Welcome! This is my guide to High Wizard, a class I have come to love for it’s amazing versatility, and the fun of playing an offensive back-row class! My name’s Trucidus. I’m not a particularly great RO player, but I still have a few tidbits on information I can share concerning this class.

Moving on now, I’ll go ahead and get started with trying to explain how to make a High Wizard that is efficient.

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Basics

So how exactly does it feel to play a High Wizard?

A High Wizard is a class you use to keep an opponent at bay, or completely wipe a crowd of people using spells with a slightly long cast time. Now, casting time, as we all know is affected by DEX, meaning the more DEX, the shorter the cast. However, if you want your spells to pack a punch, you’ll need INT. INT, of course affects MAtk, and your MaxSP.  You of course want a decent amount of both of those, seeing as they’re really the only stats that you’ll need. (Besides VIT, depending on the server you’re playing.)

Your spells have many different quirks, but what makes them so unique is that they can cause multiple problems over a large area! This is definitely something you’ll want to master quickly, seeing as this is a MAJOR POSITIVE of being a High Wizard. That being said, battling 1 vs 1 can yield great results as well, depending on the players involved in that battle.

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Magic 101 : Your Spells and YOU

Now, to fully understand what you’re dealing with, you need to know the spells in your arsenal. With this, you can make a functioning plan that can wipe a PVP room without even breaking a sweat.

First, Chart-o-Elements

FIRE ELEMENT – Typically these moves are meant for Heavy Damage.

Fire Bolt – That one spell that Bolt Profs use. If you have 2 Imp cards, you’re welcome to use this spell. It’s particularly effective when used against an opponent who will not freeze. If due to an Evil Druid card, you will find this skill to be to your liking.

Fire Ball – I have never used this spell except on occasions I was being silly. Moving on.

Fire Wall – Useful for PVM, or if you just want to keep knocking someone back. It can be useful if you know how to use it. I personally don’t bother with it.

Fire Pillar – Useful in to keep a target stuck in place. If you’re supporting another character, and you can react fast enough, this can actually be pretty useful.

Meteor Storm -  Precast spell. Slowish Cast, but with the decent damage, and the stun to boot, it’s definitely a wonderful spell. Keep in mind: THIS IS THE ONLY LARGE-AREA SPELL THAT STACKS. MEANING IF YOU CAST IT OVER ITSELF, BOTH CASTS WILL TAKE EFFECT.

Sight Blaster – Push back a SinX while he’s cloaking, and uncloak him? Yes please! Keep this up at all times! You’ll be thankful!

WATER ELEMENT – Stop foes in their tracks by freezing them!

Cold Bolt - Nothing impressive. Each hit does damage equal to your MAtk, the the max amount of bolts equaling 10.

Frost Driver - This spell should be one of the ones you keep Hotkey’d  no matter what. It freezes a single target (65% Chance Max), and should be used when AoE spells either take too long, or if there’s a chance of you hitting someone neutral or an ally. The cast time is really quick too!

Water Ball - An EXTREMELY powerful (with an amazing ability to stun-lock) skill that can wipe out a paladin in one shot if used by the right person. However, this skill requires you to be standing in a water source (Like Deluge) just to cast it, making the situations you CAN use it very scarce. Best if used with a Professor by your side.

Frost Nova - Kind of like a short-range frost driver, it has a high chance to freeze (83% Chance Max) and it hits enemies in a 5×5 area. Very useful if Storm Gust is taking too long to cast.

Ice Wall – An overlooked skill that can make battles much harder for the opponent than you could believe. By casting it over yourself, it greatly impairs a player from targeting you in the mounds of ice, while you’re easily able to target them. It also can be used to make holes in a Land Protector before it’s laid down.

Storm Gust - Storm Gust is the Large AoE spell that causes enemies to freeze over a great area, while knocking them around, and doing a decent amount of damage to boot. Keep it mind, once a single Storm Gust has hit an opponent 3 times, they WILL freeze, unless they are equipped with Anti-Freeze armor! However, the cast time can be VERY slow, meaning sometimes you’ll be stuck using level 1 Storm Gust. STORM GUST DOES NOT STACK.

WIND ELEMENT – Stun Lock! Keep em’ in place!

Lightning Bolt - An unimpressive skill. Even Bolt Profs don’t use this. Why should you?

Thunderstorm - Useless. Never once have I used this spell seriously.

Jupital Thunder - You can almost say it’s the Wizard’s pride and joy. Wrack-up 12 Bolts that do 100% MAtk and push back the target a maximum of 8 cells per cast. When used on a Frozen Target, it REALLY packs a punch.

Lord of Vermillion - Often used in situations where you are trying to stun-lock a target, it’s damage is less than impressive, but it’s abilities to keep opponents in place is awesome. It also has a 40% chance to blind a target. THIS SPELL DOES NOT STACK.

EARTH ELEMENT – Used mostly for Uncloaking enemies.

Stone Curse - Almost like freezing an opponent, except it makes their element Earth 1, while increasing MDef, but decreasing Def. Useful for a Fire Bolt combo, as well as an alternative to freezing. This can truly be a life-saver! Just beware of the 2 cell Cast Radius!

Earth Spike - Use this to bring an opponent out of hiding by casting it on them before they can hide!

Heaven’s Drive - A 5×5 Cell attack that can hit targets that are cloaking or hiding. VERY useful.

Quagmire - A Debuff spell that reduces Agi and Dex while lowering Walk and Attack Speed and increasing Cast Time. Very good for when you need to slow a target down.

Gravitation - I don’t know the practical use for this spell, but it does 1,200 Damage that ignores defense, while lowering walk/attack speed. However, for the time that you spend casting it, and while it is in effect, you cannot move, or use items.

GHOST ELEMENT – Mostly used for training a character, each spell has it’s own strange quirk.

Napalm Beat - A Spell that spreads damage in a 3×3 area. Not very useful at all.

Soul Strike – A Spell that is extremely useful against the Undead Property, it can do an additional 50% damage on any undead target. The Cast Time for this spell is EXTREMELY short.

Napalm Vulcan - Basically Napalm Beat with increased damage, and a 25% chance to curse anyone hit by it.

DEFENSIVE SPELLS (MISC ELEMENTS) – Used for supporting yourself or others around you.

Safety Wall - Makes you immune to physical damage (Close ranged) for up to 10 hits. This is a must have for any Wizard.

Energy Coat - Reduces 30% of all damage taken from physical sources, with the cost of it draining your SP with every hit taken. It’s worth it to keep this buff up.

Monster Property - Don’t use this. You’re on RateMyServer, just look up whatever it is that you are fighting. (Unless there are custom monsters on your server)

Sight - Uncloaks and Reveals hidden opponents. It’s a good idea to keep this spell up as much as possible.

Magic Crasher - A strange spell that inflicts physical damage through Matk. Used with Status daggers to give people a status ailment from a distance.

Ganbantien  – This spell cancels a 3×3 chunk of Land Protector. This is an ESPECIALLY useful spell when fighting in WoE SE!

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Maximize Your Damage as a Wizard!

With all these spells at your disposal, there is plenty of ways that you can fight against a foe! However, using certain combos can increase your damage! Using these can wrack you up to hit some impressive damage!

One thing to never forget it to keep (Amplify Magic Power) up when you’re going to be doing a strong attack! This will add 50% of your damage to your next magic attack! (Keep in mind, this only lasts for ONE spell. Meaning you have to cast it again before you get the damage bonus!)

This picture was taken on a 99/70 Server with NO custom items. Although it’s not possible to do alone, with the right build (And some help from friends), you too can hit a 200,400 Damage Cold Bolt! (Probably more, to be honest.)

Another damage boost can be caused by remembering the two major status ailments caused by a Wizard causes a target to change elements!

Frozen Causes a target to become Water 1, meaning:

Wind Element Attacks cause 75% more damage! Meaning if your attack does 10,000 damage, it now does 17,500 instead! If they have MDef, it’s cut in half too!

Fire element attacks do only 25% damage, and Water Attacks do 50% Damage. Keep this in mind!

Stone Cursed Opponents  become Earth 1, meaning:

Fire Attacks now do 50% extra damage! (EX: A 10,000 Damage Attack now does 15,000 Damage!) (Keep in mind, Stone Curse also adds a 50% boost to MDef for your opponent!)

Poison Attacks also do 25% extra damage! (EX: A 10,000 Damage Attack now does 12,500 Damage!) However, High Wizards do not have a poison attribute spell. If you have an Assassin Cross ally that uses Enchant Poison, however, he may like this a lot.

Wind element attacks do only 50% damage meaning DON’T use Jupital Thunder on a Stone Cursed opponent!

Another tip is to watch for people using Elemental Armor Cards! An example is people with Evil Druid Cards equipped (Undead 1) take 25% extra damage from Fire Attacks!

For more information on Element Damage Multipliers, please look at the RMS Element Table:

RateMyServer Property List

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Finding a Build for your Wizard!

One major thing that can make or break a wizard, is not using a build to maximize your abilities. Some people prefer a build with plenty of Dex, so that they don’t have to worry about casting taking too long, whereas others are build around getting a huge amount of damage per spell so that they can eliminate a target without worrying about casting multiple spells.

Stat Builds:

Typical Lazy Wizard Build

STR:2  AGI:1  VIT:25  INT:99  DEX:99  LUK:1

Just a typical build feeding a Wizard with the basic stats it needs. You can also switch the 25 Vit to 25 Str if you want to carry more with you into battle.

Punching-Bag Build

STR:1  AGI:1  VIT:40  INT:93  DEX:99  LUK:1

By sacrificing 6 INT, you can in turn get 40 VIT useful if you’re planning to get beat around a little. This can also be used to get 40 Str, in case you’re hauling a ton of items into WoE. Keep in mind, you want to avoid high Vit if battling a Biochemist!

Goofy, Goofy Build*

STR:1  AGI:90  VIT:40  INT:99  DEX:1 LUK:1

Got a Staff of Destruction? Use this build to just sit around and let anyone physically attacking you get hit by Jupital Thunder (Staff of Destruction autocasts it) over and over again. Particularly funny if you wear Flee gear to make yourself additionally annoying.  Don’t use this build if you’re going to fight seriously, unless you want to get laughed at while people walk away from your 6 to 15 second Storm Gust.

Fashion and Murder:

Instead of giving you the exact item builds I use, I’ll instead post the items what every Wizard should want, and why they’re so useful.

All items are arranged from least to greatest in terms of preference.

Headgear:

Top: The greatest influence to your character in the headgear category is the top!

Ulle’s Cap [1]: A decent cap that gives +2 Dex +1 Agi, and has a card slot so that you can add an Isilla Card if you so choose. Not really my favorite, but it gets the job done!

Ramen Cap: To me, the +4 Dex makes this hat a step above the Ulle’s Cap, dispite the lack of a slot. For people who just can’t get a fast enough cast, this will certainly help!

Koneko Hat: This hat, and the one that follows it tops my rank for “Great Headgears for Wizards”. With the +1 Int, +3% MAtk, 3% Reduction in Aftercast, 3% Extra SP, and +3 MDef just to put the cherry on top, this cap certainly is a must-have for a Precast Wizard!

Feather Beret: This is a must-have for ANY character that plans on PvPing. With the 10% Demi-Human Reduction, you can’t afford to be without this cap!

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Middle: The Middle is just for that aditional couple of stat points, until you get Robo Eyes.

Sunglasses [1]: If it’s available on your server, get them! They are an easy +2 Int!

Robo Eyes: They beat the snot out of sunglasses [1]! With the +1 Dex, and 2% Matk bonus, they easily blow them out of the water when it comes to attacking!

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Lower: This is the icing on the cake. They give a decent bonus each.

Gentleman’s Pipe: Reduces 2% Demi-Human Damage. Always nice to have one of these!

Ninja’s Scroll: Gives an extra 1% Matk. Nothing special, but it’s a luxery that’s nice to have.

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Armor: Armor is very important, seeing as it is used to add a bit of Matk, become immune to status Ailments, and (Sometimes) adding Dex.

Silk Robe [1]: Not a fantastic piece of equipment, but it easily obtainable, and gives a nice bonus of 10 MDef.

Robe of Cast [1]: I’m not sure how I feel about this piece of armor. It’s extremely hard to get, especially to get it slotted. However, it also could be a great piece of equipment if used correctly. Recudes Cast Time by 3%, with +4 MDef, and a slot.

Valkrie Armor [1]: +1 to all stats, with a 50% Silence Resistance, and a slot to boot. Is anyone else complaining? I’m not. Keep in mind this armor IS heavy, so make sure you’re ready to haul a little less into WoE.

Warlock’s Battle Robe [1]- The Battlegrounds set is fantastic. Guarenteed to never let you down, that’s for sure! A must-have for ANY SE WoE! Gives 150 more HP, 2% Demi-Human resist, +2 MDef, and plenty of Set buffs that will make yousqueel in delight.

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Weapons: What would you do without that (at minimum) 15% extra MATK!?

Lich’s Bone Wand [2] – Not exactly the weapon I’d choose for a Wizard, but it IS a decent weapon if nothing else is available. Should be +9 or +10.

Survivor’s Rod (Dex) (1) – With a Drops card, this is the weapon you use to get the highest DEX bonus. Recommended for Dex builds.

Staff of Destruction [1] -  Beelzebub guards this staff for a reason! It’s almost unparalleled in it’s abilities as a High Wizard weapon. It’s especially useful because of the 50% Cast Reduction on Amplify Magic Power!

Warlock’s Battle Wand – This is a force to be reckoned with! Not only does it outdo a Staff of Destruction, but it’s One-Handed! Meaning you can also use a shield with it! It also has a chance to Stun an opponent when they’re hit with a spell!

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Shields: Protect yourself! Go with a Thara Frog for 30% Demi-Human Resist, or a Flame Ghost for additional Stun Resist!

Orleans’ Server [1] – This is the default shield of a Wizard. It’s very useful considering its stat bonus!

Memory Book [1] – Although it lacks the set bonus of Orleans’ Server, it gives +1 Int. Only if you’re going to for that extra int!

Valkyrie Shield [1] – Adds a 20% Resistance to Water, Fire, Undead, and Shadow damage. Not to mention a slot, and additional 5 MDef. A Precast charger!

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Garmet: This is for additional resistance from an element, or to add a small about MATK using an Aliot Card!

Wool Scarf [1] – Only really used for the Tidal/Wool Scarf Combo. Nothing particularly special.

Skeleton Manteau – Gives +2 STR and +2 DEX, but beware! It also takes -3 INT, -4 AGI, and -3 VIT. For DEX lovers only!

Diabolus Manteau [1] – A great item! Gives 5% Neutral Resistance and 100 HP! If you have the boots, that’s another 6% of your HP added!

Commander’s Manteau [1] – Another wonderful addition to the BG set! On its own, it’s not special, but team it up with the rest of the set, and it’s amazing!

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Boots: Use these to gain a large amount of HP! A good pair of shoes can get you 10,000 HP or more!

Tidal Shoes [1] – Used with the Wool Scarf/Tidal Shoe combo. It also adds 5% Water Damage resistance, and 1 STR, but it’s still not that redeeming.

Variant Shoes – Barely better than Tidal Shoes. The extra 10% SP is for convenience.

Diabolus Boots [1] – Awesome! At level 99, it gives you 990 extra HP, along with an additional 6% HP when combined with the Diabolus Manteau!

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Accesories: Used to add that extra 10 DEX, or to boost your power to the maximum! It’s up to you!

Orleans’ Glove [1] – Great item for Wizards! +5 Dex is added together when you put a Zerom Card in one. Not to mention +3% Matt!

Medallion [MAGICIAN] – 5% ATK, 5% MATK, 7 MDEF, and 600 extra HP to boot, at the cost of 5 Dex. Are you willing to gain a huge amount of power?

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Cards: No High Wizard is complete without their array of cards! Cards are very important, seeing as they contribute a great deal of stats to your builds. Here are a few recommended cards for each piece of equipment:

Headgear:

Isilla Card - +2 Int, with that nice little 50% cast reduction occasionally. If you have a slotted headgear, this is reccomended!

Marduk Card - Immunity to silence. I prefer to carry around green potions just in case of this, but it’s whatever you prefer.

Armor:

Marc - No freezing, without that silly element change.

Evil Druid - No freezing or Stone Curse. However, you become vulnerable to fire and holy element attacks.

Agav - 5% Matk Very useful if you’re lacking power. Just beware of freezing and stone-cursing!

Weapon:

Drops Card - +1 Dex. Yay.

Red Ferus - Need to give your Meteor Storm a little extra push? This is the card to nab! 5% Extra damage!

Shield - I honestly don’t think you need me to explain this one.

Thara Frog – -30% damage.

Flame Ghost - stun resist.

Manteau - Reduce a little damage from an element, or add just a little INT.

Raydric - Neutral Resist.

Noxious - Range/Neutral Resist. Woohoo.

Aliot - A little boost to your int. It’s like frosting on a cake.

Boots – Get some extra HP! 10% Makes a BIG difference.

Green Ferus – If the refine is under 9, use this for an extra 10% HP. Very nice to have!

Antique Firelock – +1 Str with +10% HP/SP. Yay!

Accessories -

Imp Cards – Want to have fun with an opponent? Confuse him with the 50% damage boost, and -50% cast time of Fire Bolt! Just remember, this provides no extra boosts to any other skill!

Zerom – Zerom Cards: Granting you an extra 3 Dex per card since only god knows how long.

Accessories (For Items You’ll Really Want!) -

Green Iguana (Grove) Card – This card will allow you to get +3 Dex Foods by killing formless monsters when this card is equipped! +3 Dex goes a long way!

Cloud Hermit Card – This card allows you to get a Box of Gloom when you kill a plant type monster! Box of Gloom casts Level 1 Attention Concentrate on the user, giving you a 3% boost to your Dex! (100 Dex = +3 Dex). I recommend giving this to a Creator (Biochemist) friend, and have him autoloot it when he farms mushrooms!

Dragon Egg Card – As annoying as it may be to get this card, if you get it, you will be rewarded with the ability to get +3 Int Food when you kill Dragon Monsters!

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PVP/WoE Tips!

PvP: When PvPing, it’s best to take advantage of your ability to cause status ailments, and keep yourself protected from opponents. Make sure you keep up Sight, Sight Blaster, and Safety Wall. Use freezing, cursing, and stone cursing spells to make the most of your powers, and remember to use your elements wisely!

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WoE FE: In first edition WoE, you’ll want to focus on precasting, and protecting yourself and others as they enter the castle. Since all of your attacks have a cast time, it may be difficult to contribute to charging into a castle, but if you can keep a trail of Level 1 Storm Gust in your wake, this could be of GREAT help.

When precasting, constantly use Meteor Storm. The reason for this is it stacks, does a fair amount of damage,  and can stun! You should have all but one Wizard casting Meteor Storm. The one wizard that is NOT casting Meteor Storm should be using Storm Gust, to freeze those who are stun-resistant.

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WoE SE: Most Wizards in SE are focused on support. Keep Ganbanteining the enemy’s LP, and casting Lord of Vermillion to stun-lock your opponents. Try not to fall prey to the Biochemists, Champions, and Whitesmith that patrol the area. You’re not going to do much supporting if you continue to die! Also, keep your stun-resist high! Wear a Dark Bashirium with a Stalactic Golem Card to protect yourself from being stunned!

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Edit List:

2/21/10:

Added Property Table Link

Fixed Minor Spelling Errors

Added a Few Details about Items and Skills recommended from comments (Thanks guys!)

Added PvP/WoE sections

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Credits:

Thank you to the following people for the following reasons:

Symbol: For your recommended fixes to my guide, as well as fixing a few skill descriptions.

Mibu: For your idea about a WoE advice section, as well as the Medal MDef fix!

Ahn: Additional fixes to items, skills, etc.

RMS: For all the skill items, skill icons, additional details about items/skill, and for hosting this guide!

Anam: Fixed a silly error with the Antique Firelock Card!

Filed under: Build (Stats/Skills), Character Guides, PvP, WoE