by AngelTee » Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:06 pm
Before I begin to write anything down, I wish to give all my thanks to Engelen for their guide that they had put up in 2003. I have gotten much if not all of my info from there and I am using it to make an updated version. Anything I use that comes from them I will designate with a star (*).
I also want to give kudos to Quilluck and their Adventurer guide. They have given me some interesting ways to word things that I'd never think of doing. Plus the Adventurer is a neat class to play too! Anything I use that directly comes from them I will designate with a pound (#).
The Art of the Kick and the Punch
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Creating a Martial Artist
2a. Basic Attributes
2b. IP Distribution
2c. Skills
2d. IP Dist. Preference
3. Martial Arts Itself
4. Implants
5. Nanolines
1. Introduction
Welcome to my guide for the Martial Artist (MA) class in Anarchy Online (AO). Ever since I downloaded this game, I have been constantly drawn to making a MA character. They remind me of Monk classes in many other MMOs and role-playing games, and they can be fun and easy to play once you understand how to play them.
Do keep in mind that as I am writing this guide, I am a free player (froob) in AO. So there might be things missing that subscribers (nonfroob) can get or do.
With all that in mind, let's get to punching and kicking!
2. Creating a Martial Artist
The first thing one needs to decide about creating a MA is their breed (or race). Now the strengths of a class come from the skills they use, and the skills they use get their strengths from the base abilities a breed has. Following me so far? Good.
Now, there are four breeds to choose from in AO. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Quite a number of guides I have seen over the weeks have stated that breed is pretty much a personal preference. With that in mind, here are the four breeds and their base abilities (#).
Solitus
Known as the "good ol' average breed" it has no real glaring advantages or disadvantages. If any of the other breeds don't tickle your fancy, you can't go wrong with a Solitus!
TO GUIDE EDITOR: Please add the below in a Table format
Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap || 220 Cap
Strength
472 | 772
Agility
480 | 780
Stamina
480 | 780
Intelligence
480 | 780
Sense
480 | 780
Psychic
480 | 780
HP per point in Body Dev = 3
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 3
Opifex
Known as "lean, mean fighting machines" many players will say that you can't go wrong with an Opifex MA. Agility is the MA's forte, and the Opifex has it in spades.
TO GUIDE EDITOR: Please add the below in a Table format
Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap |220 Cap
Strength
464 | 764
Agility
544 | 944
Stamina
480 | 680
Intelligence
464 | 764
Sense
512 |912
Psychic
448 |748
HP per point in Body Dev = 3
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 3
Nanomage
Masters of nanotechnology, a Nanomage with always have the nano pool to use their nanoskills well. If you are looking to play a more supporting MA, you can't go wrong with a Nanomage!
TO GUIDE EDITOR: Please add the below in a Table format
Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap |220 Cap
Strength
464 | 664
Agility
464 | 664
Stamina
448 | 748
Intelligence
512 | 912
Sense
480 | 780
Psychic
512 | 912
HP per point in Body Dev = 2
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 4
Atrox
If you're looking to make a MA to punch through things, the Atrox is your best bet. Other attributes do suffer though, so evading and casting nanos might be difficult.
TO GUIDE EDITOR: Please add the below in a Table format
Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap | 220 Cap
Strength
512 | 912
Agility
480 | 780
Stamina
512 | 912
Intelligence
400 | 600
Sense
400 | 600
Psychic
400 | 600
HP per point in Body Dev = 4
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 2
2a. Basic Attributes
Now that we know about the breed choices we have, let's go over what each basic attribute does for a MA (*).
Agility - Agility is
very important. It's used for Martial Arts, Evades, Armor, Implants, and lots of drip off skills. Most MA Armor has this as the primary requirement.
Strength - Strength is also important as our Martial Arts skill is based upon it. It's also used for equipping a lot of good armor and is also commonly used for Implants/Symbiants.
Intelligence - The main point with Intelligence is all the drip off points into Nano Skills, which you will need to selfcast the highest buffs at the lowest possible level.
Stamina - The three main advantages of Stamina are equipping armor, increasing Body Development(Max Health), and Implants.
Psychic - Psychic is an important skill, as it is used for Martial Arts and Nano Pool.
Sense - Physical Init is based 60% on it. All Evades are based on Sense, and treatment and First aid is also based on it.
2b. IP Distribution
There are seven (7) title levels in AO, and each gives a different amount of IP for you to spend. Here are the titles along with the levels and IP points (#):
- Level 1-14 :: Title Level 1 :: 5,000 IPs per level
- Level 15-49 :: Title Level 2 :: 10,000 IPs per level
- Level 50-99 :: Title Level 3 :: 20,000 IPs per level
- Level 100-149 :: Title Level 4 :: 40,000 IPs per level
- Level 150-189 :: Title Level 5 :: 80,000 IPs per level
- Level 190-204 :: Title Level 6 :: 150,000 IPs per level
- Level 205-> :: Title Level 7 :: 400,000 IPs per level
Still with me? Good. Now knowing the above information, let's look at what skills are deemed important to the MA. This information comes from different sources I've read and experimented on with MA builds I've tried while playing in Arete. This is no way set in stone, so if you have your own order or skills you want to use, feel free to do so. Also, keep in mind that you do not have to spend all your IP when you level. IP that goes unused goes to an IP "pool" and will still be there the next time you level (#).
Green :: Cheapest of all colors, also you can raise the skill by 5 each level.
Light Blue :: Second cheapest color, the skill can be raised by 4 each level.
Blue :: Second most expensive color, the skill can be raised by 4 each level.
Dark Blue :: Most expensive color, the skill can be raised by 4 each level.
So what does the above mean? Well, each skill you put IP points into has a different cost depending on your breed. For example, as an Opifex, you need to spend 18 IP for 1 point in Stamina, while for a Solitus you only have to spend 6 IP for 1 point. Keep this in mind as you find the right balance to IP points to spend within the skills you want to put them in.
2c. Skills
Now to the proverbial meat and potatoes of what makes a MA. The skills listed below are what I have found through reading other guides and Wikis are most important for MAs.
Body & Defense
Body Dev. :: 100% Stamina. This defines your hit points. Your Stamina, level, profession, and breed also influence your health.
Evade-ClsC :: 50% Agility, 30% Sense, 20% Intelligence. This determines if you are hit by Melee and Martial arts attacks.
Duck-Exp :: 50% Agility, 30% Sense, 20% Intelligence. This determines if you are hit by shotgun attacks.
Nano Pool :: 70% Psychic, 10% Sense, 10% Intelligence, 10% Stamina. This defines your Nano Energy. Your profession, level, and breed also influence this.
Dodge-Rng :: 50% Agility, 30% Sense, 20% Intelligence. This determines if you are hit by ranged weapons.
Nano Resist :: 20% Intelligence, 80% Psychic. This is how well you resist hostile Nano Programs.
Melee Weapons
Martial Arts :: 50% Agility, 20% Strength, 30% Psychic. This is our main unarmed combat skill. It allows us to hit more often as well as do extra damage per hit.
Physic. Init :: 60% Sense, 20% Psychic, 10% Intelligence, 10% Agility. This is used to increase the speed of your martial art attacks.
Melee Specials
Brawling :: 60% Strength, 40% Stamina. This is enabled inherently when using no weapons. The higher the skill, the more effective Brawl is.
Dimach :: 80% Sense, 20% Psychic. This is enabled inherently when using no weapons. The higher the skill, the more effective Dimach is.
Riposte :: 50% Agility, 50% Sense. This is used to equip some Martial Art special attacks.
Ranged Weapons/Ranged Specials
MAs have no need for Bows or other ranged weapons (unless you are looking to do a PvP build per some guides)
Nanos & Casting
Psycho Modi :: 80% Intelligence, 20% Sense. The higher the skill, the higher the chance the offensive nano attack will land on your target.
Time & Space :: 80% Intelligence, 20% Agility. This is used to run nano programs affecting time and space.
Bio Metamor :: 80% Intelligence, 20% Psychic. The higher the skill, the higher the chance the offensive nano attack will land on your target.
Sensory Impr :: 80% Intelligence, 20% Strength. The higher the skill, the higher the chance the offensive nano attack will land on your target.
Exploring
Run Speed :: 40% Agility, 40% Stamina, 20% Strength. This defines how fast you can move.
Vehicle (Air/Water/Ground) :: 60% Sense, 20% Intelligence, 20% Agility. Personal Preference.
Combat & Healing
Treatment :: 50% Intelligence, 30% Agility, 20% Sense. This allows you to use health and nano injectors as well as what level of implants you can equip.
First Aid :: 40% Sense, 30% Intelligence, 30% Agility. This allows you to use health and nano injectors.
Trade & Repair
Comp. Liter :: 100% Intelligence. This allows you to use better belts and NCU units as well as which entrances and exits you can use in the Grid.
Nano Progra :: 100% Intelligence. This allows you to create Implants and Nano Programs.
2d. IP Dist. Preference
Now comes the question of "What is the best way to distribute my IP points, and in what order?" Good question! Below I give my own preference in IP distribution and in what order to do it in. Keep in mind as I pointed out before, that you don't have to spend all your IP points as you level, and that some skills may cost more depending on your breed.
So in this order (with comments) are (*):
- All of your basic ability scores :: Level these first before your other ones as they affect your skills.
- Martial Arts
- Physical Init
- Brawl
- Dimach
- Evade ClsC
- Dodge Ranged
- Duck Explosives
- Treatment
- Body Dev.
- Run Speed
- Biological Metamorphoses :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
- Psychological Modifications :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
- Sensory Improvement :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
- Time & Space :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
- Nano Pool :: The more Nano Energy you have the more you can cast. Put any extra IP in here.
- Nano Resist :: If you find Nano attacks are hurting, put some IP in here.
- Riposte :: Only when you have a MA special that needs it.
- Computer Literacy :: Only when you need the points for gear or Grid.
- Nano Progra :: Only when you need to build an Implant.
- First Aid :: Your Nanos can only heal so much, so good if you wanna put some points into use bigger healing items.
- Vehicle Air/Water/Ground :: If you have a vehicle and want to use it.
3. Martial Arts Itself
I'm going to let the info from Engelen speak here as I feel they really explained about Martial Arts as a profession well (*) with a few edits from me:
Misconceptions and Facts about Martial Artists
Many mistake Martial Artist for being a "Press Q and AFK" Profession, and that's often the reason why some just can't seem to get the MA to work. The truth is, playing a Martial Artist is far more advanced than it seems, there's a lot of factors to consider during combat and the number of roles the MA can play requires a vast knowledge of different playstyles to function properly. Some of those roles include; Tank, Damage Dealer, Backup Healer, Support Player, and Add Control.
The Martial Artist is a close combat fighter. This means staying very close to the enemy and dealing raw damage while using Evades and healing to survive, instead of the more typical kiting technique of Ranged fighters. Martial Artists further specialize within crits, different damage types, and very high evades.
MA Skill & Weapon
You don't equip a weapon, the main weapon is the fists. There is no real easy way to see your damage stats. Unlike other professions that equip weapons, MA's cannot Overequip. You are bound to the weapon decided by your MA skill, while other professions can easily overequip a weapon many QL's above them. This is the reason why MAs fall behind on damage at lower levels.
However, as you increase in level, your MA skill and weapon will continue to increase constantly, but other professions equipped weapons will stay at the same base damage, so this evens out higher up. The only weak point in the MA damage at higher levels is mobs with very high AC, since the minimum damage is quite low compared to many of the newest SL and AI weapons. In that case, the usage of secondary weapons is common, but more on that.
Attack speed
As your MA skill increases, the attack speed changes. To put it very easy, the more MA skill you get, the slower you will hit, therefore it's very important to keep your Physical Init skill high, and be aware of how the Agg/Def bar works. To show this with an example:
- With 200 Martial Arts Skill, your base attack speed is: 1.25 and recharge: 1.25
- With 1000 Martial Arts Skill, your base attack speed is: 1.45 and recharge: 1.45
- With 2000 Martial Arts Skill, your base attack speed is 1.65 and recharge: 1.65
Your current speed is of course dependent on your Physical Init and your Agg/Def setting, but those numbers should give you an idea of the base weapon damage and speed increase. If you haven't done so yet, try experimenting a little bit with Rayne's MA calculator. It will better show you concrete examples, including how fast you hit at the moment with the amount of MA skill you have.
This is important to remember, since getting a high skill increase will increase the time it takes for you to hit and recharge. It's also another example that there's more to Martial Artists than meets the eye
Nanos and Nanoskills
All the Martial Artist Nanos have quite a low requirement, nanocost, and are easy to understand. Most Martial Artists split up the Nanoskills into two parts:
Primary/Important Nanoskills
These include four nanoskills, which are requirements for all the important Martial Artist Nanos. The four skills are:
- Biological Metamorphosis
- Sensory Improvement
- Psychological Modification
- Time & Space
Those skills must be raised if you want to perform well and cast the important nanos. The nanolines they cover are:
- Martial Arts Skill Buffs (Increases your Martial Arts Skill)
- Temporary Damage Buffs (Increases your damage output for a short time)
- Critical Increase (Increases the chance of doing a critical hit)
- Evade Buffs (Increases your evades)
- Damage Type Modifier (Changes your damage type into a different one, from e.g Melee to Fire)
- Healing (Very important, used for healing yourself, others, and the team)
- And other small buffs like Brawl, Riposte, Runspeed, and other nanos
Secondary Nanoskills
These include the two last Nanoskills, and are by most considered relatively unimportant on lower-mid levels, and usually not increased until higher up when you got the IP to spare. The two skills are:
- Material Metamorphosis
- Material Creation
They mostly cover the less important Nanos, but most of them are quite nice to have on higher levels:
- AC Buffs(AC buff, does not stack with the Engies)
- Give Energy(Gives Nano to Target)
- Martial Artist Team Buff(Increases AC and Damage)
Nano Init
Most MA nanos, especially Combat Nanos have a very fast cast time, with a slower recharge time. This means that you need actually very little Nano Init to be able to cast your nanos fast. With Symbiants and Drip offs at higher levels, you get much of the init needed for free. Nano Init does not reduce Nano Recharge time.
Personally, it's an ongoing experiment in finding the best balance for the Agg/Def bar, so my advice is to keep an eye out for how much you hit and how often. You can tell by looking at the one or two yellow bars in the upper left hand of your UI screen (you can't move them like other UI elements). Here is an article on the Agg/Def slider that explains it better than I could.
[color=#FFBF40]Before I begin to write anything down, I wish to give all my thanks to [url=https://forums-archive.anarchy-online.com/showthread.php?213250-Engelens-MA-Guide&p=2034894#post2034894]Engelen for their guide[/url] that they had put up in 2003. I have gotten much if not all of my info from there and I am using it to make an updated version. Anything I use that comes from them I will designate with a star (*).
I also want to give kudos to Quilluck and their [url=https://www.ao-universe.com/guides/classic-ao/profession-guides/adventurer-guide-o-doom-14]Adventurer guide[/url]. They have given me some interesting ways to word things that I'd never think of doing. Plus the Adventurer is a neat class to play too! Anything I use that directly comes from them I will designate with a pound (#).[/color]
[center][size=200]The Art of the Kick and the Punch[/size][/center]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/ytQiPot.png[/img]
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]Table of Contents[/size][/color][/center]
1. Introduction
2. Creating a Martial Artist
2a. Basic Attributes
2b. IP Distribution
2c. Skills
2d. IP Dist. Preference
3. Martial Arts Itself
4. Implants
5. Nanolines
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]1. Introduction[/size][/color][/center]
Welcome to my guide for the Martial Artist (MA) class in Anarchy Online (AO). Ever since I downloaded this game, I have been constantly drawn to making a MA character. They remind me of Monk classes in many other MMOs and role-playing games, and they can be fun and easy to play once you understand how to play them.
Do keep in mind that as I am writing this guide, I am a free player (froob) in AO. So there might be things missing that subscribers (nonfroob) can get or do.
With all that in mind, let's get to punching and kicking!
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]2. Creating a Martial Artist[/size][/color][/center]
The first thing one needs to decide about creating a MA is their breed (or race). Now the strengths of a class come from the skills they use, and the skills they use get their strengths from the base abilities a breed has. Following me so far? Good.
Now, there are four breeds to choose from in AO. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Quite a number of guides I have seen over the weeks have stated that breed is pretty much a personal preference. With that in mind, here are the four breeds and their base abilities (#).
[center][color=#40BF80][size=150]Solitus[/size][/color][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/F4PmsoV.png[/img][/center]
Known as the "good ol' average breed" it has no real glaring advantages or disadvantages. If any of the other breeds don't tickle your fancy, you can't go wrong with a Solitus!
[color=#FF0000][b]TO GUIDE EDITOR[/b][/color]: Please add the below in a Table format
[quote]Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap || 220 Cap
Strength
472 | 772
Agility
480 | 780
Stamina
480 | 780
Intelligence
480 | 780
Sense
480 | 780
Psychic
480 | 780
HP per point in Body Dev = 3
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 3[/quote]
[center][color=#40BF80][size=150]Opifex[/size][/color][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/bezunyV.png[/img][/center]
Known as "lean, mean fighting machines" many players will say that you can't go wrong with an Opifex MA. Agility is the MA's forte, and the Opifex has it in spades.
[color=#FF0000][b]TO GUIDE EDITOR[/b][/color]: Please add the below in a Table format
[quote]Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap |220 Cap
Strength
464 | 764
Agility
544 | 944
Stamina
480 | 680
Intelligence
464 | 764
Sense
512 |912
Psychic
448 |748
HP per point in Body Dev = 3
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 3[/quote]
[center][color=#40BF80][size=150]Nanomage[/size][/color][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5E9udgx.png[/img][/center]
Masters of nanotechnology, a Nanomage with always have the nano pool to use their nanoskills well. If you are looking to play a more supporting MA, you can't go wrong with a Nanomage!
[color=#FF0000][b]TO GUIDE EDITOR[/b][/color]: Please add the below in a Table format
[quote]Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap |220 Cap
Strength
464 | 664
Agility
464 | 664
Stamina
448 | 748
Intelligence
512 | 912
Sense
480 | 780
Psychic
512 | 912
HP per point in Body Dev = 2
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 4[/quote]
[center][color=#40BF80][size=150]Atrox[/size][/color][/center]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/EPY4UwB.png[/img][/center]
If you're looking to make a MA to punch through things, the Atrox is your best bet. Other attributes do suffer though, so evading and casting nanos might be difficult.
[color=#FF0000][b]TO GUIDE EDITOR[/b][/color]: Please add the below in a Table format
[quote]Ability Breed Caps
Attribute
Pre-201 Cap | 220 Cap
Strength
512 | 912
Agility
480 | 780
Stamina
512 | 912
Intelligence
400 | 600
Sense
400 | 600
Psychic
400 | 600
HP per point in Body Dev = 4
Nano per point in Nano Pool = 2
[/quote]
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]2a. Basic Attributes[/size][/color][/center]
Now that we know about the breed choices we have, let's go over what each basic attribute does for a MA (*).
[color=#00BF40]Agility[/color] - Agility is [u]very[/u] important. It's used for Martial Arts, Evades, Armor, Implants, and lots of drip off skills. Most MA Armor has this as the primary requirement.
[color=#00BF40]Strength[/color] - Strength is also important as our Martial Arts skill is based upon it. It's also used for equipping a lot of good armor and is also commonly used for Implants/Symbiants.
[color=#00BF40]Intelligence[/color] - The main point with Intelligence is all the drip off points into Nano Skills, which you will need to selfcast the highest buffs at the lowest possible level.
[color=#00BF40]Stamina [/color]- The three main advantages of Stamina are equipping armor, increasing Body Development(Max Health), and Implants.
[color=#00BF40]Psychic[/color] - Psychic is an important skill, as it is used for Martial Arts and Nano Pool.
[color=#00BF40]Sense[/color] - Physical Init is based 60% on it. All Evades are based on Sense, and treatment and First aid is also based on it.
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]2b. IP Distribution[/size][/color][/center]
There are seven (7) title levels in AO, and each gives a different amount of IP for you to spend. Here are the titles along with the levels and IP points (#):
[list]
[*]Level 1-14 :: Title Level 1 :: 5,000 IPs per level
[*]Level 15-49 :: Title Level 2 :: 10,000 IPs per level
[*]Level 50-99 :: Title Level 3 :: 20,000 IPs per level
[*]Level 100-149 :: Title Level 4 :: 40,000 IPs per level
[*]Level 150-189 :: Title Level 5 :: 80,000 IPs per level
[*]Level 190-204 :: Title Level 6 :: 150,000 IPs per level
[*]Level 205-> :: Title Level 7 :: 400,000 IPs per level[/list]
Still with me? Good. Now knowing the above information, let's look at what skills are deemed important to the MA. This information comes from different sources I've read and experimented on with MA builds I've tried while playing in Arete. This is no way set in stone, so if you have your own order or skills you want to use, feel free to do so. Also, keep in mind that you do not have to spend all your IP when you level. IP that goes unused goes to an IP "pool" and will still be there the next time you level (#).
[color=#00BF00]Green[/color] :: Cheapest of all colors, also you can raise the skill by 5 each level.
[color=#00BFFF]Light Blue[/color] :: Second cheapest color, the skill can be raised by 4 each level.
[color=#0080FF]Blue[/color] :: Second most expensive color, the skill can be raised by 4 each level.
[color=#0040FF]Dark Blue[/color] :: Most expensive color, the skill can be raised by 4 each level.
So what does the above mean? Well, each skill you put IP points into has a different cost depending on your breed. For example, as an Opifex, you need to spend 18 IP for 1 point in Stamina, while for a Solitus you only have to spend 6 IP for 1 point. Keep this in mind as you find the right balance to IP points to spend within the skills you want to put them in.
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]2c. Skills[/size][/color][/center]
Now to the proverbial meat and potatoes of what makes a MA. The skills listed below are what I have found through reading other guides and Wikis are most important for MAs.
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Body & Defense[/size][/color]
[b]Body Dev.[/b] :: 100% Stamina. This defines your hit points. Your Stamina, level, profession, and breed also influence your health.
[b]Evade-ClsC[/b] :: 50% Agility, 30% Sense, 20% Intelligence. This determines if you are hit by Melee and Martial arts attacks.
[b]Duck-Exp[/b] :: 50% Agility, 30% Sense, 20% Intelligence. This determines if you are hit by shotgun attacks.
[b]Nano Pool[/b] :: 70% Psychic, 10% Sense, 10% Intelligence, 10% Stamina. This defines your Nano Energy. Your profession, level, and breed also influence this.
[b]Dodge-Rng[/b] :: 50% Agility, 30% Sense, 20% Intelligence. This determines if you are hit by ranged weapons.
[b]Nano Resist[/b] :: 20% Intelligence, 80% Psychic. This is how well you resist hostile Nano Programs.
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Melee Weapons[/size][/color]
[b]Martial Arts[/b] :: 50% Agility, 20% Strength, 30% Psychic. This is our main unarmed combat skill. It allows us to hit more often as well as do extra damage per hit.
[b]Physic. Init[/b] :: 60% Sense, 20% Psychic, 10% Intelligence, 10% Agility. This is used to increase the speed of your martial art attacks.
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Melee Specials[/size][/color]
[b]Brawling[/b] :: 60% Strength, 40% Stamina. This is enabled inherently when using no weapons. The higher the skill, the more effective Brawl is.
[b]Dimach[/b] :: 80% Sense, 20% Psychic. This is enabled inherently when using no weapons. The higher the skill, the more effective Dimach is.
[b]Riposte[/b] :: 50% Agility, 50% Sense. This is used to equip some Martial Art special attacks.
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Ranged Weapons/Ranged Specials[/size][/color]
[i]MAs have no need for Bows or other ranged weapons (unless you are looking to do a PvP build per some guides)[/i]
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Nanos & Casting[/size][/color]
[b]Psycho Modi[/b] :: 80% Intelligence, 20% Sense. The higher the skill, the higher the chance the offensive nano attack will land on your target.
[b]Time & Space[/b] :: 80% Intelligence, 20% Agility. This is used to run nano programs affecting time and space.
[b]Bio Metamor [/b]:: 80% Intelligence, 20% Psychic. The higher the skill, the higher the chance the offensive nano attack will land on your target.
[b]Sensory Impr[/b] :: 80% Intelligence, 20% Strength. The higher the skill, the higher the chance the offensive nano attack will land on your target.
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Exploring[/size][/color]
[b]Run Speed[/b] :: 40% Agility, 40% Stamina, 20% Strength. This defines how fast you can move.
[b]Vehicle (Air/Water/Ground)[/b] :: 60% Sense, 20% Intelligence, 20% Agility. Personal Preference.
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Combat & Healing[/size][/color]
[b]Treatment[/b] :: 50% Intelligence, 30% Agility, 20% Sense. This allows you to use health and nano injectors as well as what level of implants you can equip.
[b]First Aid[/b] :: 40% Sense, 30% Intelligence, 30% Agility. This allows you to use health and nano injectors.
[color=#40BF80][size=150]Trade & Repair[/size][/color]
[b]Comp. Liter[/b] :: 100% Intelligence. This allows you to use better belts and NCU units as well as which entrances and exits you can use in the Grid.
[b]Nano Progra[/b] :: 100% Intelligence. This allows you to create Implants and Nano Programs.
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]2d. IP Dist. Preference[/size][/color][/center]
Now comes the question of "What is the best way to distribute my IP points, and in what order?" Good question! Below I give my own preference in IP distribution and in what order to do it in. Keep in mind as I pointed out before, that you don't have to spend all your IP points as you level, and that some skills may cost more depending on your breed.
So in this order (with comments) are (*):
[list=]
[*][b]All of your basic ability scores[/b] :: Level these first before your other ones as they affect your skills.
[*][b]Martial Arts[/b]
[*][b]Physical Init[/b]
[*][b]Brawl[/b]
[*][b]Dimach[/b]
[*][b]Evade ClsC[/b]
[*][b]Dodge Ranged[/b]
[*][b]Duck Explosives[/b]
[*][b]Treatment[/b]
[*][b]Body Dev.[/b]
[*][b]Run Speed[/b]
[*][b]Biological Metamorphoses[/b] :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
[*][b]Psychological Modifications[/b] :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
[*][b]Sensory Improvement[/b] :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
[*][b]Time & Space[/b] :: Only when you have a Nano Program that needs the points to use.
[*][b]Nano Pool[/b] :: The more Nano Energy you have the more you can cast. Put any extra IP in here.
[*][b]Nano Resist[/b] :: If you find Nano attacks are hurting, put some IP in here.
[*][b]Riposte[/b] :: Only when you have a MA special that needs it.
[*][b]Computer Literacy[/b] :: Only when you need the points for gear or Grid.
[*][b]Nano Progra[/b] :: Only when you need to build an Implant.
[*][b]First Aid[/b] :: Your Nanos can only heal so much, so good if you wanna put some points into use bigger healing items.
[*][b]Vehicle Air/Water/Ground[/b] :: If you have a vehicle and want to use it.[/list]
[center][color=#FFBF40][size=150]3. Martial Arts Itself[/size][/color][/center]
I'm going to let the info from Engelen speak here as I feel they really explained about Martial Arts as a profession well (*) with a few edits from me:
[quote]
[color=#40BF80]Misconceptions and Facts about Martial Artists[/color]
Many mistake Martial Artist for being a "Press Q and AFK" Profession, and that's often the reason why some just can't seem to get the MA to work. The truth is, playing a Martial Artist is far more advanced than it seems, there's a lot of factors to consider during combat and the number of roles the MA can play requires a vast knowledge of different playstyles to function properly. Some of those roles include; Tank, Damage Dealer, Backup Healer, Support Player, and Add Control.
The Martial Artist is a close combat fighter. This means staying very close to the enemy and dealing raw damage while using Evades and healing to survive, instead of the more typical kiting technique of Ranged fighters. Martial Artists further specialize within crits, different damage types, and very high evades.
[color=#40BF80]MA Skill & Weapon[/color]
You don't equip a weapon, the main weapon is the fists. There is no real easy way to see your damage stats. Unlike other professions that equip weapons, MA's cannot Overequip. You are bound to the weapon decided by your MA skill, while other professions can easily overequip a weapon many QL's above them. This is the reason why MAs fall behind on damage at lower levels.
However, as you increase in level, your MA skill and weapon will continue to increase constantly, but other professions equipped weapons will stay at the same base damage, so this evens out higher up. The only weak point in the MA damage at higher levels is mobs with very high AC, since the minimum damage is quite low compared to many of the newest SL and AI weapons. In that case, the usage of secondary weapons is common, but more on that.
[color=#40BF80]Attack speed[/color]
As your MA skill increases, the attack speed changes. To put it very easy, the more MA skill you get, the slower you will hit, therefore it's very important to keep your Physical Init skill high, and be aware of how the Agg/Def bar works. To show this with an example:
[list]
[*]With 200 Martial Arts Skill, your base attack speed is: 1.25 and recharge: 1.25
[*]With 1000 Martial Arts Skill, your base attack speed is: 1.45 and recharge: 1.45
[*]With 2000 Martial Arts Skill, your base attack speed is 1.65 and recharge: 1.65[/list]
Your current speed is of course dependent on your Physical Init and your Agg/Def setting, but those numbers should give you an idea of the base weapon damage and speed increase. If you haven't done so yet, try experimenting a little bit with Rayne's MA calculator. It will better show you concrete examples, including how fast you hit at the moment with the amount of MA skill you have.
This is important to remember, since getting a high skill increase will increase the time it takes for you to hit and recharge. It's also another example that there's more to Martial Artists than meets the eye
[/quote]
[quote]
[color=#40BF80]Nanos and Nanoskills[/color]
All the Martial Artist Nanos have quite a low requirement, nanocost, and are easy to understand. Most Martial Artists split up the Nanoskills into two parts:
[color=#40BF80]Primary/Important Nanoskills[/color]
These include four nanoskills, which are requirements for all the important Martial Artist Nanos. The four skills are:
[list]
[*]Biological Metamorphosis
[*]Sensory Improvement
[*]Psychological Modification
[*]Time & Space[/list]
Those skills must be raised if you want to perform well and cast the important nanos. The nanolines they cover are:
[list]
[*]Martial Arts Skill Buffs (Increases your Martial Arts Skill)
[*]Temporary Damage Buffs (Increases your damage output for a short time)
[*]Critical Increase (Increases the chance of doing a critical hit)
[*]Evade Buffs (Increases your evades)
[*]Damage Type Modifier (Changes your damage type into a different one, from e.g Melee to Fire)
[*]Healing (Very important, used for healing yourself, others, and the team)
[*]And other small buffs like Brawl, Riposte, Runspeed, and other nanos[/list]
[color=#40BF80]Secondary Nanoskills[/color]
These include the two last Nanoskills, and are by most considered relatively unimportant on lower-mid levels, and usually not increased until higher up when you got the IP to spare. The two skills are:
[list]
[*]Material Metamorphosis
[*]Material Creation[/list]
They mostly cover the less important Nanos, but most of them are quite nice to have on higher levels:
[list][*]AC Buffs(AC buff, does not stack with the Engies)
[*]Give Energy(Gives Nano to Target)
[*]Martial Artist Team Buff(Increases AC and Damage)[/list]
[color=#40BF80]Nano Init[/color]
Most MA nanos, especially Combat Nanos have a very fast cast time, with a slower recharge time. This means that you need actually very little Nano Init to be able to cast your nanos fast. With Symbiants and Drip offs at higher levels, you get much of the init needed for free. Nano Init does not reduce Nano Recharge time.[/quote]
[i]Personally, it's an ongoing experiment in finding the best balance for the Agg/Def bar, so my advice is to keep an eye out for how much you hit and how often. You can tell by looking at the one or two yellow bars in the upper left hand of your UI screen (you can't move them like other UI elements). [url=https://www.ao-universe.com/guides/classic-ao/gameplay-guides-6/weapon-initiatives-and-the-aggdef-slider]Here is an article[/url] on the Agg/Def slider that explains it better than I could.[/i]
