Low SL Witch Build

---

Build summary	A low SL invader utilizing high-firepower Spells to destroy enemies before they can get within fighting distance.
Recommended starting class(es)	Royalty
Recommended Soul Level	40
	Recommended stats (Leave at default (**) if not raised)
Vitality	**
Will/Intelligence	24
Endurance	**
Strength	10
Dexterity	**
Magic	35
Faith	16
Luck	**
Recommended equipment	Equipment  Right Hand Primary: Kris Blade+5 Morion Blade Magic Sword "Makato" Right Hand Secondary: Crescent Estoc+5 Crescent Kilij+5 Phosphorescent Pole+5 Left Hand Primary: Insanity Catalyst Left Hand Secondary: Talisman of Beasts Adjudicator's Shield+5 Phosphorescent Pole+5 Rings - Body Form: Clever Rat's Ring Ring of Great Strength Ring of Magical Sharpness Fragrant Ring Rings - Soul Form: Friend's Ring Foe's Ring Ring of Magical Sharpness Clever Rat's Ring Armor: Monk's Head Wrappings  Three Horned Hat Old Raggedy Robes Old Raggedy Gloves  Old Raggedy Boots Weed and Such: Dark Moon Grass Old Spice Fresh Spice With your 2 choices of: Brass Telescope Soul Remains Augite of Guidance Firebomb Now, Why That Equipment? Here I will explain the reasons for using the above items. The Right Hand Kris Blade A Mage necessity. It drastically increases Magic Power (30% if I am not mistaken). Always remember to have it equipped when casting Spells that scale with Magic. Morion Blade To be used in this build's Hyper form. Since your Vitality is as low as possible, this might be the best option; most decent weapons will one-hit you anyways.  Magic Sword "Makato" Simply equip it before Invading to activate Hypermode with it's HP drain. Un-upgraded, it serves it's purpose just as well. Never use it in actual combat. Crescent Estoc The range makes it deadly when compared to the Crescent Falchions and Blessed Maces that will still be popular amongst your adversaries. The damage output can easily 2-shot a Phantom when fully upgraded, and the phenomenal Stamina economy make it ideal for any Mage. Crescent Kilij The damage is substantially bette than Estoc's, but you sacrifice one SL, more Stamina per hit, and a lot of range. It isn't my personal preference, but it can be deadly nonetheless. Phosphorescent Pole A nice tool for fending off aggressive opponents without having to Spice. It can be used in place of Adjudicator's Shield and paired with a Crescent weapon for stacked MP regen and better offensive capabilities. The Left Hand Insanity Catalyst The Spell Assist is far higher than any other Catalyst or Talisman for this SL. Even though your MP bar will be halved, you will OHKO any Phantom with Spells such as Ignite and Fireball. Sometimes even Soul Ray.  Talisman of Beasts Use to Cast Second Chance. Nothing else. I find myself casting it more than once during invasions with several Blues, so it is debatably more useful that Adjudicator's Shield. Adjudicator's Shield Very potent at lower SLs since it's regen is independent of your total HP. This means that those 8HP/sec will count a lot more due to the lower damage output of your enemies. When paired with Phosphorescent Pole, it makes for a super-resilient setup. The Rings Clever Rat's Ring An ideal choice for this build, since it has virtually no drawbacks (you'll get killed in maybe one less hit, but it's worth the 110% AR increase). Try using Firespray with Hypermode… very deadly but very cheap. Still an option if you have enough space to maneuver. Ring of Great Strength Not the most important Ring here… Your equipment is very light and with base Endurance you can still roll perfectly. The only reason I'd see why you'd want to use it is if you prefer heavier armor. I'd recommend RoMS or CRR instead. Ring of Magical Sharpness An ideal Ring for this build, both in Body Form and Soul Form. I replace Cling Ring with it almost all the time. It increases Magic Power by 20%. That can mean the difference between OHKOing with Fireball and 2HKOing.  Fragrant Ring If you're out of Spice, go do something else for an hour and come back. You're MP will most likely be replenished completely. Yeah… This Ring is not very helpful. It stacks with Crescent weapon MP regen and Phosphorescent Pole, so it I'd somewhat useful in that respect. I'd chose one of the above rings any day. Friend's Ring If you feel guilty about ruining dozens of peoples' days by Invading or if you've just screwed up your CT, go ahead and help people through a level. Foe's Ring A must-have for Invading unless you're a Hyper GW type of person (RoSP + CRR is what you'd use). Which this build isn't ideal for.  The Armor Monk's Head Wrappings It isn't necessary with all the firepower you already have, but it can be useful to OHKO with Soul Ray. The only downside is that it blocks your vision and looks extremely stupid. I usually don't wear it, since it can be an instant giveaway as to your play style.  Old Raggedy Set It somewhat compensates for your extraordinarily low MagDef. But Soul Ray will still 2HKO you. So it's mainly for the looks. If you design your character with the signature qualities of a witch (the grotesque green skin, hooked and protruding nose, and jutting chin) then this will compliment it very well.  The Weed and Such Dark Moon Grass Ideal for getting rid of Poison, which can be popularly inflicted at lower levels via cloud. If you feel it unfair, use New/ Full Moon Grass, which can be farmed from the Red-Eye Knights in 1-3 and 1-4. Old Spice Can be bought from the Once Royal Mistress in 3-1, or duped. A must-have for a Mage. Don't ever leave without it. Fresh Spice Can be bought from most vendors, the most accessible being Boldwin. I rarely use it in the heat of battle (Old Spice is better in every way), but I will use it just after I cast HSA to be efficient with my Spice usage. Brass Telescope A humorous taunt. Pull it out after your opponent has taken a facefull of Ignite (or similarly annihilated) and watch their dying body crumple to the ground up close!  Soul Remains  Another taunt. Throw it at your opponent if they are cowering/ running away, or feel free to chuck some at them as the life escapes them. Augite of Guidance To mark where your adversaries have fallen, or to lure your opponents into a trap if they're stupid enough to follow a path of Augite's of Guidance.  Firebomb Just to toy with your poor enemies. The way I use it is to throw several of them at a defensive opponent, then obliterate them with Ignite as they overzealously charge me. It's fun to play with fire.
Recommended spells/miracles	Spells and Miracles Spells Homing Soul Arrow Firespray Ignite Soul Ray Fireball Miracles Second Chance Now, Why Those Spells and Miracles? Here the choices for the above Spells and Miracles will be explained. The Spells Homing Soul Arrow One of the most fun Spells to use at low SLs, since most players will blindly charge you, not knowing what it does. It is also useful in open areas where your enemy can ambush you since it acts as a GPS to locate your target when they are nearby. This is also my main tool vs. Trolls since, when Instacast, is completely invisible. When I see a Scraping Spear, Acid Cloud, etc., I'll nail them with this.  Firespray Is extremely useful to put pressure on an opponent and hit them with Ignite as they charge. Can also be used to Instacast HSA for trollers. When combined with Hypermode, it can be one of the most potent Spells in your arsenal.  Ignite A high damage, instantaneous, close range, hyperarmored tool of destruction. Can be one of the most epic finishers after heckling someone into rushing with Firespray.  Soul Ray Can OHKO most Phantoms with full Mage gear, is great for striking after your enemy attempts to recover from a rain of Firespray.  Fireball Not one of my personal preferences, since it is outclassed by Ignite, and they are both really only used for the same purpose (that is, punishing predictable attacks). The splash when cast without Lock-on is where this shines vs. Ignite. The Miracles Second Chance Mandatory. 'Nuff said.
Gameplay tips and progression	Gameplay Tips and Progression Here I will provide a step by step guide to complete this build. I. Complete 1-1, freeing Ostrava, gathering the Old Raggedy Robes, and the Firebombs. Buy Flame Toss from Sage Freke's Apprentice to really mess up Phalanx. Raise Magic as high as you can get it. II. Head off to 1-2, once again freeing Ostrava and collecting his Dark Moon Grass. Find a Wooden Catalyst on the top of the first guard tower. Tower Knight will be a synch with Flame Toss or Soul Arrow. Raise Magic as high as possible once again, as long as you don't go past 35. III. Work your way through 2-1, the easiest possible World ever for a Mage. Soul Ray everything to death. Collect all the Sharpstone you can here, as well as the Shard of Meltstone for reversing any screw-ups you might make when upgrading weaponry. Grab the Kris Blade here before the final shaft. Armor Spider should be easy if you know how to dodge. Level up Magic to 35 if you can, and invest any extra Souls into Intelligence. IV. 3-1 up next. This level is extremely important. Note also that it is essential that you do not die in Body Form! You must control World Tendency to get the Three Horned Hat. Along the way, pick up the Ring of Magical Sharpness on the 4F before the major staircase entrance. It is located in the Iron Maiden farthest to the left. It is also key that you free Sage Freke as he is essential. Grab the Clever Rat's Ring also. Make sure to kill the Dregling by the keys to Freke's cell who begs you not to. Now for Fool's Idol, I recommend you do not use any Magic Power enhancing items (Kris Blade, RoMS, etc.) since they also lower MagDef by a greater amount. This will put you at odds against the Idol with your low HP to boot. Try to grab the Baby's Nail during the battle since it is tough to get without activating the cutscene that takes you to the 3-2 Archstone. When you return to the Nexus, use the Doll Demon's Soul to learn Soul Ray from Sage Freke. Dupe the Hard Demon's Soul and use one to learn Firespray as well. Increase Intelligence to 18 if possible. The following can be done in any order, but this is my recommendation. V. Gather some friends and take 2-2 by storm. Take the shortcut, and take on Flamelurker. Considered by many to be one of the hardest bosses in the game, he will present a challenge. Keep your distance and bombard him with Soul Ray, but one false step could mean death. It might take a few tries, but you'll eventually learn his patterns. Give his Red Hot Demon's Soul to Blacksmith Ed to be able to upgrade weapons using other Demon's Souls (namely CDS). Up your Intelligence to 18 if able. VI. Kill Dragon God. He is one of the easiest to defeat once you know his patterns, but once again, mistakes mean certain death. Dragon God actually hits harder than any other boss per strike. Once he is slain, return to the Nexus and raise Intelligence once again, aiming for 24. VII. Now it's time for 4-1. Loot the Kilij, Talisman of God, and Adjudicator's Shield. Free Blidge to get some Soul Remains; they will help greatly in 4-2. Trade the Talisman of God for a Colorless Demon's Soul with Sparkly. Adjudicator is very easy if you just circle him at fire at his head with Firespray or Soul Ray. Dupe the CDS upon returning VIII. 4-2 will be the hardest level you can possibly imagine. Everything either has extremely potent melee capability or is virtually impervious to Magic. Your best be here is Firespray and Flame Toss since it inflicts Fire Damage. I'd once again recommend you do not use Magic Damage enhancers due to lowered MagDef. Use Soul Remains on the Reapers to distract them long enough to make an escape or bombard them with Firespray. Make sure to rescue Saint Urbain. As for Old Hero, use Thief's Ring to use effective hit-and-run tactics to prevent him from actually attacking. Raise Faith to 16. Learn and memorize Second Chance. Don't ever leave without it. IX. Go to 5-1 and grab the Talisman of God for casting Second Chance. X. Complete 1-3, grabbing the Iron Ring of Keys and the Official's Cap. Make your way back to the end of 1-2 to rescue Biorr and loot the Bloody Iron Key from the Fat Official guarding his cell. Rescue Yuria and defeat Penetrator. Use your duped Hard Demon's Soul to learn Ignite. XI. Complete Worlds 3 and 4, duping the Yellow Demon's Soul to craft the Insanity Catalyst and learn Homing Soul Arrow. Forge the Morion Blade using Storm Demon's Soul. The rest is up to you. Farm Darkmoonstone, upgrade your weaponry via CDS, get Foe's Ring, or fight Lord Rydyell for the Phosphorescent Pole. As long as you complete the build, the order of procedures is not important beyond this point. Now, Why Those Stats? I will provide justification for the stats listed above. Vitality: It is left at base because any real ability to survive a few more hits would mean pumping it up to at least 20. Anything else would be just an odd inbetween. Leaving it at 8 will give you enough to survive a few hits from a Crescent Falchion+1. Anything stronger than that (think Firestorm as it is quite popular at this SL) will crack your SC. If you play right however, you will either be able to counter FS with HSA and make a getaway, or keep enough distance between the two of you to keep your advantage of range. Firestorm and Hyperarchers are really the only problems you face even with 8 Vitality. Intelligence: 24 is just enough for 4 Spell Slots and just over 100 MP with Insanity Catalyst equipped. It is possible to raise this to 30, reduce Magic to 30 (still a hardcap value), and decrease Strength to 9. Endurance: No need to raise this since the only melee you will be doing is Backstab fishing with your Crescent Estoc. That takes next to no Stamina anyways. Strength: At 10, you can effectively 2-hand a Crescent Kilij, making trading hits with Crescent Falchions the easiest way to win. Reducing it to 9 and reducing Magic to 30 can be done in order to raise Intelligence to 30 for many more Spell combinations. Dexterity: No need to raise this. Keep it at base. Magic: Your main damage stat. 30 is when Diminishing Returns kick in, but only slightly until 50. Then it really hits hard. Between 30 and 40 is where you get the highest damage for your Souls. 35 is ideal and allows you to OHKO with Fireball quite often. 30 is still more than enough to OHKO a Phantom through the rarely seen SC (at this SL range) with HSA. Faith: 16 is just enough to cast SC. There is no reason to raise this any higher. Luck: It's not a BBS Build. How Can I Invade Effectively and Where? Here I will list what I have found to be the most fun/ busy spots for Invading. Tower Knight Archstone: One of the most intricate levels. It takes skill and knowledge to Invade here successfully due to the several "circles," as I call them, or pathways that intersect/ overlap each other. This makes it very easy to become cornered by several opponents. There are also several narrow coridors that limit your mobility greatly (Ignite is perfect for them, though). You do have an advantage, however. The enemies. The level is festering with powerful foes including several Fat Officials and eight Red-Eye Knights. Not to mention the dozens of potentially deadly Boletarian Soldiers and Imperial Spies. Here are some key strategies that I use when Invading this place: When Encountering Enemy Immediately After Spawning Quickly cast HSA, Spice, run. Any smart foe is not likely to tag closely behind. Sprint until you reach the Dregling Merchant's tower, and hide inside his room so that you can still aim your camera to watch the corridor of Imperial Spies. If the Host is a beginner, he is almost certain to open the first Fog Gate and proceed through the level. If this is the case, feel free to jump down once the Host and his/ her Blues have passed the Fog. Wait until they kill the Claymore Red-Eye Knight and proceed to the Fat Official. Now that they have focused their attention on him, create a pincer trap by assaulting from behind! One of the best tactics is to cast HSA once you are close enough, then Backstab whichever Phantom did not receive the full blast. This leaves the Host completely vulnerable, trapped between a Fat Official (if he is still alive, if not, then six Boletarian Soldiers) and you. Soul Ray works great here for spamming into your panicing victim. If the Host did not open the Fog Gate, cast HSA, jump down, and wait for it to fire. If it missed, jumpm down to the ledge between the two wooden ruts alonside the first Fog. Immediately cast HSA. The second a Blue or the Host jumps down, the orbs will fire as they enter the fall recovery animation. Repeat until Host is dead, or chase him down if he tries to Summon more Blues. If Encountered Before the First Fog Gate Cast SC and HSA as normal. Once you locate them, presumably before the firsts Fog, try to make your way to the corridor of Imperial Spies. This is advantageouss because you are accompanied by fairly powerful enemies and are not in danger of pincer attacks. Firestorm works phenomedal here and can actually hit your targets multiple times; a certain death sentence. If Encountered After the First Fog Gate If you find the first Fog open, proceed until you find live enemies. If the Host is nowhere to be found but there are indeed live enemies, make your way to Yuria's tower. Be careful of amushes. Cast HSA and slowly proceed in. If you find the enemy is here, stay outside of the building and keep HSA constantly active, casting Fireballs/ Soul Rays at enemies who show their faces. If Yuria's tower is empty, try waiting by the Boss Fog for the Host to come out of hiding. Do not try searching for him anywhere else because you can easily become victim to becoming surrounded. I will be adding much more as I think about it. Hope you enjoy what is written so far!

Comments

Mugenkira 20 Aug 2011 21:18

lol, sounds amazing.
Brass telescope taunt is OP. But everything else seems incredibly fun :D
Though I need to ask, what progressions would you need to take to make this a viable sl 125 build?
And also is it possible to use this setup without hyper mode?

TheSpaceships 20 Aug 2011 21:57

How could a taunt be overpowered? O_o I know lots of people do it, so to stay unique, I use Soul Remains and rude gestures. :D

This build loses it's potential after this SL, since many of your spells will take 2 hits to kill with due to SC being popular at SLs beyond 40. If you were to take this to the SL125 PvP range, you'd want to make Jumilattorri's Sepukku Sage (Glass Cannon Pure Mage). IIRC, 8 | 40 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 69 | 68 | 7, SL125. ToB & Kris with Adjudicator's or Phosphorescent, and Crestoc.

Also, I myself almost never use Hyper with this setup since you'll be one hitting everything anyways and it just gives a little less room for mistake.

Shtyx 23 Aug 2011 15:09

Nice build. No cheap invading tactics either +1 for chivalry. People who complain about some of these invading tactics are trolls IMO.

Shtyx 25 Aug 2011 14:53

some goofy looking tornado head brass telescoped me last night in 1-4…and yes…being taunted like that was hilarious:D. I'm wondering…has anyone ever lit the 16 lights of guidance in 4-1? Now THAT would be cool to see.

TheSpaceships 25 Aug 2011 15:47

That's funny. :p I always laugh when someone whips out their telescope as I die.

And what 16 lights of guidance? O_o

Shtyx 25 Aug 2011 17:47

Augite of Guidance. I think you can use up to 16 at a time. I was just wondering if anyone managed to win 16 duels(in a row) and used 16 AoG on the ground next to the bodies. I think it would be cool to invade 4-1 for a duel, only to see 16 lights on the ground…talk about atmosphere. I don't know if they would reset for each invasion though?

morg-101 30 Aug 2011 01:18

Well Space another great build I really like HSA at 31+ mag. it OHKOs alot

TheSpaceships 31 Aug 2011 23:14

I've placed like 50 AoG at once… xD And invaders will be able to see it.