Greetings rookies and people that do not know any better! This is the result of my efforts to compile a somewhat accurate picture of one type of Super Novice (1v1 melee) and how to make it.
Cons:
Almost nonexistent HP and SP
Does not learn most skills until mid to late game
Pros:
Great variety of skills to choose from
Can achieve one of the highest flee ratings of all classes with self-buffs. (excluding equipment)
Extremely cost efficient with minimal potion usage at higher levels
Having a good FLEE rating will not grant invincibility! (there is a dodge chance cap and while they do have to work harder at it, monsters tend to still land hits quite often even If you meet or exceed the cap) It should also be noted that a S.N. will never be able to attack faster than an Assassin. (or other high ASPD class) Either due to a glitch or if it was intended, the S.N. class seems to receive the shield attack speed penalty whether holding a shield or not, so you may as well plan to use one. 190 ASPD is not reachable without very rare gear but it is still possible to strike at a respectable rate.
Stat build end result: STR 90 – 99, AGI 99, DEX 20 – 30 (there is some flexibility based on your equips)
At the start of the game you will want to boost STR up to around 20 or 40, so that you can make the best use of the Novice training grounds. After that you will want to greatly increase AGI as soon as possible to get the most out of the percentage based skill, Improve concentration. Follow that with a small amount of DEX (depending on how much extra HIT is needed) and finally dump the rest of the stat points into STR.
Recommended skills: Anything passive or that boosts agility should take priority, specifically Double Attack is a must have. (also notable is HP recovery, SP recovery, Improve dodge and Sword (+dagger) mastery) Demons bane could be a powerful addition but I found that most undead maps (that are safe to train on) are pretty lackluster. Your choice.
Gear: If you are unfunded then you will need to farm oranges until you can afford a Stiletto dagger at the least. (oranges are dropped by Condors and Baby desert wolves) you can also farm for other fruits and try to sell to other players but that is not the method that I used. Armor does not matter a great deal so long as your shield and body armor has an empty card slot. (Adventures suit, Novice shield) Other Novice items can be found in Lighthalzen but not necessarily at cheap prices. A Roda Frog card and Thief bug egg card should be enough to keep you alive through normal grinding. (odds are that they will be find-able with a bit of effort and luck during regular training) The Angel set is another option but buying the pieces can be expensive and you will not be able to kill the mini bosses that drop the items until much later in the game. (or possibly with a good party)
All of the mentioned spots are mainly only suggestions of where to go if you are trying to keep a perfect death record and get the stat bonus at Job level 70. If you perish before that level, then you will probably need to restart. (there is another way to wipe the death record clean but I would not recommend it) The bounty sign post in southern Prontera can give directions to the turn in areas.
Levels 1-16: Novice training grounds
Skip the free level up from dying since deaths as a regular Novice will still count against you. Repeatedly do the Poring/ Drops hunting quest from the guy under the tree, in order to stock up on the precious healing potions. (you can alternate with the Roda frog and Willow quest on the 2nd or 3rd field) Remember to save all Sticky mucus and Resin for later. The monster spawns here and wide selection can support you into the early twenties but it is advisable to leave as soon as you can afford a new weapon. (or earlier if you have zeny to spend already)
Levels 20-30: Prontera Culverts 1F (Thief bugs and eggs) You will need to visit the knights building in northern Prontera to gain access. Like the sign says, beware of swarms. Also be on the lookout for Familiars. You may want to spend some time at Prontera field 00 fighting frogs if you lack their card.
Levels 30-45: Prontera Culverts 1F and 2F, Hopefully a Thief bug egg card will have dropped before it is time to move on, if not then it may be necessary to revisit the sewers later. (if your screen is full of bugs, DO NOT ATTACK)
(Level 45: Travel to Aldebaran for job change. The building is in the southern half of town)
Levels 45-60: Hode turn in. You finally get to start learning some skills! The quest is fast EXP but there is a real danger on the map from the roaming MVP. You can try Ayothaya (10k zeny in Alberta) as a more relaxed alternative but it will be much slower going. Avoid hitting the Leaf cats.
Levels 60-70: Mantis turn in. (10k zeny in Alberta) Ignore the Mi Gao’s for now. Beware of Big foots ability to stun. (it temporarily disables potion use)
Levels 70-80: Alligator turn in. The EXP really starts to slowdown and on top of that, Commodo 1 can get quite crowded. On the plus side, the only aggressive monsters to worry about are a few poison spores.
Base level 80 and up: If your skill and stat points are in the right places, then you should have just enough Flee to take on Sidewinders near Veins. Move carefully because it is better to attack them 1 on 1. Consider using a Fly wing if you start getting overwhelmed and always bring something to cure poison. By this time your job level should just about be at 70. Congratulations!
(If you would like to try for max level then you could stay at Sidewinders or check other spots but most monsters past level 50 will hit a bit too hard for your fragile body to stand for very long) Death in PvP and WOE supposedly takes away the S.N. bonus so I cannot comment on this builds effectiveness in either of those modes.
Feel free to add any other tips or tricks that are not already in the wiki or that I may have missed, thanks for reading!
Edited by Xplay4eva, 06 December 2013 - 06:51 AM.
