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      Please note that there are several sections in this guide, such as a Skill Info section and a Gameplay section, which covers Culvert strategies. Click on the tabs at the top of the guide (right above this message) to switch sections.
      9XQqt4o.png
      Table of Contents


      Why Bowmaster?

      Bowmaster is a ranged, utility-based and varied class. Whether you like it or not depends on what sort of playstyle you prefer.

      If you're on the fence of playing Bowmaster, I'd recommend you just try playing it because the best way to know that you like (or dislike) a class is by simply playing it! Getting to level 200 is super easy nowadays. Try it out for a bit with bosses such as Chaos Root Abyss and see if you like how Bowmaster flows.

      The general pros and cons of Bowmaster are listed below:

      Pros
      • Best HP recovery skill in the game - Blood Arrows are toggled on/off with Magic Arrows without restriction.
      • High damage - Bowmaster is overall a great damage dealer. In GMS, Bowmaster may be relatively lower (due to Attack Speed differences in KMS vs GMS) but it doesn't make Bowmaster absolutely weak or anything. It might be mid-20's ranking in GMS, which, post-Destiny is not a big deal due to the balancing gap being significantly reduced.
      • High mobility, versatile grinding - has left, right, upwards, and downwards flash jump, along with Blink Shot to teleport to specific locations with almost no cooldown. It even has a hover/second jump after its flash jump! Arrow Blaster in certain maps can allow for braindead grinding, especially when combined with Blink Shot.
      • Highest constant Status Resistance in the game - quickly stackable 120 Status Resistance from Focused Fury while attacking monsters.
      • Mobile attacking - while using Hurricane, you can jump and move at full speed with no cast delays.
      • Strong summons - utilizing Arrow Blaster, Inhuman Speed, Fury of the Wild, Guided Arrow, and Storm of Arrows can allow you to attack effectively for half a minute while not pressing a single button.
      • Sharp Eyes - good for buffing parties, and no need for Decent Sharp Eyes. Additionally, does not require Decent Speed Infusion either.
      • Low amount of buffs - buffs last 5 minutes at minimum and only has two. If you have three pets, you have free slots for Decent Combat Orders, Decent Advanced Blessing, and two other skills as you wish (e.g. Decent Holy Symbol and Decent Speed Infusion, although Bowmaster does not need the latter for any sort of bossing).
      • Great mobbing - Arrow Blaster can take a platform (and then some) and Arrow Stream provides nice vertical mobbing. Storm of Arrows and Quiver Barrage/Fury of the Wild can be rotated in 5th Job for very excellent post-5th mobbing. Speed Mirage provides excellent coverage when it procs to clear out stray mobs.
      • Good built-in Ignore Enemy Defense - Armor Break gives a flat +40% IED and Marksmanship gives a flat +25% IED.
      • Relatively simplistic 5th Job Nodes - Bowmaster's nodes are easy to understand and it's relatively easy to obtain perfect trios compared to other jobs.
      • Good 6th Job - Bowmaster's Origin skill is rather good, but the main benefit (as of the initial 6th Job release) is HEXA Hurricane being the strongest contributor with a burst mode, which you can read about in the Build and Gameplay sections.
      Cons
      • Squishy at lower levels - when you're training at lower levels you may find yourself low on HP, but post-level 200 this should not be an issue at all or during bossing.
      • Skill rotation-heavy - you need to keep your skills up for optimal damage; Bowmaster is NOT a single-button class, BUT it's NOT one where you need to press stuff every 3 seconds like Kinesis or Evan. In KMS, BM is somewhat known as the "30-second Master" for a reason. Bowmaster needs to cast multiple buffs and summons; but after that, it's easy sailing by just holding Hurricane.
      • 120 second burst - Bowmaster's burst cycle for its own skills all have 120 second cooldowns, and is high on DPM for 30-40 seconds. This reduces Bowmaster's effectiveness in the Oz ring meta 15 sec burst cycle.
      Choose a class that you have fun with, not a class that does good damage. Most classes are more than capable of dishing out awesome damage (except Kanna), especially with 6th Job.



      Nodes

      Bowmaster's Node setup is pretty straightforward to set up.

      Must-have Skill Nodes
      • 9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows (for bossing and grinding)
      • 5YlSYC2.png Inhuman Speed (for bossing and grinding)
      • qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage (for bossing and grinding)
      • RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage (for bossing and a little grinding)
      • 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot (for bossing)
      Other Recommended Skill Nodes
      • tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild (for bossing and grinding)
      • oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow (for bossing and grinding)
      • tzH4B6k.png Maple Goddess's Blessing (for bossing)
      • 4tGst1W.png True Arachnid Reflection (Lv. 235+ node from Esfera, for bossing and grinding)
      • uLKUz8h.png Solar Crest (Lv. 265+ node from Seren, for bossing and grinding)
      • FLwolFx.png Erda Nova (for bossing) - Lv. 25 Erda Nova has a 120 second cooldown, so Erda Nova's cooldown aligns perfectly with Bowmaster's 120 second cooldown burst.
      • Kmy02WL.png Erda Shower (for grinding)
      • xosH1Id.png Blink (for bossing) - allows you to hover midair for up to 5 seconds at Lv. 25. You can link Covering Fire into Blink after an up jump for a high amount of air time. Also increases Attack passively.
      • ykgLSx4.png Decent Holy Symbol (for bossing drop rate and grinding)
      • KwSi5Cq.png Decent Combat Orders (for bossing)
      • 3lwnQ8p.png Decent Advanced Blessing (for bossing)
      Boost Node Priorities
      1. aNdV3RJ.png Hurricane (for bossing)
      2. fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster/Speed Mirage (for bossing and grinding) - this Node boosts both skills at the same time, so thankfully Bowmaster only needs 2 sets of trio nodes.
      3. 56qaRJH.png Quiver Cartridge (for bossing)
      4. C5q3vYV.png Advanced Final Attack (for bossing)
      5. HiZrU8H.png Arrow Stream (for grinding)
      6. qf4hSum.png Gritty Gust (for grinding primarily and some bossing due to its debuff)
      Sample Node Setup (for Lv. 260)
      VMatrixFinal.png
      • 9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows (slot enhanced)
      • 5YlSYC2.png Inhuman Speed (slot enhanced)
      • qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage (slot enhanced)
      • RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage (slot enhanced)
      • 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot (slot enhanced)
      • tzH4B6k.png Maple Goddess's Blessing (slot enhanced)
      • oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow (slot enhanced)
      • 4tGst1W.png True Arachnid Reflection (slot enhanced)
      • FLwolFx.png Erda Nova (slot enhanced)
      • xosH1Id.png Blink (slot enhanced)
      • ykgLSx4.png Decent Holy Symbol (slot enhanced)
      • tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild (slot enhanced)
      • t94lYPh.png Will of Erda (slot enhanced)
      • [ aNdV3RJ.png ] Hurricane + 56qaRJH.png Quiver Cartridge + C5q3vYV.png Advanced Final Attack (slot enhanced)
      • [ 56qaRJH.png ] Quiver Cartridge + aNdV3RJ.png Hurricane + C5q3vYV.png Advanced Final Attack (slot enhanced)
      • [ fVqbJ8c.png ] Arrow Blaster/Speed Mirage + qf4hSum.png Gritty Gust + HiZrU8H.png Arrow Stream (slot enhanced)
      • [ HiZrU8H.png ] Arrow Stream + qf4hSum.png Gritty Gust + fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster/Speed Mirage (slot enhanced)
      • KwSi5Cq.png Decent Combat Orders
      • 3lwnQ8p.png Decent Advanced Blessing
      [Brackets] signify the "main" skill of the Boost Node. I've highlighted the combinations of Boost Nodes together. It doesn't matter what order or combination you have the skills in, as long as you have them. This is just a sample!

      Matrix Points
      See the Skill Build section at the top of this guide on where to allocate your 5th Job Matrix Points to enhance node slots.



      Link Skills

      Bowmaster's Link Skill (same as Marksman and Pathfinder. Stacks up to level 6 by sharing them into one character.):

      HcuDpWw.png Adventurer's Curiosity [Master Level: 6]: Your curiosity and attention to detail grants you bonuses to Critical Rate and the chance of adding monsters to your Monster Collection. This bonus is multiplicative rather than additive.
      This Link Skill can be stacked up to 3 times, once for each unique Explorer Bowman job character you have on this world.
      This skill can also be used by one character you have in this world.

      Chance to add monsters to Monster Collection: +35%, Critical Rate: +10%

      Bowmaster has a standard set of Ikm3SuT.png Link Skills. Here are my recommendations.

      For Bossing
      1. nshs0hG.png Fury Unleashed (Demon Slayer) - up to Lv. 3
      2. zHdq49k.png Wild Rage (Demon Avenger) - up to Lv. 3
      3. NbA2y3g.png Light Wash (Luminous) - up to Lv. 3
      4. UsImL9m.png Solus (Ark) - up to Lv. 3
      5. GIiRufk.png Empirical Knowledge (Explorer Magicians) - up to Lv. 6
      6. yOW8Qyq.png Terms and Conditions (Angelic Buster) - up to Lv. 3
      7. 7hguBD0.png Elementalism (Kanna) - up to Lv. 2
      8. Phantom_Instinct.png Phantom Instinct (Phantom) - up to Lv. 3 - used for 5th Job's 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot during burst
      9. HyDSj0y.png Judgment (Kinesis) - up to Lv. 2
      10. n1jsj8k.png Focus Spirit (Beast Tamer) - up to Lv. 3
      11. nJifB7s.png Unfair Advantage (Cadena) - up to Lv. 2
      12. XznRrPN.png Spirit of Freedom (Resistance) - up to Lv. 8
      If you're not using the Spirit of Freedom link (for DPS focus, e.g. Culvert or Dojo): use Rez2Jvv.png Tide of Battle (Illium) (jump in place with Hurricane to easily activate) - up to Lv. 2

      For Grinding
      1. mNQ4CGx.png Elven Blessing (Mercedes) - up to Lv. 3
      2. RyCx94w.png Rune Persistence (Evan) - up to Lv. 3
      3. FTekH2W.png Combo Kill Blessing (Aran) - up to Lv. 3
      4. zHdq49k.png Wild Rage (Demon Avenger) - up to Lv. 3
      5. UsImL9m.png Solus (Ark) - up to Lv. 3
      6. HyDSj0y.png Judgment (Kinesis) - up to Lv. 2
      7. iJoNMyR.png Thief's Cunning (Explorer Thieves) - up to Lv. 6
      8. 7hguBD0.png Elementalism (Kanna) - up to Lv. 2
      9. 9oNcPX8.png Bravado (Hoyoung) - up to Lv. 2
      10. 8E1OyLn.png Nature's Friend (Lara) - up to Lv. 2
      11. Rez2Jvv.png Tide of Battle (Illium) - up to Lv. 2
      12. WIoKAFn.png Time to Prepare (Kain) - up to Lv. 2



      Legion

      Prioritize Critical Damage and Boss Damage first, then Ignore Defense like other classes use. After all of those are maxed, either place into Critical Rate so that 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot is stronger for bursts, or into DEX for consistent damage.

      Use Xenogent's Legion Solver to effectively place your Legion blocks!

      For a more in-depth guide on Legion and how it works and what Legion effects there are, see Jushiro's Legion Guide.

      DEX Legion Effects
      • Bowmaster
      • Pathfinder
      • Wind Archer
      • Xenon (STR/DEX/LUK)
      • Angelic Buster
      • Kain
      Critical Rate Legion Effects
      These are useful to boost 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot in 5th Job.
      • Marksman
      • Night Lord
      Sample 8k Legion Board Setup
      ha43Mn2.png



      Inner Ability

      Bowmaster doesn't need +1 Attack Speed as it's a primarily key-down skill class. It also doesn't need buff duration as Bowmaster only has to cast Sharp Eyes and Maple Warrior for buffs, which can easily be placed on pet autobuff.

      If you have Legendary Ability, the first Ability line is always Legendary, but the other two will be Unique or Epic. Consult the guide here for more information.

      Best Inner Abilities from best to worst:
      1. Boss Damage - up to +20% Boss Damage on Legendary tier. Highly recommended to be first line, unless if you just simply don't do or care about bosses.
      2. Critical Rate - up to +20% on Unique tier. Recommended for DPS to increase Vicious Shot's Critical Damage boost. Extremely rare.
      3. Damage Increase when attacking monsters inflicted with Abnormal Status - up to +8% damage on Unique tier. If you have the Explorer Mage link skill, it's essentially a pure +8% Damage increase. Recommended for DPS. Very rare.
      Other Inner Abilities of note:
      1. Attack - up to +21 Attack on Unique tier. Very rare, but also not very good compared to any of the three lines above.
      2. Meso or Drop Rate Increase - up to 20% on Legendary tier, up to 15% on Unique tier. Recommended only if you're focusing on the grind!



      Hyper Stats

      I'd recommend getting most of the following list of Hyper Stats to level 7 first for efficiency purposes before you push any Hyper Stat to level 10 or beyond.

      General priority list:
      1. Boss Damage
      2. Critical Damage
      3. Ignore Defense
      4. Damage (worse scaling than Boss Damage)
      5. Attack
      6. DEX
      7. Critical Rate (going beyond 100% still helps the 5th Job Skill 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot slightly, but don't invest too heavily into it)
      Please note that there are several sections in this guide, such as a Skill Info section and a Gameplay section, which covers Culvert strategies. Click on the tabs at the top of the guide (scroll up to the top) to switch sections.

      Attached Files:

    2. Guide Author , Find all guides by Sky
  • Build

    Table of Contents



    1st Job

    I recommend putting a point into Arrow Blow, Double Jump, and Archery Mastery first when you advance. From there, max out Double Jump for mobility and the rest as you feel like.

    Gg03VsX.png Arrow Blow
    JJp0Qca.png Double Jump
    YlOxgo5.png Critical Shot
    iuzNEha.png Archery Mastery



    2nd Job

    I recommend putting a point into Wind Arrow, Soul Arrow: Bow, and Bow Mastery when you first advance. When you level afterwards, get Bow Mastery to at least level 5 so you can use Agile Bows. From there, do as you like.

    eJoksHU.png Wind Arrow
    OHf5Un9.png Covering Fire
    OieeMcg.png Agile Bows
    iuzNEha.png Soul Arrow: Bow
    56qaRJH.png Quiver Cartridge - automatically allocated after job advancement
    LYUpG7w.png Bow Mastery
    7tvYjbP.png Final Attack: Bow
    ZKbpMo5.png Physical Training



    3rd Job

    I recommend putting a point into Arrow Blaster, Speed Mirage, and Marksmanship when you first advance. When you level afterwards, I'd recommend putting SP into Reckless Hunt: Bow, Phoenix, and Evasion Boost. Don't put any SP into Focused Fury until everything is maxed. Level as you like from there.

    fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster
    EY3W3om.png Speed Mirage
    9E13iPs.png Phoenix
    1XZiuKc.png Blink Shot
    Xl8CCVe.png Reckless Hunt: Bow
    dIqxoVQ.png Mortal Blow
    22xF5Ay.png Focused Fury
    SLfyYdY.png Evasion Boost
    JQbacQi.png Marksmanship



    4th Job

    I recommend putting a point into Hurricane, Arrow Stream, and Speed Mirage II when you first advance. From there, put some points into Bow Expert, Illusion Step, and Sharp Eyes. Don't even put 1 SP Armor Break at all until everything else is maxed, as it is completely unnecessary for anything before Level 140.

    aNdV3RJ.png Hurricane
    4aOu3z5.png Speed Mirage II
    HiZrU8H.png Arrow Stream
    Wr2RSvB.png Sharp Eyes
    xtyHadf.png Illusion Step
    FxykilI.png Hero's Will
    ft7EOjy.png Maple Warrior
    nSDKirk.png Enchanted Quiver
    ACfa4XD.png Bow Expert
    C5q3vYV.png Advanced Final Attack
    i5JMnV6.png Armor Break



    Hyper Skills

    Bowmaster has a pretty straightforward Hyper Skill build:

    Level 140: add into eKSqco2.png Concentration
    Level 150: add into xqY3dxR.png Hurricane - Reinforce and Tzdiexk.png Sharp Eyes - Guardbreak
    Level 160: add into qf4hSum.png Gritty Gust
    Level 165: add into t23KIdc.png Hurricane - Boss Rush
    Level 180: add into bERW8Y0.png Arrow Stream - Extra Strike if you need damage for mobbing. Otherwise, add into xN7ayHb.png Sharp Eyes - Critical Chance for post-5th job bossing for Vicious Shot.
    Level 190: add into FeqPEfO.png Hurricane - Split Attack and cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure



    5th Job (Matrix Points)

    From Level 200 to Level 220, you get 1 Matrix Point per level up. From 221 until the last level in 5th Job, 260, you will get 2 Matrix Points per level up.

    At Levels 210/220/230/240/250/260, you will unlock 1 additional Node slot in addition to the regular 2 Node slots unlocking every 5 levels.

    You will have 7 Node slots unlocked on the 5th Job advancement at Level 200.

    Prioritizing grinding? Go ahead and boost ykgLSx4.png Holy Symbol and Kmy02WL.png Erda Shower as soon as you can. Otherwise, if you still feel the need to boost your grinding but not looking to ASAP, or you just want to swap out on-demand, Quiver Barrage and Vicious Shot are not very good for grinding, so they can be replaced by Holy Symbol and Erda Shower.

    Level 201 - 205: add into 9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows
    Level 206 - 210: add into 5YlSYC2.png Inhuman Speed
    Level 211 - 225: add into JfJRqP2.png Boost Nodes
    Level 226 - 228: add into qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage
    Level 228 - 230: add into 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot
    Level 231 - 233: add into tzH4B6k.png Maple Goddess's Blessing
    Level 233 - 235: add into RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage
    Level 236 - 238: add into tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild
    Level 238 - 240: add into oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow
    Level 241 - 243: add into xosH1Id.png Blink

    Allocate the rest as you'd like to Rope Lift and Decent Skills Nodes for passive stat boosts.



    6th Job

    HEXA Stats
    Since Bowmaster has an overwhelming amount of Critical Damage during burst due to 9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot, generally speaking, you'd want to assign Attack as the main stat with Boss Damage and Main Stat being the other two stats*.
    *some may recommend that you should select Critical Damage instead of Boss Damage. You should use available stat calculators to see which fits the best for your stats. If you have a large investment into Critical Rate from Legion, you may prefer Boss Damage over Critical Damage. Kobe's video below says that they're close, and he's generally speaking for KMS. GMS has a large amount of Boss Damage thanks to Gollux and Familiars, but Bowmaster also has a large amount of Critical Damage, so it may very well be a toss-up depending on your overall stat build. Which is why I recommend you try a stat calculator that has a comparison feature!

    Bowmaster should unlock HEXA Stat after unlocking all HEXA Skills to level 1 and after HEXA Hurricane is leveled up to around level 9*. Refer to the next section below on when you should start leveling up HEXA Hurricane.
    *some may recommend waiting until level 19 HEXA Hurricane before investing into HEXA Stat. I and some others recommend level 9 because of the large Sol Erda Fragment costs from level 9 -> 10 can be relatively staggering (100), so it may be potentially more worth to use those 100 fragments instead for unlocking and leveling up HEXA Stat multiple times. In any case, you will unlock it at some point, so either way you go about it, it's not a major deal.

    I recommend you fully watch iSlingGunz's HEXA Stat video here for general information on the system:



    HEXA Skills
    For Bowmaster, hurricane-vi-1.png HEXA Hurricane is the better overall damaging skill compared to the Origin Skill, ascendant-shade.png Ascendant Shadow. Not to say that Ascendant Shadow is bad, but HEXA Hurricane wins out on top over time. So needless to say, as soon as you unlock 6th Job, you should aim for unlocking HEXA Hurricane as soon as possible.

    Of course, Ascendant Shadow is still extremely good condensed burst and wins in that regard, especially when it comes to bosses that rely on burst periods such as Gloom.

    In regards to the 5th Job Boost Nodes, you should unlock them to level 1 in order from Quiver Barrage -> Inhuman Speed -> Storm of Arrows -> Silhouette Mirage*.
    *Quiver Barrage and Inhuman Speed are close in damage, some people suggest one over the other as the initial unlock. However, you'll end up unlocking one anyways right after the other and then follow the guide below, so it's not a big deal on which you unlock first.

    See the below image guide on how to level your 6th Job Nodes. Although the image is titled "Reboot", there is no difference in the leveling priority for regular servers.

    Bowmaster_6th_Infograph_V4.png
  • Skill Info

    Table of Contents
    This section contains skill info from the Global MapleStory service as of GMS v246.

    Beginner Skills
    Skill Icon Skill Name Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    HcuDpWw.png Adventurer's Curiosity [Master Level: 6]
    Your curiosity and attention to detail grants you bonuses to Critical Rate and the chance of adding monsters to your Monster Collection. This bonus is multiplicative rather than additive. This Link Skill can be stacked up to 3 times, once for each unique Explorer Bowman job character you have on this world. This skill can also be used by one character you have in this world.
    Chance to add monsters to Monster Collection: +35%, Critical Rate: +10%




    1st Job
    Skill Icon Skill Name Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    Gg03VsX.png Arrow Blow [Master Level: 20]
    Shoots consecutive arrows at multiple enemies.
    MP Cost: 11, Damage: 160%, Max Enemies Hit: 5, Arrows Fired: 3
    JJp0Qca.png Double Jump [Master Level: 10]
    Allows you to use the Double Jump skill to move very quickly.
    Double-tap the up arrow key to jump again while in mid-air. Double-tap the down arrow key to descend more quickly. If you use Action Customization, you can move up in the air with the up arrow and jump keys, and descend with the down arrow and jump keys. Right-click to toggle Action Customization ON/OFF.
    MP Cost: 10, allows you to jump a greater distance
    YlOxgo5.png Critical Shot [Master Level: 20]
    Increase Critical Rate.
    Critical Rate: +40%
    iuzNEha.png Archery Mastery [Master Level: 15]
    Builds proficiency in the fundamentals of Archery. Increases Range, Movement Speed, Attack Speed, and Max Movement Speed.
    Range +120, Movement Speed +30, Attack Speed: +1.
    Max Movement Speed Increased to 160.




    2nd Job
    Skill Icon Skill Name Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    eJoksHU.png Wind Arrow [Master Level: 20]
    Fire multiple arrows that fly like the wind.
    MP Cost: 15, Max Enemies Hit: 6, Damage: 178%, Number of Attacks: 3
    OHf5Un9.png Covering Fire [Master Level: 9]
    Fire arrows while leaping backwards. While firing, you'll have 100% Knockback Resistance. If you press and hold the skill key, you will fire arrows rapidly while in mid-air. You will temporarily not be pushed back by any attack after casting.
    MP Cost: 5, if you press and hold the skill key after jumping a certain distance backward, you will attack enemies at up to 105% of damage for 2 sec while in mid-air
    OieeMcg.png Agile Bows [Master Level: 10]
    Increase Attack Speed and Dexterity.
    Required Skill: Bow Mastery Lv. 5
    Attack Speed: +2, DEX: +20
    iuzNEha.png Soul Arrow: Bow [Master Level: 20]
    Allows you to use your bow without consuming arrows and increases Attack Power.
    The arrows in your inventory with the highest Attack Power will be used to calculate your damage.
    Attack Power +30. Allows you to attack without consuming arrows.
    56qaRJH.png Quiver Cartridge [Master Level: 1]
    Use a special arrowhead. Learning Enchanted Quiver adds arrowheads you can use. Arrowheads can be changed by using the skill again.
    30% chance to fire a magic arrow that pursues the enemy and deals 220% damage.
    LYUpG7w.png Bow Mastery [Master Level: 10]
    Increases Bow Mastery.
    Level 10 required to learn Bow Expert.
    Bow Mastery: +50%
    7tvYjbP.png Final Attack: Bow [Master Level: 20]
    Grants a chance to activate an additional hit after an attack. Must have a bow equipped.
    Required skill: Bow Mastery Lv. 3.
    Level 20 required to learn Advanced Final Attack.
    [Final Attack Skills] Has a 40% chance to deal 150% Final Attack damage.
    ZKbpMo5.png Physical Training [Master Level: 5]
    Permanently increases STR and DEX through sheer physical training.
    Permanently increase STR by 30 and DEX by 30.




    3rd Job
    Skill Icon Skill Name Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster [Master Level: 20]
    Shoots an arrow at a high angle. If you press and hold the skill key, you will fire continuously. While firing, press Up or Down to control the force of the shot.
    While casting the skill, press the Interact/Harvest key to set up an Arrow Blaster--which fires arrows automatically--at your location.
    With Action Customization enabled, you can set up the Arrow Blaster by pressing the attack key, instead of the Interact/Harvest key.
    Unaffected by attack reflection.
    Right-click to toggle Action Customization ON/OFF.
    MP Cost: 7, Max Enemies Hit: 4, Damage: 181%. While casting, use the Interact/Harvest key to set up Arrow Blaster, firing arrows that deal 85% damage for 60 sec.
    Cooldown for installed Arrow Blaster: 5 sec.
    EY3W3om.png Speed Mirage [Master Level: 20]
    Fire arrows fast enough to leave afterimages.
    After striking enemies with enough arrow-based attacks, creates afterimages that fires enemy-seeking arrows before vanishing. These arrows target a single enemy in front of the afterimage and damage any foes pierced on the way to the target. Arrow Blaster turret placement attacks don't count toward this skill's prerequisites.
    Empowers Wind Arrow.
    Can be toggled On/Off.
    MP Cost: 90. After successfully striking enemies 12 times with arrow-based attacks, creates 3 afterimages that fire an arrow towards an enemy ahead of them.
    Every 7 hits with Arrow Blaster, Hurricane, Silhouette Mirage, Inhuman Speed, Quiver Barrage, and Storm of Arrows counts as 1 successful arrow-based strike.
    Fired arrows pierce up to 5 enemies and deal 420% damage 4 times on the way to its intended target.
    Cooldown: 1 sec
    [Passive Effect] Increases Wind Arrow's Range and Dmaage by 70%p.
    9E13iPs.png Phoenix [Master Level: 10]
    Temporarily summons a Phoenix to deal Fire damage to up to 4 enemies. Has a chance to stun enemies as well. Permanently increases Defense. Ignores enemy damage reflection skills.
    MP Cost: 70, summon Phoenix for 220 sec. Attack up to 4 enemies at once with 390% Damage. 95% chance to Stun
    [Passive Effects: Increase Defense by 30%]
    1XZiuKc.png Blink Shot [Master Level: 10]
    Mark the spot where you are currently standing. Use the skill again to ride a magic arrow back to that spot instantly. Use the skill again while holding the Down Arrow key to replace your original marker.
    MP Cost: 28. Places a marker that lasts 120 sec.
    Use the skill again to teleport to the marker's location. Teleport Cooldown: 2 sec.
    Use the skill again while holding the Down Arrow key to replace your previous marker. Marker Placement Cooldown: 1 sec.
    Xl8CCVe.png Reckless Hunt: Bow [Master Level: 10]
    Reduces Defense and increases Attack Power and Final Damage.
    DEF: -25%, Attack Power: +40, Final Damage: +30%
    dIqxoVQ.png Mortal Blow [Master Level: 10]
    If the attack hits a certain number of times, the damage increases and allows you to deal a more powerful attack.
    If the direct skill attacks hit 30 times, damage increases by 35% for 5 sec.
    22xF5Ay.png Focused Fury [Master Level: 20]
    Constant attacks focus your concentration, increasing your Abnormal Status Resistance. Getting an Abnormal Status while this buff is in effect will reset the increases Abnormal Status Resistance. Also increases Abnormal Status Resistance and All Elemental Resistances permanently.
    While attacking Abnormal Status Resistance will increase by 5 for 90 sec regularly. Resets when a Abnormal Status is received.
    [Passive Effects: Increases Abnormal Status Resistance by 20 and Elemental Resistance by 20%]
    SLfyYdY.png Evasion Boost [Master Level: 4]
    Grants you a chance to dodge enemy attacks. When you succeed, attacks made by you in the following 1 second will result in Critical Hits. Also increases Knockback Resistance and Max HP permanently.
    Dodge Chance: 30%, all attacks following a successful dodge for 1 sec will be criticals, Knockback Resistance: +40%, Max HP: +40%
    JQbacQi.png Marksmanship [Master Level: 20]
    When attacking, ignores a portion of enemy Defense. Permanently increases your Attack Power.
    When attacking, ignores 25% of a monsters Weapon DEF. Attack Power +25%




    4th Job
    Skill Icon Skill Name Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    aNdV3RJ.png Hurricane [Master Level: 30]
    Launches a tremendous volley of arrows, like a catastrophic rainstorm. Holding the skill key will fire arrows continuously. You can also move while firing. Targets the enemy with the highest HP.
    MP Cost: 9, Damage per Arrow: 350%
    [Passive Effect: Increases damage for Arrow Stream by 50%p]
    4aOu3z5.png Speed Mirage II [Master Level: 20]
    Your continued archery training has empowered your Speed Mirage.
    Reduces the number of successful arrow strikes required to activate Speed Mirage to 7.
    Increases number of afterimages created to 4.
    Afterimage Arrow Damage: +120%p.
    HiZrU8H.png Arrow Stream [Master Level: 30]
    Shoots a wild flurry of arrow straight ahead.
    MP Cost: 32, attack up to 8 enemies with 350% damage 5 times.
    Wr2RSvB.png Sharp Eyes [Master Level: 30]
    Temporarily grants party members the ability to locate an enemy's weak spot to deal fatal damage to that enemy.
    MP Cost: 45, Critical Rate: +20%, Critical Damage: +15%, Duration: 300 sec
    xtyHadf.png Illusion Step [Master Level: 30]
    Greatly increases your DEX and Avoidability, and reduces damage taken. Also increases Knockback Resistance permanently.
    DEX: +80, Bonus Avoidability Chance: 30%, Damage Taken: -20%, Knockback Resistance: +60%
    FxykilI.png Hero's Will [Master Level: 5]
    Hones your resolve to ignore certain abnormal status effects. Immune to Abnormal Status for 3 sec after use.
    MP Cost: 30, Cooldown: 360 sec
    ft7EOjy.png Maple Warrior [Master Level: 30]
    Temporarily increases the stats of all party members. Does not stack with Maple Warrior, Call of Cygnus, Nova Warrior, Hero of the Flora, President's Orders, Anima Warrior, or Rhinne's Protection.
    MP Cost: 60, Increases all stats assigned APs by 15% for 900 sec
    nSDKirk.png Enchanted Quiver [Master Level: 10]
    Equips specialized arrowheads. You can switch between arrowheads by using the skill again. Also permanently increases Final Damage.
    Magic Arrows: Increases Magic Arrows' activation chance to 60% and its Damage to 260%.
    Blood Arrows: Your arrows have a 70% chance to restore 5% of Max HP.
    [Passive Effect: Final Damage: +6%]
    ACfa4XD.png Bow Expert [Master Level: 30]
    Increases Bow Mastery, Attack Power, and Critical Damage.
    Additionally, allows you to set Arrow Blaster's firing angle instantly when placing. Placing while holding the up arrow key will fire at the highest angle and placing while holding down the down arrow key will fire at the lowest angle.
    Required Skill: Bow Mastery Lv. 10
    Bow Mastery: +70%. Attack Power: +60, Critical Damage: +16%
    C5q3vYV.png Advanced Final Attack [Master Level: 30]
    Permanently increases Attack Power. Greatly increases the damage and activation rate of your Final Attack.
    Required Skill: Final Attack Lv. 20
    Attack Power +20 permanently.
    [Final Attack Skills] Final Attack Chance: 70%, Damage: 210%
    i5JMnV6.png Armor Break [Master Level: 10]
    Pierce the enemy's defenses with the sharpness of a bowman that sees through the enemy's weakness.
    Ignore Defense: +40%




    Hyper Skills (Passive)
    Skill Icon Skill Name Required Level Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    d74DXu6.png Sharp Eyes - Persist Lv. 140 [Master Level: 1] Increases Sharp Eye's duration. Duration: +30 sec
    Tzdiexk.png Sharp Eyes - Guardbreak Lv. 150 [Master Level: 1] Grants Sharp Eyes a bonus to Enemy DEF Ignored. Enemy DEF Ignored: +5%
    xN7ayHb.png Sharp Eyes - Critical Chance Lv. 180 [Master Level: 1] Increases the Critical Rate of Sharp Eyes. Critical Rate: +5%
    ONwm0y6.png Arrow Stream - Reinforce Lv. 140 [Master Level: 1] Increases Arrow Stream's damage. Damage: +20%
    XccrstD.png Arrow Stream - Spread Lv. 165 [Master Level: 1] Increases the max number of monsters hit by Arrow Stream. Max Enemies Hit: +1
    bERW8Y0.png Arrow Stream - Extra Strike Lv. 180 [Master Level: 1] Increases Arrow Stream's number of attacks. Number of Attacks: +1
    xqY3dxR.png Hurricane - Reinforce Lv. 150 [Master Level: 1] Increases damage for Hurricane, Arrow Blaster, and installed Arrow Blaster. Damage: +30%
    t23KIdc.png Hurricane - Boss Rush Lv. 165 [Master Level: 1] Increases damage when attacking Boss Monsters with Hurricane. Boss Damage +10%
    FeqPEfO.png Hurricane - Split Attack Lv. 190 [Master Level: 1] Increases the number of attacks. Reduces the damage of Hurricane. Number of Attacks: +1, reduces Damage to 75% of the original Damage




    Hyper Skills (Active)
    Skill Icon Skill Name Required Level Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    eKSqco2.png Concentration Lv. 140 [Master Level: 1]
    Steel yourself for battle to increase damage.
    MP Cost: 300, Duration: 40 sec, Attack Power +50, Boss Damage: +20%
    Cooldown: 120 sec
    qf4hSum.png Gritty Gust Lv. 160 [Master Level: 1]
    Tear nearby enemies apart with a gust of wind. Also boosts Arrow Blaster and Arrow Blaster turrets.
    MP Cost: 200, Enemies Hit: 12, Damage: 335%, Number of Attacks: 12
    Reduces Speed of hit enemies by -30 for 20 sec.
    Cooldown: 15 sec
    [Passive Effects: Increases damage for Arrow Blaster and Arrow Blaster turrets by 90%p]
    cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure Lv. 190 [Master Level: 1]
    Call upon the bravery deep within to increase damage output.
    MP Cost: 100, Duration: 60 sec, Damage: +10%
    Cooldown: 120 sec. Applies to any Explorer class in the party




    5th Job
    Skill Icon Skill Name Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows [Master Level: 30]
    Arrows shot into the sky fall like rain. Unaffected by attack reflection. Has no effect in towns.
    MP Cost: 1000, Damage: +30%, Duration: 70 sec. Arrows rain down on a zone every 5 sec for 2.5 sec when you attack with your own skills. Up to 6 of these zones can be created, but they cannot overlap.
    The falling arrows deal 1540% damage to up to 10 enemies, 7 times. If currently attacking more than one enemy, the number of attacks increase by 2 for each additional enemy, for up to 8 additional attacks.
    Has 2x more of a chance than Quiver Cartridge does to activate Magic Arrow on attacks in this area.
    Cooldown: 120 sec
    oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow [Master Level: 30]
    Creates spirit arrows that pursue and attack nearby enemies. Unaffected by attack reflection.
    Can be toggled On/Off.
    MP Cost: 350, Arrow Damage: 880% damage to 1 nearby enemy. Damage Against Normal Enemies: +20%
    5YlSYC2.png Inhuman Speed [Master Level: 30]
    [Active Effect] Causes you to attack so quickly you produce afterimages. Unaffected by attack reflection.
    [Passive Effect] After performing a certain number of attacks while the skill is on cooldown, an afterimage is created that attacks for a short time.
    MP Cost: 800, Max Duration: 30 sec. Fires arrows at set intervals dealing 880% 3 times to enemies within range of your afterimages, for 3 sec, during the buff.
    When the attack hits, Afterimage Attack Duration: +3 sec every 1 sec.
    When the attack duration ends, afterimages stop attacking.
    Cooldown: 120 sec
    [Passive Effect: For every 10 attacks performed while this skill is on cooldown, an afterimage is created that lasts 1 sec and periodically attacks enemies within its range for 880% damage 3 times.]
    Active and Passive Effects cannot trigger simultaneously.
    tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild [Master Level: 30]
    Temporarily infuses Phoenix, Frostprey, and Shadow Raven with mysterious power for a devastating attack. Can only be used when either Phoenix, Frostprey, or Shadow Raven are summoned.
    MP Cost: 800, Duration: 40 sec, Max Enemies Hit: 10, Damage: 900%, Number of Attacks: 7
    Cooldown: 105 sec
    9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot [Master Level: 30]
    When inflicting a critical wound, your strike hits the enemy where they are most vulnerable, dealing greater damage.
    MP Cost: 500, Duration: 30 sec, Allows Critical Rate to exceed 100% and Critical Damage to increase by 50% of Critical Rate.
    The attack's additional Critical Rate is not applied.
    Cooldown: 120 sec
    qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage [Master Level: 30]
    Use every type of arrowhead at once, including a special flaming arrowhead that explodes when it hits an enemy. The Flaming Arrow target the boss with the highest HP first and is unaffected by attack reflection. The Flaming Arrow is prepared in limited quantities and will no longer attack once used up.
    MP Cost: 1000, Duration: 40 sec, Attack Power: +20%, use every type of arrowhead at once, including a flaming arrowhead.
    Flaming Arrow: Launches 6 flaming arrows consecutively. Duration: 5 sec, Enemies Hit: 6, Damage: 550%, Number of Attacks: 9, fires 6 flaming arrows up to 18 times.
    The attack won't activate if the buff remains when all the prepared flaming arrows are consumed. Cooldown: 2 sec.
    Cooldown: 120 sec
    RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage [Master Level: 30]
    Evade enemy attacks by moving fast enough to create illusory doubles of yourself.
    Illusory doubles disperse the enemy's attention to either reduce damage taken by Bow Master or inflict damage on the enemy. Affected by Buff Freezer effects, but the time to create the illusory doubles isn't deducted when you are incapacitated. Illusory doubles are unaffected by Attack Reflection.
    Can be turned On/Off.
    Creates up to 2 illusory doubles every 50 sec.
    When you either receive damage that is at least 50% of your Max HP, or you receive damage that leads to death, 1 illusory double disappears, reducing that damage by 90%.
    If you have even 1 illusory double, and there is an enemy to attack nearby when using an attack skill, 5 illusory bullets will deal 880% damage 3 times. MP Cost: 80, Cooldown 7.5 sec
    Cooldown 1.50 sec (Toggle)




    6th Job
    Skill Icon Skill Name Skill Description Skill Readout (Master Level)
    ascendant-shade.png Ascendant Shadow [Master Level: 30]
    Unleashes a barrage of arrows that eclipses the sun.
    Strikes the enemy periodically with a flurry of arrows.
    Unaffected by attack reflection.
    Lv. 10 - Ignore Defense: +20%
    Lv. 20 - Boss Damage: +20%
    Lv. 30 - Ignore Defense: +30%, Boss Damage: +30%
    MP Cost 1000, invincible during casting
    Max Enemies Hit: 15, Damage: 8100%, Number of Attacks: 12, Arrow Flurries: 8
    When the attack hits after the last arrow flurry, Duration: every 3 sec for 30 sec, Max Enemies Hit 15, Damage: 2700%, Number of Attacks: 8, Arrow Flurries: 4
    Cooldown: 360 sec
    hurricane-vi-1.png hurricane-vi-shooting-mode.png HEXA Hurricane [Master Level: 30]
    Launches a catastrophic swarm of arrows at tremendous speed. Targets the enemy with the highest Max HP. Obtain a special arrowhead from the enemy every time the arrows hit. Once a certain number of special arrowheads are gathered, press Interact/Harvest during the skill to enter shootout mode, which fires even more arrows at once. Enter shootout mode automatically when you gather the max number of special arrowheads.
    Shootout Mode can be canceled by pressing Interact/Harvest.
    With Action Customization enabled, you can change modes by pressing the attack key, instead of Interact/Harvest.
    Can move while using this skill.
    Right-click to toggle Action Customization ON/OFF
    Required Skill: Hurricane Lv. 30
    MP Cost 12, Damage: 575% per shot
    Obtain 1 special arrowhead when attack hits, Max Special Arrowheads Obtained: 75
    When you obtain 40 special arrowheads, you can switch to Shootout Mode
    Shootout Mode - MP Cost 12, consumes 1 special arrowhead when attack hits to fire even more arrows at once, Damage: 750% per shot
  • Gameplay

    Table of Contents
    This section contains gameplay-related explanations.



    Skill Explanations

    This section attempts to explain some practical uses and quirks of some skills that may not be obvious at first glance.



    1st Job

    Gg03VsX.png Arrow Blow
    Nothing to note. Standard 1st job mobbing skill.

    JJp0Qca.png Double Jump
    This one is a bit special compared to other flash jumps. You can flash jump left, right, and up, but in addition to that, you can also flash jump downwards!

    The flash jump downwards doesn't have many practical uses. The only real practical use for it that I found is in Phase 2 and 3 of Lotus where he shoots players upwards - you can nullify the upwards momentum by using Double Jump downwards.

    Uses the double-tap style vertical jump key command by default, but you can right-click the skill icon in your Skill Inventory to toggle it to the more standard "hold up or down and press jump" key combination instead of double-tapping.

    YlOxgo5.png Critical Shot
    Nothing to note. Increases Critical Rate.

    iuzNEha.png Archery Mastery
    Nothing to note. Increases movement speed, attack speed, and attack range.



    2nd Job

    eJoksHU.png Wind Arrow (KMS: Arrows of Wind)
    Nothing to note. Standard 2nd job mobbing skill.

    OHf5Un9.png Covering Fire (KMS: Retreat Shot)
    A backwards jump skill! And you can use it mid-air. Not really much to say here other than it's extremely useful to have in certain bosses such as Lotus, where you may need to hover above something for a while. Careful of the debris falling though. You can link this up with Blink. The best way to link Covering Fire and Blink, due to certain skill delays, would be to use up jump -> Blink -> let go of Blink key manually, and then immediately use Covering Fire.

    To generally use it for horizontal mobility, you can flash jump, turn around, and then use Covering Fire. Make sure to use Covering Fire at the peak of any jump to get additional height.

    History lesson: after the Illium patch, there was a bug where you could use Covering Fire in jump quests, such as Flag Race and Tower of Oz. That was fun for a week...

    OieeMcg.png Agile Bows (KMS: Bow Acceleration)
    Nothing to note. Passively increases attack speed by 2 stages and gives permanent DEX.

    iuzNEha.png Soul Arrow: Bow
    Makes you consume no arrows, and adds the highest attack power bundle of arrows on top of its 30 attack power boost, for a maximum of 39 attack with Titanium Arrows. Bone Fish and Nest Golems drop the recipe for Titanium Arrows, which can be crafted through the Smithing profession.

    56qaRJH.png Quiver Cartridge
    Bowmaster's Specialized Skill! With this, you can infuse your arrows with magical quiver arrowhead powers. At 2nd job, you'll only have the Magic Arrows arrowhead. However, at 4th job, you get to choose from the Blood Arrows or Magic Arrows with no downtime - simply toggle between the two as you wish.

    Magic Arrowhead: standard Final Attack-type skill, though it's not technically categorized as a "Final Attack" skill.

    LYUpG7w.png Bow Mastery
    Nothing to note. Standard Mastery skill.

    7tvYjbP.png Final Attack: Bow
    Nothing to note. Standard Final Attack skill.

    ZKbpMo5.png Physical Training
    Nothing to note. Standard Training skill.



    3rd Job

    fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster (KMS: Arrow Platter)
    Arrow Blaster was once a pretty large part of Bowmaster's damage, but now it's more or less 3-6% of the total DPS. It is however an extremely good mobbing skill and a stable bossing skill thanks to it having a very nice 60 second summon duration with only a 5 sec re-installation cooldown.

    Arrow Blaster has some an odd properties, though. First off, it's technically NOT a summon skill. It's an installation skill, which initially made it activate damage reflect (but was manually patched later to not activate damage reflect). Secondly, it will not activate any of Quiver Cartridge's Arrowheads or Advanced Final Attack. And lastly, it can instantly hit and kill monsters in its path before a ton of other skills in the game, making it the ultimate KS skill. Cool!

    For some reason, Arrow Blaster does not activate the Fatal Strike special node unless if it hits a monster. Which is a good thing, since it allows for you to install it in preparation for boss spawning without activating Fatal Strike.

    Arrow Blaster's Installation is slower than the keydown version. Installation Attack Speed: ~200ms (~5 hits per second)

    EY3W3om.png Speed Mirage (KMS: Flash Mirage)
    A very key part of both Bowmaster's mobbing and bossing capabilities. After a certain number of attacks, afterimages will appear next to enemies and shoot out piercing arrows, dealing damage on the way to the targeted monster. Deals a great amount of damage when it gets boosted in 4th job with Speed Mirage II.

    9E13iPs.png Phoenix
    Phoenix is not much of a contributor to damage, but occasionally helps with mobbing and is required to be summoned for Fury of the Wild to work.

    1XZiuKc.png Blink Shot (KMS: Quiver Flow)
    Blink Shot is a great bossing and mobbing assist utility. It can be reinstalled at any time to full duration by pressing the down arrow along with the skill key. You can only teleport to it while you're on the ground though.

    Use Blink Shot as a panic button in bossing - for example, in Lotus you can place it on the other end to teleport away in a pinch, or fight Verus Hilla in the middle-left-ish, and if you're in a pinch, use it to teleport to the safe spot on the right corner where you have it installed. In Darknell, you can goad him into attacking you and then teleport to his other side and repeat.

    Xl8CCVe.png Reckless Hunt: Bow (KMS: Extreme Archery: Bow)
    Nothing to note. Big final damage increase that's finally a passive as of GMS v237! The Defense reduction doesn't matter.

    dIqxoVQ.png Mortal Blow
    The Mortal Blow buff duration is not affected by buff duration, and you can't stack it while the buff is active.

    22xF5Ay.png Focused Fury (KMS: Concentration)
    Every hit you do with Focused Fury, you get +5 Status Resistance, stackable up to 100. Thanks to Bowmaster's high hits per second, it stacks pretty quickly and is basically passive as long as you keep attacking with something, even just Arrow Blaster and Guided Arrow. Bowmaster has one of the highest innate Status Resistance values in the game.

    SLfyYdY.png Evasion Boost (KMS: Dodge)
    Nothing to note. Standard evasion skill, though it also gives Knockback Resistance and HP.

    JQbacQi.png Marksmanship
    Bowmaster's Marksmanship skill is +25% Attack Power, while Marksman's Marksmanship skill is +15% Damage. Apparently Bowmaster is better at being a Marksman than Marksman is...



    4th Job

    aNdV3RJ.png Hurricane
    The original Hurricane skill. You can jump and move at full speed while casting as of Destiny! Hurricane is a single-target skill that targets the highest HP boss monster within range.

    Attack Speed: 120ms (8.33 hits per second)

    4aOu3z5.png Speed Mirage II (KMS: Flash Mirage II)
    Improves Speed Mirage's damage and adds 1 to its illusion count.

    HiZrU8H.png Arrow Stream (KMS: Uncountable Arrows)
    Nothing to note. Decent vertical mobbing skill, and pierces monsters, as well as hits on all layers (foreground and background) of a map.

    Wr2RSvB.png Sharp Eyes
    Great party skill! When boosted by its passive Hyper Skills (+5% IED and/or +5% Critical Rate), those boosts are applied to the party as well.

    xtyHadf.png Illusion Step
    Nothing to note, other than it gives Knockback Resistance and increases DEX mainly.

    FxykilI.png Hero's Will
    Nothing to note. As with all Will-type skills, cleanses your character of multiple statuses, breaks out of seduce, and gives invincibility to abnormal statuses for 3 sec.

    ft7EOjy.png Maple Warrior
    Nothing to note. Everyone's got this.

    nSDKirk.png Enchanted Quiver (KMS: Advanced Quiver)
    Adds the Blood Arrows arrowhead, which gives significant HP recovery when attacking any monster. Also increases Final Damage...by 6%. Okay.

    Blood Arrows: recover 5% of max HP at a 70% rate per each hit done to a monster. It's more or less the best HP drain skill in the game thanks to Bowmaster's high hits per second. You lose ~13% of your DPS, but you can't do damage if you're dead!

    In battles where HP recovery is restricted, such as Will Phase 2 and Verus Hilla, Blood Arrow will not bypass the HP recovery block, but it will allow you to start recovering once the block is lifted (e.g. in Will Phase 2: moonlight activation and Verus Hilla: altar cleansing).

    ACfa4XD.png Bow Expert
    Standard 4th Job Mastery skill. But it does additionally give a passive effect that allows you to instantly install Arrow Blaster at the topmost and lowest angles if you pressed up or down respectively while pressing the install key. Pretty handy in select situations, such as Chaos Vellum, as the lowest angle can't hit him, but if you instantly install Arrow Blaster to the up position, it hits! Also useful in Gloom and Damien to instantly activate the up-angle from the bottom of the map to hit them.

    C5q3vYV.png Advanced Final Attack
    Nothing to note. Simply enhances Final Attack: Bow and gives some Attack Power.

    i5JMnV6.png Armor Break (KMS: Armor Piercing)
    Armor Break gives +40% IED. It used to be quite the convoluted skill, but now it's very simple.



    Hyper Skills

    eKSqco2.png Concentration (KMS: Preparation)
    Nothing to note. Hyper Skill that gives a nice amount of Boss Damage and Attack Power.

    qf4hSum.png Gritty Gust (KMS: Wind of Frey)
    Excellent mobbing skill and also slows monster movement speed by 30. Affects bosses. Seems to have significant impact against specific bosses such as Magnus and Will for some reason. Use often against mobile bosses. Does not affect flying bosses such as Lucid in Phase 2.

    cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure
    Nothing to note. Standard Hyper Skill buff for 10% damage that stacks with other Explorers.



    5th Job

    9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows (KMS: Arrow Rain)
    Storm of Arrows is skill that scales better the more monsters are in its spawned zones. When you directly hit a monster, it takes the direction that your character is facing, scans a certain distance from the hit mob in your character's direction, and spawns an Arrow Rain zone for each monster in that range, but the zones cannot overlap. If there are more than 1 monster within a single zone, up to 8 additional lines can be added to the Arrow Rain zone for a maximum for a 15 line Arrow Rain, each monster adding 2 lines.

    In content such as Dream Defender, Storm of Arrows can do great damage due to the amount of mobs bundled close together.

    oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow
    Combine Guided Arrow with Storm of Arrows to keep Storm of Arrows always firing on a boss, such as Lucid Phase 2. It also can consume Quiver Cartridge and activates all of its arrowhead effects, including Magic Arrows. It does not activate AFA.

    5YlSYC2.png Inhuman Speed (KMS: Afterimage Shot)
    In a full burst scenario, Inhuman Speed is the highest contributor to damage for Bowmaster. When casting the skill, it creates a 30 sec burst opportunity, but you need to be attacking along with the skill to extend the actual duration of the attacks. Every 1 sec you attack, the internal skill duration will be increased by 3 seconds. This is additive every 1 second. If you attack for 10 seconds, the duration will be increased by 30 seconds. But the attacks will end at the 30 second mark regardless.

    The 30 second active effect is considered a "direct attack"-type of skill, so it increases Mortal Blow's stacks.

    Anyways, these are just some technicalities that you don't need to worry about - all you need to really know is to make sure you attack when you're bursting with this skill too!

    tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild (KMS: Evolve)
    Your evolved Phoenix will attack when you attack (even if there's no target nearby) or if a skill hits a monster (e.g. Guided Arrow). Phoenix is re-summoned at its full duration once this skill expires.

    Generally speaking, if you attack, Fury of the Wild will fire off even if there's no monster in range, but for some reason key-down Arrow Blaster doesn't make it fire until you actually impact a monster - so here's a Dojo strategy with floors 21-29 with that in mind: just use only Arrow Blaster and Fury of the Wild to wipe the map quickly! The moment Arrow Blaster hits a mob, Fury of the Wild will clear the floor.

    Phoenix Boost Nodes do not affect Fury of the Wild's damage.

    9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot (KMS: Critical Reinforce)
    Very powerful burst skill. Nothing special to note, other than it isn't really worth trying to sacrifice anything else for Critical Rate to make this skill better.

    qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage (KMS: Quiver Full Burst)
    This skill does a great amount of damage by both increasing Attack Power and adding Flaming Arrows to your Quiver Cartridge, as well as enabling both Magic Arrows and Blood Arrows to be utilized at the same time for maximum damage and HP recovery!

    Flaming Arrows fire out every 2 seconds and has a limit of 18 volleys of Flaming Arrows, so if you're attacking constantly after casting, you'll run out of volleys with 4 seconds to spare. The buff will remain and still give you Attack Power in this case, but it won't shoot any more arrows. You can switch arrowheads while using Quiver Barrage.

    Flaming Arrows are fired out only when you directly impact a monster or if Arrow Blaster and Guided Arrow attack, AND only if you're in a certain horizontal range, unlike Magic Arrows. Horizontally speaking, the range for Flaming Arrows is actually a little shorter than Hurricane's range.

    Also, Quiver Barrage's Flaming Arrows doesn't fire out when you're sitting on a chair. Just a random tidbit.

    A tip during Damien (can be applied to any boss, but using Damien as an example) is that when Damien is midair shooting out his Magnus meteors-like skill, you can use Guided Arrow and hit him with Gritty Gust to lock Guided Arrow on him. Since Guided Arrow is a direct impact skill, Flaming Arrows will fire upwards and damage him as long as Guided Arrow is attacking. Be wary of the limited horizontal range that you have to be in to fire out Flaming Arrows, though.

    RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage
    This skill's "defensive" feature, when activated, can take any attack (including %HP attacks) that does 50% or more damage or leads to death (e.g. you have 10% HP and an attack that does 20% hits you, that will protect you as well) and reduce the damage you take by 90% at level 30. This skill stacks twice for two consecutive (or non-consecutive) preventions of certain death.

    As for the "offensive" feature, it's not really that powerful at all. It accounts for around 3% of DPS during a 40 sec burst. Any attack, even normal attack, or skill will activate the illusory attack. It has pretty good horizontal range (longer than Hurricane), but poor (but not bad) vertical range.

    99% of this skill is meant for increasing your survivability - do not get this skill thinking it'll boost your DPS by any good amount.



    6th Job

    ascendant-shade.png Ascendant Shadow (KMS: Ascendant Shade)
    Extreme levels of burst at the start and then continuous full map attacking for 30 seconds afterwards.

    hurricane-vi-1.png hurricane-vi-shooting-mode.png HEXA Hurricane (KMS: Hurricane VI)
    This is an extremely good HEXA skill! In Shootout mode, it fires at roughly 11 to 12 hits per second (some may remember this rate as the old RED Arrow Blaster when Arrow Blaster was Bowmaster's main skill after the RED revamp for a short time), which, in addition to it simply being more powerful, also increases AFA, Magic Arrows, and Mortal Blow procs.

    After you directly attack with HEXA Hurricane, you gain one Special Arrowhead added to HEXA Hurricane, which you can see in your quickslots. After you get 75 Special Arrowheads, Shootout mode will immediately activate without delay.

    You can manually trigger Shootout mode after gaining 40 Special Arrowheads and using either the NPC/Interact key or the Attack key (depending on your Action Customization mode, which you can toggle by right-clicking HEXA Hurricane in the skill window).

    The main use for manually going into Shootout mode is to either finish off a boss or to finish off your burst. For example, if you have 5 seconds left in your Oz ring and you just hit 40 Special Arrowheads, definitely go into Shootout mode ASAP to finish off the Oz ring with a bang!



    Skill Rotation

    (DPM ratio is per GitHub - ParkKyuSeon/Maplestory_DPM)
    The DPS contributions do not currently account for 6th Job (HEXA Hurricane, Ascendant Shadow, Boost Nodes for 5th Job skills are not accounted for currently!).

    Skill DPS Contribution Duration Cooldown
    aNdV3RJ.png Hurricane ~23% - -
    C5q3vYV.png Advanced Final Attack ~6% - -
    4aOu3z5.png Speed Mirage ~9% - -
    RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage ~3% - -
    56qaRJH.png Enchanted Quiver (Magic Arrows) ~8% - -
    oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow ~3% - -
    fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster ~6% 30 sec 5 sec
    eKSqco2.png Concentration - 40 sec 90 sec
    yOW8Qyq.png Terms and Conditions (AB Link) - 10 sec 90 sec
    9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows ~9% 70 sec 120 sec
    cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure - 60 sec 120 sec
    tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild ~2% 40 sec 105 sec
    9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot - 30 sec 120 sec
    qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage ~12% 40 sec 120 sec
    5YlSYC2.png Inhuman Speed ~17% 30 sec 120 sec
    tzH4B6k.png Maple Goddess's Blessing - 60 sec 180 sec
    KbAzd2J.png Tower of Oz Ring - 9/11/13/15 sec 180 sec
    ascendant-shade.png Ascendant Shadow - 30 sec 360 sec

    It may look like a lot to keep up with, but when it comes down to it, many of the cooldowns align with each other for simplicity. You once cast them, you don't need to worry much about upkeep until they go off of cooldown.

    Maple Goddess's Blessing can be linked up with your Oz ring. It's not worth waiting the extra 60 seconds for Maple Goddess's Blessing and Oz Ring cooldowns - just use your 120 sec bursts whenever they're up! Bowmaster uses Weapon Jump D and/or Ring of Restraint, or simply Continuous Ring.

    There is some data to be gathered with the recent release of 6th Job, but it appears that Continuous Ring may be overall better due to Bowmaster's 30 second duration/120 second cooldown burst meta. The above chart does not account for 6th Job.

    I've highlighted the groups of skills you can just use pretty sequentially thanks to their same cooldowns.



    Culvert Strategy
    With the advent of 6th Job, the strategies for Culvert are still being fleshed out. This should be good for now though, but you can expect future updates, especially when it comes to the future Summer and Winter updates, where new 6th Job skills are expected to be added.

    Bowmaster's Culvert strategy is fairly straightforward. I won't particularly go over things that pertain to every class, such as external buffs (MPE pot, Boss Rush, etc), swapping link skills (switch from Spirit of Freedom, etc), etc. - only things really for Bowmasters to know.

    If you have multiple Tower of Oz rings, such as a Ring of Restraint and a Weapon Jump ring, cast your weaker Oz ring a few seconds after Culvert starts and save the stronger ring for the last burst. For a Continuous Ring setup, the Continuous Ring would considered as the weaker ring.

    Then allow for your first fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster to expire, turn off oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow and RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage, bind the boss with Erda Nova (optional, but makes things easier), and swap your Oz ring out for the final burst.

    If you're using a Risk Taker ring, during the final burst, when you use ascendant-shade.png Ascendant Shadow, after the Absolute Bind is over, cast Erda Nova as soon as Absolute Bind is over. Then use Aeonian Rise to iframe the last 10 seconds of Risk Taker.

    If you only have one Oz ring, it's recommended to just keep it on the entire battle, even if it's a Weapon Jump ring or Ring of Restraint.

    When entering the buffing room for Culvert, make sure you have your most important toggle skills on:
    RmaqfbC.png Silhouette Mirage - wait for 1 stack to charge as well*
    *not required to wait for a charge if you have the 6th Job enhancement for Silhouette Mirage, which allows the illusory doubles to attack without any charge needed.
    4aOu3z5.png Speed Mirage
    oLDEkkG.png Guided Arrow
    pb1dRwH.png Familiars

    After that, to start, cast these two skills together:
    9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows
    cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure

    When Epic Adventure hits 53 seconds, cast*:
    eKSqco2.png Concentration
    qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage
    tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild
    *originally, this guide had Vicious Shot and Inhuman Speed as precasted skills before entering, just like the skills here. Testing and calculations are still in progress, but early data shows it's actually marginally better to save the Vicious Shot and Inhuman Speed burst for later to utilize the full extent of the 6th Job Origin Skill, Ascendant Shadow, which is why they are not suggested to be precasted before entering Culvert. Another major reason previously was due to Inhuman Speed's passive effect, but that was changed to always activate when the active effect isn't on.

    Enter Culvert when cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure hits this amount of time remaining*:
    Hat Cooldown Reduction cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure Time Remaining
    No reduction 26 seconds
    -1 second reduction 27 seconds
    -2 seconds reduction 28 seconds
    -3 seconds reduction 29 seconds
    -4 seconds reduction 30 seconds
    *some Bowmasters may have a cooldown hat from before Armor Break was simplified to a basic Ignore Defense passive, so the above table is here to help with those Bowmasters. Bowmaster does not (optimally) use a cooldown hat in any aspect at this time. This guide both assumes and has already factored in that you have a Level 200 Mercedes in your Legion for the 5% cooldown reduction effect[/B].

    Now that you've entered Culvert, follow the steps below.

    At the very start of the countdown (when it displays 3 on the countdown), cast:
    yOW8Qyq.png Terms and Conditions - cast ASAP first, this is so that it can be used again later for the final burst
    tzH4B6k.png Maple Goddess's Blessing
    fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster

    At 60 seconds remaining in Culvert, cast your final Maple Goddess Blessing stack and your final Arrow Blaster install:
    tzH4B6k.png Maple Goddess's Blessing
    fVqbJ8c.png Arrow Blaster

    At 52 seconds remaining in Culvert, cast both:
    4tGst1W.png True Arachnid Reflection
    uLKUz8h.png Solar Crest

    As soon as the cooldowns finish for these skills below, cast both of them together:
    9olJkku.png Storm of Arrows
    cmeg1bV.png Epic Adventure

    At 40 seconds remaining in Culvert, cast in this order (or somewhere close to it) for maximum effect:
    tgSI0p4.png Fury of the Wild
    eKSqco2.png Concentration
    qceSxOJ.png Quiver Barrage
    9KcsorV.png Vicious Shot
    5YlSYC2.png Inhuman Speed
    yOW8Qyq.png Terms and Conditions
    KbAzd2J.png Tower of Oz Ring

    After you've casted all your buffs, you should have around 35 seconds remaining in Culvert.

    If you've advanced to 6th Job and have the skills:
    ascendant-shade.png Ascendant Shadow - cast immediately after your Tower of Oz ring cast. The initial cast is a separate 5 second burst from the 30 seconds of arrow flurries afterwards, so you want to use this as soon as you cast your Tower of Oz ring because the total duration of the skill combined is actually about 35 seconds.
    hurricane-vi-1.png HEXA Hurricane - as Culvert approaches its end at around 5 seconds remaining, if you have over 40 Special Arrowheads on HEXA Hurricane, switch to its hurricane-vi-shooting-mode.png Shootout Mode manually to squeeze the last bit of burst in.
  • Guide Version

    5

    Game Version

    247

    Changelog

    v1.0 (2018-02-03)
    • Initial write-up

    v1.1 (2018-02-04)
    • Fixed formatting errors
    • Added a bunch of images
    • Fixed table of contents anchor links to not reload the page

    v1.2 (2018-02-04)
    • Fixed table of contents anchor links to refer to the published guide
    • Added Skill Info tab

    v1.3 (2018-02-04)
    • Split some parts of the guide into different tabs
    • Added Hyper Skills into Skill Info section
    • Added horizontal rules to break up sections
    • Significant cleanup of the internal BB code

    v1.4 (2018-02-06)
    • Added up/down navigation to tops of each section

    v1.5 (2018-02-09)
    • Fixed some formatting errors
    • Added GMS v193 changes

    v1.6 (2018-04-16)
    • Improved Changelog section
    • Added DPM rank details
    • Added reference links for stuff that goes too outside of the guide's scope
    • Added KMS ver. 1.2.294 Reckless Hunt: Bow change in Skill Info section
    • Added Final Damage section under Gameplay tab
    • Improved Armor Break section
    • Added various images
    • Other miscellaneous improvements

    v1.7 (2018-04-19)
    • Added anchor links to headers of each section so you can click on them to focus onto the section

    v1.8 (2018-06-20)
    • Added Matrix points allocation to Skill Build section
    • Updated 5th job skill damage amounts
    • Added Master Levels to skill info list
    • Added passive Hyper Skills info
    • Other miscellaneous improvements

    v1.9 (2018-07-18)
    • Added Esfera training areas
    • Other miscellaneous improvements

    v2.0 (2018-10-05)
    • Updated for GMS v199
    • Updated DPS contributions

    v2.1 (2018-12-16)
    • Updated for GMS v201 (added Quiver Barrage)
    • Added additional tips to the Gameplay section
    • Other miscellaneous improvements

    v2.2 (2018-12-19)
    • Corrected Hyper Skills build
    • Added missing sentence in Storm of Arrows's skill description

    v2.3 (2019-06-14)
    • Updated for GMS v205

    v2.4 (2019-10-03)
    • Updated for GMS v208
    • Corrected skill info for Fury of the Wild
    • Added some more info to the Nodes section
    • Updated Hyper Stats section
    • Updated Training section
    • Updated skill DPS contribution table

    v2.5 (2019-11-21)
    • Updated node section
    • Updated link skills section for GMS v209
    • Updated skill build for GMS v209

    v2.6 (2020-06-10)
    • Updated Hyper Stats section
    • Updated Poison Arrows explanation
    • Updated Quiver Cartridge explanation
    • Updated Arrow Blaster explanation

    v2.7 (2020-11-22)
    • Updated for GMS v218

    v3.0 (2021-08-05)
    • Updated up to GMS v224
    • Updated link skills to not be so outdated
    • Removed 200+ training locations (not being maintained properly)
    • Updated gameplay section with more tips and information

    v3.1 (2021-11-14)
    • Updated up to GMS v228

    v4.0 (2022-06-18)
    • Updated up to GMS v233 - Explorer Redux
    • Added Culvert Strategy section to Gameplay tab

    v4.1 (2022-06-19)
    • Updated Culvert strategy section for missing skills and better timings
    • Updated link skill suggestions
    • Added grinding with Arrow Blaster in pros section
    • Added consideration for Sharp Eyes - Critical Chance hyper if you don't need Arrow Stream mobbing damage
    • Other miscellaneous formatting improvements

    v4.2 (2022-07-02)
    • Improved phrasing and information for Inner Ability recommendations
    • Added missing Blink node mentions
    • Improved Build section formatting
    • Small formatting improvements to Culvert guide

    v4.3 (2022-11-21)
    • Updated up to GMS v237 for skill info and Culvert strategy
    • Added grinding consideration for V Matrix Points

    v4.4 (2023-03-22)
    • Updated up to GMS v240 for skill info and Culvert strategy
    • Removed Armor Break mentions on pro/con list in preparation for the Savior update

    v4.5 (2023-06-22)
    • Updated up to GMS v242 for skill info

    v4.6 (2023-06-26)
    • Fixed image links

    v4.7 (2023-08-05)
    • Updated Link Skill recommendations
    • Added Critical Rate Legion effects to Legion section

    v4.8 (2023-12-01)
    • Updated for 6th Job

    v4.9 (2023-12-04)
    • Added HEXA Stats section to build
    • Updated Culvert guide for better timings and information, reorganization of some information, added disclaimer

    v5.0 (2023-12-08)
    • Reorganized Inner Ability section
    • Updated build guide with some footnotes for alternative 6th job builds
    • Updated Culvert guide with reorganization of some information, added footnote clarifications
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