Sram's Shadow
Some crappy guide written by that nobody in a Kwak set
Welcome to the wonderful world of backstabbery. In this guide I will be offering tips, advice... oh hell, even instructions on how to build a Sram that might not suck completely. Keep in mind that all of this was written by some level 54 noobcake in a Kwak Set so if you want a REAL guide, look up Shizu-Jin's (now known as Forsaken; we all love you) awesome Sram guide in the Imps Village Archives.
What's that? You're still here? Too lazy to do a few clicks? Fine, I warned you.
Basic class description
Srams are assassins, pure and simple. We harass people with traps with various effects, we sneak up on them and spill their guts on the ground with the help of our trusty/rusty daggers, and... we're apparently undead which allows us to make many "boner" jokes. So what are you waiting for? Make a Sram today and show people that Sadidas AREN'T the kill-all class.
Seriously though, Srams have pretty much everything they need to kill just about anyone. We can keep the enemy from moving (unless he wants to lose his lovely HP), we can summon Doubles to block Line of Sight (henceforth to be referred to as LoS) or to block the enemy from moving again, we can keep the enemy confused and guessing with Invisibility, we can ATTACK while invisible without coming out of it, and we're one of the three or so classes that can buff their own MP.
Downsides? Srams and Pandas are the only mostly close-range-oriented (Chance Pandas and Bow Srams don't count) class that doesn't have a teleportation type of spell. However, Srams are infinitely more mobile than Pandas so that's not THAT much of a disadvantage. Srams also lack shields and healing, but that'd be a bit much on an assassin class, no? Besides, based on spells in Dofus Arena, it seems somewhat likely that Srams might get a life-steal type of attack sometime when other classes get Special Spells as well. We'll see. One more thing: Playing a Sram requires at least a basic understanding of strategy. We don't just randomly run in a straight line towards the enemy, swinging our weapons madly.
Builds
Okay, there are a few different Sram builds but the one I'm most familiar with is the dagger Sram/hybrid Sram, so this guide will be focusing on that build with a few comments here and there on other builds.
1) Dagger Sram/Hybrid Sram/Crit Sram
This build, at least currently, seems to be both the most popular (largely thanks to Shizu-Jin) and the most efficient build. What the Dagger Sram does is, obviously, attack mainly with Daggers. Daggers are this awesome weapon type that use 3 AP per stab (sometimes even 2) and have extremely high Critical Hit modifiers. It also heavily takes advantage of the ability to stay invisible while attacking with daggers (a feat Enutrofs and Eniripsas cannot perform!) and, obviously, the 40% bonus Srams have to dagger attacks. 40%, think about it. Depending on the element of your daggers that's +40 Strength or +40 Agility in your damage calculations. And that's not half bad, especially because due to our low AP costs per attack this adds up nicely in the end. The (only?) downside to this build is that it's heavily close-range focused and Srams (generally) have low HP, so if you're on a large battlefield with no obstacles and distant starting points and your enemy is a Cra or something... it might be a bit difficult not to die before you make it to them. Oh well, now you know what playing a level 1x Iop feels like.
"But why don't I just use Invisibility on my first turn?"
Because it only lasts 4 friggin turns (or 5, depending on what mood the game is in). By the time you make it to the enemy (who can just run away from your general direction as you try to get close) it'll wear off and you'll get shot in the face. This is why you generally save this for when you get within one or two turns of running distance to the enemy, unless it's critical to your strategy somehow.
Some Strength/Hybrid Srams decide to use bows instead. A very popular bow at newbie levels is the Whistling Bow (3 AP per shot), and at higher levels, the Fishing Bow, though this one needs 8 AP to be efficient.
2) Agi Sram
I've seen many of these around lately. I don't really know much about them, other than they pump Agi (which has a nice soft-cap of 100, just like Strength) and some use a Hidsad Bow (level 40) until god knows how long. Srams have a 0% modifier on Swords and Bows so a bow would be a second favored weapon. Due to the innately high base damage on the Hidsad Bow, most Srams kill fairly quickly by shooting once, using Invisibility, and shooting again on the second turn. Bows DO break invisibility but due to the range you can get that first hit in before you vanish. I don't know what they do in higher levels when Hidsad becomes weak, though. Oh, Bow Srams are quite possibly the best class that can kill Dagger Srams, yet Dagger Srams seem to be better against everyone else. Some Agi Srams, however, use reforged daggers or the Aerdala Set. While more expensive, this build seems quite effective as well, as your dodge roll modifiers will be even better and it will be easier to obtain a 1/2 critical rate. However, this will make earth-based spells a lot weaker.
I would appreciate more information on this build from people that have played it to a high level.
3) Trap Sram
Again, don't know much about these guys as I've only seen a few. They focus solely on traps, and seem to use Strength Bows at times as well (though this will require some Agility), to keep the enemy busy. +damages to traps gear would probably be highly recommended for these guys, as well as lots of +range equipment. I really need more info on this build.
For now, lets focus on the good old Dagger Sram.
Stats
Strength: Yes. Lots and lots. Almost all daggers do Neutral Damage by default, so this will be important for you. Also, traps and Lethal Attack do earth damage. You will put points into this until the end of time.
Agility: You need this for dodge rolls and to equip daggers, AND it boosts your critical rate. Get it or scroll it to 100 or 101 base. Agi Srams will obviously keep boosting this...
Wisdom: Wisdom is awesome, unless you put points into it. Each point of wisdom increases the experience you earn per fight by 1%. Scroll this ASAP.
Chance: Only good for Prospecting and Initiative. Scrolling this is recommended, yet not that important.
Intelligence: No, you will NEVER use Deceitful Attack. Srams are thugs, not rocket scientists. However, scrolling this to 100ish gives you a lovely +150 Initiative, so if your Sram is your main it might be worth it.
Vitality: Scroll this to 101 and let it be. Don't put points into it, just wait until all the high level items that give friggin' +200something vitality on a HAT. You'll be fine until then.
Spells
Srams rely mostly on Close Combat, but naturally spells help a LOT. Lets look at them, shall we?
Dagger Skill*
Not a class spell. Buy this off someone or hunt for it if you can, but you'll need this eventually; +60% damage to daggers is awesome. No, it doesn't work like normal %damages equipment and effects, it actually increases the base damage of the weapon so all other damage calculations increase the buffed damage, so finally you get a MUCH higher bonus. Put simply, this thing is awesome. Also, daggers only cost 3 AP per use so Srams get the best use out of this with a lovely +120% damage per turn with normal AP.
Bow Skill*
Again, not a class spell. I only know of one bow that costs 3 AP to use, and that's the low-low level Whistling Bow. So for a bow build, an 8 (preferably 9 so you can mix in Invisibility) AP set is great. Even a dagger Sram might want to invest in this at higher levels, just for some flexibility.
Tricky Trap
A size 0 (one square) trap that isn't linear, doesn't need Line of Sight, and costs 3 AP. Useful in your lowbie levels. The permanent size 0 makes this trap obsolete later on though, as well as the low damage, especially because AI can (almost?) always see traps. Can be used with the Tricky Trap/Tricky Blow combo by low-level Srams (see below).
Location
Ecaflips don't have anything to brag about, we have the good stuff. This neat thing only costs 2 AP at all levels, and can NEVER - EVER - fail. It makes all invisible things on the map visible (sadly, to everyone, not just you). It also reveals Traps to all allies standing within the Area of Effect, which is the only thing that gets better if you level this spell. Handy maybe, but don't bother leveling it. Just keep it in your spell bar.
Deviousness
Not a spell you'd want to level. It has 1-4 range and costs 3 AP at level 5, but the damage is horridly low and it breaks invisibility. Pass. If you need to do damage at low levels, the Tricky Trap/Tricky Blow combo works better (see below).
Added: This spell gets a pretty major boost at level 6 - crit rate jumps from 1/50 to 1/30, and the critical damage is a stable 20 base. It also becomes 5 Range (boostable). If you can spare the points you might want to max this at level 101 for more flexibility, but not before.
Deceitful Attack
If you really want range that much, get a bow. This is lame; the only fire damage spell Srams get, the damage is shoddy, and it's linear to boot. Did I mention that it breaks invisibility?
Mistake
You know what a Mistake really is? Leveling this spell. Sure, you might be amazed at the damage (lol) or fall in love with the temporary (low) stat boosts, but 6 AP? And breaking invisibility? No thanks. This will never ever be useful past level 20 or so.
Tricky Blow
A spell that doesn't suck? Really? Finally? Wow. Okay, level this to level 3 for a 3 AP cost. You won't be using this to do damage, trust me; you need it for the knockback. Knockback is always nice to have, but it's even nicer when you can knock things into traps. A popular combo for low-level Srams is using Tricky Trap BEHIND the enemy (no Line of Sight required, remember?) And Tricky Blowing him into it. Even with level 1 Trap and level 3 Blow, the damage will be semi-decent for your level and should let you solo a lot more than other characters around your level. This spell is useful in many, many ways until its big brother arrives at level 60 (see below). One more fun use for this is killing Fecas with Immunity/Truce on or Sadidas with Sylvan Power; no shield is powerful enough to block knockback damage (bashing things against a wall).
Double
Don't you just love spells that are just as useful at level 1 as they are at level 5? I know I do. Double is very handy spell in a lot of situations - you create a copy of yourself (that can't attack) that walks to wards the enemy, and can be used for triggering traps, blocking Line of Sight (which we don't need), blocking the enemy from moving (With decent Agi you should block most people from Dodge rolling unless they're Agi Sacriers or Bluff Ecaflips.) and so on. It's also handy as a decoy against monsters, especially if they have nasty poisons or the like.
Invisibility
Max this, NOW. At level 5 it lasts 4 or 5 turns depending on how laggy it is (lol), gives you +1 MP (+1-2 at level 6) and only costs 1 AP to cast, making it VERY flexible to use. 7 AP is handy to use Dagger Skill and turn invisible ine one turn, or turn invisible and stab twice. This spell will be one of your most useful ones forever. Traps, buffs, and dagger attacks don't break invisibility, but Location and other offensive actions will.
Mass Trap
Useful, useful, useful. Max this. It may be linear, but it's size 2 (as big as Temporal Dust and most other common Area of Effect (AoE) attacks aside from Manifold Bramble.) and doesn't need Line of Sight. Tip: Place this right next to an enemy so they can't escape it unless they have Jump or Teleport (Feline's Leap and Flight won't work). The damage is highly random, but usually fairly decent considering that this is not your main attack. Overall, good for wearing stuff down as you get closer, or harassing things from behind an obstacle.
Invisibility of Others
Meh. Costs 5 AP, is ranged, lasts longer than your own Invisibility but doesn't give the MP. I find that leaving this at level 1 was fine, as I don't use it much anyway (I've always seen Srams as more of a solo class) and your friends will break Invisibility as soon as they attack again anyway. It's good for keeping healers out of harm's way or potentially saving someone from unintelligent monsters, I guess.
Poisoned Trap
This is an "up to you" point. Some people choose to max this INSTEAD of Mass Trap. I myself am probably going to max this after I max Fear. This spell can be pretty useful in many situations at level 5, but if you don't put any points into it it pretty much sucks. Relies heavily on +damages and +damages to traps. Tip: This goes through ANYTHING a Feca might throw on for protection (unless it's a Prespic Set.) but it doesn't do anything to a Sadida's Sylvan Power. IRONY.
Chakra Concentration
Ever seen a Cra use Powerful Shooting? Or an Ecaflip using Wheel of Fortune? Did you go all "wow, I wish I had something like that"? Well, here's our heavily watered-down version of it. A minimum roll of +2 Strength (WOW) is present at all levels, and the maximum is a shoddy +100 (which is what Powerful Shooting and Wheel of Fortune would give constantly, unless Wheel gets a critical). I advise you not to level this unless you're feeling lucky and have the points to spare. I certainly don't.
Paralyzing Trap
Extremely handy. Max this. When you first get this trap and use it, you might think it's bugged or doesn't work - enemy steps on it and nothing happens. WRONG. The next 3 of your enemy's turns will all begin with him losing 10 MP. 10 MP, think about it. That would even cripple a Sadida with a load of Inflatables out. And it's as big as Mass Trap too, yay! Just remember that it has a cooldown of 5 turns, so don't waste it.
Trap of Silence
Another extremely handy trap. This one saps up to 8 AP from an enemy if he steps on it, and once again is as huge as Mass Trap. But wait, there's more! It only costs 3 AP. You could easily stab an enemy once, put a trap next to both of you, step on it yourself and step back next to the enemy. Since you stepped on it on that turn, you'll have full AP on your next turn, while the enemy can't do anything but sit on his hands waiting for you to stab him more. Very handy, and has saved me many times. Tip: Level this to level 4. You get the best AP cost and cooldown at level 4, level 5 only makes it drain 1 more AP, but 7 is fine too.
Unsummoning Trap
Pretend you never got this.
Fear
God, yes. Tricky Blow's bigger badder brother. While this does zero damage, it costs only 2 AP to use and knocks back a LOT farther! 5 squares at level 5, in fact! Max this ASAP and love it. Did I mention that it doesn't break invisibility either, as it isn't a damaging spell? YAY.
Con
Ehhhh. I used to like the idea of this spell, but it does low damage, has a VERY random amount of kamas stolen per hit, and is 1 cast per turn. I'd say leave it at level 1 unless you like the elemental versatility and can spare the points.
Chakra Impulse
Okay, I admit it, I don't know almost anything about this spell (LOL NOOB) but supposedly it gives you a LOT of +criticals. I heard some rumors about it being very random and non-infinite though, but hey... look at the next spell before you make a decision on this one.
Lethal Attack
It can kill a bitch. Lethal Attack is Deviousness's bigger badder brother. Another low-range attack, only this one costs more AP and does more damage. Lame, you say? Well, the base damage is 41-60 at level 5. That's not too bad. But hey, guess what, it has a critical hit effect as well. 131-150 damage. Yes. Go change your underwear now. The sad thing is this spell has a 1/80 critical hit rate at level 5. But hey, you should be focusing on Critical Hits anyway if you're a Sram in the first place. 1/80 is annoying to get to 1/2 but when you DO crit with this, you will love it.
Lethal Trap
Throw this in the bucket with all the other diasppointing level 100 spells. It does exactly the same damage as Lethal Attack, yet it has a cooldown and crappy range. It's size 0 at all levels, meaning everyone and their grandmother will avoid it easily. Unless you're in a permanent group with a Panda or something, don't touch this.
Other tips and advice
Footwork is important. Srams are quite possibly the one class that can make the best use out of every point of extra MP they have. With Invisibility, every time you move your enemy has 4^(amount of your MP) choices of squares to target. Granted, anyone with half a brain or an AoE attack could make a logical guess at where you are, but still, more MP and decent dodge rolls makes you near impossible to hit. Just don't waste your Invisibility turns.
Srams need to be careful in team play, especially if you use traps. The "Show square" button is very useful here, but don't always assume your pack of newbs knows how big your traps are.
As the in-game description says, Srams ARE about bluff, cheek, and trickery. Sometimes when I haven't been too confident in my dodge rolling capabilities, I wait a few seconds and go "Heh, guess your Agi isn't as high as I thought" and often the enemy player thinks I moved. OOPS. Sorry, you just failed your dodge roll, thanks for the free turn of stabbing you. Seriously, taking during combat can turn the tables in your favor occasionally, unless your opponent is highly resistant to bullshit.
Keep moving. Don't just stand in front of the enemy invisible and stab away, move around them, behind them, diagonally away 1 square if they have linear attacks, look at their MP and calculate how easily you could get back near them IF they decide to move after this, and so on.
Submitted by Robbeh:
When facing an enemy that uses close combat twice, and he misses in his first 2 hits, move INTO the square he/she attacked first, the person thinks "OH, he's not there..." and attacks different squares, at which point, you stab them again and move.
Another desperate tactic, when advancing on an opponent, like a Cra, who shoots at you, without AoE, summon your double BEHIND you while invisible. People rarely attack 1 square forward from the double.
(Will add more if more comes to mind)
PvP Matchups
WARNING, I'M A LOWBIE. My PvP experiences haven't gone past level 90 so my opinions might be horribly wrong for higher levels. Having said that, here we go.
Sram vs. Sadida
Sadidas are hard for most people, and that includes Srams. However, it's not as hard for us as most others.
The main problem is getting close without getting killed. Sadis can buff their own MP, they're great at long range (AND at close range so be careful) and they have the biggest AoE attack in the game. However, Paralyzing Traps work wonders. Very map-dependant. If the Sadida is wearing a Treeset at your level, that might actually be a good thing - the -1 MP makes it so much easier for you to harass them. Also, always remember that Staves hit the target square and 2 squares next to it. So, when moving away after a stab, don't move onto a square diagonally away from the Sadida.
Sram vs. Osamodas
No offense to Osamodas, but most of them get real cocky with their Punch of the Crackler, thinking that it owns everything that moves and that it makes our Invisibility useless. WRONG. Confusion is the key here. PoC hits an area as big as Mass Trap, but the center square is right in front of the Osa. So, keep moving, try to trick him into attacking the wrong square, stab at his summon on the left of him and then move right, use your double, and so on. Just don't stay directly next to him. If he's lucky he'll still get a hit or two at you but you should still win eventually. This is a very luck based fight, as summons sometimes attack you with fury, and sometimes they don't see you.
Sram vs. Enutrof
Enus are one of the best classes against Srams. They can turn invisible just like us, they can increase their MP better than us, they can nerf OUR MP if they know where we are or we're invisible, they can choose to stick to long (LONG) range if needed... face it, they're pretty damn crafty. Shovels hurt a lot at close range too, but luckily we're hard to hit. Battlefield manipulation is good here.
Sram vs. Sram
ANNOYING. Bow Srams are generally better at killing Dagger Srams than vice-versa though, due to the fact that aside from having all the same powers, they can deal high damage at a range while still outrunning/knocking back the other. Invisibility is only useful for the MP in these fights as both have Location. Traps are only useful when placed directly next to the other as well, for the same reason. This will mainly be a battle of wits.
Sram vs. Xelor
More than likely, the Xelor will start first. Most Xelors these days all do the same: Stack on a bunch of buffs on their first turn, teleport in and start smacking on the second. So, make them waste their teleport as soon as possible. Traps are fun for this. Xelors also have Mummification, but this shouldn't pose TOO much of a problem for you; the reduction isn't that crippling. However, paired with Counter and Blinding Protection, it might hurt. If at all possible, it might even be worth it to wait for Mummification to expire, unless your lovely 1/2 critical rate set can do some sweet damage through all of the Xelor's defenses.
Sram vs. Ecaflip
Bluffers are so easy to kill that I won't even stop on those.
Strength Ecaflips are harder as they can actually hurt you, in many ways. Though, most of them are too cocky about Perception - at level 1 this spell reveals invisible units on the map, BUT it costs 6 AP and has a 1/5 Critical Failure rate. Ever seen anyone fight with a Tont'Ata staff and fail all the friggin time? Yeah, it's like that, only worse because of the 6 AP. If you can get close to them while still invisible, you'll usually win.
THIS DRASTICALLY CHANGES AT LEVEL 70. Since we're all sneaky and stuff, we need to manipulate the battlefield. However, Playful Claw makes this EXTEMELY HARD. It goes through walls and does nice damage to boot, what the hell? Still killable though, try to abuse the fact that Playful is Linear.
Sram vs. Eniripsa
A certain guild member of mine keeps whining about how Srams own her all the time. Yeah, I guess I can see why... an Eni below level 100 (no experience against people with level 6 spells) can NOT outheal the damage a Sram within 10-20 levels of their level can dish out. Plus, Wands have awkward range - get the Cawwot Spell if you can and summon it behind yourself so they can't knock you back OR dodge roll you.
Coneys are your friends! They're excellent for triggering traps for you when you can't place them at the optimal spot for the Eni.
Sram vs. Iop
Okay, so I fought this friend/person who was a level 9x Iop at the time (100 now, grats) once. Sword of Iop hurts, a lot. Though the Area of Effect is supposedly cross-shaped (?) it's still a level 90 area of effect spell. and the range doesn't suck either.
Below that, Iops aren't THAT bad, just make sure they can't make your life too difficult by comboing Jump with attacks. Jump has a bad failure rate below level 6 so you might get lucky. Iops do hit hard up close, so be careful.
Sram vs. Cra
Let me just say that Explosive Arrow is a bitch. Okay? Okay.
Now back down to around my level. Many many many Int Cras favor Burning Arrow over Magic Arrow for some weird reason, so just stay out of their Linear path when invisible. Using your Double to keep them in place is great as well.
Strength Cras have this nasty trick called Punitive Arrow. It can either one-hit you or do almost no damage. Hope you get lucky. Strength Cras have no AoE attacks so you can just punch your Double into their face and follow behind it, then become Invisible when you get close. Bam, dead Cra.
Overall, Cras have the advantage on large open maps with little to no obstacles and distant starting points. My tip? Avoid maps like this. Either that or get a LOT of MP.
Sram vs. Feca
No big deal, you can and will hit through their shields with your damage. A nifty trick I totally read in Quivitar's Feca guide that a Feca will use is casting Immobilizing Glyph. If you're unlucky and it steals your MP, the Feca will cast Burning Glyph on top of it on their next turn and run away giggling. You're f*cked.
If this doesn't happen the Feca will usually end up casting Immunity or Truce at an attempt to save their skin. No big deal, Tricky Blow/Fear them into a fall a few times. Or, even better, cast Poison Trap - yes, it goes through EVERYTHING a Feca can cast. Even Truce.
Sram vs. Sacrier
Okay, my biggest nightmare: Agi Sacrier with air-damage bow and lots and lots and lots of MP. I have no idea how you'd kill one of these.
Agi Sacriers that don't pick such an amazing build are a bit easier, but still hard because you probably won't dodge roll them... past level 60 this becomes less of a threat as you can Fear them away. Agi Sacriers take more strategy than most other enemies.
Strength Sacriers have it the worst. I use them instead of Poutch Ingballs to test my damage because it's fun to watch them fight back and die anyway.
Sram vs. Pandawa
I've only fought like one or two Pandawas so far and won easily. Until Ankama makes Pandas not suck, I won't bother with this section.
I'll just say that Chance Pandawas are the way to go right now. Look at Skipp if you don't believe me.
Will update as neccessary.
Equipment
Up until levels 4x-6x you should just stick to standard Strength-based equipment. After that, I advise you put together a custom set that will provide you with a 1/2 crit rate on your daggers, decent Strength and Agility, and some HP. There's lots of choices, be creative and see what you like and what you can afford.. Popular items are Chafeuse Belts (Strength, HP, and lovely +criticals) and Rags (one of the best +critical items for its level). I'll go more in-depth later, as I'm too poor for a decent crit set (wearing a goddamn Earth Kwak set, ewww.)
It's always handy to keep a training set as well, that gives high Wisdom for more experience. Prespic Sets are always popular.
However, at level 29 you should definately get Bashers, which are a lovely pair of daggers.
Then at 40, get Elorie Entuwan's Cruel Daggers. Though the -1 MP might look nasty, it's easily remedied with random bits of equipment and the damage is HUGE for the level.
Alternatives: Otof'Mai'We daggers are air element, and though the damage isn't nearly as good as Elories, they give +1 MP.
Another interesting choice is Eurfolles Daggers, though these require a 1/2 critical rate and, if possible, 8 or more AP to be useful - the damage is TINY, but they only cost 2 AP to attack with, making them VERY flexible to use. They also give +1 MP, which is always nice.
At higher levels [note: The Wiki doesn't say what level these are, information would be nice] you could get Captain Chafer's Small Daggers. These give Wisdom, making them a lovely addition to your training set.
At level 80, if you feel like doing PvP and kicking ass at it, get yourself Ortimus Contrari's Bloody Blades. [note: The Wiki is ambiguous. I'd appreciate it if someone who has actually used these weapons in-game could confirm whether the AP is taken from the target or wielder. I won't comment on the AP loss until then.] These have a 1/20 Critical Rate! With Chakra Impulse and a bit of Agi, you won't need much +criticals from equipment to get these to crit 1/2 of the time. These also give Wisdom, a lot of Agility, +3-5 Critical Hits (making it even easier to get to 1/2) and +1 MP. Sweet.
Another extremely lovely toy to have comes at level 127: the Ramougre Setter. This lovely thing gives Strength, Agility, +damages to traps, quite a bit of Vitality, +criticals, and it steals life too. The life steal is affected by Agility, but you should have this relatively high by now as well, if you're wearing the right type of gear.
Speaking of other types of gear, there's two lovely level 120 hats that have "Sram" written all over them - Giant and Solomonk. I myself find the Solomonk to be better, as it gives better stats, though Giant gives prospecting.
Will update as neccessary.
Training Locations
Levels 1-6 should be done on the Weak Arachnee in the tutorial. After that, do a few quests around Astrub and that should push you to around level 12 or 13.
At that point you should have at least half of a Gobball Set, or maybe and Adventurer Set, or a mix of both. I honestly have no idea what you would do if you're f2p, but for p2p members, go to Porkass Plains and kill solo Shepherds. They have 5 MP, but they do almost no damage and you should be able to kill them easily.
Then when you get too high for that, kill bigger Lousy Pig mobs. If you have a decent pair of Daggers you might swap the Trap+Blow combo for a Dagger+Blow combo. Shepherds tend to see through Invisibility a lot, but Knights don't.
Then bigger ones.
...yeah, that's where I still am at level 54. Pigs pigs pigs. I'm starting to hate bacon by now. You might want to try Wabbits if you don't mind Aggressive mobs, or Piglets if you don't mind a severely crowded training area. Fungi Masters are feasible as well but bringing a friend would be nice. Or Blops, at higher levels, I hear they're nice but the fights supposedly last long.
Anything else?
Feel free to post questions and suggestions in this thread on how to improve this. Either that, or someone go copy-paste Shizu-Jin's guide from the old forums and I'll delete this I guess, everyone hates n00b guides. ;o
Some crappy guide written by that nobody in a Kwak set
Welcome to the wonderful world of backstabbery. In this guide I will be offering tips, advice... oh hell, even instructions on how to build a Sram that might not suck completely. Keep in mind that all of this was written by some level 54 noobcake in a Kwak Set so if you want a REAL guide, look up Shizu-Jin's (now known as Forsaken; we all love you) awesome Sram guide in the Imps Village Archives.
What's that? You're still here? Too lazy to do a few clicks? Fine, I warned you.
Basic class description
Srams are assassins, pure and simple. We harass people with traps with various effects, we sneak up on them and spill their guts on the ground with the help of our trusty/rusty daggers, and... we're apparently undead which allows us to make many "boner" jokes. So what are you waiting for? Make a Sram today and show people that Sadidas AREN'T the kill-all class.
Seriously though, Srams have pretty much everything they need to kill just about anyone. We can keep the enemy from moving (unless he wants to lose his lovely HP), we can summon Doubles to block Line of Sight (henceforth to be referred to as LoS) or to block the enemy from moving again, we can keep the enemy confused and guessing with Invisibility, we can ATTACK while invisible without coming out of it, and we're one of the three or so classes that can buff their own MP.
Downsides? Srams and Pandas are the only mostly close-range-oriented (Chance Pandas and Bow Srams don't count) class that doesn't have a teleportation type of spell. However, Srams are infinitely more mobile than Pandas so that's not THAT much of a disadvantage. Srams also lack shields and healing, but that'd be a bit much on an assassin class, no? Besides, based on spells in Dofus Arena, it seems somewhat likely that Srams might get a life-steal type of attack sometime when other classes get Special Spells as well. We'll see. One more thing: Playing a Sram requires at least a basic understanding of strategy. We don't just randomly run in a straight line towards the enemy, swinging our weapons madly.
Builds
Okay, there are a few different Sram builds but the one I'm most familiar with is the dagger Sram/hybrid Sram, so this guide will be focusing on that build with a few comments here and there on other builds.
1) Dagger Sram/Hybrid Sram/Crit Sram
This build, at least currently, seems to be both the most popular (largely thanks to Shizu-Jin) and the most efficient build. What the Dagger Sram does is, obviously, attack mainly with Daggers. Daggers are this awesome weapon type that use 3 AP per stab (sometimes even 2) and have extremely high Critical Hit modifiers. It also heavily takes advantage of the ability to stay invisible while attacking with daggers (a feat Enutrofs and Eniripsas cannot perform!) and, obviously, the 40% bonus Srams have to dagger attacks. 40%, think about it. Depending on the element of your daggers that's +40 Strength or +40 Agility in your damage calculations. And that's not half bad, especially because due to our low AP costs per attack this adds up nicely in the end. The (only?) downside to this build is that it's heavily close-range focused and Srams (generally) have low HP, so if you're on a large battlefield with no obstacles and distant starting points and your enemy is a Cra or something... it might be a bit difficult not to die before you make it to them. Oh well, now you know what playing a level 1x Iop feels like.
"But why don't I just use Invisibility on my first turn?"
Because it only lasts 4 friggin turns (or 5, depending on what mood the game is in). By the time you make it to the enemy (who can just run away from your general direction as you try to get close) it'll wear off and you'll get shot in the face. This is why you generally save this for when you get within one or two turns of running distance to the enemy, unless it's critical to your strategy somehow.
Some Strength/Hybrid Srams decide to use bows instead. A very popular bow at newbie levels is the Whistling Bow (3 AP per shot), and at higher levels, the Fishing Bow, though this one needs 8 AP to be efficient.
2) Agi Sram
I've seen many of these around lately. I don't really know much about them, other than they pump Agi (which has a nice soft-cap of 100, just like Strength) and some use a Hidsad Bow (level 40) until god knows how long. Srams have a 0% modifier on Swords and Bows so a bow would be a second favored weapon. Due to the innately high base damage on the Hidsad Bow, most Srams kill fairly quickly by shooting once, using Invisibility, and shooting again on the second turn. Bows DO break invisibility but due to the range you can get that first hit in before you vanish. I don't know what they do in higher levels when Hidsad becomes weak, though. Oh, Bow Srams are quite possibly the best class that can kill Dagger Srams, yet Dagger Srams seem to be better against everyone else. Some Agi Srams, however, use reforged daggers or the Aerdala Set. While more expensive, this build seems quite effective as well, as your dodge roll modifiers will be even better and it will be easier to obtain a 1/2 critical rate. However, this will make earth-based spells a lot weaker.
I would appreciate more information on this build from people that have played it to a high level.
3) Trap Sram
Again, don't know much about these guys as I've only seen a few. They focus solely on traps, and seem to use Strength Bows at times as well (though this will require some Agility), to keep the enemy busy. +damages to traps gear would probably be highly recommended for these guys, as well as lots of +range equipment. I really need more info on this build.
For now, lets focus on the good old Dagger Sram.
Stats
Strength: Yes. Lots and lots. Almost all daggers do Neutral Damage by default, so this will be important for you. Also, traps and Lethal Attack do earth damage. You will put points into this until the end of time.
Agility: You need this for dodge rolls and to equip daggers, AND it boosts your critical rate. Get it or scroll it to 100 or 101 base. Agi Srams will obviously keep boosting this...
Wisdom: Wisdom is awesome, unless you put points into it. Each point of wisdom increases the experience you earn per fight by 1%. Scroll this ASAP.
Chance: Only good for Prospecting and Initiative. Scrolling this is recommended, yet not that important.
Intelligence: No, you will NEVER use Deceitful Attack. Srams are thugs, not rocket scientists. However, scrolling this to 100ish gives you a lovely +150 Initiative, so if your Sram is your main it might be worth it.
Vitality: Scroll this to 101 and let it be. Don't put points into it, just wait until all the high level items that give friggin' +200something vitality on a HAT. You'll be fine until then.
Spells
Srams rely mostly on Close Combat, but naturally spells help a LOT. Lets look at them, shall we?
Dagger Skill*
Not a class spell. Buy this off someone or hunt for it if you can, but you'll need this eventually; +60% damage to daggers is awesome. No, it doesn't work like normal %damages equipment and effects, it actually increases the base damage of the weapon so all other damage calculations increase the buffed damage, so finally you get a MUCH higher bonus. Put simply, this thing is awesome. Also, daggers only cost 3 AP per use so Srams get the best use out of this with a lovely +120% damage per turn with normal AP.
Bow Skill*
Again, not a class spell. I only know of one bow that costs 3 AP to use, and that's the low-low level Whistling Bow. So for a bow build, an 8 (preferably 9 so you can mix in Invisibility) AP set is great. Even a dagger Sram might want to invest in this at higher levels, just for some flexibility.
Tricky Trap
A size 0 (one square) trap that isn't linear, doesn't need Line of Sight, and costs 3 AP. Useful in your lowbie levels. The permanent size 0 makes this trap obsolete later on though, as well as the low damage, especially because AI can (almost?) always see traps. Can be used with the Tricky Trap/Tricky Blow combo by low-level Srams (see below).
Location
Ecaflips don't have anything to brag about, we have the good stuff. This neat thing only costs 2 AP at all levels, and can NEVER - EVER - fail. It makes all invisible things on the map visible (sadly, to everyone, not just you). It also reveals Traps to all allies standing within the Area of Effect, which is the only thing that gets better if you level this spell. Handy maybe, but don't bother leveling it. Just keep it in your spell bar.
Deviousness
Not a spell you'd want to level. It has 1-4 range and costs 3 AP at level 5, but the damage is horridly low and it breaks invisibility. Pass. If you need to do damage at low levels, the Tricky Trap/Tricky Blow combo works better (see below).
Added: This spell gets a pretty major boost at level 6 - crit rate jumps from 1/50 to 1/30, and the critical damage is a stable 20 base. It also becomes 5 Range (boostable). If you can spare the points you might want to max this at level 101 for more flexibility, but not before.
Deceitful Attack
If you really want range that much, get a bow. This is lame; the only fire damage spell Srams get, the damage is shoddy, and it's linear to boot. Did I mention that it breaks invisibility?
Mistake
You know what a Mistake really is? Leveling this spell. Sure, you might be amazed at the damage (lol) or fall in love with the temporary (low) stat boosts, but 6 AP? And breaking invisibility? No thanks. This will never ever be useful past level 20 or so.
Tricky Blow
A spell that doesn't suck? Really? Finally? Wow. Okay, level this to level 3 for a 3 AP cost. You won't be using this to do damage, trust me; you need it for the knockback. Knockback is always nice to have, but it's even nicer when you can knock things into traps. A popular combo for low-level Srams is using Tricky Trap BEHIND the enemy (no Line of Sight required, remember?) And Tricky Blowing him into it. Even with level 1 Trap and level 3 Blow, the damage will be semi-decent for your level and should let you solo a lot more than other characters around your level. This spell is useful in many, many ways until its big brother arrives at level 60 (see below). One more fun use for this is killing Fecas with Immunity/Truce on or Sadidas with Sylvan Power; no shield is powerful enough to block knockback damage (bashing things against a wall).
Double
Don't you just love spells that are just as useful at level 1 as they are at level 5? I know I do. Double is very handy spell in a lot of situations - you create a copy of yourself (that can't attack) that walks to wards the enemy, and can be used for triggering traps, blocking Line of Sight (which we don't need), blocking the enemy from moving (With decent Agi you should block most people from Dodge rolling unless they're Agi Sacriers or Bluff Ecaflips.) and so on. It's also handy as a decoy against monsters, especially if they have nasty poisons or the like.
Invisibility
Max this, NOW. At level 5 it lasts 4 or 5 turns depending on how laggy it is (lol), gives you +1 MP (+1-2 at level 6) and only costs 1 AP to cast, making it VERY flexible to use. 7 AP is handy to use Dagger Skill and turn invisible ine one turn, or turn invisible and stab twice. This spell will be one of your most useful ones forever. Traps, buffs, and dagger attacks don't break invisibility, but Location and other offensive actions will.
Mass Trap
Useful, useful, useful. Max this. It may be linear, but it's size 2 (as big as Temporal Dust and most other common Area of Effect (AoE) attacks aside from Manifold Bramble.) and doesn't need Line of Sight. Tip: Place this right next to an enemy so they can't escape it unless they have Jump or Teleport (Feline's Leap and Flight won't work). The damage is highly random, but usually fairly decent considering that this is not your main attack. Overall, good for wearing stuff down as you get closer, or harassing things from behind an obstacle.
Invisibility of Others
Meh. Costs 5 AP, is ranged, lasts longer than your own Invisibility but doesn't give the MP. I find that leaving this at level 1 was fine, as I don't use it much anyway (I've always seen Srams as more of a solo class) and your friends will break Invisibility as soon as they attack again anyway. It's good for keeping healers out of harm's way or potentially saving someone from unintelligent monsters, I guess.
Poisoned Trap
This is an "up to you" point. Some people choose to max this INSTEAD of Mass Trap. I myself am probably going to max this after I max Fear. This spell can be pretty useful in many situations at level 5, but if you don't put any points into it it pretty much sucks. Relies heavily on +damages and +damages to traps. Tip: This goes through ANYTHING a Feca might throw on for protection (unless it's a Prespic Set.) but it doesn't do anything to a Sadida's Sylvan Power. IRONY.
Chakra Concentration
Ever seen a Cra use Powerful Shooting? Or an Ecaflip using Wheel of Fortune? Did you go all "wow, I wish I had something like that"? Well, here's our heavily watered-down version of it. A minimum roll of +2 Strength (WOW) is present at all levels, and the maximum is a shoddy +100 (which is what Powerful Shooting and Wheel of Fortune would give constantly, unless Wheel gets a critical). I advise you not to level this unless you're feeling lucky and have the points to spare. I certainly don't.
Paralyzing Trap
Extremely handy. Max this. When you first get this trap and use it, you might think it's bugged or doesn't work - enemy steps on it and nothing happens. WRONG. The next 3 of your enemy's turns will all begin with him losing 10 MP. 10 MP, think about it. That would even cripple a Sadida with a load of Inflatables out. And it's as big as Mass Trap too, yay! Just remember that it has a cooldown of 5 turns, so don't waste it.
Trap of Silence
Another extremely handy trap. This one saps up to 8 AP from an enemy if he steps on it, and once again is as huge as Mass Trap. But wait, there's more! It only costs 3 AP. You could easily stab an enemy once, put a trap next to both of you, step on it yourself and step back next to the enemy. Since you stepped on it on that turn, you'll have full AP on your next turn, while the enemy can't do anything but sit on his hands waiting for you to stab him more. Very handy, and has saved me many times. Tip: Level this to level 4. You get the best AP cost and cooldown at level 4, level 5 only makes it drain 1 more AP, but 7 is fine too.
Unsummoning Trap
Pretend you never got this.
Fear
God, yes. Tricky Blow's bigger badder brother. While this does zero damage, it costs only 2 AP to use and knocks back a LOT farther! 5 squares at level 5, in fact! Max this ASAP and love it. Did I mention that it doesn't break invisibility either, as it isn't a damaging spell? YAY.
Con
Ehhhh. I used to like the idea of this spell, but it does low damage, has a VERY random amount of kamas stolen per hit, and is 1 cast per turn. I'd say leave it at level 1 unless you like the elemental versatility and can spare the points.
Chakra Impulse
Okay, I admit it, I don't know almost anything about this spell (LOL NOOB) but supposedly it gives you a LOT of +criticals. I heard some rumors about it being very random and non-infinite though, but hey... look at the next spell before you make a decision on this one.
Lethal Attack
Lethal Trap
Throw this in the bucket with all the other diasppointing level 100 spells. It does exactly the same damage as Lethal Attack, yet it has a cooldown and crappy range. It's size 0 at all levels, meaning everyone and their grandmother will avoid it easily. Unless you're in a permanent group with a Panda or something, don't touch this.
Other tips and advice
Footwork is important. Srams are quite possibly the one class that can make the best use out of every point of extra MP they have. With Invisibility, every time you move your enemy has 4^(amount of your MP) choices of squares to target. Granted, anyone with half a brain or an AoE attack could make a logical guess at where you are, but still, more MP and decent dodge rolls makes you near impossible to hit. Just don't waste your Invisibility turns.
Srams need to be careful in team play, especially if you use traps. The "Show square" button is very useful here, but don't always assume your pack of newbs knows how big your traps are.
As the in-game description says, Srams ARE about bluff, cheek, and trickery. Sometimes when I haven't been too confident in my dodge rolling capabilities, I wait a few seconds and go "Heh, guess your Agi isn't as high as I thought" and often the enemy player thinks I moved. OOPS. Sorry, you just failed your dodge roll, thanks for the free turn of stabbing you. Seriously, taking during combat can turn the tables in your favor occasionally, unless your opponent is highly resistant to bullshit.
Keep moving. Don't just stand in front of the enemy invisible and stab away, move around them, behind them, diagonally away 1 square if they have linear attacks, look at their MP and calculate how easily you could get back near them IF they decide to move after this, and so on.
Submitted by Robbeh:
When facing an enemy that uses close combat twice, and he misses in his first 2 hits, move INTO the square he/she attacked first, the person thinks "OH, he's not there..." and attacks different squares, at which point, you stab them again and move.
Another desperate tactic, when advancing on an opponent, like a Cra, who shoots at you, without AoE, summon your double BEHIND you while invisible. People rarely attack 1 square forward from the double.
(Will add more if more comes to mind)
PvP Matchups
WARNING, I'M A LOWBIE. My PvP experiences haven't gone past level 90 so my opinions might be horribly wrong for higher levels. Having said that, here we go.
Sram vs. Sadida
Sadidas are hard for most people, and that includes Srams. However, it's not as hard for us as most others.
The main problem is getting close without getting killed. Sadis can buff their own MP, they're great at long range (AND at close range so be careful) and they have the biggest AoE attack in the game. However, Paralyzing Traps work wonders. Very map-dependant. If the Sadida is wearing a Treeset at your level, that might actually be a good thing - the -1 MP makes it so much easier for you to harass them. Also, always remember that Staves hit the target square and 2 squares next to it. So, when moving away after a stab, don't move onto a square diagonally away from the Sadida.
Sram vs. Osamodas
No offense to Osamodas, but most of them get real cocky with their Punch of the Crackler, thinking that it owns everything that moves and that it makes our Invisibility useless. WRONG. Confusion is the key here. PoC hits an area as big as Mass Trap, but the center square is right in front of the Osa. So, keep moving, try to trick him into attacking the wrong square, stab at his summon on the left of him and then move right, use your double, and so on. Just don't stay directly next to him. If he's lucky he'll still get a hit or two at you but you should still win eventually. This is a very luck based fight, as summons sometimes attack you with fury, and sometimes they don't see you.
Sram vs. Enutrof
Enus are one of the best classes against Srams. They can turn invisible just like us, they can increase their MP better than us, they can nerf OUR MP if they know where we are or we're invisible, they can choose to stick to long (LONG) range if needed... face it, they're pretty damn crafty. Shovels hurt a lot at close range too, but luckily we're hard to hit. Battlefield manipulation is good here.
Sram vs. Sram
ANNOYING. Bow Srams are generally better at killing Dagger Srams than vice-versa though, due to the fact that aside from having all the same powers, they can deal high damage at a range while still outrunning/knocking back the other. Invisibility is only useful for the MP in these fights as both have Location. Traps are only useful when placed directly next to the other as well, for the same reason. This will mainly be a battle of wits.
Sram vs. Xelor
More than likely, the Xelor will start first. Most Xelors these days all do the same: Stack on a bunch of buffs on their first turn, teleport in and start smacking on the second. So, make them waste their teleport as soon as possible. Traps are fun for this. Xelors also have Mummification, but this shouldn't pose TOO much of a problem for you; the reduction isn't that crippling. However, paired with Counter and Blinding Protection, it might hurt. If at all possible, it might even be worth it to wait for Mummification to expire, unless your lovely 1/2 critical rate set can do some sweet damage through all of the Xelor's defenses.
Sram vs. Ecaflip
Bluffers are so easy to kill that I won't even stop on those.
Strength Ecaflips are harder as they can actually hurt you, in many ways. Though, most of them are too cocky about Perception - at level 1 this spell reveals invisible units on the map, BUT it costs 6 AP and has a 1/5 Critical Failure rate. Ever seen anyone fight with a Tont'Ata staff and fail all the friggin time? Yeah, it's like that, only worse because of the 6 AP. If you can get close to them while still invisible, you'll usually win.
THIS DRASTICALLY CHANGES AT LEVEL 70. Since we're all sneaky and stuff, we need to manipulate the battlefield. However, Playful Claw makes this EXTEMELY HARD. It goes through walls and does nice damage to boot, what the hell? Still killable though, try to abuse the fact that Playful is Linear.
Sram vs. Eniripsa
A certain guild member of mine keeps whining about how Srams own her all the time. Yeah, I guess I can see why... an Eni below level 100 (no experience against people with level 6 spells) can NOT outheal the damage a Sram within 10-20 levels of their level can dish out. Plus, Wands have awkward range - get the Cawwot Spell if you can and summon it behind yourself so they can't knock you back OR dodge roll you.
Coneys are your friends! They're excellent for triggering traps for you when you can't place them at the optimal spot for the Eni.
Sram vs. Iop
Okay, so I fought this friend/person who was a level 9x Iop at the time (100 now, grats) once. Sword of Iop hurts, a lot. Though the Area of Effect is supposedly cross-shaped (?) it's still a level 90 area of effect spell. and the range doesn't suck either.
Below that, Iops aren't THAT bad, just make sure they can't make your life too difficult by comboing Jump with attacks. Jump has a bad failure rate below level 6 so you might get lucky. Iops do hit hard up close, so be careful.
Sram vs. Cra
Let me just say that Explosive Arrow is a bitch. Okay? Okay.
Now back down to around my level. Many many many Int Cras favor Burning Arrow over Magic Arrow for some weird reason, so just stay out of their Linear path when invisible. Using your Double to keep them in place is great as well.
Strength Cras have this nasty trick called Punitive Arrow. It can either one-hit you or do almost no damage. Hope you get lucky. Strength Cras have no AoE attacks so you can just punch your Double into their face and follow behind it, then become Invisible when you get close. Bam, dead Cra.
Overall, Cras have the advantage on large open maps with little to no obstacles and distant starting points. My tip? Avoid maps like this. Either that or get a LOT of MP.
Sram vs. Feca
No big deal, you can and will hit through their shields with your damage. A nifty trick I totally read in Quivitar's Feca guide that a Feca will use is casting Immobilizing Glyph. If you're unlucky and it steals your MP, the Feca will cast Burning Glyph on top of it on their next turn and run away giggling. You're f*cked.
If this doesn't happen the Feca will usually end up casting Immunity or Truce at an attempt to save their skin. No big deal, Tricky Blow/Fear them into a fall a few times. Or, even better, cast Poison Trap - yes, it goes through EVERYTHING a Feca can cast. Even Truce.
Sram vs. Sacrier
Okay, my biggest nightmare: Agi Sacrier with air-damage bow and lots and lots and lots of MP. I have no idea how you'd kill one of these.
Agi Sacriers that don't pick such an amazing build are a bit easier, but still hard because you probably won't dodge roll them... past level 60 this becomes less of a threat as you can Fear them away. Agi Sacriers take more strategy than most other enemies.
Strength Sacriers have it the worst. I use them instead of Poutch Ingballs to test my damage because it's fun to watch them fight back and die anyway.
Sram vs. Pandawa
I've only fought like one or two Pandawas so far and won easily. Until Ankama makes Pandas not suck, I won't bother with this section.
I'll just say that Chance Pandawas are the way to go right now. Look at Skipp if you don't believe me.
Will update as neccessary.
Equipment
Up until levels 4x-6x you should just stick to standard Strength-based equipment. After that, I advise you put together a custom set that will provide you with a 1/2 crit rate on your daggers, decent Strength and Agility, and some HP. There's lots of choices, be creative and see what you like and what you can afford.. Popular items are Chafeuse Belts (Strength, HP, and lovely +criticals) and Rags (one of the best +critical items for its level). I'll go more in-depth later, as I'm too poor for a decent crit set (wearing a goddamn Earth Kwak set, ewww.)
It's always handy to keep a training set as well, that gives high Wisdom for more experience. Prespic Sets are always popular.
However, at level 29 you should definately get Bashers, which are a lovely pair of daggers.
Then at 40, get Elorie Entuwan's Cruel Daggers. Though the -1 MP might look nasty, it's easily remedied with random bits of equipment and the damage is HUGE for the level.
Alternatives: Otof'Mai'We daggers are air element, and though the damage isn't nearly as good as Elories, they give +1 MP.
Another interesting choice is Eurfolles Daggers, though these require a 1/2 critical rate and, if possible, 8 or more AP to be useful - the damage is TINY, but they only cost 2 AP to attack with, making them VERY flexible to use. They also give +1 MP, which is always nice.
At higher levels [note: The Wiki doesn't say what level these are, information would be nice] you could get Captain Chafer's Small Daggers. These give Wisdom, making them a lovely addition to your training set.
At level 80, if you feel like doing PvP and kicking ass at it, get yourself Ortimus Contrari's Bloody Blades. [note: The Wiki is ambiguous. I'd appreciate it if someone who has actually used these weapons in-game could confirm whether the AP is taken from the target or wielder. I won't comment on the AP loss until then.] These have a 1/20 Critical Rate! With Chakra Impulse and a bit of Agi, you won't need much +criticals from equipment to get these to crit 1/2 of the time. These also give Wisdom, a lot of Agility, +3-5 Critical Hits (making it even easier to get to 1/2) and +1 MP. Sweet.
Another extremely lovely toy to have comes at level 127: the Ramougre Setter. This lovely thing gives Strength, Agility, +damages to traps, quite a bit of Vitality, +criticals, and it steals life too. The life steal is affected by Agility, but you should have this relatively high by now as well, if you're wearing the right type of gear.
Speaking of other types of gear, there's two lovely level 120 hats that have "Sram" written all over them - Giant and Solomonk. I myself find the Solomonk to be better, as it gives better stats, though Giant gives prospecting.
Will update as neccessary.
Training Locations
Levels 1-6 should be done on the Weak Arachnee in the tutorial. After that, do a few quests around Astrub and that should push you to around level 12 or 13.
At that point you should have at least half of a Gobball Set, or maybe and Adventurer Set, or a mix of both. I honestly have no idea what you would do if you're f2p, but for p2p members, go to Porkass Plains and kill solo Shepherds. They have 5 MP, but they do almost no damage and you should be able to kill them easily.
Then when you get too high for that, kill bigger Lousy Pig mobs. If you have a decent pair of Daggers you might swap the Trap+Blow combo for a Dagger+Blow combo. Shepherds tend to see through Invisibility a lot, but Knights don't.
Then bigger ones.
...yeah, that's where I still am at level 54. Pigs pigs pigs. I'm starting to hate bacon by now. You might want to try Wabbits if you don't mind Aggressive mobs, or Piglets if you don't mind a severely crowded training area. Fungi Masters are feasible as well but bringing a friend would be nice. Or Blops, at higher levels, I hear they're nice but the fights supposedly last long.
Anything else?
Feel free to post questions and suggestions in this thread on how to improve this. Either that, or someone go copy-paste Shizu-Jin's guide from the old forums and I'll delete this I guess, everyone hates n00b guides. ;o
