Table of Contents
Introduction
“Take the high road. It’s far less crowded and the view is much better.”
Warren Buffet
Magic classes have it rough in renewal. Renewal mobs have high magic defense (MDEF) and it does not take much MDEF to drastically lower magic damage. If they do not wear the right gear, magic classes in the greater scheme of things have a harder time navigating the RO world vis-a-vis their physical class counterparts. However, if you find satisfaction in taking the high and difficult road, you are in the right place.
High wizards are the transcendent class counterparts of wizards, which stem from the magician class tree. They are party-play oriented and specialize in Area of Effect (AoE) Spells of different elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. Their damage is based off the magic attack formula, which operates on an entirely different dimension than the physical attack formula. They are usually built as glass cannons that can dish out massive amounts of damage to groups of monsters at once, at the expense of survivability.
Scope of this guide
This guide is made for Ragnarok Online by Gravity Game Hub (GGH). It is an official, low-rate, renewal server. As such, the information in this guide may not apply to other servers.
While this guide is made for a renewal server, this guide will not dwell too much on renewal maps, mobs, and skills for the simple reason that renewal maps, mobs, and skills are meant for third jobs. If you wish to see a more-detailed guide on renewal mechanics, gear, and skills, check out my Warlock Guide here.
This guide is built for Player versus Monster (PVM) or Player versus Environment (PVE) experiences, and not Player vs. Player (PVP).
Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Very respectable Damage Per Second (DPS) | Low base HP and usually no Flee |
| Most spells are AOE-based; good for mobs | Long cast time and long skill cooldown |
| Can switch to different elements anytime | Dependent on party members |
| Has SP recovering skills | Easily overweight |
| No ammunition needed and no catalyst needed for most skills | (Very) Expensive to gear (well) |
Stats
| Stat | Comments |
| INT (Intelligence) | This is your main stat. Every point of int adds + 1.5 Status Magic Attack (MATK). Every 6 points adds +1 SP Recovery. This stat also decreases your Variable Cast Time (VCT) by half the effectiveness of dex. It is recommended to max this stat to 99. All of these effects are useful to you as a magic user. |
| DEX (Dexterity) | This is your secondary stat as it affects your VCT. Every 5 points of Dex also gives MATK +1. This stat becomes less relevant as you gather more VCT gears. |
| VIT (Vitality) | This stat is for survivability. Every point adds 1% Max HP. You can choose either to add health through vit or add flee through agi for survivability. |
| AGI (Agility) | This stat is for attack speed (ASPD) and also for survivability. ASPD affects animation delay, which is the delay your character suffers for casting skills between casts. Getting ASPD should not be prioritized because our main problem is global delay and cooldown of skills, which are not affected at all by agi. Agi also gives flee, but it is recommended to get vit instead, as flee needs to be stacked to get the most benefit, and high wizards have no flee adding skills (or gear). |
| LUK (Luck) | This stat is for extra points. If you want to go full glass cannon, you can add points here instead of adding some for survivability stats because every 3 points in luk gives +1 MATK. |
| STR (Strength) | This stat is not that relevant for high wizards except that it helps increase our low weight limit. |
Magic Attack Formula
| The main formula for MATK is the following: MATK = StatusMATK + WeaponMATK + ExtraMATK + BuffMATK |  |
In that formula, we have:
- Status MATK. This is from your stats like Int, Dex, and Luk. Basically, Int adds the most damage, then Luk, then Dex. This is the left side of xx + xx MATK in your stat window. The formula is:
StatusMATK = floor[floor[BaseLevel ÷ 4] + Int + floor[Int ÷ 2] + floor[Dex ÷ 5] + floor[Luk ÷ 3]]
- Weapon MATK. This considers the base MATK given by your weapon (like +280 MATK of your Staff of Destruction), the weapon level, its refinement rate, and variance. This makes up the most of your magical damage. The right side of xx + xx MATK in your status window is your WeaponMATK + EquipMATK. Formula is:
WeaponMATK = BaseWeaponDamage + Variance + RefinementBonus + OverUpgradeBonus
While the formula for Variance is:
Variance= ± 0.1 × WeaponLevel × ((BaseWeaponDamage + (RefinementBonus ÷ 2)) + (WeaponRefinement × 2.5))
- Extra MATK. This is further composed of 3 subparts:
- EquipMATK. When your equipment or card gives +MATK, that added MATK goes here. For example, the +30 MATK of Gyges Ring.
- ConsumableMATK. When your consumable gives +MATK, that added MATK goes here. For example, Box of Drowsiness gives +20 MATK.
- PseudoBuffMATK. Too minor to discuss.
The formula for Extra MATK is:
ExtraMATK = EquipMATK + ConsumableMATK + PseudoBuffMATK
| We add all these different categories of MATK and we get our total “MATK”. It is this MATK that is used as base for the different multipliers we have in game. Multiplier – Example: RaceMultiplier – Example: Red Pom Band SizeMultiplier – Example: Skeleton Worker Card (no counterpart for magic yet). TargetPropertyMultiplier– Example: Windy Shadow Armor. MonsterMultiplier – Example: Kobold Leader Card (no counterpart for magic yet). MATKMultiplier – Example: Rainbow Scarf. SkillPropertyMultiplier – Example: La’cryma Stick. BossMATKMultiplier – Example: Celine’s Brooch. |  |
Inferences from these formulas:
- Gears/Cards/Options that increase “magical damage” or the magical damage of a specific skill are more valuable than MATK enchants.
- It is best to balance flat MATK and MATK% bonuses, favoring flat MATK by a respectable margin.
- For significant damage increases, get a new high level weapon with a high MATK base and/or wear MDEF piercing gear.
Magic Defense Formula
| Magic defense (MDEF) is a damage reduction mechanic based on the stats, gear, items and skills of players and monsters that reduces magical damage received. It composed of two parts: Soft MDEF and Hard MDEF. Soft MDEF is what you see in the left part of the MDEF portion of you stat window and HARD MDEF is what you see in the right part. MDEF = Soft MDEF + Hard MDEF |  |
Soft MDEF: Soft MDEF basically is the MDEF you get from stats (int, vit, and dex) and your base level, as you will see in the formula below. It gives a flat reduction to all incoming damage equal to the value of Soft MDEF. In other words, the reduction is direct (and not multiplicative). Basically, 120 MDEF reduces 120 magical damage received. Due to this flat reduction nature, you do not need to focus on Soft MDEF so much, as compared to reducing Hard MDEF, which reduces magical damage much more substantially. The formula for players’ Soft MDEF is:
Soft MDEF = Floor[(Total INT)+(Total VIT/5)+(Total DEX/5)+(Base Level/4)]
The formula for monster’s Soft MDEF is:
SoftMDEF = floor(BaseLvl ÷ 4) + floor (VIT ÷ 10) + floor(INT ÷ 5) Tip: "floor" just means you round down.
Hard MDEF: Hard MDEF is a relative reduction to magical damage and thus, the more (if not, the only) signficant portion of the MDEF formula. It is the MDEF coming from equipment/shadow equipment/cards/options/skills/items (for example: WoE Robe, Goat Card, Arclouse Card). It reduces incoming damage multiplicatively. To compute the percent of damage reduced by Hard MDEF, we use the following formula:
Percent of Damage Reduced = (1-[(1000+Hard MDEF)/(1000+Hard MDEF*10)])*100
Applying this formula, let’s say you have 50 MDEF. This translates to reducing about 30% of incoming magical damage. Note: This also means that 100 Hard MDEF does not mean 100% magic damage reduction, but 45%.
| MDEF Pierce: Given the discussion on how MDEF significantly reduces magical damage, it thus highly recommended to stack as much damage MDEF piercing gear as much as possible if you wish to see a significant magical damage improvement. In some cases, MDEF piercing gear is the only way to go, especially when you are against high MDEF mobs (for example when you’re at Abyss Dungeon 4). MDEF Pierce can come from gears (see Tempest Shadow Set), from skills (see Expiatio). It caps at 100%. MDEF Pierce affects Hard MDEF, meaning 100% MDEF Pierce means your magical damage completely ignore the Hard MDEF of the mob you are fighting (and the related damage reduction that Hard MDEF gives). |  |
Tip: As of the current patch, it is possible to achieve 100% MDEF Pierce using the Tempest Shadow Set (see suggested equipment section below). It is highly recommended to collect the whole set as you will notice significant damage improvement with it.
VCT vs. FCT
| The main formula for Cast Time is: Cast Time (seconds) = VCT + FCT In this formula we have: 1. Variable Cast Time (VCT). VCT depends on the stats and gear of the caster. Most cast-reducing effects of gears relate to VCT. For example, the +30% VCT Reduction of Violet Halo. Stat-wise, dex reduces VCT twice as much as int. Note: VCT-reducing gear STACKS. Formula is: |  |
VCT = BaseVCT × (1 − SQRT[{DEX × 2 + INT} ÷ 530]) × (1 − Sum_GearVCTReduc ÷ 100) × (1 − Sum_SkillVCTReduc ÷ 100)
This includes:
- BaseVCT = Base Variable Cast Time of a skill.
- Sum_GearVCTReduc = Sum of reductions for Variable Cast Time, like Isilla Card effect or Kathryne Keyron Card.
- Sum_SkillVCTReduc = Sum of reductions for Variable Cast Time from skills like Magic Strings, Suffragium, and some items that gives variable cast reduction to a specific skills like Imp Card and Siroma Card.
Skill-specific VCT: The %VCT reduction in general is NOT additive to %VCT reduction for a certain spell. For example, if you have 60% VCT reduction in general, getting 40% VCT reduction for Storm Gust (from Wizard Shadow Shoes) does NOT make you 100% instant cast for Storm Gust. From the formula above, the remaining general VCT you have (Sum_GearVCTReduc) will still be multiplied with the remaining skill-specific VCT (SkillVCTReduc). As an illustration, if you have 95% general VCT reduction, and a 5% VCT reduction from a specific skill, you would still have 4.75% VCT remaining. This is solved as follows:
5% general VCT remaining * (100% – 5% skill reduction) = 4.75% VCT remaining
Getting VCT 100%: As stated, to reduce VCT, you have two options: stat-route and VCT-gear route. You remove VCT completely through stats if your (DEX x 2) + INT >= 530. You remove VCT through VCT% reducing gear if your VCT% reduction totals to 100%. It is generally advised to stick to one route because of the nature of the formula.
| 2. Fixed Cast Time (FCT). Unlike VCT, only a handful of skills (for example, Sacrament) and gear (for example, Ancient Hero Boots) reduce FCT. Important Note: Gears and skills that reduce FCT by % (for example, Sacrament and Puente Robe) DO NOT stack. The highest % will be the only effect applied. On the other hand, gears and skills that reduce FCT by a fixed amount (for example, Ancient Hero Boots) STACK and are applied before percentage modifiers. Formula is: |  |
FCT = (BaseFCT – Sum_FCT) × (1 − Max_FCTReduc ÷ 100)
This includes:
- BaseFCT = Base Fixed Cast Time of a skill.
- Sum_FCT = Sum of all effects that directly subtract from Fixed Cast Time, like Ancient Hero Boots
- Max_FCTReduc = Highest reduction modifier of Fixed Cast Time, usually Sacrament
Unfortunately, you’ll eventually have to deal with FCT again when you change jobs to Warlock. As per Sept 21, 2023, FCT has been added to all skills that should have FCT from the start. Check the link below for more details: Official Ragnarok Online by Gravity Game Hub (gnjoy.asia) |  |
Cooldown vs. ACD
Now that the differences between VCT and FCT have been settled, it’s time to discuss another aspect of skills management that also confuses many people. While Skill Cooldown and Skill After-Cast Delay start at the same time (upon casting of the skill), they have different effects, and they end at different times.
Skill Cooldown:
- When skill-specific cooldowns trigger, you will be unable to cast the same skill again until that skill’s cooldown finishes.
- In your shortcut bar, you will know the problem is skill cooldown if only that skill is grayed out. You can freely cast other skills during that skill’s cooldown.
- Some skills have high cooldowns and some skills have no cooldown (like Jupitel Thunder). This is important to note in party-play because only those skills with no innate cooldown are spammable with Poem of Bragi/Magic Strings.
- Some equipment reduce specific cooldowns.
Note: Please ignore the warlock skill images. I carried this whole block over from my Warlock Guide.
After-Cast Delay (ACD):
- When ACD triggers, you are unable to cast ANY SPELL for the duration of the delay.
- In your shortcut bar, you will know that ACD has triggered if all of your skills are grayed out.
- Most skills have ACD, but some exceptionally do not, for example, Jupitel Thunder. No ACD and no cooldown means the skill is spammable.
- Poem of Bragi (assuming the Clown/Bard has the correct stats) will eliminate your ACD.
- Several gear reduce ACD (see Reload stones, Heart Wing Hairband, TSOD, Fallen Angel Shield, Diabolus Robe). Stacking ACD reduction can be a strategy in building your high wizard.
Elemental Table
As high wizards, one of our key advantages over other classes is our ability to switch elements at will without any converter or ammunition swapping. As such, it would be a waste to be not familiar with how the different elements work with each other.
The table below shows the attacking element in columns (vertical), and defending element in rows (horizontal). If the cell is beyond 100%, meaning the attacking element has increased damage over the defending element. Less than 100% means reduced damage. For example, Fire attacks deal 150% damage to Earth monsters.
In renewal, mobs have different levels of defending elements. The resistances and weaknesses of a defending element are amplified relative to its level. Attacking elements are not separated into levels. The defending elements span until level 4.
Tip: Use Sense (2nd job skill) to see a mob’s characteristics/element/size/race.
(a) Defending Element (horizontal/rows) Level 1
| Neutral | Water | Earth | Fire | Wind | Poison | Holy | Shadow | Ghost | Undead | |
| Neutral | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 70% | 100% |
| Water | 100% | 25% | 100% | 90% | 175% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Earth | 100% | 100% | 25% | 150% | 90% | 125% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Fire | 100% | 150% | 90% | 25% | 100% | 125% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Wind | 100% | 90% | 150% | 100% | 25% | 125% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Poison | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 100% | 50% | 100% | 50% |
| Holy | 100% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 0% | 125% | 75% | 100% |
| Shadow | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 125% | 0% | 75% | 0% |
| Ghost | 70% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 125% | 100% |
| Undead | 100% | 100% | 100% | 125% | 100% | −25% | 150% | −25% | 100% | 0% |
(b) Defending Element (horizontal/rows) Level 2
| Neutral | Water | Earth | Fire | Wind | Poison | Holy | Shadow | Ghost | Undead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 100% |
| Water | 100% | 0% | 100% | 80% | 175% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 75% | 75% |
| Earth | 100% | 100% | 0% | 175% | 80% | 125% | 100% | 100% | 75% | 75% |
| Fire | 100% | 175% | 90% | 0% | 100% | 125% | 100% | 100% | 75% | 75% |
| Wind | 100% | 80% | 175% | 100% | 0% | 125% | 100% | 100% | 75% | 75% |
| Poison | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 100% | 25% | 75% | 25% |
| Holy | 100% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | −25% | 150% | 50% | 125% |
| Shadow | 100% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 25% | 150% | −25% | 50% | 0% |
| Ghost | 50% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 75% | 100% | 100% | 150% | 100% |
| Undead | 100% | 100% | 100% | 150% | 100% | −50% | 175% | −50% | 125% | 0% |
(c) Defending Element (horizontal/rows) Level 3
| Neutral | Water | Earth | Fire | Wind | Poison | Holy | Shadow | Ghost | Undead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 100% |
| Water | 100% | −25% | 100% | 70% | 200% | 50% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 50% |
| Earth | 100% | 100% | -25% | 200% | 70% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 50% |
| Fire | 100% | 200% | 70% | −25% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 50% |
| Wind | 100% | 70% | 200% | 100% | −25% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 50% |
| Poison | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 125% | 0% | 50% | 0% |
| Holy | 100% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | −50% | 175% | 25% | 150% |
| Shadow | 100% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 50% | 0% | 175% | −50% | 25% | 0% |
| Ghost | 0% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 100% | 100% | 175% | 100% |
| Undead | 100% | 125% | 100% | 175% | 100% | −75% | 200% | −75% | 150% | 0% |
(d) Defending Element (horizontal/rows) Level 4
| Neutral | Water | Earth | Fire | Wind | Poison | Holy | Shadow | Ghost | Undead | |
| Neutral | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% | 100% |
| Water | 100% | −50% | 100% | 60% | 200% | 25% | 75% | 75% | 25% | 25% |
| Earth | 100% | 100% | −50% | 200% | 60% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 25% | 25% |
| Fire | 100% | 200% | 60% | −50% | 100% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 25% | 25% |
| Wind | 100% | 60% | 200% | 100% | −50% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 25% | 25% |
| Poison | 100% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 75% | 0% | 125% | −25% | 25% | −25% |
| Holy | 100% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | −100% | 200% | 0% | 175% |
| Shadow | 100% | 25% | 25% | 25% | 25% | −25% | 200% | −100% | 0% | 0% |
| Ghost | 0% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 25% | 100% | 100% | 200% | 100% |
| Undead | 100% | 150% | 50% | 200% | 100% | −100% | 200% | −100% | 175% | 0% |
Skills
| Skill | Description | Notes |
 Cold Bolt | Launch cold bolt(s) to target foe, each dealing Water-element magical damage. | Outclassed by second-job skills. Get 5 skill points as a prerequisite for higher tier skills. |
 Fire Ball | Attack a target and enemies in a 5×5 area around the target for Fire-element damage. | Usable for very low level parties. But not used in the slightest as a high wizard. Outclassed by second-job skills. |
 Fire Bolt | Launch fire bolt(s) to target foe, each dealing fire magical damage. | Outclassed by second-job skills. |
 Fire Wall | Put up a small fire wall that causes 50% Fire-element damage to enemies passing through and pushes them back. | Usable for very low level parties. Outclassed by second-job skills. |
 Frost Driver | Attack a target with Water-element damage with a chance to freeze it, rendering it immobile and turning it to Water 1 element. | Outclassed by second-job skills. Get 1 skill point as a prerequisite. |
 Increase SP Recovery | Passively increases SP recovery speed when not moving. Also increases efficiency of SP-restoring items consumed and thrown by an Alchemist | Helpful even as a high wizard. AoE spells use up a lot of SP and your Soul Drain does not work on them. Max this skill. |
 Lightning Bolt | Launch lightning bolt(s) to target foe, each dealing Wind-element damage. | Outclassed by second-job skills. Get 4 skill points as a prerequisite. |
 Napalm Beat | Deal up to Ghost-element magical damage to target and all enemies in a 3×3 area around it. | Outclassed by second-job skills. Get 7 skill points as a prerequisite. |
 Safety Wall | Use a Blue Gemstone to create a pillar on a cell that protects whoever stands in it from melee attacks. | This is your best available skill for survivability. It protects you from melee physical attacks up to a certain threshold of damage.Tip: make sure to carry a few blue gemstones always. |
 Sight | Reveal hidden enemies in a 7×7 area around the user. | Useful to reveal hidden enemies. |
 Soul Strike | Ghost-element attack dealing up to 5× magic damage to a single target. Does additional damage to Undead-element enemies. | Outclassed by second-job skills. Get 7 skill points as a prerequisite. |
 Stone Curse | Attempt to turn target into stone, rendering it immobile and turning it to Earth 1 element. | Not worth the skill points because stone cursing is generally not needed for PvM. Get 1 skill point as a prerequisite. |
 Thunderstorm | Foes within target 5×5 area are hit with Wind-element magical damage. | Outclassed by second-job skills. Get 1 skill point as a prerequisite. |
 Energy Coat | Reduces damage from incoming physical attacks while consuming SP | One of the key signature spells of the mage class. This skill reduces up to 30% of all incoming damage.Tip: do not use this for farming. It will eat up most of your SP.Tip: if you are using it for the damage reduction, make sure maintain about 81% of your SP for max reduction. |
 Water Ball | Uses water beneath the caster to launch water balls at target foe, each deals water magical damage. | This actually has high damage potential, but most parties do not have professors with deluge available. Tip: This skill works with Ninja’s watery evasion as well. |
 Storm Gust | Summons a destructive blizzard in a 7×7 target area that deals water magical damage per hit with chance of freezing enemies. | One of your key AoE spells. Deals good water damage, freezes, and knocks back enemies. Tip: Apart from fire mobs, this skill is also good against Undead monsters. They do not freeze and hence, receive continuous water damage.Tip: Do not cast Storm Gust over another Storm Gust. They DO NOT stack. Cast Meteor Storm or Lord of Vermillion instead. |
 Sightrasher | Projects the fireball summoned by the Sight skill to knock enemies back and deal damage. | Use is pretty niche. Get 2 skill points as a prerequisite for Warlock skills. |
 Sense | Analyzes a target, allowing the user and any party members to view an enemy’s stats. | If you are new to Ragnarok, this will be helpful for you and your partymates. If not, skip this. Comes in handy for places where mobs differ in element, race, and size. |
 Quagmire | Turns a 5×5 area of ground into a marshland that lowers AGI and DEX, and removes certain buffs. | This is an underrated skill. It does not only slow down mobs, but it also lowers their hit. It has no cast time as well. Very good for mobbing.Note: only three (3) quagmires can be active at the same time. |
 Meteor Storm | Calls forth meteors from the sky that strike multiple times, each hit deals fire magical damage with a chance to stun a target. | One of your key AoE spells. Deals respectable fire damage and stuns enemies.Tip: to get most damage out of this skill, it is best to stack it. When you are preparing for an enemy spawn in a certain location, spam MS on such location. Best with Poem of Bragi. |
 Lord of Vermilion | Summons explosive bolts of destruction in a 9×9 area that deals Wind magical damage, with chance of inflicting blindness. | Your wind AoE spell. Deals some wind damage and blinds enemies at a low chance.However, of your 3 AoE key spells, this inflicts the least damage. Get at least level 1 as a prerequisite for warlock skills.Tip: It’s best use to use it after Storm Gust, as wind damage is boosted against frozen targets. |
 Jupitel Thunder | Launches an orb of lightning that hits multiple times, each dealing wind magic damage and knocks the target back. | Your best single target spell as a high wizard. Good lightning damage, with short cast time and no spell cooldown (spammable). Pushes enemies back as well. This is a good skill to max if you have +9 Wizard Shadow Armor. It is deadly with insant cast. Get at least 5 skill points as a prerequisite for Warlock skills. |
 Ice Wall | Summons a shield of ice 5 cells wide in front of the caster. | This is a good utility spell but usage is still pretty niche. Mainly used to trap non-boss monsters or protect the caster or his partymates. Tip: you can force-teleport boss monsters by trapping them in an ice-wall in case you or your party is not ready to deal with them. |
 Heaven’s Drive | Raises the ground in a 5×5 area around a target area, hit foes with the area multiple times, each dealing Earth damage. | Deals earth damage in an area. Apart from the low damage, AoE is pretty small as well.Get at least level 1 as a prerequisite for warlock skills. Tip: you can reveal hidden enemies through this skill. |
 Frost Nova | Strikes surrounding enemies within your 5×5 area with water elemental damage with a chance of freezing them. | This is another underrated skill. While damage is negligible, it has a very high freezing rate. Downside is that its range is short. |
 Fire Pillar | Summons a pillar of fire on a target spot that acts similarly to a trap, hits foes multiple times each dealing MDEF-ignoring damage. | Use is pretty niche. It’s known for having MDEF-ignoring damage but damage is still negligible. |
 Earth Spike | Causes the earth below a target to rise and strike a target multiple times. Each hit deals earth elemental damage. | Deals some earth damage to a single target. Low cast time and short cooldown. Since there are not much wind monsters in leveling spots, this skill is barely used.Get at least level 3 as a prerequisite for warlock skills. |
 Mystical Amplification | Amplifies the MATK of the next skill by 50% for 30 seconds or until the next skill is used. | One of your best skills. 50% is a tremendous boost in damage. Spam it whenever you can. Max this skill. Note: it only affects StatusMATK and WeaponMATK. |
 Soul Drain | Allows to absorb SP from monsters when they’re killed with single target spells. This skill also enhances Max SP. | Very helpful for farming. If you use single target spells, this gives you near unlimited SP.Tip: when you are an AoE damage dealer in a party, you can quickly replenish some SP with this passive skill by inserting a few single target spells here and there. |
 Ganbantein | Casts a spell that has an 80% chance of sweeping any ground skill in its AoE. Consumes a Blue and a Yellow Gemstone. | Removes AoE spells like Land Protector. Has some use for select boss fights. |
 Napalm Vulcan | Strikes a single target with Ghost property magic damage and has a chance to leave them cursed. | Use is pretty niche. Damage is low. |
 Gravitational Field | Inflicts Neutral property magic damage to all enemies in a 5×5 area around the targeted location. | Use is pretty niche. Theoretically, this should be good against shadow or holy mobs but base damage is low. |
 Stave Crasher | Combines attack and magic to strike a single target from distance and inflict ranged physical damage. As such, all features from physical damage are applied to this skill. | Use is pretty niche. This skill is mostly used to status mobs/players by switching to a status-inducing carded weapon . |
Warlock-Prerequisite High Wizard Skills
| These are the skills that are pre-requisites to Warlock Skills. In the minimum you have to add these skills with the following levels (see image on right): You are free to choose where you want to place the remaining 14 skill points. |  |
| My suggested build is as follows (see image on right): You are free to choose where you will spend the remaining four skill points. |  |
Warlock-Prerequisite Mage Skills
| These are the skills that are pre-requisites to High-Wizard and Warlock Skills. In the minimum you have to add these skills with the following levels (see image on right): You are free to choose where you want to place the remaining 14 skill points. |  |
| My suggested build is as follows (see image on right). You are free to choose where to spend the remaining 2 points. |  |
Equipment
There are many ways you can go about gearing your high wizard:
Cast time (Priority): You can prioritize getting VCT reducing gear and aim for instant cast as fast as possible (Skull Cap with enchanted Thorn Staff of Darkness Combo, Angel Egg combo, Crown of Deceit, Sprint Ring, etc.).
Damage (Priority): You can prioritize stacking MATK/damage adding gear for maximum damage output (Celine Ribbon, Wickebine’s Cat Ears, Agav Card, Gyges Ring, Scaraba Card, etc.).
You can also mix both. Just note: if you do not aim to remove or drastically reduce cast time, it will greatly benefit you to get the “casting uninterrupted” effect, either through gear (Caster Shadow Set, Orlean’s Set) or items (Infinity Drink) or skills (Devotion from a party member). We have horrid cast times without gear.
ACD (optional): You may also theoretically stack on ACD reducing gear (Heart Wing Hairband, Diabolus Robe, Expert Rings, etc.). Apart from cast time, the after cast delay of our AOE skills also hold us back.
MDEF Pierce (recommended): Also, do not forget to stack MDEF piercing gear. See Magic Defense Section above for a more detailed discussion about MDEF. See also Shadow Equipment Section below for the sets we have as of current patch.
for the sets we have as of current patch.
If I were to rank the options to focus on: Magical damage increase (different from MATK) > Cast time reduction (instant cast or uninterruptible cast) (VCT+FCT) > MATK/MATK% > MDEF Pierce > ACD > ASPD.
Please see the following table for a more comprehensive list of options for gears:
Upper Headgear Celine Ribbon Survivor’s Circlet (with Survivor’s Set combos) Wickebine’s Cat Ears Skull Cap (with TSOD combo) Deep Blue Angel Hairband (with Angel Egg combo) Improved Mage Hat Pecopeco Hairband Crown of Deceit Heart Wing Hairband Red Pom Band Necktie (with Blush combo) Kafra Staff Headband (with Kafra Uniform combo) Ulle’s Cap (with Odin’s Blessing Combo) Apple of Archer Cards: Lichtern Red Card Lichtern Green Card Lichtern Yellow Card Lichtern Blue Card Isilla Card Jaguar Card Toucan Card Tower Manager Card Kathryne Keyron Card Tikbalang Card Corrupt Life Card Banshee Card Cendrawasih Card Carat Card Nightmare Card Marduk Card |    |
| Middle Headgear Magical Booster Scuba Mask (with Oxygen Tank and Surfer Swimsuit Combo) Blush Blinker Cards: (Same cards as Upper Headgear) Lower Headgear Survivor’s Orb Rainbow Scarf Charm of Great Nature Chilly Breath Long Tongue CD in Mouth Love Love Balloon Poring/Marin Balloon Jinn Marin Balloon Blue Rear Ribbon |   |
| Armor Diabolus Robe (with Diabolus Ring Combo, Int+3 Enchant) Anti-Magic Suit (with Magic Intensifier Ring Combo, enchantable) Geffen Magic Robe (with Magic Intensifier Ring Combo, enchantable) Orlean’s Gown (with Orlean’s Server and Orlean’s Glove Combo) Excelion Armor (with Excelion Suit Combo) Predator Mail Sprint Mail (with Sprint Shoes and Spring Ring Combo) Kafra Uniform Surfer Swimsuit Odin’s Blessing Puente Robe Cards: Agav Card Banshee Master Card Marc/Evil Druid/Pasana/Dokebi Card Weapon Crimson Rod Crimson Staff Survival Rod (INT) Survival Rod (DEX) Staff of Destruction (SOD) Kronos Lacryma Stick Survivor’s Rod Wizardry Staff (with Spiritual Ring combo) Evil Bone Wand Wing Staff Thorn Staff of Darkness (TSOD) (with Skull Cap combo) Cards: Nightmare Mimic Card Pinguicula Card Naga Card Curupira Card Big Ben Card Necromancer Card Demon God’s Essence Int1/2/3 |    |
| Shield Orlean’s Server Anemos Shield Mad Bunny Shield Solomon’s Key Valkyrja’s Shield Immune Shield Platinum Shield Round Buckler Memory Book (with Monocle and Pocket Watch Combo) Cards: Neo Punk Card Nightmare Arclouse Card Hodremlin Card Horn Card Alice Card |  |
| Garment Fallen Angel Wing Violet Halo (with Magical Booster Combo) Survivor’s Manteau Bravery Bag Predator Manteau (with Predator Boots Combo) Wool Scarf (with Tidal Shoes Combo) Excelion Wing Piece of Angent Skin Oxygen Tank Flame Manteau of Naght Sieger Cards: Antique Book Card Salamander Card Raydric Card Noxious Card Harpy Card Faceworm Larva Card Nightmare Ancient Mummy Card |   |
| Shoes Sprint Shoes Ancient Hero Boots Tidal Shoes Variant Shoes Predator Boots Cards: Nightmare Verit Card Piranha Card Firelock Soldier Card Gold Acidus Card Miyabi Doll Card Sohee Card |  |
| Accessories Magic Intensifier Ring Angel Egg Gyges Ring Sprint Ring Bradium Earring Spiritual Ring Diabolus Ring Spiritual Ring The Sign Expert Ring Orlean’s Glove Predator Magic Ring Monocle and Pocket Watch Cards: Mavka Card Elvira Card Headless Mule Card Phen Card Scaraba Card Vitata Card Bloody Butterfly Card Zerom CardCreamy Card Imp Card Siroma Card Elvira Card |   |
| Headgear/Garment Costume Any Malangdo Enchantable Costume (with MATK% or VCT enchant) Shadow Armor Magical Shadow Armor Caster Shadow Armor Wizard Shadow Armor Dexterous Shadow Armor Shadow Weapon Dexterous Shadow Weapon Greed Shadow Weapon Caster Shadow Weapon Magical Shadow Weapon M Exorcist Shadow Weapon M Executioner Shadow Weapon M Dragon Killing Shadow Weapon M Holy Water Shadow Weapon M Insect Net Shadow Weapon M Vibration Shadow Weapon M Scissors Shadow Weapon M Corrupt Shadow Weapon M Fishing Shadow Weapon Shadow Shield Caster Shadow Shield Magical Shadow Shield Vital Shadow Shield Shadow Shoes Caster Shadow Shoes Magical Shadow Shoes Wizard Shadow Shoes Vital Shadow Shoes Shadow Accessories Tempest Shadow Earring Tempest Shadow Pendant Magician Shadow Pendant Magician Shadow Earring Intelligent Shadow Pendant Intelligent Shadow Earring Caster Shadow Pendant Caster Shadow Earring Magical Shadow Pendant Magical Shadow Earring Almighty Earring Almighty Pendant |    |
Extra Tips
| 1. Malangdo Enchants With the Malangdo patch came the Malangdo Enchant system. This system allows you to bestow upon select weapons different enchantments using Class A Coins, converted from Nyang Vine Fruits, or Seagod’s Anger, lootable from Malangdo Instances. Of much effect for high wizards are Spell Enchants. (Note: Spell enchants are only available for weapons. For headgear and garment Costumes, aim for MATK% enchants) |  |
| Weapons that are enchantable: Wing Staff Gentleman Staff Dead tree Cane Staff Thorn Staff of Darkness Eraser Wizardry Staff Kronos Staff of Destruction | Possible Spell Enchants Note: You can get two enchants per weapon. If you’re lucky, that is basically 20% VCT reduction from weapon alone. Enchant Type – Enchant Description Spell 1 – MATK +6, reduces Variable Cast Time of skills by 4% Spell 2 – MATK +9, reduces Variable Cast Time of skills by 6% Spell 3 – MATK +12, reduces Variable Cast Time of skills by 8% Spell 4 – MATK +15, reduces Variable Cast Time of skills by 10% Spell 5 – MATK +18, reduces Variable Cast Time of skills by 10% Spell 6 – MATK +21, reduces Variable Cast Time of skills by 10% |
| 2. Consumables Possible consumables you may want to look at: Almighty Power Booster Infinity Drink (Tip: this has a Phen card effect without the VCT penalty!) Red Booster Ultimate Cook (Note: does not stack with Almighty) Small/Medium Life Potion |  |
3. Poem of Bragi
For parties, your DPS potential is best unlocked when you stand in a Bard’s or Clown’s Magic Strings or Poem of Bragi.
Tip: Advise your clown to stack INT or DEX as it affects the reductions in VCT and ACD reduction of Bragi. Ask them to activate Improve Concentration and ask for Blessing level 10 when able.
4. Gym Membership or Kafra Storage Bell
To counter one of the disadvantages of the class, you might want to consider buying Gym Membership Card Boxes or a Kafra Storage Bell Box to handle weight issues.
5. Take advantage of your defensive maneuvers.
- Use Quagmire to slow enemies down. This even works on Bosses. Note that you can only have a maximum of three quagmires running at the same time.
- Abuse Safety Wall. Be sure to have enough blue gemstones in your inventory.
- Quagmire reduces the dex/hit of enemies. Thus, if you cast quagmire on top of your safety wall, it helps make safety wall last longer.
- Do not forget to keep Energy Coat up for painful enemies. That 30% damage reductions is huge. It’s a free imaginary carded shield, essentially. Remember to keep your SP up to get the most out of this skill. Tip: If you are just farming, no need to keep Energy Coat up to avoid SP problems.
6. Remember: the goal is become Warlock as soon as possible.
- Do not invest too much time and zeny on skill builds and gear as of the moment. You will replace them incredibly fast when you become a warlock.
- Even without good gear, your Wizard AoEs already make you a must-have for most parties in your level. Leveling will be fast.
- If you want to see which stats, gears, and skills are helpful to carry over to your third job, have a look at my Warlock Guide here.
— END —
Author’s Note: I am focusing my updates on my Warlock Guide. Thus, some information here may be outdated. Please refer to my Warlock Guide for updated gear and more detailed tips on game mechanics.
If you see some miscalculations and typos, DM me at Jarek#0001.
Was this helpful?
15 / 2
[…] For a more comprehensive list of all High Wizard skills with my individual comments, have a look at my Wizard/High Wizard Guide here. […]