tokki) for any questions or feedback!
Also, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has helped me, as I learned and continue to learn AM!
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, its high damage and 11 x 11 AoE make Soul Vulcan Strike 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 and Jabberwocky). 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.
Note: The Bug Fix as part of Patch #79 reduced the SPL scaling from 15 to 3. As a result, the SVS build continues to be strong, but other AM builds are viable as well!
Relevant Skills
Soul Vulcan Strike: Soul Vulcan Strike is your bread-and-butter ability. The formula for Soul Vulcan Strike is MATK (((250 * Skill Level) + (3 * SPL)) * (Base Level/100))%.
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!
Stats and Traits
Generally, Stats should be based on what best suits you. As such, I won't provide my exact Stat distribution, as you should update yours accordingly. Instead, I'll provide my priority and the benefits of each Stat:
- Int: Provides the highest bonus in StatusMATK. It also provides the second-highest reduction in Variable Cast Time.
- Dex: Provides the third-highest bonus in StatusMATK. It also provides the highest reduction in Variable Cast Time from stats. Early on, you will want a lot of Dex, as your gear may not provide the VCT reduction you need. Later on, it will be a lower priority. However, I tend to keep a lot of dex in my full build, as I don't always use my full build in lieu of item drop rate gear.
- Vit: Provides a lot of tankiness through HP, SoftDEF, and SoftMDEF.
- Agi: Provides some additional tankiness by providing FLEE, and the ATKSPD improves DPS by reducing Cast animation.
- Str: Provides additional weight capacity which will help for farming.
- Luk: Provides the second-highest bonus in StatusMATK. However, I use more Dex than Luk because of the cast time reduction.
Traits are additional stats that provide bonuses for fourth classes. Traits are bit more straightforward:
- 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.
Gear Progression
Madame Celery's Guide to MuhRO 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. As you read through, you can look at the Magic Gear Progression Table below. This table will have links that will guide you to the relevant pages.
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
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
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 (for now).
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 to calculate your Variable Cast Time Reduction is 1 -((1-((Int + (Dex*2))/530)) * (1 - 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.
| Type | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upper | +9 to +11 Illusion Morpheus's Hood [1] (19428) |
You can use  Rune of Intellect Lv2 (29001) Rune of Intellect Lv2 (29001) depending on how long you plan on staying on Illusion Morpheus Hood. Make it +11 if you decide to enchant it.
|
| 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 Survivor's Staff [2] (2051) 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) |
You can use Rune of Intellect Lv2 (29001) Rune of Intellect Lv2 (29001) depending on how long you plan on staying on Illusion Morpheus Shawl. Make it +11 if you decide to enchant it.
|
| 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) |
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 
Underwater Refinement Box (100425) and 
Labyrinth Refinement Box (100423) to upgrade your gear or to make Safe to Refine tickets!
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 Sapphire 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!!
Between the 
Gray Wolf Robe [1] (450178) and the 
Snow Flower Robe [1] (450207) , both options are great. Gray Wolf Robe [1] (450178) provides more damage and Snow Flower Robe [1] (450207) provides more tankiness. Generally, Snow Flower Robe [1] (450207) will be cheaper, as you can buy the necessary enchantment stones from other players. However, this requires other players to have and be willing to sell those stones, which may not always be the case. Gray Wolf Robe [1] (450178) , however, requires farming of 
Amethyst Fragment (1000405) which may be grindier but more reliable. My recommendation if you plan on going the snow flower route is to make sure that the stones you need for the Snow Flower Robe [1] (450207) are available.
The Vesper Headgear is time-gated, requiring mysterious ores from a 24hr cooldown instance. You can try to farm these if you would like or buy these from a vendor.
In terms of Priority:
- Weapon, Accessories, Minor Cast Stone
- Armor and Headgears
- Garment and Shoes.
Zeny Tip: Thanatos 11 and 12 are great places to farm at this point and in general, and you'll be able to farm the materials for your accessories. 
Guyak Pudding (12710) will help tremendously to prevent the 
Decrease Agility debuff effect.
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 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. 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 
Two-Handed Staff Mastery 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.
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 200
Steel (999) , 30 
Flexible Tube (7325) , and a 
Brocca (1415) . The Pile Bunker (1549) can be exchanged with the Gomer npc in Yuno with a mechanic class. - 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)
Zeny Tip: You should be able to farm comfortably at Clock Tower Basement and Niflheim 2 now, and they'll provide a lot of great end-game material as well. As mentioned, now would be a great time to work on your shadow gear, as both those maps provide 
Shadowdecon (25729) .
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) and Alice Twisted Madness (Hard).
Phase Five
AKA the final phase. Phase Five revolves around the gear you get from Constellation Tower, Alice Twisted Madness, and Biosphere Depths and Depths 2. 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.
The 
Engraved Soul Purification Rune Robe [1] (450284) is the better armor, particularly against bosses. However, you will still likely need 
Nebula Robe of Spell [1] (450173) before being able to farm Biosphere Depths effectively.
The Items from Alice Twisted Madness can provide S.Matk and Magic Damage with Element or provide a lot of VCT Reduction. You should get enchants according to the amount of VCT reduction you need for your build.
| Type | Item | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upper | +11 to +12 [A] Vesper Headgear [1] (400111) +11 to +12 [A]  Time Dimensions Rune Crown(Arch Mage) [1] (400535) |
Time Dimensions:  INT+5 (4714) ,  Time Dimension Jewel (Intelligence) 3Lv (312709) ,  Spell Jewel 1Lv (312769)
|
| Middle |  Gambler's Seal [1] (410233) |
|
| Lower |  Ace of Spades in Mouth (Magical) (420213) |
|
| Armor | +12 [A] Nebula Robe of Spell [1] (450173) +11 to +12 [A] Engraved Soul Purification Rune Robe [1] (450284) |
Nebula:  Star Cluster of Spell Lv.3 (310688) , Nebula of Spell Lv.3 (310738) or  Nebula of Health Lv.3 (310744) , INT+5 (4714) Depth:  Soul Purification Rune 10Lv (312374) ,  Purification Rune 5Lv (312364) ,  Soul Rune 5Lv (312359)
|
| Weapon | +12 [A]  Dim Glacier Wand [1] (550089) +12 [A]  Dimensions Arch Staff [2] (640049) or +12 [A]  Dimensions Arch Rod [2] (640050) |
 Glacier Flower Spell (Magical Grade) Lv5 (311458)  Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) For the Dimensions Weapon, use the enchant you prefer. |
| Shield | +9 [A]  Mad Bunny-LT [1] (460020) |
 Variable Casting (Magical) Lv.3 (310860) or  Magical Lv.3 (310872) . With the Dimensions Weapons, you will not be able to use a shield.
|
| 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)  Temple Rune Ring [1] (490304) |
 Star of Spell Lv.5 (310711) Star of Spell Lv.5 (310711)  Intelligence of Varmundt Lv5 (311958)  Fragment of Varmundt (SPL) Lv5 (311998) If you don't need the VCT Reduction from Stellar Spell Seal you can use a Temple Rune Ring instead.
|
| 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)
|
For pure damage, Temple Rune Ring [1] (490304) is better than Stellar Spell Seal [1] (490136) due to the power of the Second Slot Enchant. However, the Second Slot Enchant is limited to two races (unless you get the normal/boss enchant). Additionally, the Stellar Seal gives 30% variable cast reduction from a single accessory which is very powerful.
Sinful Sapphire Ring [1] (490052) and 
Sinful Sapphire Necklace [1] (490053) will still be useful to have due to its race modifiers against dragon which will be very strong against Betelgeuse and Jabberwocky.
Shadow Gear
Shadow Gear is a great bonus to your power and can also provide additional benefits. Starting out, you should get the Beginner Shadow Gear from Lucy at Eden. Once you reach level 100, you should work on getting the Advanced Paradise Shadow Gear. The Advanced Paradise Shadow gear will give great benefits early on including ignoring 50% def/mdef pierce.
However, more powerful Shadow Gear and Shadow Gear Enchants are available in the main office basement. For these, you can either go for a mix of the advanced Shadow Gear or the Master Shadow Gear
The Master Shadow Gear is a slightly weaker but easier option than the mixed shadow gear. The Master Shadow gear provides both 100% DEF/MDEF penetration and 20% RES/MRES penetration. As such, it is a flexible shadow set that can be used on both physical and magical classes. However, the enchants on the Master Shadow gear give bonuses for specific skills e.g. 
Arch Mage Soul(Soul Vulcan Strike) (312241) , so with the enchants it is the most build specific shadow gear. Additionally, the enchants on the Shadow Gear, while pricey, are specific and won't require RNG. Master Shadow Gear is a great option even though it is a little bit weaker as it is cheaper and easier to enchant.
Mixed Blue Shadow Gear is the strongest option and provides a lot of flexibility for magic classes. Mixed Shadow Gear refers to the various kinds of advanced Shadow Gear that are available. These Shadow Gears can provide additional bonuses like permanent 
Endure status with the Lord Bearer's Combo 
Lord Bearer's Shadow Armor (24764) . Unlike Master Shadow Gear, you can mix and match different Blue Shadow Gear but do note that they still have their own combos. Mixed Shadow Gear is more expensive as their enchants require RNG. However, due to their enchants not being skill-specific, they can be used for all your magic damage classes.
Some great options for Blue Shadow Gear are:
- Full Tempest (I recommend you always get a two piece combo of this)
- True Gemstone
- Clever
- Full Spell
- Centering
- Lord Bearer's
- Spell Caster
As mentioned before, your Shadow Gear can be mixed, so one combo you could possibly use is: 
Full Spell Shadow Armor (24883) , 
Full Spell Shadow Shoes (24884) , 
Magical Spell Shadow Weapon (24753) , 
Magical Spell Shadow Shield (24754) , 
Full Tempest Shadow Earring (24665) , and 
Full Tempest Shadow Pendant (24668) ! But please review the different options, and see what would benefit you the most. Spell Caster, for example, provides a lot of VCT that your build may need.
Misc
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.
Cute Pets: 
Gloom Under Night Egg (9122) or 
White Knight Egg (9134) are good choices.
| 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) ,  Two Eyes Dollocaris Card (300376) , or  Meyer Lugenburg Card (300308) |
Observation Card (4392) Pairs with  Eldest Card (300269)
|
| Weapon |  Mutating White Knight Card (27384) or  Copo Card (300455) |
Copo Card (300455) Pairs with  Icewind Card (300458)
|
| Shield |  Mutating Khalitzburg Card (27385) |
|
| Garment | Eldest Card (300269) ,  One Eye Dollocaris Card (300375) , or  Friedrich S. Heine Card (300424) |
|
| Shoe |  Nightmare Verit Card (4658) or Icewind Card (300458) |
Copo Card (300455) Pairs with Icewind Card (300458)
|
| Accessory (Right) |  Icebear Card (300470) ,  Elvira Card (4577) ,  Creamy Card (4040) |
Creamy Card (4040) allows the use of teleport!
|
| Accessory (Left) |  Wasted Intermediate Rgan Card (300370) |
For other classes or builds, Celery's guide has a great list of relevant cards.
Magic Gear Progression Table
Based off Celery's Gear Progression Table
Damage Calculations and Diminishing Returns
The formula for Soul Vulcan Strike is MATK (((250 * Skill Level) + (3 * SPL)) * (Base Level/100))%. Afterwards, all modifiers applied on your ability's damage is multiplicative. Other than the specific skill's formula, the behavior for the modifiers are similar for all magic damage abilities.
- Spell Magic Attack (S.MATK): Final status magic attack and final equipment magic attack increases by %. This is increased by your equipment but also the SPL and CON from your traits.
- Skill Damage Modifier: Modifiers to a specific skill's damage. e.g. the Glacier Flower Spell (Illusion Soul Magic) (311294) enchant on your Dim Glacier Weapon.
- Skill Element Modifier: Modifiers to your magical damage with a specific element. e.g. the Glacier Flower Spell (Magical Grade) Lv5 (311458) enchant on your Dim Glacier Weapon.
- Element Modifier: Modifiers to your magical damage against a specific element. e.g.
Singing Pere Card (27108) - Race Modifier: Modifiers to your magical damage against a specific race. e.g.
Dragon Scale Lv5 (310246) - Size Modifier: Modifiers to your magical damage against a specific size. e.g. Mutating White Knight Card (27384)
- Class Modifier: Modifiers to your magical damage against a specific class (Boss or Normal). e.g. Brilliant Biosphere Gem (Boss Type) (311943) and
Brilliant Biosphere Gem (Normal Type) (311942)
You can check your total modifiers through the command @bs in game.
The formula can then further be broken out for Soul Vulcan Strike to say S.Matk ((MATK * (1+ MATK%))(((250 * Skill Level) + (3 * SPL)) * (Base Level/100))% * (1 + Skill Damage Modifier) * (1 + Skill Element Modifier) * (1 + Element Modifier) * (1 + Race Modifier) * (1 + Size Modifier) * (1 + Class Modifier)).
The main takeaway is that the modifiers that you add are multiplicative with one another, so when thinking about gears and cards, you should consider two important concepts:
- Each additional increase in a specific modifier provides less benefits the more of that modifier you already have.
- Spreading out your modifiers is more beneficial than indexing into one modifier.
To put this into a relevant example, 
Regenschirm Scientist Card (300265) and Mutating White Knight Card (27384) on a +12 staff provides 30% Skill Element Modifier or 20% Size modifier, respectively.
For this example, if you already have a 50% Size Modifier, the Mutating White Knight Card (27384) will provide more benefit than Regenschirm Scientist Card (300265) once you already have 130% additional damage with element:
- Regenschirm Scientist Card (300265) : (2.3 + .3) * (1.5) = 3.9
- Mutating White Knight Card (27384) : (2.3) * (1.5 + .2) = 3.91
Keep in mind that this is theoretical and may not be exactly accurate as the cards give flat and % matk as well.