jWiki-Recommended 1st and 2nd Job Buffalo Skill Builds (with explanations)

citrustang · 25 Aug 2006

UPDATES
9/12: Added the "Reverse-Engineering of Buffalo Skill Builds" section to answer 99 of the 100 questions my fellow buffalos have been asking on the forum (scroll down to check it out). Still working on that last one, whatever it is. Maybe if you ask me, I'll remember.
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At first glance, this guide may not seem any different from the other guides in this forum, but I am writing this to address two issues:

1) What are the names of the jTO skills and how do they correspond to the eTO ones?
2) How do 2nd job skills make soldiers good at mobbing?

The first issue has arisen due to suspect katakana-reading by forum members. My Japanese is poor, but I am confident in my katakana-reading and will try to straighten out some misunderstandings.

The second issue is resolved by understanding how the two skill builds in the jWiki differ and combining that information with the skill descriptions presented by Valys in his skill guide.

Let's start with a straight translation of the two skill builds found in the jWiki

Skill Build #1
TM Level     Skill (Raise to)
   1         Hard Attack (Lvl 1)
   10        Bull's Eye (Lvl 1)
   20        Double Attack (Master)
   28        Brave Heart (Lvl 10)
   39        Hard Attack (Master)
   47        Breakdown (Lvl 8)
   51        Knockdown
   55        Breakdown (Master)
   64        Bull's Eye (Lvl 10)
   67        Brave Heart (Master)
   69        Bull's Eye (Master)
   85        Blade Force (Master)
   99        Straight Slay (Master)
   114       Brandish Slay (Master)

Skill Build #2
TM Level     Skill (Raise to)
   20        Double Attack (Master)
   28        Brave Heart (Master)
   40        Breakdown (Master)
   53        Bull's Eye (Master)
   70        Berserk (Master)
   85        Blade Force (Master)
   99        Quick Action (Master)
   102       Sonic Beat (Lvl 1)
   120       Shinobi Combo (Master)

Okay, now that we have that as a reference, let's switch all 1st job skills to their eTO counterparts:

Skill Build #1
TM Level     Skill (Raise to)
   1         Shockwave (Lvl 1)
   10        Bull's Eye (Lvl 1)
   20        Burning Rave (Master)
   28        Pumping Heart (Lvl 10)
   39        Shockwave (Master)
   47        Shockvibe (Lvl 8)
   51        "Knockdown"
   55        Shockvibe (Master)
   64        Bull's Eye (Lvl 10)
   67        Pumping Heart (Master)
   69        Bull's Eye (Master)
   85        "Blade Force" (Master)
   99        "Straight Slay" (Master)
   114       "Brandish Slay" (Master)

Skill Build #2
TM Level     Skill (Raise to)
   20        Burning Rave (Master)
   28        Pumping Heart (Master)
   40        Shockvibe (Master)
   53        Bull's Eye (Master)
   70        "Berserk" (Master)
   85        "Blade Force" (Master)
   99        Hyper Beat (Master)
   102       "Sonic Beat" (Lvl 1)
   120       "Shinobi Combo" (Master)

I put all soldier skills in quotes since those names are liable to change in eTO when 2nd job is released.

And here are the remaining 1st job pairings (not found in the two jWiki builds)

"Brain Noise" - Sense Breaker
"Fall of Luck" - Luck Breaker
"Armor Crash" - Armor Breaker
"Triple Attack" - Upper Smash
"Tornado Attack" - Tornado Bomb

Now that we have two fully-translated skill builds with eTO equivalents substituted correctly, let's discuss how the two builds differ. In order to do that, we have to give quick skill descriptions for a soldier's 2nd job skills:

Soldier Skill List
TM Level        Skill           Description
   50        Knockdown          passively adds 5 second stun to shockwave
   60        Straight Slay      ranged linear multi-enemy attack
   70        Berserk            temporarily increase damage by sacrificing HP/MP
   85        Blade Force        ranged air-based attack
   100       Sonic Beat         temporarily decrease party DX
   120       Shinobi Combo      single-enemy multi-hit attack
   110       Brandish Slay      AOE water-based attack

There are only seven soldier skills, and they get divided accordingly between the two builds:

Build #1                  Build #2
Knockdown                 Berserk (Master)
Blade Force (Master)      Blade Force (Master)
Straight Slay (Master)    Sonic Beat (Lvl 1)
Brandish Slay (Master)    Shinobi Combo (Master)

Skill Build #1 makes use of both mobbing skills (Straight Slay and Brandish Slay) at the sacrifice of Shinobi Combo and Berserk. Skill Build #1 also has Knockdown to stun enemies and Blade Force to hit single enemies at a distance. Want to hit a row of enemies? Cast Straight Slay. Surrounded by a mob? Get in the middle and let a Brandish Slay rip.

Skill Build #2 makes use of Hyper Beat, Berserk and Shinobi Combo to quickly deal massive damage to single enemies, but skips out on both mob attack skills - those who go Skill Build #2 will wreak havoc at bosses and in low enemy-density areas. Skill Build #2 also ignores the Shockwave-Knockdown combo since it possesses superior 1-on-1 skills and needn't worry about stunning with its high OHKO-rate. Keep in mind that those who go Skill Build #2 will also benefit from a much-needed ranged attack in the form of Blade Force (common to both builds).

Both builds are things of beauty, which is to be expected from seasoned jTO players.

Also, as speculation, a Buffalo's 3rd job advancement to either Gladiator or Monk will likely be the choice between mob-attacking and single-enemy-attacking styles of play. Gladiators were known for fighting large groups in coliseums, whereas Monks are known for specializing in hand-to-hand combat. If this is true, then Skill Build #1 is specifically tailored for the Gladiator job and Skill Build #2 will set the necessary groundwork for the Monk job. So with that in mind, choose your 2nd job build wisely if you're planning on being competitive at a really high level (very few people). A hybrid of the two above builds may be fun, but would not possess a full compliment of single-enemy skills nor mobbing skills, and will likely have problems with fulfilling 3rd job skill prerequisites.

In summary, Skill Build #1 is for soldiers interested in mobbing, and Skill Build #2 is for making essentially the male version of a bunny (xD).

Hope that helps. If anyone feels that additions are in order, I will do my best to update this guide accordingly. Maybe I'll get stickied (^^)!

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Due to popular demand (and a ton of collective confusion amongst fellow buffalos), i present to you:

Reverse-Engineering of Buffalo Skill Builds

A few comments first before we dive into this discussion
- We are assuming we have 120 TM pts to work with. Maybe when 3rd job skills are better understood we may decide to save some of those 120 pts and apply them to 3rd job skills. Or we may decide to use more than 120 pts on 1st and 2nd job skills. Your guess is as good as mine. My ability to see the future has been impaired ever since I started needing glasses. Go figure.
- I'm not trying to get into a "best is subjective" discussion, I'm just presenting the information the way I see it. Feel free to disagree with me, but don't turn this into a flame thread. Thanks in advance.
- Feel free to quote me, steal stuff, whatever. Just make sure you GIVE ME CREDIT (geez, you'd think that would be common sense).

Now we're ready to go.

Let's start off with some raw data:
The format is [Skill Name]: [TM Pts to Learn]/[TM Pts to Master] ([Prereqs])

1st JOB
SW

Shockwave: 1/2 (None)
BE

Bull's Eye: 2/2 (None)
BR

Burning Rave: 2/2 (None)
SV

Shockvibe: 1/2 (None)
PH

Pumping Heart: 3/3 (Burning Rave L1)
HB

Hyperbeat: 4/3 (BR L10, BE L10)

SB

Sense Breaker: AVOID
LB

Luck Breaker: AVOID
AB

Armor Breaker: AVOID
US

Upper Smash: AVOID
TB

Tornado Bomb: AVOID

2nd JOB
KD

Knockdown: 4 (SW L1)
SS

Straight Slay: 3/3 (None)
Ber

Berserk: 3/3 (PH 7)
BF

Blade Force: 3/3 (None)
SB

Sonic Beat: 3/3 (HB L10)
SC

Shinobi Combo: 4/3 (SB L1)
BS

Brandish Slay: 3/3 (SS L10)

*1st job pics courtesy of the MyTrickster Wiki, 2nd job pics courtesy of the jWiki

If you've already gotten/mastered any of the skills I labeled "AVOID," don't feel bad. If you need the reasons behind skipping those skills, they should be easily found in any of the buffalo guides on this site. I will think about putting together an FAQ about that if it becomes necessary.

Okay, from now on I will be abbreviating the skill names. Hopefully everyone knows by now what all these skills do. If not, consult the Mytrickster Wiki, or Valys Soldier Skill Guide.

Our next order of business is to divide the above skills (minus the "AVOID" ones of course) into four categories: "Must Gets," "Gimme SC," "Gimme BS," and "Optionals"

If something is white, that means it's a 1st job skill. If something is red, that means it's a 2nd job skill. The # in () is the skill level and (M) means master.

Here is the logic behind the groupings:

Must Gets
Why BR(M)? - BR is going to be your main attack for your entire eTO life. High damage, low mp cost, and short cool-down time combine to make mouths happy.
Why BE(M)? - As a fighter you are built to take on monsters several levels above yours. Their level advantage and increasing HV is going to make BE(M) necessary.
Why PH(10)? - Increasing AP is a no-brainer. If you were willing to raise this skill beyond L1, then it's worth raising to L10. Each level brings an additional 1% increase. More on (M) later.
Why BF(M)? - Ranged attack that will dish out 500% damage. Use it in any 1v1 situations as a first strike option to gain an advantage (monsters and PvP both apply).

Gimme SC
Why HB(10)? - You need this to get SB.
Why SB(1)? - You need this to get SC.
Why SC(M)? - This is the attack you've been planning ahead for all this time. Make sure you (M) it.

Gimme BS
Why SS(M)? - You need L10 for BS. But since it's the first mobbing skill available to you, you might as well (M) it.
Why BS(M)? - This is the attack you've been planning ahead for all this time. Make sure you (M) it.

Optionals
Why SW(M)+KD? - This pair of skills form a nice combo. SW has a low enough mp cost that it could concievably be used during regular training. The possibility of stun with KD is just icing on the cake.
Why SV(M)? - Decreasing enemy accuracy by 51% will keep you alive when fighting monsters several levels above yours (bosses as well).
Why Ber(M)? - A 204% increase in damage is insane.

Now let's add in the TM points needed for each category:

Once you've decided what skills you want, add up the numbers in green and make sure they sum up to less than 120.

But since I'm such a nice guy, I've gone ahead and done the work for you and here are your four options:

1) Gimme SC + Gimme BS: 115 pts. With your 5 remaining points I would recommend PH(M). "Three whole TM points for just 1% more AP?!?" you ask incredulously. Are you the kind of person that has started obsessing over refining your weapon? Just consider that 1% increase in AP adding a level of refinement to your new sword. It's worth it.
2) Gimme SC: 85 pts. You have 35 pts remaining. Pick two from the optional column and PH(M).
3) Gimme BS: 83 pts. You have 37 pts remaining. Pick two from the optional column and PH(M).
4) Don't want either: 53 pts. You have 67 pts remaining. I guess you could get all the optionals and revisit the skills I labeled "AVOID?" You're a special kid. Don't forget to take your medication. O_O

Before I comment on the builds I present to you one more visual where I've added in arrows highlighting some interesting skill relationships for your consideration:

- BE(M) + SV(M): As I mentioned earlier, it's pretty likely you will be fighting higher-leveled monsters as a buffalo/soldier. BE(M) will allow you to hit those monsters, SV(M) will stop them from hitting you. Why is SV(M) so good? Because if you're not being hit as much, you're not taking as much damage, not potting as much, and thus free to spam skills. Hooray for skill spamming! My advice is to move SV(M) over to the "Must Get" column.
- HB(10) + Ber(M): Ber(M) puts you in a mode where you auto-attack monsters currently engaged with you and use only normal attacks. HB(10) increases your normal attack speed. Put 2 and 2 together...

Now let's talk about the four builds listed above.

1) You somehow managed to get both SC(M) and BS(M). The game tried to make you choose between them, but you found a way to beat the system. Your mother would be proud. But not so fast.... That HB(10) you needed to get SC(M) isn't looking so hot by itself. Is it because you didn't have enough points to get Ber(M)? If you end up never using HB(10) you might feel like you wasted those 13 TM points (almost 11% of your total). Sleep better at night by going with 2) or 3) to squeeze all the TM goodness possible out of your meager 120 pts.
2) Gimme SC Builds will benefit greatly from Ber(M). HB+PH+Ber is a bootleg mobbing skill. It will essentially accomplish the same thing as a BS(M) except it will take a bit longer and you will not be free to move around. A clever chap asked me why he shouldn't get SS(M) instead of Ber(M). My response is that Gimme SC Builds will find themselves surrounded by enemies much more often than faced with a line of them. You went the SC(M) route, so I expect you are the type to run headfirst into battle (Leroy?). If the battle gets too fierce and you get surrounded, Ber(M) will save you whereas SS(M) will not.
3) Gimme BS Builds already have BS, making the HB+BR combo superfluous. But another 1v1 skill to go with your sweet mobbing skills would be nice. Opt for the SW(M)+KD combo to increase your close-range arsenal.
4) Remind me why you're a buffalo again?

For you visual learners out there, here's a picture comparing the Gimme SC Build with the Gimme BS Build

Now before you start jumping to crazy conclusions like "the Gimme BS Build has more arrows pointing towards it, therefore it must be better," stop and think a second. It's true that Straight Slay will probably have its uses, but generally speaking I don't see it being used that often. And if that argument doesn't work, shall we compare the damage difference between SC(M) and SW(M)? In short, not all arrows are created equal.

In addition, notice that both skill builds have a variety of skills that can be used for BOTH 1v1 and mobbing. It would be a mistake to say the Gimme SC Build is all-1v1 or that the Gimme BS Build is all-mobbing. Both skill builds are quite versatile, and each has its own merits. Don't feel like you have to sacrifice one or the other. It's merely the choice between specialties.

To summarize once more:

SC(M) >>> SW(M) + KD [Gimme SC Build is better 1v1]
HB(10) + Ber(M) <<< SS(M) + BS(M) [Gimme BS Build is better mobbing]

Nothing you didn't already know, but hopefully it makes more sense now that we approached the issue differently. Wait a second.... The Gimme SC Build looks a lot like Skill Build #2, and Gimme BS Build looks a lot like Skill Build #1. Coincidence? Nope.

One last thing. As you dream your sweet dreams about SC(M) or BS(M), don't forget to give BR(M) it's due credit. While our imaginations can get carried away with the possibility of endless SC(M) or BS(M) barrages, their colossal mp costs will make that pretty impractical. SC(M) and BS(M) are SITUATIONAL skills that should be used sparingly, whereas BR(M) is sensational ANYTIME. Think eggnog: good one day of the year, but terrible as a regular beverage. Just keep that in mind.

Thanks for reading. Shoot any questions my way.

Sekrits · 25 Aug 2006

Nice guide XD However, I doubt Skill build #2 would stand up to a fully powered Bunny :/ Which do immense damage when all desired skills are maxed

Mmhm, I'd think it be unfair if Buffalos get a 3rd job class that focuses on 1 vs 1, because a Bunny's 2nd job is specially for one vs one. :/ Unless like bunnies get a mobbing 3rd job >_>;

Edward · 25 Aug 2006

Buffalo's aren't meant for 1v1 pvp's <_<.

citrustang · 25 Aug 2006

While I agree with both of you that buffalos are not "meant" to specialize in 1-on-1 combat, we can't ignore the fact that the option is made readily available if you choose a particular build path. Sure, it may not be the "optimal build" for a buffalo, but isn't that the same reasoning behind the 4114 vs 4123 debate? Job trees branch for a reason, and the choice between mobbing and 1-on-1 makes sense given the soldier's skill set.

Sekrits · 25 Aug 2006

No, stat builds are open to be debated because 4114 and 4123 are both good builds and one isn't superior to the other in all ways, but for a Buffalo, you might as well go bunny knowing that you'll be inferior to a Bunny in 1 vs 1 combat ;P. Its readily available but it would most likely be better to have a ability thats unique to the gender, mobbing. Besides, i've never seen a 1vs1 Buffalo before. o_O Many jWiki builds are just thought up and aren't always used

Jchien · 25 Aug 2006

You would only have 17 TM points with Build 1 at TM level 20. That isn't enough to master Burning Rave, is it?

citrustang · 26 Aug 2006

You need 13 TM pts to master burning rave:

To learn: 2 pts
To raise to lvl 10: 9 pts
To master: 2 pts

Jchien · 26 Aug 2006

I was under the impression it took 2 TM Points to level up. Woops. This build sounds great though, it's nice you actually explained the pros and cons rather than just suggesting it. I think I'll be following Build 1.

Jchien · 27 Aug 2006

Err, why do you need to master Shockwave? What skill is it a prereq for?

citrustang · 27 Aug 2006

knockdown adds a 5 second stun to shockwave. so basically you'll be doing something like this when you fight single enemies:

shockwave (4 sec cooldown) --> burning rave (1 sec) --> burning rave (1 sec) --> repeat

this is assuming it takes you about 2 seconds to cast burning rave and let it cooldown. by the time your second burning rave cools down, you'll be ready for another shockwave all within the 5 second stun window.

should be very effective.

citrustang · 1 Sep 2006

i've gotten requests for more indepth analysis of the 1st job skill sets found in the two builds. so i'll be working on that. one question that has been raised is essentially as follows: "why are so many points devoted to 1st job skills?" look for an update in a few days or so.

Ancal · 1 Sep 2006

I posted the exact same guide for the first skill build with why I believe it to be effective. I think thats what the majority of jTO players use?

Zhelot · 4 Sep 2006

one question:

Why should the Shinobi Combo build invest in Blade Force?

It seems to me that Straight Slay would be infinately more useful as a mob skill over a ranged attack skill

citrustang · 6 Sep 2006

@ zhelot

you ask a great question. it definitely came across my mind as i was putting this guide together. i think the missing factor in this discussion is the sheer difference in power between Blade Force and Straight Slay. Blade Force when maxed deals 500% damage, while Straight Slay only deals 355% damage when maxed. add in the damage multipliers that Shinobi Combo builds will employ (berserk, and possibly pumping heart if they stack), and this is a significant dropoff in damage output.

the whole logic here once again goes back to play styles. if i'm getting Shinobi Combo, Berserk, and Hyperbeat, i'm looking for high damage output and probably not too concerned with attacking mobs. so my attack sequence would probably look something like this: cast Blade Force from a distance, move in towards the enemy, attack with Shinobi Combo, and if necessary, finish up with a few Burning Raves. Straight Slay, on the other hand doesn't fit well into this style of play. my initial hit will be tons weaker, and worse, i may be aggroing additional enemies in the process (and i don't have an AOE attack to deal with that).

Straight Slay reaches its full potential when coupled with Brandish Slay. i think that will become more apparent when people start playing around with these skills in October (fingers crossed

).

citrustang · 12 Sep 2006

added a huge update about making sense of buffalo skill builds. check the first post if you're interested (lots of pretty pictures too :) ).

CujoEX · 12 Sep 2006

Holy sht .. VERY NICE! Now I got a further understanding for Brandish and Straight Slay. Thanks.