My last guide was very specific to the meta at the time and market prices. This guide will act to fill in the gaps of knowledge you may have and help you decide how you want to gear and the stepping stones to take to achieve said goals. Gear is not cookie-cutter as most people think it is. Yes, certain builds work better on certain classes but play style will also help shape your character and how you gear.
Stats:
AP – Direct correlation to damage output.
Accuracy – Helps “land” hits on targets.
Evasion – “Miss” being hit by opponents.
DP – Damage Reduction + Evasion from armor. Think evasion you get hit less per attack (3/7 hits) then damage reduction reduces damage taken.
Builds:
AP – Full ap builds have been popular since launch, AP is a linear stat(BioHack) that will increase damage output. This is normally gone for as a first build as it improves grind speeds for better silver per hour, evasion and dp builds are not needed in a majority of PvE when grinding for silver to buy PvP gear. Maehwa/Sorc work well on a full AP build and so do other classes and playstyles.
Evasion – An evasion build is a popular choice for certain assassin classes who want to counter full ap builds. Ninja/Kunos
Accuracy – A full accuracy build could be considered overkill, the working theory is that there is a threshold to what is needed for an attack to be a successful “hit”. Think of it as my base chance is 80% to hit, they stack 10 evasion lowering my chance to 70% stacking more than what is need to hit “100%” would be overkill. (this all changes with level too). I have seen some rangers go full accuracy.
DP – A full DP build concludes stacking evasion and damage reduction gear to help achieve being a full tank, good for support rolls or crowd control builds in siege. witch/berserker work well with the amount of CC and utility they have.
Hybrid – A mixture of various stats, and possibilities are only limited to the choices in gear you decide to pick. Witches and Wizards work very well on hybrid builds as their utility helps greatly in siege. Ranger/Musa also work well on an accuracy+evasion hybrid build.
Main Hands:
Yuria: Use to be the best choice back at launch due to limited availability of livertos and kzarkas. It mostly sells due to bad judgment and/or old guides that still recommend this option. (Do not enchant your own Yuria)
Rosar: Pretty much the new choice if you are just getting into the game as you most likely won’t have the funds or resources to enchant a rarer item like liverto or kzarka. The reason this item is taken over yuria now is due to it’s base AP being 1 higher and having an extra gem slot(which we will get to later). It is also theorized that Rosar offers a higher base accuracy than that of yuria. If Rosar is sold out Krea is another popular choice.
Liverto: Is 2nd only to kzarka, it shares the same base AP and 2 gem slots. It’s biggest difference is having 5 less accuracy and being +3 crit to your characters stats for gemming options.
Kzarka: The top dog for competitive PvP. It offers higher base accuracy of 5% of liverto which can be the difference to finishing off your opponent or having them live. This option offers +3 Attack speed compare to the +3 Critical as well.
Kaia Weapon: Is a weapon that can be rented in Calpheon for CP that can be used while gearing up – Link
Awakening Weapon:
While the list is small there are some variations as well as optimal choices.
Green: This primarily the first choice as a new player or a poorer player. It is cheap to repair when enchanting. This being said this version should never be taken past TRI level as thus Dandelion becomes the clear choice. It’s base stats are as such; 11-20 AAP +7 All Species Damage.
Blue/Yellow: This awakening weapon is only utilized primarily for PvP as it is 1 enchantment level behind in terms of AAP of the sought after Dandelion. Base stats are as such; 16-25 AAP +7 Human Damage. Wait to make this ultimate, only Ult it at the max level you are going to level it too(TET) because of repair costs.
Dandelion: It is best in slot for PvE and PvP, being 1 enchantment level in terms of AAP above the Blue version it puts it holder in another tier in terms of damage. Base stats are as such; 18-27 AAP. See image below for enchanted level differences.
Offhands:
Now certain offhands have different names for certain classes but have similar stats I will talk about the main ones most players use for a variety of mid to end game builds in the current meta.
(I will use daggers as an example)
Parry Dagger(DEF): This dagger is used in more evasive/defensive builds as it offer the highest amount of evasion of any of these 4 choices. It’s base stats at Ultimate(Gold) are as such; 3AP 4DP +3 evasion +100hp +1 DMG Reduction +1 Special Attack (Back/Down/Air).
Rosar Dagger(DEF): This dagger is also used in evasive/defensive builds. It’s base stats at Ultimate(Gold) are as such; 1-4AP 6DP +1 Special Attack (Back/Down/Air) and 2 Gem Slots.
Steel Dagger(ATT): This is the Full AP offhand, it’s for those that want to smash face, mostly for those who want to do “big damage on my ping”(Mad King Lacari 2016). Base stats at Ultimate(Gold) are as such; 7AP +1 Special Attack (Back/Down/Air).
Kutum Dagger(MIX): This offhand is the Middle Ground between AP and DP. This is one of the best PvE offhand and offers great survivability just beneath the parry offhand while having attack power just below the AP is king choices. Kutum offers 2 Gem slots compared to the Parry and Steel which only offer 1 Gem Slot. Base Stats are as such; 4-6 AP 4DP Ignore All Resistance +10% (hidden accuracy and monster dmg included). [Highly Useful in Kamasilve]
Nouver Dagger(ATT): This is the “NA AP” is king offhand. Not to much to this choice other than being the highest AP offhand currently in the game. It’s base stats are as such; 6-8AP and +All Resistance 10% and 2 Gem Slots.
Saiyer/Vangertz(MIX): Some classes have access to an offhand that offers accuracy and evasion, this is highly utilized in competitive play. This offers 1 Gem slots, Base stats are 1-3 AP, 4 DP, 5 Accuracy, 2 Evasion, 2 Damage Reduction.
Nouver vs Kutum(PvP): Nouver is typically used till about 220-230 AP in PvP. Then it makes sense to use Kutum for extra DP in the current meta. This will change as AP and DP keeps increasing. You want your AP roughly within 50-60 of your opponents DP.
Armor Choices:
This probably ones of the most cookie cutter parts of end game PvP. Right now in the current meta Boss gear seems to trump almost all other choices as some of the pieces offer bonus stats unparallel to non boss gear. This does not mean that you can’t beat a player in full boss gear with something less. It just means that if you want to min max boss gear is the best choice.
The 3 current “Meta” Choices for end game PvP
Rocaba – An evasion set my default and the newest set of default gear added to the game with valencia. It may be harder to find on the market place as most people do not grind valencia or do just to acquire these pieces and end game accessories.
Heve – This set is a great choice for any new player as it breaks apart easily when you acquire boss gear pieces and gives +HP as it’s set bonus.
Boss Gear – Not much to say here, it’s the OMG I did it pieces. Items like Bheg’s and Muskan’s just make this set so much better than any other pieces of gear. It includes extra set bonuses such as MP/WP,Stamina, and Attack/Cast Speed.
Bheg’s – The first pieces of gear towards end game PvP on each enchantment to +15 it gives +accuracy %. At +15 the gloves give roughly +10% accuracy and acts as the counter to Muskan’s.
Muskan’s – The second piece to strive for, like it’s counterpart it gives +evasion % to +15 as you can see in it’s higher base stat in DP than other armor choices(remember DP is Evasion+DMG Reduction). At +15 it gives roughly +7% more evasion than any other piece.
Urugon’s – This piece is an alternative to Muskan’s. Urugon’s is slated with +1 Movement Speed, and an enhancement increase to damage reduction compared to evasion. Depending on the build you want either muskan or urugon could be argued. I personally think these damage reduction pieces will be more beneficial on an evasion class (striker/mystic).
Dim Tree’s – +200 HP and higher DP than other armors make it a no brainer as the 3rd piece to achieve. This higher DP is theorized to be mostly evasion.
Giath’s – +100 HP and less DP(than non boss), make this the last piece to achieve if you are looking at reaching the 4 set bonus. Has the same evasion compared to Griffon’s but sacrifices damage reduction and all res for the +100 HP. Depending on build Griffon’s may make more sense for some builds.
Griffon’s – The alternative to Giath’s if you honestly get one over the other I would enhance either. Though Griffon’s offers +5% all Res and +3 Dmg Reduction compared to Giath’s +100hp.
Lemoria – This is a new set of armor introduced with Kamasilve. It pairs with Liverto nicely to make a mid tier level set. I honestly wouldn’t suggest this to anyone who wants to be in the “top”. Though anyone looking to play this game a bit more casually this maybe the perfect set. This is due to the set bonus cutting back on Gem requirements as well as being easier to repair while enhancing. Set Bonus is; 3 Piece- +1 Crit / +1 MS, 4 Piece – +10% Skill XP, 5 Piece – +2 AttSpd/CastSpd.
Red Nose Armor should be only taken to complete a 4 set bonus if you happen to get the other 3 pieces and still cannot acquire Dim Tree’s Armor.
Some people use a mix of Boss Gear and Heve armor as boss gear can be costly to enchant and sometimes isn’t a great use of resources early on into your BDO career(I say career cause this game will take over your life). Muskan+Bheg and 2 pieces Heve is quite common on classes that don’t benefit from +stamina. Another popular choice is utilizing Muskan and Dim Tree and 2 piece rocaba for a Evasion/Hybrid build on classes with high base accuracy, (witch/wiz/ninja/kuno)[though ninja and kuno may have accuracy issues].
Due note grunil is still a great set for those that may have limited game time and want to focus resources elsewhere. Never hesitate to ask other players for their thoughts. Myself included my discord tag is Silver#2473
Accessories:
This is where the game opens up and really becomes about play style and countering certain classes. As a maehwa myself with my primary targets being witches and wizards in the opponent’s backline, I try to build to counter my opponent. This helps me decide on certain styles of gear to achieve my goal of “big damage on my ping” (Mad King Lacari 2016).
Please remember these are not the only choices but are the most common choices for the few builds I will illustrate.
***Sidenote: There are plenty of catchup mechanics added in terms of jewelry implemented every major patch. The list below is to give some background on why the following choices are picked. Make your own conclusions, and enjoy PvP!
***DataMine: The recent datamine shows use that enhancement level on blue and yellow accessories gives a form of hidden accuracy. About 2 points per level.
Rings: Probably the cheapest of all accessories to gear first in a silver/ap analysis (silver/ap is where you spend the cheapest amount of silver for the highest AP gain or stat gain you’re looking for). A few choices that are common are as such;
Red Coral Ring: Cheapest of all of these and typically what you will go for first. It offers AP and Dmg Reduction (no rings give evasion at this time). This is great choice till late game and some classes still use this for a hybrid build.
Mark of Shadow: The cheapest of the AP rings and translates well to mid and endgame PvP(this ring should never be enchanted past TRI).
Cadry Ring: This ring is the Dmg reduction ring, as a full DP ring, it is great for hybrid and DP builds. Though is used less than all of the 4 rings listed here.
Crescent Ring: The most expensive ring choice and typically not used until TRI as you probably have Mark of Shadows at this point. At the same enchant level it offers more AP than it’s counterpart.
Earrings: Earrings can be expensive but offer extra stats in some of the choices.
Blue Coral: The cheapest of the AP choices and typically your first choice as a newer player.
Red Coral: This earring gives the lowest AP but offers nice bonus stats like Stamina and Accuracy and is very popular to atleast have 1 in the current meta.
Witch Earring: Probably one of the worst earrings in terms of Silver/AP though great AP and always a nice pick up if you can buy it already enchanted.
Whale Earring/Khalks Earring: These earrings use to be locked behind hunting though with monthly events they fluctuate between 15 mil and 40+ mil and offer bonus stats like +HP(whale) and +stamina +wp (Khalk). Most people skip these early on and are a min max thing.
Manos Earring: While there are 3 versions typically most classes pick Ruby, which is +50 HP, Sapphire is MP/SP and Topaz is stamina. These earrings include 5 evasion and give +dmg reduction for the remaining total of the DP. These are Best in slot for defensive earrings for hybrid/evasion/dp builds.
Tungrade Earring: The top dog in terms of AP, and offers a bonus stat of +10% Black Spirit Rage. This is very endgame and is very expensive, it’s value doesn’t show up until it is DUO/TRI+.
Belts: Only a few choices here and typically focused on after rings and earrings.
Shultz: Typically the first AP belt most people will go for as it has good Silver/AP ratio and can last you at DUO/TRI till late in the game.
Tree Spirit: A mix between AP and Accuracy, very good late game choice for a few builds.
Centaur: A full evasion belt with +HP as well, great choice for evasion/hybrid/DP builds
Basilisk: Was the top AP belt, not much more to say than it’s a bit expensive, typically only worth at DUO/TRI in terms of Silver/AP.
Tungrade: This belt is the new top dog of AP Belts. It starts off at a higher base level as well as having +20% Black Spirit Rage.
Necklace: Normally gone for last as Silver/AP ratios are typically higher.
Shultz: Typically the first AP necklace most people will go for as it has good Silver/AP ratio and can last you at DUO/TRI till late in the game.
Serap’s: Second best AP necklace and is great at DUO and TRI then loses ground in terms of Silver/AP to Ogre Ring(which is a necklace).
Ogre Ring: The Best in terms of AP necklaces, now I know Tungrade has Black Spirit Rage as well, but in terms of availability, I don’t think a tri has even been made.
Sicil’s Necklace: A good Mix Between AP and full evasion DP, great for Hybrid/DP/Evasion builds.
What to level up:
This is really going to all depend on how you feel in game. Are you a wet noodle? Or are you being 2 shotted by everyone? Typically once you’ve reached First Full AP example below would would want to start saving money for boss gear pieces. It is normal to want to work on weapons first before armor. That being said always be attempting for dandelion as it is one of the most difficult items to acquire in the game. After Dandelion, Kzarka next as it’s accuracy is major in PvP, then just try and get your hands on any of the remaining items as they can be difficult to acquire. Do not let up acquiring one to wait for another, it is all progression to the end goal.
- Dandelion
- Kzarka
- Bheg’s
- Muskan’s / Urugon’s
- Rest Boss
- Accessories
Example Builds:
I used a witch here to show the gear, in no means are all of these builds viable on a witch. Honestly, no one will level to end game builds seamlessly, it is all about small steps to an end goal.
First Full AP
Great for grinding while saving money for other builds or just getting into node wars. This also is fine to complete most of the current game even valencia questline.
Due note at this point you then should make decisions on whether boss gear is in your foresight and what type of build you are looking for based on the information above.
Endgame Full AP – Soft Cap
Very few people are past this point of the game, though others are striving for this goal.
Hybrid Build 1
Hybrid Build 2
Evasion Stacked
Popular amongst those with high base accuracy and dmg modifiers in skills. Wizard, primarily. (some use a parry dagger over kutum)
Accuracy Stacked
Not used much in the current meta, except by a few players. Some will sub an accuracy offhand like bronze dagger.
Accuracy + Evasion Hybrid
Common in assassin style classes – Ninja/Kuno/Musa/Ranger
DP Stacked
Utilized by players who like to play frontliners in siege. Warrior/Beserker/Valk, Witches may also run Utility builds.
Thank you all for viewing this and feel free to share this with anyone, and remember that this guide is not meant to be the end-all guide to what gear you should get but more or less a guide on how to look at gear.