Guide to Elsword

Another 3 months hiatus. I thought I hadn’t been here for a year. June 23… October *mumble mumble*… far enough to be confused for a life time.

Lots of fictional stories and real life comings going on around here.

Let’s talk about something pertaining to absolutely nothing about real life.

Another talk about gaming I’m gonna do because I’m an avid gamer.

But first, since everyone’s doing it, I’ll talk about my life.

I turned 18 so I can legally buy tobacco. I’m learning how to drive so I can get my license. Don’t judge me for starting late. I’m taking a 5th year of High School because I didn’t get enough credits to graduate. Again, don’t judge me for finishing late. I’ve successfully enrolled at a local community college to major in Motion Arts and Animations, although that’s just them making me do that so I can go do Video Game Design.

Anyways, life update time is finished, let’s go talk about the main purpose of this.

So I’ve gotten into this game called Elsword, which inadvertently made me quit Dragon Nest. Oh well, was getting bored of it anyways. I found Elsword while I was on Nerf Now!!! because of the site hosting ads now.

Elsword is a 3D side scrolling MMOG created by KOG Studios. This game is extremely similar to Grand Chase, because it was made by the same developers, KOG Studios. Back story!

Elsword takes place on the land known as Elios but the adventure starts on the super-continent Rurensia (Or Lurensia. Or Rulensia. Don’t remember the NA name for the continent). Nearby the rural village known as Ruben, bandits have taken the El that gives power and life to the forests and made of with it. Giving chase is Elsword (the titular character and Hot Blooded swordsman), Aisha (a Mage seeking to restore her lost powers with the help of Ruben’s El), and Rena (an Elven archer who seeks to protect the forest’s El). They will travel across the lands on this journey and along the way, meet new people, increase their skills, and ultimately come to care for one another.

Now then, game play!

Elsword is a 3D side scroller, both in stage and out the stage. Currently, Elsword has only 6 towns and stages: Ruben, Elder, Bethma, Feita, Altera, and Velder. Currently, there are only 4 characters: Elsword, Aisha, Rena, and Raven with two more not yet released in North America: Eve and Chung.

Cities and Towns have seven basic services:

Blacksmith: Repair, enhance, or craft new equipment.
Accessory Shop: Buy accessories with points earned via PvP
Alchemy Service: Buy MP Potions, attribute your equipment, craft food items, or buy other miscellaneous items.
Bank: Store items with the 8 slots you have.
Cobo Service: Get event quests, craft guild items, or buy Town Transport Scrolls
Match Manager: Access the PvP channel or buy guides to start quests to unlock new skills (at certain levels)
Quest Board: Access the local quests from NPCs or view shops in the Market Channel

Controls:

Arrow keys: Move left or right, drop down a platform, and jump. Double tap a key to dash in that direction.
Z: Basic attack. String these together to perform a combo. String X or arrow keys to perform even stronger attacks.
X: Strong attack. String these together to perform a combo. String Z or arrow keys to perform even stronger attacks.
A, S, D, C: Use a skill, be it buff, active, or special active.
1, 2, 3: Use an item. 4, 5, 6 are locked.
Space Bar: With a Cash Item, you can switch to a second set of skills.
Left+Ctrl: Activate Awakening. Must have at least 1 awakening orb, which can be found below the character portrait and left of the HP Bar and MP Bar.
Hold Z or X: Mana Break, which allows to player to expend 100 MP to break from of combos in PvP.

Dungeon game play:

To being, this game uses a Stamina system. Everyday, players start with 100% stamina. Stamina is consumed when doing Stages and finishing Stages. Typically, 1% or 2% stamina is consumed per Room with 2% being consumed upon completing a Stage. Players can still do Stages if they only have 1% Stamina with no penalty what-so-ever. Stamina is consumed more slowly when joining parties and is typically a better idea than solo play.

To be able to enter Stages, players must go into a zone that is after a town. In this area, players can join parties, view quests via quest board, and Helen, a traveling merchant who sells some potions, box openers, El mystery solvers, and some weapons that are generally useless when compared to dungeon items. Helen also provides weapon repair and appears in the ‘Waiting Room’ after each Stage. At these Outskirts, players can access the Stage selection and choose which stage they wish to go. Here, they can also access the Party List and join a party of their choose. Players can right click to view the members already within the party.

Stages are typically broken into two parts: an Act and a Room. Acts are separated by doors that appear at the end of each Act. Rooms are the areas within an Act. The rooms within an Act are usually two or three and are separated by barriers that can only be broken by clearing it of enemies. Some dungeons have splitting paths, with some Acts having more rooms than others. There are minor differences. At the end of each Stage is a boss fight.

Skills come in four flavors: Active, Special Active, Passives, and Buffs. You can only take 4 Skills (Excluding Passives) into Stages. Actives (Orange) use little MP, usually 20 or 30, and are used immediately. Special Actives (Red) can easily be described as Limit Breaks. Specials use 100 MP, 200 MP, or 300 MP, typically, though some skills can have values between the numbers listed. Passives (Blue) are actually very useful. As players can only have 4 skills at a time in a Stage, its generally wise to invest SP into Passives and ignore the other skills you wouldn’t use. Finally, Buffs (Yellow) temporarily increase Attack or Defense. Actually pretty useful.

Last attacks in combos and certain moves can knock down enemies. Knocking down enemies is generally not a good idea. In PvE, when enemies are down their defense is increased and can usually use an attack as they get back up. In PvP, it signifies a combo’s end, which you really don’t want it to. At the Disc One dungeons, this won’t seem much of a penalty but once in Velder, your 4 digit damage will drop down in 3 digits. Enemies at this point are a pain in the ass. It’s recommended to learn some loop that you can use to ensure no knock down. The only exceptions are enemies that are Stoic, which usually happens as they get up from moves (which the defense buff is still intact) or when doing certain attacks (no buff), and enemies with Super Armor (No Sell, won’t flinch at all).

HP is restored via food items and potions bound on the Hot Keys. There are no Healing spells in this game. At all. The only exception would be the summon Illipia’s Touch and another exception might be the Plagued attribute on weapons. There are, however, food items that drop from crates that players can pick up and eat, automatically. Eggs heal 10% HP, Seasoned Chickens (Leg) heal 25%, Steamed Turkeys (an entire turkey) heal 50%, and Roast Mutton (an entire plateful) heal 100%.

MP is different in this game. At the beginning of each stage, Elsword and Raven start out with no MP while Aisha and Rena start with 50. MP recharges at an extremely slow rate (Aisha and Rena can recharge MP faster by standing still, though Aisha charges faster than Rena) but every attack that hits an enemy will grant 5 MP. And I mean any attack, be it a normal attack, an Active, or a Special Active. However, Status Effects will not grant MP (excluding the Plague effect which occasionally steals HP and MP). MP can also be gained from eating fruit that drop from crates. Blueberries restore 50 MP, Pears restore 100 MP, and Pineapples (actually an assortment of fruit) restore 150 MP.

Potions are occasionally dropped from crates and specially buffed enemies. These potions give immediate effects for a set amount of time. Giant Potions cause players to increase in size, increasing attack power. This size increase, however, can be painful. The hitbox is enlarged so players are more suspectable to attacks, and might miss smaller enemies when attacking. Dwarf Potions are the opposite of Giant Potions. Dwarf Potions will shrink the player and increase their MP regeneration rate. The smaller size also enables players to avoid certain attacks, such as projectiles. The Spinter’s Potion causes the player to move at a faster rate, leaving a white afterimage of themselves. These potions cannot be mixed- meaning that if you already took one, taking another one will replace the buff you already had. The Awakening Potion is an exception: This potion immediately grants the Awakened effect on the player for 15 seconds.. This potion can mix with the others. All of these potions may occasionally not give the player a buff, and just cause their head to inflate. This effect causes the player to not be able to jump as high as they normally could.

Summons appear just like potions: from crates and specially buffed enemies. These summons appear in the form of oval-shaped orbs. They vary in color. The Blue Orb, Raul’s Fury, summons the Goddess of Lightning to call forth Bolts of Electricity to stun enemies in place- and may or may not cause some damage. The Orange Orb, Oryed’s Fury, summons the Goddess of Earth/Fire (hard to tell) to erupt the ground underneath enemies to cause powerful damage. The Green Orb, Dryad’s Fury, summons the Goddess of the Forest to Entangle enemies in place. Finally, the Yellow Orb, Illipia’s Touch, summon the Goddess of Light to heal players for about 2% HP per second if they are within the range. In the same vein as the potions, the summon stones may botch the summon and call forth Willaim Phoru to get all up in your business. William Phoru will not give any EXP or ED (money) but you can beat him to get some MP.

Finally, the Awakening function. Underneath the MP bar is a green bar. This bar builds as you attack more enemies, in the same vein as MP. When a bar is filled, it manifests as a reddish, purpley orb underneath the character’s head in the top left corner, next to the MP and HP. You can have 3 Orbs, max. To use Awakening, simply press the Left+Ctrl key (default). Each Awakening Orb will supply 30 seconds of being Awakened, maxing at 90 seconds, though some set effects and weapon effects can increase the time. When Awakened, it’s impossible to use another bead until it runs out. When Awakened, all attacks are boosted by 20% and some skills get a change in properties.

Here’s some gameplay from the first dungeon: which is easy:

And another at the Disc One Final Boss:

Dungeons are unlocked by level. Every dungeon has three stages of difficulty: Normal, Hard, and Very Hard. Some dungeons get longer as the difficulty rises. The Hard and Very Hard difficulties are unlocked by completing the difficulty before them

Now then, character break down!

Elsword

“Mega SLASH!!!”
~Elsword, using his signature move

Elsword is a brash, Hot Blooded boy. He’s the youngest of the group at 13 years old but that doesn’t mean he’s weak. Since he was younger, he’s been training with a Greatsword twice his size in hopes of becoming as strong as his sister Elsa, who was also a great swordsman. With that strength, he hopes to find his sister who vanished suddenly.

At the start of the game, Elsword easily beats down the bandits but comes face to face with a wolf man, possibly a Lycanthrope. Said Lycanthrope has the El and Elsword fights the monster for it. He gets his ass handed to him, but then comes along Aisha who saves him with a Lightning Bolt and the monster leaves after surrendering the El. Upon further inspection, the El is a fraud and the real one is with the bandit leader. He then starts to butt heads with Aisha.

Elsword is mainly a melee fighter and typically the strongest when it comes to Physical Attacks. His attacks are simple and really don’t require much skill in doing. At his basic “Knight” class, Elsword mainly uses Physical Attacks in all his Special Actives and Actives, though he has two Magic Attacks in the forms of Special Actives. He believes that a fine steel sword can match and out-power magic.

Skills (Excluding Passives and Buffs):

Mega Slash- Special Active, 100 MP, Default: Elsword swings his sword horizontally. It’s strong, usually out damaging future 100 MP skills. Maxes at 5.

Counterattack- Active, 20 MP, Default: Elsword holds his sword in front of him to prepare to counter an attack. Might seem useless because the frame of counterattacking is 1 second, but if mastered can be extremely effective. Automatically maxed.

Fatal Fury- Special Active, 200 MP, 5 SP: Elsword slams his sword into the ground 4 times, finishing with one final spin slash. Decent early game skill, and maxing it is required for Assault Slash. Great as a combo finisher. Maxes at 5.

Flame Geyser- Special Active, 200 MP, 10 SP: Elsword slams his sword into the ground and erupts a geyser of flames. His first Magic Attack in the game, and epic on Stoic enemies. When Awakened, the Geyser deals two more hits. Maxing this skill unlocks Triple Geyser. Maxes at 5.

Assault Slash- Special Active, 100 MP, 20 SP: Elsword lunges forward, dealing 5 hits. May out damage Mega Slash, but that’s all up to the amount of hits you get in. When Awakened, the distance of the lunge is increased. Maxes at 5.

Counterattack Mastery- Passive, 25 SP: Gives a chance that Counterattack may launch enemies into the air. This leaves them open to a combo. Maxes at 5.

Unlimited Blade- Special Active, 270 MP, 30 SP: Elsword slashes 7 times, before finishing with a Mega Slash. When Awakened, instead of a Mega Slash Elsword unleashes a geyser of energy around him, dealing Magic Damage. Elsword gets fatigued for 2 seconds after using it, 3 seconds when Awakened, leaving him open to attacks. Generally, it’s overpowered by Triple Geyser. Maxes at 5.

Triple Geyser- Special Active, 300 MP, 30 SP: Elsword slams his sword into the ground and erupts three Flame Geysers in front of him. Really strong, dealing 9090% Magical Damage if all hits connect, making it one of the strongest 300 MP skills in the game. Best used on large Stoic enemies. Maxes at 5.

Kick- Active, Starts at 10 MP and increases by 2 MP per level, 35 SP: Elsword kicks his enemy for 50% Physical damage. Useful for chaining combos. Maxes at 5.

Class Change

At Level 15, Elsword can decide his fate: Should he continue refining his sword skills, or begin learning magic?

As a Sword Knight, Elsword focuses on Combos and Physical Attacks. He only has one Magic Attack, Spiral Blast, which is a 200 MP Special Active. It should be noted that his new Physical Attack Special Actives are primarily used for combos, with the exception of Double Slash, which can be a boss destroyer combined with Armor Break.

As a Magic Knight, Elsword gains new skills and Attack Combos that incorporates Magic into them. All of his new Special Actives are Magical Attacks, with his only new Physical Attack being the Explosion Fist Active, where he grabs the enemy (Physical) and explodes them with fire (Magical). Should be noted that Phoenix Talon is a PvP skill and useless in PvE. Also noted that Storm Blade, his 300 MP skill, is Crazy Awesome, best described as a Flower made of Magical Swords, cutting up enemies for massive damage.

At level 35, both Knights can further train themselves in their trade, Sword Knight becoming the mighty, dignified Lord Knight and Magic Knight becoming the fun-loving, pretty Rune Slayer!

As a Lord Knight, his skill with a sword has increased dramatically. His basic attack combos have become enhanced and has mastered new sword techniques. He still focuses on combos for massive damage dealing, but now he’s much more durable too.

As a Rune Slayer, he had traded his magic fireballs for the more advanced Runes. His attack combos that originally used fireballs are replaced with Runes and he gets two new Rune moves. He is adept at both his sword and magic.

Aisha

“Playtime’s over!”
~Aisha getting dangerous.

Aisha is a master magician. Though 15 years old, she is really childish and loud mouthed. At 12 years old, she practiced magic and is known as one of the strongest magicians in the world.She is infamously known for loathing her lack of breasts, being pretty flat even as an adult later in the future.. A purple haired tomboy.

At a tender age of 12, she began traveling the world to refine her skills- That is until she lost all her power through an ancient ring. Hearing about the El of Ruben, she goes there in hopes of earning back her lost power. There, she meets a red haired boy getting his ass handed to him by a Lycanthrope. She saves the boy with a Lightning Bolt, and the Lycanthrope runs with his tail between his legs. She begins to talk to the boy… Who continuously ignored her while talking to himself. Aisha gets annoyed at this. Then the boy notices her and then questions her, “Are you here to steal the El too?!” At this point Aisha gets pissed off and the two butt heads… Until a green-yellow haired elf shows up.

Aisha is the game’s Magician. She possesses the strongest Magic Attacks in the game. Her normal attack is a swing of his wand, while her strong attack is a shot of fire. When standing still, Aisha can collect the Mana in the air and give herself more MP. When she jumps, holding the button gives her the ability to levitate though it drains her MP. To counter this, Aisha has the lowest HP and Physical defense in the game, with weak Physical Attack.

Skills

Chain Fireball- Special Active, 100 MP, Default: Aisha shoots three fireballs, all piercing and going a good distance. Unlike pressing the X button three times, damage is increased and she’s invulnerable. Maxes at 5.

Teleport- Active, 10 MP, Default: Aisha teleports a short distance. Useful for dodging attacks and reaching areas that are just out of her jump. Maxed by default.

Gust Screw- Special Active, 200 MP, 5 SP: Aisha surrounds herself in a pillar of fire, dealing damage to enemies in contact. Strong early on, but becomes incredibly weak later. Required for Gust Storm. Maxes at 5.

Lightning Bolt- Special Active, 200 MP, 10 SP: Aisha shoots bolts of lightning in front of her, dealing massive damage. Incredibly awesome on enemies with Stoic or Super Armor and is very, very safe to use. Required for Binding Circle. Maxes at 5.

Binding Circle- Special Active, 120 MP, 20 SP: Aisha summons a circle that’s slows down enemies within it until it wears off. Pretty good and definitely useful on Stoic enemies. Maxes at 5.

Teleport Study- Passive, 25 SP: Decreases the amount of MP Aisha uses for Teleport. Useful if you depend heavily on Teleport. Maxes at 4.

Gust Storm- Special Active, 300 MP, 30 SP: Aisha surrounds herself in a massive storm of fire, sucking enemies who get caught deeper into the storm with increasing damage. Awesome skill, especially useful on Stoic enemies. More hits are dealt in the center of the storm. Maxes at 5.

Meteor Call- Special Active, 270 MP, 30 SP: Aisha calls forth a small meteor that will then enlarge into to bigger meteor that deals multiple damage in a larger range. Awesome skill for crowds, as it builds MP pretty well. Maxes at 5.

Mana Shield- Active, 30 MP, 35 SP: Aisha activates a shield of MP to reduce damage for 15 seconds. At max, takes 6 hits. Pretty useful and helps pull Aisha out of her Glass Cannon status temporarily. Maxes at 3.

Class Change

At level 15, Aisha can make a choice. Should she try and relearn the magic she once knew or risk her humanity to learn dark magic?

As a High Mage, Aisha connects to the elements and begins relearning the magic she lost. She commands ice spells and many new fire spells, and even manages to increase her Mana pool. Being one with nature, she is more powerful and even a little wild. Her fireballs can be considered to be mini suns, ready to burn people’s faces off. Best party supporter in the game.

As a Dark Mage, Aisha studies into the dark arts. Though her new spells require her to be up close to her foes, her spells will easily wipe them out. Being beneficial to her party, she can easily wipe enemies off the face of the map without breaking a sweat. Her connection to El is strong too, considering that she hasn’t turned into a half-human, half-demon abomination yet. Gamebreaker.

At level 35, both Mages can study deeper into their respective trades, the High Mage graduating into the scholar-like Elemental Master and the Dark Mage advancing into the destructive Void Princess!

As a Elemental Master, she finally relearns the magic she lost and has made herself into the image of her master, magic-wise. She commands over all the elements and with a massive Mana pool, she’s a force to be reckoned with.

As a Void Princess, she continues to walk down the dark path she’s taken and masters a variety of new dark magic and skills. Being powerful up close as she was far ranged, she’s definitely more than a match for anything that comes her way.

Rena

“This marks your end!”
~Rena before landing one between the eyes.

Rena is en elf from the forests nearby Ruben. Don’t let her young appearance fool you, she’s actually older than she looks. Rena is a Ranger, fighting with her bow and powerful kicks. She’s best known for her large bosom, with the running gag being Aisha showing anger or sadness from looking at them. Her hair is an old color of green and yellow, more green in the official art, yellow in the game.

Rena is summoned by the elder of her village. She is informed that the forest grows weak, and that the El is endangered. Rena is specifically chosen for this task because of her strong connection to nature, as well as being a strong Elven warrior. Rena travels to Ruben and hears people talking. She sneaks by close and listens in. Bandits are talking about stealing the El, with the leader taking the real El while his lackies take a fake El. Rena hurries to secure the El but is too late, with the real El gone. Defeated, Rena decides to pursuit the missing El when she hears two children arguing. Turns out, a purple haired girl and a red haired boy are fighting. Rena tries to get them to stop, but they continue to ignore her, until she blows up and forces them to stop fighting. Turns out, they too had their reasons to pursue the El, Elsword, the red haired one, wanted to return it to the forest and Aisha, the purple haired one, hoped that it’s light will help restore her power. She convinces them that the only way to get the El back is if they work together. And with a little ‘persuasion’ (Rena flashing them a death glare), they relunctantly agree. Through their trials, they gain power and grow closer together. And in the land of Altera, Rena seems to cause pain in the man with a weird left arm…

Rena plays as a mix of Elsword and Aisha. She’s not as powerful, physically, as Elsword and not as powerful, magic-wise, as Aisha. A very well balanced fighter. For her normal attacks she uses a series of kicks to pound enemies into submission. For her strong attack, she shoots magic arrows (as a justification for using MP instead of ammo). She has the unique ability to double jump, and unlike Aisha does not consume MP when doing it. Like Aisha. Rena can take Mana from the air around her, but at a much slower rate.

Skills

Rail Stinger- Special Active, 100 MP, Default: Rena steps back and fires a powerful magic arrow that pierces through one enemy. When Awakened, pierces through all enemies in range. Useful for quickly taking out enemies when you don’t have enough MP for Phoenix Strike or Freezing Arrow (Grand Archer).

Siege Mode- Active, 6 MP ea, Default: Rena “deploys” herself on the spot. In this mode, pressing Z will have Rena shoot a magic arrow, more powerful than normal, for 6 MP. Pressing X will have her shoot 3 arrows [one forward, two diagonal (up and down)] for 6 MP each. Without any skills aiding Siege Mode, each arrow deals 158% magic damage. There is an overheat system, however, slowly increasing MP cost for every consecutive hit and also decreases damage. It’s still, however, very useful for taking out large enemies/bosses, especially when combined with Siege Swift and the Skill Note.

Perfect Storm- Special Active, 200 MP, 5 SP: Rena aims down and shoots a tornado, dealing multiple hits. Her 300 MP skill, Aero Tornado is more efficient at DPS than Perfect Storm, at the draw being more costly. Perfect Storm does have the advantage of having more vertical range, useful for taking out Wyverns in Velder. Maxes at 5.

Assault Kick- Special Active, 200 MP, 10 SP: Rena does a front flip kick, followed by a back flip kick, launching enemies into the air for combos. While pretty decent, it has more use in PvP for lengthening combos. Her only Physical Attack skill in the basic Ranger class. Maxes at 5.

Multiple Stingers- Special Active, 200 MP, 20 SP: Rena steps back and shoots a three-directional Rail Stinger, followed by a tighter three-directional Rail Stringer. Deals a pretty decent amount of damage, though all shots are capable of knocking dudes down. When Awakened, all the shots will pierce. Maxes at 5.

Siege Swift- Passive, 25 SP: Enhances damage of Siege while reducing set up time and MP cost. Perfect for people who actively use Siege Mode. Maxes at 3.

Phoenix Strike- Special Active, 300 MP, 30 SP: Rena summons a powerful Phoenix to sweep the map. Perfect skill for taking out an entire Room and it’s one of the few skills to curve when the map turns. It can also burn enemies temporarily. However, it will only fly straight so it won’t dive or rise with the map. This skill is really useful in both PvE and PvP. Maxes at 5.

Aero Tornado- Special Active, 300 MP, 30 SP: Rena jumps into the air and shots a large ball 45 degrees downward while lifting enemies up. When Awakened, two Rail stringers appears and rotates 10 times. Best used on Stoic or Frozen enemies. Alternatively, use it on a platform to compensate for the lift. Maxes at 5.

Backflip Shot- Active, 20 MP, 35 SP: Rena backflips into the air and shoot arrow(s) at 45 degrees downward. The amount of arrows depends on the skill level. While not particularly strong (170% magic damage each shot) Rena is invulnerable during the backflip. The invulnerability frames last long enough to be a good dodging skill. Maxes at 3.

Class Change

At level 15, Rena can advance her powers in two different paths. Learn to become a more physical fighter and become a Combat Ranger, or train her aim and speed and become a Sniping Ranger.

As a Combat Ranger, Rena focuses more on literally kicking butt. And while she still uses a bow, she prefers using her natural strength and kick enemies up and down. Naturally, she gains Physical oriented skills and Attack combos, such as her Special Active, Spinning Drill Kick and a new double slide kick.

As a Sniping Ranger, Rena has trained herself to shoot dead on target and always be the first one to shoot. While she still kicks, she still prefers the feel of a long bow and executing enemies from afar. She gains more Magical skills and Attack combos, such as the ever powerful Crazy Shot and double jump into a rain of arrows.

At level 35, the two Rangers can advance their skills even further and become their strongest class: the cute, powerful Wind Sneaker and the beautiful, majestic Grand Archer.

The Wind Sneaker has made her legs more powerful- not by beefing them up but by arming them with Mana. At this point, she can use her most simple kicks and chain them into an endless combo. She also has a strong connection to Nature, able to summon a spirit to heal, protect, and quicken herself and her allies.

The Grand Archer has taken her archery to a whole new level and gained the ability to shoot grand arrows. With more power and accuracy, the arrows will never miss and even contain the power of the elements within them, being able to freeze enemies over or blow the earth apart. Her breasts have noticeably gotten bigger as well.

Raven

Raven is a human enhanced with the power of Nasod. The oldest of the group, 24 years old, he’s the most experienced. He uses a blade but also combines it with his Nasod Claw to throw powerful punches and slashes. He’s represented by the color gray. Rena constantly reminds him of his deceased fiancee, Seris. Beyond his stoic demeanor, lies a sad story…

Raven was once a commoner in the kingdom of Velder. While he rejected the idea of nobles and aristocrats, he was proud of his kingdom nonetheless. He worked hard, training his swordsmanship and he eventually became the captain of the Crow Mercenary Knights. Being a commoner with a high ranking position, he was hated by the nobles and aristocrats of Velder. Before long, Raven’s closest friend, a nobleman named Alex, had framed Raven for a crime he never committed. He was sentenced to life in prison. However, the Crows and his fiancee Seris helped break him out of prison. They were able to escape and regroup in the forest. Unfortunately, the soldiers of Velder had them surrounded and began to slaughter them, one by one. Raven was merely wounded and forced to watch everyone he loved and care for be killed, before his eyes. Seris was the last one killed, and then Raven was left to die of his wounds. As he watched all he loved, dead, a Nasod suddenly appeared.

The Nasod offers Raven a chance to live, he will be born once more with the power to seek revenge on all of those who made him suffer. He agreed before slipping into unconsciousness. He awakes in a capsule, with various devices attached to his body. Reborn with a prototype Nasod Claw, Raven sets up Black Crows, dedicated to destroy Velder. Raven blindly fights to destroy the kingdom he once protected, without mercy or regret. It was not until at Altera where he meets a group of three young, ambiguous heroes that he was reminded of his duty to protect the lives of the innocent. Realizing what he has done, he seeks atonement for his sins. His first step to atonement was to join Elsword, Aisha, and Rena on their quest to retrieve the El of Ruben, which Raven and the Black Crows stole from Wally, the original man behind the theft.

Raven fights in similar to Elsword and Rena. While not as powerful a Elsword physical wise, his stats slightly mirror Rena’s. Compared to the other characters, Raven’s mostly a combo oriented character. Most of his skills are mainly used for combos as they all typically knock enemies down or generally used for combo finishers. Raven’s normal attacks consists of him slashing at his enemies with his blade. His strong attacks consists of attacking with his Nasod Claw. Some of his Nasod Claw’s attacks are magical (usually the finishers) but he uses the claw for strong melee attacks. A good combo I found for him was ZZXX(jump)Z(repeat). He does two normal slashes, followed by two Nasod Claw slashes, the 2nd one launching them into the air. If you jump and hit them with a normal slash, you catch them and they’ll be back on their feet, waiting to be comboed once more.

Skills

Maximum Cannon- Special Active, 100 MP, Default: Raven points with his Nasod Claw and sustain a very short range fireball. With a maximum of 665% magical damage, this skill is pretty crappy. To put things in perspective, Elsword’s Mega Slash does 1368% physical, Rena’s Rail Stinger does 1302% magical, and Aisha’s Chain Fireball does 839% total magical plus a burning effect. Points are better spent elsewhere, but this skill could be used to combo. Maxes at 5.

Burning Rush- Active, 10 MP+40 MP p/sec, Default: Raven charges forward, pushing away everything in his way. Not very useful. While Raven does get a speed boost and becomes Stoic, he spends too much MP and deals too little damage. Not a great skill. Already Maxed.

Cannon Blade- Special Active, 200 MP, 5 SP: Raven points his Nasod Claw and fires a large fireball that travels for a few seconds. A good skill, better than Maximum Cannon. To max out hits, use Raven’s dash+X to have them slide back slightly before unleashing Maximum Cannon. Maxes at 5.

Power Assault- Special Active, 200 MP, 10 SP: Raven shoulder bashes his way forward for a few meters. A strong physical skill, best used when enemies are against a wall or when Stoic because he’ll just run right through them. Required to Earth Break. Maxes at 5.

Earth Break- Special Active, 100 MP, 20 SP: Raven slams his fist into the ground and two rocks drop on both sides of him. The skill has two parts: The first part is when the boulders appear and drop- this does less damage. The 2nd part is when the boulders land, which does the most damage. On par with Maximum Cannon damage wise, but it’s physical so it’s sort of better. Requires Power Assault. Maxes at 5.

Counter Chance- Passive, 25 SP: Raven slices to get up quickly without knocking the enemy down. A good PvP skill, this allows Raven, if he’s knocked down, to get back up without knocking the enemy down using X. Though better for PvP, it has it’s uses in PvE. Maxes at 5.

Seven Burst- Special Active, 300 MP, 30 SP: Raven fires off six bursts from his Nasod Arm, followed by a large blast similar to Cannon Blade. A strong 300 MP skill, it’s often debated over whether to get this skill or Magnum Blaster. Requires Cannon Blade. Maxes at 5.

Magnum Blaster- Special Active, 300 MP, 30 SP: Raven slashes twice with his blade, drills into the enemy with the Nasod Arm, and then unleashes an explosive fireball within the target. Rather devastating and when combined with a delay skill (ie. Sniping Ranger’s Gungnir) deals an insane amount of hits during the drilling. Often debated whether to get this skill or Seven Burst. Maxes at 5.

Shadow Step- Active, 40 MP/35 MP/ 30 MP, 35 SP: Raven becomes intangible and slides through enemies for a maximum of 5 meters. Useful for dodging an attack. In his next classes, he gets a skill that allows him to attack while using this skill. Maxes at 5.

Class Change

At level 15, Raven has to decide his fate. The Nasod Claw is a powerful device that only he can use… but it’s slowly destroying his mind. Should he deactivate it and focus on his swordsmanship like before and become a Sword Taker? Or should he attempt to train his mind and body to fight off the Nasod Claws influence and become an Over Taker?

As a Sword Taker, Raven still uses his Nasod Claw for his previous attacks, though now he relies more on his sword. His skill with his sword has outmatched Elsword’s. With a variety of new sword skills and Attack combos, Raven can attack at intense speeds, dealing Deaths of a Thousand Cuts.

As an Over Taker, Raven had his Nasod Claw worked on to have less influence on his person- an giving it a blacker new appearance! While only a temporary fix, this allows Raven to unleash a flurry of new moves with the claw. Raven can punch enemies down with his powerful new arm, and even call forth spikes and missiles.

At level 35, they can advance their skills further. The Sword Taker becoming the badass and quick Blade Master, and the Over Taker becoming the badass and powerful Reckless Fist.

As a Blade Master, his skills with the sword had reached to what it was previously. His quick sword strikes deal decisive blows and can even summon miniature black holes! He kills enemies with his endless combos and flashy skills, never allowing them a chance to retaliate.

As a Reckless Fist, the modifications on his Nasod Claw has failed, but with newer and stronger modifications led him to overpower the Claw’s influence once more and became a powerful force. The Claw has now become bionic with him, but that won’t stop him from relentlessly clawing at his foes and sending them to Death’s doors.

I’ve gone into great detail about the characters… Oh well, gotta start somewhere. Here are some little features in the game:

K-Ching– The cash shop currency. You can use it to buy outfits for more stats and accessories too. You can buy color pets from here too. Some items can help do little things like having more inventory and bank space. You can also buy your class changes and skills if you don’t feel like going through all the trouble.

Pets– Pets are your little traveling companion. Upon arriving in Elder, you can get a quest to obtain a Phoru pet. Pet’s have skills that can aid you in combat, but it balances out with the need to eat. Your pet gain affinity towards you when it’s at +60% hunger and loses affinity at -39%. You can feed pets with equipment, but they get filled up more with QPL Jellies (crafted by dismantling equipment and taking the El remains to a blacksmith), El Tree Seeds, and El Tree Fruits. Once your pet reaches 70% affinity, they will enter a special state. In this state, you can only feed them El Tree Seeds and Fruit. El Tree Seeds can be gained through events. El Tree Fruit can only be bought with K-Ching.

PvP– Talk to Camilla to enter the PvP channel. Here, you fight other players for ranks and V-Points. V-Points are victory points that are used to buy accessories not available at the Item Mall. There are 5 different modes: Team-Match (Item), Team-Match (Power), Team Death Match (Item), Team Death Match (Power), and Survival Mode (Item). I don’t know any of them so I can’t describe them.

Market Channel– For a fee of 1000 ED, players can set up shops in these 3 channels. Players without a certain K-Ching Item can only set up shops that can sell 3 items. With the item, shops can be set up to have 9 items. Generally, it’s best to have the name of your store be your channel and location as it makes it easier for players to find you.

That’s it. Elsword is a good game that I find enjoyable. Still waiting for Eve to come out…

Anyways, stay golden.