As was asked in another post I have taken the time to convert Chronita's guide to AO forum format and post it. I want to thank Chronita for writing such a great guide to start with. I had the chance to play AO with her on Test Server and I was the better for it. Enjoy the guide and please add new content submissions in this thread and I will do my best to keep it updated.
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:51:44 #2
Chronita's Martial Artist Compendium
Welcome to Chronita's Martial Artist Compendium! In this guide you will hopefully find all the information you will need to set out on the path to enlightenment as a Martial Artist in Anarchy Online.
- Brand new "not-ugly" frames look for the site! Many thx to Timber for the editing skillz
- Added purty new header! Thanks to Kinetko for the design!
- Added the Wall-Blade to the list of MA Weapons
- Added Links to aodb.info for all MA weapons
- Clarified the function of the Martial Arts Item (it's not a real item!)
- Various other edits and small additions
Original About and Credits Page
About this site. . .
This website was created to centralize as much MA info as possible, and while it is mainly crafted with the young MA in mind, in an effort to achieve completeness, many obscure items and details will be included for MAs of all seasons. There will doubtless be many updates in the future, and a few are in planning already (yes, cosmetic changes are among them, please excuse the Spartan nature of the site here in its infancy!) . If you have any comments/questions/feedback on the site, please feel free to e-mail me at chronita@adelphia.net.
About the Author
I have been a participant in this experiment called AO since its release, and first became interested in the MA profession in November 2001 shortly after joining a young Omni org named The Dojo on RK2. In its infancy The Dojo, led by Sensei Nikh, established a series of rules that provided for a wonderful atmosphere and guaranteed growth and success in the months ahead. As my character began to develop, I became more and more interested in the inner workings of not only the Martial Artist, but AO in general as well. In February 2002, worn out from repeated missioning and seeking a greater challenge, I began participating on AO's test server, hoping to learn more and possibly rid our profession of a few pesky bugs and weaknesses at the same time. Slowly I gained the trust of the test server staff because of my work, and was the recipient of a series of level boosts and other gifts to aid in my testing process. In these first months I witnessed the Martial Artist profession metamorphosize from a struggling, minimum-dmg ridden class to become true masters of the PvM realm. All the while I was happy to play my part in helping the process - my proudest achievement to date remains my discovery that fist speed was erroneously based on Melee Init, back before the days of thorough databases and such.
In May 2002 I assumed the Presidency of The Dojo after Nikh's retirement and officially became "Sensei Chronita." Since then I have led an interesting double life on RK2 with the org and on testlive as a veteran tester. In recent months I have assumed a few other duties as well. In November 2002 I accepted a position to join DaveDread as the second MA Professional in FC's Professional Program. We are currently active in the FC MA forum gathering information and opinions to present to FC and occasionally even receive feedback on straight from the developers. In January 2003 I was named to the Council of Testers, an honor and a duty to provide support to any who wish to journey to test as I once did and make an effort to help improve the game.
Currently you can find me either on Rimor overseeing my wonderful org and occasionally venturing outside of Omni-Trade High-Rise 3 to gain that rare level or 2, or on test as Chronita as well, only a bit more powerful and much smaller in size and blue in tint. I still enjoy helping the young ones, as well as conversing with the experienced MAs, so feel free to drop me a /tell if you are in the neighborhood!
Credits and Shout-outs
First I would like to acknowledge the work Lethalfire did in the original Martial Artist Compendium a long time ago. For a good span of time it was THE place to learn about anything related to the Martial Artist, and its greatness was only matched by its thoroughness. I have attempted to pay homage to this late-great site in my efforts here.
Secondly I would like to credit Jayde and his terrific Anarchy Mainframe database for supplying all the links used in the site. Databases make learning about AO far easier than in days past. Jayde has been more than helpful in providing new features and reports at my request, and I am truly thankful.
Third I would like to credit the amazing folks over at Anarchy Arcanum for putting together such a wonderful site and providing links to some of the more complicated features in AO. This site is so well done and requires quite a bit of research to produce the thorough guides contained therein. Great job guys, and keep up the good work!
Finally I feel the need to express my appreciation to all the great people of The Dojo who have made AO such a fantastic experience for me the last year and a half. I know how biased it sounds, but I must say I have been blessed to become acquainted with some of the finest people in AO through The Dojo. Its friendly atmosphere is certainly an oasis in the oft-times harsh MMORPG world, and I have been honored to serve as its president and provide support and guidance these many months. Certainly this site would not be here if it were not for the existence of the great community for which it was created!
Last edited by Lheann; Apr 22nd, 2008 at 02:06:28 .
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:52:47 #3
There are six abilities in Anarchy Online. These abilities have 2 main functions - a) they serve as requirements to wear armor and b) they "trickle down" into your skills. By trickle down I mean that every skill is based on a certain combination of abilities (e.g. Martial Arts skill is based 50% on Agility, 30% on Psychic, and 20% on Strength). The following is a list of the abilities and the generally important and MA-related skills in which they play a large part (40% or more). Also listed is the color and breed max of each of these abilities for each breed. Color determines how cheap the ability is to raise IP-wise.
Solitus- Light Blue (480)
Opifex - Green (544)
Nano - Dark Blue (464)
Atrox - Light Blue (480)
Related Skills - Martial Arts (50%), Riposte (50%), Sharp Objects (60%), Bow (40%), Bow Special Attack (50%), Physical Initiative (40%), Nano Initiative (40%), Evade Close Combat/Dodge Ranged/Duck Explosions (50%), Run Speed (40%), Map Navigation (40%)
Intelligence
Solitus - Light Blue (480)
Opifex - Light Blue (464)
Nano - Green (512)
Atrox - Dark Blue (400)
Related Skills - Computer Literacy (100%), All 6 Nano Skills (80%), Treatment (50%)
Solitus - Light Blue (480)
Opifex - Light Blue (448)
Nano - Green (512)
Atrox - Dark Blue (400)
Related Skills - Nano Pool (70%), Nano Resist (80%)
Solitus - Light Blue (480)
Opifex - Green (512)
Nano - Light Blue (480)
Atrox - Dark Blue (400)
Related Skills - Dimach (80%), Riposte (50%), Bow (40%), Bow Special Attack (40%), Physical Initiative (60%), Nano Initiative (60%), Vehicle Air (60%), Map Navigation (50%)
Solitus - Light Blue (480)
Opifex - Dark Blue (480)
Nano - Light Blue (448)
Atrox - Green (512)
Related Skills - Body Development (100%), Brawl (40%)
Solitus - Light Blue (472)
Opifex - Light Blue (464)
Nano - Dark Blue (464)
Atrox - Green (512)
Related Skills - Brawl (60%), Parry (50%)
Last edited by Lheann; Apr 22nd, 2008 at 02:07:28 .
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:53:54 #4
A martial artist's ability to inflict damage is not only dependent upon sheer power, but also resides in his ability to inflict a great number of blows over time. Here is a listing of offensive skills that help the martial artist achieve such physical prowess perfection.
Martial Arts
(50% Agility, 30% Psychic, 20% Strength)
Martial Arts is your primary skill. The amount of MA skill you possess is directly related to the amount of damage you deal. In fact, while you may think that if you use fists only you do not have a weapon equipped, to FC you do! This weapon is called the "Martial Arts Item," and is what the AO database uses to calculate your damage. This item is not found in the game - it is simply used in the internal workings of the game. It exists from ql 1-500, and each ql of the item corresponds to 2 skill points of MA skill. Thus 1000 MA skill equals the ql500 Martial Arts Item. Along with obvious increased damage as the ql increases, the speed of your fists also increases. From ql 100-500 of the Martial Arts item (200-1000 MA skill) fist speed increases from 1.25/1.25 to 1.45/1.45 incrementally. For more info on weapons speeds and such please see Speed & the Aggro Bar.
Martial Arts damage is heavily crit-dependant, thus the natural critical hit prowess MA's possess through their Critical chance buffs. Here are a couple links to show how MA damage progresses from typical to crit-dependant. Just for clarification, weapon damage is listed in the following way - Min Dmg - Max Dmg (Crit Modifier) - where crit damage is based on the addition of Max Dmg and the Crit Modifier.
(60% Strength, 40% Stamina)
Brawl will be the special attack you use more than any other. As a default it always works when just using fists, and also is a requirement (and thus is able to be used) for all current MA weapons. Brawl is a very nice special, as it always has a chance to stun the opponent for 3 seconds. Brawl damage is calculated much the same way as MA damage, with a ql 1-500 Brawl Item range. The recycle time on Brawl is always 15 seconds regardless of skill amount, however the chance to stun with a brawl increases from 10% to 20% incrementally along the ql 1-500 range.
(80% Sense, 20% Psychic)
Dimach is another special that is available with MA skill, though is used quite a bit less. A Dimach is supposed to be a powerful soul attack that expends all your energy, thus needing quite a bit of time to recover. Unfortunately both the effect and recovery of the Dimach skill leave a lot to be desired. Dimach will always have a 30 minute recycle time no matter how much skill you possess. The only attribute that benefits from more Dimach skill is the damage. Again, the "Dimach Item" exists from ql1-500, with the ql500 dealing 7000 damage base before armor considerations. Keep in mind the 30 minute recycle time for Dimach however; most individuals use Dimach only in emergencies or when dueling. One last sour note - Dimach is subject to the Parry defensive check like all other physical attacks, so there is a chance (and yes it happens quite a bit) that your powerful soul attack can even be parried by an enemy and deal no damage at all!
(50% Agility, 50% Sense)
As a skill by itself, Riposte is as close to useless as it gets. Riposte Item exists too at ql 1-500, though its effects are pitiful even at ql 500 (1000 skill) - a 40 second, 55 point melee damage shield and a 100-100 (100) damage component with a terrible 30 minute recycle time. At this point in time there is no justification to raising Riposte for the skill alone. The only possible uses right now are for the tool that uses Riposte (Deflection Projectors - see the Devices, Etc. section) and as a requirement for the new MA root-breaking special attack, Upon a Wave of Summer, which only requires 401 skill at ql 200. (pls see the MA Special Attacks section for details)
Sharp Objects
(60% Agility, 20% Sense, 20% Strength)
Sharp objects, sometimes called Thrown Objects, currently is a skill not implemented in AO. A few throwing knives were introduced on the test server many months ago, but they were removed for some reason. The way the skill worked when they still existed was that you could use/throw a knife like an MA special attack or Bow Special Arrow - waiting for a timer to recycle until the next one is used. For now, no one should invest in this skill as it has no use.
(40% Agility, 40% Sense, 20% Strength)
Bows represent the MA ranged option. It is a green skill so it will be cheap to invest in. There are several types of bows, some with specials, some without. There also exist crossbows which should be avoided by MAs, as they are more dependant upon Rifle skill (67%) than Bow skill (33%). Bow specifics and viability are covered extensively in the Bows section.
Bow Special Attack
(50% Agility, 40% Sense, 10% Strength)
Please see the Bows section for more info.
Last edited by Lheann; Apr 22nd, 2008 at 02:15:25 .
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:54:57 #5
The Martial Artists is blessed with some of the most efficient defensive skills among all professions in AO. Many of the following skills are green in color, meaning not only are they cheap, but allow for the maximum number of skill points per level.
(50% Strength, 30% Sense, 20% Agility)
Parry is an interesting skill. In its most basic sense, it is a secondary defensive check for all incoming melee attacks after the evade line. Therefore, parry is seen by some as unnecessary - on the one hand you already have melee protection, and on the other parry itself is not as effective as the evade line. Beginning at the mid-level game, and progressing past it parry becomes less and less effective for a Martial Artist. Many people who have maxed parry and implanted it as well will rarely see a parry against a red opponent, occasional parries against oranges and yellows, and only proficient use against greens and grays. Despite the lackluster results currently, I find a certain amount of parry very much useful. First parry is a requirement of Blessed with Thunder, the MA special attack that does the most damage over time. Secondly parry is required to use Deflection Shields - tools that will increase your AC by a great amount for a short period of time - great for when that nasty red mob aggros you when fighting in a team. Lastly FC has stated recently that the parry skill is going to be overhauled soon - it should become more effective for players and less effective for mobs.
Evades (Evade Close Combat, Dodge Ranged, Duck Explosions)
(50% Agility, 30% Sense, 20% Intelligence)
Evade skill is often the difference between life and death in an encounter. The reasoning behind this bold statement lies in the dualistic behavior of evades. The obvious functionality of evades is the actual evading of attacks. While the formulas are not completely known, it is a good bet that your chance to evade an attack is based on the amount of your evade skill vs. the attack rating of your attacker. Thus the more skill you have, the better chance to evade - it's that simple. The other function of evades is in their inherent critical attack protection. Again, to achieving a critical hit means passing a formula check, and this formula also includes the aforementioned attack rating vs. evade amount. It is fairly obvious to veterans of AO how much having a decent amount of evade skill will lessen your chance of enemies scoring a critical hit on you. And since MAs have green evade skills, it is quite easy to afford to keep the skill amounts at maximum.
Now a word on the three different skills. These three evades cover all types of weapon damage. However it should be noted that as a player you are confronted with certain amounts of damage more than others. Take missioning for example. In missions you are confronted by mobs of all 12 profession types. 9 of these types use ranged weapons, 2 use melee weapons, and only 1 (Traders) use an explosive weapon (shotguns). Therefore if you feel that you will mission almost exclusively, Dodge Ranged is the most important evade to you, followed by Evade Close Combat, then Duck Explosions. In fact, for people who do not plan to participate in PvP, Duck Explosion is a skill that can be overlooked for the most part. (I personally do not raise Duck, even on my lvl 200 test character). However if you plan on PvPing, there are a good number of player weapon types that check that skill (enforcer beams and shotguns mainly) so Duck Explosions is crucial.
Nano Resist
(80% Psychic, 20% Intelligence)
Nano Resist is a skill much like Duck Explosions in my eyes - it is pretty much useless in PvM for the Martial Artist, but a must for any serious PvPer. The main problem with nano resist is that it is only moderately effective in the best situations, and terrible in the worst. Nano formulas all have a certain % tied to their defensive check aspect. Basically if this % is high (say 180%) your nano resist skill counts more in the defensive check, and you have a better chance of resisting the nano. If it is around 100% or lower however, your skill is not modified or reduced, and your chances of countering that specific nano are pretty poor. Most MAs do not raise nano resist until the higher levels when they have the spare IP and find themselves looking for other things to do (PvP for example). Nano resist is a light blue skill unlike the other MA defensive skills, therefore making it an expensive and poor performing addition for most.
(40% Agility, 40% Stamina, 20% Strength)
While this may not be considered a true defensive skill, it does have its uses in a battle setting. Run speed is crucial in those tight situations when you are almost dead and running for the door, or trying to outrun a nasty critter outdoors who picked up your scent. Run Speed is of course very important in PvP as well, especially considering that if you are not using a bow, you need to stay close to your opponent at all times to even have a shot at doing some damage. While run speed is a green skill and has several uses however, you should never sacrifice points from other important MAish skills here, mainly due to the fact that if you need extra speed, you can usually obtain a run buff from a fixer or adventurer morph before that long trip or mission-blitzing period.
Last edited by Lheann; Apr 22nd, 2008 at 02:16:36 .
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:55:58 #6
The speed of a Martial Artist's attacks is quite impressive even from the earliest levels. While it might be simple to set your aggro bar at maximum and let your fists fly at first, later in your MA career you will want to take advantage of your superior skills and learn how to fight at the same speed but at even greater defensive settings. It is in this environment that the MA is at his optimal, fully exhibiting his offensive and defensive prowess.
Speed Skills
Physical Initiative
(60% Sense, 40% Agility)
Physical Initiative simply put increases your fist speed. Weapon speeds are hard capped however at 1 second attack and 1 second recharge (1/1), so after you reach that plateau, any additional skill has no effect on the weapon. It is at this point however that the aggressive/defensive (aggro) bar comes into play. Weapon initiatives also can be applied to this bar setting in order to lower it. Extensive information on how this works exactly is outlined in "The Aggro Bar" section further down this page. The basic final word on physical initiative is that you simply can not have enough, because there is always something it can be applied to in order to improve your MA's performance.
Nano Initiative
(60% Sense, 40% Agility)
Nano Initiative increases your speed in executing nano formulas, but acts differently from the weapon initiatives. Basically Nano initiative only affects the attack speed of nano execution and does not reduce the recharge section at all. How this works is also outlined in "The Aggro Bar." Why do you want to lower your nano formula attack times? Two main reasons - a) it allows you to "insta-cast" your heals (which is always popular among the teammates) and b) it makes up for the speed increases nano formula attack times receive when you lower your aggro bar setting (important if you intend to fight at defensive settings in the future). Nano initiative is dark blue in color however, so it is a bit expensive to invest in early on, and can be an IP stretch during the mid-levels, but at high levels should have enough IP to invest just enough to cover the bases.
The Aggro Bar
Explaining the Bar
The aggressive/defensive bar is quite a complex little feature of AO. It not only affects your attack speed, but enhances your defensive skills depending on its positioning. The further defensive you set the bar, the more effective your defensive skills become by enhancing your DMS (Defensive Modifier Skill) by some unknown amount. One other very noticeable aspect of a defensive setting is the drastic decrease in critical hits received from enemies. Any decent PvPer will tell you the great benefit of setting your bar to full defensive to avoid the mass-damage of a critical-laced alpha strike!
When considering the bar, it's best to think of its positioning as divided up into eighths. Every 1/8 of the bar represents an equal amount of change for your character - a speed change of .25/.25 per eighth. The entire bar spans 1200 initiative skill points worth of effort on your part, with the first 1/8 near the aggressive end being a "bonus" to your speed - if you set the bar to full aggressive, your weapon receives a -.25/-.25 to its speed. Therefore the "neutral" position (where your listed weapon speed is correct without any init effects) on the aggro bar is actually at 87.5% aggressive. For example, if you possess a 1/1 speed weapon, you would need only 1050 initiative to set your bar from full agg to full def because the first 1/8 is "bonus" to you. For any weapon that slower than 1/1, you must apply a proper amount of init to your weapon to make it 1/1 before applying any init to scaling the bar. Fist speed begins at 1.25/1.25, so even at level 1 if you set your bar to full agg, you will be fighting at maximum speed: 1/1.
Percentage of Bar Speed Penalties* Init Needed for 1/1** 0 +1.75 1050 12.5 +1.5 900 25 +1.25 750 37.5 +1 600 50 +0.75 450 62.5 +0.5 300 75 +0.25 150 87.5 0 0 100 -0.25 0
* Penalties are for both attack and recharge speed (e.g, the 0% penalty is +1.75/+1.75)
** Assuming that your current weapon speed is 1/1, either because the weapon has a 1/1 base speed or because init has already been applied to the weapon to bring the speed down to 1/1.
Initiative Equations
So now that we know what the bar requires, we can concentrate on the general initiative equations for reducing your weapon speed before even considering bar movement. These equations differ for the weapon initiatives and nano initiative.
Weapon Initiative Equation
600 Physical Init = -1/-2 weapon speed
Nano Initiative Equation
200 Nano Init = -1/0 nano execution speed
Just a note here on how Nano Init is affected by the aggro bar. It behaves differently than for weapons in that there are only 3 settings that seem to affect it - full aggressive (-1,0), full defensive (+1,0), and anywhere in-between (0,0). Therefore for nanos with a base atk casting speed of 1 second or less, you cast insta-cast it simply by fighting at full aggressive. Also only at full defensive is anything ever added to the attack speed of your nanos, and only 1 second at that.
One Good Example!
Ok, now that we have all the rules and equations and specifics down, let's put our knowledge to the test and work on an example! I'll progress step by step to determine how much Physical Init and Nano Init I would need for a certain situation in which I would like to insta-cast a heal and fight with my weapon at max speed (1/1):
Heal Nano base speed : 1/4
Weapon base speed : 2/2
Desired bar setting : 50%
For the nano - (1) reduce the atk speed to 0 to begin by applying 200 init (2) moving the bar to 50% does not change the speed because it's in the "in-between" area (0/0) (3) cast speed is therefore 0/4 (4) nano is "insta-cast" at 50% (0/4) after applying 200 nano init total.
For the weapon - (1) reduce the base speed of the weapon first by applying 600 init - the init's effects are actually -1/-2, but because the hard cap on speed is 1/1, the recharge figure is only reduced to 1 (2) moving the bar to 50% adds +.75/+.75 to your weapon according to the aggro bar figure (3) weapon speed is currently 1.75/1.75 (4) apply 450 init to compensate for the new bar setting (5) weapon is once again 1/1 after applying a total of 1050 physical init.
So the amounts needed to optimize this set-up at 50% aggressive are: 1050 Physical Init and 200 Nano Init!
Complications
There always have to be complications it seems! For our purposes there are 2 major complications for MA's wishing to find their proper place on the aggro bar. These mainly affect high-level players however, so if you are new to the profession you will not have to worry about it quite yet. . .
(1) - MA fist speed slowing at higher skill - As discussed on the Offensive Skills page, from 200 MA skill to 1000 MA skill your base fist speed increases from 1.25/1.25 to 1.45/1.45. Therefore anyone with over 1000 MA skill can safely say their fists are .2/.2 slower than a new MA's. This increase must be compensated for of course in the calculations. The best way to do this is to assume an extra 120 physical init needed to bring your fists to full speed at the neutral setting and work from there. Therefore before you progress down the aggro bar from 87.5%, you must apply a total of 270 physical init to your fists to bring them from 1.45/1.45 to 1/1. With this new consideration to fight at full defensive, full speed you will need 1320 total physical init. This leads us to the second complication. . .
(2) - Post 1200 init is 1/3 as effective - This is a fairly new complication, originating from the last major overhaul of the recharge system in AO. Basically every 1 skill point of init you have over 1200 now counts as only 1/3 of an init. Simply put - any init you plan on using over 1200 you will need 3x of now to get the job done. So for the new full defensive setting for an MA with over 1000 MA skill, we have the base requirement of 1320 init. Now we have to take that 120 init that is over the 1200 mark and multiply it by 3, and add it back to the 1200 to get the actual amount needed. Yes, that comes out to 1560 total phys init needed now!! It's a pretty safe bet that no one can reach this amount at the present time, so MA's, contrary to popular belief, DO NOT fight at 100% effectiveness at full defensive!
Last edited by Lheann; Apr 22nd, 2008 at 02:18:15 .
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:57:06 #7
Martial Artists have at their disposal a variety of special moves that can be performed if they choose to fight with fists only. These attacks are not usable if you have any weapon equipped. MA special attacks have a wide variety of functions including dealing direct damage, dealing damage over time, stunning, root-breaking, healing, etc. In the old days MA specials always locked your martial arts skill, meaning you had to wait for the skill to recycle before using not only the same MA special again, but any MA special for that matter. Lately, however, new MA specials have begun to branch out concerning what skills they lock. It is now possible to perform 3 different MA attacks at the same time, all 3 locking different skills. While the strength of these combined attacks may still be considered weak by many, the overall trend is a step in the right direction.
MA special attacks can be found in the "Attacks" kiosks in general stores throughout Rubi-Ka. From patch to patch and even store to store the variety of attacks available tends to change quite a bit. For those you can not find in the store, you can attempt to roll as a mission reward. MA mobs will often drop MA special attacks as loot as well, so you should be sure to check them if you feel lucky.
With the addition of the last patch (14.7.8) there are new MA special attacks that must be compiled from books then translated to receive them. Specifics on how to obtain these specials can be found further down the page. . ..
General MA Special Attacks
Available in stores/as mission reward/as loot. Upon a Wave of Summer is MA-only, and is the only attack that can be traded - all others are [NoDrop]. Clicking the attack name will take you to the full DB description, where you can also search for other specific ql stats via Jayde's Interpolation tool.
Attack of the Snake
Required Skill(s): MA
Locks: MA
QL 200 Requires - 901 MA, 21 Nano
Function - 250 damage
Recharge - 15 seconds
Bird of Prey
Required Skill(s): MA/Dimach
Locks: MA
QL 200 Requires - 751 MA, 401 Dimach, 51 Nano
Function - 500 damage, 30% chance to cast Stunned by Bird of Prey - 2.5 second stun
Recharge - 30 Seconds
Angel of Night
Required Skill(s): MA/Riposte
Locks: MA
QL 200 Requires - 851 MA, 941 Riposte, 351 Nano
Function - 550 AoE damage, -80 to all enemy inits, Agility, & Sense for 2 minutes
Recharge - 350 seconds
Blessed with Thunder
Required Skill(s): Parry/Brawl
Locks: MA
QL 200 Requires - 851 Parry, 751 Brawl, 181 Nano
Function - 650 damage, 500 DoT (6 hits - every 10s), 80pt melee damage shield for 20 seconds
Recharge - 40 seconds
Shen
Required Skill(s): MA/Dimach
Locks: MA
QL 200 Requires - 1001 MA, 1001 Dimach/1501 Nano
Function - 1200 damage, 240 DoT (10 hits - every 10s), 100 Nano DoT (10 hits - every 10s), -100 to all enemy inits and run speed for 40s, cast Tight Embrace - up to 4.32 second stun.
Recharge - 1000 seconds
Flower of Life
Required Skill(s): MA/Parry/First Aid
Locks: MA
QL 200 Requires - 891 MA, 781 Parry, 351 First Aid
Function - 2500 Heal, -350 to enemy Run Speed and AddAllDef for 10 seconds
Recharge - 300 seconds
Bright, Blue, Cloudless Sky
Required Skill(s): MA/Dimach
Locks: MA
QL 200 Requires - 651 MA, 751 Dimach, 71 Nano
Function - 500 damage, -550 to enemy inits for 40s, cast Tight Embrace - up to 4.32 second stun.
Recharge - 180 seconds
Upon a Wave of Summer
Required Skill(s): Riposte
Locks: Riposte
QL 200 Requires - 401 Riposte, MA profession only
Function - 1 damage, reduce snare time by 2500s, reduce root time by 500s, -500 to enemy Run Speed for 3s, +900 Nano Resist for 20s, +200 Run Speed for 20s, 10% chance to cast Tight Embrace - up to 4.32 second stun.
Recharge - 110 seconds
Quest MA Special Attacks
There now exist 3 MA attacks that have some special limitations in acquiring them. All 3 of these attacks must have their pieces collected and combined, then taken to your friendly local sage for translation. The pieces of the attacks look like this, and there are 5 or 6 to collect for each. Once you combine them all you take the book to an NPC named Hermit located at 825, 2300 in Greater Tir County to have it translated and to receive your new attack.
Ape Fist of Khalum and Tree of Enlightenment pieces are found in the new Temple of the Three Winds dungeon - which has an entrance requirement of level 60 or below. This means that MAs already above level 60 will never be able to obtain these attacks. The third attack, Karmic Fist, is not in this dungeon, but is currently believed to be in the yet-to-be released Inner Sanctum dungeon, which has a level requirement of 125+ to enter.
All 3 attacks are only available in 1 quality level, so the stats listed below are all you need!
Ape Fist of Khalum
Required Skill(s): MA
Locks: MA
Requires - 281 MA
Function - 97 damage, 50% chance to cast Stunned - up to a 2 second stun.
Recharge - 19 seconds
Tree of Enlightenment
Required Skill(s): MA/Dimach
Locks: Dimach
Requires - 316 MA, 201 Dimach
Function - 120 damage, 290 Team Heal
Recharge - 39 seconds
Karmic Fist
Required Skill(s): MA/Brawl
Locks: MA
Requires - 921 MA, 881 Brawl
Function - 820 damage, 50% chance to cast Stunned - up to a 2 second stun.
Recharge - 34 seconds
Last edited by Lheann; Apr 22nd, 2008 at 02:30:24 .
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:58:25 #8
Martial Artists mainly possess 2 important types of nano formulas - buffs and heals. The buffs include a variety of offensive and defensive categories. The heals include both targeted and team heals. Outside of these types of nanos, the MA has a couple other executable nano types - Taunt and Fear - that have limited effectiveness. Then you also have the "Give Life/Nano" lines, that are so questionable in design and so pathetic in use that they are not even listed below.
With the exception of the AC Buff line and a few other nanoformulas, MAs typically use 4 nano skill strains - Bio Met, Psy Mod, Sens Imp, and Time & Space. Focusing on these four skills will ensure the ability to cast the majority of MA nanos.
QL 1-125 Nano Crystals are available in shops unless specified otherwise.
BM - Biological Metamorphosis
MC - Matter Creation
MM - Matter Metamorphosis
PM - Psychological Modifications
SI - Sensory Improvement
TS - Time & Space
MA Buffing Nanoformulas
MA Offensive Skill Buffs
QL 1 Lesser Controlled Rage
Required Skills: 9 PM, 8 SI
Effect: +12 MA , +8 Physical Init
QL 33 Dirty Fighter
Required Skills: 159 PM, 159 SI
Effect: +45 Brawl
QL 50 Martial Arts Mastery
Required Skills: 241 PM, 241 SI
Effect: + 60 MA
QL 96 First Strike
Required Skills: 444 PM, 444 SI
Effect: +93 Melee & Physical Init
QL 146 Return Attack
Required Skills: 670 PM, 670 SI
Effect: +50 Riposte
QL 169 Four Fists of Kali
Required Skills: 782 PM, 782 SI
Effect: +140 MA, +30 Fast Attack (Self Only)
Critical Chance Increase Buffs
QL 30 Subconscious Guidance
Required Skills: 155 PM, 155 SI, 155 TS
Effect: +8% Critical Chance (Self Only)
QL 57 Mark of Risk
Required Skills: 278 PM, 278 SI, 278 TS
Effect: +2 Critical Chance (Not in Stores)
QL 90 Vulnerability Seeker
Required Skills: 418 PM, 418 SI, 418 TS
Effect: +13 Critical Chance (Self Only)
QL 126 Mark of Danger
Required Skills: 584 PM, 584 SI, 584 TS
Effect: +4 Critical Chance
QL 139 Last Minute Adjustments
Required Skills: 648 PM, 648 SI, 648 TS
Effect: +19 Critical Chance (Self Only)
QL 159 Mark of Peril
Required SKills: 737 PM, 737 SI, 737 TS
Effect: +7 Critical Chance
QL 169 Universal Vulnerability Compendium
Required Skills: 777 PM, 777 SI, 777 TS
Effect: +24 Critical Chance (Self Only)
Fist Damage Type Buffs
QL 4 Iron Fist
Required Skills: 31 BM, 31 SI
Effect: +2 Melee Dmg
QL 20 Energized Fists
Required Skills: 104 BM, 104 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Energy, +6 Energy/Melee Dmg
QL 37 Corrosive Fists
Required Skills: 175 BM, 175 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Chemical, +9 Chemical/Melee Dmg
QL 47 Fists of Shocking Touch
Required Skills: 231 BM, 231 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Energy, +11 Energy/Melee Dmg
QL 66 Fists of Fire
Required Skills: 321 BM, 321 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Fire, +13 Fire/Melee Dmg
QL 86 Fists of the Maelstrom
Required Skills: 399 BM, 399 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Energy, +15 Energy/Melee Dmg
QL 106 Fists of the Polar Star
Required Skills: 493 BM, 493 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Fire, +17 Fire/Melee Dmg
QL 126 Fists of the Sorrowful Toad
Required Skills: 579 BM, 579 SI
Effects: Dmg type = Chemical, +19 Chemical/Melee Dmg
QL 146 Fists of the Lightning Crane
Required Skills: 680 BM, 680 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Energy, +23 Energy/Melee Dmg
QL 165 Fists of Stellar Harmony
Required Skills: 761 BM, 761 SI
Effect: Dmg type = Fire, +26 Fire/Melee Dmg
Controlled Destruction - Short-term Damage Buffs
QL 10 Crash of Thunder
Required Skills: 66 BM, 66 SI
Effect: +19 all dmg types, 15s Nano Shutdown
QL 27 Lotus on Water
Required Skills: 143 BM, 142 SI
Effect: +28 all dmg types, 15s Nano Shutdown
QL 40 Meditate on an Autumn Leaf
Required Skills: 200 BM, 200 SI
Effect: +35 all dmg types, 15s Nano Shutdown
QL 57 Wind-Blown Blossom
Required Skills: 273 BM, 273 SI
Effect: +43 all dmg types, 15s Nano Shutdown
QL 76 Sadness of the Willow
Required Skills: 355 BM, 355 SI
Effect: +51 all dmg types, 15s Nano Shutdown
QL 93 Sunrise over Pond
Required Skills: 433 BM, 433 SI
Effect: +56 all dmg types, 20s Nano Shutdown
QL 113 Sway of Bamboo
Required Skills: 528 BM, 528 SI
Effect: +63 all dmg types, 20s Nano Shutdown
QL 132 Waiting Panda
Required Skills: 615 BM, 615 SI
Effect: +69 all dmg types, 20s Nano Shutdown
QL 142 Chirp of the Mournful Cricket
Required Skills: 664 BM, 664 SI
Effect: +77 all dmg types, 20s Nano Shutdown
QL 152 Summer Rain
Required Skills: 709 BM, 709 SI
Effect: +84 all dmg types, 20s Nano Shutdown
QL 169 Inner Peace, Outward Rage
Required Skills: 787 BM, 787 SI
Effect: +94 all dmg types, 20s Nano Shutdown
MA Defensive Skill Buffs
QL 17 Limbo Mastery
Required Skills: 87 MM, 87 SI
Effect: +30 Duck Expl
QL 37 Elusive Target
Required Skills: 184 PM, 184 SI
Effect: +50 Evade, Dodge, Duck
QL 83 Fleet Foot
Required Skills: 384 PM, 384 SI
Effect: +85 Evade, Dodge, Duck
QL 136 Reduce Inertia
Required Skills: 628 PM, 628 SI
Effect: +120 Evade, Dodge, Duck
QL 1 Toughen Skin
Required Skills: 22 BM, 22 MC
Effect: +16 Melee AC, +14 Other ACs
QL 7 Minor Shen Protection
Required Skills: 48 BM, 48 MC
Effect: +36 Melee AC, +31 Other ACs
QL 14 Harden Skin
Required Skills: 83 BM, 83 MC
Effect: +62 Melee AC, +53 Other ACs
QL 24 Rubber Skin
Required Skills: 125 BM, 125 MC
Effect: +95 Melee AC, +80 Other ACs
QL 33 Lesser Shen Protection
Required Skills: 167 BM, 167 MC
Effect: +129 Melee AC, +110 Other ACs
QL 43 Wooden Skin
Required Skills: 208 BM, 208 MC
Effect: +164 Melee AC, +139 Other ACs
QL 53 Greater Wooden Skin
Required Skills: 257 BM, 257 MC
Effect: +199 Melee AC, +169 Other ACs
QL 66 Shen Protection
Required Skills: 310 BM, 310 MC
Effect: +234 Melee AC, +199 Other ACs
QL 76 Steel Skin
Required Skills: 360 BM, 360 MC
Effect: +269 Melee AC, +229 Other ACs
QL 86 Greater Steel Skin
Required Skills: 408 BM, 408 MC
Effect: +304 Melee AC, +258 Other ACs
QL 99 Major Shen Protection
Required Skills: 461 BM, 461 MC
Effect: +339 Melee AC, +288 Other ACs
QL 109 Titanium Skin
Required Skills: 513 BM, 513 MC
Effect: +375 Melee AC, +318 Other ACs
QL 123 Greater Titanium Skin
Required Skills: 564 BM, 564 MC
Effect: +411 Melee AC, +349 Other ACs
QL 132 Greater Shen Protection
Required Skills: 610 BM, 610 MC
Effect: +447 Melee AC, +380 Other ACs
QL 136 Partial Diamond Skin
Required Skills: 632 BM, 632 MC
Effect: +482 Melee AC, +410 Other ACs
QL 142 Diamond Skin
Required Skills: 654 BM, 654 MC
Effect: +517 Melee AC, +439 Other ACs
QL 146 Supreme Shen Protection
Required Skills: 674 BM, 674 MC
Effect: +552 Melee AC, +469 Other ACs
QL 152 Monomolecular Skin
Required Skills: 700 BM, 700 MC
Effect: +587 Melee AC, +499 Other ACs
QL 159 Transcendent Shen Protection
Required Skills: 730 BM, 730 MC
Effect: +621 Melee AC, +538 Other ACs
QL 165 Form of Tessai
Required Skills: 770 BM, 770 MC
Effect: +676 Melee AC, +574 Other ACs, +40 Str, -70 Agl, -250 Run Speed
Team MA Buffs
QL 132 Cohort
Required Skills: 620 MC, 620 MM
Effect: +400 to all AC's for 5 NCU
QL 149 Horde
Required Skills: 692 MC, 692 MM
Effect: +6 MA, +12 all dmg types for 5 NCU
QL 20 Muscle Stim
Required Skills: 108 BM, 108 MM
Effect: +12 Strength, +1 melee dmg
QL 60 Velocity
Required Skills: 289 BM, 289 SI
Effect: +70 Run Speed
QL 70 Muscle Booster
Required Skills: 336 BM, 336 MM
Effect: +25 Strength, +2 melee dmg
MA Executable Nanoformulas
Target Heal Nanos
QL 4 Personal Healing
Required Skills: 35 BM, 25 SI
Efftect: Heals 34-59 dmg
(Self-only)
QL 10 Lesser Healing Touch
Required Skills: 61 BM, 61 SI
Effect: Heals 55-103 dmg
QL 20 Restore Essence
Required Skills: 112 BM, 112 SI
Effect: Heals 92-197 dmg
QL 43 Healing Touch
Required Skills: 216 BM, 216 SI
Effect: Heals 181-379 dmg
QL 73 Healing Aura
Required Skills: 345 BM, 345 SI
Effect: Heals 291-564 dmg
QL 99 Greater Healing Touch
Required Skills: 473 BM, 473 SI
Effect: Heals 350-800 dmg
QL 129 Greater Restore Essence
Required Skills: 599 BM, 599 SI
Effect: Heals 443-981 dmg
QL 142 Enlightened Aura of Healing
Required Skills: 658 BM, 658 SI
Effect: Heals 566-1026 dmg
Team Heal Nanos
QL 17 Team Restore Essence
Required Skills: 96 BM, 96 SI
Efftect: Heals Team 54-143
QL 40 Team Healing Touch
Required Skills: 192 BM, 192 SI
Efftect: Heals Team 99-265
QL 70 Team Healing Aura
Required Skills: 327 BM, 327 SI
Efftect: Heals Team 166-424
QL 106 Greater Team Healing Touch
Required Skills: 503 BM, 503 SI
Efftect: Heals Team 277-598
QL 132 Greater Team Restore Essence
Required Skills: 622 BM, 622 SI
Efftect: Heals Team 346-709
Taunt Nanos
QL 24 Bad Blood
Required Skills: 117 PM
Efftect: 1 Damage, Angers the Enemy
QL 53 Distracting Nuisance
Required Skills: 262 PM
Efftect: 1 Damage, Angers the Enemy
QL 86 Encourage Hatred
Required Skills: 403 PM
Efftect: 1 Damage, Angers the Enemy
QL 136 Seething Resentment
Required Skills: 626 PM
Efftect: 1 Damage, Angers the Enemy
QL 162 Eternal Enmity
Required Skills: 752 PM
Efftect: 1 Damage, Angers the Enemy
QL 43 Presence of the Master
Required Skills: 221 BM, 221 PM, Must be level 50+
Efftect: 7s - 10m AoE taunt/fear, Enemy might run if: Enemy PSY (Boss Loot Only)
QL 113 Presence of the Overlord
Required Skills: 538 BM, 538 PM, Must be level 100+
Efftect: 11s - 11m AoE taunt/fear, Enemy might run if: Enemy PSY (Boss Loot Only)
QL 152 Presence of the Dominator
Required Skills: 706 BM, 706 PM, Must be level 165+
Effect: 11s - 13m AoE taunt/fear, Enemy might run if: Enemy PSY (Boss Loot Only)
Last edited by Lheann; Apr 22nd, 2008 at 03:02:35 .
Lheann
President of When I Grow Up
Lhisa - MA - RK1
MaxKillz - Enf - RK1
Namaru - Enf - RK1
"If you find yourself loosing a fight, your tatics suck."
Apr 22nd, 2008, 01:59:30 #9
General Information - Advantages vs. Disadvantages
MA weapons as a term relates to any weapon in AO that has an equip requirement of 66% MA skill. These weapons are specifically created to work along with your usual fist attacks, which basically means you are dual-wielding when using just one of these weapons, and are triple-wielding when using 2 MA weapons. When you dual-wield, you increase the total number of attacks you deal over time, but the number of fist attacks in that period will be less than if you were to use fists only. Here are some of my latest figures on how this works. Please keep in mind that to get optimal efficiency from your MA weapon it is best to have enough Physical Initiative skill to lower both your fist speed and weapon speed to the minimum 1s/1s (see Speed Skills & the Aggro Bar for more info on how Physical Initiative works).
Using Fists Only
Maximum 26 attacks/minute (26 fist attacks)
Fists + 1 MA weapon
Maximum 34-36 attacks/minute (17-18 fist attacks, 17-18 weapon attacks)
Fists + 2 MA weapons
Maximum 38-40 attacks/minute (13 fist attacks, 13 weapon1 attacks, 13 weapon2 attacks)
A couple disclaimers here on these stats - the figures are based on actual attacks performed on the enemy, not simple cycles of the attack and recharge bars. Also the figures vary a bit between PvM and PvP, and have also been known to change after patches overall by a small amount as well. While these stats may not be 100% accurate however, they are fairly close to reality.
The benefits of equipping a weapon are fairly obvious here - more attacks per time period. There are disadvantages however to consider. The first disadvantage is the inability to use MA special attacks while wielding a weapon. There are several ways to weigh this disadvantage though, as weapon proponents can easily claim that a good MA weapon always out-damages a corresponding MA special attack. Also if you are able to self-equip an MA weapon, then you have the ability of using the MA special first, equipping the weapon, then using fists + weapon for the remainder of the fight, or in the case of an emergency MA special like Flower of Life, de-equip your weapon then use the special.
Secondly MA weapons will always have a lower attack rating than your fists due to the 33% weapon skill requirement. For example, a high level MA with maxed MA skill and 1HB skill often sees an attack rating for his fists around 1100 while the attack rating for his parry stick lags behind at around 1020. This simply means that against enemies that are difficult to land an attack on, the MA weapon will be even more likely to miss - landing an attack is decided by a comparison of attacker skill (attack rating) and defender's ability (evades/parry). Many MAs will take their weapon off and use strictly fists and MA specials when they encounter an enemy that is difficult to hit.
A final general disadvantage is the IP cost of maintaining a melee weapon skill along with your other skills, especially in the early levels. There are many things that an MA can invest in and receive a good return, so adding an additional skill can be tricky, especially when you consider that all the melee skills that have MA weapon representatives are dark or light blue in color. One area that can help an MA with this problem is gaining skill through implants. Many melee weapon implant locations do not conflict with a normal MA implant setup, so taking advantage of the space is to your benefit. Also when IP is tight, only invest enough skill as to equip the weapon. Remember, with a 33% requirement, it takes 3 points in the melee weapon skill to equal 1 point worth of attack rating.
Multi-wield Issues
There are two main issues that should be acknowledged when planning to equip an MA weapon. The first is - Will my fists work with this weapon? While all MA weapons have the ability to be wieldable with fists, there exists an invisible requirement on each MA weapon that you must meet to do so. This requirement is only visible on the West Wind Katana at the moment, and is "MA for combined attack" in the description. What this means is that there is a second requirement outside of the wear MA requirement on the weapon for you to meet in order to use your fists as well. For a long time the MA community could only guess as to what these amounts were, but now with the advances in AO DBs we can view them at will. Here is an example of an MA weapon file. The first listing under Attributes - Martial Arts: 777 - is the MA amount needed for a fist/stick combined attack.
The second multi-wield issue is fairly easy to recognize, and is only for those who want to use 2 MA weapons. Any time you want to wield two weapons you must meet the Multiple Melee requirement listed on the weapon. If you have 2 weapons with varying requirements in this area, you must meet the lower of the two. Multiple Melee is yet another blue skill for Martial Artists, making it costly to raise. However multiple melee can be implanted fairly easily as well to add skill.
MA Weapon Listings
While the 66% MA requirement weapons are the only ones considered true MA Weapons, there do exist a few weapons in AO that require 33% or even no MA skill that still allow you to use your fists. These special cases will be covered in their own category in a future update. All links provided in the "MA Weapon Name" section are to the same QL as the listed stats.
1HB Weapons
Parry Stick
A/R: 2.5s/3.5s (900 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 806 MA, 537 1HB, 537 Brawl, 180 Dimach / 777 Multi Melee / 777 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 50-350 (350) melee
Bonuses - +100 Evade Clsc & Parry
Notes: A very good high-level weapon when you have the physical initiative to speed it up. Bonuses on the parry stick also make it a good choice when tackling a tough melee opponent. By dual-wielding two high level parry sticks the MA achieves the maximum in melee defensive skills. Parry sticks also possess the second highest damage stats of any MA weapon.
Torturing Tool
A/R: 1.2s/1.6s (180 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 831 MA, 555 1HB, 555 Brawl, 187 Dimach / 633 Multi Melee / 633 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 86-86 (515) cold
Bonuses - +150 Max Health
Notes: [NoDrop] off of Morgan LaFay in Camelot Dungeon. A very fast weapon that is also very crit reliant - the minimum and maximum damage is the same, so normal hits will always be for the same amount of damage. Also, the tool only drops in a general ql100-150 range, so you will have to be a little grown up before you can use one. Also Morgan is tough customer who will need a decent mid-level team or a few high level characters to take down.
Bang-Bang Glove
A/R: 1.4s/1.4s (240 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 918 MA, 612 1HB, 612 Brawl, 205 Dimach / 816 Multi Melee / 956 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 20-300 (220) energy
Bonuses - + 100 Melee & Energy AC, +24 Max Nano
Notes: Currently not in-game. Has a high MA fist requirement, and a 6 second equip time for only average damage. Only good thing about this weapon seems to be its speed.
1HE Weapons
Wall-Blade
A/R: 3s/1.2s (1200 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 1036 MA, 691 1HE, 691 Brawl, 231 Dimach / 835 Multi Melee / 913 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 100-250 (350) melee
Bonuses - +55 Parry, +110 Melee AC
Notes: Wall-Blades feature nice damage and some decent bonuses. The main problem with these weapons however is their speed. A 3 second attack time means you will need quite a bit of physical init to have the blade swing fast. Overall the wall-blade is basically a step behind the parry stick in all important categories.
Zenith Taichi
A/R: 1.6s/0.6s (360 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 985 MA, 657 1HE, 657 Brawl, 220 Dimach / 759 Multi Melee / 909 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 55-82 (137) melee
Bonuses - None
Notes: Very old MA weapon that has high equip requirements and poor damage. Besides looking nice on your character, this sword has very little use. Also only is available from ql 1-181.
Hidden/Disguised Zenith Taichi
A/R: 1s/1.2s (60 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 1064 MA, 710 1HE, 710 Brawl, 237 Dimach / 862 Multi Melee / 982 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 75-95 (300) melee
Bonuses - + 30 Evade Clsc
Notes: Hidden/Disguised Taichis are the result of improving a normal taichi with an Improve Slashing Weapons machine. The process increases the ql of the sword, as well as making it faster and more damaging. Even with these improvements however, the sword is still weak, and not comparable with the better MA weapons.
Burning Cresent
A/R: 0.3s/2.2s (360 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 760 MA, 507 1HE / 1443 Multi Melee / 1412 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 40-140 (90) fire
Bonuses - None
Notes: It does fire damage. Other than that, this weapon is terrible - huge fist use and multi requirements, no specials, and poor damage. As an added bonus, it also incorrectly runs on melee init instead of phys init! Don't touch this weapon!
Improved Burning Cresent
A/R: 1s/1.5s (150 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 957 MA, 638 1HE, 638 Brawl, 213 Dimach / 835 Multi Melee / 930 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 60-160 (130) fire
Bonuses - +120 Cold AC
Notes: Improved in the same way as the taichi, with about the same results. Specials are added to the improved version, and requirements lowered in the multi categories, but the improvements are not enough again to make this weapon viable.
2HE Weapons
West Wind Katana
A/R: 1s/3s (600 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 242 MA, 161 2HE, 163 Brawl, 57 Dimach / No Multi / 430 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 19-133 (133) chemical
Bonuses - None
Notes: The MA weapon with the highest base damage, and also wieldable in the middle agg/def settings at the highest levels. Unfortunately, at the current time it only drops in the ql 40-60 range in the Temple of the Three Winds dungeon off of the robots in the Guardian of Tomorrow room. Also, only level 60 and below MAs are even able to enter the dungeon to get one. If this weapon is ever introduced on the live servers in its ql200 form, its acquisition will certainly be a priority for many high level MAs!
Piercing Weapons
Hazangerine Claw
A/R: 1.2s/2s (300 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 896 MA, 597 Pierce, 597 Brawl, 200 Dimach / 801 Multi Melee / 911 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 40-310 (300) fire
Bonuses - +16 Dodge Rngd & Evade Clsc
Notes: Claws are a viable option at almost all levels during an MAs career. Early on the claw is just fast enough for young MAs to use effectively. Later in life, the claw maintains a decent damage quota, and is fast enough to be used one of two ways - either at low agg/def bar settings, or at higher settings while having a crit scope like LLTS or Vison Enhancer equipped (see Devices, Etc. for more info on crit scopes).
Acroblade
A/R: 1.5s/1.2s (300 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 1049 MA, 699 Pierce, 699 Brawl, 234 Dimach / 867 Multi Melee / 1006 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 80-90 (100) melee
Bonuses - None
Notes: Not much to say about this weapon really. Decent speed, poor damage, high requirements - not a winner.
Click Stabber
A/R: 0.2s/1.8s (240 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 866 MA, 578 Pierce / 1559 Multi Melee / 1527 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 60-65 (152) melee
Bonuses - None
Notes: This weapon is much like the Burning Cresent - huge fist use and multi requirements, no specials, and poor damage. As an added bonus, it also incorrectly runs on melee init instead of phys init! Don't touch this weapon!
Improved Click Stabber
A/R: 1s/1s (0 phys init needed for 1/1)
To Wield QL200 - 1040 MA, 693 Pierce, 693 Brawl, 232 Dimach / 200 Multi Melee / 400 MA Required to use Fists
Damage - 60-95 (180) melee
Bonuses - None
Notes: The improvement of the click stabber possesses stats that because of the still-pathetic damage serve as curiosities only. This is the only MA weapon that has a base speed of 1/1. Also, both multi reqs are very small, meaning you could equip 2 high level varieties of these easily if it wasn't for the high wield requirements. *rimshot* Improved click stabbers are upgraded from click stabbers in the same way as taichis and crescents only this time with an Improve Thrusting Weapons machine.
