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============================True Alchemist FAQ=================================
==============================By: SageRyock====================================
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Table of Contents
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Section I: Version History
Section II: About Myself
Section III: About Alchemists
Section IV: Getting Started
Section V: Merchant Skills
Section VI: Alchemist Skills
Section VII: Your Homunculus
Section VIII: Where to Level
Section IX: Q & A
Section X: Legal Info, Credits, Contact
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Section I: Version History
=====================================================
Version 1.00: This is the first version. So far, everything is correct, and
nothing needs to be changed. This may change though if Gravity decides to
change content in the game.
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Section II: About Myself
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Well, I've played RO for quite a while now, and I must say I've gotten to know
the community, the gameplay, and its levels, etc pretty well. I only started
this year in March, but have gained quite a bit of knowledge in that short
amount of time. I started simply off a whim, when I was taking a break from
another online game I grew to love so much (Phantasy Star Online), and decided
to take a look at this, especially since we got a free trial.
I was amazed at how good it was. How simplistic, but inviting it was. As
someone I know put it, it never took my life... it had it from the beginning
XD. But anywho, I learned quite a bit, met some great people, joined a guild,
and am quite satisfied with how I've done, and how I've come to accomplish
some things in this game. Starting as a Mage, slowly working my way up, then
starting on other characters as well.
I'm glad to have done what I have, and figured to help those who are sometimes
concerned, pondering, or just need help with Alchemists, I'm here to put all
that aside, and help out. So continue, if you wish.
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Section III: About Alchemists
=====================================================
Alchemists have to be one of the most fun, irritating, wonderful, excruciating
classes to ever play. To be honest, they are A LOT of fun... when you're
around the right people and party (if any).
You become an Alchemist by starting off as a measly Merchant who can't really
defend himself too well, and you will probably despise with every fiber of
your soul. Once you've become an Alchemist though, you will have a lot of fun,
guaranteed. They are a very difficult class to play though, so I would not
recommend a Merchant, let alone an Alchemist to be a person's first character
when playing this game. A good idea would be to play a Mage or Swordman for a
little while to get the hang of the game first. Once you've done that, I say
return to becoming an Alchemist.
Another thing about Alchemists is... they cost A LOT of zeny in order to
manage properly. Cause one thing you're going to have to cope with is the
fact that all your skills, yes, all of them, are going to require an item in
order to use. Yes, the costs are cut down thankfully since we can make all of
those items. But we need ingredients to make them, and we must either go item
collecting in a place where they drop frequently, or buy them off other people.
And even if you do that, there's no guarantee that you'll succeed in your
potion creation. Yes, even at 99/50, a Biochemist could still fail. I'd say
that's it extremely unlikely you'd fail at such a great level, but it is still
possible.
Now, don't let this discourage you at all. I'm just trying to say that you
will need a lot of zeny if you wish to survive. This is one of the main
reasons a person will never make an Alchemist. To be honest, it may not be a
good idea to create an Alchemist until you have about a good 1 million zeny to
spare. Now since Alchemists are so pricey to play, people usually don't use
too many of their skills, and rely mostly on their brute force as an
Alchemist, or their little Homunculus, which is a foolish thing to do might I
add.
One more major thing I think I should mention, is that you cannot afford to
mess up on any stats for your Alchemist, or you will render his/her perfection.
And yes, perfection is very much required, especially when making potions.
Now, as for difficulty for this class, playing against other monsters compared
to the other classes, here's a rough graph. They are put in difficulty
compared to with *'s. The more *'s, the more difficult it becomes.
KNIGHT: **
Knight Info: They're pretty easy to play with, especially if they're AGI based.
WIZARD: **
Wizard Info: This class only starts to become easy once you've gotten VERY
good with all their spells.
HUNTER: *
Hunter Info: Overpowered, hit things from a distance, trap anything... they're
pretty cheap and require almost no skill to play and master.
BLACKSMITH: *** or ****, maybe even *****
Blacksmith Info: Not entirely built to battle, but can really deal out damage
if they need to.
ASSASSIN: * or **
Assassin: Not nearly as cheap as Hunters, but can do a very good job at
getting away from enemies, and taking enemies out without damage or flaw if
need be.
PRIEST: Varies
Priest Info: Priests are quite unique in ways. Only support really, but some
Priests can deal out better damage than some Wizards if they use Magnus on
enough enemies. It really depends on how they're built. However, they rarely
die due to their Level 10 Heal and high INT stat.
CRUSADER: ** or ***
Crusader Info: Crusaders can sometimes be better and worse than Knights in a
lot of ways. Crusaders can be built quite unique, and because of that, they
are very difficult to build at times.
SAGE: ***
Sage Info: Definitely harder to play than Wizards due to their lack of
powerful spells. I think Gravity intended us to use them to fight physically
as well, which most Sages never do. The three advantages they have over
Wizards is the Move and Cast, Double Cast, and Magic Rod.
BARD: **
Bard Info: Not nearly as cheap as Hunters. They are more built for support,
and can be catastrophic when comboed with a Dancer. Also, they don't use
traps, and don't have an annoying bird.
DANCER: **
Dancer Info: Same as Bard.
ALCHEMIST: **** or *****
Alchemist Info: Alchemists are difficult to play, due to their lack of good
combat skills, and the fact that most of the time, they will be relying on
their monsters, which will not grow stronger, and because of that, will lose
a lot of power in the high levels, and dangerous areas.
ROGUE: *
Rogue Info: Just as cheap or damn near as a Hunter. They also require just
about no skill. They can double attack very frequently, take someone's skill
if need be, disarm a person completely, Hide, Backstab, and dodge like crazy,
all the time grinning at you.
MONK: ** or ***
Monk Info: Monks are very different, and can be dangerous if used properly. I
can't tell too much from them though, and will be able to though when my Monk
is finished.
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Section IV: Getting Started
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Now that you've read up on some Alchemist facts, let's get to down to actually
building your Alchemist. The best thing to figure out first is how you want
his stats to be. A lot of people, in fact, most of them like to create a pure
Brewer, which is someone who only focuses in the Alchemist's main stats
required to create potions, which would be INT, DEX, and LUK. Most people who
create these kinds of Alchemists can make a lot of money, but they are very,
very difficult to make, level, and even harder to fight with.
This is why I created a Battle Alchemist, which is my favorite type of
Alchemist to be built, so that he doesn't have to rely on his monsters too
much if they seem to be having a hard time, and can instead get into the
battle himself, or herself. Here are some very important things you should
know about their stats before actually building the Alchemist.
STR: This is a very important stat if you want to be a Battle Alchemist like
me. With this, you will be very powerful, especially if you can afford a
Cutlus, which allows its wielder to use Level 5 Bash. Even better, with more
STR, it means that you can carry more, which means more potions.
AGI: Also a very important stat for a Battle Alchemist... sometimes. For me,
I got him absolutely no AGI, and he deals out damage extremely well. With most
characters, as a lot of people will tell you. If you're going to be meleeing,
then you need to get either a LOT of AGI or VIT. Never both, especially when
you have Berserk Potions or Awake Potions.
VIT: This is a beautiful stat. With more VIT, means more DEF, HP, and better
healing ability with potions. What more could you ask for? In my opinion, this
is a much better stat to invest in than AGI, and can be extremely rewarding
when you use it a lot.
INT: This is a crucial stat when creating potions (obviously). With more INT,
you'll deal out more damage with magic (useless), have more SP (not entirely
great, considering even with only 1 INT, our skills will not likely use all
our SP), and of course, increase your odds of success with potion creation,
which is very handy. Only good for a Pure Brewer. However, even with Battle
Alchemists, it's nice to have a bit of INT, which is why I left it at 25.
DEX: This is also a crucial stat in creation of potions, if not, more
important than INT. Also, high DEX will also mean that you will hit very
frequently. That is, if you prefer to battle like I did. It will also raise
your minimum damage, so that's always a plus. If you're going Battle, it might
be a good idea to stop at about 50 - 60. Otherwise, Pure Brewers like to max
it.
LUK: It's good for criticals, but I can't say I've ever seen a critical
Alchemist. I'm sure it'd be a very interesting class, but probably a little
useless. LUK also plays a very important part in creating potions, but nowhere
near as important as base level, job level, INT, and DEX do. Pure Brewers like
to make this their third stat usually.
Well, that's how each stat can be important to the Alchemist. Once you've got
a good idea how you may wanna build your Alchemist, it's time to make him a
Merchant. You will not, I repeat... you WILL NOT like being a Merchant. It is
boring, and they only learn three somewhat useful skills for fighting. And one
of them you can't even get until job level 35.
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Section V: Merchant Skills
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Enlarge Weight Limit---------------------------------
Pre-requisites: None
Skill Type: Passive
Target: Self
SP Required: None
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Increase maximum weight limit.
Level 1: Maximum Weight + 200
Level 2: Maximum Weight + 400
Level 3: Maximum Weight + 600
Level 4: Maximum Weight + 800
Level 5: Maximum Weight + 1000
Level 6: Maximum Weight + 1200
Level 7: Maximum Weight + 1400
Level 8: Maximum Weight + 1600
Level 9: Maximum Weight + 1800
Level 10: Maximum Weight + 2000
Comments: This is a very good skill for Alchemists. Not so much for
Blacksmiths though. Max this out, regardless of what kind of Alchemist you're
building. More weight means more potions, more potions means you stay alive.
Discount---------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Increase Weight Limit Level 3
Skill Type: Passive
Target: Self
SP Required: None
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Decreases the price of items sold at NPC shops. NPC price
reduction by skill level of Discount.
Level 1: 7%
Level 2: 9%
Level 3: 11%
Level 4: 13%
Level 5: 15%
Level 6: 17%
Level 7: 19%
Level 8: 21%
Level 9: 23%
Level 10: 24%
Comments: This is also a very good skill. As an Alchemist, you need to be
able to buy potions at a low price. This is more useful than Overcharge,
believe it or not. Max this for becoming an Alchemist.
Overcharge-------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Increase Weight Limit Level 3
Discount Level 3
Skill Type: Passive
Target: Self
SP Required: None
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Increases amount of zeny recieved for items sold to NPC shops
by a certain percentage. Price range percentage by skill level of Overcharge.
Level 1: 7%
Level 2: 9%
Level 3: 11%
Level 4: 13%
Level 5: 15%
Level 6: 17%
Level 7: 19%
Level 8: 21%
Level 9: 23%
Level 10: 24%
Comments: This is almost as important as Discount. Try to max this if you
can, unless you have someone else who can Overcharge for you. Max Discount,
but maxing this isn't completely necessary. If you're going for job 50 though,
max it.
Pushcart---------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Increase Weight Limit Level 5
Skill Type: Passive
Target: Self
SP Required: None
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Enables rent and use of Pushcarts which provide additional
storage for items, although items cannot be directly used or equipped from a
Pushcart. Pushcarts can be rented from Kafra Employees. Pushcart Shortcut:
(Alt+W)
Level 1: Enables use of Pushcart and walking speed is 55% of normal speed
Level 2: 60% walking speed
Level 3: 65% walking speed
Level 4: 70% walking speed
Level 5: 75% walking speed
Level 6: 80% walking speed
Level 7: 85% walking speed
Level 8: 90% walking speed
Level 9: 95% walking speed
Level 10: 100% walking speed
Comments: This is a very crucial skill for all Alchemists. With all those
potions, they're going to weigh you down very quickly and more easily than
one would normally think. Max this so you can return to normal speed and keep
many many potions in a nice little storage for yourself.
Item Appraisal---------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: None
Skill Type: Active
Target: Item/Self/Supportive
SP Required: 15
Mastered at: Level 1
In-game Info: Identify an unknown item, making it available for use.
Level 1: Can identify unknown items without the use of a Magnifying Glass
Comments: Useless, won't even cost you a single 100 zeny for a magnifier.
Don't even put a point into this, it's a waste of time.
Vending----------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Increase Weight Limit Level 5
Pushcart Level 3
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self
SP Required: 30
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Open a street stall for selling items to other players. Skill
level affects the number os items that can vended at one time.
Level 1: Can sell 3 items at once
Level 2: Can sell 4 items at once
Level 3: Can sell 5 items at once
Level 4: Can sell 6 items at once
Level 5: Can sell 7 items at once
Level 6: Can sell 8 items at once
Level 7: Can sell 9 items at once
Level 8: Can sell 10 items at once
Level 9: Can sell 11 items at once
Level 10: Can sell 12 items at once
Comments: It's really up to the player to decide what level they need to stop
at. Get at least Level 1, cause this is a very good skill for making zeny. I
only got Level 1, cause it's the best way I can make business with people.
One thing to keep in mind though; to set up shop, you require a Pushcart.
Mammonite--------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: None
Skill Type: Active
Target: Enemy
SP Required: 5
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Inflict surprising damage to a target by spending an amount
of zeny determined by level of skill that is cast.
Level 1: ATK 150%, 100 zeny
Level 2: ATK 200%, 200 zeny
Level 3: ATK 250%, 300 zeny
Level 4: ATK 300%, 400 zeny
Level 5: ATK 350%, 500 zeny
Level 6: ATK 400%, 600 zeny
Level 7: ATK 450%, 700 zeny
Level 8: ATK 500%, 800 zeny
Level 9: ATK 550%, 900 zeny
Level 10: ATK 600%, 1000 zeny
Comments: This is a very good skill, and a very bad skill. You will use your
money very quickly if you use this continuously like I did. I was very rich
with about 5 million zeny, and by the time I became an Alchemist, I only had
2 million x_x. Get the level you want, but with caution.
Cart Revolution--------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Job Level 35 and a completed quest
Skill Type: Active
Target: Enemy
SP Required:
Mastered at: Level 1
In-game Info: A splashed damage attack in which a Pushcart is smashed into a
target. Inflicts 150% of the damage of a normal in addition to extra damage
form the weight of items in Pushcart.
Level 1: Does splash damage with 150% ATK. Additional damage with more weight
in the Pushcart.
Comments: This is a very good skill for those Battle Alchemists, like myself.
Especially when you have a lot of items in the Pushcart, Mammonite becomes
useless then.
Skill Quest: You require 30 Iron, 30 Sticky Mucus, 20 Fly Wings, 5 Tentacles,
2 Grape Juice, and 1 Banana Juice. The NPC is in Alberta by the docks.
Change Cart------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Job Level 30 and a completed quest
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self
SP Required: 40
Mastered at: Level 1
In-game Info: Change Pushcart appearance. There are five different Pushcart
styles that are chosen according to the character's Base Level.
Level 1: Allows you to change your Pushcart appearance
Comments: This skill is only for fun. Useless battle-wise, since it doesn't
do anything, except change the look of your cart. Only bad thing about it
though is that you'll only have your metal and wooden ones to choose until
Base Level 66.
Skill Quest: You require 50 Trunks, 20 Animal Skins, and 10 Irons. Go to the
NPC in Alberta somewhere near the top of the map. He's by the Tool Shop.
Crazy Uproar-----------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Job Level 15 and a completed quest
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self
SP Required: 8
Mastered at: Level 1
In-game Info: Scream with battle vigor to add +4 STR for 5 minutes.
Level 1: Puts STR up by 4 for 5 minutes
Comments: This is a very good skill for us Battle Alchemists. As for the rest
of the Alchemists out there that are planning to become pure brewers, you may
want to skip this entirely. You won't be doing any physical attacks, so
therefore you won't need this.
Skill Quest: You require 50 Mushroom Spores, 7 Pearls, and 1 Banana Juice.
The NPC is in Alberta once again. On the second road next to the very last
one on the left of the map, go up this path until you see a guy dressed in
black.
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Section VI: Alchemist Skills
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Axe Mastery------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: None
Skill Type: Passive
Target: Self
SP Required: None
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Increase damage inflicted with Axe Class Weapons.
Level 1: ATK +3
Level 2: ATK +6
Level 3: ATK +9
Level 4: ATK +12
Level 5: ATK +15
Level 6: ATK +18
Level 7: ATK +21
Level 8: ATK +24
Level 9: ATK +27
Level 10: ATK +30
Comments: This should have been given to the Blacksmiths, not us Alchemists.
Even as a Battle Alchemist, I never use Axes, mostly cause as powerful as they
are, they are still quite slow, even with high AGI. However, it is pretty
crazy to see a Battle Alchemist with Adrenaline Rush at times. I'd say skip
this entirely, regardless of what Alchemist you are creating.
Potion Research--------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: None
Skill Type: Passive
Target: Self and Allies
SP Required: None
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Increase effectiveness of created potions as well as increase
potion creatin success rate.
Level 1: 5% Increase of Healing, 1% increase in success rates
Level 2: 10% Increase of Healing, 2% increase in success rates
Level 3: 15% Increase of Healing, 3% increase in success rates
Level 4: 20% Increase of Healing, 4% increase in success rates
Level 5: 25% Increase of Healing, 5% increase in success rates
Level 6: 30% Increase of Healing, 6% increase in success rates
Level 7: 35% Increase of Healing, 7% increase in success rates
Level 8: 40% Increase of Healing, 8% increase in success rates
Level 9: 45% Increase of Healing, 9% increase in success rates
Level 10: 50% Increase of Healing, 10% increase in success rates
Comments: This is one of the Alchemist's most crucial skills regardless of
your build. Max this, no questions.
Prepare Potion---------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Potion Research Level 5
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self
SP Required: 5
Mastered at: Level 10
In-game Info: Enables manufacturing of potions and chemicals. The correct
Potion Creation Guide is needed for the manufacture of specific potions. Each
cast requires 1 Medicine Bowl.
Level 1: 3% Increase in success rates
Level 2: 6% Increase in success rates
Level 3: 9% Increase in success rates
Level 4: 12% Increase in success rates
Level 5: 15% Increase in success rates
Level 6: 18% Increase in success rates
Level 7: 21% Increase in success rates
Level 8: 24% Increase in success rates
Level 9: 27% Increase in success rates
Level 10: 30% Increase in success rates
Comments: Once again, regardless of build, you need to max this. Not to
mention, it is required for almost every skill as a pre-requisite.
Bomb-------------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 4 Prepare Potion
Skill Type: Active
Target: Ground/Enemy
SP Required: 10
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Target an area and set it on fire by throwing a Bottle Grenade.
The flames will not push back enemies within their range, but they do have a
change of damaging the weapons of enemies. Each cast requires 1 Bottle Grenade.
Level 1: 120% ATK damage, 1% chance of breaking weapon, lasts 40 seconds
Level 2: 140% ATK damage, 2% change of breaking weapon, lasts 45 seconds
Level 3: 160% ATK damage, 3% chance of breaking weapon, lasts 50 seconds
Level 4: 180% ATK damage, 4% chance of breaking weapon, lasts 55 seconds
Level 5: 200% ATK damage, 5% chance of breaking weapon, lasts 60 seconds
Comments: Good and bad. Good parts to this are that it could break your
opponent's weapon in PvP and WoE. Some bad parts to this are that it can only
be placed on the ground, not where your opponent is standing. Another bad
part is that they become quite expensive to manufacture, and aren't too great
outside of player battles. However, undead are likely done for if you can
lead them to your burning spot. One more thing to mention is that in PvP and
WoE, you also get damaged by this Skill. One more thing is this skill is fire
property as well.
Acid Terror------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 5 Prepare Potion
Skill Type: Active
Target: Enemy
SP Required: 15
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Fling a bottle of corrosive acid at an enemy that has the
change of damaging the target's armor or causing the Bleeding effect. The
chance of causing these statuses is affected by skill level. Each cast
requires 1 Acid Bottle.
Level 1: 140% ATK damage, 3% breaking armor, 3% chance of bleeding
Level 2: 180% ATK damage, 7% breaking armor, 6% chance of bleeding
Level 3: 220% ATK damage, 10% breaking armor, 9% chance of bleeding
Level 4: 260% ATK damage, 12% breaking armor, 12% chance of bleeding
Level 5: 300% ATK damage, 13% breaking armor, 15% chance of bleeding
Comments: I absolutely love this skill, especially when it's maxed. There's
nothing better than seeing someone get furious after destroying their armor,
slowly following with Bomb to disarm them completely. This is good for
monsters as well for getting its attention and bleeding them for your Floras.
Max it if you're going Battle Alchemist since it works off ATK. They're not
very expensive to collect and make either.
Aid Potion-------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 3 Prepare Potion
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self or Party Ally
SP Required: 1
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Throw a potion to an ally that will immediately take effect.
Skill level determines the type of potion thrown, so increasing this skill's
level makes more kinds of potions usable with this skill.
Level 1: Can throw Red Potions and have 10% more healing effectiveness
Level 2: Can throw Orange Potions and have 20% more healing effectiveness
Level 3: Can throw Yellow Potions and have 30% more healing effectiveness
Level 4: Can throw White Potions and have 40% more healing effectiveness
Level 5: Can throw Blue Potions and have 50% more healing effectiveness
Comments: This is what makes an Alchemist a better healer at times then a
Priest. Where a person normally has to worry about the cast delay from a
Priest's heal, this goes far quicker and can become much more effective if
the person this potion is being thrown at has high VIT. This is can be used
on you and also can be used on others, but only if they are in your party,
or else no potion for them =P. This skill also increase the effectiveness of
your potions, so throw them at yourself and you'll get more healing than
normal. Max this, no questions asked.
Summon Flora-----------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 6 Prepare Potion
Skill Type: Active
Target: Enemies
SP Required: 20
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Summon a Plant monster to a targeted cell. Monster will
disappear after the skill's duration. Skill level affects the type of Plant
monster that is summoned, as well as the monster's Max HP. Caster can only
summon monsters of the same type at once. At lower levels, more monsters can
be summoned at one time than at higher Skill levels. Skill level 5 can only
summon 1 monster. Each cast requires 1 Plant Bottle.
Level 1: 2430 HP, 5 Mandragoras, 300 second duration
Level 2: 2630 HP, 4 Hydras, 240 second duration
Level 3: 2830 HP, 3 Floras, 180 second duration
Level 4: 3030 HP, 2 Parasites, 120 second duration
Level 5: 3230 HP, 1 Geographer, 60 second duration
Comments: Your bread and butter. The first three levels of this skill are
quite useless unfortunately, unless you really wanna irritate people in PvP
with Hydras ^_^. The Parasites are the most useful, using ranged attacks, and
have quite a bit of ATK with two out at once. The Geographer is good too, but
only thing is that his duration isn't too long, and you'll have to draw
monsters near him. Good for maybe 1 or 2 monsters at a time, and can help you
save some zeny on potions when he uses Heal on you. Max this skill.
Summon Marine Sphere---------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 2 Prepare Potion
Skill Type: Active
Target: Enemies
SP Required: 10
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Summon a Marine Sphere to a targeted cell. Marine Spheres will
cast Self-Destruct upon receiving damage. Each cast requires 1 Marine Sphere
Bottle.
Level 1: 2400 HP, lasts 40 seconds
Level 2: 2800 HP, lasts 50 seconds
Level 3: 3200 HP, lasts 60 seconds
Level 4: 3600 HP, lasts 70 seconds
Level 5: 4000 HP, lasts 80 seconds
Comments: This skill... it's hard to say whether it's good or not. Problem
is, that when it does get hit, it runs away from the monsters, usually getting
completely out of range for the Self-Destruct to even work on them. However,
when it does hit, it's quite catastrophic. The damage is extremly high. If
you do get this, don't get it any higher than Level 1. Improving the level
won't help the damage, just makes it harder to kill. One warning though, is
that when used in PvP, it will hurt you too >_<. If I find a way to use this
safely and effectively, I shall post it here.
Biochemical Helm-------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 2 Prepare Potion
Skill Type: Active
Target: Allies
SP Required: 20
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Protect a targeted ally's Headgear from damage in battle for a
set duration affected by the level of the skill. Each cast requires 1
Glistening Coat.
Level 1: Lasts 120 seconds
Level 2: Lasts 240 seconds
Level 3: Lasts 360 seconds
Level 4: Lasts 480 seconds
Level 5: Lasts 600 seconds
Comments: Of course this is good. Especially against those pesky Rogues. When
you use this, they won't be able to Divest the Helm or any other protection
that you give people. This protection and all the others are good, but will
use almost all your skill points if you max them all out. Only good if you're
going full support for WoE.
Synthesized Shield-----------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 2 Prepare Potion
Level 3 Biochemical Helm
Skill Type: Active
Target: Allies
SP Required: 25
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Protect a targeted ally's Shield from damage in battle for a
set duration affected by the level of the skill. Each cast requires 1
Glistening Coat.
Level 1: Lasts 120 seconds
Level 2: Lasts 240 seconds
Level 3: Lasts 360 seconds
Level 4: Lasts 480 seconds
Level 5: Lasts 600 seconds
Comments: Same as Biochemical Helm.
Synthetic Armor--------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 2 Prepare Potion
Level 3 Biochemical Helm
Level 3 Synthesized Shield
Skill Type: Active
Target: Allies
SP Required: 25
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Protect a targeted ally's Armor from damage in battle for
a set duration affected by the level of the skill. Each cast requires 1
Glistening Coat.
Level 1: Lasts 120 seconds
Level 2: Lasts 240 seconds
Level 3: Lasts 360 seconds
Level 4: Lasts 480 seconds
Level 5: Lasts 600 seconds
Comments: Same as Biochemical Helm.
Alchemical Weapon------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Level 2 Prepare Potion
Level 3 Biochemical Helm
Level 3 Synthesized Shield
Level 3 Synthetic Armor
Skill Type: Active
Target: Allies
SP Required: 30
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Protect a targeted ally's Weapon from damage in battle
for a set duration affected by the level of the skill. Each cast requires
1 Glistening Coat.
Level 1: Lasts 120 seconds
Level 2: Lasts 240 seconds
Level 3: Lasts 360 seconds
Level 4: Lasts 480 seconds
Level 5: Lasts 600 seconds
Comments: Same as Biochemical Helm.
Bioethics--------------------------------------------
Pre-quisites: A completed quest
Skill Type: Passive
Target: Self
SP Required: None
Mastered at: Level 1
In-game Info: A skill that is fundamental in enabling the creation of
Homunculi.
Level 1: Allows for other Homunculus skills to appear
Comments: Most Alchemists nowadays use a Homunculus. I myself, do as well.
Homunculus are great little creatures that will help us more and more as they
level. I would definitely say sacrifice a few points to be able to summon one.
Call Homunculus--------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Bioethics
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self
SP Required: 10
Mastered at: Level 1
In-game Info: Summon an existing Homunculus that was stored using the
Vaporize skill. Each cast requires 1 Embryo.
Level 1: Summons Homunculus
Comments: Don't let that "requires 1 Embryo" scare you. You only need the
Embryo for one time only, and that's when you first summon your Homunculus.
After that, you will no long need any Embryos. One more thing to keep in
mind, is that if you're using the preset AI system that Gravity gave us, when
you use this, the Homunculus will attack the nearest enemy.
Vaporize---------------------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Bioethics
Call Homunculus
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self
SP Required: 50
Mastered at: Level 1
In-game Info: Vaporize Homunculus into a form that is much easier to carry
around. This skill is only usable if Homnuculus has at least 80% of its Max
HP. Vaporized Homunculus can be restored with the Call Homunculus skill.
Level 1: Allows you to store your Homunculus away for a while
Comments: Don't let it scare you. Your Homunculus will not die, just be
stored for a while so that you don't have to worry about it. It won't grow
hungry or die, so you don't have to worry about it. It won't gain exp though.
Homunculus Resurrection------------------------------
Pre-requisites: Bioethics
Call Homunculus
Vaporize
Skill Type: Active
Target: Self
SP Required: 74
Mastered at: Level 5
In-game Info: Revive a Homunculus that has been defeated in battle.
Level 1: Revive Homunculus
Level 2: Revive Homunculus
Level 3: Revive Homunculus
Level 4: Revive Homunculus
Level 5: Revive Homunculus
Comments: This will let you revive your Homunculus if a monster kills it.
Strangely enough, even though it has 5 levels of resurrection, no one knows
what the differences between them are.
=====================================================
Section VII: Your Homunculus
=====================================================
Thanks to the Lighthalzen patch that was created, players are now able to use
their Alchemists much more efficiently due to an extra party member. This
little Homunculus can be controlled by you and even has its own stats and
skills that it can learn. How handy is that? Only problem with it is that
it cannot be buffed, nor can it be healed by Heal. The only one that can heal
it is you, and that can only be done through Aid Potion.
One thing to note first about the Homunculus are its stats. For anyone who has
played Pokemon, your Homunculus is a lot like a Pokemon with specific IVs,
which were Indidual Values, which indicated how many extra points to a stat
you may get, or the rate at which the stat may increase. This is a lot how the
Homunculus works. It will have some stats that are preset at a certain value
that will increase by a certain amount every time it gains a level. I'm pretty
sure the values are random, so if you don't get the values you want, you could
always try making another Homunculus. However, you will have to keep in mind,
you may not get the same Homunculus as you did before. For a calculator, go
here: http://www.amesani.org/ro/homun/statcalc.php
Another part that makes this interesting is that we can program our Homunculus
ourselves. I have not done this yet, so I can't help ya there. There's a
guide in the Gravity program folder though that tells you the commands on how
you can program it. First of all, let's take a look at each Homunculi.
Amistr-----------------------------------------------
Eats: Zargon
Specialty: Defense
Comments: I'd say most of the people usually want this one. For many reasons
too. Since he focuses in defense so well, he can protect the Alchemist without
much worry of dying, himself. His skills are focus in defending himself and
the player perfectly. This is good for any kind of Alchemist.
Skills
Castling
In-game Info: Instantly switch the location of the caster with the Amistr
Homunculus so that monsters attacking the caster will target Amistr instead.
Level 1: 20% Success Chance
Level 2: 40% Success Chance
Level 3: 60% Success Chance
Level 4: 80% Success Chance
Level 5: 100% Success Chance
Comments: I love this skill. Only problem is that currently, it is bugged, so
the enemies won't change their target to Amistr. However, you will still
switch spots, which can make for a nice, quick escape.
Amistr Bulwark
In-game Info: Enhance the Defense of the caster and the Amistr Homunculus for
this skill's duration.
Level 1: DEF+ 2 40 Sec Duration
Level 2: DEF +4 35 Sec Duration
Level 3: DEF +6 30 Sec Duration
Level 4: DEF +8 25 Sec Duration
Level 5: DEF +10 20 Sec Duration
Comments: Eh, this skill is alright. It helps build your defense, as well as
his, but won't make a drastic difference. It can help though when you need it
to.
Adamantium Skin
In-game Info: Permanently increase the Homunculus's Defense, Max HP and HP
Recovery Rate.
Level 1: DEF +4, Max HP +2%, HP Recovery Rate +5%
Level 2: DEF +8, Max HP +4%, HP Recovery Rate +10%
Level 3: DEF +12, Max HP +6%, HP Recovery Rate +15%
Level 4: DEF +16, Max HP +8%, HP Recovery Rate +20%
Level 5: DEF +20, Max HP +10%, HP Recovery Rate +25%
Comments: VERY nice skill. Max this as soon as you can, for it will be very
handy when they fix that bug with Castling.
Vanilmirth-------------------------------------------
Eats: Scell
Specialty: Offensive Magic
Comments: This one isn't quite as popular, but you seem them around every so
often. This one uses the bolts that Mages learn to attack their enemies. The
only thing that sometimes makes people weary is the fact that it uses a random
bolt. He can also learn a healing skill, but that targets either himself, the
enemy, or you; and again, unfortunately, it is random who it will target.
Skills
Caprice
In-game Info: A random Bolt skill. The level of the Bolt skill cast is
affected by the skill level of Caprice.
Level 1: Cast Lv 1 Bolt skill
Level 2: Cast Lv 2 Bolt skill
Level 3: Cast Lv 3 Bolt skill
Level 4: Cast Lv 4 Bolt skill
Level 5: Cast Lv 5 Bolt skill
Comments: Sometimes, I'm somewhat envious of this skill. Each time it levels
up, you can cast a higher leveled bolt, and that could be quite nice. Just
keep in mind, the bolt is random, so when fighting in Magma, he could end up
killing you with a Fire Bolt.
Chaotic Blessings
In-game Info: Restore HP to a target randomly selected among enemies, the
Homuculus's master or the Homunculus itself.
Level 1: Lv 1 Heal 20% Chance of Healing Self, 30% Chance of Healing Master,
50% Chance of Healing Enemy
Level 2: Lv 1-2 Heal 50% Chance of Healing Self, 10% Chance of Healing Master,
40% Chance of Healing Enemy
Level 3: Lv 1-3 Heal 25% Chance of Healing Self, 50% Chance of Healing Master,
25% Chance of Healing Enemy
Level 4: Lv 1-4 Heal 60% Chance of Healing Self, 4% Chance of Healing Master,
36% Chance of Healing Enemy
Level 5: Lv 1-2 Heal 34% Chance of Healing Self, 33% Chance of Healing Master,
33% Chance of Healing Enemy
Comments: I love and hate this skill. He could either help you, himself, or
make things worse than they may already be. If you want to get it however,
you may wanna just stick with Level 4. That seems to be the best choice.
Instruction Change
In-game Info: Increase Homunculus's INT and STR.
Level 1: +1 INT, +1 STR
Level 2: +2 INT, +1 STR
Level 3: +2 INT, +3 STR
Level 4: +4 INT, +4 STR
Level 5: +5 INT, +4 STR
Comments: Very good, max this quickly. Since it's passive, it'll be active at
all times.
Filir------------------------------------------------
Eats: Garlet
Specialty: AGI based Attacking
Comments: My favorite, and the one that I use. This one is the best attacker
of them all, hands down. Filir learns a skill to improve his flee rate, a
skill to improve his aspd, and also a skill that hits multiple times, kind of
familiarizing with a Crusder's Holy Cross. In my opinion, this is the best
Homunculus. But that might just be because I'm a Battle Alchemist. They're
basically a mini Assassin.
Skills
Moonlight
In-game Info: Command Filir Homunculus to peck repeatedly at a nearby target.
Level 1: 1 Peck, Damage +220%
Level 2: 2 Pecks, Damage +330%
Level 3: 2 Pecks, Damage +440%
Level 4: 2 Pecks, Damage +550%
Level 5: 3 Pecks, Damage +660%
Comments: Awesome skill. Max this and Flitting quickly. This will be your
Filir's best way of taking enemies out quickly.
Flitting
In-game Info: Temporarily increase Filir Homunculus's Attack Power and Speed.
Level 1: Aspd +3 Attack Power +110% 60 Sec Duration 60 Sec Cast Delay
Level 2: Aspd +6 Attack Power +115% 55 Sec Duration 70 Sec Cast Delay
Level 3: Aspd +9 Attack Power +120% 50 Sec Duration 80 Sec Cast Delay
Level 4: Aspd +12 Attack Power +125% 45 Sec Duration 90 Sec Cast Delay
Level 5: Aspd +15 Attack Power +130% 40 Sec Duration 120 Sec Cast Delay Delay
Comments: This is also very good. More aspd and power at once can be quite
handy. It's usually good to use this and Moonlight together to help make your
enemy drop quicker.
Accelerated Flight
In-game Info: Temporarily increase Filir Homunculus's Flee Rate by pushing it
to its physical limits.
Level 1: Flee Rate +20 60 Sec Duration 60 Sec Cast Delay
Level 2: Flee Rate +30 55 Sec Duration 70 Sec Cast Delay
Level 3: Flee Rate +40 50 Sec Duration 80 Sec Cast Delay
Level 4: Flee Rate +50 45 Sec Duration 90 Sec Cast Delay
Level 5: Flee Rate +60 40 Sec Duration 120 Sec Cast Delay
Comments: This is also quite good, but only in the higher levels. Getting a
very high flee rate sometimes makes some Assassins jealous ^_^.
Lif--------------------------------------------------
Eats: Pet Food
Specialty: Healing
Comments: You never see these, even as cute as they are. Lif is the healing
type, and since we're Alchemists with Aid Potion, and a nice little
Geographer, most people don't like to use Lif since that's basically all she
can do. She can however, practically give you an AGI Up spell that will let
you run quite fast, and I think it may even outdo the Priest's AGI Up. Good
for Battle Alchemists probably.
Skills
Healing Hands
In-game Info: Restore
a player's HP with a method that mimics the Acolyte's Heal skill. The amount
of restored HP is affected by the skill's level, caster's Base Level and INT.
Each cast requires 1 Condensed Red Potion. SP Consumption By Level.
Level 1: 13 SP
Level 2: 16 SP
Level 3: 19 SP
Level 4: 22 SP
Level 5: 25 SP
Comments: This is a very neat skill, considering how easy Red Potions are to
find and make, as well as those Cactus Needles. Making Condensed Red Potions
wouldn't take too much time and effort, and could be worth it when you've got
a Lif.
Urgent Escape
In-game Info: Temporarily increase the moving speed of caster and Homunculus
so that they can escape from a critical situation.
Level 1: 40 Sec Duration Movement Speed +10%
Level 2: 35 Sec Duration Movement Speed +20%
Level 3: 30 Sec Duration Movement Speed +30%
Level 4: 25 Sec Duration Moving Speed +40%
Level 5: 20 Sec Duration Movement Speed +50%
Comments: This skill is my favorite of Lif's. You'll be able to make a quick
escape if the battle seems to be turning against you, and you can run like a
coward. Only problem is that it doesn't last too long.
Brain Surgery
In-game Info: Alter the Lif Homunculus's brain to increase its Max SP, SP
Recovery Rate and the effectiveness of the Healing Hands skill.
Level 1: Max SP +1% SP Recovery +3% Healing Hands +2%
Level 2: Max SP +2% SP Recovery +6% Healing Hands +4%
Level 3: Max SP +3% SP Recovery +9% Healing Hands +6%
Level 4: Max SP+ 4% SP Recovery +12% Healing Hands +8%
Level 5: Max SP +5% SP Recovery +15% Healing Hands +10%
Comments: This skill will make Lif even better at everything she does. Max
this as quickly as you can if you're intending to have one of these.
=====================================================
Section VIII: Where to Level
=====================================================
Without any plan of leveling, you may end up losing a lot of exp, or just
never gain any. You need to know when, where, and how to level. As a Merchant,
Einbroch is going to become kind of annoying to you.
Level 1-20: You can level quite well on Poporing Island for quite a while. The
exp is quite good, then you can start moving onto some more difficult things.
Level 21-40: You can try some early parts of Byalan, or you can go and try
Comodo's dungeon for a bit.
Level 41-60: Metalings are here! You should go to Einbroch to kill Metalings
until you change into an Alchemist at job 40. If you decide to go job 50, like
most Merchants should, then you might want to get a fire weapon for Leaf Cats.
Level 60-70(as a Merchant): Try getting someone to leech you on Leaf Cats, or
if you have a good Mammonite or a good quantity of items in your cart with a
fire weapon, you can fight those Leaf Cats yourself.
Level 60-75(as an Alchemist): Go to Louyang when you have Level 4 Summon
Flora. That will be your greatest weapon here. I have a few warnings for you
though. People WILL kill your Floras, be jerks, and be idiots, as for some
strange reason, a lot of very dumb people like to flock to Louyang. Dead
Branch parties are also quite common here.
76-99: You can stick around Louyang for a long time until you feel you may
be good enough to take out some of Clock Tower's underground enemies, as
Bathories and other such enemies down there can give you quite a massive
amount of exp. Other than that, I'd say don't try anything too difficult
until you're in your 80's or 90's.
=====================================================
Section IX: Q & A
=====================================================
No questions to be asked yet.
=====================================================
Section X: Legal Info, Credits, Contact
=====================================================
This FAQ and all its information was compiled by me. If you see this FAQ on
another site, please contact me immediately. I thank everyone for their
support, and Gravity for creating a good game. One note when contacting me
though, is please put into the subject box "RO Alchemist FAQ", or I will not
answer it, and will likely delete it. Also, if you have any suggestions,
questions, etc, go ahead and send an email, and I'll see if I can put it up on
this FAQ.
Contact: sageryock@yahoo.com
Thanks to....
Aket-ten, Borialis, Tulip, Tetsuya Onimuto, Jynkins, mochiisuke, and a bunch
of other random peeps, whose names I can't remember at the moment.
