Rogue/Stalker Leveling Guide

by Cybie

I. Introduction and Guide Scope

The Rogue is one of the possible 2^nd job advancements for the Thief class. Sly and cunning in nature, this class utilizes the skills in its kit to cause chaos and disruption in the battlefield. Whether it be snatching extra loot from monsters or divesting foes of their gear, the tricks and versatility of such a class are limitless. Should you decide to walk in the shadows as a Rogue, this leveling guide will be a great supplement to give you an idea on how to begin your journey as one!

This guide will contain the basics of what you need to know about leveling a Rogue – which stats to invest in, what monsters to target, what loot to look out for and some possible tips and tricks that you may find useful. Do note that this guide is not in absolution and is not required to follow by the letter. You as a young Rogue have free range on how to traverse and explore the ups and downs of your characters, and may this guide at least provide you some options that you may deem beneficial with that.

II. Stat Breakdown

STR: Main damage stat for Dagger/Sword-users, boosts ATK and increases max weight limit

AGI: One of if not the most important stat for a Rogue; provides FLEE and ASPD

VIT: Boosts HP, HP RECOVERY, DEF and resistance to STAT AILMENTS

INT:  Main damage stat for Magic-users, boosts MATK, SP, SP RECOVERY and MDEF

DEX:  Main damage stat for Bow/Trap-users, provides HIT, minimal ATK/ASPD boost and decreases CAST TIME; also increases success rate of Steal (both manual and auto)

LUK: Increases CRIT and some ATK/MATK; also slightly increases PERFECT DODGE

III. Possible Rogue Stat Builds

A. Melee Auto-Attack

High AGI, moderately high STR, mid DEX, mid to low LUK

This type of Rogue is pretty much the standard point-and-click variant, utilizing fast attacks with dagger-type weapons and dodging most physical attacks with its high FLEE from stats and gear. DEX investment is required to assure you hit your target, as well as successful (auto) Steal attempts. A few points in LUK will also increase ATK and Perfect Dodge by a bit.

B. Melee AoE

High STR, moderately high AGI, mid DEX, mid to low VIT or INT

Similar to the first melee Rogue, this one goes for a more active approach, using AoE Physical Skills like Sightless Mind or Bowling Bash to clear out hordes of enemies in one go. Swords become a good alternative to daggers to mitigate some of the size penalties. STR and AGI can be interchangeable whether one prefers higher base ATK or FLEE for kiting mobs/ASPD for Bowling Bash. VIT or INT can also be added either for tanking some hits or increasing one’s SP pool.

C. Bow Rogue

High DEX and AGI, mid to low INT

Rogues gain access to Bow-type weapons (provided they can equip them), giving them the ability to take down their enemies from a distance. This makes stat distribution easier, as you only need to increase one stat instead of two for both HIT and ATK. Bow Rogues will tend to spam Double Strafe or use normal attacks from afar, so having high AGI is recommended. Points in INT will help in having a suitable amount of SP for spamming said skill.

D.   (Bow)ling Basher

High DEX, moderately high AGI, mid to low VIT and INT

With the idea of only needing DEX to increase both HIT and ATK, using Bowling Bash (or Sightless Mind) becomes quite viable. As such, one may choose to invest more points on VIT and INT for tanking and SP respectively. Do keep in mind though that the skill is still counted as melee, and thus +% Ranged Damage equipment or specific Bow + Arrow Combos like Orc Archer Bow and Steel Arrows will NOT increase the damage output.

E. Caster / Trapper

High DEX and INT, mid to low AGI or VIT

Being the versatile class that they are, Rogues may also choose to take the magic or trapper route by those either more preferring to use such skills or have already-existing gear for the build. DEX and INT are the main stats for this build for casting time and damage. Points in AGI are more on for FLEE while VIT is more on HP when one needs to face tank a group of monsters before letting go of a magic spell.

IV. Gear and KP Preparation (+F2P Options)

Before proceeding with your Thief, one may opt to have some items prepared to help ease with leveling. These items are not required, but getting the best amount of EXP possible will definitely be worth the investment. Below is a list of sample gear and consumables that you may consider acquiring beforehand to ease up the leveling process:

–  Beginner (LV1-49), Rookie (Lv50-99) Shadow Sets and Experience Shadow Shield to increase EXP gained from defeating monsters

–  Class-specific Shadow Pieces or Sets (Varies per Build)

–  Equipment which provide +% EXP such as Kafra Uniform/Kafra Staff Headband set, Blue Rear Ribbon, Marin Balloon, EXP Rings from Cash Shop, Footgear with EXP-Race Cards

–  Premium Buff Box (Increased EXP/Drop Rate and Kafra Storage space for 30 days) + Battle Manual Box (10pcs)

• World Teleport Ticket Box (allows easy access to fields and dungeons without having to traverse long walks or teleports from town; done via World Map or Navigation System, and must be used outside a building)

–  Rideword Hat / Vanargandr Helm / Catherina von Blood (HP/SP leeching headgear)

• Equipment which provides Lv1 Greed such as Bravery Bag, Greed Shadow Weapon or Greed Amistr Bag

–  Orc Archer Bow + Steel Arrows (for C. Bow Rogues)

–  Pecopeco Hairband for Movement and Attack Speed

– Over-upgraded crimson weapons like Crimson Bow or Crimson Dagger

• Physical Enhancer Ring, Angel Egg, Bakonawa Tattoo or any accessory which increases ATK/DEX/INT or provides utility skills (ex. Heal from Archpriest Glove or Hide from Gyges Ring)

If you are a new player though with limited resources or just want to take the free-to-play (F2P) route, you may go for these viable options:

–  New User Box (free potions/consumables)

–  Time Keeper Equipment and Metal Weapons (also included in the Time Keeper Box from New User Box) which are enough to carry you in the early to mid-game

–  Eden Equipment Quest (preferably those done within Lv50-59, LV70-79 or Lv80-89 range for easy kill quests)

– Alice Mercenary Scrolls (via New User Box) summon an Alice companion to fight alongside you. She can use AoE skills such as Brandish Spear and Magnum Break that can kill multiple monsters at once, making early leveling effective. If you wish for Alice to automatically attack and use skills, consider downloading and setting up AzzyAI in the AI>USER_AI Folder.

–  5x [NFS] Battle Manuals via Jellopy Quest in Prontera (basically need to bring Jellopy to an NPC located at coordinates prontera 204, 53)

–  Gakkung from Weapon Dealer (for C. Bow Rogue and D. Bowling Basher)

– Event consumables such as [NFS] Small Mana Potion, [NFS] Infinity Drink and [NFS] World Teleport Tickets (depending on which ones are available in the current patch)

V. Leveling Guide (Thief)

[Lv1 – 10]: Criatura Academy Quest (until receiving Eden Group Mark), Prontera Field (Rocker, Fabre, Lunatic)

Loot Priority: Grasshopper’s Leg, Fluff

[Lv10 – 25]: Scorpion, Stainer, Muka, Payon Field (Spore, Boa, Wormtail)

Loot Priority: Scorpion Tail, Red Blood, Rainbow Shell, Wind of Verdure, Cactus Needle, Strawberry, Venom Canine

[Lv25 – 40]: Smokie, Thara Frog, Hydra, Ant Hell 1F, Payon Dungeon 1F/2F

Loot Priority: Tentacle, Detrimindexta, Panacea, Sticky Mucus, Jellopy, Iron Ore, Sticky Webfoot, Skel-Bone

[Lv40 – 55]: Wolf, Argos, Orc Village, Orc Dungeon 1F, Byalan Dungeon 3F/4F, Comodo Field (Grove, Flora, Alligator), Magnolia

Loot Priority: Strawberry, Bug Leg, Cobweb, Orcish Voucher, Emperium, Mermaid’s Heart, Gill, Mystic Frozen, Crystal Blue, Maneater Blossom, Stem, Aloe Leaflet, Anolian Skin, Yggdrasil Seed

VI. Rogue Job Change

Thieves with Job levels between 40 to 50 can proceed to change into a Rogue. It is highly recommended (especially to new players) to level up to Job 50 to waive the entire quest requirement and instantly change your job. Once you’ve decided to change job, proceed to the Rogue Guild located at the underground headquarters through the ruins in Pharos Lighthouse.

VII. Intimidate / Plagiarism

One of the defining traits of the Rogue and Stalker is the ability to copy 1^st Job and 2^nd Job offensive skills through their passive skill, “Intimidate” (also known as Plagiarism). Copying these skills open up the class’ doors to different builds and play styles that can aid in leveling. Below are some of the skills you may consider acquiring as you journey out as a Rogue or Stalker:

A.) Raging Trifecta Blow

– The auto attack Rogue’s go-to plagiarized skill will most often than not be this. Whether proc’d with daggers or bows, Raging Trifecta Blow will help in one’s DPS output and thus be able to kill mobs faster than just relying on Double Attack.

B.)  Bowling Bash

– This skill dishes out significantly large physical AoE damage, making it a great alternative from Sightless Mind when mob leveling. Although the aforementioned skill’s drawback is having to use Hiding always to deal damage (which may feel clunky for some), Bowling Bash relies on not having to stand on gutter lines (X,Y cells divisible by 40 plus 5 cells adjacent to them) in order to deal the most damage. Keep those in mind when you need to adjust your position before releasing Bowling Bash.

C.) Traps (Land Mine, Blast Mine, Claymore)

– Rogues can utilize Trap skills much like trapper-type Hunters (minus having Arrow Shower alongside said skills). These deal elemental AoE damage regardless of one’s weapon and require 1 Trap to cast. Each Trap only costs 1z from the Tool Dealer and has a weight of 0.2, making Trap skills a viable cost-efficient skill for grinding.

D.) Arrow Shower

– Bow Rogues by default only have access to the single-target ranged skill Double Strafe. Should they decide to copy a ranged AoE skill, Arrow Shower is the perfect choice for their kit. Basically playing like an Archer, they can use this skill to clear groups of mobs without having to get up close to them or worrying about carrying and setting traps.

E.)  Flying Kick

– More of a utility spell than a damage-dealing one, Flying Kick can close the distance between the Rogue and a target monster. This can then be followed up with whichever combo the Rogue wishes to do, such as casting Steal to try and get extra loot, striking the monster with Snatch to teleport across the map or just straight up killing it on-the-spot.

F.)  Offensive Magic (preferably AoE)

– Mobbing is an effective way of leveling a Rogue or Stalker in Renewal, and having access to multiple AoE Magic Spells makes leveling as one easier, provided you have the necessary MATK and cast time to release them. Storm Gust, Meteor Storm, Fire Ball and Blaze Shield are some offensive magic spells you may consider copying for your leveling.

G.) Aspersio / Magnus Exorcismus

– One Plagiarism gimmick Rogues and Stalkers are capable of is wearing an Evil Druid armor, making them Undead-property and copying Holy-element skills which hit them. As such, they are able to deal increased damage against Shadow and Undead element monsters. Aspersio will endow the Holy element onto Swords and Daggers for physical Rogues while Magnus Exorcismus will help clear out Demon-race and Undead-element monsters within a large AoE. Remember to bring the necessary items to cast these skills (Holy Water and Blue Gemstone).

H.) Heal / Sanctuary

– Continuing on with the Evil Druid armor gimmick, the restorative skills such as Heal and Sanctuary are some options one can consider in getting. This frees up inventory space and weight for carrying pots in exchange for other gear or consumables, and in the case of Rogues and Stalkers with not much INT-investment can recover a significant amount of HP using Sanctuary. The downside of this is, unless you’re dealing with Undead monsters or you are able to place the skill properly, you cannot put down Sanctuary while face-tanking monsters with the risk of healing them back.

Given the fact that Rogues, unlike Stalkers, don’t have access to the ‘Preserve’ skill, they are much more likely to lose their copied Intimidate skill if hit by another offensive skill. It is important to be extra cautious of where you level and what monsters you fight in order to maintain said skill in your kit. The following leveling guide for Rogue will include maps or monsters in bold italicized text, indicating that these are safe leveling targets for Rogues with copied skills.

VIII. Leveling Guide (Rogue)

[Lv55 – 70]: Orc Dungeon 1F/2F, Geffen Dungeon 1F, Beach Dungeon 2, Leaf Cat, Mantis, Geographer, Driller, Sidewinder

Loot Priority: Zenorc’s Fang, Orc Archer Bow, Shining Stone, Rough Elunium, Rough Oridecon, Poison Spore, Karvodailnirol, Steel, Elunium, Star Crumb, Great Nature, Round Buckler, Green Live, Old Purple Box, Yggdrasil Seed, Maneater Blossom, Maneater Root, Red Gemstone, Yellow Gemstone, Frill, Venom Canine, White Herb

[Lv70 – 85]: Juno Field (Goat, Grand Peco, Sleeper), Petites, Einbroch Field (Metaling, Porcellio, Noxious via party, Pitman), Stem Worm, Clock Tower 1F/B4F

Loot Priority: Antelope Skin, Peco Peco Feather, Wind of Verdure, Mastela Fruit, Gold, Great Nature, Sand Clump, Grit, Rough Oridecon, Elunium, Dragon Tail, Dragon Scale, Dragon Canine, Petti’s Tail, Iron Ore, Iron, Insect Feeler, Steel, Coal, Used Iron Plate, Yggdrasil Seed, Maneater Root, Yellow Gemstone, Witch Starsand, White Herb, Old Broom

[Lv85 – 95]: Stapo (preferably in hitters party), Glast Heim Underground Prison, Dark Priest, Geffen Dungeon 3F, Magma Dungeon 1F, Rachel Maps (Siroma, Roween, Desert Wolf, Anacondaq, Hill Wind)

Loot Priority: Jellopy, Green Live, Maneater Blossom, Maneater Root, Stem, Mandragora Flowerpot, Drosera Tentacle, Elunium, Oridecon, Rotten Bandage, Red Gemstone, Steel, Brigan, Cyfar, Izidor, White Herb, Little Evil Horn, Horseshoe, Lava, Mastela Fruit, Burning Heart, Glacial Heart, Ice Cubic, Crystal Blue, Wind of Verdure, Venom Canine, Scale Shell, Rough Oridecon, Harpy Feather, Harpy Talon

[Lv96 – 99]: Magmaring, Kobold (except Kobold Archer), Magma Dungeon 1F/2F (via party), Arclouse, Nifflheim Fields

Loot Priority: Burning Heart, Blue Hair, Lava, Mastela Fruit, Burning Heart, Burning Horseshoe, Dragon Tail, Dragon Scale, Dragon Canine, Dragon Skin, Little Evil Horn, Great Nature, Red Gemstone, Dead Branch, Elder Branch, Dullahan Armor Piece, Tangled Chains, Honey, Rough Elunium, Rough Oridecon

IX. The World Bounty Repeatable Quests and Boong Boong Drinks

Introduced in the Sept 2023 patch, World Bounty is a set of repeatable quests the player can accept, turn-in and reset in order to speed up the leveling process than just normally grinding monsters or doing Eden’s Daily Mission Board Quests. In various cities and towns, the NPC Magical Boy will teleport you to maps with bounty boards available, depending on your current location, at the cost of Boong Boong Drinks. These can be bought at the fixed cost of 100z from the Boong Boong V. Machine nearby. It is advised to bring a couple of them if you wish to grind for a good amount of time in bounty maps (around 500-1000), or have them in your storage which you can access via Kafra Card or Kafra Bell.

These drinks can also be used to reset the quest cooldown of bounty boards when you have finished turning in your quests. Depending on the bounty, simply talk to the board and bring the correct number of Boong Boong Drinks to refresh the cooldown. Afterwards, you may accept the bounty quest and kill monsters once again. More details about the World Bounty System may be viewed through the link below:

World Bounty System

X. Rebirth / Transcending via Escaped Book Quest

Once you have reached Base Lv99 and Job Lv50, proceed to Juno where you can rebirth or transcend into a High Novice. Make your way to the Sage’s castle (yuno 90, 318) and find Metheus Sylphe.

He will give you an option to either donate some Zeny or do a simple monster-hunting quest (Escaped Book) in order to transcend. More information may be viewed via the Free Transcending Guide:

Free Transcending/Rebirthing

 Once finished, he will direct you to walk north towards the Book of Ymir which will teleport you to Valhalla.

Before speaking to the Valkyrie NPC who will change you into a High Novice, make sure that you are below 500 weight, have no remaining skill points and not on a mount via Boarding Halter. Once you have transcended, it’s all a matter of following the leveling guide once again until you max out as Stalker.

XI. Possible Stalker Stat Builds

A. Future WoE-Oriented

High DEX, moderately high VIT and AGI, mid to low INT

Shadow Chasers are great disablers in the WoE and PvP environment. They aim to have high amounts of DEX to be able to cast their skills such as Masquerades and ground paint spells quickly, VIT for HP and Stun Immunity, AGI to quickly break castles and counter opposing Chasers’ Masquerades, and INT for their SP pool. With that in mind, Stalkers may want to work with a build stenciled towards such a direction. Investing high DEX early doesn’t just guarantee that you’ll have decent casting time as a Chaser, but you’ll be able to utilize Bow-type offensive spells like Arrow Storm once you change job. Due to VIT and AGI investment, using Bowling Bash to level up as a Stalker becomes viable to tank and dodge multiple targets at once.

B. Triangle Rainstorm

High DEX, moderately high AGI, mid INT

This variant is similar to the first build, but invests more points into AGI and INT instead of VIT (which can be added later on as a Chaser). This is to anticipate using the 3^rd job bow skills Triangle Shot or Severe Rainstorm which scale off AGI to increase damage. Double Strafe can also be used for leveling this Stalker build due to its innately high ASPD from AGI investment.

C. Shadow Spell

High INT and AGI, mid to low DEX and VIT

Shadow Spell is a Shadow Chaser spell which allows the character to autocast some offensive magic copied from either Intimidate or Plagiarism. Leveling a Stalker with such a build will feel like using an AGI-Wizard during classic days of Ragnarok – dodging attacks from enemies before releasing a devastating Storm Gust or Meteor Storm on them. Leveling this class early on may feel slow due to the lack of casting speed, but will definitely be worth it once the Stalker changes into a Chaser and is able to release multiple instances of Meteor Storm while attacking.

D. Caster / Trapper

High DEX and INT, mid to low AGI or VIT

Caster and Trapper-type Stalkers pretty much work like their Rogue counterparts, albeit not as difficult due having more stat points for damage and having Preserve in their kit, and thus losing the fear of accidentally copying an offensive skill in the middle of casting a spell.

E. Melee Stalker

High AGI, moderately high STR, mid DEX, mid to low VIT or INT

Due to the Shadow Chaser’s kit focusing more on disabling and disrupting, STR isn’t much a first choice unless one wishes to increase their weight limit without having to resort to Gym Passes. Still, a not-so-common build involves actually adding some points into STR and being a physical melee class (using the Ignition Break + Bowling Bash combo). In the early stages, a Melee Stalker can level up either via Auto Attacks or with AoE skills (similar to the first two Rogue builds discussed), ensuring either high AGI for fast attack speed or high STR for harder hitting attacks. DEX will still be needed to be able to hit mobs.

XII. Dual Client Partymates (Optional)

Rogues and Stalkers show their potential with the flexibility of their class’ build. This can further be increased by having other classes to buff your character. Ragnarok GGH allows the user to have two or more clients running, so you can potentially self-support yourself to help with leveling. Here are some suggested alt classes to aid you in grinding:

–  Priest (for heals, buffs and warps)

–  Blacksmith (for offensive buffs like Weapon Perfection)

–  Soul Linker (for Rogue Spirit benefits like Dispel immunity under Preserve and increased healing potency of ranked Alchemist potions)

–  Sage (for elemental endow skills) / Scholar (for SP Battery)

–  Spouse (for recall and SP Battery)

XIII. Additional Tips and Tricks

A. To save up on Fly Wings or having to buy a Creamy Card, use Lv1 Snatch on monsters (most preferably Plant-protocol Monsters which only take 1 damage) to get around the map. This saves some more SP compared to Lv5 Snatch.

B. Consider utilizing your Steal skill (whether manual or auto) to gain extra loot, increasing your Zeny gain which you can use for Potions, Kafra Warps and other supplies. Keep a lookout on some important loot that you can sell at a fair price to players looking for them (refer to the items listed at the different leveling brackets above). These are either used by other classes as catalysts for their skills or as items for BQ turn-ins.

C. A quick way of traveling from one point to another is by Backsliding. By adding ‘/bingbing’ and ‘/bangbang’ into your Shortcut List (ALT+M), you will be able to get to places much quicker than walking. This will take some practice, but is definitely worth it once you get the hang of it.

D.   Before transcending your Rogue into a High Novice, hoard and do one run of BQ Lv70 to 90, and turn the quests in once you reach Lv70 as Stalker. Unlike Word Bounty Repeatable Quests, you can interact with Eden Mission Board Quests at a much lower level requirement. Doing so will give you an insane amount of EXP (especially when increased with Battle Manuals and server’s EXP Boosts), raising your level to around Lv80+ and making you skip a whole lot of grinding.

E. Rogues and Stalkers gain access to a skill called Haggle (aka Compulsion Discount) which gives a higher Discount rate compared to Merchant classes. This isn’t a necessity especially if you need to allot skill points elsewhere (especially for future WoE-Chaser Stalkers where skill points are stretched out), but if you have free points or don’t have an alternate Merchant in your account, you can most definitely grab this skill.

XIV. Epilogue

In a war, the victor isn’t always necessarily the one with the larger, harder-hitting weapons. Sometimes, all you need is someone with an unexpectedly sneaky trick, unknown to your opponent, that can turn the battlefield upside down and to your favor. We hope this guide has become informative to you, and that you have become more knowledgeable on how to effectively progress with leveling your Rogue or Stalker. Should you have any questions, please leave a comment below or visit us over at the GGH Discord. Best wishes and happy leveling!

Special thanks to liengier, Scez, Taki and Laia from RO GGH Discord for sharing their knowledge on the class and making this guide possible.

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