) Here I am again writing another For you people who use Ctrl+F, here's a table of contents for quick reference...
1. The difference between RO1 and RO2
2. F.A.Q.
3. Leveling
4. Important details you don't want to miss!
5. Know your classes and the role they play
1. The difference between RO1 and RO2
Best tips, don't expect RO1, this isn't RO1, don't play it like a sequel (play as a standalone), and don't play with a bias. You will (possibly/probably) rage, then quit.
With that said, you may be in for a lot of disappointment. To sum it up, RO2 is pretty much a 3D Ragnarok Online that is actually more or less a WoW clone (or so they say...I've barely been exposed to WoW myself, but you be the judge). The only similarity you'll find here are the monsters, and just the general RO theme. They even dumbed down the Card System to the point where it's attached to your character and only gives basic stats.
2. F.A.Q.
Q: What do some of the terminology mean? Like OT, FS, etc.
A: I'll give you a list below.
MT = Main Tank - The meat shield who tanks the boss
OT = Off-Tank - The one who tanks the boss' summons (a.k.a adds). They can also be the MT should your actual one die.
FS = Full Support - Usually a Priest, and rarely, a Sorcerer. The one who just heals and buffs your party all day long~
DPS = Damage Per Second. Also refers to the primary damage dealing classes.
RHD = Random Hardmode Dungeon
CoA = Culvert of Abyss, an endgame dungeon
Colo = Short for Colosseum
Q: Does this game have PvP?
A: Sort of. You could send others a duel request, or do Colosseum, and WoE, whenever it comes out.
Q: What does endgame look like?
A: There isn't much to do endgame, actually. 10-man Raid Dungeons become available, where you can get better gear for the next harder raid. It's more PvE focused than anything. PvP isn't a huge part of the game yet...until maybe WoE comes out. You could also sell some stuff that are high in demand, such as healing items if you're an Alchemist/Chef, or crafted purple gear if you're an Artisan/Blacksmith.
Q: How does the currency system work here?
A: In RO1, you may be familiar with the currency called Zeny. This makes a comeback in RO2, along with another one called Rupee. To make this short, 1 Zeny = 1000 Rupees.
Q: How do I transfer items between characters in the same account?
A: Unlike RO1, the storage isn't account-wide. The only way now is to use the Mail system. Just find a Mailbox in town, and send the item to your other character. Just remember that items that are character bound are unmailable.
Others to be written later...send some questions my way while you're at it xD
3. Leveling
Leveling in this game is similar to your generic MMO...simply do every quest you're given. The only catch...you should really solo all of them except the dungeon ones. Why? I will guarantee that doing these quests with even just one other person will hurt both of you. My personal experience: While I was trying to get to Lv 25 on my Beastmaster character, I reluctantly decided to help an FS Acolyte get there as well. The result? I fell behind quickly. The next quest monster I needed to kill was already 1 level higher than me. This is much more significant than you think. Due to how this game is programmed, any monsters whose level is higher than yours will have an advantage against you. Your Accuracy (a.k.a Hit), Critical, Defense, Dodge, AND Parry Rate will all be reduced when fighting those monsters. The reduced Hit Rate is especially important to note, as it is one of the most noticeable. This is why you should solo as many quests as you possibly can. Grinding is not efficient at all, and you should never run out of quests.
Here are some pointers that indicate if you're caught up or not.
- When you make it to the Culverts, your first instance dungeon, you should be at least Lv 11, with enough EXP to level to 12 inside the Culverts. (Tip: This dungeon is one of the very few that is easily soloable. The Dimensional Cracks are the other two that can also be solo'ed.)
- When you get to your second instance dungeon, Wolves Cave, you should be at least Lv 19.
- When you start Izlude Hill quests, you should be Lv 20.
- When you get to Izlude Cave, you should be Lv 25 and job changed already.
- When you start Payon Forest quests, you should be at least Lv 27.
- When you start Maple Forest, you should be Lv 33.
- When you make it to the Abandoned Lab, you should be Lv 37.
4. Important details you don't want to miss!
Along with the main quests, there are also sidequests called Khara quests. Press O and a window similar to the screenshot below will appear...
(Er, sorry about the cut-off there, lol)
You could think of the Khara System as an achievements kind of thing. It consists of sidequests to do for more EXP, Titles, and even some Zeny. And yes, the titles do give stat bonuses. Hopefully, with the screenshot alone, you can make out how this whole thing works. Just remember to press that small ">" button so you can equip titles. The Khara quests that give EXP will also contribute greatly to your overall leveling. Finish them the minute you get them.
Also, the chatbox contains filters. Just right-click the tab, and this will show up.
Now you can finally get rid of the spam cluttering your chatbox! The tiny button on the right next to the quote bubble one resizes your chatbox, just to let you know. Also, in order to talk in Public, Trade, and Find Party, you need to be level 15, and type /1, /2 and /3, respectively.
Another thing to note is the party settings. You can find that by right clicking the window with your character's portrait.
And last but not least, the buttons on your minimap.
Take note of the 3 buttons on the bottom. They'll come in handy.
- The first one resets the dungeon instance you're on. Everybody in your party must press this in order to successfully reset.
- The second one shows the Threat Meter. Details on Threat is on the next section.
- The third allows you to change channels.
A quick tip on looting faster. Press R!
Refer to this topic for more quick tips.
5. Know your classes and the role they play
I'll just start off by saying that no class is garbage. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise. If a class was garbage, it wouldn't even exist. Also, if you want to build a...let's say, DPS Priest for example, just cause you wanna do something different, there's no stopping you. It's just that being different from everybody else usually ends up being looked down upon by the general community. I personally do not care, and wouldn't mind having someone different in my party. If you know what you're doing, then by all means go for it. Everyone likes people who know what they're doing, and I do as well to an even higher extent. I've seen people who play FS Sorcs and DPS Knights and they love it, and it helped open their eyes to a class's real potential.
Also, if you came to this section looking for a detailed guide on the classes, please look in the Class Discussion forum.
In most MMOs, each class has a role they play, and RO2 is no different. Here, we have Tanks, DPSes, and Healers. Know what they all do, just so you can save yourself some frustration.
Tanks: Obviously, they are the meat shield, but they cannot be one if they do not upkeep Threat (sometimes called aggro). Whoever has the highest Threat on a monster will have that monster attacking them, unless the monster is under a Provoke-type skill, or if the monster's AI makes them randomly target other party members. Tanks always have the frontline, and are the first to attack. This is especially important to note.
Which classes can Tank?
-Knight
-Warrior
-Monk
-Beastmaster
All of these classes can also be either Full DPS or be a Hybrid, which will make them an Off-Tank.
More on Threat: The number the Threat Meter displays is an accumulated total of damage and healing done by the respective player. 1 point of damage and healing generates 1 Threat. Potions also increase Threat. The Tank should always be on top of the list in the Threat Meter.
DPS: The primary damage dealers. Up to 3 can be in one full party. When your party is at a boss, make sure these guys kill the summons as well (unless otherwise noted). The summons can be a huge problem to your party, especially to the Healers. Your Main Tank most likely cannot tank everything at once, so make sure you get rid of them. Also, do not pull a crowd of mobs. DPS classes cannot Tank, and will therefore cause some problems to the party. Also, their high damage may generate too much Threat to the point where they become the one taking all of the mob's hits. Such cases may be quite common, unless the Tank knows what they're doing.
Which classes can go DPS? Every single one, but I'll list the ones that people expect to actually deal damage.
-Wizard
-Sorcerer (Can also be FS or Hybrid)
-Assassin
-Rogue
-Ranger
-Crescentia (unreleased in iRO2)
Healers: Keep everyone alive, of course! It's recommended to prioritize keeping the Tank alive, then yourself, then the DPS. No one can do their part if they're dead. For Priests, keep Renovatio on all party members while using the Aspersio + Highness Heal trick on the Tank and other melee DPSes, and Heal somewhere in between. For Sorcerers, keep up Land of Recovery on yourself and other classes that are far away from the boss. For both classes, use Sanctuary/Deluge when in times of emergency.
Which classes can be Healers?
-Priest
-Sorcerer
-Soul Maker (unreleased in iRO2)
All of these can also go Full DPS or Hybrid.
Well, hopefully my second guide will help more newbies get in the right direction. I'm pretty sure this guide will need a lot of editing, so send suggestions, and criticisms my way, and I'll get things changed as soon as I can. Also, click the green arrow to the right if this helped you.
