What is War of Emperium?
War of Emperium, or WoE for short, is Ragnarok Online’s version of a “Guild vs Guild” battle. Think of it as a massive PvP between two or more Guilds.
The objective of WoE is simple — as the attacker Guild, take down the Emperium to claim the Agit as your own; as the defender Guild, repel the attackers to successfully win WoE.
WoE starts at 9PM (GMT+8), Thursdays and Sundays (this is the schedule for CN Server).
Differences between Classic Ragnarok and ROM WoE:
If you’ve played Classic RO, you’ll notice that your first WoE will be a little different from your previous WoE. Here are some of the notable differences between Classic’s WoE and ROM’s WoE:
2. Allows resurrection / expel.
Back in Classic, if you get killed, you’ll be sent out immediately. Not in here, you won’t. As long as you have a living Priest (or whatever class that has brought an Yggdrasil Leaf), you can die and get resurrected without the worry of getting expelled from the Agit. However, you can get expelled if an enemy approaches you and kicks you out of the Agit.
3. No more Guild skills.
Guild Leaders no longer have access to the Guild skills from before. Emergency Call? Sorry, no can do in this version. However, you have access to WoE-exclusive foods that achieve some of the effects of Guild skills from Classic (see Guild Foods section below).
4. No more Guardians.
Back in Classic, if you have a few active members, you can always enlist the help of Guardians — hulking machines that provide ample defense for the Agit. You can’t get them anymore in here. BUT, there is an item that transforms you into one…
5. Removed Alliance / Enemy system.
So you challenged a Guild with tons of whales, and they vowed that they will crush your Guild. What are you going to do? Ask for help from Alliances? Sorry, you can’t do that in here. ROM’s WoE is a purely free-for-all setting. However, you can always make some strategies, such as positioning a friendly Guild on the first floor. Keep in mind that you can kill them as well, and them killing you is possible as well. FREE FOR ALL.
6. Implementation of safe zone.
Sooner or later, you will get what we call the “safe zone”. This is located at the entrance of the Agit. In this safe zone, no one can kill you. Once you get out of the safe zone, however, it’s everything goes. You can always go back to the safe zone, though.
NOTE: CN Server still experiences some bugs where you are sometimes killed by Meteor Storm. Being the buggy server SEA is, you can expect this to happen a lot.
7. Point system + Missions.
Back in Classic, there are no points when defeating enemies. In here, you can earn what we call “Proof of Glory” (“Honor Proof” for SEA). This item allows you to buy items from your Guild’s Vending Machine. A kill will earn you 20 Proof of Glory (22 if VIP), an assist will net you 10 (11 if VIP), etc. There are also exclusive missions where you can get extra Proof of Glory. There is a limit of 1200 per WoE session.
8. ROM PVP mechanics is applied.
Everyone inside Agits will get a 4x HP buff, same as in PVP. Healing items have their effects minimized in order to preserve balance (Yggdrasil Berry, Honey, etc.).
Why participate in WoE?
There are a number of reasons why a Guild should join WoE, with the main reason being “bragging rights”. After all, who wouldn’t want to have an Agit and then trash talk someone who hasn’t got one, right?
Well, there are huge boons to joining WoE, one being the ability to unlock HUGE STAT BOOSTS for everyone.
Take a look at this image:
Joining WoE will allow you to earn “Praying Chipsets” (no idea what it will be named on SEA), which can give you a random Chipset — Attack (Red), Defense (Blue), and Element (Yellow). Exchanging these Chipsets will give a massive boost to your characters.
I’m more of a jack-of-all-trades.
As you can see, those are HUGE BUFFS, and they’re not at max level yet (several changes in Minstrel made it hard for me to properly distribute them, so it’s not my fault!). By participating in WoE, you can power-up your character without spending too much.
Participating in WoE will also allow you to buy Guild-exclusive gears, like this:
These are all anti-Demi-Human gears, as it increases your defense against them, other players included. Strong Essence is mainly used to power-up accessories and…
Hard to catch them all in one picture.
...god weapons.
Yep — god weapons are back in this game! And they are very much worthy of being called a “god” weapon.
I still don’t have my god instrument though...
While god weapons are terribly hard to craft (it took us 6 months to craft the FIRST TIER of that god Katar), it doesn’t require you to finish impossibly hard quests unlike in Classic. Even better is that ANYONE can get a god weapon as long as they have the patience, perseverance, and… uhm, money.
Yes, you can buy god item ingredients. YAY! NOT PAY TO WIN GAME! Fortunately, this will only be applied on Episode 4… wait a minute. Oh. Yeah, never mind.
P50k for a god weapon? Let me get a loan, BRB.
.The last reason why you should join War of Emperium, is for you to be able to join “War of Crystals” (SEA name pending). This will be discussed later.
Interested on joining the War of Emperium now? On to the war room, then!
The Basics
First and foremost, you need to learn the most common terms in WoE. The first thing you need to do is to LEARN WHICH AGITS ARE WHICH. Seriously. During the first iteration of WoE, most Guilds are confused on where to go because they don’t know where this specific agit is.
Here’s the complete list of all agits:
Prontera South Field
Prontera West Field
Goblin Forest
Payon
Aldebaran
NOTE: Payon 3 and Alde 3 are Episode 5 Agits. These will NOT be available yet on Episode 4.
It is important to remember which Agit is which, because every single Agit houses a certain god fragment. These fragments are needed to craft the god weapon of your choice. So if you want a certain god weapon, it is important that you know which one to attack and defend.
Prontera 1 - Sword
Prontera 2 - Katar
Prontera 3 - Spear
Geffen 1 - Staff (Attack)
Geffen 2 - Staff (Defense)
Geffen 3 - Mace
Payon 1 - Bow
Payon 2 - Knuckles
Payon 3 - Instrument / Whip
Alde 1 - Axe
Alde 2 - Dagger
Alde 3 - Book
NOTE: I have not included the names of the god weapons, as the names used in CN server were my own take according to the lore in the game. This, of course, will be changed in SEA.
Occupying a certain Agit will allow you to start a quest to unlock the corresponding god weapon for that Agit. You can take the quest in your Guild Hall.
These NPCs will give you the god weapon quests. They are located on the northern part of your Guild Hall. Note that only the Guild Leader and Vice Leaders are able to take / accomplish the quests.
Unlocking a god weapon will allow you to craft it with the Legendary Metallurgy building.
Now, to discuss how WoE in this game works.
Once WoE is introduced to your server, every Agit is a FREE Agit. This doesn’t mean that you can simply take an Agit — your Guild’s mettle will be tested by the monsters that inhabit it.
There are three rooms inside an Agit, with the third room often housing the Emperium — or what we call the “Emp Room”. Free Agits will have harder enemies the further you go inside, with 2-3 MVPs guarding the Emperium. This means that not only will you have to defeat the other players who intend to take the Agit for themselves, but you also need to repel the monsters inside it, so plan ahead and strategize!
Emperiums have visible HP bars. They can only be attacked by using normal attacks. Skills won’t hit it, but it can be protected by Safety Wall, Pneuma, and be healed by Sanctuary.
A common strategy often employed by attackers is to have a tanker or two lure away the MVPs. Here is the Emp Room for Payon, as an example.
You can lure the monsters away from this position in order for your attackers to be able to attack the Emperium freely. Another good strategy is to lure the monsters in those narrow pathways, and then leaving them there so that enemy Guilds will have a harder time competing with you.
Breaking the Emperium
Once the Emperium has been broken, an announcement will be made in that Agit that the Emperium has been destroyed by <name> of <Guild name> Guild.
(super low quality, sorry, but HOLY SHIT IS THAT A LEVEL 99 ARCHER!? I sure want to be that guy!)
All attackers will be automatically expelled from the Agit, giving the defenders ample time to set their defenses. Once the timer reaches 0, the Guild will have 15 minutes to achieve “Perfect Defense”, or they can choose to go full-def mode and defend it for the whole hour. Your call.
NOTE: You cannot have TWO Active Agits. If you achieve Perfect Defense in one, and then proceed to break another Agit, then the first Agit will be void and WILL BE RESET, turning it into an Unoccupied Agit. Unoccupied Agits work like Free Agits, with monsters inhabiting it.
Defending the Emperium
Now that you have your own Agit, the next thing to do is, of course, defend it and defeat all opposing Guilds who would want to try to occupy your Agit.
There are many ways on how you can defend the Agit. Of course, if you’re an experienced Classic RO WoE player, then you’d know that Traps and multiple AoE spells are king. It’s the same in here, so do that.
Defense-wise, here are the best ones:
High Wizard / Warlock
Do I really need to explain it? 4-5 High Wizards bombarding an area with Quagmire (Marsh Pond), Storm Gust, Lord of Vermillion, and Meteor Storm will severely limit the number of people wanting to enter your Agit. Putting them on narrow pathways is the best strategy, because slowed enemies will be more prone to attack, allowing your other defenders to strike them easily.
Warlocks, on the other hand, have access to more skills, with some specializing on Tetra Vortex, which is a high-damaging nuke that is on par with Asura Strike.
High Priest
Of course, a High Wizard will be useless without SP. Having a High Priest stationed to help High Wizards will allow you to defend the Agit better. Not to mention that they can use Lex Aeterna or Lex Divina to disable certain “high-value” targets (e.g. Assassin classes, Knight classes).
Sniper
Ankle Snares and Frost Traps will greatly hinder opposing Guilds from progressing. These, coupled with Quagmire, can effectively slow down multiple attackers. They also act as a counter for Thief classes, as their traps can affect even hidden enemies. Flash Arrow (I don’t know the SEA name) will also reveal them, so Snipers are useful in defending.
Creator
Hell Plants can detect invisible units, which makes them invaluable. While they can only put a limited amount of Hell Plants, Creators aren’t limited to doing that, because they can use Full Chemical Protection to protect allies which are normally targeted by…
Stalkers
Why are they good for defending, you may ask? Stalkers can strip high-value targets or Intimidate them so that attackers will have to contend with them first before they can proceed to the Emp Room. Imagine a Lord Knight about to whack your Emp, only for them to suddenly teleport to another area filled with High Wizards. Very funny.
Runner-up: Champion. Same thing as Stalkers, but instead of Intimidating them, they just Asura Strike them in the face. Although can take down most attackers in one hit, their drawback is that they’re left with 0 SP instantly, and they’ll have to recast their skills to use Asura again. Still a good replacement though.
As for attackers…
Lord Knight / Assassin Cross
Both are good for different reasons. Lord Knight for “in-your-face” attacks, and Assassin Cross for stealthy, precise attacks. More often, Lord Knights are easier, because Assassin Crosses require patience and knowledge of your character and opponents.
Paladin
They’re not good attackers, per se. But holy shit, a Paladin with full foods will eat up any damage thrown at them, and then proceed to laugh at your face. I will discuss foods later on.
Pictured — a Paladin preparing for WoE.
Not to mention that they can also provide ample support for other co-attackers. Paladins are basically the meat shields that open up a pathway for their other guildmates.
Stalkers
Oh, they’re here again. Stalkers are good at offense as well, due to them being able to, again, kidnap high-value targets. Is that opposing High Priest good at buffing those defenders? They’re gone now! Intimidate, strip, and bam! Please no lewd.
High Priest
Err, what? What will a High Priest do? Smack the Emperium to death? Well, they can do that, but their primary role is to open a free path for attackers through an exploit. Double-sided portal.
Let me explain how this works. Before SEA people go all “ADDONS USER!”.
I’m standing on a ledge near the safe zone. This is inaccessible unless you go all the way through that choke point in the middle, and then go left and take the stairs up there. For reference, here is the map.
See that middle point? That is a massive choke point. Imagine 4-5 High Wizards and Snipers there. You’d be dead or low HP by the time you proceed to the second room. Enter High Priests.
Best Paint master in SEA. Adobe Photoshop sucks. Hire me.
A double-sided portal can be used from the safe zone to the ledge, allowing safe access to the second room, without the defenders even knowing! If they read this, then they’d probably know anyway.
Guild Foods
Pet the damn kitty!
As mentioned a number of times, Guild Foods can give you massive bonuses, ranging from instant heals to BECOMING INVULNERABLE FOR 3 SECONDS. The foods can be bought with Proof of Unity, which you can only get by doing more Guild buildings (randomly given as reward).
Most of these foods, besides being Guild-exclusive, can be used on PVP maps. Keep in mind that some foods that give buffs do not stack with one another, so remember to read the descriptions first!
Black Tea
Restores HP. Costs 7 / 18 / 44 Proof of Unity each.
Green Tea
Restores SP. Costs 7 / 18 / 44 Proof of Unity each.
Cocoa
Restores both HP / SP. Costs 18 / 44 / 130 Proof of Unity each.
Cookie / Waffles
Reduces all types of incoming damage. Costs 70 / 140 / 210 Proof of Unity each.
Bamboo Juice
ATK buffing foods. Costs 160 / 320 / 480 Proof of Unity each.
Wormwood Juice
MATK buffing foods. Costs 160 / 320 / 480 Proof of Unity each.
Cake
Movement Speed foods. Costs 30 / 150 Proof of Unity each.
Candy
Raises your Water / Fire / Earth / Wind resistance to 100% (from top to bottom). Costs 70 Proof of Unity each. Does not stack with Elemental Alloys, but they don’t have the same cooldown, so you can use them separately when one is off cooldown.
Syrup
Provides Hide / True Sight capabilities. Clearance removes all debuffs and makes you immune to debuffs for 10 seconds. Costs 70 / 150 / 150 Proof of Unity each. 2 minute cooldown.
Shaved Ice
Absorbing / Metallic reduces all Physical / Magical damage to 1 for 8 seconds, respectively. Invincible Fluffy Ice turns all incoming damage to 1 for 3 seconds. Costs 150 Proof of Unity each. 1 minute cooldown.
Gathering Syrup
ROM’s equivalent of Emergency Call. Extremely buggy during release. When we tested this one out, we can only summon party members that are on the same castle. Costs 150 Proof of Unity each.
Again, remember that some foods will not stack with other items, especially if they’re on the same category. Remember to read the descriptions first, or you would be wasting your Proof of Unity.
NOM. (Totally not the same image I used above.)
Roles
Of course, every single class is needed in order to win WoE, with each having a specific role to play.
NOTE: I will not put in recommended gears and skill setups. It is yours to discover, and because I have limited knowledge on other classes.
Swordsman Classes:
Lord Knight / Rune Knight
(credits to Norman, Grawrz, and Cheezo)
Lord Knights are one of the most well-balanced characters you can have in WoE — great for both attacking and defending Agits.
As an attacker, your main goal is, of course, to get to the Emp room as quickly as possible and spawn camp the defenders, killing low-HP characters while making your way to the Emp room. Bash / Dragon’s Breath everyone. Coupled with enough potions and the Berserk skill to rely on, you can disrupt the rhythm of the defending Guild, and allow your allies to storm in and clean up the now-confused defenders.
LKs rely on food items to boost their tankiness and survivability. Knowing when to use food items is vital if you want to make it to the Emp room. Note that Guild foods and cooked foods do stack, so make sure to use them to your advantage!
As a Rune Knight, your survivability increases BY A WHOLE LOT thanks to the Rune skills (not the Aesir Rune / Astrolabe runes). Let’s just use “Runestones” instead.
There are many runestones you should employ to your advantage. These are:
Verkana - +200 PDEF, +50 MDEF for 3 minutes
Urj - restores 100SP per 5 seconds for 8 minutes
Turisus - +10 STR, 20% Crit Damage for 3 minutes
Nosiege - dispel all debuffs and become immune to it for 5 seconds
(names may change in SEA server)
These runestones can be used on top of the food items you have consumed, effectively making you a force to be reckoned with.
I just had to use this. Now that I think about it, I should have used it on RG later...
As a defender, your main goal is to take out low-HP, high-damage characters as soon as possible. This can be done with either Bash or, as an RK, Dragon’s Breath (Physical Melee ATK that is influenced by both PATK and MATK). When encountering enemies who you think you can kill by yourself, use Dragon’s Roar and make them helpless by inflicting “Fear” debuff on them, allowing your Guild to take them down. If possible, actively seek out Thief classes as well, as your Bash can hit high FLEE characters (mostly) and inflict “Stun” debuff at times. Roam around as much as possible with a Horong <accessory> to prevent these classes from wreaking havoc amongst your defenders.
Paladin / Royal Guard
(credits to ZeroGravity)
The main tanker of WoE, Paladins / Royal Guards are basically the “meat shields” of ROM, as it offers more survivability compared to Lord Knights / Rune Knights, as well as providing support to their low-HP allies.
On attack phase, they’re mostly the same with Lord Knights / Rune Knights — be in the front lines while mowing down enemies with their own set of skills. Sacrifice is buffed in this game, as it ignores FLEE, allowing you to hit Thief classes with great ease, as well as taking down low-HP characters. Think of it as your better version of Bash. Risky Shelter or Devotion is a must in order for your allies to survive, but be wary that Risky Shelter imposes a movement speed penalty to your character, and Devotion deals 1:1 damage to you (but can be reduced through extra defense and physical damage reduction bonuses).
Reflect Shield adds extra defense and offense on your end, as it can reflect up to 35% damage to the attacker (mostly from melee attackers). Auto Guard is also useful for blocking minor attacks that may come in your way. And if you’re a Royal Guard, Gospel is an effective instant heal that heals your allies and gives a momentary healing per second (HPS) buff, so use it as much as possible.
And remember what I said about foods being useful? They are tons useful for a Paladin / Royal Guard. Chow down on Never Forgetti foods (Rank 5 foods, I don’t know what they’re called in SEA), and pack some foods listed above, ESPECIALLY the foods that will make you invulnerable (Candies, Cakes, Shaved Ice, etc).
Oh, he chonk! Oh lawd, he comin’!
Defense-wise, the most important thing you need to do is to keep your main attackers alive. Devotion, Risky Shelter, and Gospel are nice skills to have in your hotkeys. It’s mostly the same routine as attacking, but with a lot less attacking.
Remember your main role — to tank endlessly and empower your allies. By keeping yourself alive, you can keep your allies safe and sound as well.
Thief Classes:
Assassin Cross / Guillotine Cross
(credits to ZeroGravity)
An Assassin’s role is defined by their name alone. They must take down targets one by one, quickly and efficiently, and sow discord among the enemy ranks.
Mostly used as an attacker, Assassin Crosses, and Guillotine Crosses, excel in stealth and speed. Hide coupled with Enhanced Hiding passive skill will allow you to move faster while in Hide mode. While they are not as tanky as Swordsman classes, using foods and Guild foods will allow you to tank spells enough for you to survive the onslaught of AoE spells. If detected, reposition yourself with Back Slide (get the runes for this as soon as possible) to move instantly and enter into Hiding status. As an Assassin Cross, you should forgo the possibility of killing targets (unless they’re alone) and focus instead on attacking the Emperium, or to reset it so that the “Perfect Defense” will be reset. As a Guillotine Cross however, your killing capability is improved tenfold, what with skills like Cross Impact and Poison Fog, and more repositioning skills such as Dark Illusion and Hallucination Walk. Try to get behind the enemy’s ranks and spam Poison Fog as much as possible. This will ruin their positioning since staying on that poisoned area will quickly kill them. Oh, and Poison Fog can’t be removed nor dispelled by Clearance or Panacea — only fellow GXs or Archbishop’s Slow Poison can lessen the damage done to those inflicted by it. Try to kill people with Cross Impact, and if that doesn’t work, Back Slide or use Dark Illusion to quickly retreat. Rinse and repeat. As much as possible, never let the enemies detect you. Have one form of Hiding or repositioning skill online at all times.
Your end goal as an attacker.
As a defender, spam narrow pathways with Poison Fog. Episode 4 will introduce the non-nerfed version of Poison Fog, which is as OOP (overly overpowered) as a Shadow Chaser’s Mana Trap (another OOP skill, to be discussed later), so spam it to deter would-be attackers. Besides that, taking down soft targets with your offensive skills, and laying Poison Fogs on Guilds who intend to regroup are your main responsibilities as a defender.
Be one with the shadows. Make it so that the very moment they see you, is the same moment they’ll see a “Resurrect” button on their screen.
Stalker / Shadow Chaser
(credits to my own personal experience as one)
If there’s one word to correctly describe Stalkers / Shadow Chasers in WoE, it’s “uncertainty”.
The goal of a Stalker / Shadow Chaser is simple — make the opposing Guild’s life, be it an attacking or defending Guild, miserable. Make them fear the unseeable. Make them be wary of you, even if you aren’t there. Make themselves think they’re safe, when you’re there about to strike them down.
Embody the spirit of SCP-835-JP (Keteru Yamiko). It’s also a good read.
Stalkers / Shadow Chasers are somewhat similar to assassins’ playstyles — attack, and then retreat. But unlike assassins, who can deliver swift kills, your goal is to make it easier for your allies to break in by reducing the number of threats to them.
Stripping targets that heavily rely on gear to be useful is your main priority, both as an attacker or defender. Swordsman and Archer classes are very crucial targets, as their defenses and attacks (respectively) are usually boosted thanks to their equipments. Removing their gears will greatly impact their performance as an attacker / defender, which also creates a distraction in the process as they will inevitably look for you. Rinse and repeat as many times as you want.
Of course, you are not only limited to stripping gears, as you have the capability to kill enemies if you wish to. Mana Trap (Shadow Chaser skill) is a great way to distract and also kill low-HP enemies. In Episode 4, Mana Traps are disgustingly powerful, able to do 100k damage per tick even to a fully-geared character. It’s absolutely broken, and I hate them for it you should take advantage of this. Drop a couple of these traps amongst a group of people and watch them fall one by one. Chaos Panic is also a great way to sow “Fear” amongst them — literally. Make them lose control of their characters for a few seconds, where they’ll probably be dead the moment they regain control.
Also, one main goal of Stalkers / Shadow Chasers is to “lie in wait”. Back in CN server, it is VERY common for Guilds to rage in World Chat because of a single Emperium blow from a Stalker / Shadow Chaser at exactly 9:13PM, disqualifying them from participating in War of Crystal (see WoC section below). If you feel that you can’t beat the Guild in WoC, sending a lone Shadow Chaser or two on the Guild, and attacking at the right time will save your Guild’s ass later on WoC.
Pictured — me, if you ping me on Discord during Sunday WoE.
Shadow Chasers are deadly, but remember that the other Guild’s Shadow Chasers are equally deadly. If you are able to, take them down before they do the same to your own Guild. Death Mark (with a few runes) will remove the opposing Shadow Chaser’s capability to Hide, so use it as much as possible. Render them incapable of sowing distraction on your ranks, and make them fear their own shadows...
Merchant Classes:
Whitesmith / Mechanic
(credits to Bearnard)
Whitesmiths are quite underappreciated in WoE — can deal huge amounts of damage, but often kited due to their slow movement speed without proper buffs. That doesn’t mean that Whitesmiths are not needed in WoE, as their weapon buffs can boost their partymates’ overall damage, and turn them into powerhouses that can ruin any attacker or defender Guild’s day.
However, once they turn into Mechanics, all their weaknesses are replaced by massive strengths. Mobility, burst damage, and defensive capabilities — all these you can find on a Mechanic.
Also, giant robots. Because who the fuck doesn’t want giant robots?!
As an attacker, you should often lead the attack alongside Knights and Crusaders. Arm Cannon and Knuckle Booster are your main offensive attacks to take down opposing Guild forces. Entering well-defended rooms, you can use Self-Destruct to deal massive damage to nearby enemies, though this isn’t really recommended especially if you have a slow connection (because the opposing Guild may have already killed you three times over the moment you finished loading). Another option upon entering is to use Hover to avoid the traps, and Front Slide for extra mobility, all the while you’re using your main offensive tools. Entering the Emp room, you can use Stealth Field to hide your main attackers, as well as give them extra Magic Defense. Once the main force has infiltrated the Emp room, your next goal is to spawn camp the soon-to-be dead reinforcements. If you feel that you can’t stop them, prevent them from entering the Emp room with your Magnetic Field as a last-ditch effort, trapping enemies, and allowing your Emp attackers to finish the job.
Defense-wise, you can be either a supportive Mechanic, using Neutral Barrier to protect your back lines, or head on to defend from the front lines with your cannons and go “pew pew! boom!” your foes.
Yeah… I thought so...
Biochemist (Creator) / Genetic
(credits to ecrunale)
Ah, Biochemists and Genetics, one of the most-feared characters of Classic RO, due to their trademark Acid Demonstration. Well, now you can relive those days because it’s now x10 more spammable! Yay!
But seriously, Biochemists and Genetics don’t thrive with Acid Demo alone, as they have access to more powerful skills that can make or break the game.
Seriously though.
Staying behind the lines as a defender, your job is to lay tons of plant traps in portals — Hell Plants and Thorn Traps work well in these portals, as the former detects hidden players, while Thorn Traps disable their movement while dealing percentage damage. Spamming your trademark Acid Demo is also a must, since you’ll be staying from afar and the range is quite impressive. Should they get close, Life Link will help you survive, since it will transfer some damage to your homunculus.
(NOTE: I will not cover which homunculus you should own in WoE. Every Biochemist / Genetic has their own playstyle, and I suggest you find your own as well.)
Chemical Protection is a must too. Apply it on characters that get massive bonuses from items, as they will be surely be focused on by opposing players, and will most likely get their equipments broken.
As an attacker, if you have Fire Expansion on your skill, then use it to throw literal bombs to the backlines, as this will make your Acid Demonstration into an AoE skill. Howling of Mandragora spellcasters, as this will increase their casting time while decreasing their SP pool in the process. Once in the Emp room, break the defensive spells (Pneuma and Safety Wall) with your Crazy Weed (note that this works on Archer traps too). Afterwards, you’re better off camping at the spawn point with your Hell Plants and Thorn Traps.
Archer Classes:
Sniper / Ranger
(credits to kuk, and Martin)
As mentioned earlier, Snipers (and by extension, Rangers) are great defensive characters. For one, they can defend with their various traps, stopping the enemies on their tracks who are making their way to the Emperium. However, they are also powerhouses in their own right, as they are able to pick off characters from afar, as well as bombard them with Fire Arrow Shower (Arrow Shower - Burn, rune skill) — capable of reducing their HP to 10% in just a matter of seconds.
Defense-wise, they’re in the same vein as High Wizards — stay in the back while dealing massive damage to the attacking forces. As a Sniper / Ranger, your main duty is to attack targets that will pose a high threat to the Emperium — mainly the Knights and the Assassins. ADLs are deadly in this regard, as a fully-geared Sniper / Ranger can outright kill anyone in 4-5 hits. Use your detection skills (Flash Arrow, Prey Tracker) to the fullest, and take down those slippery Assassins and Rogues that can ruin your “Perfect Defense” plan. Of course, don’t forgo placing traps on narrow pathways as well, especially Ankle Snare. As much as possible, keep your traps online at all times — your trap may just spell the difference between your Guild getting Perfect Defense and your Guild falling to a sole Assassin class.
Basically, you, after achieving all perfect +10% CRIT enchants (credits to dopatwo)
Offense-wise, your main goal is to kill the support characters first, which would be the Priest classes, Wizard classes, and opposing Hunter classes. Let your frontliners soak up the damage, while you deal with them. If you can, protect your frontliners as well, especially against Champs / Suras who can take them down with Asura Strike. Snipers / Rangers are also one of the best breakers, so if everything’s clear, take down the Emperium yourself. Otherwise, join your the others to “spawn camp” reinforcements (and earn those precious points).
TL;DR — Just kill everything that moves while keeping yourself safe. After all, you’re a “Sniper” — attacking from afar is your game.
Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro)*
(credits to me, SURPRISE SURPRISE!)
Being my main character in CN Server, the main role of a Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro) is to provide support for allies, while making it a hard time for would-be attackers to make their way to the Emperium.
Unlike Classic RO, you are not limited to using Bragi’s Poem and AFK. Bragi’s Poem, or Magic Strings, is not the same as in Classic, since it now only gives higher SP regen and lowers variable casting time. Most of the time, you’ll be using Circle of Nature’s Sound to heal guildmates (prioritizes partymates first), and Severe Rainstorm to flinch and deal damage to attackers.
Again, you’re not limited to just casting those two skills. Frost Joke and Marionette Control are two vital skills you will want to make use of in here. Frost Joke can freeze enemies 100%* within 4m range, which is VERY USEFUL for attackers who would bum-rush their way to the Emperium (Lord Knights, Paladins, etc.). It can also be used to detect invisible units, provided that they are within your range.
*reduced by INT value of target(s)
Marionette Control is also a great buffing skill that turns one of your partymates into a homicidal maniac that can kill everyone else by themselves, as it gives them +45 ALL STATS (+30 if not Lv. 15 (Job breakthrough)). Granted, you need to be close to them at all times for it to take effect, but the benefits are HUGE.
Yes. Basically what happens. (credits to dopatwo)
Note that some skills can be used while performing (added on a later Episode 5 patch) — Musical Strike, Arrow Vulcan, Marionette Control, Reverberation, and Dominion Impulse — so remember to use these skills in order to maximize your effectiveness.
Learning song-switching is also vital (removing instrument, then re-equipping instrument), since it will allow you to use your other skills (e.g. Valley of Death to resurrect other players), and then switch to another song to help other players (e.g. Bragi’s Poem to help restore SP, then switching to Circle of Nature to heal players).
Ensembles are also great as a defender in WoE. Loki’s Wail is a HUGE DETERRENT for attackers, as this will render them unable to use skills or EVEN PERFORM NORMAL ATTACKS while they are in its area of effect. Other noteworthy Ensembles are Deep Sleep Lullaby (sleep while in its AoE), Infinite Song (the true Bragi’s Poem, Aesir unlockable skill), and Eternal Chaos (0 DEF while in its AoE). Keep in mind that Ensembles affect allies too!
The best advice I can give you while playing as one — keep your calm at all times. Even when people are dying left and right, keep calm and remember your role.
Pictured — NOT ME during WoE / WoC, because I always go “taosaEmptaosaEmptaosaEmp AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”.
I could probably add more, but I probably wouldn’t. This will probably blow up the guide to 100 pages.
Gypsy / Wanderer*
(credits to Ecrunale)
Gypsy / Wanderer is in the same position as Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro) — support and attack with their offensive skills. However, they have one skill that sets them apart from their male counterparts — Don’t Forget Me.
Don’t Forget Me can reduce an attacker’s movement speed and attack speed to nearly a halt. Combined with other skills, it is actually possible to HALT THEIR MOVEMENT. Positioning a Gypsy / Wanderer near portals can make it harder for speedy classes to control their characters.
Literally a rock. (credits to Ecrunale for picture)
Very deadly with Reverberation (with runes), and Quagmire.
Scream is also a great crowd control skill (same vein as Frost Joke). But, instead of freezing, it stuns them 80%* of the time. This is, in some ways, better than Frost Joke as “Stun” is harder to counter than “Frost” status (where a Marc Card is enough). Mileage may vary though.
*reduced by VIT value of target(s)
Service For You is also a great solo skill to buff allies’ SP pool and SP regen. And since it has a large AoE, you can almost cover every Warlock in your vicinity with it, as well as other allies.
Ensembles are roughly the same as Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro), so please refer to it.
Magician Classes: High Wizard / Warlock
(credits to Narumi)
When it comes to defense, no one can surpass High Wizards and Warlocks. With their massive AoE spells, anyone that gets caught in their flashy spells will inevitably expire or be left with less HP enough for others to kill them.
And probably your GPU too, if you’re playing on an emulator.
On defense, your main spells are Storm Gust, Lord of Vermillion, Meteor Storm, and Quagmire. Spamming spells endlessly is basically your role. Covering the entire ground with Quagmire is necessary to slow down speedy characters, giving time for your hard-hitters to take them down. As a Warlock, you can take a break from your spamming AoE spells should you see enemies by using Tetra Vortex — a high damage spell that is usually enough to take down tanks. Take note that it takes some time to set up Tetra Vortex.
While the job of a High Wizard / Warlock is pretty much… uneventful, it’s required if you want your Guild to win WoE.
As an attacker, your main goal is to counter the AoE spells raining down on your party, and rain down the same spells to the defenders. While High Wizards rely solely on foods and Guild items, Warlocks can use White Protection to shield themselves from this volley of spells. Making your way towards the Emp room, dash towards the spawn point and throw everything you have. As a Warlock, take down tanky characters with your Tetra Vortex, or use White Imprison to render them immobile for a few seconds. Drain Life if you’re running out of HP, and there are no Priests around to help you out. Use Chain Lightning to punish multiple foes, as this is also enough to kill low-HP, low-MDEF targets. Nuke everyone that may pose a threat to your breakers.
Pictured — High Wizards and Warlocks doing their magic battles. (It’s a black screen joke.)
All in all, you are one of the stalwart defenders of the Guild. No matter how boring your job may be, just keep at it. Who knows? You might get rewarded the god staff… and probably earn the ire of the other 90 High Wizards / Warlocks in your Guild. Meh.
Professor / Sorcerer*
(credits to Narumi)
While their skills are mostly a boon for High Wizards and Warlocks — as their skills greatly boost their magical capabilities, Professors and Sorcerers are highly-capable on their own, inflicting endless bolts of pain, and inhibiting opposing players with their own set of flashy skills.
“Hello? Yes, it’s me again. I’d like to order one more please. Thanks.”
Defense-wise, boosting your own spellcasters while making life hell for opposing spellcasters is your main goal. Use the correct enhancement skills accordingly (Volcano, Deluge, Violent Galeto buff your guildmates, depending on the scenario. As a Professor, mainly attack / focus on tanky, but low-MDEF targets, as your Mind Breaker will continuously drop their MDEF, allowing you and your partner spellcasters to deal even more damage to them. This, coupled with your Double Bolts, will hinder their progress to the Emp room or outright kill them in the process. As a Sorcerer, Varetyr Spear and Earth Grave can Stun or inflict Bleed status on a small AoE. Keep your own allies alive with Warmer (removes Frost and gives Frost immunity for a few seconds. Of course, don’t miss the chance to use Sage’s most known skill — Land Protector, to render AoE spells from other spellcasters null and void. This affects other physical AoE spells too (e.g. Severe Rainstorm). Remember that this skill affects allies too, so positioning this skill is VERY IMPORTANT.
Attacking Guilds as a Professor / Sorcerer, casting Land Protector upon entering the defense area is your first priority, as this will keep everyone safe from the barrage of spells they’re inevitably going to see upon entering the portal. Remember that the effective AoE of Land Protector is larger than the effect, so be sure to position your spell well, or you won’t be able to cast your own AoE counterattacks. Soulburning Priest classes is a must, as this has a chance to drain their SP, making them unable to support their allies. Upon reaching the Emp room, guide your spellcasters to the spawn point and keep them from reinforcing their ranks. Spam everything from your spell arsenal, except Land Protector. If you find enemy spellcasters alive, nuke them with Soulburn and turn them into walking “Proof of Glory” points.
Pictured — Budget phone for Professor / Sorcerer players, capable of running ROM in 30fps… probably.
Remember, first and foremost, you are a support spellcaster. Boosting your partymates’ magical damage rather than running around and nuking everyone is a better strategy.
Acolyte Classes: High Priest / Archbishop
(credits to Fongnom, and AutumnHime)
High Priests and Archbishops are the lifelines of the Guild. Though their task may be simple — keeping everyone, including the Emperium, alive and well — their contribution is invaluable to the entire Guild, even more so on WoE. Even fully-geared characters will not survive if there are no High Priests and Archbishops around to help them.
As a High Priest, your main goal is to keep your forces buffed and ready to strike at all times. Always keep your buffs for everyone active all the time — because that +1 VIT might have saved your main frontliner from a powerful attack from an opposing Guild. Of course, you can’t help other people if you’re “Silenced”, so have a counter to Silence such as Panacea or Marduk Card. Eat foods that can increase your survivability. You may not be a frontliner, but that doesn’t mean attackers won’t be actively looking for you. In fact, you may just be their primary target.
Archbishops, on the other hand, have better buffs that can effectively heal and resurrect multiple players in one go. Coluceo Heal to heal you and your partymates (think mobile Sanctuary), and Epiclesis as your go-to skill if you find multiple guildmates lying on the ground, as not only does it resurrect them, it heals them, and restores their SP continuously. Sacrament is a great tool to boost your HW’s effectiveness, as this decreases their casting time.
While it is your main responsibility to keep your allies alive, do know when to support them and know when to retreat. I’ve read some sentence before from my support days in DOTA 2 — “you can heal wounds but you can’t heal idiocy.” So if you know that you and your allies won’t survive, don’t be afraid to back out and tell your teammates to back out as well. If not, just let them be and resurrect them later (if they still have time left, that is).
Margaretha Sorin died for your sins. Also, Xi Ren, because why the fuck would you attack Wolfchev alone in a room with no weapons and him having a Poison Dagger in hand? I mean, that’s stupid, what the fuck are you doing? Even Margaretha herself commented that you are stup— ZEI HAS BEEN KICKED FOR SPOILING EPISODE 4 STORYLINE.
Of course, you are not only responsible for your allies, as you can protect the Emperium itself. Safety Wall and Pneuma can make your Emperium invulnerable for a few attacks. Should it get damaged, you can always heal it with your Sanctuary. Every Guild has a dedicated HP / AB that supports the Emperium solely, so if you’re the designated one to do that, never leave your post. Use Ruwach to detect invisible enemies. Deter them from damaging the Emp as much as possible.
One last reminder: BUY LOTS OF BLUE GEMSTONES. Most of your skills rely on Blue Gemstones, so please stock up on them.
Champion / Sura (Shura)
READ THIS FIRST PLEASE! Gah. I’ll be honest — the input in this section may or may not be accurate, for the reason that, well, Suras are VERY RARE in number in CN server. I really couldn’t find anyone in CN server playing as a Sura in WoE… or any part of the game for that matter. They’re close to not existing right now since every job outperforms them in every aspect of the game.
Champions and Suras can either be in your early strike team or amongst the frontlines, or the last line of defense for your Emperium in WoE. Either way, you only have one main role — take down VERY HIGH VALUE targets (as a defender, Emperium breakers, or as an attacker, high HP, high damage characters), or at least weaken them to the point that they can be killed with your Asura Strike.
As a defender, roaming inside your Emperium room with Ruwach always on is a must, removing pesky Thief classes from getting close to the Emperium. Depending on the class, you might want to use your other offensive skills first before moving in for the kill with your Asura Strike, as a Kyrie Eleison’d Thief class can reduce the impact from the Asura Strike, allowing them to retreat. Or if you think you cannot kill them, Cursed Circle (Sura skill) will hold them long enough for other players to gang up on them.
Come on. Don’t act like you’re surprised. You know this will happen.
Attacking-wise, using Snap to instantly reposition yourself will confuse defenders and attack you instead, making it easier for frontliners to penetrate through the defense. Snap and take down the most important targets such as HPs / ABs, Snipers / Rangers, Clowns (Minstrels) / Minstrels (Maestros) / Gypsies / Wanderers to cut off their supportive ranks. Have tons of Green Tea / Cocoa ready. Champions and Suras thrive on full SP, so make sure to have them on-hand.
It’s very basic, but you get the gist of it — punch your enemies to death. Hopefully.
Champion / Sura: *sigh*
WoE Rewards
Participating in WoE, regardless of your performance, will grant you numerous rewards.
For every 5 minutes of defending / attacking, you will get 100 Proof of Glory (110 if VIP). You can get a max of 300 Proof of Glory (330 if VIP). 5 minutes of participating in the WoE will also award you with the completion of the Butler / Maid (Assistant in SEA) quest “GVG Battle”, awarding you 15 Points.
Once WoE has ended, one or two treasure chests will be sent to players through in-game Mail. Depending on your participation, it may give you the following:
400 Proof of Glory
2 Praying Chipset Packs
200 Proof of Glory
Note that anyone, winners or losers, will get these rewards. So if you have nothing better to do, just let your character stay at one of the Agits and AFK there. Of course, this is not suggested, especially on an active Guild.
Agit keepers will get 3 random Treasure chests, containing a fragment of the god weapon of their chosen Agit, and a random amount of god weapon ingredients. These chests can be opened by the Guild Leader and Vice Leaders. Items obtained from these chests can be viewed on the Guild Interface - Inventory.
FINAL NOTES
SAMPLE WOE VIDEOS:
(I don’t know how to embed videos, credits to Infinite Cross)
Umbrella vs AGAIN:
Guillotine Cross PoV. Our Guild Leader’s attack to one of the top Thailand Guilds in the game. Great way to learn how to play as GX, as well as checking out map layout.
Umbrella vs ACE:
Shadow Chaser PoV (defense) + Guillotine Cross PoV (attack). Defending against one of the top Thailand Guilds (again) in the game. Learn how a Shadow Chaser can ruin the ranks of attacking players, reducing the threat they pose later on for our Guild. Also, learning proper placement of traps, spells, etc.
So… that’s the end, right? Haha, NOPE.
For worthy Guilds, there’s one more challenge they must take — and that is the War of Crystals (SEA name pending).
War of Crystals
War of Crystals, like WoE, is a Guild vs Guild… vs Guild vs Guild battle. Basically, four Guilds trying to win a Guild battle. To illustrate this better, War of Crystals (WoC here point on) is similar to a MOBA with elements of Capture the Flag.
“MOBA means ‘Mobile Legends’.” - best quote SEA
To describe WoC shortly:
There are four Guilds — they are situated on the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest part of the map. The Guilds’ placements will be randomly determined.
There are three territories that can be taken control of (see the star-like icons in the middle part of the map) and two MVP respawn points (north shrine and south shrine) in the map.
The goal of WoC is to gain 5 Emperiums (will be called “Trophies” from here point on to avoid confusion), with each Guild having 1 Emperium at the start. Scoring system is as follows:
Controlling left and right territory - 1 Trophy each
Controlling middle territory - 2 Trophies
Killing an MVP - 0.25 Trophies
Taking control of an enemy Emperium - 1 Trophy
The first Guild who gets 5 Trophies wins the game. Reward is Proof of Glory, ranging from 2000-4000 depending on your placement and your Guild’s ranking.
WoC starts at 9:30PM every Sunday.
Joining WoC
Not all Guilds can join WoC. In order for you to be able to participate in WoC, you must follow these TWO VERY SPECIFIC CONDITIONS:
WoE rules apply for most of WoC, except you respawn in the map itself when you die rather than re-entering the map from the outside.
You can enter the battlefield by talking to the Valkyrie near the god weapons’ gallery at exactly 9:27PM, allowing Guild members ample time to be transported to the map… or to Prontera South Field (due to a loading bug of sorts).
Territories will open up 3 minutes after WoC begins, and MVPs will spawn 4 minutes after WoC begins. From there, you can choose to set up your defense on one of the territories, cover the MVP areas, or decide to raid your rival Guilds’ Emperiums. Remember, this is not WoE, where you only have one vital spot to guard. In order to win, you will have to be overly aggressive in taking down objectives, all the while keeping your own territories and Emperium safe from attackers.
Besides that, it’s the same as PvP or GvG. It’s just one huge MOBA that will probably last 5 to 20 minutes at most.
WoC Rewards
Winning WoC will reward you with two things: one is ranking, mainly used for “bragging rights”. Rankings are separated into three categories: Solar, Lunar, and Star.
Solar Guilds are the highest-ranking Guilds. This the most prestigious ranking you will ever have, as this means that you are amongst the top 10 Guilds in the ENTIRE SERVER NOT CHANNEL. I can almost hear the World Chat in SEA now…
Lunar Guilds occupy the remaining 90 Guilds in the Top 100 Guilds spot. Star Guilds are everyone else.
The next reward is the “god headgears and back gears”. Remember Solar God Helm? Yep, you can only obtain it in this mode. There are six god headgears and back gears at the moment (in CN, at least).
Unlocking these god equipments require you to do the quest, and the “god headgear” building in your Guild Hall.
So there you have it, a basic approach of WoE (and WoC)!
Do you have any questions, comments, or corrections you want me to make? PM me:
If you’re on CN Server - Zei or Ciele (Ch. 26 / Guild Channel / no fixed channel)
If you’re on SEA Server - Zei or Ciele (PH38)
If you’re on our Discord channel - Doram Cat… something something (it changes frequently)
Or PM me at Clo’s Murmur.
Once again, thanks to the people who helped me!
Norman
ZeroGravity
Ecrunale
Grawrz
Bearnard
Kuk
Martin
Fongnom
AutumnHime
Narumi
Article Source: Basic Guide to War of Emperium: ROM Edition
Credits to Clo's Murmur
War of Emperium, or WoE for short, is Ragnarok Online’s version of a “Guild vs Guild” battle. Think of it as a massive PvP between two or more Guilds.
The objective of WoE is simple — as the attacker Guild, take down the Emperium to claim the Agit as your own; as the defender Guild, repel the attackers to successfully win WoE.
WoE starts at 9PM (GMT+8), Thursdays and Sundays (this is the schedule for CN Server).
Differences between Classic Ragnarok and ROM WoE:
If you’ve played Classic RO, you’ll notice that your first WoE will be a little different from your previous WoE. Here are some of the notable differences between Classic’s WoE and ROM’s WoE:
- Shorter defense time.
2. Allows resurrection / expel.
Back in Classic, if you get killed, you’ll be sent out immediately. Not in here, you won’t. As long as you have a living Priest (or whatever class that has brought an Yggdrasil Leaf), you can die and get resurrected without the worry of getting expelled from the Agit. However, you can get expelled if an enemy approaches you and kicks you out of the Agit.
3. No more Guild skills.
Guild Leaders no longer have access to the Guild skills from before. Emergency Call? Sorry, no can do in this version. However, you have access to WoE-exclusive foods that achieve some of the effects of Guild skills from Classic (see Guild Foods section below).
4. No more Guardians.
Back in Classic, if you have a few active members, you can always enlist the help of Guardians — hulking machines that provide ample defense for the Agit. You can’t get them anymore in here. BUT, there is an item that transforms you into one…
5. Removed Alliance / Enemy system.
So you challenged a Guild with tons of whales, and they vowed that they will crush your Guild. What are you going to do? Ask for help from Alliances? Sorry, you can’t do that in here. ROM’s WoE is a purely free-for-all setting. However, you can always make some strategies, such as positioning a friendly Guild on the first floor. Keep in mind that you can kill them as well, and them killing you is possible as well. FREE FOR ALL.
6. Implementation of safe zone.
Sooner or later, you will get what we call the “safe zone”. This is located at the entrance of the Agit. In this safe zone, no one can kill you. Once you get out of the safe zone, however, it’s everything goes. You can always go back to the safe zone, though.
NOTE: CN Server still experiences some bugs where you are sometimes killed by Meteor Storm. Being the buggy server SEA is, you can expect this to happen a lot.
7. Point system + Missions.
Back in Classic, there are no points when defeating enemies. In here, you can earn what we call “Proof of Glory” (“Honor Proof” for SEA). This item allows you to buy items from your Guild’s Vending Machine. A kill will earn you 20 Proof of Glory (22 if VIP), an assist will net you 10 (11 if VIP), etc. There are also exclusive missions where you can get extra Proof of Glory. There is a limit of 1200 per WoE session.
8. ROM PVP mechanics is applied.
Everyone inside Agits will get a 4x HP buff, same as in PVP. Healing items have their effects minimized in order to preserve balance (Yggdrasil Berry, Honey, etc.).
Why participate in WoE?
There are a number of reasons why a Guild should join WoE, with the main reason being “bragging rights”. After all, who wouldn’t want to have an Agit and then trash talk someone who hasn’t got one, right?
Well, there are huge boons to joining WoE, one being the ability to unlock HUGE STAT BOOSTS for everyone.
Take a look at this image:
Joining WoE will allow you to earn “Praying Chipsets” (no idea what it will be named on SEA), which can give you a random Chipset — Attack (Red), Defense (Blue), and Element (Yellow). Exchanging these Chipsets will give a massive boost to your characters.
I’m more of a jack-of-all-trades.
As you can see, those are HUGE BUFFS, and they’re not at max level yet (several changes in Minstrel made it hard for me to properly distribute them, so it’s not my fault!). By participating in WoE, you can power-up your character without spending too much.
Participating in WoE will also allow you to buy Guild-exclusive gears, like this:
These are all anti-Demi-Human gears, as it increases your defense against them, other players included. Strong Essence is mainly used to power-up accessories and…
Hard to catch them all in one picture.
...god weapons.
Yep — god weapons are back in this game! And they are very much worthy of being called a “god” weapon.
I still don’t have my god instrument though...
While god weapons are terribly hard to craft (it took us 6 months to craft the FIRST TIER of that god Katar), it doesn’t require you to finish impossibly hard quests unlike in Classic. Even better is that ANYONE can get a god weapon as long as they have the patience, perseverance, and… uhm, money.
Yes, you can buy god item ingredients. YAY! NOT PAY TO WIN GAME! Fortunately, this will only be applied on Episode 4… wait a minute. Oh. Yeah, never mind.
P50k for a god weapon? Let me get a loan, BRB.
.The last reason why you should join War of Emperium, is for you to be able to join “War of Crystals” (SEA name pending). This will be discussed later.
Interested on joining the War of Emperium now? On to the war room, then!
The Basics
First and foremost, you need to learn the most common terms in WoE. The first thing you need to do is to LEARN WHICH AGITS ARE WHICH. Seriously. During the first iteration of WoE, most Guilds are confused on where to go because they don’t know where this specific agit is.
Here’s the complete list of all agits:
Prontera South Field
Prontera West Field
Goblin Forest
Payon
Aldebaran
NOTE: Payon 3 and Alde 3 are Episode 5 Agits. These will NOT be available yet on Episode 4.
It is important to remember which Agit is which, because every single Agit houses a certain god fragment. These fragments are needed to craft the god weapon of your choice. So if you want a certain god weapon, it is important that you know which one to attack and defend.
Prontera 1 - Sword
Prontera 2 - Katar
Prontera 3 - Spear
Geffen 1 - Staff (Attack)
Geffen 2 - Staff (Defense)
Geffen 3 - Mace
Payon 1 - Bow
Payon 2 - Knuckles
Payon 3 - Instrument / Whip
Alde 1 - Axe
Alde 2 - Dagger
Alde 3 - Book
NOTE: I have not included the names of the god weapons, as the names used in CN server were my own take according to the lore in the game. This, of course, will be changed in SEA.
Occupying a certain Agit will allow you to start a quest to unlock the corresponding god weapon for that Agit. You can take the quest in your Guild Hall.
These NPCs will give you the god weapon quests. They are located on the northern part of your Guild Hall. Note that only the Guild Leader and Vice Leaders are able to take / accomplish the quests.
Unlocking a god weapon will allow you to craft it with the Legendary Metallurgy building.
Now, to discuss how WoE in this game works.
Once WoE is introduced to your server, every Agit is a FREE Agit. This doesn’t mean that you can simply take an Agit — your Guild’s mettle will be tested by the monsters that inhabit it.
There are three rooms inside an Agit, with the third room often housing the Emperium — or what we call the “Emp Room”. Free Agits will have harder enemies the further you go inside, with 2-3 MVPs guarding the Emperium. This means that not only will you have to defeat the other players who intend to take the Agit for themselves, but you also need to repel the monsters inside it, so plan ahead and strategize!
Emperiums have visible HP bars. They can only be attacked by using normal attacks. Skills won’t hit it, but it can be protected by Safety Wall, Pneuma, and be healed by Sanctuary.
A common strategy often employed by attackers is to have a tanker or two lure away the MVPs. Here is the Emp Room for Payon, as an example.
You can lure the monsters away from this position in order for your attackers to be able to attack the Emperium freely. Another good strategy is to lure the monsters in those narrow pathways, and then leaving them there so that enemy Guilds will have a harder time competing with you.
Breaking the Emperium
Once the Emperium has been broken, an announcement will be made in that Agit that the Emperium has been destroyed by <name> of <Guild name> Guild.
(super low quality, sorry, but HOLY SHIT IS THAT A LEVEL 99 ARCHER!? I sure want to be that guy!)
All attackers will be automatically expelled from the Agit, giving the defenders ample time to set their defenses. Once the timer reaches 0, the Guild will have 15 minutes to achieve “Perfect Defense”, or they can choose to go full-def mode and defend it for the whole hour. Your call.
NOTE: You cannot have TWO Active Agits. If you achieve Perfect Defense in one, and then proceed to break another Agit, then the first Agit will be void and WILL BE RESET, turning it into an Unoccupied Agit. Unoccupied Agits work like Free Agits, with monsters inhabiting it.
Defending the Emperium
Now that you have your own Agit, the next thing to do is, of course, defend it and defeat all opposing Guilds who would want to try to occupy your Agit.
There are many ways on how you can defend the Agit. Of course, if you’re an experienced Classic RO WoE player, then you’d know that Traps and multiple AoE spells are king. It’s the same in here, so do that.
Defense-wise, here are the best ones:
High Wizard / Warlock
Do I really need to explain it? 4-5 High Wizards bombarding an area with Quagmire (Marsh Pond), Storm Gust, Lord of Vermillion, and Meteor Storm will severely limit the number of people wanting to enter your Agit. Putting them on narrow pathways is the best strategy, because slowed enemies will be more prone to attack, allowing your other defenders to strike them easily.
Warlocks, on the other hand, have access to more skills, with some specializing on Tetra Vortex, which is a high-damaging nuke that is on par with Asura Strike.
High Priest
Of course, a High Wizard will be useless without SP. Having a High Priest stationed to help High Wizards will allow you to defend the Agit better. Not to mention that they can use Lex Aeterna or Lex Divina to disable certain “high-value” targets (e.g. Assassin classes, Knight classes).
Sniper
Ankle Snares and Frost Traps will greatly hinder opposing Guilds from progressing. These, coupled with Quagmire, can effectively slow down multiple attackers. They also act as a counter for Thief classes, as their traps can affect even hidden enemies. Flash Arrow (I don’t know the SEA name) will also reveal them, so Snipers are useful in defending.
Creator
Hell Plants can detect invisible units, which makes them invaluable. While they can only put a limited amount of Hell Plants, Creators aren’t limited to doing that, because they can use Full Chemical Protection to protect allies which are normally targeted by…
Stalkers
Why are they good for defending, you may ask? Stalkers can strip high-value targets or Intimidate them so that attackers will have to contend with them first before they can proceed to the Emp Room. Imagine a Lord Knight about to whack your Emp, only for them to suddenly teleport to another area filled with High Wizards. Very funny.
Runner-up: Champion. Same thing as Stalkers, but instead of Intimidating them, they just Asura Strike them in the face. Although can take down most attackers in one hit, their drawback is that they’re left with 0 SP instantly, and they’ll have to recast their skills to use Asura again. Still a good replacement though.
As for attackers…
Lord Knight / Assassin Cross
Both are good for different reasons. Lord Knight for “in-your-face” attacks, and Assassin Cross for stealthy, precise attacks. More often, Lord Knights are easier, because Assassin Crosses require patience and knowledge of your character and opponents.
Paladin
They’re not good attackers, per se. But holy shit, a Paladin with full foods will eat up any damage thrown at them, and then proceed to laugh at your face. I will discuss foods later on.
Pictured — a Paladin preparing for WoE.
Not to mention that they can also provide ample support for other co-attackers. Paladins are basically the meat shields that open up a pathway for their other guildmates.
Stalkers
Oh, they’re here again. Stalkers are good at offense as well, due to them being able to, again, kidnap high-value targets. Is that opposing High Priest good at buffing those defenders? They’re gone now! Intimidate, strip, and bam! Please no lewd.
High Priest
Err, what? What will a High Priest do? Smack the Emperium to death? Well, they can do that, but their primary role is to open a free path for attackers through an exploit. Double-sided portal.
Let me explain how this works. Before SEA people go all “ADDONS USER!”.
I’m standing on a ledge near the safe zone. This is inaccessible unless you go all the way through that choke point in the middle, and then go left and take the stairs up there. For reference, here is the map.
See that middle point? That is a massive choke point. Imagine 4-5 High Wizards and Snipers there. You’d be dead or low HP by the time you proceed to the second room. Enter High Priests.
Best Paint master in SEA. Adobe Photoshop sucks. Hire me.
A double-sided portal can be used from the safe zone to the ledge, allowing safe access to the second room, without the defenders even knowing! If they read this, then they’d probably know anyway.
Guild Foods
Pet the damn kitty!
As mentioned a number of times, Guild Foods can give you massive bonuses, ranging from instant heals to BECOMING INVULNERABLE FOR 3 SECONDS. The foods can be bought with Proof of Unity, which you can only get by doing more Guild buildings (randomly given as reward).
Most of these foods, besides being Guild-exclusive, can be used on PVP maps. Keep in mind that some foods that give buffs do not stack with one another, so remember to read the descriptions first!
Black Tea
Restores HP. Costs 7 / 18 / 44 Proof of Unity each.
Green Tea
Restores SP. Costs 7 / 18 / 44 Proof of Unity each.
Cocoa
Restores both HP / SP. Costs 18 / 44 / 130 Proof of Unity each.
Cookie / Waffles
Reduces all types of incoming damage. Costs 70 / 140 / 210 Proof of Unity each.
Bamboo Juice
ATK buffing foods. Costs 160 / 320 / 480 Proof of Unity each.
Wormwood Juice
MATK buffing foods. Costs 160 / 320 / 480 Proof of Unity each.
Cake
Movement Speed foods. Costs 30 / 150 Proof of Unity each.
Candy
Raises your Water / Fire / Earth / Wind resistance to 100% (from top to bottom). Costs 70 Proof of Unity each. Does not stack with Elemental Alloys, but they don’t have the same cooldown, so you can use them separately when one is off cooldown.
Syrup
Provides Hide / True Sight capabilities. Clearance removes all debuffs and makes you immune to debuffs for 10 seconds. Costs 70 / 150 / 150 Proof of Unity each. 2 minute cooldown.
Shaved Ice
Absorbing / Metallic reduces all Physical / Magical damage to 1 for 8 seconds, respectively. Invincible Fluffy Ice turns all incoming damage to 1 for 3 seconds. Costs 150 Proof of Unity each. 1 minute cooldown.
Gathering Syrup
ROM’s equivalent of Emergency Call. Extremely buggy during release. When we tested this one out, we can only summon party members that are on the same castle. Costs 150 Proof of Unity each.
Again, remember that some foods will not stack with other items, especially if they’re on the same category. Remember to read the descriptions first, or you would be wasting your Proof of Unity.
NOM. (Totally not the same image I used above.)
Roles
Of course, every single class is needed in order to win WoE, with each having a specific role to play.
NOTE: I will not put in recommended gears and skill setups. It is yours to discover, and because I have limited knowledge on other classes.
Swordsman Classes:
Lord Knight / Rune Knight
(credits to Norman, Grawrz, and Cheezo)
Lord Knights are one of the most well-balanced characters you can have in WoE — great for both attacking and defending Agits.
As an attacker, your main goal is, of course, to get to the Emp room as quickly as possible and spawn camp the defenders, killing low-HP characters while making your way to the Emp room. Bash / Dragon’s Breath everyone. Coupled with enough potions and the Berserk skill to rely on, you can disrupt the rhythm of the defending Guild, and allow your allies to storm in and clean up the now-confused defenders.
LKs rely on food items to boost their tankiness and survivability. Knowing when to use food items is vital if you want to make it to the Emp room. Note that Guild foods and cooked foods do stack, so make sure to use them to your advantage!
As a Rune Knight, your survivability increases BY A WHOLE LOT thanks to the Rune skills (not the Aesir Rune / Astrolabe runes). Let’s just use “Runestones” instead.
There are many runestones you should employ to your advantage. These are:
Verkana - +200 PDEF, +50 MDEF for 3 minutes
Urj - restores 100SP per 5 seconds for 8 minutes
Turisus - +10 STR, 20% Crit Damage for 3 minutes
Nosiege - dispel all debuffs and become immune to it for 5 seconds
(names may change in SEA server)
These runestones can be used on top of the food items you have consumed, effectively making you a force to be reckoned with.
I just had to use this. Now that I think about it, I should have used it on RG later...
As a defender, your main goal is to take out low-HP, high-damage characters as soon as possible. This can be done with either Bash or, as an RK, Dragon’s Breath (Physical Melee ATK that is influenced by both PATK and MATK). When encountering enemies who you think you can kill by yourself, use Dragon’s Roar and make them helpless by inflicting “Fear” debuff on them, allowing your Guild to take them down. If possible, actively seek out Thief classes as well, as your Bash can hit high FLEE characters (mostly) and inflict “Stun” debuff at times. Roam around as much as possible with a Horong <accessory> to prevent these classes from wreaking havoc amongst your defenders.
Paladin / Royal Guard
(credits to ZeroGravity)
The main tanker of WoE, Paladins / Royal Guards are basically the “meat shields” of ROM, as it offers more survivability compared to Lord Knights / Rune Knights, as well as providing support to their low-HP allies.
On attack phase, they’re mostly the same with Lord Knights / Rune Knights — be in the front lines while mowing down enemies with their own set of skills. Sacrifice is buffed in this game, as it ignores FLEE, allowing you to hit Thief classes with great ease, as well as taking down low-HP characters. Think of it as your better version of Bash. Risky Shelter or Devotion is a must in order for your allies to survive, but be wary that Risky Shelter imposes a movement speed penalty to your character, and Devotion deals 1:1 damage to you (but can be reduced through extra defense and physical damage reduction bonuses).
Reflect Shield adds extra defense and offense on your end, as it can reflect up to 35% damage to the attacker (mostly from melee attackers). Auto Guard is also useful for blocking minor attacks that may come in your way. And if you’re a Royal Guard, Gospel is an effective instant heal that heals your allies and gives a momentary healing per second (HPS) buff, so use it as much as possible.
And remember what I said about foods being useful? They are tons useful for a Paladin / Royal Guard. Chow down on Never Forgetti foods (Rank 5 foods, I don’t know what they’re called in SEA), and pack some foods listed above, ESPECIALLY the foods that will make you invulnerable (Candies, Cakes, Shaved Ice, etc).
Oh, he chonk! Oh lawd, he comin’!
Defense-wise, the most important thing you need to do is to keep your main attackers alive. Devotion, Risky Shelter, and Gospel are nice skills to have in your hotkeys. It’s mostly the same routine as attacking, but with a lot less attacking.
Remember your main role — to tank endlessly and empower your allies. By keeping yourself alive, you can keep your allies safe and sound as well.
Thief Classes:
Assassin Cross / Guillotine Cross
(credits to ZeroGravity)
An Assassin’s role is defined by their name alone. They must take down targets one by one, quickly and efficiently, and sow discord among the enemy ranks.
Mostly used as an attacker, Assassin Crosses, and Guillotine Crosses, excel in stealth and speed. Hide coupled with Enhanced Hiding passive skill will allow you to move faster while in Hide mode. While they are not as tanky as Swordsman classes, using foods and Guild foods will allow you to tank spells enough for you to survive the onslaught of AoE spells. If detected, reposition yourself with Back Slide (get the runes for this as soon as possible) to move instantly and enter into Hiding status. As an Assassin Cross, you should forgo the possibility of killing targets (unless they’re alone) and focus instead on attacking the Emperium, or to reset it so that the “Perfect Defense” will be reset. As a Guillotine Cross however, your killing capability is improved tenfold, what with skills like Cross Impact and Poison Fog, and more repositioning skills such as Dark Illusion and Hallucination Walk. Try to get behind the enemy’s ranks and spam Poison Fog as much as possible. This will ruin their positioning since staying on that poisoned area will quickly kill them. Oh, and Poison Fog can’t be removed nor dispelled by Clearance or Panacea — only fellow GXs or Archbishop’s Slow Poison can lessen the damage done to those inflicted by it. Try to kill people with Cross Impact, and if that doesn’t work, Back Slide or use Dark Illusion to quickly retreat. Rinse and repeat. As much as possible, never let the enemies detect you. Have one form of Hiding or repositioning skill online at all times.
Your end goal as an attacker.
As a defender, spam narrow pathways with Poison Fog. Episode 4 will introduce the non-nerfed version of Poison Fog, which is as OOP (overly overpowered) as a Shadow Chaser’s Mana Trap (another OOP skill, to be discussed later), so spam it to deter would-be attackers. Besides that, taking down soft targets with your offensive skills, and laying Poison Fogs on Guilds who intend to regroup are your main responsibilities as a defender.
Be one with the shadows. Make it so that the very moment they see you, is the same moment they’ll see a “Resurrect” button on their screen.
Stalker / Shadow Chaser
(credits to my own personal experience as one)
If there’s one word to correctly describe Stalkers / Shadow Chasers in WoE, it’s “uncertainty”.
The goal of a Stalker / Shadow Chaser is simple — make the opposing Guild’s life, be it an attacking or defending Guild, miserable. Make them fear the unseeable. Make them be wary of you, even if you aren’t there. Make themselves think they’re safe, when you’re there about to strike them down.
Embody the spirit of SCP-835-JP (Keteru Yamiko). It’s also a good read.
Stalkers / Shadow Chasers are somewhat similar to assassins’ playstyles — attack, and then retreat. But unlike assassins, who can deliver swift kills, your goal is to make it easier for your allies to break in by reducing the number of threats to them.
Stripping targets that heavily rely on gear to be useful is your main priority, both as an attacker or defender. Swordsman and Archer classes are very crucial targets, as their defenses and attacks (respectively) are usually boosted thanks to their equipments. Removing their gears will greatly impact their performance as an attacker / defender, which also creates a distraction in the process as they will inevitably look for you. Rinse and repeat as many times as you want.
Of course, you are not only limited to stripping gears, as you have the capability to kill enemies if you wish to. Mana Trap (Shadow Chaser skill) is a great way to distract and also kill low-HP enemies. In Episode 4, Mana Traps are disgustingly powerful, able to do 100k damage per tick even to a fully-geared character. It’s absolutely broken, and I hate them for it you should take advantage of this. Drop a couple of these traps amongst a group of people and watch them fall one by one. Chaos Panic is also a great way to sow “Fear” amongst them — literally. Make them lose control of their characters for a few seconds, where they’ll probably be dead the moment they regain control.
Also, one main goal of Stalkers / Shadow Chasers is to “lie in wait”. Back in CN server, it is VERY common for Guilds to rage in World Chat because of a single Emperium blow from a Stalker / Shadow Chaser at exactly 9:13PM, disqualifying them from participating in War of Crystal (see WoC section below). If you feel that you can’t beat the Guild in WoC, sending a lone Shadow Chaser or two on the Guild, and attacking at the right time will save your Guild’s ass later on WoC.
Pictured — me, if you ping me on Discord during Sunday WoE.
Shadow Chasers are deadly, but remember that the other Guild’s Shadow Chasers are equally deadly. If you are able to, take them down before they do the same to your own Guild. Death Mark (with a few runes) will remove the opposing Shadow Chaser’s capability to Hide, so use it as much as possible. Render them incapable of sowing distraction on your ranks, and make them fear their own shadows...
Merchant Classes:
Whitesmith / Mechanic
(credits to Bearnard)
Whitesmiths are quite underappreciated in WoE — can deal huge amounts of damage, but often kited due to their slow movement speed without proper buffs. That doesn’t mean that Whitesmiths are not needed in WoE, as their weapon buffs can boost their partymates’ overall damage, and turn them into powerhouses that can ruin any attacker or defender Guild’s day.
However, once they turn into Mechanics, all their weaknesses are replaced by massive strengths. Mobility, burst damage, and defensive capabilities — all these you can find on a Mechanic.
Also, giant robots. Because who the fuck doesn’t want giant robots?!
As an attacker, you should often lead the attack alongside Knights and Crusaders. Arm Cannon and Knuckle Booster are your main offensive attacks to take down opposing Guild forces. Entering well-defended rooms, you can use Self-Destruct to deal massive damage to nearby enemies, though this isn’t really recommended especially if you have a slow connection (because the opposing Guild may have already killed you three times over the moment you finished loading). Another option upon entering is to use Hover to avoid the traps, and Front Slide for extra mobility, all the while you’re using your main offensive tools. Entering the Emp room, you can use Stealth Field to hide your main attackers, as well as give them extra Magic Defense. Once the main force has infiltrated the Emp room, your next goal is to spawn camp the soon-to-be dead reinforcements. If you feel that you can’t stop them, prevent them from entering the Emp room with your Magnetic Field as a last-ditch effort, trapping enemies, and allowing your Emp attackers to finish the job.
Defense-wise, you can be either a supportive Mechanic, using Neutral Barrier to protect your back lines, or head on to defend from the front lines with your cannons and go “pew pew! boom!” your foes.
Yeah… I thought so...
Biochemist (Creator) / Genetic
(credits to ecrunale)
Ah, Biochemists and Genetics, one of the most-feared characters of Classic RO, due to their trademark Acid Demonstration. Well, now you can relive those days because it’s now x10 more spammable! Yay!
But seriously, Biochemists and Genetics don’t thrive with Acid Demo alone, as they have access to more powerful skills that can make or break the game.
Seriously though.
Staying behind the lines as a defender, your job is to lay tons of plant traps in portals — Hell Plants and Thorn Traps work well in these portals, as the former detects hidden players, while Thorn Traps disable their movement while dealing percentage damage. Spamming your trademark Acid Demo is also a must, since you’ll be staying from afar and the range is quite impressive. Should they get close, Life Link will help you survive, since it will transfer some damage to your homunculus.
(NOTE: I will not cover which homunculus you should own in WoE. Every Biochemist / Genetic has their own playstyle, and I suggest you find your own as well.)
Chemical Protection is a must too. Apply it on characters that get massive bonuses from items, as they will be surely be focused on by opposing players, and will most likely get their equipments broken.
As an attacker, if you have Fire Expansion on your skill, then use it to throw literal bombs to the backlines, as this will make your Acid Demonstration into an AoE skill. Howling of Mandragora spellcasters, as this will increase their casting time while decreasing their SP pool in the process. Once in the Emp room, break the defensive spells (Pneuma and Safety Wall) with your Crazy Weed (note that this works on Archer traps too). Afterwards, you’re better off camping at the spawn point with your Hell Plants and Thorn Traps.
Archer Classes:
Sniper / Ranger
(credits to kuk, and Martin)
As mentioned earlier, Snipers (and by extension, Rangers) are great defensive characters. For one, they can defend with their various traps, stopping the enemies on their tracks who are making their way to the Emperium. However, they are also powerhouses in their own right, as they are able to pick off characters from afar, as well as bombard them with Fire Arrow Shower (Arrow Shower - Burn, rune skill) — capable of reducing their HP to 10% in just a matter of seconds.
Defense-wise, they’re in the same vein as High Wizards — stay in the back while dealing massive damage to the attacking forces. As a Sniper / Ranger, your main duty is to attack targets that will pose a high threat to the Emperium — mainly the Knights and the Assassins. ADLs are deadly in this regard, as a fully-geared Sniper / Ranger can outright kill anyone in 4-5 hits. Use your detection skills (Flash Arrow, Prey Tracker) to the fullest, and take down those slippery Assassins and Rogues that can ruin your “Perfect Defense” plan. Of course, don’t forgo placing traps on narrow pathways as well, especially Ankle Snare. As much as possible, keep your traps online at all times — your trap may just spell the difference between your Guild getting Perfect Defense and your Guild falling to a sole Assassin class.
Basically, you, after achieving all perfect +10% CRIT enchants (credits to dopatwo)
Offense-wise, your main goal is to kill the support characters first, which would be the Priest classes, Wizard classes, and opposing Hunter classes. Let your frontliners soak up the damage, while you deal with them. If you can, protect your frontliners as well, especially against Champs / Suras who can take them down with Asura Strike. Snipers / Rangers are also one of the best breakers, so if everything’s clear, take down the Emperium yourself. Otherwise, join your the others to “spawn camp” reinforcements (and earn those precious points).
TL;DR — Just kill everything that moves while keeping yourself safe. After all, you’re a “Sniper” — attacking from afar is your game.
Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro)*
(credits to me, SURPRISE SURPRISE!)
Being my main character in CN Server, the main role of a Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro) is to provide support for allies, while making it a hard time for would-be attackers to make their way to the Emperium.
Unlike Classic RO, you are not limited to using Bragi’s Poem and AFK. Bragi’s Poem, or Magic Strings, is not the same as in Classic, since it now only gives higher SP regen and lowers variable casting time. Most of the time, you’ll be using Circle of Nature’s Sound to heal guildmates (prioritizes partymates first), and Severe Rainstorm to flinch and deal damage to attackers.
Again, you’re not limited to just casting those two skills. Frost Joke and Marionette Control are two vital skills you will want to make use of in here. Frost Joke can freeze enemies 100%* within 4m range, which is VERY USEFUL for attackers who would bum-rush their way to the Emperium (Lord Knights, Paladins, etc.). It can also be used to detect invisible units, provided that they are within your range.
*reduced by INT value of target(s)
Marionette Control is also a great buffing skill that turns one of your partymates into a homicidal maniac that can kill everyone else by themselves, as it gives them +45 ALL STATS (+30 if not Lv. 15 (Job breakthrough)). Granted, you need to be close to them at all times for it to take effect, but the benefits are HUGE.
Yes. Basically what happens. (credits to dopatwo)
Note that some skills can be used while performing (added on a later Episode 5 patch) — Musical Strike, Arrow Vulcan, Marionette Control, Reverberation, and Dominion Impulse — so remember to use these skills in order to maximize your effectiveness.
Learning song-switching is also vital (removing instrument, then re-equipping instrument), since it will allow you to use your other skills (e.g. Valley of Death to resurrect other players), and then switch to another song to help other players (e.g. Bragi’s Poem to help restore SP, then switching to Circle of Nature to heal players).
Ensembles are also great as a defender in WoE. Loki’s Wail is a HUGE DETERRENT for attackers, as this will render them unable to use skills or EVEN PERFORM NORMAL ATTACKS while they are in its area of effect. Other noteworthy Ensembles are Deep Sleep Lullaby (sleep while in its AoE), Infinite Song (the true Bragi’s Poem, Aesir unlockable skill), and Eternal Chaos (0 DEF while in its AoE). Keep in mind that Ensembles affect allies too!
The best advice I can give you while playing as one — keep your calm at all times. Even when people are dying left and right, keep calm and remember your role.
Pictured — NOT ME during WoE / WoC, because I always go “taosaEmptaosaEmptaosaEmp AHHHHHHHHHHHH!”.
I could probably add more, but I probably wouldn’t. This will probably blow up the guide to 100 pages.
Gypsy / Wanderer*
(credits to Ecrunale)
Gypsy / Wanderer is in the same position as Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro) — support and attack with their offensive skills. However, they have one skill that sets them apart from their male counterparts — Don’t Forget Me.
Don’t Forget Me can reduce an attacker’s movement speed and attack speed to nearly a halt. Combined with other skills, it is actually possible to HALT THEIR MOVEMENT. Positioning a Gypsy / Wanderer near portals can make it harder for speedy classes to control their characters.
Literally a rock. (credits to Ecrunale for picture)
Very deadly with Reverberation (with runes), and Quagmire.
Scream is also a great crowd control skill (same vein as Frost Joke). But, instead of freezing, it stuns them 80%* of the time. This is, in some ways, better than Frost Joke as “Stun” is harder to counter than “Frost” status (where a Marc Card is enough). Mileage may vary though.
*reduced by VIT value of target(s)
Service For You is also a great solo skill to buff allies’ SP pool and SP regen. And since it has a large AoE, you can almost cover every Warlock in your vicinity with it, as well as other allies.
Ensembles are roughly the same as Clown (Minstrel) / Minstrel (Maestro), so please refer to it.
Magician Classes: High Wizard / Warlock
(credits to Narumi)
When it comes to defense, no one can surpass High Wizards and Warlocks. With their massive AoE spells, anyone that gets caught in their flashy spells will inevitably expire or be left with less HP enough for others to kill them.
And probably your GPU too, if you’re playing on an emulator.
On defense, your main spells are Storm Gust, Lord of Vermillion, Meteor Storm, and Quagmire. Spamming spells endlessly is basically your role. Covering the entire ground with Quagmire is necessary to slow down speedy characters, giving time for your hard-hitters to take them down. As a Warlock, you can take a break from your spamming AoE spells should you see enemies by using Tetra Vortex — a high damage spell that is usually enough to take down tanks. Take note that it takes some time to set up Tetra Vortex.
While the job of a High Wizard / Warlock is pretty much… uneventful, it’s required if you want your Guild to win WoE.
As an attacker, your main goal is to counter the AoE spells raining down on your party, and rain down the same spells to the defenders. While High Wizards rely solely on foods and Guild items, Warlocks can use White Protection to shield themselves from this volley of spells. Making your way towards the Emp room, dash towards the spawn point and throw everything you have. As a Warlock, take down tanky characters with your Tetra Vortex, or use White Imprison to render them immobile for a few seconds. Drain Life if you’re running out of HP, and there are no Priests around to help you out. Use Chain Lightning to punish multiple foes, as this is also enough to kill low-HP, low-MDEF targets. Nuke everyone that may pose a threat to your breakers.
Pictured — High Wizards and Warlocks doing their magic battles. (It’s a black screen joke.)
All in all, you are one of the stalwart defenders of the Guild. No matter how boring your job may be, just keep at it. Who knows? You might get rewarded the god staff… and probably earn the ire of the other 90 High Wizards / Warlocks in your Guild. Meh.
Professor / Sorcerer*
(credits to Narumi)
While their skills are mostly a boon for High Wizards and Warlocks — as their skills greatly boost their magical capabilities, Professors and Sorcerers are highly-capable on their own, inflicting endless bolts of pain, and inhibiting opposing players with their own set of flashy skills.
“Hello? Yes, it’s me again. I’d like to order one more please. Thanks.”
Defense-wise, boosting your own spellcasters while making life hell for opposing spellcasters is your main goal. Use the correct enhancement skills accordingly (Volcano, Deluge, Violent Galeto buff your guildmates, depending on the scenario. As a Professor, mainly attack / focus on tanky, but low-MDEF targets, as your Mind Breaker will continuously drop their MDEF, allowing you and your partner spellcasters to deal even more damage to them. This, coupled with your Double Bolts, will hinder their progress to the Emp room or outright kill them in the process. As a Sorcerer, Varetyr Spear and Earth Grave can Stun or inflict Bleed status on a small AoE. Keep your own allies alive with Warmer (removes Frost and gives Frost immunity for a few seconds. Of course, don’t miss the chance to use Sage’s most known skill — Land Protector, to render AoE spells from other spellcasters null and void. This affects other physical AoE spells too (e.g. Severe Rainstorm). Remember that this skill affects allies too, so positioning this skill is VERY IMPORTANT.
Attacking Guilds as a Professor / Sorcerer, casting Land Protector upon entering the defense area is your first priority, as this will keep everyone safe from the barrage of spells they’re inevitably going to see upon entering the portal. Remember that the effective AoE of Land Protector is larger than the effect, so be sure to position your spell well, or you won’t be able to cast your own AoE counterattacks. Soulburning Priest classes is a must, as this has a chance to drain their SP, making them unable to support their allies. Upon reaching the Emp room, guide your spellcasters to the spawn point and keep them from reinforcing their ranks. Spam everything from your spell arsenal, except Land Protector. If you find enemy spellcasters alive, nuke them with Soulburn and turn them into walking “Proof of Glory” points.
Pictured — Budget phone for Professor / Sorcerer players, capable of running ROM in 30fps… probably.
Remember, first and foremost, you are a support spellcaster. Boosting your partymates’ magical damage rather than running around and nuking everyone is a better strategy.
Acolyte Classes: High Priest / Archbishop
(credits to Fongnom, and AutumnHime)
High Priests and Archbishops are the lifelines of the Guild. Though their task may be simple — keeping everyone, including the Emperium, alive and well — their contribution is invaluable to the entire Guild, even more so on WoE. Even fully-geared characters will not survive if there are no High Priests and Archbishops around to help them.
As a High Priest, your main goal is to keep your forces buffed and ready to strike at all times. Always keep your buffs for everyone active all the time — because that +1 VIT might have saved your main frontliner from a powerful attack from an opposing Guild. Of course, you can’t help other people if you’re “Silenced”, so have a counter to Silence such as Panacea or Marduk Card. Eat foods that can increase your survivability. You may not be a frontliner, but that doesn’t mean attackers won’t be actively looking for you. In fact, you may just be their primary target.
Archbishops, on the other hand, have better buffs that can effectively heal and resurrect multiple players in one go. Coluceo Heal to heal you and your partymates (think mobile Sanctuary), and Epiclesis as your go-to skill if you find multiple guildmates lying on the ground, as not only does it resurrect them, it heals them, and restores their SP continuously. Sacrament is a great tool to boost your HW’s effectiveness, as this decreases their casting time.
While it is your main responsibility to keep your allies alive, do know when to support them and know when to retreat. I’ve read some sentence before from my support days in DOTA 2 — “you can heal wounds but you can’t heal idiocy.” So if you know that you and your allies won’t survive, don’t be afraid to back out and tell your teammates to back out as well. If not, just let them be and resurrect them later (if they still have time left, that is).
Margaretha Sorin died for your sins. Also, Xi Ren, because why the fuck would you attack Wolfchev alone in a room with no weapons and him having a Poison Dagger in hand? I mean, that’s stupid, what the fuck are you doing? Even Margaretha herself commented that you are stup— ZEI HAS BEEN KICKED FOR SPOILING EPISODE 4 STORYLINE.
Of course, you are not only responsible for your allies, as you can protect the Emperium itself. Safety Wall and Pneuma can make your Emperium invulnerable for a few attacks. Should it get damaged, you can always heal it with your Sanctuary. Every Guild has a dedicated HP / AB that supports the Emperium solely, so if you’re the designated one to do that, never leave your post. Use Ruwach to detect invisible enemies. Deter them from damaging the Emp as much as possible.
One last reminder: BUY LOTS OF BLUE GEMSTONES. Most of your skills rely on Blue Gemstones, so please stock up on them.
Champion / Sura (Shura)
READ THIS FIRST PLEASE! Gah. I’ll be honest — the input in this section may or may not be accurate, for the reason that, well, Suras are VERY RARE in number in CN server. I really couldn’t find anyone in CN server playing as a Sura in WoE… or any part of the game for that matter. They’re close to not existing right now since every job outperforms them in every aspect of the game.
Champions and Suras can either be in your early strike team or amongst the frontlines, or the last line of defense for your Emperium in WoE. Either way, you only have one main role — take down VERY HIGH VALUE targets (as a defender, Emperium breakers, or as an attacker, high HP, high damage characters), or at least weaken them to the point that they can be killed with your Asura Strike.
As a defender, roaming inside your Emperium room with Ruwach always on is a must, removing pesky Thief classes from getting close to the Emperium. Depending on the class, you might want to use your other offensive skills first before moving in for the kill with your Asura Strike, as a Kyrie Eleison’d Thief class can reduce the impact from the Asura Strike, allowing them to retreat. Or if you think you cannot kill them, Cursed Circle (Sura skill) will hold them long enough for other players to gang up on them.
Come on. Don’t act like you’re surprised. You know this will happen.
Attacking-wise, using Snap to instantly reposition yourself will confuse defenders and attack you instead, making it easier for frontliners to penetrate through the defense. Snap and take down the most important targets such as HPs / ABs, Snipers / Rangers, Clowns (Minstrels) / Minstrels (Maestros) / Gypsies / Wanderers to cut off their supportive ranks. Have tons of Green Tea / Cocoa ready. Champions and Suras thrive on full SP, so make sure to have them on-hand.
It’s very basic, but you get the gist of it — punch your enemies to death. Hopefully.
Champion / Sura: *sigh*
WoE Rewards
Participating in WoE, regardless of your performance, will grant you numerous rewards.
For every 5 minutes of defending / attacking, you will get 100 Proof of Glory (110 if VIP). You can get a max of 300 Proof of Glory (330 if VIP). 5 minutes of participating in the WoE will also award you with the completion of the Butler / Maid (Assistant in SEA) quest “GVG Battle”, awarding you 15 Points.
Once WoE has ended, one or two treasure chests will be sent to players through in-game Mail. Depending on your participation, it may give you the following:
400 Proof of Glory
2 Praying Chipset Packs
200 Proof of Glory
Note that anyone, winners or losers, will get these rewards. So if you have nothing better to do, just let your character stay at one of the Agits and AFK there. Of course, this is not suggested, especially on an active Guild.
Agit keepers will get 3 random Treasure chests, containing a fragment of the god weapon of their chosen Agit, and a random amount of god weapon ingredients. These chests can be opened by the Guild Leader and Vice Leaders. Items obtained from these chests can be viewed on the Guild Interface - Inventory.
FINAL NOTES
- You will not be able to use “Fly Wing” on WoE.
- You will not be able to eat cooked foods inside the Agit.
- Skill “Play Dead” cannot be used in WoE.
- Marriage skills “I Miss You” (summon your spouse) and “Fateful Meeting” (instantly go to Amatsu) cannot be used in WoE
- You cannot have two Agits at once. Occupying another Agit will make your previous Agit “unoccupied”. This also applies when moving to another channel as well.
- To be filled later when I remember more stuff…
SAMPLE WOE VIDEOS:
(I don’t know how to embed videos, credits to Infinite Cross)
Umbrella vs AGAIN:
Guillotine Cross PoV. Our Guild Leader’s attack to one of the top Thailand Guilds in the game. Great way to learn how to play as GX, as well as checking out map layout.
Umbrella vs ACE:
Shadow Chaser PoV (defense) + Guillotine Cross PoV (attack). Defending against one of the top Thailand Guilds (again) in the game. Learn how a Shadow Chaser can ruin the ranks of attacking players, reducing the threat they pose later on for our Guild. Also, learning proper placement of traps, spells, etc.
So… that’s the end, right? Haha, NOPE.
For worthy Guilds, there’s one more challenge they must take — and that is the War of Crystals (SEA name pending).
War of Crystals
War of Crystals, like WoE, is a Guild vs Guild… vs Guild vs Guild battle. Basically, four Guilds trying to win a Guild battle. To illustrate this better, War of Crystals (WoC here point on) is similar to a MOBA with elements of Capture the Flag.
“MOBA means ‘Mobile Legends’.” - best quote SEA
To describe WoC shortly:
There are four Guilds — they are situated on the Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest part of the map. The Guilds’ placements will be randomly determined.
There are three territories that can be taken control of (see the star-like icons in the middle part of the map) and two MVP respawn points (north shrine and south shrine) in the map.
The goal of WoC is to gain 5 Emperiums (will be called “Trophies” from here point on to avoid confusion), with each Guild having 1 Emperium at the start. Scoring system is as follows:
Controlling left and right territory - 1 Trophy each
Controlling middle territory - 2 Trophies
Killing an MVP - 0.25 Trophies
Taking control of an enemy Emperium - 1 Trophy
The first Guild who gets 5 Trophies wins the game. Reward is Proof of Glory, ranging from 2000-4000 depending on your placement and your Guild’s ranking.
WoC starts at 9:30PM every Sunday.
Joining WoC
Not all Guilds can join WoC. In order for you to be able to participate in WoC, you must follow these TWO VERY SPECIFIC CONDITIONS:
- You must take control of the first Agit of a town (Prontera 1, Geffen 1, Payon 1, and Alde 1) during a Sunday WoE session.
- You must achieve “Perfect Defense” BEFORE 9:25PM. Not a minute or second late.
WoE rules apply for most of WoC, except you respawn in the map itself when you die rather than re-entering the map from the outside.
You can enter the battlefield by talking to the Valkyrie near the god weapons’ gallery at exactly 9:27PM, allowing Guild members ample time to be transported to the map… or to Prontera South Field (due to a loading bug of sorts).
Territories will open up 3 minutes after WoC begins, and MVPs will spawn 4 minutes after WoC begins. From there, you can choose to set up your defense on one of the territories, cover the MVP areas, or decide to raid your rival Guilds’ Emperiums. Remember, this is not WoE, where you only have one vital spot to guard. In order to win, you will have to be overly aggressive in taking down objectives, all the while keeping your own territories and Emperium safe from attackers.
Besides that, it’s the same as PvP or GvG. It’s just one huge MOBA that will probably last 5 to 20 minutes at most.
WoC Rewards
Winning WoC will reward you with two things: one is ranking, mainly used for “bragging rights”. Rankings are separated into three categories: Solar, Lunar, and Star.
Solar Guilds are the highest-ranking Guilds. This the most prestigious ranking you will ever have, as this means that you are amongst the top 10 Guilds in the ENTIRE SERVER NOT CHANNEL. I can almost hear the World Chat in SEA now…
Lunar Guilds occupy the remaining 90 Guilds in the Top 100 Guilds spot. Star Guilds are everyone else.
The next reward is the “god headgears and back gears”. Remember Solar God Helm? Yep, you can only obtain it in this mode. There are six god headgears and back gears at the moment (in CN, at least).
Unlocking these god equipments require you to do the quest, and the “god headgear” building in your Guild Hall.
So there you have it, a basic approach of WoE (and WoC)!
Do you have any questions, comments, or corrections you want me to make? PM me:
If you’re on CN Server - Zei or Ciele (Ch. 26 / Guild Channel / no fixed channel)
If you’re on SEA Server - Zei or Ciele (PH38)
If you’re on our Discord channel - Doram Cat… something something (it changes frequently)
Or PM me at Clo’s Murmur.
Once again, thanks to the people who helped me!
Norman
ZeroGravity
Ecrunale
Grawrz
Bearnard
Kuk
Martin
Fongnom
AutumnHime
Narumi
Article Source: Basic Guide to War of Emperium: ROM Edition
Credits to Clo's Murmur
