Introduction to Renewal

Renewal is a comprehensive system-wide revamp that was implemented on Ragnarok Online in 2010. This guide will help you to understand the difference between Pre-Renewal and Renewal mechanics, so that you can adapt quickly to the mechanics used on MuhRo.

Game Mechanics

Some of the most significant changes that was brought with the Renewal update has to do with Game Mechanics. This includes Jobs, Levels, Stats, and several Substats.

Third Job The biggest change brought by Renewal is the addition of third job classes and the increase of the base level cap to 200 and job level cap to 70. With new job classes come new skills, which open doors to new play-styles for each job class.

In MuhRo, the Alternative Outfits for some of these jobs are purchasable from the Stylist.

Stats The entire stats system has been revamped. With the higher Level cap, the cap for max stats were also raised up to 130. The increase in availaIble stat points allows true hybrid classes to be made. Below is a short description of each Stat with comparison to Pre-Renewal mechanics, if applicable.

STR: For melee weapons, every point in STR increases StatusATK by +1 and WeaponATK by 0.5%. For ranged weapons, every 5 points in STR increases StatusATK by +1. Each point of STR also adds +30 Weight Limit. The bonus ATK per 10 STR for melee weapons is no longer applied.

AGI: Every point in AGI adds +1 Flee and increases ASPD. Additionally, every 5 points in AGI adds 1 SoftDEF.

VIT: Every point in VIT adds +1% MaxHP, +2% HP Healing Item effectiveness, and +1% resistance to several status effects. Every 2 points in VIT adds +1 SoftDEF. Every 5 points in VIT adds +1 SoftMDEF and +1 HP Recovery Rate.

INT: Every point in INT adds +1.5 StatusMATK, +1% MaxSP, 1% SP Healing Item effectiveness, and decreases cast time. Every 2 points of INT adds +1 SoftMDEF and every 6 points in INT adds +1 SP Recovery Rate. The multiples of 5 and 7 bonus for minMATK and maxMATK is no longer applied.

DEX: For ranged weapons, every point in DEX increases StatusATK by +1 and WeaponATK by 0.5%. For melee weapons, every 5 points in DEX increases StatusATK by +1. Every point in DEX also adds +1 HIT, decreases cast time, and increases ASPD. Every 5 points in DEX adds +1 StatusMATK and +1 SoftMDEF. The bonus ATK per 10 DEX for ranged weapons is no longer applied.

LUK: Every point in LUK adds +0.3% Critical Hit Rate, as well as resistance to several status effects. Every 3 points in LUK adds +1 StatusATK, +1 StatusMATK, and +1 HIT. Every 5 points in LUK adds +1 Flee and +1% Anti-Critical Rate, and Every 10 points in LUK adds +1 Perfect Dodge.

Substats Aside from Stats, several Substats were also drastically changed. Most of these define the main difference between Pre-Renewal and Renewal Mechanics.

ATK In Renewal, the Attack Power(ATK) is divided into two, StatusATK and WeaponATK. In essence, they both contribute to the final damage (StatusATK being multiplied by two). However, when amplified by racial/size/elemental bonuses (such as Hydra Card or Skeleton Worker Card), only the WeaponATK is amplified. This makes it so that people no longer rely on 4-slotted starter weapons (such as a Quad-Racial Composite Bow), and instead will strive to get higher level weapons with higher ATKs and Refine rates to deal better damage.

MATK As with ATK, Magical Attack Power(MATK) is also divided into two, StatusMATK and WeaponMATK. With the introduction of this update, many weapons now possess a flat MATK number (e.g. 280 MATK from Staff of Destruction; 105 MATK from Bazerald). In MATK's case, WeaponMATK makes up the greater percentage of the final damage, due to the variance factor which relates to weapon level.

DEF/MDEF The Defense(DEF) and Magical Defense(MDEF) system was revamped in the Renewal Update. HardDEF/MDEF is no longer limited into a 1-100 point system, with 100 being full immunity. Instead, the effect of HardDEF/MDEF is now reduced exponentially as the number goes up (i.e. the higher the number, the less effect every single point adds); and in DEF's case, the number often goes way beyond 100. For example, 200 HardDEF gives about 25% damage reduction, and 400 HardDEF gives about 40% damage reduction. As for MDEF, 20 HardMDEF gives about 15% damage reduction, and 40 HardMDEF gives about 25% damage reduction. With this change, many armor have had their DEF number raised significantly (e.g. 85 DEF from Meteo Plate Armor; 16 DEF from Naght Sieger's Flame Manteau; 120 DEF from Sacred Mission) to match the new DEF calculation system.

SoftDEF/MDEF which is mostly based on VIT and INT respectively, did not go through a lot of change from Pre-Renewal. They reduce damage subtractively, removing flat amounts from the final damage after the HardDEF/MDEF reductions are applied.

Critical Critical hits had been slightly altered in Renewal. Critical hits still ignore FLEE, but it does not ignore DEF anymore. Instead, it will deal 40% more damage by default. Additionally, more items provides Critical Damage bonuses, which means with the right combination of equipment and cards, it's possible to deal 200% your regular damage per critical hit, or even higher.

Cast Time One of the most significant changes that happened with the Renewal update was Cast Time. It is now split into Fixed and Variable Cast Time

The Fixed Cast Time part is not affected by Stats, and can only be reduced by special means (e.g. Arch Bishop's Sacrament or Temporal DEX Boots). Not all skills have a Fixed Cast Time, but the addition of Fixed Cast Time disallows skills like Acid Demonstration and Asura Strike to be cast instantly; thus offering balance in PvP.

Variable Cast Time, on the other hand, is similar to the Cast Time in Pre-Renewal. The main difference is that it is no longer reduced only by DEX, but also by INT. Variable Cast time can be completely eliminated if (DEX x 2 + INT) = 530.

Cast Delay display in Hotbar Delay Delay is a relatively obscure mechanic that was mostly ignored in Pre-Renewal. In Renewal, however, it can be separated into two: Cast Delay and Cooldown.

Cast Delay (also known as Global Cooldown or After-cast Delay) is a delay that prevents all skills from being cast. Some skills, such as Magnificat, has longer Cast delay, while others have shorter ones. This delay can be reduced by certain equipment like Expert Ring and Kiel D-01 Card, and by a Bard's Poem of Bragi skill.

On the other hand, Cooldown (also known as Hard Cooldown) is a delay that prevents certain single skills from being recast immediately. Not all skills have Cooldowns, but some, such as Asura Strike, has a long Cooldown. This Cooldown is not affected by Poem of Bragi, and is only affected by very specific items, for example: Tornado Axe reduces the cooldown of Mechanic's Axe Tornado, and Bow of Storms reduces the cooldown of Maestro/Wanderer's Severe Rainstorm.

Battlestats Command

Battlestats Message in Chat Log The @battlestats / @bs command is a MuhRO exclusive Player Command. You can use this command while in-game to get a summary of your character's substats, including Offensive and Defensive capability; ASPD calculation; Accuracy and Flee; Crit chance and Crit Damage; Cast Time and Cast Delay; as well as bonuses and penalties related to each of the aforementioned substats.

Game Playing

Beginning When you begin playing, you create your Novice character. You are no longer required to put initial stats, nor are you spawned in the Training Grounds map anymore. Instead, you spawn in a ship, heading towards Izlude, with 1 in each stat. You will then be able to follow a series of tutorial quests at the Criatura Academy, located in Izlude.

When you have finished the training and reached Job level 10, you may change into your first job. Changing into first job classes, except Taekwon Kid, Ninja, Gunslinger, and Super Novice, do not require quests anymore. In MuhRO, job changing may be done with the Job Master NPC located in the Main Office Building in Prontera (/navi prontera 135/185).

After you've become a first job, you may begin your journey towards level 99.

Leveling up to 99

The Renewal update implemented an organisation called the Eden Group. They offer quests which rewards players with equipment and experience for leveling during the early levels. In MuhRO, the Eden Group Headquarters can be accessed using the command @go eden. You may only access the Eden Group Quests after registering with the NPC named Secretary Lime Evenor.

Equipments Quests The NPCs Instructor Boya and Instructor Ur in Eden Group HQ offers special equipment quests for new players. Instructor Boya gives them for levels 11-59, while Instructor Ur gives them for levels 60-100. The equipment set includes an armor, garment, shoes, hat and a selection of weapons which vary by job classes.

Board Quests There are several boards located in Eden Group HQ, each labeled by a level range (e.g. "Level 11-26"). They give simple quests, such as killing 30 ea of monsters or collecting 30 ea of monster drops, and reward with hefty amounts of EXP. In MuhRO, there are board quests available for players up to level 175.

Gramps' Hunting The Gramps NPC in Eden Group HQ offers a special set of hunting quests. Each of them requires a 400 kill-count, and are grouped to levels 85-114, 115-144, and 145-175. Additionally, the NPC grants access to a special map which is crowded with the monsters to-be-hunted. These quests are best done with a party, and rewards with a huge amount of EXP when turned in.

Rebirth The rebirth system is exactly he same as it was in Pre-Renewal. Characters who have reached the level cap of 99/50 may be reborn into a level 1/1 High Novice. The reborn character can then be leveled up again, with bonuses in MaxHP, MaxSP, and Stat points, to reach Transcendent 2nd Classes. In MuhRO, rebirth may be done with the Job Master NPC in Main Office. After you Rebirth, you may start leveling again up to 99/70 and gain access to Transcendent skills.

Third Job When you reach the level cap of your character at 99/50 or 99/70, you can change into the Third job class. Changing into the Third job will reset your Job level back to 1 and allow you to gain more levels, up to 200/70. The cap of your stats will also be raised to 130. Additionally, you will gain access to the third job skill tree with many new skills to use.

Leveling past 99 can be done through several means:

New World The New World maps offers new challenges for characters beyond level 99. Gaining access to the New World opens ways to new quests, many of which are required to unlock new areas, dungeons, quests, as well as give access to new equipment choices. For example, the Two Tribes quest gives access to the Yggdrasil Dungeon, where you can fight the Nidhoggur's Shadow MVP; and the Lost Dragon Quest unlocks Mora Daily quests which allows you to get Mora Coins, exchangable for Class-specific Equipment.

Nightmare Dungeons The Renewal update is also followed by the implementation of Nightmare Dungeons. These dungeons are special versions of existing dungeons, which has stronger mobs and new MVPs. Some examples of these are the Nightmare Pyramid Dungeon and Nightmare Clock Tower (also known as Twisted Time Tower).

Eden Group The Eden Group is still a valuable ally for leveling past 99. The additional board quests for levels 100~175 can help guide you to places where you can grind for EXP, while rewarding you with bonus EXP after finishing the requirements. You can see a comprehensive guide for Eden Group here. Gramps' Weekly Hunting is also a viable choice for easy leveling with a party.