Bowman/Long
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Bowmen handle bows and crossbows very well, and can also use a light sword, blunt weapon, or an axe on occasion. They are adept at avoiding the enemy, and prefer armors that are light enough to maximize dexterity.
The job order for the Bowman reveals a 2-way job route. In order to advance as a Bowman, various requirements need to be fulfilled. You should take time deciding what kind of a Bowman you want to become down the road before committing to a route. ~MapleGlobal
Why Become A Bowman?
Being a Bowman allows you to deal high damage due to Critical Shot (CS). When Critical Shot is maxed, it adds an extra 100% damage at a 40% success rate. However, Bowmen have very unstable damage in lower levels until they max Bow Mastery / Crossbow Mastery (a 2nd job skill) or leave it at level 19. After it is maxed, their damage will become much more stable. Bowmen also have a second job mob skill called Arrow Bomb (for Hunters) or Iron Arrow. (for Crossbowmen)
The First Job Advancement
Character Creation
When creating your character, it is highly advised that you continue to reroll your stats until you have 4 Luk and 4 Int. These stats are unneeded by a Bowman, and will hinder your character greatly if they are too high. It is okay to have 4 luk/5 int or 5 luk/4 int, but its highly recommended to not go any higher than that. Do not go with 5 luk/5 int +.
As you level, continue to put no AP into LUK or INT. You will want to put 1 into STR, and the rest into DEX until level 10. Depending on which job you choose for the 2nd job advancement, your strength should be equal to your level (Crossbowmen), or 5 more than your level (Hunters) to meet certain equipment requirements. Resist the temptation to add more STR points, because you need them in DEX.
Getting to Henesys
After reaching Level 10 Beginner - STOP and do not level any further. If you level past 10 with Beginner you lose out on SP, or Skill Points, and will not be able to get them back after advancing.
Anyhow, after you've hit Lv10, open up your map and head to South Perry. Here you will ask Shanks to bring you to Victoria Island, pay him the fee and you're off of Maple Island. Congratulations!
Now, you want to hop off the boat and talk with the fellow under the "Tickets" sign. Double click him and ask to go to Henesys. Accept the fee (Note: This is a beginners fee, to travel between towns after you've advanced is quite a bit more expensive), and you'll be in Henesys.
Athena Pierce and the Archer
After you've entered Henesys, you want to start heading Right (East) until you stumble upon Mushroom Park, enter this area and keep heading Right/East until towards the end, where you should see a large Mushroom Hut. Enter this area and climb to the top where you will find Athena Pierce, the Bowman advancement NPC. Talk to her and as long as you are Level 10 and have 25 DEX (should if you have been following our guide), you will advance to Archer, the first job in the Bowman tree.
Congratulations!
Stat Distribution
The stat distribution is quite simple. However, since there are two different types of Bowmen, there are two different ways of doing this.
For people planning to become a Hunter (Using regular bows), you need to keep your STR +5 your level to be able to use your bows. So, if you're level 50, you MUST have 55 STR. Every other point should be put into DEX and nothing else. To put it simple, you should have 5 STR above your level and everything else into DEX! So that means that every 5 levels you add 5 STR.
Level 10 -- 15 Strength, 47 Dex.
Level 15 -- 20 Strength, 67 Dex.
Level 20 -- 25 Strength, 87 Dex.
Level 25 -- 30 Strength, 107 Dex
Level 30 -- 35 Strength, 127 Dex.
Do you see the pattern?
Crossbowmen utilize the same build except that you need strength EQUAL to your level after level 30.
Training Areas
These are my suggestions as to where to level up while being an Bowman:
Level 1-10
Maple Island is the best place to train at. Bash away at the huge supply of snails there until you are level 10. Do the quests if you want to, since having DEX and STR will increase the damage you deal to monsters, and occasionally fighting the Orange Mushroom is fine.
Right Around Lith Harbor also has a nice Snail spawn. However, there is the occasional Slime that may mess you up every once in a while.
Level 1 - 10: Stay on Maple Island do all of the quests ( most importantly Pio's Collecting Recycled Goods) .Technically you can train ANYWHERE. Add two points to STR and the rest to DEX per level. Max out recovery and 3 snails. Do not sell your armour. Pick up every drop from the monsters. once you are level 10, kiss Maple island good bye. Go to South Perry and pay 150 mesos to the captain.
Level 10-15
Henesys Hunting Ground I is a good place to train. Use a melee weapon and bash on the fast Snail spawn on the bottom.
The infamous Slime Tree is also a good choice. You might have a harder time killing these than you would Snails, which could result in less EXP.
The Tree That Grew 1 is also good. Like the Slime Tree, it spawns only Slimes. If you get one person on each level of this map, the spawn is great!
Another great spot to hunt is Hidden Street: Mushroom Garden. Here, you can sacrifice not having a bow by using melee weapons to kill Orange Mushrooms, Shrooms, and Red Snails.
Level 15-18
The Slime Tree is now probably the best place for gaining EXP. You should now equip a bow (or a crossbow) and kill some Slimes with them.
The Tree That Grew 1 is also good. Like the Slime Tree, it spawns only Slimes. If you get one person on each level of this map, the spawn is great! You can also try The Tree That Grew 2 above The Tree That Grew 1.
Henesys Hunting Ground 1 on the second level. There's a nice Slime spawn here, and you can stand on the hay stacks and snipe them down with great ease!
Henesys Hunting Grounds 2 and 3 also have nice spawns of Slimes, Snails, Orange and Green Mushrooms, and Stumps. There are steps there on the sides of the map that u could stand there to snipe at the monsters.
Hidden Street: Mushroom Garden is still a good spot to train if you prefer not to buy a bow. you can usually have the whole map to yourself, allowing you to control the spawn rate better. Very few potions should be needed.
Level 18-20
Kerning City Construction Site has a great Orange Mushroom spawn. Travel around this map killing the mushrooms as you go. If you get a few people on the map, the spawn will be great.
The Slime Tree still has nice EXP gains. By now, you should be using your new bow/crossbow and be killing the Slimes within 1-2 hits.
The Tree That Grew 1-3 is also good. Like the Slime Tree, it spawns only Slimes. If you get one person on each level of this map, the spawn is great!
Henesys Hunting Grounds 2 and 3 are still very good choices. This place has nice spawns of Slimes, Snails, Orange and Green Mushrooms, and Stumps. There are steps here on the sides of the screen that can be used to snipe at the monsters.
Hidden Street: Mushroom Garden is still a great spot to train if you prefer not to buy a bow.
Level 20-25
Pig Beach is now the best place to hunt. With your new weapon equipped and your new armor, you should be able to take down pigs with ease.
Kerning City Construction Site has a nice Octopus spawn on the top of the map. You can stand on the platform by going up to it and then snipe them down without getting hit. Octopus gives pretty nice EXP.
Hidden Street: Over The Wall (Perion) is a good option. The EXP gained there might not be very fast, but you have a chance of getting your level 35 equipments here. There's also quite a few snipe-platforms on this map. Bring a friend to have this map spawn at its greatest potential.
Victoria Road: Dungeon, Southern Forest II is a good option for fighting Green Mushrooms and Slimes. There are quite a few nice sniping spots there.
Ant Tunnel: This map is recommended if you can consistently hit for high damage. The Zombie Mushrooms found in this area give great drops, but you might want to go to Blue Mushroom Forest (Hidden Street) if you want to. However, Horny Mushrooms still give good drops.
Level 25-30
Party Questing in Kerning City is a good option now that you're level 25. You just got your new items and you're ready to roll! If you have a good leader that gets into the Party Quest a lot of the time, this is a must. During your 15-20 minute wait (if you miss) you can go to near-by maps and kill monsters to gain EXP constantly. (not recommended as it makes it easier to miss)
Ant Tunnel 1 has a nice Horny Mushroom spawn at the top of the map. I don't suggest trying to take on undead mushrooms yet, since you have little chance of OHKOing them.
Over The Wall is also still a good option. The EXP might not be the greatest, but you have a chance at finding your level 35 equips here. There's also quite a few snipe-platforms on this map. Bring a friend to have this map spawn at it's greatest potential.
Orbis Tower is also a very good place to train. The Jr Sentinels there drop good drops, and money. Be sure to buy a few MP potions and HP potions before coming!
Southern Forest II may also still be a good option as by now you should be able to kill the Green Mushrooms quite efficiently.
First Job Skills
- Main article: Category:Archer Skills
The skills Critical Strike and the Eye of the Amazon should generally be maxed and the same is also recommended for Double Shot. Though some may recommend Arrow Blow for crossbow it is highly recommended to max only double shot and not arrow blow for neither the bow or the crossbow, as double shot has twice the chance of obtaining a critical hit.
In addition to improve accuracy, be certain to also put some SP into either Focus OR Blessing of the Amazon.
Skill Distribution
10: +1 Arrow Blow (1)
11: +3 Blessing of the Amazon (3)
12: +3 Eye of the Amazon (3)
13: +3 Eye of the Amazon (6)
14: +2 Eye of the Amazon (MAX), +1 Critical Shot (1)
15: +3 Critical Shot (4)
16: +3 Critical Shot (7)
17: +3 Critical Shot (10)
18: +3 Critical Shot (13)
19: +3 Critical Shot (16)
20: +3 Critical Shot (19)
21: +1 Critical Shot (MAX), +2 Double Shot (2)
22: +3 Double Shot (5)
23: +3 Double Shot (8)
24: +3 Double Shot (11)
25: +3 Double Shot (14)
26: +3 Double Shot (17)
27: +3 Double Shot (MAX)
28: +3 Focus (3)
29: +3 Focus (6)
30: +3 Focus (9)
You can swap Critical with Eye, or if you're funded and have MP pots to blow, maxing Double Shot early is an option.
Equipment Tips
A lot of the time, there is confusion on which items to get. I'm going to help you decide what items are worth getting!
In the early levels, you won't need to wear that much armor. It's best to just stick with low level gear that you find while training. You don't need to buy new armor and related items until about level 20.
Once you get to level 20, buy the equipment that you think looks the best on you. The +Dex on these items is minimal, so don't expect to get a big damage boost out of it. Make your own lvl 20 bow since it doesn't need a lot of items.
Once you hit 25, my suggestion is to not buy any items (if you're low on cash) unless it gives that extra DEX. The defense you get doesn't do much.
From the first time you pick up a bow to when you obtain the 2nd job skill Soul Arrow, do NOT buy arrows. Instead, go to Vicious of Henesys and make them. You can get 1000 arrows for one processed wood and one stiff feather. That means that an hour or less of hunting stumps and pigs can yield you a full Use inventory. If you buy your arrows instead, you will have less money to use on buying potions and equipment.
See also: Bow Progression Guide
Hunter Versus Crossbowman: The Second Job Advancement
This is a crucial time for your character. Choosing your second job advancement will determine the general path that your character will follow for the rest of its journey. Please take a look at the Pros and Cons of each advancement, the Hunter and the Crossbowman, as they will help you with this staggering decision. Remember to choose wisely!
Hunter
- Main article: Hunter
-=PROS
- Higher Attack Speed than Crossbowmen.
- Arrow Bomb will stun and merge to other enemies.
-=CONS
- Lower Dex than Crossbowmen due to STR requirement.
- Weapons can be more expensive due to popularity. (Varies by server)
- Graphical issues with bow color matching outfit color.
- Lower HP and MP
Crossbowmen
- Main article: Crossbowman
-=PROS
- They have more HP and MP than hunters.
- Iron arrow shoots farther range and deals more damage.
- Weapons are a lot cheaper than hunters'.
- Crossbows have higher attack power and range
- There is an ice attack for the third job, which is Sniper.
-=CONS
- Slower attack speed than Hunters.
- Iron arrow doesn't stun and cannot merge.
Now that you've looked at the Pros and Cons, it's time to pick your class, and to continue on your quest through MapleStory as a Bowman.
Hunter Skill Distribution with FA
30: +1 Arrow Bomb (1)
31: +3 Bow Mastery (3)
32: +3 Bow Mastery (6)
33: +3 Bow Mastery (9)
34: +3 Bow Mastery (12)
35: +3 Bow Mastery (15)
36: +3 Bow Mastery (18)
37: +1 Bow Mastery (19), +2 Soul Arrow (2)
38: +3 Bow Booster (3)
39: +3 Final Attack (3)
40: +3 Final Attack (6)
41: +3 Final Attack (9)
42: +3 Final Attack (12)
43: +3 Final Attack (15)
44: +3 Final Attack (18)
45: +3 Final Attack (21)
46: +3 Final Attack (24)
47: +3 Final Attack (27)
48: +3 Final Attack (Maxed!)
49: +3 Arrow Bomb (4)
50: +3 Arrow Bomb (7)
51: +3 Arrow Bomb (10)
52: +3 Arrow Bomb (13)
53: +3 Arrow Bomb (16)
54: +3 Soul Arrow (5)
55: +3 Soul Arrow (8)
56: +3 Soul Arrow (11)
57: +3 Bow Booster (6)
58: +3 Bow Booster (9)
59: +3 Bow Booster (11)
60: +3 Soul Arrow (14)
61: +3 Soul Arrow (17)
62: +3 Arrow Bomb (19)
63: +3 Arrow Bomb (22)
64: +3 Arrow Bomb (25)
65: +3 Arrow Bomb (28)
66: +2 Arrow Bomb (Maxed!), +1 Power Knock-back (1)
67: +3 Power Knock-back (4)
68: +3 Power Knock-back (7)
69: +3 Power Knock-back (10)
70: anything you want