[GUIDE]: HYBRIDS: An Alternative Build (updated 9/25/06)

[SuicideGrl]

Hey guys. This thread is in response to the many many PMs and thread posts I've gotten over the past several weeks asking me questions about a) hybrid builds and b) int builds. I decided that the best way to handle these inquiries is to create a guide to builds like mine so that others can see what I've done and either follow some of the advice I give or use it to decide what NOT to do.

NOTE: This thread is NOT a battleground between hybrids and pure builds. It is someplace for hybrid players to come for advice, to help people, or to share their experience. If you're posting negativity - or god forbid flaming - in my thread directed towards any individual or hybrids in general, it will be nuked. Thanks for your coooperation.

Creating a Hybrid Character on SRO
Table of Contents

• What exactly is a hybrid build?
• Why would I want to make one? Aren't "pure" builds better/stronger/faster/etc.?
• Ok, so I've decided to go hybrid. Now what the heck do I do?
• What skills do I need to have as a hybrid?
• What the heck should I wield and wear?
• So I wanna be a (nuker/tanker). Can I still do this effectively as a hybrid?
• Hey SuicideGrl, what is your approach? What skills and things do you use?

click here or here for a version of this guide in Turkish! Thanks to OKISHI for offering to translate it for us.


What exactly is a hybrid build?
(from Webster.com)
hy' - brid: n. a person whose background is a blend of two diverse cultures or traditions.

In SRO, there is a lot of talk about the "best" build(s). People naturally want their characters to be strong, and preferrably as strong as - or stronger than - everyone else. Many players on both the Korean and International servers have come up with builds that are extremely good at what they do. Most of these builds are "pure" builds: the player has put ALL of his/her character's stat points into EITHER str OR int. There's no arguing that these characters are killing machines and that, with the right gear and skills, they can own just about anything they touch.

But what about the rest of us who want something different, something other than a Xerox or cookie-cutter build?? One answer to this question is creating a hybrid character. Hybrids, as you probably know, have put stat points in BOTH str AND int. This approach has many advantages: it gives the character more HP and more physical dmg than than a pure int character, and it gives it more MP and more magical dmg than a pure str character. However, these boons come with their disadvantages as well: hybrids will never have as much HP/MP or do as much phys/mag dmg as their pure counterparts.

Why would I want to make one? Aren't "pure" builds better/stronger/faster/etc.?
Hybrids are the true utility characters. They may not excel in anything, but they're good at virtually EVERYTHING. Hybrids kill fairly well in PvE and use less pots than pure chars. They are good at all jobs and can have a very diverse skill set. They are decent PvP charactrers. If you are the type of player who likes ALL the elements of SRO and wants to be pretty good at all of them, a hybrid build might be the one for you.

Besides, one of the main draws for me in creating a hybrid character was the fact that it's different. I didn't want another pure str fire glaive. SuicideGrl is unique, and it's one of the reasons I love her so much.

Ok, so I've decided to go hybrid. Now what the heck do I do?
Experiment. The beauty of being a hybrid is the freedom to choose different skills, playing styles, and tactics that may or may not be the smartest way to go for a pure character. Wondering how a certain buff will improve your game? Get a few ranks in it. Curious as to whether you'd make a decent nuker? Throw a few points at it and see. Curious as to what it's like to hunt with a bow rather than the glaive you started with? Try it out, see what works for you. If you make a mistake, you can always undo a rank or two, but ultimately the more different kinds of skills you have, the more rich your hybrid experience can be.

There are three basic types of hybrids: 1:1 hybrids, in which the character's str and it are kept as close as possible; "int heavy" hybrids, in which int is favored above strength at a 2:1 or sometimes 3:1 or more ratio; and "str heavy" hybrids, in which str is favored in the same way as above. Each of these commands a different style of play. An int hybrid will be an effective nuker but won't tank as well. A str hybrid will be able to load up their front end dmg but probably should leave nukes alone. A 1:1 hybrid is probably the most challenging, as they don't have any obvious strengths but also lack some of the obvious weaknesses. Think about how you want to play and apply your stat points as necessary. Also, remember that this build type is about experimentation. Feel like your physical attacks need a boost? Pump all 3 points next lvl into str. Do what feels right.

Important note: Being a hybrid is all about balance. That means your character's physical and magical balances are KEY to your success. If you're going 1:1, you're gonna want to shoot for 75% or more in both physical and magical balances. 2:1 builds should shoot for 80%+ in their main stat and 70%+ in their sub stat. Balances are tough to monitor, however. Every time you lvl, you automatically get one point in str and one in int. This can change your balance, and you may have to do something - add more points ot one or the other, buy statted gear or alchemy some on, etc. - in order to balance it out. Remember, with the new alchemy system, it's possible to get +55 int and +55 str on your gear (+60 in each of you're a blader/swordie, due to the shield), so high balances as a hybrid are completely possible. It's probably doable to have over 90% in your dominant stat if you plan carefully.

What skills do I need to have as a hybrid?
Being a hybrid is about more than just how you spend your stat points. It's a holistic style of play. Hybrids are the jack-of-all-trades of the SRO world. The person in your guild who has maxed res? Probably a hybrid. The random person you see grinding who's doing big dmg with both nukes and physical attacks? Almost DEFINITELY a hybrid. But what about the trader you click on as he's trundling by and see that he's lvl2 in ALL 3 JOBS? Even if he's a pure build, that guy's a hybrid, in a manner of speaking. So is the guy in your guild who has maxed bow AND spear skills. A hybrid can be thought of as anyone who doesn't specialize in any one thing, but branches out to be a more broad character.

However, there are some very important skills to have if you're going to be a hybrid. First of all, the motto of hybrid play is every little bit helps. You're going to wanna think about geting every passive skill you can, especially Heuksal's "Cheolsam Force" (which raises your HP) and Force's "Force Increasing" (which does the same for MP). You're also going to want to max your imbue and the appropriate buffs for your character (obviously a blade user doesn't need a bird buff, nor does a glaive user need a shield blocking buff). For physical attacks, concentrate on the ones that do the most dmg, as these will be your most important skills for close combat. If you're an int hybrid, getting your nukes and other ranged attacks as high as possible is also important. As before, do what feels right. These aren't rules, just suggestions.

What the heck should I wield and wear?
As a hybrid, your choice of weapon should be based, again, on your preferred style of play. Glaive/spear hybrids do big dmg, sword/blade hybrids have flashy moves and the ability to block attacks, and bow hybrids can kill from afar. You can even choose to use more than one weapon. A member of an alliance guild has maxed his sword AND bow techniques and is deadly with both.

Armor type is another personal choice which depends a lot on style of play. Armor is good for some hybrids because it reduces physical dmg, which is a plus due to a hybrid's lower average HP compared to, say, a pure str. Armor is a good choice for hybrid players who are mostly interested in PvE, since statistically fewer mobs use magical attacks than physical ones. Garment reduces magical dmg, which is a plus in PvP and against certain mobs. It also grants a MP usage bonus, which is useful due to a lower average MP, and a speed boost, which is useful no matter WHO you are. Protector gives the best of both worlds, in my opinion. You get higher physical dmg reduction than garment and higher magical dmg reduction than armor, while still retaining bonuses to MP consumption and speed, albeit not as high as garment. Protector is, in my opinion, the ultimate hybrid gear, as it truly is a hybrid itself. But as before, do what feels right for your style of play.

WHATEVER you pick, you're going to want to chose gear that adds bonuses to your stat of choice, or both stats when possible. SuicideGrl's gear adds a whopping 48 to her int and 42 to her str. 48 points of int makes her nuke as if she was almost 16 lvls higher than she is. This is an amazing plus to any hybrid. if you can find gear that adds to your stats at a good price (and sometimes a little sacrifice is worth it), buy it. If you can't, make it. The new alchemy system makes it pretty easy to do this if you have the gold. You WILL notice a difference in how effective your character is.

So I wanna be a (nuker/tanker). Can I still do this effectively as a hybrid?
Yes. However, remember that "effective" doesn't mean "pwnage". SuicideGrl is an int-heavy hybrid, and she DEFINIETLY puts up big dmg numbers. However, she'll never nuke as well as a pure build will. She kills fast and efficiently and owns in PvP, but that's only because I play her very smart. If you want to be successful at a hybrid build, you're gonna have to engage your brain a bit (sorry to all the mindless hack-and-slash types out there). Remembering that your dmg and HP/MP are lower than a pure build means that you have to know your character's own strengths and weaknesses and play around them. If you know that you have a few really fast attacks that put up a lot of dmg, or if you know that you have the ability to hit your opponent several times before he/she gets close enough to whack you one, you need to plan your attacks around this strategy. If you know you can take a few hits, then use this to your advantage. Anything is possible if you're smart about it.

Hey SuicideGrl, what is your approach? What skills and things do you use?
As I mentioned above, SG is an int-heavy nuker. She was 1:1 until around lvl30, and since then has been mostly 2:1. She's now lvl70, and her mastery lvl is 66. Her balances are 85% mag and 79% phys. The goal is 90% mag 80% phys, or higher. She's lvl3 thief (10%), lvl2 hunter (58%), and lvl2 trader (9%). Her main forces are Fire (lvl66) and Lightning (lvl66), and her weapon is Heuksal, which is lvl65. She uses a lvl64+5 int+5 str+2 crit 11 spear with 100% block parry, 40% AR increase, 100% durability increase, immortal+1, astral+1 and steady+2, which will eventually be +7. She wears full 8th degree protector, all of which is plussed and adds to her int and most of which adds to str as well. Working on assembling a full SoS protector set. So far I have the boots and gloves. Currently, her gear adds +48 int and +42 str, as well as 1050HP and 1050MP.

SG is a nuker. As such, most of my skills at this point are in pursuit of massive magical dmg numbers. I have all 5 fire and light nukes: book 1 fire at lvl 1 (delvled for lack of use), book 2 fire at lvl 12, book 3 fire at lvl 3, book 1 lightning at lvl 9 (max) and book 2 lightning at lvl 9 (maxed). My fire imbue is book 4 lvl 1. My most often-used skills are book 2 fire and light nukes, Flying Dragon-Fly (book 1 lvl 2), Ghost spear-Mars (book 3 lvl 4), and Soul spear-Soul (book 3 lvl 7) and Truth (book 2 lvl 9 maxed). Just recently got myself Earth Lion Shout (book 3 lvl 1) , which i LOVE. I use the Flame Body-Extreme (book 3 lvl1), Speed-Piercing Force (book3 lvl 3), Hard Fire Protection (book 3 lvl1), Power Guard of Ice (book 3 lvl 1), and Fire Shield - Flower (book 2 lvl2) buffs. My Grass walk-Speed is book 2 lvl 1. I am immune to all statuses. I have Extreme Ice wall book 3 lvl 1 and Frost Nova - Wind (book 1 lvl 1). I use Large HP/MP pots and special universal pills.

I can kill any mob my lvl or under in 2 hits or less, almost always before they get a chance to whack at me. In PvP, I can kill nearly any pure int on the server who does NOT have SoS gear, and I can tank - if not kill - any pure str for at least long enough to wait for help to arrive. I can kill many pure strs, but not all, and many end up in a pot battle.

Hope this gives you some insight into SuicideGrl and my approach to her.

DISCLAIMER:
This thread is based upon my OPINIONS. I am totally open to any criticism, suggestions, questions, or comments, but PLEASE don't flame or be disrespectful. This guide was created in response to a large number of requests for information. If you have more questions that were not answered in this guide, feel free to PM me. i <3 PMs :) Thanks for reading!!!

NOTE: i sometimes forget to check this thread and therefore miss people's questions. if you post something and i don't get back to you in a day or two, PM ME!!! i will get back to you ASAP, and hopefully answering your question will add to the battery of knowledge we hybrids have as we try to earn the respect of the pure builds ;)

[Kard]

I hope this gets a sticky. It's certainly deserving of it. I'll agree to what SuicideGrl said, it does require a little more thinking on how the build can be a success and using skills that goes with your style of play. There are definately uber builds like Biggie's but there are amongst us who like to try it out on our own. There is certainly no loss if you don't use the uber builds. Depends on what you're playing for really.

I started out SRO as an INT hybrid lightning bow. Sure it isn't as good as pure builds or ice-bows, cause I can't freeze. I had bow skills that applied physical damage too. Here's my first character build:

INT hybrid. Pumped into STR when I was from level 1 onwards and stopped at 50 str. The rest were into INT.

Buffs used: Grasswalk, Must-Piercing Force, White Hawk, the skill that adds range distance (in the bow skill tree), Concentration.

Skill used: Devil Bow, Combo Arrow, Lightning Imbue, Lion Shout.

As to how I played it and why those skills:
1. The Must-Piercing increases magic damage, which is useful in my build.
2. White Hawk increases the AR, which brings my damage closer to the max damage.
3. Added range distance allows me to attack even further away from the monster, allowing me to take them down before coming near.
4. Grasswalk, you already know. To get somewhere faster, to run away faster too.
5. Concentration increases Parry which reduces the damage you receive. On that note, you receive a certain range of damage when hit. Parry brings this damage you receive to the lower end of the damage range. Parry is not the same as blocking (or the possibility of blocking with a weapon). If there is any argument about Parry, please keep it to another thread, not this one.

Effectively, this build maxes on doing damage from a bigger distance, pushing the damage range closer to the upper end and bringing the damage you receive down to the lower end.

Tactic is simple. Shoot further away, start with Devil bow. If it's stronger than expected, use a double shot to plant in weaker but faster damage. Most of the time, the monster die even before coming close. The Lion Shout is for AoE, in case I get mobbed by 2 or more monsters. Fast casting, followed by arrow combo and again Lion Shout. Recycle and reuse.

I would probably have gotten a lightning nuke if I stuck with this character. I have no problems PvE and can kill orange monsters or the 1st red. Never tried PvP cause I'm never the sort who likes PvP very much.

[edit]
I stopped this character at level 32, masteries at 29.
Skill trees: Bow, Lightning, Force.
For the Force skill tree, I got the healing and res skill. Intended Harmony therapy as well for future places where mobs are more aggro. However, as I said, I stopped playing the character.

[edit 2] I'm testing this build again. If anyone wants me to share my progess, I'll do so in another thread.

[door]

I like the advice written above from both posters. I started my first character as a hybrid and my second (due to everyones rants and raves) I created a pure str.

my plan was to level both of them and put points in the same masteries/skills and at specific levels equip them with the Exact same armor/jewelry/weapons and compare them.

I have been pondering building my hybrid around the ice shield skill in the cold line.. I have not used it before but I know it absorbs quite a bit of damage (and if its down to a few hits left it will absorb ALL the damage for a huge hit). so this would make up for some of the lost HP of a hybrid spec. and depending on the reuse timer I thought it would be useful to pop the shield when low on hp in pve/pvp and then use your hp pots.

the other skill line that insterests me is lightning, im a huge lightning fan but atm I have been using cold imbue because of its obvious advantages. im not sure if I will max lightning and use it together with my cold or if ill simply make a different type of character as a lightning user :/

DOor

[dom]

Personally I question the strength of a hybrid since I have never made one. But, the one thing I don't question is the usefulness of this guide.

I find it extremely great to now have more then one guide based on a couple cookie cutter builds, although I do use those builds this 2nd look/opinion at character development is not only appreciated but needed!

I hope more come forward with their self proven builds and testify to the strength that diversity can hold!

It was a great read! Thank you.

[Geobot]

love the guide. just have one question. alot of it is focused towards
int-favored hybrids, ie nukers. that makes sense, since you are one, you'd
know more about that. i can see advantages and disadvantages there. but
what about str-based hybrids? i'm just curious how being hybrid helps them. if
there are any decent level str-hybrids on the forums here, post up your
experiences, so we can see that side too ^_^

[Monition]

read through SuicideGrl's part of the post, found it useful, even for someone who isn't quite going for a hybrid build.

I Would like to max res... so even though im full int and plans to be a nuker, i suppose that makes me a hybrid

anyway... i'll come back to read the rest of the replies at a later time...

but... can anyone say... sticky

[kurohagane]

Great guide although Im a hybrid... I dont see my build here...

[Bakemaster]

I would hazard to say that hybridization has fewer benefits for a STR-heavy char than for an INT-heavy char. The INT build's main weakness, and it's a big one, is low HP. The low MP of a STR build isn't much of a weakness unless you have agreed to fight without potions, and that only applies to PvP, and not very often. A STR build uses imbues mainly for their status effect, and the small damage boost is icing on the cake. The only situation in which I can see a STR build greatly benefiting from any significant hybridization is for blade users who might want to use a nuke as their first strike before closing range; glavie users have flying dragon for this, but the Bicheon ranged attack doesn't hit as far away. Adding points to INT would give such a build a little more bite to that first strike.

The mechanics of physical and magical balance in SRO discourage hybridization. Personally I think that for INT users who die too often, a little STR may keep them alive long enough for them to be more successful, even at the cost of a bit of offensive power. But beyond that I have my doubts. If you are a good player, you can transcend the build, and defeat lesser players with better builds; but this does not change the fact that your build is weaker, and facing a player who is at your level of skill but with a solid build, you will lose more often than you will win. Not to mention choice and quality of your weapon and armor!

Bottom line, I agree that slight hybridization is often a good idea to complement one's playing style,; I agree that heavy hybridization (2:1 or stronger) may result in a more enjoyable experience for some players; and I will go so far as to say that a heavy hybrid can be very powerful in the hands of a skilled player with above-average equipment. But because of the obvious greater value of HP compared to MP in almost every combat situation, and because of the game's balance mechanics, any amount of hybridization will result in a net loss of overall potency for a STR build.

[dom]

Bakemaster, for a guy with a picture of a cake as a signature, your posts have been rather informative tonight 0.o

[SuicideGrl]

Bake:

this is great insight. i agree with just about everything you said in this post. i think it bears restating that a hybrid will never be as strong as a pure build. i also agree that int hybridization probably makes more sense than str hybridization. but this is not to say that you cannot benefit from being a hybrid if you're a strength-based chatacher.


Geobot:

yes, i lean toward int. almost fanatically, actually ;) but i have seen str hybrids do very well. BlackHand's LadyChi is a str hybrid, and though he has just recently started pumping his str heavily, he can already see a difference in the speed at which he kills, etc. it's also worth nothing that though it may be a small thing now, a higher int stat WILL add more dmg to your imbue, which as Bake pointed out is a str user's main magical attack. once again, do what you feel is right.


kurohagane:

would you mind posting a bit about your build? i'm interested in another take.


thanks to everyone for your PMs and nice comments. i really really really hope this guide helps some people, or at least is a refreshing departure :)

[kurohagane]

kurohagane:

would you mind posting a bit about your build? i'm interested in another take.

Well.. its kinda hard to explain my build... I guess the best way to explain my build is that it is a combination of those hybrid builds you mentioned. I hit like a hybrid-str and also a hybrid-int(more of str for now). I know youre gonna say my build is the 1:1 type but its not. Every person who has seen my stats so far are confused on how I can do those kind of damage (pvp and pve... well mostly pve since I rarely duel) so I wont bother posting it cause it will most probably confuse alot of people.

[Devotia]

I imagine that a well equipped sword hybrid wearing protector would be a very good build. While they would have less health than a pure str shielder, they have a shield to block, and protectors have much higher total protection than armor (although less than garment). Their added int would allow for more magical protection than a garment wearing STR build, and while they would have less damage per hit, the ability to open with a ranged magical attack would probably keep them alive.

Say,
Sword 60/80:
Chain sword, hidden blade, killing heaven, passive.
Fire 60/80:
Fire shield, Flame body, Fire protection, nuke passive
Ice 60/80:
Frost guard, frost nova, cold wave, passive
Lighting 60:
Grass walk, passive
+1 nuke (flame, probably) and 1 embue (say, cold)

I haven't been able to test this theory, since I have to concentrate on my main char, or I'll have 50 lvl 20 test chars. But despite the heavy SP requirements, that build looks like it could work well. Open with imbued nuke, which takes out a chunk of enemy hp while (hopefully) slowing them, then chain, knockdown and kill.

BTW, SG what are your balance levels? I'd imagine that both would have to be above about 70-75%

[SuicideGrl]

I imagine that a well equipped sword hybrid wearing protector would be a very good build. While they would have less health than a pure str shielder, they have a shield to block, and protectors have much higher total protection than armor (although less than garment). Their added int would allow for more magical protection than a garment wearing STR build, and while they would have less damage per hit, the ability to open with a ranged magical attack would probably keep them alive.

Say,
Sword 60/80:
Chain sword, hidden blade, killing heaven, passive.
Fire 60/80:
Fire shield, Flame body, Fire protection, nuke passive
Ice 60/80:
Frost guard, frost nova, cold wave, passive
Lighting 60:
Grass walk, passive
+1 nuke (flame, probably) and 1 embue (say, cold)

I haven't been able to test this theory, since I have to concentrate on my main char, or I'll have 50 lvl 20 test chars. But despite the heavy SP requirements, that build looks like it could work well. Open with imbued nuke, which takes out a chunk of enemy hp while (hopefully) slowing them, then chain, knockdown and kill.

BTW, SG what are your balance levels? I'd imagine that both would have to be above about 70-75%

good guess, my phyical balance is 73% and my magical is 77%. the biuld you described is almost perfectly the essence of the int hybrid. is anyone using a build like this? if so, please share.

also, the SP requirements aren't that hard to fulfill if, like me, you keep a decent spread between your masteries and your char lvl.

[Bakemaster]

Bakemaster, for a guy with a picture of a cake as a signature, your posts have been rather informative tonight 0.o

So what? Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?

[RaVeNouS]

SuicideGrl, i noticed u said u have lvl 4 weak guard of ice; and ur fire/lightning/spear?

At lvl 24, im going almost the same direction as u. I have 20 fire, 20 lightning, 20 spear, 10 ice.


So my question is, what is your ice mastery level and do you intent to increase it?




On another note... clear something up for me,

1. We have 300 mastery levels max.

2. We have a level 60 cap (or so i've read)

3a. This would mean we can max out 5 skill trees

3b. Level cap would be increased, along with max mastery level or did sro intend for us to max only 3 skill trees?

[SuicideGrl]

RaVeNouS:

you've asked me about a subject on which i have little information. this is what i've gathered from reading other threads and choosing the versions that i believe to be true:

the present lvl cap IS 60. however, from that i hear, the maximum mastery lvl in any one skill tree - regardless of lvl - will be 90. with a maximum total mastery lvl of 300, this means that one would only be able to one day max 3 skill trees, having a total of 30 in a 4th tree. However, as you may have noticed (as i did when i was starting out and was keeping my masteries and my character lvl the same), you CANNOT raise your mastery lvl above your character lvl.

this raises some interesting questions. While our lvl cap remains 60, one could theoretically max out 5 skill trees of their choice, such as their weapon and all four forces. however, once the cap is raised this approach would mean a LOT of money spent on delvling skills. let me rephrase that. a staggering amount of money spend on delvling skills. so it is wise to plan for the future by only maxing the skill trees you wish to totally pursue.

the issue of "maxing" a skill tree is also one that needs to be addressed. maxing a skill tree doesn't mean getting every single book of every single skill in that tree to its maximum level. this would give many of us useless skills - or at least obsolete skills - that are a total waste of SP (an example would be the fire shield series in Fire for a non-shield user). maxing a skill tree means obtaining the maximum mastery lvl desired within that tree, so for example, ones maxed Fire mastery lvl might be a combination of all 3 books of imbue maxed at lvl9, passive maxed, flame body buff maxed all books, basic fire protection buff maxed all books, nuke maxed all books, and the appripriate total Fire lvl needed to achieve this. i know that sounds a little confusing, but without knowing exactly what lvl things need to be in order to be lvled, it's hard to get an exact number.

also, bear in mind that if the lvl cap is raised, new skills and books of skills will feasibly be unlocked. In other words, all the planning that everyone has done up until this point may be void. so don't stress too much over what you can't yet concieve.

however, to answer your first question, my mastery lvl is 154 at this point. my ice mastery is lvl14, and i don't plan on raising it much beyond lvl20 if need be. i'm toying with the idea of getting some of the freezing skills for PvP if i have extra SP, but have not yet decided for sure. ^^

[kurohagane]

however, to answer your first question, my mastery lvl is 154 at this point. my ice mastery is lvl14, and i don't plan on raising it much beyond lvl20 if need be. i'm toying with the idea of getting some of the freezing skills for PvP if i have extra SP, but have not yet decided for sure. ^^

try to get Ice as high as you can, Ice helps if your a hybrid well... it helps me in pvp anyway (the bonus def is nice too ^^) I plan to raise my ice together with my lightning 60/60 (LOL if I ever get to 60 ) and leave force at 30. For the ice phy def inc. (passive and buff) it may not be noticable, but it helps.

[SuicideGrl]

For the ice phy def inc. (passive and buff) it may not be noticable, but it helps.

as i said before, Every Little Bit Helps :)

[Stallowned]

I'm a hybrid, not voluntarely, but because I didn't know about how most of the stuff works in silkroad until I was too far into the game to want to restart. I flip-flopped a couple times, starting out splitting my points evenly into int and str, then going all out str, then going all int (didn't last long), and then all str again, and now I've been going all int for a while. My total str points is higher than my total int points. I have about 76% str balance, and 59% int balance, not really sure what that means and how it affects me.

I use a maxed out pircing force second book, aand level five of the fire imbue for my attacks. I also use a level 38 +3 spear with 11 crit. I have a couple pieces of armor and jewlery which have +in and str, but I'm not sure on the numbers. I start out my attack with the maxed out first book of soul spear and a fire imbue which does about 1.3k-1.6k regular damage on a black robber archer. If I'm fighting a giant or champion, I start out normally, then chain spear, then soul spear again, and repeat and I throw in a ghost petal whenever I can't use either. My nukes hit about 900-1k on the same monster when using imbue. I know my build is not the best by far, but I'm learning to have to live with it, at least by being a hybrid I can survive when i'm fighting a giant black robber, and 5 others jump on me, and I also kill them in a fair amount of time. It also feels cool when I hit higher imbued with my first book fo soul spear, than someone higher level than me with their second book of soul spear imbued

[Devotia]

I have about 76% str balance, and 59% int balance, not really sure what that means and how it affects me.

That means that after ALL rolls have been done on your strength based attacks (parry, dodge, pure damage, damage reduction, etc) you will do 76% of the final number. So if you do 1000 damage hit, that's reduced to 500 due to parry, armor and equip, you'll end up only hitting for 380. On a similar hit for an int based attack, that's taking your damage to 295. That's the biggest flaw in a hybrid, and why it's critical to keep as many +2/3 str/int items on you as possible. While you'll never have to 95%+ that a pure does, you can keep it relatively high.

[Stallowned]

I have about 76% str balance, and 59% int balance, not really sure what that means and how it affects me.

That means that after ALL rolls have been done on your strength based attacks (parry, dodge, pure damage, damage reduction, etc) you will do 76% of the final number. So if you do 1000 damage hit, that's reduced to 500 due to parry, armor and equip, you'll end up only hitting for 380. On a similar hit for an int based attack, that's taking your damage to 295. That's the biggest flaw in a hybrid, and why it's critical to keep as many +2/3 str/int items on you as possible. While you'll never have to 95%+ that a pure does, you can keep it relatively high.

Well damn... that sucks

[SuicideGrl]

thanks Devotia, that clears up a lot of questinos people might have. in fact, that even gives me a little more info that i previously had as well. 10 pts!!

[RaVeNouS]

thanks for the insightful info. Sorry suicidegrl... forgot to ask bout your force mastery lvl, is harmony therapy really that useful?

[Stallowned]

thanks for the insightful info. Sorry suicidegrl... forgot to ask bout your force mastery lvl, is harmony therapy really that useful?

I see it mainly being used when fighting giants to keep other monsters off of you. Also if you plan on going afk <5 mins in an aggressive area. It still takes a while to fully recharge your hp\mp while sitting in a circle.

[SuicideGrl]

thanks for the insightful info. Sorry suicidegrl... forgot to ask bout your force mastery lvl, is harmony therapy really that useful?

i like having harmony therapy because i like to help people. if i see someone sitting down, i'll run over and give them a circle. it keeps the aggros away and helps them heal faster. i use it when people are fighting giants to keep the adds off. i used it today while me and Professional were share-partying with two of our under-lvl20 players so that they didn't get squished by the mobs we were fighting. it's just something that's nice to have, like res, for helping people out.

my force mastery is lvl32, btw, and my harmony therapy is lvl4.

[RaVeNouS]

thanks for the insightful info. Sorry suicidegrl... forgot to ask bout your force mastery lvl, is harmony therapy really that useful?

i like having harmony therapy because i like to help people. if i see someone sitting down, i'll run over and give them a circle. it keeps the aggros away and helps them heal faster. i use it when people are fighting giants to keep the adds off. i used it today while me and Professional were share-partying with two of our under-lvl20 players so that they didn't get squished by the mobs we were fighting. it's just something that's nice to have, like res, for helping people out.

my force mastery is lvl32, btw, and my harmony therapy is lvl4.

There shud be more ppl like you guys around =]. But that would mean u have masteries in fire/lightning,ice/force/spears.... arent you worried that you wont or may not be able to max out some of those masteries eventually?

[jonoh83]

as always suicidegrl, full of knowledge and good points.

[SuicideGrl]

There shud be more ppl like you guys around =]. But that would mean u have masteries in fire/lightning,ice/force/spears.... arent you worried that you wont or may not be able to max out some of those masteries eventually?

well, yes and no. remember, my build is a hybrid in the true sense of the word. i'm not really ALL THAT worried about one day running out of mastery room, since the crux of my character lies in diversity. however, i've already begun to plan for some of these eventualities, and as i start to approach the 300 mastery mark (in several years, lol), i know which skills i plan to delvl and at what speed. as you may have guessed, ice will go first (as it's currently - and will almost surely remain - many lvls lower than the rest [lvl16 now]), followed by selected skills in the other forces, most notably harmony therapy :( but alas, it has to be done. we'll see how that goes. for now, i should be able to make it to lvl60 without any adjustments.

[Lyrikk]

haha ok personally, to me... this guide is a great help... i havnt read this post till now but i made my character an INT heavy hybrid and love it. A well awarded sticky >>

[RaiKiRii]

here's a pic of a not-so-cookie cutter build.. an ub3r nuker.. .masteries in ALL 3 offensive forces.