In-Depth New Player Gearing Guide 2020

LoLoBooty

Information in this guide is outdated but left for historical purposes. See this guide for the latest:
https://forums.vindictus.nexon.net/discussion/18799/in-depth-new-player-gearing-guide-2021
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PART 1

Unlocking Raids

CHARACTER PROGRESSION

1. Join a guild for extra boss core, reduced repair/enhance costs, and AP bonuses.
2. While leveling, it’s important to manage your AP because you’ll need a lot later. The general priority for spending AP is Character Growth Goal skills, Critical Hit and Smash Mastery to max, then most used skills to Rank A.
   
3. Stock up on AP. To get even more AP, you can:
   • Join a guild and buy three AP 100 Capsules a day with Guild Seals.
   • Buy an Ancient Bloody Shade from the marketplace if it’s affordable.
   • Buy the Secret Boxes from the Strange Traveler.
4. Get to level 95 via Story Progression Mode. If you get stuck, spam Season 2 bosses.
   
5. Read LoLoBooty's guide to Increasing your Power & Tech. See the steps under “Character Baseline”.
   • The standard outfitter can be skipped.
6. Complete Season 3, Chapter 2, Episode 4 (Aes Sidhe) in the story. Talk to the Strange Traveler and complete the Traveler's Astera Raid Support quest.

FARMING
At this point, you may need gold to progress further. Below are battles that you can farm to make gold in Vindictus.

Season 1 Battles

Drops: Level 24 to 47 gear, which can be sold for a decent sum. They can also be dismantled into Element Stone Catalysts if you level an expertise to 99 proficiency (a long-term investment).

Season 2 Ex-Raids

Drops: Rank 8 Enchant Scrolls. Lots of AP. Level 70 to 80 gear, which can be sold or dismantled into Spirit Magic Powder.
Note:Druid is efficient if you can clear quickly. Annwyn battles drop more equips. Lakoria, Havan, and Pantheum are fast with mediocre scrolls. Lavasat and Kraken are slow with good scrolls. Juggernaut and Iset are not recommended.

If you wish to invest into an expertise for dismantling, here's a short guide:

1. Choose an expertise. Every expertise is viable for dismantling, but some are considered better if you reach max proficiency.
   Armorsmithing is generally the most useful, followed by Weaponsmithing. Goldsmithing crafts Battleshade, Bow, Staff, Whip, Crossgun, and accessories. Tailoring is mostly for vanity items.
2. Buy. farm, or check guild storage for Beginner materials. Below is a list of battles with higher efficiency.
   
   
3. Aim to craft the highest level item your expertise allows (without spending too much extra). Items with pink text have a higher chance to raise your proficiency by 2-3 points instead of 1.
   
   
4. Once your proficiency is 99, head to Rocheste and talk to the NPC which taught your expertise. Complete the quest and talk to them again to learn dismantling.

Royal Army Raids
Drops: Mysterious Shards, the most valuable single material in the game. Materials for Accessory Enhancement and Material Synthesis. AP Capsules.

Season 3 & 4 Raids

Drops: Damascus Steel, Rank 7 and 6 Enchant Scrolls, and Rare Essences for gear.
Note: These are the most popular battles to farm.

Overall
I’ve listed several modes because it’s more important to enjoy farming than it is to optimize your income. Farm what is fun for you.

If you want to know what’s considered “optimal” regardless, here’s a list:

• Level 100 Raids once you unlock them
• Royal Army Raid for the AP Capsules and other drops
• Level 95 Raids
• White Tyrant’s Challenge and Druid for their efficiency
• Cromm and Ulchas for dismantling
• Eochaid and Abomination for their Essences
• The rest

WELFARE GEAR
Complete these steps as you get sufficient gold from farming.

1. Upon reaching level 90 open the character growth reward. It contains +12 Level 90 armors and weapon along with accessories.
2. Upon reaching level 95 you will get the quest "Traveler's Additional Raid Battle Support" from the Strange Cat.
   • You will receive unenhanced Dullahan gear. Do not equip this gear yet.
   • Obtain the "Forgotten" title - Complete Season 3; Chapter 2, Episode 2: Blight of the Unseen. Defeat Lorgrach
   • Enhance the Dullahan weapon to +12 and armors to +13 by using the stones/runes in the Raid Battle Support Package (Enhancement Stone and Rune Set).
3. Complete the story "Traveler's Astera Raid Support". The story is split into 3 tasks:
   • To begin this story you must obtain "The Enlightened" title - Complete Season 3; Chapter 2, Episode 4: Dogma. Defeat AES Sidhe.
   • Next talk to the Strange Cat. He will give you the "Counter Accessory Support Package (Earring and Belt)" if you give him Eochaid's Essence and Abomination's Essence. You can obtain these in one of three ways:
     A. Trade your seals in the Exchange Shop (Seal Shop tab) to get the "Abomination's Essence Box" and "Eochaid's Essence Box". Each box costs 55 seals.
     B. Buy the essences off the marketplace.
     C. Obtain "Eochaid's Essence" from "Agony And Despair" and "Abomination's Essence" from "Denizen of the Deep"
   • After trading those two essences you will reach the final part of the story. Next the Strange Cat asks for the "Red Energy Remnant" and "Aes Sidhe's Essence". "Red Energy Remnant" is mis-labeled. It should be "Dullahan's Essence". You can obtain these in one of three ways:
     A. Trade your seals in the Exchange Shop (Seal Shop tab) to get the "Dullahan's Essence Box" and "Aes Sidhe's Essence Box". Each box costs 95 seals.
     B. Buy the essences off the marketplace.
     C. Obtain "Dullahan's Essence" from "The Missing Soul" and "Aes Sidhe's Essence" from "The Price of Failure"

You should have ~43k power, ~223 tech, and 100 Counterforce (CF). You can now do raids up to Red Stigma in Quick Battle (QB).

• Note: If you don't have time to do raids, you can stock up on Kitty Pots by leaving the Warm Welcome Box unopened.

ASTERA

1. Buy or craft an Astera weapon and enhance it to +11 safely using runes. Enchant it with Chaotic Judgment
   • The +11 Astera weapon will deal more damage in level 100 raids, but decrease your damage in battles level 95 and below. You may swap weapons as appropriate.
   • Use your Seals of Bravery to buy Unstable Enhancement Runes for reforging.
     • You can get more Seals of Bravery by doing Ein Lacher and exchanging Honor Medals for them at a 1:1 ratio. Ein Lacher also gives great stats. Aim for Silver God no pots, or better yet, Golden God.
2. Enhance the Astera Weapon to +12 or higher.
   
3. Buy or craft a Devil's Crystal/Teardrop and enchant it with Warlord's Passion.
   
4. Enhance the Devil's Crystal/Teardrop to +15.

You should now have ~47k power, ~230 tech, and 110 CF. If so, you have unlocked all Season 3 raids.

MORE CHARACTER PROGRESSION

Upgrades at No Gold Cost

TITLES

• Titles are one of the best source of stats for new players. A list of titles for new players can be found here.
• Doing Ein Lacher will unlock most of the titles in the list above. Farming Season 2, Season 3 and Royal Army battles for gold and AP will unlock a chunk of titles as well. The titles unlocked by defeating Keaghan and Muir are worth going out of the way for. The remaining titles can be unlocked over time.

REDEEMERS

• Redeemer battles are a type of raid which are more challenging and involve up to 8 players.
• Redeemers provide amazing stats at virtually no cost.
• From the Depart Window (G) choose Redeemers under Battles.
  
  
  
  

  • There are progression bars, one for each Redeemer. The total stats rewarded for Neam & Balor are Critical +10, HP +2000, ATT +2000, M.ATT +2000, Remove ATT Limit +600. Ignore Brigid for now as she requires end-game gear.
  • You gain 25% progression per Neamhain battle and 2% per Balor and 1% per Brigid. Each Redeemer boss is capped at 4 runs a week.
  • Neamhain is unlocked after the Ceara Interlude in the story, while Balor is unlocked shortly after Rupacitus.
  • It is recommended that you begin doing Redeemers as soon as possible because progression cannot be accelerated. Don’t worry about dying or not contributing at first. In Redeemers, that’s part of the learning process.
  • Check Legend Arma'sRedeemers Guides.

ARTIFACTS

• Artifacts are accessories that provide powerful effects on usage.
  • Werewolf Paw increases Attack Speed by 20% for [20/30] seconds, with a cooldown of 120 seconds.
  • Cat Statue restores 250 SP, with a cooldown of [90/70] seconds.
  • Succubus Fang restores [10%/13%] of your Attack as HP for 20 seconds, with a cooldown of 180s.
    
    
  • While they do not provide stats, Artifacts have a medium to significant impact on gameplay depending on your character.
    
  • Make sure to research which Artifact your character uses. One method is to view the info of top-ranked players.
    
  • Artifacts cost 100 to 300 Triumph Medals, which are obtained in many possible ways:
    1. Trading Wins in PVP Arena (70 per week max, resets on Saturday).
    2. Seige Match (20 Seals win, 16 loss) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
    3. Season 3 Episode Reward Box (5 per episode, 8 episodes total).
    4. Guild Seal Exchange Shop (3 per day).
    5. Guild House Vending Machine (0-3 every 8 hours).
    6. Alban Festival Box (20 per week).
    7. Seal Destiny Box (10 per box, from Weekly Missions).
    8. Secret Boxes (Low chance).
    9. Incinerating worthless items individually via Flovian (Low chance).
    10. Daily Mission Ticket Exchange Shop (Not recommended).
  • Those who desire an Artifact should start working early, given the temporal constraints and the amount of Triumph Medals needed.
    
  • Once you receive your Artifact, you may enchant it with Warlord’s Passion.

CREDITS

Mad props to Florrick for everything math-related and more.
Credits to Rumble for providing lots of info.
Credits to Venerator and Zubine for editing.
Mad props to Submersed for the initial guide.

For questions or feedback, feel free to post here

LoLoBooty

PART 2

Capping Raids

SEASON 3 RAID CAPS

THE MATH

Credits to Florrick for this nifty gadget

• You don’t need to know what the numbers mean; just know that the math was done.
• All calculations were made using North American server prices. You may perform upgrades in a different order depending on price fluctuations or different server economies.

CONTRIBUTING
You might have noticed yourself doing low damage in level 100 raids. That’s because we’ve prioritized meeting the requirements. Now we’re going to focus on dealing damage.

1. Replace your bracelets.
   • If you’re a STR character, replace the Ruby/Emerald Bracelet with a Diamond/Sapphire. Slot both Diamonds with Fine Bracelet Diamonds. Slot the Sapphire with a regular Sapphire.
   • If you’re an INT character, replace both bracelets with Sapphire/Emeralds or Sapphire/Rubies. Slot both bracelets with full Fine gems.
2. Perform Material Synthesis on your Astera weapon to max all the Critical rolls.
   • Increase the WIL if doing so reaches the next crit tier (every 133 points in WIL, up to 2000, increases your critical by 1).
     
3. Reforge your Astera weapon to +15. Reforging is an expensive process, but it’s a significant jump.

With 50 - 55k power, 73-78 Balance, 161-166 Critical, and 3500 Additional Damage (AD), you can now participate in most raids.

TECHNIQUE

1. Buy or craft a Book of Legacy and enchant it with Sage’s Chaos.
2. Enchant your chest piece with Infinite Barrier.
3. Use Material Synthesis to max the balance on your Astera weapon.
4. Buy a Blue Kitty Brooch from the marketplace.
   

With 55k Attack, 84-91 Balance, 170-173 Critical, and 3100 AD, you can now pull your weight in most raids.

COUNTERFORCE

1. See LoLoBooty's guide on increasing your Counterforce

With 160 CF, you have now capped Counterforce in all raids.

REFORGING AND INFUSION

1. Infuse your Blue Kitty Brooch with +2 Critical.
2. Reforge your Astera weapon to +15.
   • Now is the best time to start using Goibhniu's Enhancement Stone.
   • They can be purchased from the Seal Shop for 90 seals
3. Infuse the Book of Legacy with +2 Critical.
4. Infuse the Devil’s Earring with +2 Critical.
5. Raise the quality of your Astera weapon to 3 stars (or higher) with Quality Coupons. Quality Coupons can be obtained from the Daily Mission Ticket Exchange Shop or from events.

ARMOR

• Congratulations on reaching this point! If you’ve gotten this far, you are no longer a new player.
  
• The next step is to upgrade your Dullahan or Astera armor. The only advantages of Astera over Dullahan armor are higher Defense, Critical Resistance, and lifespan (Astera armor will not need to be replaced as soon).
  
• Dullahan is recommended short term because it is much more cost efficient. You will already have +13 armor. To get Astera back to the same point as the free Dullahan armor you need to stock pile lots of runes, mats, and replace all scrolls.

[*]Now sell everything and buy fashion. actually send me abom saliva i need it
[/list]

Happy Raiding!

LoLoBooty

MISCELLANEOUS

SPEED

• Speed is a low priority because stat it is the least cost efficient for damage. However, it has a noticeable impact on gameplay.
  
• For characters such as Scythe Evie, gameplay may feel frustrating with insufficient speed. Here are some suggestions:
  • Go into practice mode and learn the attack patterns of the boss.
  • Go to a video sharing website and search for recordings of your character soloing the boss. Pay attention to how other players fit their smashes into openings.
  • For characters such as Scythe Evie and Delia, you can dodge boss attacks using the movement from your normal attacks.
  • Replace the Warlord’s prefix on your accessories with Significant. Make sure to maintain enough Power for the QB requirements.
  • Get an artifact.
  • Reforge your weapon.
  • Reach the end of Part 2. Other sources of Speed are not recommended prior to this because they sacrifice important stats.
• Once you have reached the end of the Part 2, you can invest into Speed while enchanting and reforging your armor.
  
• Sources of Speed are Significant, Fast, Well-balanced, Calm, Dash, Righteous, Valor, Bloodlust, and Conviction Enchant Scrolls.
  • Make sure to have enough Critical and Balance to offset any losses from these scrolls. Aim to maintain 90 Balance and 178 Critical.
  • Sources of Speed that do not sacrifice stats are the Red Moon Brooch, Book of Succession, and Sealed Enchant Scroll.
  • If you’re a Crossgun Kai player, be aware of his speed tiers [0/13/38/71/125].

DEFENSE

• You may have noticed that this guide neglects defense. If you have difficulty surviving, here's what you can do:
  • Go into practice mode and learn the attack patterns of the boss.
  • Level Defense Mastery, Agility Mastery, and HP Potion Proficiency.
  • Replace the Healthy suffix on your accessories with Passion.
  • Replace your bracelets with ones that have Emerald slots.
  • Replace your armor with Dullahan or Astera. Make sure it’s at least +12.
  • Use Material Synthesis to increase the Defense and Critical Resistance on your armor, as well as the AGI on your weapon and armor.

SKILL AWAKENINGS

• While the math has not been done, Skill Awakenings are considered a cost efficient increase to damage.
• Certain Efficient SP Waking Stones are essential for gameplay. Research your class to determine which Skill Awakenings to prioritize.

BUILD OPTIONS

REFORGING ASTERA SOONER

• This guide aims to maximize damage in level 105 raids because they are a good source of gold income.
• If you farm the lower level raids more often than the level 100 raids, you may opt to reforge your Astera first. Reforging your Astera will benefit you in every raid because Additional Damage and Speed do not have caps.
  
  REFORGING A DULLAHAN WEAPON
  • Reforging a Dullahan weapon instead of Astera is the cheapest way to get to started with a +15.
  • An Astera weapon, when compared to Dullahan, has +4000 Attack, +15 Critical, -10 Balance. Here's how you can offset the loss in stats via other sources:
    
    ATTACK

    • +370 Attack from each star of weapon quality, up to 5 stars for a total of +1110.
    • Average +500 Attack from two Silver Bracelets slotted with full Superior gems.
      • A Gold Bracelet will provide even more Attack. The numbers are not included because the averages are not known.
    • +230 Attack from Truth Enchant Scroll.
    • Varying amounts of Attack from the STR/INT after upgrading the free 90 armor to Dullahan.
    • +200 Attack from two Soul Enchant Scrolls.
    • About +120 Attack from a +20 Level 100 Belt.
    • +1000 Attack from Partholon Vanguard.
    • +56 Attack from enhancing the Frozen rings to +20.
    • About +40 Attack from a Red Moon Brooch.
    • Varying amounts of attack depending how many extra stars of armor or accessory quality.
    • Varying amounts of attack from titles beyond the New Player Title Farming List.
    • +250-500 Attack from a complete outfit.
    • In total, we compensate for about 3000/4000 Attack. The remaining 1000 will be locked behind two 50% Redeemer Progressions.

    
    CRITICAL

    • +2 Critical from 5% Redeemer Progression (+1 from each).
    • +2 Critical from infusing your Dulllahan weapon.
    • +6 Critical from Rank 6 armor enchants.
    • +1 Critical from Subdued Enchant Scroll.
    • +1 Critical from Partholon Vanguard.
    • +2 Critical from infusing a necklace.
      • Infusing a necklace with Critical is very difficult.
      • Without the AP Shop Renewal Necklace, you will lose around 280 Attack.
    • In total, we compensate for 14/15 Critical. The remaining 1-2 will be locked behind 50% Redeemer Progressions.

    
    BALANCE

    • We will not need to compensate for Balance because Dullahan has 10 more Balance over Astera.
    • The Balance is converted to 6 Critical via Capture Enchant Scroll over Enthusiastic.
  • Keep in mind that while a Dullahan weapon requires the above stats to catch up to an Astera weapon, an Astera weapon simply converts the above stats to Attack Speed.
  
  CHOOSING YOUR WEAPON
  • Choosing between reforging an Astera or Dullahan weapon boils down to how much gold you can make on a regular basis.
  • Astera is more expensive and can only be enhanced safely to +11, but provides more stats.
  • Dullahan is cheap but requires 50% Redeemer Progessions to have the same stats as Astera.
  • Choose whichever option is better for you in the long run.