Job Explanations
Contents
Job Classifications
Job Explanations
Novice
Novice
Novice is the starting point for all characters in Ragnarok Online. When you create a new character, you may choose from different Hairstyles and Hair colors. Novices do not incur any EXP penalty upon death, and regain 50% HP when respawning. Once Job Level 10, Novices can change into one of the following First Classes:
- Swordman
- Magician
- Archer
- Merchant
- Thief
- Acolyte
Alternatively, they can choose to become one of the Expanded Classes:
- Super Novice
- TaeKwon
- Ninja
- Gunslinger
Transcendent Novice
High Novice
High Novice is the first step on the road to becoming a Transcendent Class. After Rebirthing, you'll be sent to the town of the first class you started as. High Novices are the same as their regular Novice counterparts. When becoming a High Novice, you'll learn both Novice Quest Skills. High Novices have 25% more HP/SP than regular Novices, 1 additional point in each stat through job bonuses, and can be differentiated by their blue (female) or brown (male) clothing. High Novices level the same way regular novices do, and must learn all 9 Basic Skills again in order to change to their respective High First Class job. High Novices must choose the same job path they've had previously, they cannot switch to a different path.
First Job
Swordman
Swordmen are honest and as stubborn as the strong waves of the ocean. With strong physical attacks, defense, and a sense of command, a Swordman can become a headstrong leader to others. Swordmen continuously train to gain more skill and strength.
After reading King Tristan 3rd's official notice recruiting adventurers, Swordmen join with the hope of becoming ever stronger. Equipped with strong armor and weapons, the brave swordman joins the world of adventure.
Mage
Mages rely on their skills as their main source of damage, and such attacks are magically based and only take into account the target's Magical Defense, and not their Physical Defense. Furthermore, all of a Mage's spells are elemental, thus meaning the accurate use of the correct spell against the correct monsters is highly important.
Archer
Archers are experts at long-range combat with Bows and Arrows. Their range gives them several advantages, which includes:
- The ability to change the element of their weapon quickly by changing their arrow type. This makes Archers able to exploit elemental advantages easily.
- Accuracy and damage is increased by the same stat (DEX), allowing all attacks to connect and deal a lot of damage.
- Range enables archers to defeat stationary or slow-moving opponents that are stronger than they are without being hit.
Drawbacks of the Archer class include:
- Low VIT limits their ability to survive when they are caught up in melee situations.
- Require Arrows for every attack with a Bow. Running out of arrows in a firefight can make an Archer useless.
Merchant
Always on the lookout for profit, Merchants are the economic experts of Ragnarok Online. Setting out to make a fortune, playing as a Merchant will allow the player to get the most out of every last zeny. Merchants are also handy with items, being able to carry far more than other classes thanks to their Enlarge Weight Limit and Pushcart abilities.
Although a Merchant is bound to feel more at home at the marketplaces and auction houses of Rune-Midgard, they can still hold their own in battle, specially when it comes to defending their wares. Inherently sturdy, Merchants are able to equip most of the game's heavy armor and melee weapons, allowing good defense and decent attack.
After a life of buying and selling items, Merchant second jobs provide the possibility of making their own. Merchants can choose to change into a Blacksmith or an Alchemist at Job levels 40 to 50.
Starting stats for merchants depend mostly on whether the player wishes to make a battle-oriented character or concentrate on the stats needed after job change in order to make items successfully. In the first case, a swordsman-like starting build is a good idea, both in its VIT and AGI variants. In the second case, the player should keep in mind that Blacksmiths' forging success and Alchemists' potion mixing depend heavily on high DEX and LUK, as well as INT in the case of Alchemists.
Thief
Waiting in the shadows, planning where they'll strike next, the mischievous Thieves are a force to reckon with. Swift and powerful, few can keep up with a Thief's attack speed and power, whether they're slashing their way in battle with a sharp dagger, or striking from afar with a bow. Striking them down isn't easy either, coupling their high flee with the ability to become invisible and poison their pursuers, Thieves have only magic to fear.
A Thief just wouldn't be a Thief if they weren't able to steal from their enemies, which makes them in turn quite adept at item gathering and money making. If the player decides to play as a Thief, frantic battles and high degrees of fun are guaranteed. They're also a very good choice as first characters, since in the beginning they don't have to rely as heavily on equipments to be able to fight consistently.
From job level 40 to 50, Thieves are given the choice to take the trial to join the mysterious order of the Assassins or continue plotting ever more daring crimes as a Rogue.
Acolyte
Acolytes live their lives serving the Catholic Church and following the religious teachings. They train to become selfless and devoted individuals, aiming to help all that they meet. While the main location for Acolytes, like other members, is the Church in Protera, it isn't uncommon to find Acolytes travelling with adventurers around the world, especially adventurers recruited by King Tristan III.
The religious teachings forbid Acolytes and other members of the Church from using bladed weapons. Instead, they typically carry staves and rods for casting skills that support their allies and harm their foes and maces for physical damage.
Once the Acolyte has reached a sufficient amount of training, they can choose to continue and grow in their supportive endeavors and become Priests or train physically and mentally, dealing great damage as Monks.
Transcendent First Jobs
High First Job
High First Jobs are the Transcendent equivalents of First Classes. They have the same skills and job bonuses as their non-transcendent counterparts. The difference between them is a discoloration in the sprite and +25% HP/SP. They also automatically learn all First Class Quest Skills upon changing from High Novice .
Their naming follows the "High First Class Name" scheme on iRO, and other Ragnarok versions may have "First Class Name High" instead.
Second Job
Knight
The Knight class is the primary second job for the Swordman class. Being a hack and slash type of character, Knights are granted access to a new mastery that will open a new type of weapon to wield aside from the Swordman's swords. They are also allowed to acquire powerful AoE skills like the famed Bowling Bash and the spear exclusive skill, Brandish Spear.
Crusader
Crusaders are a fine blend of physical strength and faith-driven magic prowess, making them a versatile class. They are capable of melee combat with a spear or a sword and shield, of playing a supportive role in parties with beneficial magic skills, and of sacrificing their health to wield powerful holy magic. Knowing this, they can be built more like a mage than a warrior, or a classic favorite is to play the crusader like a tank. What makes this class so popular is the versatility, it's natural aim towards fighting the undead, and its centralization around having high VIT and defense.
Wizard
Wizards are powerful offensive magic users. They rely on dangerous magic strikes as well as devastating Area of Effect spells to wreak havoc.
Sage
Sages are a PvP-oriented class with the role of caster/anti-Mage. They do not have the offensive abilities of a Wizard, but are a slightly buffed version of Mage with their Free Casting. Sages shine in their defensive abilities, with many builds centered around Magnetic Earth. Dispell is also a popular and sought-after spell which is useful for removing buffs from the enemy. Many of their skills can only realistically be used in PvP, making PvM quite difficult, particularly for VIT/DEX builds that have difficulty solo levelling. Battle sages are a 'for fun' build which can become a powerful leveling build only if matched with a Soul Linker.
Hunter
Hunters are skillful at indirect combat. Their increased ASPD with bows helps makes them superior to Archers in ranged combat. They are also able to lay mines and traps on the ground to hinder or catch mobs. These traps will cause various status effects (Sandman inflicts the status sleep, for example) or cause elemental damage (i.e. Blast Mine, Land Mine) to a target.
Additionally, they have a powerful subcharacter, the Falcon. Falcons are highly effective at dealing consistent damage, as their damage ignores DEF. Falcons give Hunters the ability to deal damage to multiple monster at once, by gathering enemies together and employing the Falcon with the skill Blitz Beat. If Blitz Beat is not cast manually, however, the damage of Blitz Beat done to each target is divided by the number of targets it hits at that instance, thus making "auto-Blitz" an inefficient method of mobbing. Falcons also have the ability to reveal concealed enemies and destroy enemy traps.
Hunters were once considered overpowered in Ragnarok Online pre-Amatsu patch, while players were still getting the hang of 2-2 classes, since they were capable of MVPing and seemingly only needed two stats: AGI and DEX to be successful at MVP, PvP, and PvM aspects of the game. However, Hunters have their own weaknesses, namely the lack of VIT and STR, except in certain specialized builds.
Bard/Dancer
Bard
After a life of plucking their bows, many Archers feel the itch to strum strings of a different kind. The Bards of Ragnarok Online are the right choice for the idealists among Archers who wish to change the world with their poetry.
The voice of a Bard is laden with magical harmonies, singing hymns that invoke the ancient Gods of Asgard to instill fear in the hearts of his enemies and inspire his comrades to victory with songs of eternal youth and glorious charges. Where their female counterparts, the Dancers, are more bent on disruption, Bards specialize in support, which make them central in all defensive strategies during the War of Emperium.
Supporting with a Bard or Dancer requires a different approach than other classes. Music-based buffs are mostly percentual values, as opposed to the absolute values of Priest buffs, and require careful strategy and positioning, but playing as an Archer should already provide some experience in this respect. Despite their supportive role, one should not forget that Bards are also capable of dealing good quantities of damage, one of their main advantages over Hunters is their immense SP pool which allows them to continually use Double Strafe instead of normal attacks, ensuring a very nice damage output.
In general, there are 2 types of skills for both Dancers and a Bards; skills which can be sung or danced without a partner of the opposite gender and those where the player needs another Bard or Dancer respectively.
As a Bard, only Instruments, Daggers, and Bows are available for weapons, whereas Dancers can use Whips instead of Instruments.
When armed with an Instrument:
- Bow skills (Double Strafe, Arrow Shower, Arrow Repel) cannot be used
- Performance Skills, as well as Amp and Encore are available
- Instrument skills (Melody Strike) can be used
Unbarring Octave and Pang Voice are usable regardless of weapons.
Dancer
Rhythm and balance are qualities cultivated by all Archers, however, only the truly talented are allowed to learn the secret steps of the Dancers. These scantily clad seductresses gain the power to influence the minds of allies and enemies alike.
It is said that time slows down when a Dancer starts to move her hips to the sound of some mysterious tune; that those watching may lose control of their bodies and find their magic reserves either greatly improved or gone altogether. Where their male counterparts, the Bards, are more bent on support, Dancers specialize at disruptive maneuvers, which make them an invaluable asset in the War of Emperium.
Supporting with a Bard or Dancer requires a different approach than other classes. Music-based buffs are mostly percentual values, as opposed to the absolute values of Priest buffs, and require careful strategy and positioning, but playing as an Archer should already provide some experience in this respect. Despite their supportive role, one should not forget that Dancers are also capable of dealing good quantities of damage, one of their main advantages over Huntresses is their immense SP pool which allows them to continually use Double Strafe instead of normal attacks, ensuring decent damage output.
To understand how to build a Bard or Dancer, knowledge of all their skills is needed. Dancer and Bard skills are, in comparison to other classes, very stat dependent. In general, there are 2 types of skills for both a Dancer and a Bard; skills which can be sung or danced without a partner of the opposite gender and those where the player needs another Bard or Dancer respectively.
As a Dancer, only whips, daggers and bows are available for weapons, whereas Bards can use instruments instead of whips.
When armed with a Whip:
- Bow skills (Double Strafe, Arrow Shower, Arrow Repel) cannot be used
- Performance Skills, as well as Amp and Encore are available
- Whip skills (Slinging Arrow, Arrow Vulcan) can be used
- Whip damage depends on the Dancer's dex, NOT str. Just like it does for bows
Unbarring Octave, Dazzler, Pang Voice and Charming Wink are usable regardless of weapons.
Blacksmith
Easily the most powerful of all the 2nd classes, the Blacksmiths sport damage equal to that of the trans 2nd classes (except their own trans class of course). Their only weakness lies in the fact that they only have 1 multitarget AoE spell (Cart Revolution) that has knockback and limited range, making it hard to target with. As a single target killer though, it is no doubt that this class shines bright as the leading killer. A Battle Blacksmith's main skills revolve around the theme of self-buffing to increase damage. The main offensive skills are Mammonite and Cart Revolution, which both can be learned as a Merchant. The only drawback to these self buffs is that the skill Power Thrust has the chance of breaking party members weapons (bows are the most susceptible to this), and thus it is recommended that the blacksmith always carry Steel, Iron, and Rough Oridecon with them at all times to repair party members weapons.
Alchemist
The Alchemist is a class which optimizes Potion Creation and Homunculus, as well as various other potion-related skills. They are a class which work for the benefit of their friends and strike terror into the hearts of their foes (armor).
Assassin
Assassins (and their transcended Assassin Cross) are able to equip a weapon in each hand and the exclusive users of Katar weapons. Assassins have a variety of damage dealing and poisoning skills. The Assassin are the only class who can walk slightly faster than any other class ingame as long as they leveled the proper skill (Thief's Improve Dodge). The Katar wielding Assassins also receive double the normal amount of critical hit rate. Therefore, whatever amount of critical rate Assassins have, it would always be doubled.
Rogue
Rogues are a versatile class, only really lacking in PvM skills but excelling in PvP and WoE. With their strip skills, Rogues can render most classes useless in a PvP environment. With Gank, a Rogue can obtain double the loot another class could gather in the same amount of time. Rogues can wield bows, daggers, or swords and can copy a variety of player skills to help them level, although a Rogue cannot use Intimidate to its full potential like its transcendent counterpart can. On a different note, Rogues can be excellent at soloing things in a PvM environment. Their high dodge, fast attacks, and stealthy nature make them a force to be reckoned with in a dungeon.
Priest
Once Acolytes have undergone rigorous spiritual training and have served the Church and the community as a whole, they have the opportunity to be promoted within the ranks of the Church. If the Monk is said to train their body to fight evil and the Undead physically, the Priest does so with magic. As their spiritual journey brings them closer to God, they gain advanced skills in healing as well as new ways to assist their allies and harm their foes. They are able to resurrect fallen comrades, protect them from harm, and bless their weapons. They can create spaces of safe haven where the Undead cannot penetrate and can decimate hordes of Undead with ease.
Most Priests find themselves in company more often than not, typically giving up their offensive abilities in order to further support those they travel with. Even though Priests are typically not on the front lines of battle, they need to be constantly aware of their surroundings and their companions. A Priest that fails to pay attention can cause problems for themselves and their friends. Priests must be able to focus on the situation at hand and also be able to multitask with little difficulty in order to assure their party stays alive.
Monk
It is said that the faith of the acolyte is not only for the mind, but the path one walks must also be for the body.
It takes more than just the mind, but it also takes confidence, and the time and effort, along with self discipline to be able to change jobs.
For the faith, one must be good until they achieve a disciplined body. Until then, it will take much time and effort. Others have come to fear and respect those who are called Monks.
With combo and separate attacks, the mysterious power of one must not only be physically strong, but also have great strength and tough blow/hits.
Now Rune Migard's King, Tristan the 3rd's proclamation to the large Catholic church's archbishop, in following the bidding of all meanings of faith, wants them to set forth on a war against evil.
Monks are a versatile class that can deal damage in several ways unique to themselves. They are most known for the powerful Guillotine Fist skill, which has uses in MVP, PVP and WoE scenarios. Most builds are damage-dealers, focusing on maximizing damage via skills such as Occult Impaction and their Combo abilities. Specialized Monk builds can be very efficient for both MVP and WoE purposes.
