The LK Lion, in a nutshell

[StudyPunkRockism]

I looked around, and I didn't see a LK Lion guide; so I thought I'd make one. Then I realized it doesn't take much to be a LK Lion. I'm no LK Lion so I can't provide a full, detailed walkthrough, but I can still share my thoughts on it. No need for flashy introductions - let's cut to the chase.

Befire I begin, I'd like to clarify on "Lucky Strike":
I use the skill name "Lucky Strike" in place of Fortune Hit or Lucky Fist or Pistol Whip in this mini-guide; in-game, the skill card says "Lucky Fist" but what you learn is "Pistol Whip"


What is a LK Lion?
A LK Lion is simply a Lion who adds all his bonus points (gained from leveling up) to the LK stat.
PROS:
-High critical hit rates when attacking
-High blocking rates when taking hits
-Better chances of getting upper-tier values when compounding
-Lucky Strike cripples bosses
CONS:
-Melee: painfully slow leveling until TM95
-Ranged: less damage than a 1144 AC Lion
-Lack of skills like Aura of Luck, Landmine, and Pouch of Pain reduces potential damage output
Personally, if I were to make a LK Sense character, I would choose a Fox because a Fox gains more skills to assist in the LK field. But playing as a LK Lion is a great challenge, and there are players out there who love difficult challenges.

Okay, so create your Lion, name him, and pick a hair color; hair color doesn't matter since it gets reverted to natural blond at job advance.

What does 1144 mean?
To new players out there, when you create a character, you can choose how you want groups of stats to grow. Sense is locked at 4 for any Sense character, so you can allocate 3 growth points to Power, Magic, or Charm. 1144 means you're allocating those 3 growth points to Charm.
To understand what you are picking for your character's graph build, you must first understand what each stat does for a LK Lion as it levels up:
AP - Increases normal physical attack. Means NOTHING to Sense characters because no skill a Sense character can learn uses AP
AC - For guns: increases base damage. For physical attacks: increases hit-rate. Important to have for any Sense character
DX - Decreases the delay between normal attacks. Since Sense characters rely purely on skills, this stat is useless
MP - Increases the capacity of skill usage. The natural boosts from equipment is enough for Sense characters
MA - Increases magic damage. Useless because Sense characters don't attack with magic
MD - Increases resistance to magic --> decreases damage received from magic attacks. Useless anywhere outside the PvP Arena
WT - Increases carrying capacity. Useful for ANYONE
DA - The main stat that most Sense skills feed off of. Increases synthesis success rate. Increases drilling detection. Useful to non-gunning Sense characters
LK - Increases critical hit rate for physical attacks (thus increasing hit rate). Increases hit rate for non-physical attacks. Increases chance to block any attack. Increases chance to dodge non-physical attacks. Increases chance to gain upper tier values when compounding. See how useful this stat is?
HP - Increases hit capacity. Useful for ANYONE
DP - Increases defense against physical attacks --> decreases damage received from physical attacks. Useful in everyday training
HV - Increases chance to dodge physical attacks. Increases impact of bullets --> decreases damage received from gun attacks. Useful in everyday training

What graph build should I choose?
I highly recommend 1144. Outside of Sense and Charm, there are only two other useful stats. Still, that is not enough reason to have anything more than a 1 in that stat group, as opposed to Charm, which has three useful stats. To a LK Lion not using guns, 1144 is the way to go.
If a LK Lion chooses to use guns, the option of 4141 plays into hand. This build allows the LK Lion to attain some damage with guns. I advise against it because without a shield, survival is nonexistant. Keep in mind that Lucky Strike is melee and has a considerable wind-up time, leaving your Lion wide open for attacks that a gunner shouldn't be sustaining in the first place.
PROS:
-Ability to use guns with decent damage speeds up training at lower levels
-Gain all the other benefits of having LK (mentioned above)
CONS:
-Extremely feeble character that will die fast without enough HP
-Only fares well against Mages and other gunners in PvP; weak to everyone else
-Lucky Strike is melee, which contradicts wielding a gun that won't add LK
-No shield on a 1-Charm character is suicide

What skills does a LK Lion learn?
Melee LK Lions play very similarly to Foxes. There are two skill builds, which have different outcomes.

Melee Dual-Attack Build:
TM12 - Stone Strike (Master)
TM25 - Sixth Sense (Master)
TM38 - Shuriken Mastery (Master)
TM40 - Armor Destructor (Lv 1)
TM56 - Lucky 7 (Master)
...
TM95 - Lucky Strike (Master)
With this build, you have two attacks, to compensate for Stone Strike's cooldown, that you can alternate. Between Lucky 7 and Lucky Strike, there are 24 TM points that you can use freely. The downside of this build is the inability to use guns. Gun Booster itself will require 25 TM points, but at least that allows some usage of guns, which is what the next build encases.

Melee Stone Strike-focused build:
TM12 - Stone Strike (Master)
TM25 - Sixth Sense (Master)
TM30 - Gun Carrier (Acquire)
TM35 - Invincible Reload (Acquire)
TM50 - Gun Booster (Master)
TM52 - Armor Destructor (Lv 1)
TM68 - Lucky 7 (Master)
...
TM95 - Lucky Strike (Master)
You obtain Gun Booster to buff the hit rate of Stone Strike. You also can use guns if you prefer since you're able to, but your damage will be pitiful. Between Lucky 7 and Lucky Strike, there are 12 TM points that you can use freely. You can learn Quick Reload if you prefer, but put off Power Shot and Shooting Spree so you can master Lucky Strike as soon as you can. Basic Detection is a viable option, as is Sticky Foot, but getting a skill that late might not be worth it by then. This is the generally accepted build for LK Lions since it is pure melee.

Ranged LK build:
TM05 - Gun Carrier (Acquire)
TM10 - Stone Strike (Lv 5)
TM20 - Invincible Reload (Acquire)
TM30 - Gun Booster (Master)
TM35 - Stone Strike (Lv 10)
TM40 - Quick Reload (Acquire)
TM55 - Power Shot (Master)
TM57 - Armor Destructor (Lv 1)
TM73 - Lucky 7 (Master)
...
TM95 - Lucky Strike (Master)
If you hadn't noticed, this is almost a standard gunner skill build, opting to obtain Lucky 7 before Shooting Spree. Between Lucky 7 and Lucky Strike, there are 7 TM points that you can freely use. Overall ends up with less raw damage than a 1144 AC Lion, but Power Shot will critical more often.

Where do LK Lions train?
Melee LK Lions play in almost the exact same style as Foxes, and there are plenty of great Fox guides, so go look elsewhere for training spots. Same goes for ranged LK Lions - go see the other Lion guides.

What equipment should I get as a LK Lion?
Again, the Fox and Lion guides cover that respectively. I can provide some input.
You'll want to maximize DA until you get Lucky Strike, so get equipment tailored towards raising DA. The +stat tells what you should compound.

Melee Level 1-49
Hat: Clever DP hats or store-bought hats
Weapon: Sensible Knives
Shield: Stout DP shields or store-bought shields
Accessories: Disabled Person's Pouch, Power Amulet
Pet: Baby Fox
Innerwear: Lifesaving Vest +DP, Duo Doctor +DP

Melee Level 50 - TM95
Hat: Craft/Custom MD Hats +DA
Weapon: Craft/Custom/Master Knives +DA
Shield: Craft/Custom/Master MD Shields +DP
Acc1: Feel-more Ring +DA
Acc2: Possessed Fork
Pet: UFO, Fairy Angel Blue
Innerwear: Golden Mole Vest +HP, Duo Doctor +DP

Melee Post TM95
Hat: Craft/Custom MD Hats +LK
Weapon: Master Canes +LK
Shield: Craft/Custom/Master DP Shields + HP
Acc1: Perfect Day Ring +LK
Acc2: Rhythm Earrings +AC
Pet: Ice Family, Fairy Angel Blue
Innerwear: Golden Mole Vest +HP, Duo Doctor +DP

Ranged Level 1-49
Hat: Clever DP hats or store-bought hats
Weapon: Shrewd Guns
Accessories: Power Amulet, Disabled Person's Pouch, Acceptance Trunks +LK
Pet: Baby Bunny
Innerwear: Lifesaving Vest +DP, Duo Doctor +DP

Ranged Post Level 50
Hat: Craft/Custom MD Hats +LK
Weapon: Master Guns +AC
Acc1: Lucky Day Necklace +LK
Acc2: Rhythm Earrings +AC
Pet: Chuck-E, Fairy Angel Red
Innerwear: Golden Mole Vest +HP, Duo Doctor +DP

What if I can buy MyShop items?
Well then you're in luck. You can skip all this hullabaloo and just level up to TM95 as an AC gunner, then buy Master's Authorities and/or a Point Back All (or Graph Build Reset) to make yourself a LK Lion and learn Lucky Strike. If you're going to be a Gunner, you will not have enough TM points at TM95 to master Lucky Strike right away unless you skip a skill like Shooting Spree. Also, you'll have accesss to great equipment. The list of possible MyShop gears is limitless, so pick your own combination based on the Lion you create.

Do Inventors fight?
If you try to go melee with an Inventor, you'll notice something horrible - Inventors critical really slowly, almost twice as slow as Engineers. When a first job Lion hits critical, he swings at the same speed that all first job characters do. However, when a second job Lion hits critical, he not only has a wind-up to to his swing, but also a really long hangtime after swinging. This really does not affect gameplay because it will only deal with passive attacks, and Lions don't attack passively.
If you are a passive attacker, you can avoid this hangtime by opting to revert back to an Engineer's appearance with Louis Bitton, an NPC who will change your appearance for 50,000 Galders. There is one minor downside to doing so, in addition to the fee. To use capes, your character must be in his or her second job form. If you use the disguise system to change your appearance to an Engineer, you will not be able to use capes. Currently, this only affects MyShop players who bought a cape.

Numbers crunching

4141 AC Lion, level 145, Shrewd Pierce Gun (291/7) nothing else equipped, Booster & Lucky 7 activated
Power Shot: 6239
Lucky Strike: 1830

1144 AC Lion, level 145, Shrewd Pierce Gun (291/7) nothing else equipped, Booster & Lucky 7 activated
Power Shot: 4781

4141 LK Lion, level 145, Shrewd Pierce Gun (291/7) nothing else equipped, Booster & Lucky 7 activated
Power Shot: 4295
Lucky Strike: 3660
Base HP: 1200

1144 LK Lion, level 145, Chance Battle Staff (18/7) nothing else equipped, Booster & Lucky 7 activated
Lucky Strike: 4012
Base HP: 4440

What if...?
I don't know what else I can answer at this time. Ask your questions so I can answer them and perhaps even make room in this guide for more info. Thanks to Zeg for his character simulator and Puzz for suggesting the 4141 LK Lion.

[Future2001]

nice guide.. thanks...

[KnZ]

I guess this is an ok guide, but the use of L7 and other stuff ruins this completely

[Anchors]

I can't really see how a LK sense type using L7 would ruin anything period. >_>

1144 dagger Sense types work well for either type... but I don't think a 1144 LK would ever go with gun. If someone really wanted a LK gunner, I think 4141 LK would be the way to go, with LK (and a HP GMV) serving in a defensive capacity as well as for critting. For that kind of LK character, AC equips would be used, as opposed to DA for a 1144 LK dagger type.

[StudyPunkRockism]

I think he meant my use of abbreviations. I'll change things later when I have time, since now after having looked at it, it looks really sloppy. I did say "in a nutshell," meaning a brief guide. This isn't a full guide, just a basic guide.

[g0g3t4]

can fortune hit miss on an enemy? and if it does do u need AC to hit better?

[StudyPunkRockism]

All physical attacks are based on AC. Fortune Hit just happens to be more accurate than Stone Strike, though I don't know how much AC is enough. Also note that Fortune Hit's critical damage is x1.5.

[FastHands]

how does sixth sense help out fortune hit?

[Bizie]

I want LK lion now :P

I like this kind of unusual buildies.

[StudyPunkRockism]

Sixth Sense doesn't help out Fortune Hit. You get it so you can actually train from scratch to TM95 with Stone Strike. If you want to train for 100+ levels without Sixth Sense, then by all means do it. But you'll regret it.

[Mukumuku]

lol. Grow to love sixth sense as a lk lion, or you won't be up to par with others.

[FastHands]

if i switched to this build from a 3142 gunner at around lvl 150 would i be lvling any slower?

[Fuzz]

You would be missing your melee skills, you build would be off, etc

If you are a gunner, stay a gunner unless you have myshop to change your build

[FastHands]

ya im gona use myshop^^ to go 1144 pure lk and get fortune hit, would i lvl any slower at lvl 150? also does fortune hit depend on AC to hit people? cuz with 1 in power wouldnt u miss alot?one more thing, fortune hit does count as a physical hit right?

[StudyPunkRockism]

Originally Posted by FastHands

ya im gona use myshop^^ to go 1144 pure lk and get fortune hit, would i lvl any slower at lvl 150? also does fortune hit depend on AC to hit people? cuz with 1 in power wouldnt u miss alot?one more thing, fortune hit does count as a physical hit right?

Laggy covered everything you asked here in his guide. Like I explicitly stated in my first post, if I don't mention it, it's probably in someone else's guide. (free publicity for other guides)

[Yellowdoggie]

since im playing a lk lion and just seen this topic

im already 40 and went along with this build before with alot of da gear and pet and stuff

the max i can put up is normal 1k stone strike ._. (not crit!)

so here is what i was thinking

-lv 10 stone

- gun carrier

- invincible reload

- gunbooster max

- power shot

- armor thne lucky seven. dun know about spree shooting ._. since mob = suicide

with this you will be dealing super nice damage with all ac gear (aronud 80% of 1144 pure ac lion ) and never miss due to pure lk build =/

sadly i got myself lv master stone strike but 2 tm shudn't be anything bad ._. can't wait for my reset potion to re those sixth sense and shuriken out <3

[StudyPunkRockism]

You do what you want. This isn't a guide - it's a summary.
You should master Stone Strike anyways. How else are you going to do damage until TM95?
And if you're using a gun, you'll still be very weak. Granted, it's nice to have backup damage if you're facing monsters resistant to physical and weak to guns, but in normal training, you're better off using Stone Strike.

[Yellowdoggie]

but gun still do more damage right? ._.

alway