I decided to write a review for their skills.
Jobs: Knight, Sword Knight, Lord Knight, Taker, Sword Taker, Blade Master
NEW: Sheath Knight, Weapon Taker, Over Taker, Reckless Fist
Note: I'm giving analysis on Special Actives and Actives only. Certain Passives might be added.
Note 2: Might wanna study about Knockdown counters and skill notes:
Knockdown Counter = http://elwiki.net/w/Knockdown
Skill Notes = http://elwiki.net/w/Skill_Note
^ OLD LOLZ
TOPIC REVAMPED. WHAT? LOOKING FOR THE OLD ONE? IT'S GONE NOW, LOLOLOL. EDITED ON 29/12/13.
-Clears throat-
No really, with the new Skill Tree update the old analysis is as good as dead. I might as well write this new analysis focusing on a particular build instead.
My current main(s) are
Blade Master (70), Reckless Fist (63), Infinity Sword (52), Lord Knight (50)
Noooooow I won't focus on all of them at once, but I'll do builds for those that I'm really familiar with. Particularly my Blade Master.
For Blade Master, I won't focus on PVP Builds here, because I'm not a crazy insane PVPer in game anyway. I'm going to focus on two separate builds. One build is one that I use regardless of PVE/PVP, the other is one I have not yet tried but will do so once I can buy a second skill tree (LOLZ FIFTY MILLION, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT TROLOLOL)
Do note, these builds are built according to the Korean server's, so it may differ if you're in a different server. Nevertheless, I hope you can benefit from the builds, not just copying them blindly, but to be able to see things in a different light and help you in your gameplay.
Blade Master
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Blade Master Sustain Build
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This is my main build that I use post-Skill Tree revamp, and I'm sticking with this build as my bread and butter Blade Master build. Because this new tree has me make choices that force me to abandon some skills that were crucial in my few years of playing, I make choices based on my own style. This is not influenced by anybody.
Before we get to it, let's beg the question: Why Blade Master?
Raven is without a doubt, one of the harder characters to use out there, especially among the male characters. He's the hardest guy to use out there, Chung coming behind second. Sure he may seem easy and fun for some, but veteran players should know that Raven's fullest potential is brought out from a wise user.
Blade Master is no exception, in fact; Blade Master pushes that difficulty up. Unlike the dynamic powerhouse Reckless Fist or the infernal hazard Veteran Commander, players can notice that Blade Master's character in itself is refined and elegant. In terms of gameplay, he is no different. Reckless Fist easily piles up powerful blows while Veteran Commander burns his enemies away. Blade Master moves more fluid than them, combining style and elegance into his play.
Blade Master is always a good class for one to try out, in my opinion. He may be difficult to get used to, but he helps you learn the difficulties of combo mechanics. Of course, we'll leave the girls like Eve, Ara or Elesis out. Look at Sword Taker/Blade Master's extensions. They either involve knocking down, knocking away, or launching at the end. They require alot of getting used to.
I tell the truth, a year into playing Blade Master at Japan and I was still a fool spamming the Z button. It took time and effort, but it was worth the work.
Long story short, Blade Master is a class that requires diligence and honing of skills to utilize fully. Regardless, it doesn't stop him from being a good class. Let's move to our build!
Honestly, there's alot to explain. Let's go through all of this one by one. Here's an overall skill tree of the build.
http://brokendisc.web.fc2.com/elsword/skillsimulator/English/revamp2/st.html?700001010000000000000100002020001716000014001201011108000007070000000402
We'll talk about skill lineups.
For me, I line my skills up accordingly
100, 200, 300, Active
You can line yours according to your preference, but that's just a simple guide and layout.
According to that build, I line my skills like this
Q W E R
Berserker Blade, Flying Impact, Extreme Blade, Shadow Step
A S D C
Wolf Fang, Shockwave, Bloody Accel, One Flash
Without B slot it's a harder choice. Probably something like this
A S D C
Berserker Blade/Wolf Fang, Shockwave/Flying Impact, Bloody Accel, One Flash/Shadow Step
OR
100 MP, 200MP, Extreme Blade, Bloody Accel
Really, that's just my preference w/o B Slot. I'm just highlighting out the core skills that are needed. Granted a B Slot, I don't face dilemmas often with my Blade Master's skill lineup.
Spoiler
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I don't know about you, your friends, your superiors, or what they do, but this is built by my own personal opinions. I'll gladly discuss opinions if anyone has anything to say or suggest, but please refrain from making severe harsh critics like LOLZ THIS BUILD IS SUX.
Raven is without a doubt, one of the harder characters to use out there, especially among the male characters. He's the hardest guy to use out there, Chung coming behind second. Sure he may seem easy and fun for some, but veteran players should know that Raven's fullest potential is brought out from a wise user.
Blade Master is no exception, in fact; Blade Master pushes that difficulty up. Unlike the dynamic powerhouse Reckless Fist or the infernal hazard Veteran Commander, players can notice that Blade Master's character in itself is refined and elegant. In terms of gameplay, he is no different. Reckless Fist easily piles up powerful blows while Veteran Commander burns his enemies away. Blade Master moves more fluid than them, combining style and elegance into his play.
Blade Master is always a good class for one to try out, in my opinion. He may be difficult to get used to, but he helps you learn the difficulties of combo mechanics. Of course, we'll leave the girls like Eve, Ara or Elesis out. Look at Sword Taker/Blade Master's extensions. They either involve knocking down, knocking away, or launching at the end. They require alot of getting used to.
I tell the truth, a year into playing Blade Master at Japan and I was still a fool spamming the Z button. It took time and effort, but it was worth the work.
Long story short, Blade Master is a class that requires diligence and honing of skills to utilize fully. Regardless, it doesn't stop him from being a good class. Let's move to our build!
Honestly, there's alot to explain. Let's go through all of this one by one. Here's an overall skill tree of the build.
http://brokendisc.web.fc2.com/elsword/skillsimulator/English/revamp2/st.html?700001010000000000000100002020001716000014001201011108000007070000000402
We'll talk about skill lineups.
For me, I line my skills up accordingly
100, 200, 300, Active
You can line yours according to your preference, but that's just a simple guide and layout.
According to that build, I line my skills like this
Q W E R
Berserker Blade, Flying Impact, Extreme Blade, Shadow Step
A S D C
Wolf Fang, Shockwave, Bloody Accel, One Flash
Without B slot it's a harder choice. Probably something like this
A S D C
Berserker Blade/Wolf Fang, Shockwave/Flying Impact, Bloody Accel, One Flash/Shadow Step
OR
100 MP, 200MP, Extreme Blade, Bloody Accel
Really, that's just my preference w/o B Slot. I'm just highlighting out the core skills that are needed. Granted a B Slot, I don't face dilemmas often with my Blade Master's skill lineup.
Special Actives
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Let's take a look at the Special Actives.
Our 100MPs, bread and butter (some people don't play 100s, but so far I haven't seen many Blade Masters going no 100) skills for dishing good damage and crowd control.
or
This is a dilemma I face. Wolf Fang was my bread and butter 100 MP, before I got B Slot. I use Wolf Fang as a chasing mechanic, to reach enemies far away, closing gaps, almost anything that can be used with. The initial leap provides good coverage, and immediately puts you into a dash if you miss.
Berserker Blade was always not my personal choice due to the knockdown. However, over the years the damage output is worth it, and the nasod core can also put your enemy in a non-KD state. Over time I max out my Berserker Blade for damage output. The angle is tricky and can catch almost anyone who's jumping at the right spot. I would actually max both BBlade and WFang, but my SP prevents me from doing so :C.
Let's look at something common they both share.
- 100MP (LOLDUH)
- Crowd Control
- Trick Range
Crowd Control is important when you need it, almost all skills have that. But when it comes to Elsword, delay and crowd control play a very important part and can possibly screw things up if you're not careful. Wolf Fang and Berserker Blade both possess that crowd control that you need. Wolf Fang knocks enemies away a decent range, while Berserker Blade knocks them down directly. This can really screw up enemies that are taking their time using comboz and stuffz. Nasod core from your awakening helps too. It's more prominent in Wolf Fang's case, where the core intercepts your enemy midair and leaves them open to catch. Be warned, they can also attack you from that point afterwards if you're not fast enough. Berserker Blade's harder to do so, but it isn't impossible.
Pros and Cons?
Wolf Fang
- Reach
- Refund MP upon miss
- Can be an escape mechanism
- Decent Damage
Cons
- Can be predicted at times
- Can't really hit airborne enemies well
- Can land on platforms during the downward jump, effectively screwing your attack up (although sometimes the sweep is enough to hit enemies below you)
Berserker Blade
- Damage is good (Made better with Skill Note)
- Can kill unsuspecting enemies
- Has a good reach to catch airborne enemies
Cons
- Prone to Knockdown, can be bad sometimes
- Range is shorter
- Can also be predicted at times
Wolf Fang does suit my more Relentless-Combo attack style, but because I lack damage I chose Berserker Blade.
But, which one do I max? You might wonder. You can max both if you want to. Not recommended, sure, but if you have the SP to spare, you can opt for it since in my opinion they're both good.
Alright, the important part. 200 MPs. Raven's best choice of damage is either one of these two. As a Blade Master, at least in my opinion.
and or
Let's talk about Shockwave First.
Divider, or Cutter?
Divider existed as Sword Taker's locked skill 200mp back in the day, and was his only bossing skill that helped him out alot (now we have Extreme Blade and a buffed Berserker Blade to help abit). Cutter came along, but it wasn't really preferred due to the hit counts and huge knockback. It's been buffed since then, and now rivals Divider as a good 200MP wave clearer/bossing skill. Both are very good options regardless in my opinion, but I choose Divider because I'm used to it, and because of the skill note. The lifesteal effect of the note is very good in my opinion, and as I'm running a sustain build, I really need to survive on the battle field. As my main bossing skill and field clearer, giving it a lifesteal effect just helps out more than before. Cutter's Skill Note makes it stronger than your average Divider too, so both have their pros and cons.
Flying Impact.
This was pretty much a 200mp I didn't use until I obtained the skill note. Back when Flying Impact went vertically upwards, the skill note increased the spin and hits and made it very good. But the new FI moves forward, effectively screwing up potential hits, and the skill note increases critical hit rate instead of hit count. Regardless, Flying Impact is still a good skill to use with or without the skill note, and can be more precise compared to Shockwave. Shockwave moves more static and limited, Flying Impact can move more. But their uses and situations vary.
Similarities
- Have good range
- Decent damage
- Function well even without skill note
- Can clear fields or deal good damage to bosses
Pros and Cons
Shockwave - Divider
Pros
- Diagonal range makes it hard to avoid at times
- Can hit enemies that are midair or on the ground at the correct angle
- Can clear waves at unique angles
- Skill Note makes it a good skill for a sustain build
Cons
- Diagonal range can also make it limited
- Requires timing and skill to make full use of it
- Not really a pvp skill
Shockwave - Cutter
Pros
- Horizontal Range makes it harder to avoid than Divider at times
- Can clear waves directly in front
- Skill Note allows it to outdamage Divider
Cons
- Horizontal Range is limited to certain angels too
- You either hit up or below, not both sides like Divider
- Also not a pvp skill
Flying Impact
Pros
- Easier to land hits compared to Shockwave
- Easier to use as well, can help tremendously in PVP
- Skill Note gives good damage
Cons
- Can be mana broken because the full hits are not as fast as both Shockwaves
- Change of position due to the traveling can be a disadvantage at certain points of time
- Hits can fail if enemy lands on a platform when getting hit (pretty rare, but still)
You can max both, if you want to.
Don't have a B slot?
For this build you should bring Shockwave, especially if it's noted. It's a core of the sustain build. For PvP you should opt swapping Flying Impact for it, unless you want to enjoy some damage and healing with it which is fine.
Now, our 300MP highlight, the core of our sustain/lifesteal/soloboss build.
Derp, why give this build so many names?
They are all focused on this single 300MP that is a must for our build.
Bloody Accel.
Back in the day Bloody Accel wasn't my favorite, due to Hypersonic Stab being so flashy and all. After I got into Velder, Hamel and Sander, I began to appreciate this skill more. After the slight 'buff' where Bloody Accel's lifesteal no longer applies only to basic attacks, but actives as well, it became a must-get core skill in my Blade Master's skill tree.
Now, this skill is the main reason why a Blade Master can go sustain/lifesteal in the first place without a Triple Dark enchantment weapon.
It absorbs 10% of the damage you deal as health when you attack with basic attacks or active skills and boosts your attack by 20% In a dungeon, Blade Masters usually survive the longest out of almost any class (Chung can be an exception) without adding player skill into the equation. But that's only possible if they make use of Bloody Accel to the fullest. In PVP, this skill is also a good use when you're able to use it (please don't save up your MP for the sake of using this skill and then you die countless times before pulling it off). The Leg Wound effect prevents enemies from dashing for 5 seconds, effectively crippling their mobility and allowing you to chuck off more of their health for your own.
Let's get to research.
Bloody Accel hits 360 all around you, with a good damage and initial hitstun (no KD, no launch, just hitstun). It also provides a good skill-freeze for your comrades in certain situations. Damage, decent. Buff? Very much worth it.
Basic attacks are the core of Raven players. Raven focuses more on basic attacks than perhaps anyone else except Elsword and Elesis. Blade Master is no exception. With a good array of active skills such as One Flash, Cut Tendon and Sonic Slash, Bloody Accel can be put to very good use and can be devastating at the right hands.
Pros
- Lifesteal can help you survive and make comebacks from situations that would usually kill off other players
- Has an overall good range and damage that can help you out of being ganged by dungeon mobs or even PVP players
- Leg Wound helps tremendously in PVP
- Skill Note increases duration by 5 seconds
- It provides you a level 3 enchant effect unique to Bloody Accel and Blade Masters only! (Edan why you steal our cool effects!)
Cons
- Hard to use at initial levels due to low HP drain, still good, but not as good as high leveled ones
- Skill Freeze can be bad at times and can really cost you the fight
- You can still get interrupted and throw away 300 MP down the drain
Our 100MPs, bread and butter (some people don't play 100s, but so far I haven't seen many Blade Masters going no 100) skills for dishing good damage and crowd control.
or
This is a dilemma I face. Wolf Fang was my bread and butter 100 MP, before I got B Slot. I use Wolf Fang as a chasing mechanic, to reach enemies far away, closing gaps, almost anything that can be used with. The initial leap provides good coverage, and immediately puts you into a dash if you miss.
Berserker Blade was always not my personal choice due to the knockdown. However, over the years the damage output is worth it, and the nasod core can also put your enemy in a non-KD state. Over time I max out my Berserker Blade for damage output. The angle is tricky and can catch almost anyone who's jumping at the right spot. I would actually max both BBlade and WFang, but my SP prevents me from doing so :C.
Let's look at something common they both share.
- 100MP (LOLDUH)
- Crowd Control
- Trick Range
Crowd Control is important when you need it, almost all skills have that. But when it comes to Elsword, delay and crowd control play a very important part and can possibly screw things up if you're not careful. Wolf Fang and Berserker Blade both possess that crowd control that you need. Wolf Fang knocks enemies away a decent range, while Berserker Blade knocks them down directly. This can really screw up enemies that are taking their time using comboz and stuffz. Nasod core from your awakening helps too. It's more prominent in Wolf Fang's case, where the core intercepts your enemy midair and leaves them open to catch. Be warned, they can also attack you from that point afterwards if you're not fast enough. Berserker Blade's harder to do so, but it isn't impossible.
Pros and Cons?
Wolf Fang
- Reach
- Refund MP upon miss
- Can be an escape mechanism
- Decent Damage
Cons
- Can be predicted at times
- Can't really hit airborne enemies well
- Can land on platforms during the downward jump, effectively screwing your attack up (although sometimes the sweep is enough to hit enemies below you)
Berserker Blade
- Damage is good (Made better with Skill Note)
- Can kill unsuspecting enemies
- Has a good reach to catch airborne enemies
Cons
- Prone to Knockdown, can be bad sometimes
- Range is shorter
- Can also be predicted at times
Wolf Fang does suit my more Relentless-Combo attack style, but because I lack damage I chose Berserker Blade.
But, which one do I max? You might wonder. You can max both if you want to. Not recommended, sure, but if you have the SP to spare, you can opt for it since in my opinion they're both good.
Alright, the important part. 200 MPs. Raven's best choice of damage is either one of these two. As a Blade Master, at least in my opinion.
and or
Let's talk about Shockwave First.
Divider, or Cutter?
Divider existed as Sword Taker's locked skill 200mp back in the day, and was his only bossing skill that helped him out alot (now we have Extreme Blade and a buffed Berserker Blade to help abit). Cutter came along, but it wasn't really preferred due to the hit counts and huge knockback. It's been buffed since then, and now rivals Divider as a good 200MP wave clearer/bossing skill. Both are very good options regardless in my opinion, but I choose Divider because I'm used to it, and because of the skill note. The lifesteal effect of the note is very good in my opinion, and as I'm running a sustain build, I really need to survive on the battle field. As my main bossing skill and field clearer, giving it a lifesteal effect just helps out more than before. Cutter's Skill Note makes it stronger than your average Divider too, so both have their pros and cons.
Flying Impact.
This was pretty much a 200mp I didn't use until I obtained the skill note. Back when Flying Impact went vertically upwards, the skill note increased the spin and hits and made it very good. But the new FI moves forward, effectively screwing up potential hits, and the skill note increases critical hit rate instead of hit count. Regardless, Flying Impact is still a good skill to use with or without the skill note, and can be more precise compared to Shockwave. Shockwave moves more static and limited, Flying Impact can move more. But their uses and situations vary.
Similarities
- Have good range
- Decent damage
- Function well even without skill note
- Can clear fields or deal good damage to bosses
Pros and Cons
Shockwave - Divider
Pros
- Diagonal range makes it hard to avoid at times
- Can hit enemies that are midair or on the ground at the correct angle
- Can clear waves at unique angles
- Skill Note makes it a good skill for a sustain build
Cons
- Diagonal range can also make it limited
- Requires timing and skill to make full use of it
- Not really a pvp skill
Shockwave - Cutter
Pros
- Horizontal Range makes it harder to avoid than Divider at times
- Can clear waves directly in front
- Skill Note allows it to outdamage Divider
Cons
- Horizontal Range is limited to certain angels too
- You either hit up or below, not both sides like Divider
- Also not a pvp skill
Flying Impact
Pros
- Easier to land hits compared to Shockwave
- Easier to use as well, can help tremendously in PVP
- Skill Note gives good damage
Cons
- Can be mana broken because the full hits are not as fast as both Shockwaves
- Change of position due to the traveling can be a disadvantage at certain points of time
- Hits can fail if enemy lands on a platform when getting hit (pretty rare, but still)
You can max both, if you want to.
Don't have a B slot?
For this build you should bring Shockwave, especially if it's noted. It's a core of the sustain build. For PvP you should opt swapping Flying Impact for it, unless you want to enjoy some damage and healing with it which is fine.
Now, our 300MP highlight, the core of our sustain/lifesteal/soloboss build.
Derp, why give this build so many names?
They are all focused on this single 300MP that is a must for our build.
Bloody Accel.
Back in the day Bloody Accel wasn't my favorite, due to Hypersonic Stab being so flashy and all. After I got into Velder, Hamel and Sander, I began to appreciate this skill more. After the slight 'buff' where Bloody Accel's lifesteal no longer applies only to basic attacks, but actives as well, it became a must-get core skill in my Blade Master's skill tree.
Now, this skill is the main reason why a Blade Master can go sustain/lifesteal in the first place without a Triple Dark enchantment weapon.
It absorbs 10% of the damage you deal as health when you attack with basic attacks or active skills and boosts your attack by 20% In a dungeon, Blade Masters usually survive the longest out of almost any class (Chung can be an exception) without adding player skill into the equation. But that's only possible if they make use of Bloody Accel to the fullest. In PVP, this skill is also a good use when you're able to use it (please don't save up your MP for the sake of using this skill and then you die countless times before pulling it off). The Leg Wound effect prevents enemies from dashing for 5 seconds, effectively crippling their mobility and allowing you to chuck off more of their health for your own.
Let's get to research.
Bloody Accel hits 360 all around you, with a good damage and initial hitstun (no KD, no launch, just hitstun). It also provides a good skill-freeze for your comrades in certain situations. Damage, decent. Buff? Very much worth it.
Basic attacks are the core of Raven players. Raven focuses more on basic attacks than perhaps anyone else except Elsword and Elesis. Blade Master is no exception. With a good array of active skills such as One Flash, Cut Tendon and Sonic Slash, Bloody Accel can be put to very good use and can be devastating at the right hands.
Pros
- Lifesteal can help you survive and make comebacks from situations that would usually kill off other players
- Has an overall good range and damage that can help you out of being ganged by dungeon mobs or even PVP players
- Leg Wound helps tremendously in PVP
- Skill Note increases duration by 5 seconds
- It provides you a level 3 enchant effect unique to Bloody Accel and Blade Masters only! (Edan why you steal our cool effects!)
Cons
- Hard to use at initial levels due to low HP drain, still good, but not as good as high leveled ones
- Skill Freeze can be bad at times and can really cost you the fight
- You can still get interrupted and throw away 300 MP down the drain
Actives
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The next section is important too. Actives. Unlike Special Actives, these skills come in various mana costs, usually below 100. They serve as non-skill-freeze skills that help you deal damage without having heavy impact on the current situation. Actives usually serve as alternate methods to prolong combos and as buffed up regular attacks. Some people don't use actives, it depends. For me, I always have at least one active in my current lineup in case I need the attack power at the cost of mana.
That's the intro. Actives, now. They play perhaps the most important part in this build of mine. Why?
If you've read the previous skill carefully, you'd know.
Yes, Bloody Accel. All actives from Base Job to 2nd Job absorb HP when used in conjunction with Bloody Accel's Blood Buff. This is another reason why Bloody Accel is important, and the main point of the sustain build.
I will start out by listing the most important skill and (for me) the best option to use with Bloody Accel's Blood Buff.
One Flash. My favorite skill to use regardless of the situation. (Multiple hits proc Super Armor? WHO CARES! ONE FLASH IS COOL, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON!)
Ahem.
I mostly regard this skill as my signature move, and this was one of the reasons why Blade Master piqued my interest. Over the years it's gotten a good damage buff, not too strong, but not too weak either. The mana cost has gotten an increase, but that won't stop me from using it.
Okay okay, moving on from the personal viewpoints, I'll get to the main reason.
One Flash is unique as an active, lately people overlook this and choose the alternate choice given during the Skill Tree Revamp, the Sonic Slash, instead.
Now, that's fine. Sonic Slash is a good skill, it's an active version of Sword Taker's XZZ combo, but doesn't knock down.
But really, if you want the most out of this build, One Flash is the choice I'd recommend you go with. Let's look at some interesting characteristics of this skill first.
(These following tips are taken from Elwiki, I hope you guys don't mind!)
- The dash covers a large range (approximately 5 meters) and moves very fast, making it very useful for evading and catching enemies.
- Can be used as a quick pass-through.
- If One Flash attacks multiple targets and one of them is killed by the attack, then the surviving target(s) receive additional hits that the slain target would have taken.
(For example, Level 5 One Flash (deals six hits) attacks Target A and Target B, and A is slain with only two hits; Target B receives the normal six hits plus four that Target A would have received.)
Haha, those first two aren't so bad, escape mechanisms and pass-throughs that I use alot.
However, the third one is what I want you to pay close attention to.
If you get it, you'll understand how good One Flash can be when dealing with a wave of enemies. Doesn't matter if they're at full health (please don't use One Flash on enemies with low health just because of the third tip) or low health, One Flash works wonders on waves.
But wait, what does that have to do with Bloody Accel?
See, the third tip basically explains the uniqueness and specialty of One Flash. It ensures ALL hits land, if someone dies, the other one just receives the remaining hits. Unless you kill the whole group off in the first few hits, you can be pretty much assured all your 6 hits per mob will connect.
The Blood Buff steals health PER HIT.
Imagine you have attack power of 10,000. You use One Flash on six mobs, all six of them receive six hits. That's 36 hits, recovering 36,000 health after each hit restores 1000 health.
See, that's the reason why One Flash works well with Bloody Accel. I'm not saying Sonic Slash doesn't, but we're talking about One Flash here. It ensures all hits connect, it can sap health well, and to be honest, when I use One Flash on a crazy number of mobs with Bloody Accel, I recover pretty much 1/3 or sometimes even half of my health back in just one go.
Heck, if you're crazy enough, you can use Giga Drive (I didn't because I ran low on Skill Points) to gain an unlimited active spam buff, coupled with Bloody Accel and start recovering health like a hungry vampire (LULZ, RIGHT? Not recommended, still.)
Basically, that's why One Flash is important.
But not all skills are perfect. There are pros and cons too.
I won't list Sonic Slash here because I don't recommend it as part of the build, by all means you can use it. I'm just saying One Flash is a more preferred option in my case.
Pros of One Flash
- Pass-through
- Quick Activation
- Can chain in most combos (most prominently seen is Black Master's Black Hole Combo, where One Flash can be chained immediately and you can restart it if you're fast enough)
- If you're ever cancelled mid-dash during PVP, your hits will still connect on the enemy :3
- Good wave clearer for an active skill
- Flashy
- Used with Bloody Accel can restore alot of health
Cons
- Multiple Hits proc Super Armor on bosses because of Super Armor's hit counter (use with caution)
- Has delay post-dash, can be dangerous at times
- Easier to interrupt compared to Sonic Slash
Okay, now we'll look at the second active skill present in my build (I didn't add a point into this in the original build, but if you want to, add a point into this guy, he can be useful)
Cut Tendon. This skill is a good alternative to One Flash if you don't have it yet, or if you just prefer this particular one over One Flash. (Like I said before, your choice, happy choosing :) )
Aight, let's get down to business. Cut Tendon works well as an active, and I would use this skill for several reasons too.
1) It has a quick activation speed, really. When I used this skill in PVP a few times, I found that the activation is faster than most skills. It's almost instant.
2) You seemingly 'slide' forward and deal the low-cut. The slide has VERY good traveling range in my opinion. Heck, if I ever need to escape from an enemy behind, I'll use Cut Tendon sometimes. Or if the enemy is around half a screen away, I'll use Cut Tendon to close-in and sometimes even land the hit.
3) The low-cut deals Leg Wound like Bloody Accel, but while it impairs movement, it also drains the enemy's health (doesn't heal you).
4) Like I mentioned before, Bloody Accel absorbs health with actives. Cut Tendon's damage makes it a good active to steal health with. This is best used in conjunction with Reason #2, the Slide.
Activation, Slide, Leg Wound/Bleed, Bloody Accel compatibility.
These four are important. The ones I focus on the most are number 2 and 4.
The slide you perform before dealing the dash is extremely good, you cover around half the screen approximately when you slide. Not only that, the slide speed is FAST. Enemies won't even be able to predict or expect it most of the time. You cover the whole distance in around 0.5 to 1 second. Coupled with the activation speed, Cut Tendon is probably one of Sword Taker's most unpredictable active skills. The cut range is also quite big, so you'll either be landing hits, or closing distances extremely fast without your opponent being able to react. Honestly, One Flash and this skill are both good. I'd recommend using both in PVP if you have a B Slot.
Pros
- Slide range is good, extremely fast to boot. Only a handful of players can predict a well-timed Cut Tendon activation.
- Leg Wound is a good debuff, it drains health too. Impairs movement, ensures they stay in your range.
- Good choice for PVP
- Damage is decent.
Cons
- Like One Flash, this can be interrupted mid-dash, although still quite rare
- Your delay still exists. Post-slash there is still a slight delay before you can move again, which can be dangerous.
- Won't be as useful in PVE as in PVP
- Can be countered by Elsword's Counterattack
That's the intro. Actives, now. They play perhaps the most important part in this build of mine. Why?
If you've read the previous skill carefully, you'd know.
Yes, Bloody Accel. All actives from Base Job to 2nd Job absorb HP when used in conjunction with Bloody Accel's Blood Buff. This is another reason why Bloody Accel is important, and the main point of the sustain build.
I will start out by listing the most important skill and (for me) the best option to use with Bloody Accel's Blood Buff.
One Flash. My favorite skill to use regardless of the situation. (Multiple hits proc Super Armor? WHO CARES! ONE FLASH IS COOL, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON!)
Ahem.
I mostly regard this skill as my signature move, and this was one of the reasons why Blade Master piqued my interest. Over the years it's gotten a good damage buff, not too strong, but not too weak either. The mana cost has gotten an increase, but that won't stop me from using it.
Okay okay, moving on from the personal viewpoints, I'll get to the main reason.
One Flash is unique as an active, lately people overlook this and choose the alternate choice given during the Skill Tree Revamp, the Sonic Slash, instead.
Now, that's fine. Sonic Slash is a good skill, it's an active version of Sword Taker's XZZ combo, but doesn't knock down.
But really, if you want the most out of this build, One Flash is the choice I'd recommend you go with. Let's look at some interesting characteristics of this skill first.
(These following tips are taken from Elwiki, I hope you guys don't mind!)
- The dash covers a large range (approximately 5 meters) and moves very fast, making it very useful for evading and catching enemies.
- Can be used as a quick pass-through.
- If One Flash attacks multiple targets and one of them is killed by the attack, then the surviving target(s) receive additional hits that the slain target would have taken.
(For example, Level 5 One Flash (deals six hits) attacks Target A and Target B, and A is slain with only two hits; Target B receives the normal six hits plus four that Target A would have received.)
Haha, those first two aren't so bad, escape mechanisms and pass-throughs that I use alot.
However, the third one is what I want you to pay close attention to.
If you get it, you'll understand how good One Flash can be when dealing with a wave of enemies. Doesn't matter if they're at full health (please don't use One Flash on enemies with low health just because of the third tip) or low health, One Flash works wonders on waves.
But wait, what does that have to do with Bloody Accel?
See, the third tip basically explains the uniqueness and specialty of One Flash. It ensures ALL hits land, if someone dies, the other one just receives the remaining hits. Unless you kill the whole group off in the first few hits, you can be pretty much assured all your 6 hits per mob will connect.
The Blood Buff steals health PER HIT.
Imagine you have attack power of 10,000. You use One Flash on six mobs, all six of them receive six hits. That's 36 hits, recovering 36,000 health after each hit restores 1000 health.
See, that's the reason why One Flash works well with Bloody Accel. I'm not saying Sonic Slash doesn't, but we're talking about One Flash here. It ensures all hits connect, it can sap health well, and to be honest, when I use One Flash on a crazy number of mobs with Bloody Accel, I recover pretty much 1/3 or sometimes even half of my health back in just one go.
Heck, if you're crazy enough, you can use Giga Drive (I didn't because I ran low on Skill Points) to gain an unlimited active spam buff, coupled with Bloody Accel and start recovering health like a hungry vampire (LULZ, RIGHT? Not recommended, still.)
Basically, that's why One Flash is important.
But not all skills are perfect. There are pros and cons too.
I won't list Sonic Slash here because I don't recommend it as part of the build, by all means you can use it. I'm just saying One Flash is a more preferred option in my case.
Pros of One Flash
- Pass-through
- Quick Activation
- Can chain in most combos (most prominently seen is Black Master's Black Hole Combo, where One Flash can be chained immediately and you can restart it if you're fast enough)
- If you're ever cancelled mid-dash during PVP, your hits will still connect on the enemy :3
- Good wave clearer for an active skill
- Flashy
- Used with Bloody Accel can restore alot of health
Cons
- Multiple Hits proc Super Armor on bosses because of Super Armor's hit counter (use with caution)
- Has delay post-dash, can be dangerous at times
- Easier to interrupt compared to Sonic Slash
Okay, now we'll look at the second active skill present in my build (I didn't add a point into this in the original build, but if you want to, add a point into this guy, he can be useful)
Cut Tendon. This skill is a good alternative to One Flash if you don't have it yet, or if you just prefer this particular one over One Flash. (Like I said before, your choice, happy choosing :) )
Aight, let's get down to business. Cut Tendon works well as an active, and I would use this skill for several reasons too.
1) It has a quick activation speed, really. When I used this skill in PVP a few times, I found that the activation is faster than most skills. It's almost instant.
2) You seemingly 'slide' forward and deal the low-cut. The slide has VERY good traveling range in my opinion. Heck, if I ever need to escape from an enemy behind, I'll use Cut Tendon sometimes. Or if the enemy is around half a screen away, I'll use Cut Tendon to close-in and sometimes even land the hit.
3) The low-cut deals Leg Wound like Bloody Accel, but while it impairs movement, it also drains the enemy's health (doesn't heal you).
4) Like I mentioned before, Bloody Accel absorbs health with actives. Cut Tendon's damage makes it a good active to steal health with. This is best used in conjunction with Reason #2, the Slide.
Activation, Slide, Leg Wound/Bleed, Bloody Accel compatibility.
These four are important. The ones I focus on the most are number 2 and 4.
The slide you perform before dealing the dash is extremely good, you cover around half the screen approximately when you slide. Not only that, the slide speed is FAST. Enemies won't even be able to predict or expect it most of the time. You cover the whole distance in around 0.5 to 1 second. Coupled with the activation speed, Cut Tendon is probably one of Sword Taker's most unpredictable active skills. The cut range is also quite big, so you'll either be landing hits, or closing distances extremely fast without your opponent being able to react. Honestly, One Flash and this skill are both good. I'd recommend using both in PVP if you have a B Slot.
Pros
- Slide range is good, extremely fast to boot. Only a handful of players can predict a well-timed Cut Tendon activation.
- Leg Wound is a good debuff, it drains health too. Impairs movement, ensures they stay in your range.
- Good choice for PVP
- Damage is decent.
Cons
- Like One Flash, this can be interrupted mid-dash, although still quite rare
- Your delay still exists. Post-slash there is still a slight delay before you can move again, which can be dangerous.
- Won't be as useful in PVE as in PVP
- Can be countered by Elsword's Counterattack
Passives
Show
Now let's look at another important active skill to use in place of those two.
ACTIVE SKILL. I'll explain to you why it's in this section in a moment.
Shadow Step.
Back in the day I used to max out this skill.
Dash length increased. You pass-through enemies at a longer distance the higher your skill level is.
Now I don't have such liberty to do so because LOW SP!!! WHY!!!
But hey!
Shadow Step is still a good choice to put in your arsenal. Really, I don't mind this guy having a skill level of 1 (I don't want to dash too far at times and fall off a cliff or bang into a wall). It works as a very good pass-through, even better than One Flash because you cannot be interrupted mid-dash. Remember Wolf Fang? Yeah. If you hold the directional keys after your dash like Wolf Fang, you can immediately change from Shadow Step to regular dash. Alone, this skill may seem like a supportive-type skill. AMIRIGHT?
Truedat. But.
Let's look at two other passive skills that I invested in on this build.
Before that, what are passives?
They are skills that don't play a part in your activation or control. Once they are invested in, their effects are always there. They're the subconscious of your conscious.
Let's look at the two that work hand-in-hand with Shadow Step.
and
These two.
The first one is Shadow Piercing. When you use Shadow Step, you can press Z to lunge forward and stab an enemy, knocking them down.
This is useful for a few reasons.
1) You can cancel your Shadow Dash (although you DO lunge forward, you can knock into a mob that you want instead. Example, there's mob A in front of you and Mob B. Being the bully that you are, you want to hit Mob B. Use Shadow Step, pass Mob A, hit Mob B. Settled!)
2) Damage is good, around 300 - 400% damage on stab. This can recover a good health with Bloody Accel while you're using Shadow Step to dash to safety at the same time.
3) The Skill Note makes the skill unable to knockdown, allowing you to stun the enemy with the stab, heal with Bloody Accel's buff, and continue whacking them.
I'm not a master of using this Shadow Piercing combo (not playing for months can cause anyone to rust) but it's still a very good skill to have and to master. But I won't recommend you maxing this skill out, to save up skill points. Level 1 Shadow Piercing has only one difference with higher leveled ones, more damage. That's why I keep this at level 1.
Oh, but the other, however, should be maxed at all costs.
It's Emergency Escape. Let's take a look at some backstory.
Emergency Escape is good friends with the skill Shadow Thrust. Emergency Escape is a locked skill. Shadow Thrust isn't.
Now let's see.
Shadow Thrust is like an improved Shadow Piercing. You press X during Shadow Step, you lunge forward and pierce through enemies without knocking them down. Heh, good. But.
We're running a sustain build here. Survival is the key for this build. Sapping health alone can't bring you survival. You need to escape dangerous situations too.
Emergency Escape is your friend here.
At the cost of 10 MP, Emergency Escape has a 10% chance (it can be lower or higher during certain skill levels, it was 10% pre-skill tree revamp) of activating Shadow Step on its own when you are attacked from behind. This essentially means when your enemy is busy laughing away as he whacks you from behind and you cannot turn around to attack him, you have a 10% chance to automatically Shadow Step forward and give your enemy SOMETHING to laugh about. Your own Shadow Step in the skill slot doesn't even go into cooldown when this is activated. Neat!
Careful of a few things.
- You can dash into a pithole if this procs automatically and unexpectedly. LOL.
- You might not want to just sit and get hit hoping and praying for Emergency Escape to activate every time. You're chipped meat if you do that.
Overall Shadow Step is a good active that I really recommend using. It's automatically level 1 at the beginning, so you don't have to worry about skill points. Piercing and Escape I've explained to you why they're important, and these three linked together form the main escape mechanism of Blade Master.
Pros and cons?
Pros
- Pass Through, better than One Flash
- Cannot be interrupted mid-dash
- If you're desperate to lose this stalker, after Emergency Escape you can use the regular Shadow Step to ditch whoever's hitting your back
- Piercing with skill note is very effective and can heal you a good amount with Bloody Accel's buff.
- Like Wolf Fang, puts you into dash immediately if you've been holding the directional key.
Cons
- This is uncontrollable, even with Shadow Piercing. Piercing only stops you when you have something to stab. If you dash right into a pithole, it's ggwp.
- Emergency Escape's chance is 10%. Harder to expect at times.
- Don't dash into enemies in PVP or even PVE when they're busy doing funky skills. It's easier to perform this mistake when Emergency Escape procs.
Now we look at several other passives that are a MUST to max out.
Basic Strength Training, Intermediate Strength Training and Infinity Cause.
The first two are a must to max. They increase your overall physical attack power, that's very much needed if you want to dish out damage and absorb it back with Bloody Accel.
Infinity Cause is very important as well. It decreases your base knockdown ratio by 20% (at max level). Your combos will have a 20% longer time chaining max hits before knockdown unlike other classes. This is very important to a Raven. You want to ensure you get to hit as much as possible when your enemy is up and standing so you can sap more health (for a Blade Master) or deal maximum damage (for other classes). Knocking them down in dungeons will halve damage (in pvp you don't even get to hit your opponents when they're down). This is why Infinity Cause is a must to have, it's a basic fundamental that serves as your main reason of being able to prolong combos. If you combine it with Giga Drive - Limiter's knockdown reduce buff, your knockdown ratio will be decreased by another 20% to 40%, allowing you to prolong your combos by 40% longer than any other job. If you max out Limiter, it decreases by 30% instead of 20, which further allows you to execute combos 1.5x longer than other jobs.
Counter Chance.
When you are knocked down, you can press X to perform a quick 180 slash that does hitstun and doesn't knock your enemy down. This allows you to stun your attacker and turn the tables around by giving you a chance to whack them.
Counter Chance used to be a must-max skill, because each level increases the chance that you do not knockdown when pressing X. However, the revamp makes it 100% no knockdown at level 1, and instead it increases your base accuracy of attacks hitting. Heck, I leave it at level 1 because I need the SP for more skills.
In life we always make choices. This is no exception.
or
Blade Mastery or Exquisite Swordsmanship.
Blade Mastery increases your critical chance. Exquisite Swordsmanship increases your attack speed and accuracy.
Most people opt for Blade Mastery because attack speed is usually maxed out using socket gems on their weapons and equipment.
I would recommend you doing so as well. Because I find lack of attack speed a problem on my current character, I'm actually using Exquisite Swordsmanship until I can increase my attack speed further, at which I shall replace for with Blade Mastery. But still, it is your choice. Both are very good and vital passives for Blade Master in my opinion, and getting either one of them is just a preference of your own.
or
Reversal Fighter or Trained Body?
Honestly, in my sustain build, I'd say Trained Body.
Reversal Fighter increases your damage when you're at a certain percentage of low health, whilst Trained Body reduces the damage you take from all sources.
The main point of this sustain build is to keep your health up as high as possible while you whack your enemy down, I wouldn't want to put myself in a lousy situation just to trigger Reversal Fighter.
What? Invest in Reversal Fighter in case I'm at low health at a certain situation?
Nooooo no no no. Not good. If your health is low at that point, Reversal Fighter CAN help you build up your health with the attack buff. But only for at least one recovery. Your second and third wave of recovery attempts will already put you past Reversal Fighter's limit. Heck, in that situation if you have Trained Body, you can reduce incoming damage and heal more at the same time. It's still a recommendation. I can't force you to choose.
That's all for this build. I hope you've benefited from this and have a better understanding of what these can do and help you out. I hope you can make the choices that suit you and your playstyle best.
ACTIVE SKILL. I'll explain to you why it's in this section in a moment.
Shadow Step.
Back in the day I used to max out this skill.
Dash length increased. You pass-through enemies at a longer distance the higher your skill level is.
Now I don't have such liberty to do so because LOW SP!!! WHY!!!
But hey!
Shadow Step is still a good choice to put in your arsenal. Really, I don't mind this guy having a skill level of 1 (I don't want to dash too far at times and fall off a cliff or bang into a wall). It works as a very good pass-through, even better than One Flash because you cannot be interrupted mid-dash. Remember Wolf Fang? Yeah. If you hold the directional keys after your dash like Wolf Fang, you can immediately change from Shadow Step to regular dash. Alone, this skill may seem like a supportive-type skill. AMIRIGHT?
Truedat. But.
Let's look at two other passive skills that I invested in on this build.
Before that, what are passives?
They are skills that don't play a part in your activation or control. Once they are invested in, their effects are always there. They're the subconscious of your conscious.
Let's look at the two that work hand-in-hand with Shadow Step.
and
These two.
The first one is Shadow Piercing. When you use Shadow Step, you can press Z to lunge forward and stab an enemy, knocking them down.
This is useful for a few reasons.
1) You can cancel your Shadow Dash (although you DO lunge forward, you can knock into a mob that you want instead. Example, there's mob A in front of you and Mob B. Being the bully that you are, you want to hit Mob B. Use Shadow Step, pass Mob A, hit Mob B. Settled!)
2) Damage is good, around 300 - 400% damage on stab. This can recover a good health with Bloody Accel while you're using Shadow Step to dash to safety at the same time.
3) The Skill Note makes the skill unable to knockdown, allowing you to stun the enemy with the stab, heal with Bloody Accel's buff, and continue whacking them.
I'm not a master of using this Shadow Piercing combo (not playing for months can cause anyone to rust) but it's still a very good skill to have and to master. But I won't recommend you maxing this skill out, to save up skill points. Level 1 Shadow Piercing has only one difference with higher leveled ones, more damage. That's why I keep this at level 1.
Oh, but the other, however, should be maxed at all costs.
It's Emergency Escape. Let's take a look at some backstory.
Emergency Escape is good friends with the skill Shadow Thrust. Emergency Escape is a locked skill. Shadow Thrust isn't.
Now let's see.
Shadow Thrust is like an improved Shadow Piercing. You press X during Shadow Step, you lunge forward and pierce through enemies without knocking them down. Heh, good. But.
We're running a sustain build here. Survival is the key for this build. Sapping health alone can't bring you survival. You need to escape dangerous situations too.
Emergency Escape is your friend here.
At the cost of 10 MP, Emergency Escape has a 10% chance (it can be lower or higher during certain skill levels, it was 10% pre-skill tree revamp) of activating Shadow Step on its own when you are attacked from behind. This essentially means when your enemy is busy laughing away as he whacks you from behind and you cannot turn around to attack him, you have a 10% chance to automatically Shadow Step forward and give your enemy SOMETHING to laugh about. Your own Shadow Step in the skill slot doesn't even go into cooldown when this is activated. Neat!
Careful of a few things.
- You can dash into a pithole if this procs automatically and unexpectedly. LOL.
- You might not want to just sit and get hit hoping and praying for Emergency Escape to activate every time. You're chipped meat if you do that.
Overall Shadow Step is a good active that I really recommend using. It's automatically level 1 at the beginning, so you don't have to worry about skill points. Piercing and Escape I've explained to you why they're important, and these three linked together form the main escape mechanism of Blade Master.
Pros and cons?
Pros
- Pass Through, better than One Flash
- Cannot be interrupted mid-dash
- If you're desperate to lose this stalker, after Emergency Escape you can use the regular Shadow Step to ditch whoever's hitting your back
- Piercing with skill note is very effective and can heal you a good amount with Bloody Accel's buff.
- Like Wolf Fang, puts you into dash immediately if you've been holding the directional key.
Cons
- This is uncontrollable, even with Shadow Piercing. Piercing only stops you when you have something to stab. If you dash right into a pithole, it's ggwp.
- Emergency Escape's chance is 10%. Harder to expect at times.
- Don't dash into enemies in PVP or even PVE when they're busy doing funky skills. It's easier to perform this mistake when Emergency Escape procs.
Now we look at several other passives that are a MUST to max out.
Basic Strength Training, Intermediate Strength Training and Infinity Cause.
The first two are a must to max. They increase your overall physical attack power, that's very much needed if you want to dish out damage and absorb it back with Bloody Accel.
Infinity Cause is very important as well. It decreases your base knockdown ratio by 20% (at max level). Your combos will have a 20% longer time chaining max hits before knockdown unlike other classes. This is very important to a Raven. You want to ensure you get to hit as much as possible when your enemy is up and standing so you can sap more health (for a Blade Master) or deal maximum damage (for other classes). Knocking them down in dungeons will halve damage (in pvp you don't even get to hit your opponents when they're down). This is why Infinity Cause is a must to have, it's a basic fundamental that serves as your main reason of being able to prolong combos. If you combine it with Giga Drive - Limiter's knockdown reduce buff, your knockdown ratio will be decreased by another 20% to 40%, allowing you to prolong your combos by 40% longer than any other job. If you max out Limiter, it decreases by 30% instead of 20, which further allows you to execute combos 1.5x longer than other jobs.
Counter Chance.
When you are knocked down, you can press X to perform a quick 180 slash that does hitstun and doesn't knock your enemy down. This allows you to stun your attacker and turn the tables around by giving you a chance to whack them.
Counter Chance used to be a must-max skill, because each level increases the chance that you do not knockdown when pressing X. However, the revamp makes it 100% no knockdown at level 1, and instead it increases your base accuracy of attacks hitting. Heck, I leave it at level 1 because I need the SP for more skills.
In life we always make choices. This is no exception.
or
Blade Mastery or Exquisite Swordsmanship.
Blade Mastery increases your critical chance. Exquisite Swordsmanship increases your attack speed and accuracy.
Most people opt for Blade Mastery because attack speed is usually maxed out using socket gems on their weapons and equipment.
I would recommend you doing so as well. Because I find lack of attack speed a problem on my current character, I'm actually using Exquisite Swordsmanship until I can increase my attack speed further, at which I shall replace for with Blade Mastery. But still, it is your choice. Both are very good and vital passives for Blade Master in my opinion, and getting either one of them is just a preference of your own.
or
Reversal Fighter or Trained Body?
Honestly, in my sustain build, I'd say Trained Body.
Reversal Fighter increases your damage when you're at a certain percentage of low health, whilst Trained Body reduces the damage you take from all sources.
The main point of this sustain build is to keep your health up as high as possible while you whack your enemy down, I wouldn't want to put myself in a lousy situation just to trigger Reversal Fighter.
What? Invest in Reversal Fighter in case I'm at low health at a certain situation?
Nooooo no no no. Not good. If your health is low at that point, Reversal Fighter CAN help you build up your health with the attack buff. But only for at least one recovery. Your second and third wave of recovery attempts will already put you past Reversal Fighter's limit. Heck, in that situation if you have Trained Body, you can reduce incoming damage and heal more at the same time. It's still a recommendation. I can't force you to choose.
That's all for this build. I hope you've benefited from this and have a better understanding of what these can do and help you out. I hope you can make the choices that suit you and your playstyle best.