Magician Item and builds guide.

This will be a ( hopefully not too long) guide describing the various build paths and item paths that MOST mages go. It will show the differences between the weapons and what build typically uses them.

Introduction

Hello, my name is GloStixx and I have been playing mage off and on since about 2008. I decided that I had knowledge that could help beginners to the mage class decide on what kind of build they would like to try for. I do not know everything about mage, and I do not pretend to, but this guide should at the very least have some useful information. So, thank you for taking a look at it, and I hope it helps you or someone you know!

Common Mage Builds

This section is going to outline the common builds that are used for mages in Knight Online

Intelligence mage (Battle Mage) -

Overview: This is the most common PK built mage on most servers. It utilizes crimsons ( mage chitin) or complete ( mage shell ) armor, along with the higher attack power staffs that mages can handle. This type of mage is usually used in Mage Clan parties or used in melee parties for PK. The most imporant stats on jewels for this build is armor and health first, and then resistances next. This build can be utilized by all 3 elements, Fire, Lightning, and Glacier.

Stat points :

160 Intelligence, then max Magic Power.

Pros -

• Highest defense build other than shield mage, gives you a better chance of staying in range of fights.
  
• Has a large mana pool to use because of the requirements for the armor, so you don't run out of mana often.
  
• Has very decent damage with the right items, has the highest staff skill damages ( level 42 and 72 ).

Cons -

• More defense than paper mage but against people with great items will still die quickly.
  
• Doesn't do as much damage in exp as a paper mage would.
  
• Very low base health because of putting points into magic power.

Paper Mage -

Overview : This is a very common build for people who their main goal is to do as much damage possible to monsters as they can. This build still does good damage in PK as long as you stay as far away from other attackers as possible. It can either utilize cotton armor ( Full Paper ) or Half Linen and Half Silk ( Cardboard , a lot as common ) . This build is almost always only utilized by some fire mages, I would not recommend using it as lightning or ice unless you know what you're doing.

Build 1 : (Full Paper) 62 Intelligence, 255 Magic Power , then max Health
Build 2 : (Cardboard, alot less common) 112 Intelligence, 255 Magic Power, Then max Health

Pros -

• Cheapest in terms of items prices of all of the builds.
  
• Build with the highest damage to monsters.
  
• Typically has the 2nd highest health pool of the builds.

Cons -

• Very, Very hard to utilize in PvP after a server has been out longer than a couple of weeks because of lack of defense.
  
• If you're not careful during exp you can find yourself dying easily and losing experience
  
• The armor pieces for cardboard build are very hard to find and you will likely have to make them yourself.

Shield Mage -

Overview : This is a very common build for people who are just wanting to support while sacrificing damage output. It utilizies a shield to buff up your defense and survivability, which also gives the added benefit of making people think you're a priest if they don't recognize you. You can use a staff but you will spend most of your time with your shield on. This build is not used with fire mages at ALL. I would recommend using Glacier with this build but lightning can work as well.

Build 1 : (Paper Support) 62 Intelligence, 90 Strength, then max Health
Build 2 : (Chitin Support) 160 Intelligence, 90 Strength, then max Health

Pros -

• This build has the BEST survivability out of all of the builds, you will be much tankier.
  
• Has the highest maximum health pool of all the builds.
  
• As I mentioned before if your name isn't known or if people don't see your name you can be mistaken for a priest and left alone.
  
• By focusing on support I think this build is a lot easier to play than the other builds are, so more beginner friendly.

Cons -

• Your damage is going to be very low unless you have insane items.
  
• Because you will be supporting 95% of the time in PK it can get very boring to a lot of people who are new to mage.
  
• If you don't have a party you can't do a whole lot solo in exp or PK.

Disclaimer : All opinions in this guide are mine and mine alone.

Staff Comparisons

This section is going to list out all of the most common staffs that are used by mage players, along with what build uses them, and how to obtain them at +0 or +1. I'll put the staffs together that belong to the same groups.

Elixir Staffs -

This is the most common staff used for low level, or low geared chitin / shell mages. It can be made into any of the three elements very easily at the anvil. Has a chance to get them from monsters in eslant as well as from chests, gems, fragments, and other means.



Wolf Boss Staffs -

These staffs are dropped by the wolf bosses, Lupus, Lobo, and Lycaon. At +0 they have mana recovery on them which is commonly used in mage EXP parties as 1 nova will refill your mana to full typically. At +7 they are used by some paper mages. ( Lycaon , Lobo , Lupus )



Erenion Staffs -

These staffs are typically used by people who are exping, and or cardboard mages. They do decent aoe damage but they have a low staff attack damage. These staffs can be found in Red, Green, and Blue treasure chests. ( Wreath / Wrath of Erenion , Glacier Erenion . Lightning Erenion )



Juraid Moutain Staffs -

These staffs are used by a multitude of builds, mainly because they don't take alot of Intelligence points to equip, and because of the health and dagger defense they have on them. You can acquire these staffs from turning in Black, Blue, Green, Red, Yellow, or Silver gems obtained in the Juraid Mountain Event (Eslant Dungeon) . ( Scorching , Oasis , Chaotic )



Bifrost Zone Staffs -

These staffs are only used by Intelligence built mages (Battle Mage). They have the highest staff attack damage of any of the staffs besides the ones that are locked to level 70+. They can be obtained by turning in the fragments of Arrogance, Gluttony, Rage, Sloth, Lechery, Jealousy, or Avarice that you get from killing Bifrost Monsters. ( Hell Blood , Garp , Elysium )



Cursed Staffs -

These staffs can be used by almost any build of mage because of they do not require Intelligence only magic power. The curses of these staffs along with the very high attack power is why they are sought after. ( Fulitol , Faun , Molok )



Castellan Books -

These staffs are comparable in damage to the cursed staffs. however they do require a medium amount of intelligence to equip, as well as being locked to level 70 and above. You can only get them by owning Delos Castle and crafting them. This makes them a very rare staff. ( Book of Wisdom : Fire , Air , Appeal )



Disclaimer : Any opinions are mine and mine alone.

Mage Rings

In this section I will list out the type of rings most commonly used by mages and how to obtain them.

Bifrost Rings -

These are the only accessory which will raise a mages damage against other players during PK. Magic power on items does not affect other players. They can be obtained by turning in the fragments of Arrogance, Gluttony, Rage, Sloth, Lechery, Jealousy, or Avarice that you get from killing Bifrost Monsters. ( Flame Ring , Shio Tears , Imir Ring )



Support Mage Rings -

These are the rings most commonly used by support mages who are not worried about doing damage. These 2 rings give you the most bang for your buck in terms of combined Health and Defense bonuses, as well as resistances that will help you against other mages and elemental damage on weapons. They can be obtained from boss drops in Eslant, Ronark Land, or from Felankor / Isiloon. ( Ring of Magic , Ring of Life )



Disclaimer : Any opinions are mine and mine alone.

F.A.Q ( Frequently Asked Questions )

Here I will post some frequently asked mage questions and try to answer them in a concise manner. Feel free to ask something that isn't listed and I'll try to get back to you about it.

Q.) What is more important for mage damage, Elemental, Magic Power, or Attack Damage.

A.) The most important stats are Staff attack power, and BASE Magic Power. ( The magic power you get from leveling it up ). Next most important is your rings ( Shio, Imir, or Flame ring ), as they directly affect your damage. Last and least important is the amount of elemental damage on your staff. Disclaimer: The type of elemental on your staff and rings need to match the type of elemental you have put skill points into.

Q.) Do mage rings raise the damage of Light Shot / Ice Arrow ( Archer Skills )

A.) The only thing on Mage rings that affect those skills is the Dexterity on them. The elemental damage does not affect stun rate or slow rate.

Q.) Do mage rings affect other weapons, like warrior or priest weapons damage?

A.) No they do not affect other weapons in the game. They only affect mage abilities.

Q.) What earrings are best for a mage?

A.) There are many answers to this, as there are a lot of options depending on what build you have went and what zone you play in. But for simplicties sake I'll say, Secret Silver Earring ( Armor + defense ), or Lich Kings Pride ( A better version of clerics earring ) are the 2 best mage earrings. Clerics earring is still pretty decent, "Mage Earring" is garbage don't bother with them. I'll go more in depth in a new section of the guide for earrings on a day I feel like typing it all out and taking pictures.

[GloStix / BowserJr]

@bigE! this guide was made before dark staffs were introduced to steam knight online. I'm no longer playing and haven't tried them but i assume they are the best staffs in the game or second best, right around the level of Cursed staffs / books.

[BigE!]

where does dark knight staffs come in?

[xFlowManN]

Thank you! :)

[GloStix / BowserJr]

Hi david im sure you've found your answer by now, but I'll go ahead and answer it just in case.

Hellblood +8 and Book +7 will do almost exactly the same damage.
Hellblood can be used in ardream, book cannot.
If you can afford a book and you only play CZ (80+) I would suggest getting the book because it gives a health bonus while the hell blood does not.

[David Galvan]

HI BOOK FIRE +7 VS HELL BLOOD +8 ?

[GloStix / BowserJr]

For almost all spells, staff attack power > magic power > elemental. Wolf does not affect mages damage, only Sweeping potion ( from delos) magic power scroll, and the commander skill that raises magic damage affect it. I will be updating the guide with information like this, ive added a few other mages to friendslist who have been playing the game for years and im picking their brains to make my guide better.

[Mr. Mister]

What about mage's damage, wich is more important?... Magic Power, Attack Power, Flame Damage?. Is wolf useful to mages? (for PK and mobs)... thanks in advance