butterfλi
2008-09-03, 12:20 PM
Dexterity and Thieves v1.43
So easy, a caveman could understand it.
Contents
*Note: For easy navigating, use the find function of your browser (ctrl + F) to quickly go to the section you're interested in.
Introduction What this thread is What is dex Update History Disclaimer
Dex Types and Builds I believe in miracles, you dexy thing Normal Dex Low Dex No Dex/DexlessThe Dexless Claw The Low Dex Extreme
Luk vs Weapon Attack Ratio Divide by two, then carry the one...
Scroll Jobs Let me work my magic Scrolling for int and HP washing
Wardrobe Malfunctions Know what clothes are broken before "accidents" happen. Wearing a Two Piece vs One Piece Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Sauna/Bathrobe Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Red Katinas
Funding Show me the mesos! Gachapon Bossing Marketing Self-scrolling Amoria Party Quest "How much mesos would I need?"
Which Build is Best? "You're the king!? Well... I didn't vote for you!"
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm a dexless claw user. But I want to know if I can get more damage by convert to a dex claw? I want to go low dex but I have no/low funding. I don't want to add dex then reset when I have dex equipment because I don't want to spend so much money on resets. How can I do this? What will the future of dexless, low dex, and normal dex thieves look like? When should I switch from an overall to a top/bottom? You didn't discuss anything about stars. What should I know about them? I see other thieves outdamaging me. How can I be as strong as them?
Special Thanks and stuff Legal Frylock and other Meatwads.
1. Introduction
1a. What this thread is
This will, hopefully, serve to some people, namely, new thieves, as guidance to thieves and their dexterity (dex). It will provide an as in-depth as possible answers to common questions that people ask regarding thieves and their relation to their secondary stat: dex.
1b. What is dex
If you ask someone, "what's dex?" and they reply "well, when a man and a woman loves each other very much...", they're probably going to give you the wrong answer. Dex is one of the four ability points (commonly referred to as "stat point" or "stat") and is a required stat of the thief. Each job has two required stats: one primary and one secondary. For thieves, their primary stat is luck (luk). Out of the four stats, luk contributes the most to thieves' damage, as all other jobs have their own respective stat that contributes to their damage. In addition, each class also has a secondary stat. This secondary stat is what's required for all classes to hold their equipment and wear the clothing for their level (warriors are an exception). Ironically, the secondary stat is far more important than the primary stat. Why? Since the primary stat (luk) is the one that contributes the most to damage, any stat you add to dex means you are lessening your luk.
1c. Update History
v1.0 -- The actual written guide.
v1.1 -- Expansion of "Which Build is Best".
v1.2 -- Breaking into specifics of section 6: "Funding".
v1.3 -- Provision of the "Update History" for both users and myself to keep track of this guide's progress.
v1.31 -- Changed "Gashapon" to "Gachapon" to reflect maplestory context. Included the black raggedy cape.
v1.32 -- Noted the expense/costs of gachapon and HP washing.
v1.4 -- Provided specific comparison between top/bottomwear to overalls under "Wardrobe Malfunction".
v1.41 -- General tune up of the Contents and the overall guide (i.e. to make less eye-bleeds.)
v1.42 -- Provided advice for going low dex with no/low funding under "Which build is best?"
v1.43 -- Revision of the [code] tag with [table]s. Addition of Amoria Party Quest.
<Disclaimer>
Before actually getting started, I would like to point out that nothing here said the will of some supernatural powers so you don't have to follow it to the dot; nor am I a super natural power to make you do anything discussed here. Maple story is a "free will" game but a great part of the game today revolves around high damage. The more you advance into the game, the more you see people compare, talk about, or sometimes even challenge each other over the damage they do. It can be hard to keep up with the competition. Hopefully this will make that hardship easier.
Also, in this guide, I will focus heavily on the star-rogue class of the thief job (assassins, hermits, and night lords) rather than the dagger rogues (bandits, chief bandits, and shadowers). However since both branches are of the thief class, how you distribute dex among them remains the same. So this guide will help both bandits and assassins but more on assassin since I have more experience with assassins. If it helps, just replace every word "claw" with the word "dagger" and off we go!
2. Dex Types and Builds
I believe in miracles, you dexy thing.
2a. Normal Dex
The normal dex build is having your base dex (raw dex with any dex bonus from equipment) enough to hold your weapon and wear your clothes along with meeting its level requirement. For thieves, the requirement goes:
Level| Dex Requirement
Level 10 | 25 dex
Level 20 | 40 dex
Level 30 | 60 dex
Level 40 | 80 dex
Level 50 | 90 dex
Level 60 | 100 dex
Level 70 | 110 dex
Level 80 | 120 dex
Level 90 | 130 dex
Level 100 | 140 dex
Level 110 | 150 dex
Level 120 | 160 dex
Plain and simple. This requirement is established by the claw and clothes' requirement so wear such things. To name a few weapons for instance:
|Name of Claw | Level Requirement | Dex Requirement | W.atk
http://i38.tinypic.com/20usdfn.png|Steel Titans | 15 | 30 | +12 (12 to 15)
http://i35.tinypic.com/sx0sgi.png|Bronze Igor | 20 | 40 | +14 (14 to 15)
http://i35.tinypic.com/oiycra.png|Meba | 25 | 50 | +16 (14 to 19)
http://i33.tinypic.com/35mil1l.png|Steel Guards | 30 | 60 | +18 (17 to 21)
http://i36.tinypic.com/1zvy3ia.png|Bronze Guardian | 35 | 70 | +20 (17 to 23)
http://i35.tinypic.com/2eb5s14.png|Steel Avarice | 40 | 80 | +22 (19 to 25)
http://i36.tinypic.com/28wikqo.png|Steel Slain | 50 | 90 | +26 (22 to 30)
http://i36.tinypic.com/2lafnds.png|Bronze Gigantic | 60 | 100 | +30 (27 to 35)
http://i33.tinypic.com/54aexg.png|Dark Scarab | 70 | 110 | +34 (30 to 38)
http://i38.tinypic.com/348n5gz.png|Black Mamba | 80 | 120 | +38 (34 to 45)
http://i38.tinypic.com/2zrg4n6.png|Casters | 90 | 130 | +42 (37 to 47)
http://i37.tinypic.com/10qc3uc.png|Red Craven | 100 | 140 | +46 (42 to 49)
http://i36.tinypic.com/kex43n.png|Dragon Sleeve | 110 | 150 | +50
Knowing this, you should not exceed the dex requirement for your respective level as it is only the secondary stat. It contributes less to your damage than luk will.
2b. Low Dex
This branch of ability point distribution is far more complicated than the normal dex. Something hinted at before (if you read this guide word for word so far) is dex bonus from equipment (topwear, bottomwear, cape, helmet, shoes, gloves, and eye and ear accessory). Low dex means to extract dex from said equipment in order meet a weapon's dex requirement to equip the weapon. Keep in mind that one point you withhold from adding to dex means one point you saved in order to add to luk--your primary damage contributing stat. This is the very idea that gave birth to the low dex build community since Beta Global Maple Story and has been increasingly popular since.
Now, why complicate matter when you can just add ability points into dex and extract luk from equipment instead? There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that some equipment either does not give any luk bonus but gives dex bonus. In order to make use of this amount of dex, you must keep your dex lowered by the same amount of that the equipment is giving.
For example the dark moss shoes (the level 60 thief shoes). It gives 1 dex and 4 luk and has a 100 dex requirement. Since your total dex already meets the 100 dex requirement to wear that shoe, that 1 dex that the shoe is giving is not significantly contributing to your damage if you hold the gigantic (the level 60 claw requiring 100 dex). Instead, to make use of that 1 dex, you can wear the dark scarab (the level 70 claw requiring 110 dex). Your base dex should now be 109 rather than 110. Once you equip the dark moss shoes, it's 1 dex bonus will allow your total dex to be 110, which meets the requirement to equip the dark scarab.
If you read and understood those two indented paragraphs, then congratulations! You have just successfully extracted 1 dex from your equipment and you can understand what it means to be low dex. Now, imagine doing that for every possible equipment that you can extract dex out of. The zakum helmet (http://global.hidden-street.net/items/hatcommon.php#zakumhelmet1) which provides 15 both dex and luk points! Fifteen points that you can have your dex lowered to add to luk. It is the equivalent of three level up ability point bonuses. The more dex you are able to extract, the more your luk is increased. The numbers will really stacks overtime and you will notice a higher damage than the normal dex build.
The second reason to go low dex is much simpler: money. In most case, dex equipment will be significantly cheaper than luk equipment. Why? Because remember: dex is only a secondary stat and contributes less to damage. Thus, less people want equipment that adds dex. As a result, dex equipment are generally cheaper.
2c. No Dex/Dexless
Low dex is informally defined as having your dex base is no high than what is required of you to advance as a thief (25 base dex). Regardless of what your level is, your base dex will remain at 25. This is quite possibly the most complex and most simple dex build of thieves. How can this be? This branch of dex build is broken into two sub-branches. One branch wields the "dexless" claws. The other branch is simply low dex taken to the very extreme.
1. The Dexless Claws
Having to stay as a dexless claw thief, the only claws available to you are the claws that do not require dex to wield. This is what sets dexless claw users different from low dex users. They do not need to extract dex from equipment from their claw, as the claws they use do not require any dex. They aim to extract luk instead. In earlier ages of Global Maple Story, this particular build were extremely rare. Due to the fact that dexless claws did not come along until a few years after Maple Global was went official. The dexless claws of today are the:
|Claw Name | Level Requirement | W.atk
http://i37.tinypic.com/vcw0g4.png|Garnier | 10 | +10 (8 to 12)
http://i36.tinypic.com/10nrt3a.png|Maple Claw | 35 | +20 (17 to 23)
http://i36.tinypic.com/2ykdzjq.png|Maple Kandayo | 43 | +23 (20 to 26)
http://i38.tinypic.com/2u8juj9.png|Neva | 50 | +30
http://i33.tinypic.com/30ab3gl.png|Shinobi Bracer | 55 | +30
http://i36.tinypic.com/b3lmy0.png|Maple Skanda | 64 | +33 (33 to 37)
http://i38.tinypic.com/2w5klqo.png|Raven's Claw | 90 | +40
Being limited only using these claws, this is a unique build. Unless dexless claw users can make up for the loss of attack since they claws are such low level, they are at a disadvantage to those who use the claws that requires dex to wield. But when does this happen? It various and is heavily dependent upon how much attack the dexless claw gives and on what level your thief is. I will enlighten on this topic more under the section 3. "Luk vs Weapon Attack Ratio".
2. The Low Dex Extreme
By definition, people who use claws that requires dex such as the casters, black mamba, dark scarab, etc., while maintaining a base dex of 25 are still considered dexless. On the other hand, some people will argue that these guys are low dex. That's true as well due to the fact of the low dex definition. They are extracting dex from their equipment to wield their claws. I label these players as "extreme" because they have squeezed out so much dex that they exceed what they need and cannot lower their base dex any further.
Wow. That's pretty amazing. How are they getting so much dex? The answer is scrolling. In addition to equipment giving base dex, equipment can also be scrolled to give additional dex. Some of these scrolls are: overall armor for dex, bottomwear for dex, helmet for dex, scroll for shoe jump, earrings for dex, and cape for dex. See the section 4."Scroll Jobs" for more info.
3. Luk vs Weapon Attack Ratio
Divide by two, then carry the one...
First of all, what is weapon attack (watk)? Watk is the attack of your claw. The stars star-rogues throw also provide watk as well as some capes, shoes, and gloves. Your total watk is the sum of all this. Likewise, your total luk is the sum of your base luk along with all the luk bonus given by your equipment. Knowing this, the relationship between luk and watk for thieves is:
Total Luk / Total watk (total luk divided by total watk)
What good is this ratio going to do you? A common question you will see many people ask is "how much luk is equal to one watk?". The thing is, the ratio is dictated by the amount of luk a thief has so as you level, the amount of luk is constantly changing. This ratio will do what it promises you: it will give you the ratio between luk and watk. Now, I will try my best to explain this portion of the guide but you, as a reader will need to have a basic understanding of algebra to understand it. There is no shame in not understanding it the very first time you read it. Math isn't meant to be read. Even as a mathematics major, I didn't understand what all this meant my first time seeing it either.
To prove this mathematically, we would need to use Lucky Seven's unique damage formula. Unlike other classes, an assassin's main skill, Lucky Seven is not dictated by the damage range you see when you open your stat window in game (the default key to open the stat window is "S") but instead, it has its own unique formula:
Maximum damage = (5.0 x LUK/100) x Weapon Atk
Minimum damage = (2.5 x LUK/100) x Weapon Atk
This formula is unique to Lucky Seven and Triple Throw as, all over skills in game incorporates the range you see in your stat window. Knowing this formula, we can use this formula to test the luk vs watk ratio.
Let's take a look at a specific example.
Thief A
has a total luk of : 500
has a total watk of : 90
By the luk vs watk ratio, thief A has a ratio of 5.55luk:1watk. Using the Lucky Seven formula:
Maximum damage = (5.0 x 500/100) x 90 = 2250
Assuming that 5.55luk=1watk, if we subtract 5.5luk and add 1watk...
Maximum damage = (5.0 x 494.5/100) x 91 = 2249.9
There was a percent error of ±0.1 but the two numbers are essentially the same and the ratio holds. For a thief with 500 luk and 90 watk, the ratio of luk to watk is 5.5 luk per watk. You can apply this concept to any thief at any level to find out the ratio of luk to watk. This is very useful when you want to find out if a certain amount of luk will exceed one watk.
Knowing this will help you to determine what kind of upgrade should you purchase at one moment: luk or watk?
4. Scroll Jobs
Let me work my magic.
Now that you know watk is worth significantly worth more than luk, what should you scroll for? First of all, scrolling is a game of chance. To some, it can give a "tremendous buzz", and to others, they can lose everything (isn't it awesome how Maplestory allude to drinking and gambling?). Every scroll has a probably of working; a probability that it will either give you stat bonuses or give you no bonuses, thus causing you to loss money spent on the scroll. Since the primary and secondary stat of the thief is luk and dex, respectively, you should aim for scrolls that gives those specific two stat bonus in addition to scrolls for watk.
Scrolls that give dex bonuses
|10% | 30%|60%|70%|100%
Helm for dex |N/A|+3 dex|N/A|+2 dex|N/A|
Helm for accuracy|+2 dex, +4 accuracy|+2 dex, +4 accuracy|+1 dex, +2 accuracy|+1 dex, +2 accuracy|+1 accuracy|
Overall for dex|+5 dex, +3 accuracy, +1 speed|+5 dex, +3 accuracy, +1 speed|+2 dex, +1 accuracy|+2 dex, +1 accuracy|+1 dex|
Face eqp. for avoidability|+2 dex, +2 avoidability|+2 dex, +2 avoidability|+1 dex, +1 avoidability|+1 dex, +1 avoidability|+1 avoidability|
Bottomwear for dex|N/A|+3 dex|+2 dex|+2 dex|+1 dex|
Shoes for jump|+3 dex, +5 jump, +1 speed|+3 dex, +5 jump, +1 speed|+1 dex, +2 jump|+1 dex, +2 jump|+1 jump|
Cape for dex|+3 dex|+3 dex|+2 dex|+2 dex|+1 dex|
Earrings for dex|N/A|+3 dex|N/A|+2 dex|N/A|
Scrolls that give luk bonuses
|10% | 30%|60%|70%|100%
Earrings for luk|N/A|+3 luk|N/A|+2 luk|N/A|
Overall for luk|+5 luk, +3 avoidablilty, +1 accuracy|+5 luk, +3 avoidablilty, +1 accuracy|+2 luk, +1 avoidablilty|+2 luk, +1 avoidablilty|N/A|
Topwear for luk|+3 luk|+3 luk|+2 luk|+2 luk|+1 luk|
Cape for luk|+3 luk|+3 luk|+2 luk|+2 luk|+1 luk|
Scrolls that give watk bonuses
|10% | 30%|60%|70%|100%
Weapon for att|+5 watk|+5 watk|+2 watk|+2 watk|+1 watk|
Glove for att|+3 watk|+3 watk|+2 watk|+2 watk|+1 wak|
As you can see, there are more scrolls that give dex than luk; this makes low dex advantageous since they are able to extract more dex from equip than a normal can extract luk. There's also rarity that comes into play. Luk scrolls are generally more difficult to acquire; further making low dex advantageous.
4a. Scrolling for int and HP washing
This isn't a very big concern but it's growing to be more and more; it is becoming more preferred to either have equipment that give int bonuses or scroll for them. Simply because upon level ups, that total int you have will dictate approximately how much your MP will boost. Having more MP is ideally for people who aim to HP wash for addition HP.
HP wash requires access to Nexon Cash since it involves buying AP resets from the cash shop. A brief procedure goes like this:
After a level up, add one ability point to your HP
Purchase 1 AP reset from the cash shop
Use it and reset 1 AP from MP and apply that 1 AP to either luk, or dex
This process reduces the amount of your MP by 12 but gives you anywhere between 16-20 HP as a thief. However, there is a requirement to how much MP you must have. In order words, there is a point where you can no longer lower your MP. That amount is dictated by your level and is given by the formula:
14 x (level of your character) + 148
You may repeat the steps as many times as you like for additional HP, as long as you have the minimum amount of MP required. The process of HP washing requires both real life money as well as mesos in game if you wish to purchase equipment that gives INT bonuses. It is by no means a requirement to the game. It's just nicer to have some additional HP.
*Note: HP washing is VERY expensive. One AP reset from the cash shop costs 3,100 Nexon Cash. In short, it means for $3.10, you gain 16-20 HP as a thief.
5. Wardrobe Malfunctions
Know what clothes are broken before "accidents" happen.
Similar to scrolls, you should aim for clothing that gives watk over clothes that give luk and dex bonuses. Like the scrolls for watk, clothing that give watk are scarce as well. Due to that, clothing that give watk bonuses are extremely expensive. It is not recommended to aim for these clothes straight from the start, but rather acquire them as you level up as you have more money in possession.
Clothes that give watk bonuses
| Equipment | Level Requirement | W.atk Boost
http://i33.tinypic.com/29saxl.png| Black raggedy cape | 25 | +1 (0 to 3)
http://i36.tinypic.com/i69swm.png|Facestompers | 50 | +2
http://i38.tinypic.com/28u4pd4.png|Pink adventurer cape | 50 | +2 (0 to 4)
http://i37.tinypic.com/5vrb5l.png|Stormcaster gloves | 50 | +5
http://i33.tinypic.com/nnmtl0.png|Pink gaia cape | 60 | +3 (1 to 5)
With the listed clothes, you should also combine it with the respective scrolls listed previous for addition bonuses (such as scrolling a stormcaster glove with glove for att scrolls).
5a. Wearing a Two Piece vs One Piece
Two piece refers to topwear and bottomwear and one piece refers to an overall. Between these two, which should you wear? It depends on the amount of funding you have. Generally, the cheapest "bang for your buck" is the overalls that give a low dex bonus (overalls that give high amounts of dex will be quite expensive). However, up to a certain point, a well scrolled top and bottom will give you more stat bonus than an overall can. There are two reasons for this.
Thief clothing comes more in top/bottom wear than overalls. In fact, for male thief, there is only one overall they can wear and for female thief, there are only two. You'll also often see many thief wear common equipment such as the sauna robe or the bathrobe. This is because those overalls do not have a dex requirement and are available to wear at low levels. For higher levels, top/bottom wear give a stat bonus as well as being able to scroll for topwear for luk and bottomwear for dex.
The second reason is because with the combination of top/bottom wear, you have more slots available to you. The top provides 7 slots to scroll, and the bottom provides 7 slots to scroll for a total of 14 slots. The overall, as a one piece, simply provides 10 slots--less potential for scrolls.
Here're some specific example of top/bottom vs. overall:
1. Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Sauna/Bathrobes
A look at the level 80 dark pirate top/bottom.
*Note: Note that I chose the pirate clothing instead of any set of clothes. This is because the pirate clothes requires 120 dex to equip. It is 20 dex below the requirement of the level 100 claw, the red craven. The craven is a common claw to scroll due to it's fairly high watk and availability.
Likewise, ideal clothing for the scarab (requiring 110 dex) would be the level 50 red china set (requiring 90 dex). You mainly want to aim for clothes that have lower dex requirement than your weapon so that your clothes will provide additional dex for you to hold your weapon.
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i33.tinypic.com/331qct3.png|Dark pirate top | +1 (0-2)|+5 (3-6)|7
http://i36.tinypic.com/2e19e7c.png| Dark pirate pants|+1 (0-3)|+3 (2-4)|7
An average top gives 6 stats total and the bottom gives 4 stats total for a grand total of 10 stats and 14 slots.
A look at the Sauna/Bathrobes (both are common equipment and provide the same AP stat)
*Also note: Robes are considered overall armor--meaning only one can be worn at a time, unlike topwear and bottom which can be worn simultaneously.
Sauna/Bathrobes (both are common equipment and provide the same AP stat)
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i34.tinypic.com/1zx1mbs.png|Blue Sauna Robe | +0 |+0 |10
http://i37.tinypic.com/b6viv9.png| Bathrobe for Men|+0 |+0 |10
The sauna robe doesn't look like it has much to promise. However, the primary difference between overall and top/bottomwear is that overalls provide usually provide only one stat (either gives a lot of dex or a lot of luk). There are some overalls that give both luk and dex but people will rarely scroll those kinds of things. Likewise, if you chose to scroll an overall with both dex and luk, it will be most beneficial to you assuming you adjust your stat for it. If you chose to resell, the price would be lower than a pure one stat overall because other people would need to adjust their stat for it. It is an inconvenience.
If a top/bottom cannot provide you with enough dex to hold your claw, a dex overall might be the answer if you do not want to add points into dex. Though the downside is, you're losing potential luk points.
2. Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Katinas/Kattes
Dark Pirate Top/Bottom
Same deal: 10 stats total, 14 slots total.
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i33.tinypic.com/331qct3.png|Dark pirate top | +1 (0-2)|+5 (3-6)|7
http://i36.tinypic.com/2e19e7c.png| Dark pirate pants|+1 (0-3)|+3 (2-4)|7
Red Katina
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i34.tinypic.com/2wmjgue.png|Red Katina|+3 (3-4)|+7 (6-8)|10
10 stat total, but only 10 slots available. Another downside to a Katina is that it requires 140 dex--the same amount required to hold a craven. This means the you cannot make use of the 3 dex given unless your claw requires more than 140 dex to hold (namely the Dragon sleeves with its 150 dex requirement). Also, it should not be scrolled to give dex, as any dex more than 140, or 150, depending on your claw will be "wasted" dex because dex does not play an important role in damage. It is advisable that Katinas a scrolled with luk bonuses.
6. Funding
Show me the mesos!
With the knowledge about scrolling for dex, luk, and watk, topped off with knowledge about which clothing are more advantageous than others, these comes the biggest issue yet: funding. There are several ways to make money in maple story: hunting, selling, quests, and if you're at a high enough level, hunting a boss for rare drops. Money is an issue to all classes, not just thief. Keep in mind that you do not need all the fancy things mentioned by level 50, 70, or even 120.
Like the real world, "fast" money comes from being in the right business and knowing the right people; people both in the market and on the training grounds.
6a. Gachapon
If you're willing to spend extra real life money, you can also purchase gachapon tickets from the cash shop to use in the gachapon machine in each town. The gachapon is also a game of chance. Sometimes, it will give you something nice, and something it won't. The most popular gachapon machine is the one located in the Mushroom Shine in Zipangu due to the high rates of rare items it gives. As for selling the items, a shop permit from the cash shop will make selling much more convenient, though not absolutely necessary.
*Note: Gachapon Tickets from the cash shop costs 1,000 Nexon Cash. Meaning for $1.00, you can purchase one ticket. It will be expensive if you decide to repetitively buy it.
6b. Bossing
This requires interaction with other players. Namely people you know, your friends, or someone who is willing to work with you. This method is simply kill a boss that has a good list of drops in order to sell that drop and profit off of it. Obviously if you want to be included in slaughtering tough monsters for money, you yourself, must be tough (in other words, high leveled). This deals with "knowing the right people" of your server who normally does boss runs namely Zakum and Horntail. For weaker bosses such as Pianus, or Papulatus, you can either bring a few friends or even kill it yourself for 100% of the profit. The problem with weaker bosses is that their drops are not as sensational.
6c. Marketing
This process requires a shop permit from the cash shop otherwise, it would be incredibly tedious. It also requires an understanding of the prices, and demands of items such as equipment (both unscrolled and scrolled), scrolls, quest items, and much more. With that huge list of things, you can get by by yourself or by knowing people in the market and befriending them. Similar to huge corporations in the real world forming alliances with each other for profiting, marketing, and producing. Everything as a price tag on it; everything has a value. If you know the supply and you know the demand of certain items of one point in given time, you can either acquire a huge supply of them for cheap in order to meet the demands of the consumers.
6d. Self-scrolling
This process is the equivalent of real life gambling. There is no guarantee that you will profit nor a guarantee that you will find yourself broke. You simply take chances in scrolling equipment, either equipment for yourself or for others. The prices of scrolls vs. the prices of already scrolled equipment significantly ranges. The costs to scroll something is worth a fraction of the actual well scrolled item. You take advantage of the cheap scrolls to make and end up with pricey, well scrolled equipment. That is how profit is made with self-scrolling. On the other hand, there involves profit loss if the scrolls fail.
6e. Amoria Party Quest
This process is simple but is requires your character to be married (it costs 20,000 nx cash needed for the cheapest marriage between two opposite gender characters). Because Amoria party quest bonus gives the high-in-demand onxy apple (most wanted for its +100 watk), this will always be an option. With marketing, you must watch the market. Sometimes it will be the buyers' market, but sometimes it will be the sellers' market. Onxy apples are fun to play with, but are also great profit to be sold since zakum and horntail running groups will always be in need of them. If not this group, then the next will. You take advantage of being able to complete the Amoria party quest once every six hours.
Technically, you can party quest as many times as you like, however you are required to have an entry ticket. The quest to obtain this ticket is only doable once every six hours, thus "limiting" you to do it once every six hours. You may obtain an entry ticket early in the morning then when you come back up six hours later, you can just enter the party quest. When you're done, you can redo the quest again thus, being able to party quest two times in a row for more chance of finding apples in bonus. There are no restrictions to the Armoria party quest except for the mentioned quest. You may party quest for as many days as you like for a constant supply of valuable onyx apples.
6f. "How much mesos will I need?"
Setting a certain limit to how much you're going to spend is like setting a limit to your own power. How much you have is how much you are able to spend. Total funding might cost a few million, a few hundred million, or even a few billions! You shouldn't worry about how much you have to start out with. Other people might start out with more than you. Do not let them discourage you. As long as you maintain the discussed methods of making money, your funding should be constantly coming in, thus constant potential for power.
7. Which Build is Best?
"You're the king!? Well... I didn't vote for you!"
This is a question you must determine for yourself because the answer will vary from people to people. I can only provide tips for this question but ultimately, is up to your own equipment, funding, and ambition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: I'm a dexless claw user. But I want to know if I can get more damage by convert to a dex claw?
Answer: If you are a dexless thief and want to convert to low dex or low dex extreme, you should consider the most important thing: is the watk boost from the dex claw worth it to compensate for the fact that you need addition dex? You can find this answer for yourself using the luk vs watk ratio (previously discussed and exemplified in section 3."Luk vs. watk Ratio". Or you just plug in numbers with the lucky seven damage formula. Or if you're lazy like me, use a damage calculator (http://sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1110031).
Dexless claws are limited by the most important stat of the thief: watk. Claws that require dex will provide more watk because they have a high level requirement, which also gives them a higher base watk. The supply of dexless claws are also limited and/or expensive; dexless thieves holding dexless claws will have to seek another way to obtain additional watk because the claw will no long supply more watk. The ultimate answer however, it still simply "the thief that has more luk and more watk will do more damage", regardless of what claw you hold.
Question: I want to go low dex but I have no/low funding. I don't want to add dex then reset when I have dex equipment because I don't want to spend so much money on resets. How can I do this?
Answer: There are many ways you can do this. One way is you can use dexless claws until you have more funding. Money comes as you level and for starting out, you can use a garnier then proceed to buying crappy maple claws and kandayos (around 25watk). Eventually you can start looking into buy around 40watk nevas, shinobi bracer and skandas once you have more money. As you gain more money overtime, you can slowly buy dex equipment for that dreamy 60atk craven you've been wanting. Another way is using dex and luk equipment interchangeably. For instance if you lack dex for a claw you want to hold, you can use a cape with dex bonuses. When you are able to get more dex from other places like shoes, pants or overalls, the dex you get from the cape will be unneeded and you can switch to wearing a luk cape instead.
Question: What will the future of dexless, low dex, and normal dex thieves look like?
Answer: I don't know. Maple story is an massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. It will always be changing and releasing new content to satisfy its players. The near future seems to favor the dexless community star-rogue community with the "Night Raven Claw" providing 40watk and no dex requirement. At the moment, it is not out. Given enough time, low dex might shine again with the help of the level 120 timeless claw and its level up system. As you can see, the future can sway in any direction. Heck, maybe even a claw requiring 200 dex and give 100watk will be released and put normal dex players in the lead!
Question: When should I switch from an overall to a top/bottom?
Answer: You have to consider why you want to switch. Generally, a top and bottom will provide more stats but an overall will provide more of one stat: either luk or dex. If dex, then you have to consider two things. One, is the dex you get from a bottom enough to compensate for the dex loss from not using the overall anymore? Two, if it is not, can you get the needed dex from other equipment? You can simply add points into dex to make up for the loss but I would recommend avoiding it if you can’t because points in dex means lost points from luk.
Question: You didn't discuss anything about stars. What should I know about them?
Answer: Stars, like all you other equipment, depends on the amount of funding you have. Now, before jumping in and spending everything you have a 20 sets of crystal ilbis, you also have to consider if the watk boost you gain upgrading from one set of stars to another worth it? For instance if you're using Tobis (which gives 23watk) and want to switch to Steelies (which gives 25watk) is that 2watk gain worth the money you're going to spend? Meaning is there something else you can upgrade such as watk from cape or even a new weapon with higher watk that will give you more watk and for a cheaper price?
Also, it is not recommended that you carry two sets of ilbis and 20 sets of subis because you cannot afford 20 sets of ilbis. Instead, buy cheap stars such as tobies and purchase other upgrades.
Question: I see other thieves outdamaging me. How can I be as strong as them?
Answer: Their equipment is probably better than yours because they had more funding and/or know the right people. Do not be discouraged by them. We all have our own limitations as to how far we can upgrade our equipment. Also, know that there are other thieves stronger than the thief that's stronger than you. There's always a bigger fish. As long as you're ambitious enough, you'll eventually become stronger than however you chose to compare yourself to. Or you can just play for your own enjoyment and play at your own pace.
8. Special Thanks and Stuff
Fiel for a public database of images.
hidden-street.net for providing information on scrolls, equipment and reference.
Banditcom for providing a incredible damage calculator (http://sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1110031) to the public.
Computar for providing the luk vs watk ratio to the thief community.
iDreami for providing the lucky seven damage formula to the world of Maplestory players.
crimsonsentinel for bringing the lucky seven damage formula to the English community.
Throws for mentioning Amoria Party Quest as a source of money.
Zolene, lastly for the three year old guide (http://www.sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=301115) that was written in Maple Global's earliest days and concepts that are still applicable today, after countless changes to maple global.
And everyone who pointed out mistakes, notes of things, other ideas that I omitted discussing and for reading.
and Stuff
I hope you've enjoyed reading, and possibly learning as you read this guide to dexterity and thieves, as I enjoyed witting it. If you chose to quote or refer from this guide, I do not take credit for "discovering" anything such as concepts, skillbuilds, etc. However, I would like credit for grunt work in putting everything together in one place. The respective formulas and such, I take no credit for as well. This guide is originally posted on southperry.net.
So easy, a caveman could understand it.
Contents
*Note: For easy navigating, use the find function of your browser (ctrl + F) to quickly go to the section you're interested in.
Introduction What this thread is What is dex Update History Disclaimer
Dex Types and Builds I believe in miracles, you dexy thing Normal Dex Low Dex No Dex/DexlessThe Dexless Claw The Low Dex Extreme
Luk vs Weapon Attack Ratio Divide by two, then carry the one...
Scroll Jobs Let me work my magic Scrolling for int and HP washing
Wardrobe Malfunctions Know what clothes are broken before "accidents" happen. Wearing a Two Piece vs One Piece Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Sauna/Bathrobe Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Red Katinas
Funding Show me the mesos! Gachapon Bossing Marketing Self-scrolling Amoria Party Quest "How much mesos would I need?"
Which Build is Best? "You're the king!? Well... I didn't vote for you!"
Frequently Asked Questions
I'm a dexless claw user. But I want to know if I can get more damage by convert to a dex claw? I want to go low dex but I have no/low funding. I don't want to add dex then reset when I have dex equipment because I don't want to spend so much money on resets. How can I do this? What will the future of dexless, low dex, and normal dex thieves look like? When should I switch from an overall to a top/bottom? You didn't discuss anything about stars. What should I know about them? I see other thieves outdamaging me. How can I be as strong as them?
Special Thanks and stuff Legal Frylock and other Meatwads.
1. Introduction
1a. What this thread is
This will, hopefully, serve to some people, namely, new thieves, as guidance to thieves and their dexterity (dex). It will provide an as in-depth as possible answers to common questions that people ask regarding thieves and their relation to their secondary stat: dex.
1b. What is dex
If you ask someone, "what's dex?" and they reply "well, when a man and a woman loves each other very much...", they're probably going to give you the wrong answer. Dex is one of the four ability points (commonly referred to as "stat point" or "stat") and is a required stat of the thief. Each job has two required stats: one primary and one secondary. For thieves, their primary stat is luck (luk). Out of the four stats, luk contributes the most to thieves' damage, as all other jobs have their own respective stat that contributes to their damage. In addition, each class also has a secondary stat. This secondary stat is what's required for all classes to hold their equipment and wear the clothing for their level (warriors are an exception). Ironically, the secondary stat is far more important than the primary stat. Why? Since the primary stat (luk) is the one that contributes the most to damage, any stat you add to dex means you are lessening your luk.
1c. Update History
v1.0 -- The actual written guide.
v1.1 -- Expansion of "Which Build is Best".
v1.2 -- Breaking into specifics of section 6: "Funding".
v1.3 -- Provision of the "Update History" for both users and myself to keep track of this guide's progress.
v1.31 -- Changed "Gashapon" to "Gachapon" to reflect maplestory context. Included the black raggedy cape.
v1.32 -- Noted the expense/costs of gachapon and HP washing.
v1.4 -- Provided specific comparison between top/bottomwear to overalls under "Wardrobe Malfunction".
v1.41 -- General tune up of the Contents and the overall guide (i.e. to make less eye-bleeds.)
v1.42 -- Provided advice for going low dex with no/low funding under "Which build is best?"
v1.43 -- Revision of the [code] tag with [table]s. Addition of Amoria Party Quest.
<Disclaimer>
Before actually getting started, I would like to point out that nothing here said the will of some supernatural powers so you don't have to follow it to the dot; nor am I a super natural power to make you do anything discussed here. Maple story is a "free will" game but a great part of the game today revolves around high damage. The more you advance into the game, the more you see people compare, talk about, or sometimes even challenge each other over the damage they do. It can be hard to keep up with the competition. Hopefully this will make that hardship easier.
Also, in this guide, I will focus heavily on the star-rogue class of the thief job (assassins, hermits, and night lords) rather than the dagger rogues (bandits, chief bandits, and shadowers). However since both branches are of the thief class, how you distribute dex among them remains the same. So this guide will help both bandits and assassins but more on assassin since I have more experience with assassins. If it helps, just replace every word "claw" with the word "dagger" and off we go!
2. Dex Types and Builds
I believe in miracles, you dexy thing.
2a. Normal Dex
The normal dex build is having your base dex (raw dex with any dex bonus from equipment) enough to hold your weapon and wear your clothes along with meeting its level requirement. For thieves, the requirement goes:
Level| Dex Requirement
Level 10 | 25 dex
Level 20 | 40 dex
Level 30 | 60 dex
Level 40 | 80 dex
Level 50 | 90 dex
Level 60 | 100 dex
Level 70 | 110 dex
Level 80 | 120 dex
Level 90 | 130 dex
Level 100 | 140 dex
Level 110 | 150 dex
Level 120 | 160 dex
Plain and simple. This requirement is established by the claw and clothes' requirement so wear such things. To name a few weapons for instance:
|Name of Claw | Level Requirement | Dex Requirement | W.atk
http://i38.tinypic.com/20usdfn.png|Steel Titans | 15 | 30 | +12 (12 to 15)
http://i35.tinypic.com/sx0sgi.png|Bronze Igor | 20 | 40 | +14 (14 to 15)
http://i35.tinypic.com/oiycra.png|Meba | 25 | 50 | +16 (14 to 19)
http://i33.tinypic.com/35mil1l.png|Steel Guards | 30 | 60 | +18 (17 to 21)
http://i36.tinypic.com/1zvy3ia.png|Bronze Guardian | 35 | 70 | +20 (17 to 23)
http://i35.tinypic.com/2eb5s14.png|Steel Avarice | 40 | 80 | +22 (19 to 25)
http://i36.tinypic.com/28wikqo.png|Steel Slain | 50 | 90 | +26 (22 to 30)
http://i36.tinypic.com/2lafnds.png|Bronze Gigantic | 60 | 100 | +30 (27 to 35)
http://i33.tinypic.com/54aexg.png|Dark Scarab | 70 | 110 | +34 (30 to 38)
http://i38.tinypic.com/348n5gz.png|Black Mamba | 80 | 120 | +38 (34 to 45)
http://i38.tinypic.com/2zrg4n6.png|Casters | 90 | 130 | +42 (37 to 47)
http://i37.tinypic.com/10qc3uc.png|Red Craven | 100 | 140 | +46 (42 to 49)
http://i36.tinypic.com/kex43n.png|Dragon Sleeve | 110 | 150 | +50
Knowing this, you should not exceed the dex requirement for your respective level as it is only the secondary stat. It contributes less to your damage than luk will.
2b. Low Dex
This branch of ability point distribution is far more complicated than the normal dex. Something hinted at before (if you read this guide word for word so far) is dex bonus from equipment (topwear, bottomwear, cape, helmet, shoes, gloves, and eye and ear accessory). Low dex means to extract dex from said equipment in order meet a weapon's dex requirement to equip the weapon. Keep in mind that one point you withhold from adding to dex means one point you saved in order to add to luk--your primary damage contributing stat. This is the very idea that gave birth to the low dex build community since Beta Global Maple Story and has been increasingly popular since.
Now, why complicate matter when you can just add ability points into dex and extract luk from equipment instead? There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that some equipment either does not give any luk bonus but gives dex bonus. In order to make use of this amount of dex, you must keep your dex lowered by the same amount of that the equipment is giving.
For example the dark moss shoes (the level 60 thief shoes). It gives 1 dex and 4 luk and has a 100 dex requirement. Since your total dex already meets the 100 dex requirement to wear that shoe, that 1 dex that the shoe is giving is not significantly contributing to your damage if you hold the gigantic (the level 60 claw requiring 100 dex). Instead, to make use of that 1 dex, you can wear the dark scarab (the level 70 claw requiring 110 dex). Your base dex should now be 109 rather than 110. Once you equip the dark moss shoes, it's 1 dex bonus will allow your total dex to be 110, which meets the requirement to equip the dark scarab.
If you read and understood those two indented paragraphs, then congratulations! You have just successfully extracted 1 dex from your equipment and you can understand what it means to be low dex. Now, imagine doing that for every possible equipment that you can extract dex out of. The zakum helmet (http://global.hidden-street.net/items/hatcommon.php#zakumhelmet1) which provides 15 both dex and luk points! Fifteen points that you can have your dex lowered to add to luk. It is the equivalent of three level up ability point bonuses. The more dex you are able to extract, the more your luk is increased. The numbers will really stacks overtime and you will notice a higher damage than the normal dex build.
The second reason to go low dex is much simpler: money. In most case, dex equipment will be significantly cheaper than luk equipment. Why? Because remember: dex is only a secondary stat and contributes less to damage. Thus, less people want equipment that adds dex. As a result, dex equipment are generally cheaper.
2c. No Dex/Dexless
Low dex is informally defined as having your dex base is no high than what is required of you to advance as a thief (25 base dex). Regardless of what your level is, your base dex will remain at 25. This is quite possibly the most complex and most simple dex build of thieves. How can this be? This branch of dex build is broken into two sub-branches. One branch wields the "dexless" claws. The other branch is simply low dex taken to the very extreme.
1. The Dexless Claws
Having to stay as a dexless claw thief, the only claws available to you are the claws that do not require dex to wield. This is what sets dexless claw users different from low dex users. They do not need to extract dex from equipment from their claw, as the claws they use do not require any dex. They aim to extract luk instead. In earlier ages of Global Maple Story, this particular build were extremely rare. Due to the fact that dexless claws did not come along until a few years after Maple Global was went official. The dexless claws of today are the:
|Claw Name | Level Requirement | W.atk
http://i37.tinypic.com/vcw0g4.png|Garnier | 10 | +10 (8 to 12)
http://i36.tinypic.com/10nrt3a.png|Maple Claw | 35 | +20 (17 to 23)
http://i36.tinypic.com/2ykdzjq.png|Maple Kandayo | 43 | +23 (20 to 26)
http://i38.tinypic.com/2u8juj9.png|Neva | 50 | +30
http://i33.tinypic.com/30ab3gl.png|Shinobi Bracer | 55 | +30
http://i36.tinypic.com/b3lmy0.png|Maple Skanda | 64 | +33 (33 to 37)
http://i38.tinypic.com/2w5klqo.png|Raven's Claw | 90 | +40
Being limited only using these claws, this is a unique build. Unless dexless claw users can make up for the loss of attack since they claws are such low level, they are at a disadvantage to those who use the claws that requires dex to wield. But when does this happen? It various and is heavily dependent upon how much attack the dexless claw gives and on what level your thief is. I will enlighten on this topic more under the section 3. "Luk vs Weapon Attack Ratio".
2. The Low Dex Extreme
By definition, people who use claws that requires dex such as the casters, black mamba, dark scarab, etc., while maintaining a base dex of 25 are still considered dexless. On the other hand, some people will argue that these guys are low dex. That's true as well due to the fact of the low dex definition. They are extracting dex from their equipment to wield their claws. I label these players as "extreme" because they have squeezed out so much dex that they exceed what they need and cannot lower their base dex any further.
Wow. That's pretty amazing. How are they getting so much dex? The answer is scrolling. In addition to equipment giving base dex, equipment can also be scrolled to give additional dex. Some of these scrolls are: overall armor for dex, bottomwear for dex, helmet for dex, scroll for shoe jump, earrings for dex, and cape for dex. See the section 4."Scroll Jobs" for more info.
3. Luk vs Weapon Attack Ratio
Divide by two, then carry the one...
First of all, what is weapon attack (watk)? Watk is the attack of your claw. The stars star-rogues throw also provide watk as well as some capes, shoes, and gloves. Your total watk is the sum of all this. Likewise, your total luk is the sum of your base luk along with all the luk bonus given by your equipment. Knowing this, the relationship between luk and watk for thieves is:
Total Luk / Total watk (total luk divided by total watk)
What good is this ratio going to do you? A common question you will see many people ask is "how much luk is equal to one watk?". The thing is, the ratio is dictated by the amount of luk a thief has so as you level, the amount of luk is constantly changing. This ratio will do what it promises you: it will give you the ratio between luk and watk. Now, I will try my best to explain this portion of the guide but you, as a reader will need to have a basic understanding of algebra to understand it. There is no shame in not understanding it the very first time you read it. Math isn't meant to be read. Even as a mathematics major, I didn't understand what all this meant my first time seeing it either.
To prove this mathematically, we would need to use Lucky Seven's unique damage formula. Unlike other classes, an assassin's main skill, Lucky Seven is not dictated by the damage range you see when you open your stat window in game (the default key to open the stat window is "S") but instead, it has its own unique formula:
Maximum damage = (5.0 x LUK/100) x Weapon Atk
Minimum damage = (2.5 x LUK/100) x Weapon Atk
This formula is unique to Lucky Seven and Triple Throw as, all over skills in game incorporates the range you see in your stat window. Knowing this formula, we can use this formula to test the luk vs watk ratio.
Let's take a look at a specific example.
Thief A
has a total luk of : 500
has a total watk of : 90
By the luk vs watk ratio, thief A has a ratio of 5.55luk:1watk. Using the Lucky Seven formula:
Maximum damage = (5.0 x 500/100) x 90 = 2250
Assuming that 5.55luk=1watk, if we subtract 5.5luk and add 1watk...
Maximum damage = (5.0 x 494.5/100) x 91 = 2249.9
There was a percent error of ±0.1 but the two numbers are essentially the same and the ratio holds. For a thief with 500 luk and 90 watk, the ratio of luk to watk is 5.5 luk per watk. You can apply this concept to any thief at any level to find out the ratio of luk to watk. This is very useful when you want to find out if a certain amount of luk will exceed one watk.
Knowing this will help you to determine what kind of upgrade should you purchase at one moment: luk or watk?
4. Scroll Jobs
Let me work my magic.
Now that you know watk is worth significantly worth more than luk, what should you scroll for? First of all, scrolling is a game of chance. To some, it can give a "tremendous buzz", and to others, they can lose everything (isn't it awesome how Maplestory allude to drinking and gambling?). Every scroll has a probably of working; a probability that it will either give you stat bonuses or give you no bonuses, thus causing you to loss money spent on the scroll. Since the primary and secondary stat of the thief is luk and dex, respectively, you should aim for scrolls that gives those specific two stat bonus in addition to scrolls for watk.
Scrolls that give dex bonuses
|10% | 30%|60%|70%|100%
Helm for dex |N/A|+3 dex|N/A|+2 dex|N/A|
Helm for accuracy|+2 dex, +4 accuracy|+2 dex, +4 accuracy|+1 dex, +2 accuracy|+1 dex, +2 accuracy|+1 accuracy|
Overall for dex|+5 dex, +3 accuracy, +1 speed|+5 dex, +3 accuracy, +1 speed|+2 dex, +1 accuracy|+2 dex, +1 accuracy|+1 dex|
Face eqp. for avoidability|+2 dex, +2 avoidability|+2 dex, +2 avoidability|+1 dex, +1 avoidability|+1 dex, +1 avoidability|+1 avoidability|
Bottomwear for dex|N/A|+3 dex|+2 dex|+2 dex|+1 dex|
Shoes for jump|+3 dex, +5 jump, +1 speed|+3 dex, +5 jump, +1 speed|+1 dex, +2 jump|+1 dex, +2 jump|+1 jump|
Cape for dex|+3 dex|+3 dex|+2 dex|+2 dex|+1 dex|
Earrings for dex|N/A|+3 dex|N/A|+2 dex|N/A|
Scrolls that give luk bonuses
|10% | 30%|60%|70%|100%
Earrings for luk|N/A|+3 luk|N/A|+2 luk|N/A|
Overall for luk|+5 luk, +3 avoidablilty, +1 accuracy|+5 luk, +3 avoidablilty, +1 accuracy|+2 luk, +1 avoidablilty|+2 luk, +1 avoidablilty|N/A|
Topwear for luk|+3 luk|+3 luk|+2 luk|+2 luk|+1 luk|
Cape for luk|+3 luk|+3 luk|+2 luk|+2 luk|+1 luk|
Scrolls that give watk bonuses
|10% | 30%|60%|70%|100%
Weapon for att|+5 watk|+5 watk|+2 watk|+2 watk|+1 watk|
Glove for att|+3 watk|+3 watk|+2 watk|+2 watk|+1 wak|
As you can see, there are more scrolls that give dex than luk; this makes low dex advantageous since they are able to extract more dex from equip than a normal can extract luk. There's also rarity that comes into play. Luk scrolls are generally more difficult to acquire; further making low dex advantageous.
4a. Scrolling for int and HP washing
This isn't a very big concern but it's growing to be more and more; it is becoming more preferred to either have equipment that give int bonuses or scroll for them. Simply because upon level ups, that total int you have will dictate approximately how much your MP will boost. Having more MP is ideally for people who aim to HP wash for addition HP.
HP wash requires access to Nexon Cash since it involves buying AP resets from the cash shop. A brief procedure goes like this:
After a level up, add one ability point to your HP
Purchase 1 AP reset from the cash shop
Use it and reset 1 AP from MP and apply that 1 AP to either luk, or dex
This process reduces the amount of your MP by 12 but gives you anywhere between 16-20 HP as a thief. However, there is a requirement to how much MP you must have. In order words, there is a point where you can no longer lower your MP. That amount is dictated by your level and is given by the formula:
14 x (level of your character) + 148
You may repeat the steps as many times as you like for additional HP, as long as you have the minimum amount of MP required. The process of HP washing requires both real life money as well as mesos in game if you wish to purchase equipment that gives INT bonuses. It is by no means a requirement to the game. It's just nicer to have some additional HP.
*Note: HP washing is VERY expensive. One AP reset from the cash shop costs 3,100 Nexon Cash. In short, it means for $3.10, you gain 16-20 HP as a thief.
5. Wardrobe Malfunctions
Know what clothes are broken before "accidents" happen.
Similar to scrolls, you should aim for clothing that gives watk over clothes that give luk and dex bonuses. Like the scrolls for watk, clothing that give watk are scarce as well. Due to that, clothing that give watk bonuses are extremely expensive. It is not recommended to aim for these clothes straight from the start, but rather acquire them as you level up as you have more money in possession.
Clothes that give watk bonuses
| Equipment | Level Requirement | W.atk Boost
http://i33.tinypic.com/29saxl.png| Black raggedy cape | 25 | +1 (0 to 3)
http://i36.tinypic.com/i69swm.png|Facestompers | 50 | +2
http://i38.tinypic.com/28u4pd4.png|Pink adventurer cape | 50 | +2 (0 to 4)
http://i37.tinypic.com/5vrb5l.png|Stormcaster gloves | 50 | +5
http://i33.tinypic.com/nnmtl0.png|Pink gaia cape | 60 | +3 (1 to 5)
With the listed clothes, you should also combine it with the respective scrolls listed previous for addition bonuses (such as scrolling a stormcaster glove with glove for att scrolls).
5a. Wearing a Two Piece vs One Piece
Two piece refers to topwear and bottomwear and one piece refers to an overall. Between these two, which should you wear? It depends on the amount of funding you have. Generally, the cheapest "bang for your buck" is the overalls that give a low dex bonus (overalls that give high amounts of dex will be quite expensive). However, up to a certain point, a well scrolled top and bottom will give you more stat bonus than an overall can. There are two reasons for this.
Thief clothing comes more in top/bottom wear than overalls. In fact, for male thief, there is only one overall they can wear and for female thief, there are only two. You'll also often see many thief wear common equipment such as the sauna robe or the bathrobe. This is because those overalls do not have a dex requirement and are available to wear at low levels. For higher levels, top/bottom wear give a stat bonus as well as being able to scroll for topwear for luk and bottomwear for dex.
The second reason is because with the combination of top/bottom wear, you have more slots available to you. The top provides 7 slots to scroll, and the bottom provides 7 slots to scroll for a total of 14 slots. The overall, as a one piece, simply provides 10 slots--less potential for scrolls.
Here're some specific example of top/bottom vs. overall:
1. Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Sauna/Bathrobes
A look at the level 80 dark pirate top/bottom.
*Note: Note that I chose the pirate clothing instead of any set of clothes. This is because the pirate clothes requires 120 dex to equip. It is 20 dex below the requirement of the level 100 claw, the red craven. The craven is a common claw to scroll due to it's fairly high watk and availability.
Likewise, ideal clothing for the scarab (requiring 110 dex) would be the level 50 red china set (requiring 90 dex). You mainly want to aim for clothes that have lower dex requirement than your weapon so that your clothes will provide additional dex for you to hold your weapon.
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i33.tinypic.com/331qct3.png|Dark pirate top | +1 (0-2)|+5 (3-6)|7
http://i36.tinypic.com/2e19e7c.png| Dark pirate pants|+1 (0-3)|+3 (2-4)|7
An average top gives 6 stats total and the bottom gives 4 stats total for a grand total of 10 stats and 14 slots.
A look at the Sauna/Bathrobes (both are common equipment and provide the same AP stat)
*Also note: Robes are considered overall armor--meaning only one can be worn at a time, unlike topwear and bottom which can be worn simultaneously.
Sauna/Bathrobes (both are common equipment and provide the same AP stat)
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i34.tinypic.com/1zx1mbs.png|Blue Sauna Robe | +0 |+0 |10
http://i37.tinypic.com/b6viv9.png| Bathrobe for Men|+0 |+0 |10
The sauna robe doesn't look like it has much to promise. However, the primary difference between overall and top/bottomwear is that overalls provide usually provide only one stat (either gives a lot of dex or a lot of luk). There are some overalls that give both luk and dex but people will rarely scroll those kinds of things. Likewise, if you chose to scroll an overall with both dex and luk, it will be most beneficial to you assuming you adjust your stat for it. If you chose to resell, the price would be lower than a pure one stat overall because other people would need to adjust their stat for it. It is an inconvenience.
If a top/bottom cannot provide you with enough dex to hold your claw, a dex overall might be the answer if you do not want to add points into dex. Though the downside is, you're losing potential luk points.
2. Dark Pirate Top/Bottom vs. Katinas/Kattes
Dark Pirate Top/Bottom
Same deal: 10 stats total, 14 slots total.
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i33.tinypic.com/331qct3.png|Dark pirate top | +1 (0-2)|+5 (3-6)|7
http://i36.tinypic.com/2e19e7c.png| Dark pirate pants|+1 (0-3)|+3 (2-4)|7
Red Katina
| Name | Dex Bonus | Luk Bonus | Slots available
http://i34.tinypic.com/2wmjgue.png|Red Katina|+3 (3-4)|+7 (6-8)|10
10 stat total, but only 10 slots available. Another downside to a Katina is that it requires 140 dex--the same amount required to hold a craven. This means the you cannot make use of the 3 dex given unless your claw requires more than 140 dex to hold (namely the Dragon sleeves with its 150 dex requirement). Also, it should not be scrolled to give dex, as any dex more than 140, or 150, depending on your claw will be "wasted" dex because dex does not play an important role in damage. It is advisable that Katinas a scrolled with luk bonuses.
6. Funding
Show me the mesos!
With the knowledge about scrolling for dex, luk, and watk, topped off with knowledge about which clothing are more advantageous than others, these comes the biggest issue yet: funding. There are several ways to make money in maple story: hunting, selling, quests, and if you're at a high enough level, hunting a boss for rare drops. Money is an issue to all classes, not just thief. Keep in mind that you do not need all the fancy things mentioned by level 50, 70, or even 120.
Like the real world, "fast" money comes from being in the right business and knowing the right people; people both in the market and on the training grounds.
6a. Gachapon
If you're willing to spend extra real life money, you can also purchase gachapon tickets from the cash shop to use in the gachapon machine in each town. The gachapon is also a game of chance. Sometimes, it will give you something nice, and something it won't. The most popular gachapon machine is the one located in the Mushroom Shine in Zipangu due to the high rates of rare items it gives. As for selling the items, a shop permit from the cash shop will make selling much more convenient, though not absolutely necessary.
*Note: Gachapon Tickets from the cash shop costs 1,000 Nexon Cash. Meaning for $1.00, you can purchase one ticket. It will be expensive if you decide to repetitively buy it.
6b. Bossing
This requires interaction with other players. Namely people you know, your friends, or someone who is willing to work with you. This method is simply kill a boss that has a good list of drops in order to sell that drop and profit off of it. Obviously if you want to be included in slaughtering tough monsters for money, you yourself, must be tough (in other words, high leveled). This deals with "knowing the right people" of your server who normally does boss runs namely Zakum and Horntail. For weaker bosses such as Pianus, or Papulatus, you can either bring a few friends or even kill it yourself for 100% of the profit. The problem with weaker bosses is that their drops are not as sensational.
6c. Marketing
This process requires a shop permit from the cash shop otherwise, it would be incredibly tedious. It also requires an understanding of the prices, and demands of items such as equipment (both unscrolled and scrolled), scrolls, quest items, and much more. With that huge list of things, you can get by by yourself or by knowing people in the market and befriending them. Similar to huge corporations in the real world forming alliances with each other for profiting, marketing, and producing. Everything as a price tag on it; everything has a value. If you know the supply and you know the demand of certain items of one point in given time, you can either acquire a huge supply of them for cheap in order to meet the demands of the consumers.
6d. Self-scrolling
This process is the equivalent of real life gambling. There is no guarantee that you will profit nor a guarantee that you will find yourself broke. You simply take chances in scrolling equipment, either equipment for yourself or for others. The prices of scrolls vs. the prices of already scrolled equipment significantly ranges. The costs to scroll something is worth a fraction of the actual well scrolled item. You take advantage of the cheap scrolls to make and end up with pricey, well scrolled equipment. That is how profit is made with self-scrolling. On the other hand, there involves profit loss if the scrolls fail.
6e. Amoria Party Quest
This process is simple but is requires your character to be married (it costs 20,000 nx cash needed for the cheapest marriage between two opposite gender characters). Because Amoria party quest bonus gives the high-in-demand onxy apple (most wanted for its +100 watk), this will always be an option. With marketing, you must watch the market. Sometimes it will be the buyers' market, but sometimes it will be the sellers' market. Onxy apples are fun to play with, but are also great profit to be sold since zakum and horntail running groups will always be in need of them. If not this group, then the next will. You take advantage of being able to complete the Amoria party quest once every six hours.
Technically, you can party quest as many times as you like, however you are required to have an entry ticket. The quest to obtain this ticket is only doable once every six hours, thus "limiting" you to do it once every six hours. You may obtain an entry ticket early in the morning then when you come back up six hours later, you can just enter the party quest. When you're done, you can redo the quest again thus, being able to party quest two times in a row for more chance of finding apples in bonus. There are no restrictions to the Armoria party quest except for the mentioned quest. You may party quest for as many days as you like for a constant supply of valuable onyx apples.
6f. "How much mesos will I need?"
Setting a certain limit to how much you're going to spend is like setting a limit to your own power. How much you have is how much you are able to spend. Total funding might cost a few million, a few hundred million, or even a few billions! You shouldn't worry about how much you have to start out with. Other people might start out with more than you. Do not let them discourage you. As long as you maintain the discussed methods of making money, your funding should be constantly coming in, thus constant potential for power.
7. Which Build is Best?
"You're the king!? Well... I didn't vote for you!"
This is a question you must determine for yourself because the answer will vary from people to people. I can only provide tips for this question but ultimately, is up to your own equipment, funding, and ambition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: I'm a dexless claw user. But I want to know if I can get more damage by convert to a dex claw?
Answer: If you are a dexless thief and want to convert to low dex or low dex extreme, you should consider the most important thing: is the watk boost from the dex claw worth it to compensate for the fact that you need addition dex? You can find this answer for yourself using the luk vs watk ratio (previously discussed and exemplified in section 3."Luk vs. watk Ratio". Or you just plug in numbers with the lucky seven damage formula. Or if you're lazy like me, use a damage calculator (http://sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1110031).
Dexless claws are limited by the most important stat of the thief: watk. Claws that require dex will provide more watk because they have a high level requirement, which also gives them a higher base watk. The supply of dexless claws are also limited and/or expensive; dexless thieves holding dexless claws will have to seek another way to obtain additional watk because the claw will no long supply more watk. The ultimate answer however, it still simply "the thief that has more luk and more watk will do more damage", regardless of what claw you hold.
Question: I want to go low dex but I have no/low funding. I don't want to add dex then reset when I have dex equipment because I don't want to spend so much money on resets. How can I do this?
Answer: There are many ways you can do this. One way is you can use dexless claws until you have more funding. Money comes as you level and for starting out, you can use a garnier then proceed to buying crappy maple claws and kandayos (around 25watk). Eventually you can start looking into buy around 40watk nevas, shinobi bracer and skandas once you have more money. As you gain more money overtime, you can slowly buy dex equipment for that dreamy 60atk craven you've been wanting. Another way is using dex and luk equipment interchangeably. For instance if you lack dex for a claw you want to hold, you can use a cape with dex bonuses. When you are able to get more dex from other places like shoes, pants or overalls, the dex you get from the cape will be unneeded and you can switch to wearing a luk cape instead.
Question: What will the future of dexless, low dex, and normal dex thieves look like?
Answer: I don't know. Maple story is an massively multiplayer online (MMO) game. It will always be changing and releasing new content to satisfy its players. The near future seems to favor the dexless community star-rogue community with the "Night Raven Claw" providing 40watk and no dex requirement. At the moment, it is not out. Given enough time, low dex might shine again with the help of the level 120 timeless claw and its level up system. As you can see, the future can sway in any direction. Heck, maybe even a claw requiring 200 dex and give 100watk will be released and put normal dex players in the lead!
Question: When should I switch from an overall to a top/bottom?
Answer: You have to consider why you want to switch. Generally, a top and bottom will provide more stats but an overall will provide more of one stat: either luk or dex. If dex, then you have to consider two things. One, is the dex you get from a bottom enough to compensate for the dex loss from not using the overall anymore? Two, if it is not, can you get the needed dex from other equipment? You can simply add points into dex to make up for the loss but I would recommend avoiding it if you can’t because points in dex means lost points from luk.
Question: You didn't discuss anything about stars. What should I know about them?
Answer: Stars, like all you other equipment, depends on the amount of funding you have. Now, before jumping in and spending everything you have a 20 sets of crystal ilbis, you also have to consider if the watk boost you gain upgrading from one set of stars to another worth it? For instance if you're using Tobis (which gives 23watk) and want to switch to Steelies (which gives 25watk) is that 2watk gain worth the money you're going to spend? Meaning is there something else you can upgrade such as watk from cape or even a new weapon with higher watk that will give you more watk and for a cheaper price?
Also, it is not recommended that you carry two sets of ilbis and 20 sets of subis because you cannot afford 20 sets of ilbis. Instead, buy cheap stars such as tobies and purchase other upgrades.
Question: I see other thieves outdamaging me. How can I be as strong as them?
Answer: Their equipment is probably better than yours because they had more funding and/or know the right people. Do not be discouraged by them. We all have our own limitations as to how far we can upgrade our equipment. Also, know that there are other thieves stronger than the thief that's stronger than you. There's always a bigger fish. As long as you're ambitious enough, you'll eventually become stronger than however you chose to compare yourself to. Or you can just play for your own enjoyment and play at your own pace.
8. Special Thanks and Stuff
Fiel for a public database of images.
hidden-street.net for providing information on scrolls, equipment and reference.
Banditcom for providing a incredible damage calculator (http://sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1110031) to the public.
Computar for providing the luk vs watk ratio to the thief community.
iDreami for providing the lucky seven damage formula to the world of Maplestory players.
crimsonsentinel for bringing the lucky seven damage formula to the English community.
Throws for mentioning Amoria Party Quest as a source of money.
Zolene, lastly for the three year old guide (http://www.sleepywood.net/forum/showthread.php?t=301115) that was written in Maple Global's earliest days and concepts that are still applicable today, after countless changes to maple global.
And everyone who pointed out mistakes, notes of things, other ideas that I omitted discussing and for reading.
and Stuff
I hope you've enjoyed reading, and possibly learning as you read this guide to dexterity and thieves, as I enjoyed witting it. If you chose to quote or refer from this guide, I do not take credit for "discovering" anything such as concepts, skillbuilds, etc. However, I would like credit for grunt work in putting everything together in one place. The respective formulas and such, I take no credit for as well. This guide is originally posted on southperry.net.