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MapleRoyals Paladin 4th Job Skill Guide: Become the Ultimate Holy Knight

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Hello, greetings, and various salutations to all MapleRoyals adventurers! Tyler, also known as TTKirnk/TTEPICName/Stupid Noob, at your service. Today, I’m venturing slightly off my usual content path to bring you an in-depth Paladin guide. Yes, I know a few exist already, but consider this my definitive take – a comprehensive guide to help you master the Paladin class in MapleRoyals. Think of it less as a data dump and more as a practical handbook, focusing on gameplay, skill builds, training zones, and everything you need to truly understand and excel as a Paladin.

If you’re looking for credentials, you can find my contributions and insights in this DPM compilation forum thread. However, remember this is my perspective. I welcome your suggestions, critiques, and alternative ideas. Ultimately, this guide aims to advise and guide, not dictate. Use what resonates with you and forge your own Paladin path.

Let’s dive in and explore the world of Paladins!

Playing Paladin: Is This Class Right for You?

Before we delve into builds and skills, let’s address a fundamental question: Why choose Paladin? Or, perhaps more persuasively, why should you play a Paladin? This is crucial, as committing to a class in MapleRoyals means investing significant time and effort. You want to ensure you’re making a choice you’ll enjoy.

Class selection is subjective, but I’ll offer my perspective, grounded in (hopefully) objective reasoning and observations. As of this guide, Paladins are a well-rounded, balanced class. Their primary balancing concern stems from how elemental properties function in MapleRoyals, an indirect issue rather than a class flaw. They aren’t overpowered, nor are they weak. They have moments of glory, moments of mediocrity, and plenty of time spent just being solid.

Paladins are straightforward to learn and play, and their Warrior base makes them exceptionally easy and inexpensive to HP wash. This makes them a fantastic starting class that remains viable and valuable even in the endgame. In the current meta, they aren’t top-tier, but they are far from bottom-tier – comfortably average, perhaps even slightly above.

However, if you’re not drawn to their ease of HP washing, their niche strengths like pinning and elemental adaptability, or their overall gameplay style, then perhaps Paladin isn’t for you.

To clarify, let’s break down the pros and cons of playing a Paladin. While some points are inherently subjective, I’ve strived for objectivity:

Pros:

  • Easy and Cheap to HP Wash: Warriors excel at HP washing due to their high HP gain per level, making Paladins less gear-dependent early on.
  • Versatile Damage Profile: Paladins possess both strong single-target (Blast) and multi-target (Advanced Charge Blow) skills, catering to various combat situations.
  • Exceptional Pinning Capabilities: Skills like Rush and Monster Magnet make Paladins masters of controlling enemy positioning, crucial in boss fights.
  • Efficient Grinding and Bossing: Paladins are effective in both training and bossing scenarios, offering a balanced gameplay experience.
  • Elemental Advantage: Paladins can exploit elemental weaknesses of monsters and bosses, significantly boosting damage and enabling soloing of certain challenges earlier than other classes (Bigfoot, anyone?).
  • Decent Crowd Control: Advanced Charge Blow stuns up to six targets, Monster Magnet and Rush reposition mobs effectively, and Heaven’s Hammer reduces most monsters to 1 HP for easy cleanup.
  • Beginner-Friendly: Paladins are easy to pick up and learn, with a relatively simple skill rotation and clear strengths.
  • Gear Versatility: Warriors share tradeable armor, and Paladins share weapon types (Swords) with Heroes, allowing for gear sharing and potentially lower costs.
  • Not a Night Lord: (Just kidding… mostly!)

Cons:

  • Low Avoidability: Warriors inherently have poor avoidability, making them more susceptible to damage, especially in MapleRoyals where avoid is a valuable stat.
  • Melee Range Limitations: While Blast has decent range for a melee skill, Paladins are still restricted by melee combat, limiting their reach compared to ranged classes.
  • Jack-of-All-Trades, Master-of-None Damage: Paladins don’t specialize in either single-target or multi-target damage to the extent of dedicated classes, meaning they may be out-performed in specific scenarios.
  • Limited Party Utility: Paladins primarily focus on damage dealing and lack significant party buffs or utility skills beyond Threaten, which is of marginal benefit.
  • Buff Dependency: Paladins rely on party buffs for maximum damage output, although this is common for many classes.
  • Damage Cap Quirks: Paladin’s main single-target skill, Blast, is a single, powerful hit, making it easier to hit the 199,999 damage cap, especially with buffs or elemental advantages. This can reduce stat scaling in the very late game (level 180+).
  • Poor Mobility: Warriors, including Paladins, have limited mobility, relying on Rush and gear/buff-based speed and jump enhancements.
  • Higher Potion Consumption: Due to low avoidability, Paladins tend to consume more potions compared to classes with higher avoid.
  • Still Not a Night Lord: (Okay, maybe a little serious this time.)

Hopefully, this breakdown provides a clearer picture of Paladin strengths and weaknesses for those unfamiliar with the class. Ultimately, your personal preferences will dictate whether these pros and cons align with your playstyle. In essence, Paladins are balanced, capable, and adaptable, able to tackle most content with sufficient funding and skillful play. However, they may require more effort to reach the same performance level as more specialized classes.

Swords vs. Blunt Weapons: Making the Right Choice

Let’s address a long-standing debate: Swords versus Blunt Weapons (BWs, or Maces). I’d rather avoid this discussion entirely, but it’s a common question, so let’s tackle it head-on. My conclusion, after considering all factors, is that Swords are generally superior to Blunt Weapons for Paladins.

The faster attack speed and inherent stability of Swords, both one-handed and two-handed, make them a better choice than both one-handed and two-handed BWs. While BWs might seem appealing to new players due to their lower cost, you often get what you pay for – lower quality and performance. Paladins simply perform better with Swords.

Despite my recommendation, you’re free to choose as you wish. Using a one-handed BW won’t make you useless (a two-handed BW, however, is significantly weaker). But be aware that choosing a Mace as your primary weapon puts you at a slight disadvantage compared to your Sword-wielding counterparts.

The core reason for Sword superiority lies in how MapleRoyals calculates weapon damage and range, specifically the “motion types” of weapon swings: Stabs and Swings.

Image showing weapon motion types: Stab and Swing.
Alt Text: Visual representation of weapon motion types in MapleRoyals combat: Stab motion depicted as a forward thrust, and Swing motion shown as a broader arc.

Some weapons use the same damage multiplier for both motions, while others differentiate. Here’s a comparison relevant to Paladins:

Image showing weapon multipliers for Swords and Blunt Weapons.
Alt Text: Chart comparing weapon multipliers for Swords and Blunt Weapons in MapleRoyals, highlighting the consistent multiplier for Swords versus varying multipliers for Blunt Weapons across Swing and Stab motions.

Swords maintain a consistent multiplier for both swing and stab motions, whereas BWs have different multipliers. This is significant because Paladin skills utilize both motions, often indicated by the attack animation. Blast, despite its animation, uses a 3:2 swing-to-stab ratio (60% swings, 40% stabs).

Two-handed BWs further compound the issue by often failing to reach maximum attack speed even with Booster and Speed Infusion. This combination of lower stab multipliers and potentially slower attack speed severely impacts damage output for BWs.

Let’s illustrate the damage difference with a simplified calculation. Assume 500 STR, 80 DEX, and 70 Weapon Attack, focusing solely on raw damage, neglecting factors like mob defense, critical hits, and elemental charges (as these affect both weapon types equally).

We’ll calculate the maximum damage range for swings and stabs, comparing 1H Swords to 1H BWs. The formula for maximum damage range is:

((STR * Primary Stat Multiplier) + DEX) * Weapon Attack / 100

For 1H Swords (multiplier 4.0 for both swings and stabs):

((500 * 4.0) + 80) * 70 / 100 = 1,456

For 1H BWs (swing multiplier 4.4, stab multiplier 3.2):

1H BW Swing Maximum: ((500 * 4.4) + 80) * 70 / 100 = 1,596
1H BW Stab Maximum:  ((500 * 3.2) + 80) * 70 / 100 = 1,176

The 1H BW swing damage (1,596) is slightly higher (140 damage) than the 1H Sword (1,456). However, the 1H BW stab damage (1,176) is significantly lower (280 damage) than the 1H Sword.

To quantify the overall damage difference, we calculate the weighted average based on the 3:2 swing-to-stab ratio:

((1H BW Stab Value / 1H Sword Value) * 2 + (1H BW Swing Value / 1H Sword Value) * 3) / 5

Calculating the percentage difference:

1H BW Swing %: (1596 / 1456) * 100 = ~110%
1H BW Stab %: (1176 / 1456) * 100 = ~81%

Assuming 1H Sword damage is 100%, 1H BW swing damage is approximately 10% stronger, but stab damage is about 19% weaker.

Finally, calculate the overall damage ratio:

((81 / 100) * 2 + (110 / 100) * 3) / 5 = ~0.98 or 98%

This indicates that, under these conditions, a 1H BW is approximately 2% weaker than a 1H Sword. The difference is even more pronounced for 2H weapons, with 2H BWs being roughly 8% weaker than 2H Swords.

While 1H BWs are better than 2H BWs due to reaching attack speed cap, they still suffer from the motion type damage variation, making them inferior to both Sword types. Choosing a 1H BW is like playing with a slight handicap, while 2H BWs are akin to a self-imposed challenge.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. But understand that using BWs, especially 2H BWs, will technically weaken your Paladin compared to Sword users. For further details on damage formulas, refer to this thread.

Building Your Personal Paladin: Stats and Gear

Let’s outline the basics of building your Paladin, focusing on stats and gear progression.

Stats:

Primarily focus on STR (Strength). This is your main damage stat and the requirement for job advancements.

DEX (Dexterity) is your secondary stat, primarily for equipping certain weapons and indirectly contributing to Accuracy. You can keep base DEX low (as low as 4) as long as you meet gear requirements and maintain sufficient Accuracy. Aim for around 204 Accuracy for most endgame content to minimize misses.

Don’t worry about high base DEX early on, especially with weaker gear. You can always reduce base DEX later with better equipment.

Gear Progression:

Let’s break down gear recommendations by game stages: Early Game (levels 10-50), Mid Game (levels 50-120), and Late/End Game (levels 120-200).

Early Game (Levels 10-50):

Focus on acquiring any gear you can find. Accuracy and DEX are important to compensate for Warrior’s low base accuracy. Prioritize weapon upgrades. Maple Weapons (level 35 and 43) are highly beneficial for their Accuracy bonus.

Mid Game (Levels 50-120):

  • Helmet: Zakum Helmet.
  • Earrings: DEX-scrolled Earrings.
  • Pendant: Silver Deputy Star.
  • Cape: Pink Adventurer Cape (PAC) / Pink Gaia Cape (PGC) scrolled with STR/DEX (or a regular cape scrolled with STR/DEX as a budget option).
  • Gloves: Weapon Attack (WA)-scrolled Gloves (aim for at least 10 WA).
  • Weapon: Level 64 Maple Weapon (ideally WA-scrolled). Otherwise, use the strongest weapon available and scroll it.
  • Shield (1H only): Any shield with 4-10 WA.
  • Shoes, Overalls, Tops/Bottoms: Less critical at this stage. Focus on weapon, gloves, and cape first.
  • Rings: Ellin Savior’s Ring and start working on Monster Book Ring.

Late/End Game (Levels 120-200):

Prioritize upgrades in this order: Weapon > Shield (1H) > Gloves > Cape > Shoes (Facestompers) > STR/DEX gear. Focus on items providing the most WA gains and value for your Mesos.

Paladin Skill Builds: Leveling Up Your Holy Knight

Paladin skill builds are relatively straightforward, with weapon choice (1H or 2H) being the primary decision point. 1H Paladins gain access to two extra skills, with Guardian being particularly useful. These builds serve as guidelines and can be adjusted based on your playstyle.

1st Job: Warrior

To become a Warrior, speak to Dances with Balrogs in Perion with at least 35 STR.

  • Levels 10-12: +5 Improved HP Recovery, +2 Improved MaxHP Increase
  • Levels 13-15: Max Improved MaxHP Increase, +1 Power Strike
  • Levels 16-22: Max Slash Blast, +1 Power Strike
  • Levels 23-29: Max Power Strike, +2 points as desired
  • Level 30: +3 points as desired

Final 1st Job SP Distribution:

  • Power Strike (20/20)
  • Slash Blast (20/20)
  • Improved MaxHP Increase (10/10)
  • Improved HP Recovery (5/20)
  • Remaining SP (6) – distribute as desired

1st Job Skill Explanation:

Prioritize Improved MaxHP Increase early to maximize HP gains per level. Level 5 Improved HP Recovery is required to access MaxHP Increase. Slash Blast is your primary multi-target skill until 4th Job. Power Strike is your main single-target skill. The remaining 5 SP can be placed as you see fit.

2nd Job: Page

For 2nd Job advancement, speak to Dances with Balrog, then the Warrior Job Instructor at West Rocky Mountain IV in Perion. Complete the quest to obtain 30 Dark Marbles to receive “Proof of a Hero” and return to Dances with Balrog to become a Page.

Remember to choose Sword or BW versions of skills based on your weapon preference. This example uses Sword skills.

  • Levels 30-32: +5 Sword Mastery, +2 Sword Booster
  • Levels 33-35: +9 Sword Booster
  • Levels 36-40: +15 Sword Mastery
  • Levels 41-43: +9 Sword Booster
  • Levels 44-53: Max Power Guard
  • Levels 54-70: +51 points as desired (avoid Final Attack)

Final 2nd Job SP Distribution:

  • Sword Mastery (20/20)
  • Sword Booster (20/20)
  • Power Guard (30/30)
  • Final Attack (0/20) – Avoid this skill
  • Remaining SP (51) – distribute as desired (1st or 2nd job skills)

2nd Job Skill Explanation:

2nd Job is focused on support skills. Max Sword Mastery, Sword Booster, and Power Guard. Avoid Final Attack as it significantly reduces Slash Blast DPM. Final Attack animation cancels Slash Blast, hindering multi-target damage.

Threaten is optional; its effectiveness is debatable. Maxing it is not essential but can be considered for future utility. You can also invest remaining SP in 1st Job skills.

3rd Job: White Knight

3rd Job advancement requires travel between Victoria Island and El Nath. Speak to Tylus in El Nath, then Dances with Balrog. Find the Door of Dimension at Ant Tunnel Park in Sleepywood Dungeon. Defeat Evil Dances with Balrog to obtain Black Charm. Return to Dances with Balrog for Necklace of Strength. Go back to Tylus and speak to the Holy Stone in Holy Ground at Snowfield (Sharp Cliff II, El Nath Dungeon). Answer five questions correctly using a cheatsheet. Each attempt requires a Dark Crystal. Return to Tylus to complete 3rd Job advancement.

Remember to choose Sword or BW versions of Charge skills. This example uses Sword skills.

  • Levels 70-80: Max Fire Charge: Sword, +1 Thunder Charge: Sword
  • Levels 81-90: Max Thunder Charge: Sword, +1 Ice Charge: Sword
  • Levels 91-100: Max Ice Charge: Sword, +1 Charged Blow
  • Levels 101-110: Max Charged Blow, +1 point as desired
  • Levels 111-120: +30 points as desired

Final 3rd Job SP Distribution:

  • Charged Blow (30/30)
  • Fire Charge: Sword (30/30)
  • Thunder Charge: Sword (30/30)
  • Ice Charge: Sword (30/30)
  • Remaining SP (31) – distribute as desired (1st, 2nd, or 3rd job skills)

3rd Job Skill Explanation:

3rd Job introduces elemental charges, a Paladin’s core mechanic. Fire Charge is generally the strongest and most versatile for training. Max all elemental charges (Fire first) and Charged Blow. While Charged Blow isn’t heavily used in 3rd Job due to charge consumption, it becomes crucial in 4th Job.

Improving MP Recovery is recommended, even for 1H users, for MP sustainability. Shield Mastery (1H only) is less impactful than MP Recovery. Remaining SP can be used as desired. Get your first mount at level 70 for improved mobility.

4th Job: Paladin

For 4th Job advancement, get Letter of Recommendation from your 3rd Job Instructor. Go to Forest of the Priest in Leafre and speak to Harmonia. Choose to hunt Manon and Griffey for Heroic Pentagon and Heroic Star, or buy Secret Spell Scroll from Vega in Eos Tower 44th Floor for 10 million Mesos. Return to Harmonia to complete 4th Job advancement.

Two 4th Job build paths are provided: General (Grinding) and Bossing. Choose based on your focus. 1H users gain the valuable skill Guardian.

4th Job General (Grinding) Build:

  • Level 120: +1 Rush, +2 Advanced Charge Blow
  • Levels 121-123: Max Advanced Charge Blow, +1 Heaven’s Hammer
  • Levels 124-133: Max Heaven’s Hammer, +1 Blast
  • Levels 134-143: Max Blast, +1 Power Stance
  • Levels 144-153: Max Power Stance, +1 Holy Charge: Sword
  • Levels 154-160: Max Holy Charge: Sword, +1 Hero’s Will & Achilles
  • Levels 161-170: Max Achilles, +1 point as desired
  • Levels 171-200: +90 points as desired (1H users: max Guardian after Achilles, 61 remaining SP)

4th Job Bossing Build:

  • Level 120: +1 Rush, +2 Advanced Charge Blow
  • Levels 121-123: Max Advanced Charge Blow, +1 Blast
  • Levels 124-133: Max Blast, +1 Power Stance
  • Levels 134-143: Max Power Stance, +1 Holy Charge: Sword
  • Levels 144-153: Max Holy Charge: Sword, +2 Heaven’s Hammer
  • Levels 154-160: Max Heaven’s Hammer, +1 Hero’s Will & Achilles
  • Levels 161-170: Max Achilles, +1 point as desired
  • Levels 171-200: +90 points as desired (1H users: max Guardian after Achilles, 61 remaining SP)

Final 4th Job SP Distribution:

  • Advanced Charge Blow (10/10)
  • Blast (30/30)
  • Holy Charge: Sword (20/20)
  • Heaven’s Hammer (30/30)
  • Power Stance (30/30)
  • Achilles (30/30)
  • Rush (1/30)
  • Hero’s Will (1/5)
  • Guardian (30/30) – 1H Users Only
  • Remaining SP (91 or 61 for 1H) – distribute as desired (4th job skills)

4th Job Skill Explanation:

4th Job marks a significant power jump. Advanced Charge Blow (ACB) is your primary multi-target skill, dealing 350% damage and stunning. Max ACB early for both grinding and bossing. Blast becomes your main single-target skill. Power Stance is crucial for negating knockback (90% chance at max). Heaven’s Hammer is a powerful AoE skill, hitting up to 15 targets for 199,999 damage (50,000 on bosses) with a 15-second cooldown. Holy Charge and Divine Charge unlock the Holy element, eventually replacing Fire as your main neutral element. Achilles reduces damage taken from non-environmental sources.

Secondary Skills:

  • Rush: Pushes you and enemies forward, used for mobbing, pinning, and gap closing. Level to increase distance.
  • Hero’s Will: Removes Seduce debuff.
  • Maple Warrior: Increases base stats by a percentage.
  • Monster Magnet: Pulls mobs and bosses towards you (up to 6). Level to increase range and pull chance.
  • Guardian (1H only): Negates attacks (20% chance at max) and can push back/stun enemies.

4th Job Gameplay:

For grinding, use Rush/Monster Magnet to group mobs and then use ACB. Use Blast for single targets. Heaven’s Hammer can weaken large groups. Utilize elemental charges based on monster weaknesses.

For bossing, use Blast for single targets and ACB for multiple targets (cleaving). Rush/Monster Magnet are essential for pinning and positioning.

Unlocking 4th Job Skills:

  • Achilles: No quest required.
  • Guardian: Questline from Moose in Leafre: Crossroad (requires shield, kill 200 Black Kentaurus).
  • Maple Warrior: Skill book from 4th Job Instructor.
  • Monster Magnet: No quest required.
  • Power Stance: Questline starting with [Storybook] Crimson Balrog’s Proposal from Crimson Balrog, leading to El Nath PQ.
  • Rush: Questline starting with [Storybook] Indecipherable Book from Taurospears, requiring killing 200 Taurospears with another 4th job warrior.
  • Blast: No quest required.
  • Holy and Divine Charges: Questline starting with 4th Job Instructor, leading to Taeng the Explorer, Shark Dentures, Chief Tatamo, Fountain of Life (Horntail Expedition, requires pre-quests), and Statue in Orbis Tower. Pre-quests include Moira’s Whereabouts and Badge of a Squad Member (Pianus, Papulatus, Zakum certificates).
  • Hero’s Will: Questline from Chief Tatamo, Carta the Sea Witch (Piece of Courage from Pianus map), Eurek the Alchemist (Mithril Plates, Ragged Bracelet from Griffey).
  • Advanced Charge Blow: Skill book drop from Zakum.
  • Heaven’s Hammer: Questline from Wiz the Librarian in Helios Library, Chief Tatamo, The Insignificant Being (Key to Forgotten Shrine from Jr. Balrog), and Tombstone puzzle in Sanctuary Entrance IV.

Epic Grinding Guide for Paladins

This section provides a grinding guide for Paladins, outlining effective training locations from level 1 to 200.

Leveling 1st-3rd Job:

  • 1st-3rd Job grinding is simple: Power Strike for single targets, Slash Blast for multi-targets. Apply buffs as needed.

Grinding Locations:

  • Levels 1-10: Maple Island (tutorial zone).
  • Levels 10-30: Quests in Victoria Island (Henesys PQ (HPQ) level 10-20, Kerning City PQ (KPQ) level 21-30), regular grinding areas related to quests.
  • Levels 30-50: Brown Teddies (Ludibrium), Chronos variants (Platoon Chronos), Straw Target Dummies (Mu Lung) (Ludibrium PQ (LPQ) level 35-50, Ellin PQ (EPQ) level 45-55).
  • Levels 50-70: Ghost Ship (Ghost Ship 1 onwards), Mysterious Path 3 (MP3) with party and Priest, Windraiders (level 60s), Taipei 101 (Orbis PQ (OPQ) and Ludibrium Maze PQ (LMPQ) level 51-70, Pirate Party Quest (PPQ) level 55-100).
  • Levels 70-100: Taipei 101 (Mannequins, CDs maps), Ghost Ship, Dual Ghost Pirates (Deep Ludibrium), Grim Phantom Watches (Deep Ludibrium), Vikerolas (Malaysia) (PPQ level 55-100, Magatia PQ (MPQ) level 71-85). Fire Charge becomes powerful here against fire-weak mobs.
  • Levels 100-120: Grim Phantom Watches, Dreamy Ghosts, Himes, Road of Regrets (Temple of Time quests) (HPQ level 10-20). Limited options, slower leveling.
  • Levels 120+: Seventh Floor (7F) in Shaolin, Road of Regrets (until Heaven’s Hammer maxed). 7F becomes the primary training ground.

This grinding guide is based on personal experience and may not be fully optimized. Experiment and find what works best for you. Party Quests are generally less efficient for experience compared to grinding or leeching.

Bossing Section (External Link)

For a comprehensive Paladin bossing guide, please refer to this Google Document. It contains detailed strategies and tips for various bosses in MapleRoyals.

Conclusion: Embrace the Holy Knight Within

This guide aims to be a comprehensive resource for aspiring and veteran Paladin players in MapleRoyals. It’s packed with information, but you don’t need to absorb it all at once. The goal is to provide a digestible resource – a Paladin encyclopedia, if you will.

Remember, this guide reflects my personal experiences and opinions. It’s a starting point, not an absolute truth. Experiment, adapt, and find your own Paladin style. Disagree with my recommendations? Have better strategies? Share them! The MapleRoyals community thrives on shared knowledge.

Thank you for reading! I hope this guide helps you on your Paladin journey. May the Holy Light guide your path! And may my terrible humor have provided some amusement along the way. Special shoutout to the MapleRoyals community I’ve encountered over the years – thank you for the memories and camaraderie.

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