Choosing an Element Guide

Sacchari · 11 Apr 2007

This guide is to hopefully help out any Sheep who is confused about which element to pick.

The Elements
To start, you can pick two elements, but only certain combinations. The combinations are Fire/Lightning, Fire/Earth, Earth/Wind, Wind/Water, and Water/Lightning.

Fire
Recommended builds: 1432 or 1441 Ring builds
Element Combinations: Lightning or Earth
Fire is a high damage, low accuracy element. Its second skill, Phobos Blast, requires a level 10 Ring to learn and from what I hear has a AoE like Ring.
My opinion: Fire is for someone who likes to hit and run. I don't think that it blends all that well with Earth, since earth has slow casttimes, but if you are a 'high damage at any cost' kinda guy Earth/Fire could be for you. If you go Fire/Lightning, you can pull off an Arrow Rush build, and Arrow Rush is the best first job spell at high levels.

Earth
Recommended builds: 1423 or 1414 Ring builds
Element Combinations: Fire or Wind
Earth is a lower damage, high accuracy, slow element with a large AoE and a high MP cost. Its second skill requires level 10 Ring and has scaled damage (gets smaller the further away from the center) Also keep in mind that there are many monsters are weak to Earth.
My opinion: I think Earth goes along very nicely with Wind. Earth/Wind is the best for AoE sheep. From what I've heard, both skills have a good range. Earth doesn't seem to be terribly popular.

Wind
Recommended builds: 1423 or 1414 Storm builds
Element Combinations: Water or Earth
Wind has fast, small, AoE attacks with reasonably high accuracy that cost very little MP. You need a ton of defense and hp to get by with this element, since you need to be right next to the monsters to hit them. The second skill requires level 10 Storm.
My opinion: Wind blends very well with both Earth and Water. Go Wind/Earth for the ultimate AoE mage or Wind/Water for a more balanced sheep. I'd say don't have anything less then a 3 in charm for a Wind sheep.

Water
Recommended builds: 1441, 1432 Arrow Builds (need mana web)
Element Combinations: Wind or Lightning
Water is fairly average all around, with above average accuracy. However, it's second skill combines Mana Web (you need it at at least level one) and Drip Bomb to slow the enemies attacking speed down. Drip Bomb only attacks one monster. The third job skill requires level 10 Arrow and I do believe is AoE.
My opinion: I don't know much about water, but the people who use it seem to be pretty happy with it. I see a lot of videos of high level water sheep owning in Tabasco volcano. Water/Lightning is very popular.

Lightning
Recommended builds: 1441, 1432 Arrow or Ring Builds
Element Combinations: Water or Fire
Lightning is relatively average as well, but it "jumps" from the main target to others around it, making it a nice little AoE. Also, the second skill is a passive skill that adds stun onto Electro Attack. Lightning's third job skill requires level 10 Arrow.
My opinion: I think Lightning/Water and Lightning/Fire are both good combinations. Lightning ends up with more left over TM points then any other element, so it goes well with Arrow Rush.

EDIT: Spell Ranking
A lot of people seem to be talking about which spell is the most powerful and least powerful and so on, so I calculated each one at MA= 500. All of the formulas were taken from Minty's sheep guide, so I'm not 100% on how accurate this is. No weaknesses or strengths were taken into account.

1: Incinerate (fire)
2: Whirlwind (wind)
3: Flame Tornado (fire)
4: Summon Boulder (earth)
5: Drip Bomb (water)
6: Wind Blade (wind)
7: Electro Shock (lightning)
8: Cleaving Terra (earth)

If anyone has any advice or corrections, I would be happy to hear them!
I've only made one sheep (wind/earth) so any input would be helpful.

Edit: Thanks for all the helpful info everyone!

holydragon · 11 Apr 2007

Originally Posted by Sacchari

Lightning
Recommended builds: 1441, 1432 Arrow or Ring Builds
Element Combinations: Water or Fire
Lightning is relatively average as well, but it "jumps" from the main target to others around it, making it a nice little AoE. Also, the second skill is a passive skill that adds stun onto Electro Attack. None of Lightning's skills require any first job skills.
My opinion: I think Lightning/Water and Lightning/Fire are both good combinations. Lightning ends up with more left over TM points then any other element, so it goes well with Arrow Rush. I've heard rumors that 3rd job lightning skills will require Mana Arrow, but I haven't seen any proof. I would appreciate it if someone who can read Korean will confirm this.

It is true that the skill of lighting for 3rd job requires mana arrow from here
http://cabala.chinesegamer.net/ca-4-1.asp

and props to you for making this wonderful guide

ilPalazzo · 11 Apr 2007

Very useful. Thanks!

11 Apr 2007

Good guide

APPROVED

Anchors · 11 Apr 2007

Nice concise guide! I've got a few things to add though if you don't mind. :x

I think someone posted the levels of accuracy of the first elemental skills (TM 55) as follows: Earth as the most accurate, Water, Lightning, Wind, and then Fire as least accurate. I can't remember who posted this or where they found the information, though. >_< Water is, incidentally, a pretty high accuracy skill, and seems to work with low sense/high charm builds, making the high charm/wind/water combination a viable option. ;3

Also, the job3 water skill (TM 120 Water sphere according to the jwiki) requires level 10 mana arrow, making water/lightning/AR a very TM-practical path. If a water/lightning sheep ignores support skills and goes specialist in job3, she can master all relevent skills by TM 124, i think (and that includes both the TM 120 raijin and water sphere skills)...

You mention that lightning is probably a better complement to fire than earth (and i agree) but something else to consider is that lightning's lack of both pre-requisite skills and a second attack skill allow a sheep to also fit in arrow rush (and leave MR at 10 if you hate it as much as i do x_X ). Such a sheep with all the staple skills (invincible cast, 10 cure, 1 bottle, mastered mist), mastered AR/MA, both fire skills mastered, and 10 MR should be able to finish at TM 115, or only five TM levels after the TM level requirement for the second job2 fire attack spell.

Serenity17 · 11 Apr 2007

Thanks for the info

XORaccoon · 11 Apr 2007

Um about your Earth and Wind I was wondering. If you were going to get Mana Storm wouldn't a 1432 build be better for the accuracy since you use Mana Storm. I have Mana Storm and I use it for good EXP.

Sacchari · 12 Apr 2007

Thanks to:
holydragon, for the link
and Anchors for the additional input

XORaccon, I don't have Mana Storm yet, so I don't really know how accurate it is or how it works. However, I do know that for both of the Wind skills you have to be very close to the monster to hit it. My Wind Blade hits about 90% of the time, which isn't amazing, but it is very fast and costs only 85 MP at level 10. I've heard that Galvest Typhoon is very accurate, but I can't verify that (heck, I don't even know what Galvest Typhoon looks like).

I would still recommend at least a 3 in charm for wind bards, but if you have good equips and can heal fast enough, you could have a 1432 or even 1441 (crazyness!).

Crestfallen · 12 Apr 2007

I think this guide deserves a sticky since it will be useful to others who are confused with their picks of elements :3

Anchors · 12 Apr 2007

Galvest would be really impractical with 1441 - according to the jwiki (and this seems to be what's written, not 100% sure on translation), moving - and therefore kiting or otherwise running away - cancels galvest. You CAN use other skills (cure, other attack spells) and potions, though, but can you spam faster than you take hits from a mob? Maybe... if you wear an amazing HP shield plus crazy LK gear for crit cancellation and block rate - but just remember the Galvest hits take place only every two seconds up to 18s or so at mastery, so if you go 1441, Galvest just might be entirely impractical except for farming low damage/level monsters...

Wind Blade can still be used with a low charm build, though... Because it's so fast, you can run past monsters and use it, continue running, toss a mana ring or something just as the monster's turning around, run past and wind blade again... As long as the monster doesn't move crazy fast, you can avoid taking hits at all this way in one-on-one combat with monsters.

However, although a high sense/low charm might skip galvest, if that sheep is going specialist in job3, i think the job3 wind skill (which is from what i can tell a powered up wind blade, but with higher cooldown/MP cost) requires 10 storm anyway, so there'll be no avoiding getting it... It's a good stalling spell anyway, though, allowing for some small amount of getaway time on mobs of relatively slow monsters for the duration of most of its animation and at a nice long range... :x

As for mana storm's accuracy, I think is fairly inaccurate, but not so much that you can't level with only that and mana arrow 1 on a 1414 for long enough to get another spell...

hey123 · 15 Apr 2007

my sheep is going to have 10 arrow, and 10 arrow rush.
10 cure, 1 bottle of mana, 1 mist.

is becomming a fire/lightning sheep a good idea?

Sacchari · 15 Apr 2007

Sure, just make sure to get level 10 ring before getting Phobos Blast/Incinerate which I think is at level 110 or so.

TsubakiLove · 19 Apr 2007

Wow, I just started my sheep a couple days ago. But she's almost ready to do her 2nd job. This guide was sooooo very helpful, clean and straight to the point. Thank you so much!
:)

ManaScope · 19 Apr 2007

thanks, looks like i'm going to make another sheep after i get my current one to 50/40 fire+earth

hey123 · 20 Apr 2007

what are the skills that increase with MA
such as mana arrow increases a lot with MA
but not mana ring.

what are the 2nd job skills that increase with MA?
thx

angelsheep · 20 Apr 2007

can someone please post a pic of 3rd job witch... thank u ^_^....

jmadeline · 21 Apr 2007

Hi...

I'm interested in making in a Lightning/Water sheep.
I was wondering what exactly would be the difference, as well as the pros and cons of choosing a... 1441 build or 1432 build for a lightning/water sheep, since this thread states that the reccomended builds for choosing lightning and water is, "1441, 1432".

Thanks...

iplaytrickster · 21 Apr 2007

Good Stuff 5/5

Aurvandil · 22 Apr 2007

I'm interested in making in a Lightning/Water sheep.
I was wondering what exactly would be the difference, as well as the pros and cons of choosing a... 1441 build or 1432 build for a lightning/water sheep, since this thread states that the reccomended builds for choosing lightning and water is, "1441, 1432".

Well, it's basically whether you want a better accuracy or better in suviving.
Since water and lightning both only require Level 10 Mana Arrow (For their 3rd job skills), most, if not all, would go for Arrow rush. And everyone knows arrow rush isn't the most accurate thing in the world, hence why you would need at least a 3 at sense stat, to hit decently.

jmadeline · 22 Apr 2007

Originally Posted by Aurvandil

Well, it's basically whether you want a better accuracy or better in suviving.
Since water and lightning both only require Level 10 Mana Arrow (For their 3rd job skills), most, if not all, would go for Arrow rush. And everyone knows arrow rush isn't the most accurate thing in the world, hence why you would need at least a 3 at sense stat, to hit decently.

Yaaaaaaaaaaay! Thanks for replying, you're so nice!

Yeah, I was thinking about the accuracy as well, thanks a bunch!