CLASSES
There are four class categories in DW, but you can only choose among three when creating an account:
Let's jump right away to one of the most asked question: What is the best class?
The answer depends on the last update about class-balancing, and where you are right now in the game. Classes have taken turns on being the strongest during the 4-year life of DW. Some attributes have been boosted or nerfed to balance out things. When I started on s2, mages dominated the rankings. But with the last class update I think the classes are more balanced now.
For low levels up to, maybe, 87 my opinion is mage is the easiest to use (take note that i did not say "best"). If you are following the tip of putting all LP on one skill only, then mages are lucky because they will have heal along the way. Swordies and gunners have to divert at some point to magic to be able to heal in battle. I will also agree that gun is the worst at low levels because higher critical rate = power finish = higher experience gain = fast leveling with low stats. I don't have anything to say about swordies, I haven't tried it yet. =)
As you go up and face tougher bosses, or just trying to level up, the pros and cons of each class also shifts. Sword block helps you get more hits against 10-round 1-hit kill bosses. Gunners have the best talisman effect, dealing full damage on first round. Depending on the type of battle, a mage can still outrun a gunner in damage because of their high magic power.
If you managed to reach level 92 and gain access to hell, you will understand when I say that swordies undoubtedly will dominate the area, followed by gunners because of their talisman. Mage is still a good boss killer with their high damage, but they easily die because of their low block. In Mystic Wars where speed is needed to get a spot in rankings, gunners with their talisman might be the best choice for damage, not to mention a critical hit can lower block. But no matter how high swordies and gunners are, even at level 106, they will still be doing weapon switching to heal, a plus to mages because they don't have to waste time on it.
At the end of the day, I'd say it's just about personal preference. Choose the playing style you're most comfortable with and stick with it.
There are four class categories in DW, but you can only choose among three when creating an account:
- Sword - high block; main attributes are strength and quickness (speed).
- Magic - high magic damage; main attributes are intelligence and dexterity
- Gun - high critical rate; main attributes are dexterity and quickness
Let's jump right away to one of the most asked question: What is the best class?
The answer depends on the last update about class-balancing, and where you are right now in the game. Classes have taken turns on being the strongest during the 4-year life of DW. Some attributes have been boosted or nerfed to balance out things. When I started on s2, mages dominated the rankings. But with the last class update I think the classes are more balanced now.
For low levels up to, maybe, 87 my opinion is mage is the easiest to use (take note that i did not say "best"). If you are following the tip of putting all LP on one skill only, then mages are lucky because they will have heal along the way. Swordies and gunners have to divert at some point to magic to be able to heal in battle. I will also agree that gun is the worst at low levels because higher critical rate = power finish = higher experience gain = fast leveling with low stats. I don't have anything to say about swordies, I haven't tried it yet. =)
As you go up and face tougher bosses, or just trying to level up, the pros and cons of each class also shifts. Sword block helps you get more hits against 10-round 1-hit kill bosses. Gunners have the best talisman effect, dealing full damage on first round. Depending on the type of battle, a mage can still outrun a gunner in damage because of their high magic power.
If you managed to reach level 92 and gain access to hell, you will understand when I say that swordies undoubtedly will dominate the area, followed by gunners because of their talisman. Mage is still a good boss killer with their high damage, but they easily die because of their low block. In Mystic Wars where speed is needed to get a spot in rankings, gunners with their talisman might be the best choice for damage, not to mention a critical hit can lower block. But no matter how high swordies and gunners are, even at level 106, they will still be doing weapon switching to heal, a plus to mages because they don't have to waste time on it.
At the end of the day, I'd say it's just about personal preference. Choose the playing style you're most comfortable with and stick with it.
THE DUAL CLASSES
The fourth class category is the Dual Class. Just open the class list to view their level requirements.
It is generally not recommended for low levels to diversify to other classes. You have to be at least level 90 on one class when you step to character level 75 so you can start talisman-hunting as soon as possible.
Once you have 90 on one class, consider going for another. Aside from gaining another 60 skill that is useful for boss fights, you will also unlock Jester and its stronger version - Dragonlord.
For Divine Blade vs. Dragonlord, you may want to check out this thread.
For Mega Shot vs. Dragonlord, this thread might help. Although as a gunner who tried DL, I see no huge difference in block or damage.
Divine Sage doesn't usually compete against Dragonlord. They're all about damage, and doesn't care about block.
The fourth class category is the Dual Class. Just open the class list to view their level requirements.
It is generally not recommended for low levels to diversify to other classes. You have to be at least level 90 on one class when you step to character level 75 so you can start talisman-hunting as soon as possible.
Once you have 90 on one class, consider going for another. Aside from gaining another 60 skill that is useful for boss fights, you will also unlock Jester and its stronger version - Dragonlord.
For Divine Blade vs. Dragonlord, you may want to check out this thread.
For Mega Shot vs. Dragonlord, this thread might help. Although as a gunner who tried DL, I see no huge difference in block or damage.
Divine Sage doesn't usually compete against Dragonlord. They're all about damage, and doesn't care about block.
SKILLS
Learning Points (LP) are used to upgrade your skills.
I think the skill system is pretty straightforward, so let's jump to the questions:
How can I heal if I’m not a mage?
There are two ways to heal. The first and probably never used way is to buy a health potion from the town healer. The second way is to raise your magic skill to level 6 for light heal, level 21 for heal, or level 39 for greater heal, and have a wand. If you're a swordie or gunner, you can either buy any wand, or request a wand from your guild vault. Switch your weapons during battle to heal. No need to change classes.
Why should I aim for skill level 60? The skills only go up as high as level 45.
That is what the list shows. Every class has a special level 60 skill that you can only view in battle if you switch to the matching class and weapon. The level 60 skills, in addition to their higher damage, also offer a battle bonus when they are cast at least once in a boss fight (bonuses are NOT cumulative for same skill; they are cumulative if each of the 3 different skills is cast at least one time in a battle).
- Devil Slayer (sword level 60) - Banish Dance (+15% block against post-game bosses)
- Big Shot (gun level 60) - Big Bang (+15% critical against post-game bosses)
- Divine Staff (magic level 60) - Divine Light (+20% absorb (shield) against post-game bosses)
- Jester (all skills level 40) - Call Bunny (+5% weaken (stacks with ally) + 5% guard +5% critical against post-game bosses)
- Mega Shot (Gun/bows): Endless Nova: 5x big bang damage
- Divine Blade (Sword): Soul Dance: 3-6x devil dance damage depends number of round fought (dolls reset this number)
- Divine Sage (Magic): Divine Aurora: 3-5x divine light damage depending on current hp (lower hp - higher damage), plus instant full heal
- Dragon Lord (level 80 skills on every class): Call Bunny: same as Jester (not a talisman skill)
Why do I see players with skill level more than 90?
- First, every skill level gives additional SP.
- Second, for swordies and gunners, skill level affects minimum damage. It is important to make your skill level equal to your character level to increase your average damage. Skill level has no effect on mage's magic power, and their damage always have a 5-10% variable. kingk's post
- Some players want to have a different weapon drop, so they adjust their skills. Weapon drop is affected by the highest skill you have. If you're a gunner with 90 gun skill but you have your magic at 91 you will get staff as drop instead of gun. If sword=gun the drop is sword. If magic=gun, the drop is staff. If sword=magic, the drop is staff. In short, if you are playing on s2 and you have equal skills the drop is staff > sword > gun. On s1 it's sword > staff > gun. (thanks to 2ruthless for info).
ATTRIBUTES
Commonly known as "stats", this is one of the main basis of your character's strength (the other is your weapon's number of enhancement).
- Strength - main sword stat; required to equip weapons and armors (insignificant, really)
- Constitution - adds hit points (based on level)
- Intelligence - mage main stat; adds skill points
- Dexterity - gun and mage main stat; adds 0.5% critical rate for every point
- Quickness - sword and gun main stat; adds 1 def for every point
You can raise them by finding pills in puzzle boxes and buying from town healer, and from mystery boxes after reaching soft cap (50/120/32/32/32, respectively). There is no pill for Constitution. Soft cap stats does not include bonuses from equipment or premium items. If a stat is green it means it is receiving bonus from equipment or a premium item. Another way is by using your Learning Points. You can manually choose where to add a point as long as you have the LP required. There are five ways to get LP.
- leveling up
- trade a set of yellow crystals (you'll get half the amount when leveling up)
- buy a premium item or ally worth 20 gems or up and get 20 LP
- buy with gems from the Guardian tab
- buy gems with kongregate kredits (1 gem = 10 LP)
Aside from your stats, we also have "hidden" values, like class attack, critical rate, block rate, etc. Please refer to the Formulas tab for any numerical explanation.
What attribute(s) affects healing?
Healing is affected by Intelligence and Dexterity and NOT by your magic power, not even by special type staff (enchanted).
RESET, RESTART, and RESTAT
Let's distinguish the difference first. kingk used the word "Restart" to delete your current progress and make a fresh, new account under your same kongregate account, and he used "Reset" to move your attribute and skill points by paying with gems. This could be confusing, especially to new players. A third word, "Restat" was coined by the players to refer the moving around of stat/skill points.
Just be sure to be clear when asking around if you should reset or restart to avoid confusion.
RESTARTING YOUR ACCOUNT
Go to Character tab, the Restart button should be beside the Options button, upper-right corner. Before pressing it, you must be sure of your decision, because there is no turning back (as you've noticed, this game doesn't have save slots). Go ask around for advice to know if the mistakes you made are still fixable. Almost all of us made a major mistake during our newbie time, and most of us has repaired the problem.
If you and your peers think the problem is irreparable, you still have to ask the following question:
If I restart my account will I lose my gems and premium items?
All premium items and premium allies you purchased with gems including the Banker's Guild will be retained. Your money, crystals, equipment, inventory items, will be gone, and your attributes will be back to default. If you bought learning points with gems that, too, will be reset and not refunded. But if you did not buy any premium items and have less than 20 gems you will restart with 20 gems.
RESETTING YOUR ATTRIBUTES/SKILLS
Go to the Guardian tab. You should see "Reset your premium attributes." for 42 gems, and "Reset your combat skills. (weapons)" for 18 gems. A few reminders:
- If you can see an option to change your name instead, it means you are not allowed to reset your attributes yet. You must have at least 20 combined points above softcap (50/120/32/32/32). For example, 50/120/40/37/39 has a total point of 20 (0/0/8/5/7).
- When resetting, you cannot go below the softcap stats.
- 42 gems for stat reset does NOT include skill reset, so plan ahead and use your LP wisely.
- Clicking "Buy" won't take away your gems, yet. You can move your points around freely and use it as a stat calculator. Just remember to click "Cancel" if you're not yet sure. "Submit" will make everything final.
- Stat resetting will not give you a free energy refill.