Skills
Skills in Ragnarok Online are special actions a player can perform depending on his/her Job Class. There are two types of skills: Active and Passive. Active skills can be manually activated by the player, where some of them remain active for a set period of time, others can be manually deactivated, and some are one-time-use skills that require manual activation each time the player desires to use them. Passive skills are always in effect, they do not need input from the player to provide its benefit as long as the player has learned those skills.
Active skills can be broken down into 3 sub-categories: "Offensive", "Supportive" and "Active". Offensive skills are those that inflict damage to their selected targets or in a wide area. Supportive skills are those that provide helpful effects to other players, like boosting their offensive and defensive capabilities. Plainly Active skills are those that do not fit in the two forementioned categories and only affect the player or a certain area, usually for a set period of time.
Contents
Skill Phases
The skill usage is performed through the following phases:
- Initiation
- Skill name appears above the character's head.
- Cast Time
- A gauge appears above the character's head. If there is no Cast Time it is then executed instantaneously.
- Execution
- Skill name appears above the character's head again and its effect is triggered.
- Cast Delay
- All skills are temporarily grayed out after execution, blocking their use. Most skills have this value.
- Cooldown
- Only the skill used is temporarily grayed out after its execution, blocking their use. Not all skills have this value.
Cast Delay and Cooldown start at the same time. No skill can be used if there is still Cast Delay, and any other skill can be used if only Cooldown remains.
Initiation
This phase occurs when the character uses the skill. SP Cost and other requirements are checked, but do not take effect. If the character cannot fulfill the SP Cost or the other requirements, the skill will not activate.
Cast Time
During Cast Time, the character cannot move, attack, or use other skills. If the character takes damage during Cast Time, the skill is canceled (exceptions: wearing a Phen Card or Bloody Butterfly Card, being Sacrificed by a Crusader/Paladin/Royal Guard, or while casting certain skills). If a skill has no base Cast Time or modifiers reduce the effective Cast Time to 0 or less, no cast gauge appears and this phase is skipped entirely.
Cast Time is indicated by a "progress gauge" above the character's head, sometimes called "Cast Bar". The gauge starts out black and is filled with green as Cast Time proceeds. When the cast bar is completely green, Cast Time ends. Some skills do not have a cast bar, even though they have a casting time, such as Bowling Bash and Brandish Spear.
Cast Time is composed of "Variable Cast Time" (VCT) and "Fixed Cast Time" (FCT). As the names may imply, VCT depends on the stats and gear of the caster, while FCT is constant for a given skill. A small number of effects can reduce FCT. Effects which reduce FCT by a percentage do not stack; effects which reduce FCT by a set amount do stack, and are applied before percentage modifiers. For most skills, FCT is 20% of the total Cast Time, with the remainder being VCT.
VCT is reduced by DEX, and also INT at half the amount.
Calculation
Cast Time (seconds) = VCT + FCT
VCT (seconds) = BaseVCT × (1 − SQRT[{DEX × 2 + INT} ÷ 530]) × (1 − Sum_VCTReduc ÷ 100) FCT (seconds) = (BaseFCT - Sum_FCT) × (1 − Max_FCTReduc ÷ 100)
- BaseVCT = Base Variable Cast Time of a skill.
- BaseFCT = Base Fixed Cast Time of a skill.
- Sum_VCTReduc = Sum of reductions for Variable Cast Time, like Suffragium, Magic Strings, Isilla Card effect or Kathrene Keyon Card.
- Sum_FCT = Sum of all effects that directly subtract from Fixed Cast Time (or add to it, like Mandragora Howling).
- Max_FCTReduc = Highest reduction modifier of Fixed Cast Time (for example: if both Sacrament (50%) and Radius (20%) are active, only Sacrament will work)
Modifiers for Fixed Cast Time
| Skill/Enchant | Max Modifier | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sacrament | Var | See skill description |
| Radius | Var | See skill description |
| Mandragora Howling | Var | See skill description |
| Magic Essence Enchant | Var | See enchant description |
| Magic Enchant | -1% | |
| Special Stat Enchant | -7% | If upgrade level is +12 or higher |
| Item/Equipment | Max Modifier | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nidhoggur Shadow Card | -50% | Headgear. Only for High Wizard & Warlock. |
| Fenrir Card | -70% | Headgear |
| Fenrir's Power Scroll | -50% | Lasts for 5 minutes. |
| Laphine Staff | -1% per upgrade level | |
| Temporal Dex Boots | -0.5 second | If base DEX is 120 or higher |
| Temporal Dex Boots [1] | ||
| Modified Dex Boots | ||
| Modified Dex Boots [1] | ||
| King of Spirit Circlet | -7% per upgrade level (max 70%) | |
| Valkyrie Drop [1] | -100% | Only for Oratio |
| Devil's Hand | -100% | Only for Lion's Howl |
| Dead Man Bandana [1] | -7% per level of Esma known | If upgrade level is +9 or higher |
| Lyrica Hat [1] | -5% per level of Voice Lessons known. | |
| Night Sparrow Hat [1] | -5% per level of Voice Lessons known. | |
| Shrine Maiden Hat [1] | -100% | Only for Magnus Exorcismus |
| Golden Bunny Band [1] | -10% | If upgrade level is +12 or higher |
| Glorious Fist | -50% | |
| Illusion Puente Robe [1] | -3% | |
| Celine's Brooch & Celine's Ribbon Set | -50% | |
| Celine's Brooch & Lush Rose Set | -50% | |
| Heart Wing Hairband & Love Piece Set | -10% |
Modifiers for Variable Cast Time
To reduce all VCT with stats, a character need a combination of DEX and INT so DEX ×2 and INT equal at least 530 ((DEX × 2 + INT) = 530).
Some examples how all VCT could be reduced:
Cast Time is only calculated once. It ignores changes to the modifiers during casting. This means it is possible to start casting and equip a Phen carded accessory afterwards to get the anti-interruption effect for most of the casting without the VCT increase.
| Item/Skill | Max Modifier | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Strings | Var | See skill description. |
| Suffragium | −45% | (SkillLv × 15)%
|
| Foresight | −50% | |
| Bloody Butterfly Card | +30% | Accessory. Prevents interruption. |
| Phen Card | +25% | Accessory. Prevents interruption. |
| Beelzebub Card | −30% | Accessory. |
| Siroma Card | -25% | Accessory. Only for Cold Bolt |
| Imp Card | -25% | Accessory. Only for Fire Bolt |
| Tower Keeper Card | −5% | Headgear. |
| Dark Illusion Card | −10% | Headgear. |
| Kathryne Keyron Card | Var | Headgear. −UpgradeLv%
|
| High Wizard Card | +100% | Headgear. |
| Dark Illusion and Dark Lord Card Set | -10% | Headgear and Footgear |
| Devil's Hand | -50% | Only for Lion's Howl and Summon Spirit Sphere. Upgrade level of +10 or higher. |
| Ascendant Crown [1] | -20% | Super Novice class only. |
| Cylinder Hairband [1] | -100% | Only for Cart Cannon |
| Harvester Hat [1] | -100% | Only for Cart Cannon |
| Dead Man Bandana [1] | -4% per level of Esma known | |
| Shrine Maiden Hat [1] | -100% | Only for Magnus Exorcismus |
| Gray Bunny Band [1] | -10% | If upgrade level is +12 or higher |
| UFO Poring Hat [1] | -5% | If upgrade level is +7 or higher |
| Chatty Parrot | -1% for every 30 base INT | |
| Long Tongue | -3% | |
| Tree Sprout | -5% | |
| Orleans's Gown [1] | +15% | Prevents interruption. |
| Antonio's Coat [1] | -10% | |
| Love Piece | +0% | Prevents interruption. |
| Gaia Shield [1] | -5% | If upgrade level is +8 or higher, and the users base Dex is 90 or higher. |
| Anemos Shield [1] | -5% | If upgrade level is +8 or higher, and the users base Dex is 90 or higher. |
| Nero Shield [1] | -5% | If upgrade level is +8 or higher, and the users base Dex is 90 or higher. |
| Skin of Lindwyrm [1] | -2% for every 20 base AGI and VIT | If upgrade level is +8 or higher |
| Airship's Cloak [1] | -20% | |
| Perverse Demon Mask [1] | -1% for every 18 base VIT. | |
| Imperial Glove [1] | -10% | Prevents interruption. |
| Valkyrie Drop [1] | -10% | |
| Sound Amplifier [1] | -50% | |
| Rebellion's Scarf [1] | -10% | |
| Celine's Brooch [1] | -10% | |
| Keraunos [1] | -5% for every 15 base levels. | Only for Lightning Ride |
| Mercenary Ring Type B | -30% | Novice, Taekwon, Ninja, Gunslinger Bonus |
| Ferlock's Cloak [1] | -10%~35% | Additional -10% at upgrade level +7 or higher, additional -10% at upgrade level +9 or higher, additional -5% at upgrade level +12 or higher |
| Wing Staff | -5% | |
| Caster Shadow Pendant | -1%~4% | If upgrade level is +7 or higher, reduces the variable casting time of skills by an additional 1%. If upgrade level is +9 or higher, reduces the variable casting time of skills by an additional 2%. |
| Evil Bone Wand & Skull Cap Set | -10% | If Evil Bone Wand upgrade level is +10 or higher |
| Mob Scarf Set | -3% for every combined sum of 80 base INT and DEX | |
| Memory of Lovers & Vesper Gear 04 Set | -5% | |
| New Year Hairpin & Bloody Butterfly Card Set | -2% | |
| Temporal Ring & Muscle Fool Enchant Set | -20% | |
| Spell Enchant | Var | See enchant description |
Notes
- Free Cast skill allows movement and attacking while casting.
- Phen Card and Bloody Butterfly Card both allow taking damage without being interrupted, except during War of Emperium.
- Sacrifice skill allows the target to take damage without being interrupted.
- Certain skills cannot be interrupted. Generally those skills are intended to be used by classes on the front lines.
- Although Bloody Butterfly Card adds 30% to VCT, the Mage Card Set substracts it by 15%, meaning that it would only be an end result of +15% vs. the Phen's +25%.
- Magic Strings and Foresight are treated as separate factors in the calculation; they are not added to the other modifiers.
Execution
SP Cost and other requirements are checked again. If the character can fulfill all requirements, they are applied and the skill is triggered. Otherwise nothing happens. If the character is inside a Chat Room, the costs are applied as usual, but the skill is not triggered.
Cast Delay
During Cast Delay (or Global Skill Delay or After-cast Delay), the character can move and attack freely, but cannot use skills. There is no visible indication of Cast Delay except the grayed out skill icons of all skills in the Hotkey bar.
Calculation
Cast Delay (seconds) = BaseDelay × (1 − Sum_DelReduc ÷ 100)
- BaseDelay = Base Cast Delay of a skill.
- Sum_DelReduc = Sum of reductions for Cast Delay.
Modifiers
| Item/Skill | Max Modifier | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Strings | Var | See skill description. |
| Kiel-D-01 Card | −30% | Headgear |
| Humanoid Chimera Card & Material Type Chimera Card Set | −3% | |
| Diabolus Robe | −10% | Armor |
| Expert Ring | −5% | Accessory |
| Koneko Hat | −3% | Headgear (Upper) |
| Focus Beret [1] | −100% | Headgear (Upper) |
| Very Normal Hat [1] | −15% | Headgear (Upper). Upgrade level of +9 or higher |
| Baron's Evil Eye | −5% | Headgear (Middle) |
| New Wave Sunglasses | −10% | Headgear (Middle) |
| Bio Protector | −5% | Headgear (Middle) |
| Bio Protector & Pipe Set | −5% | Headgear (Middle and Lower) |
| Heart Wing Hairband [1] | -5%, additional -3% per 3 upgrade levels | Headgear (Upper) |
| Midgard Serpent Hat [1] | -5%, if +10 decreases 10% | Headgear (Upper) |
| UFO Poring Hat [1] | -5% | If upgrade level is +9 or higher |
| Prism Rangers Scarf | -10% | Garment. If Camouflage is at maximum level. |
| Skin of Gwiber [1] | -1% for every combined sum of 20 base INT and DEX | Garment |
| Upgrade Part - Engine [1] | -10%~20% | Garment. If upgrade level is +9 or higher, additional -10%. |
| Medical Scrubs [1] | -10% | Armor |
| Ritual Robe [1] | -10% | Armor |
| Tae Goo Lyeon [2] | -20% | Lord Knight and Paladin Jobs. Upgrade level of +9 or higher |
| Pilgrim Shoes | -6% per level of Praefatio known | Shoes |
| Fairy Leaf Powder [1] | -5%~15% | Expert Archer 1 Set Bonus:-5%. Expert Archer 2 Set Bonus:-5%. |
| Blacksmith's Gloves [1] | -10% | This accessory can only be equipped in the right accessory slot |
| Spirit King's Ring [1] | -5% | Accessory |
| Supplement Part Dex | -10% | Mechanic only |
| Perverse Demon Mask [1] | -1% for every 18 base INT | Accessory |
| Valkyrie Drop [1] | -5% | Accessory |
| Rebellion's Scarf [1] | -1% per level of Fire Rain known | Accessory |
| Shinobi Sash H[1] | -5% | Accessory |
| Glorious Apocalypse | -5% | Upgrade level of +9 or higher |
| Enforcer Cape [1] | -5%~11% | Additional 3% at upgrade level +7 or higher, additional 3% at upgrade level +9 or higher |
| Hypnotist's Staff & Magical Booster Set | -10% | If Hypnotist's Staff upgrade level is +10 or higher |
| Illusion Long Mace & Illusion Puente Robe Set | -15% | If the combined upgrade levels of Illusion Long Mace and Illusion Puente Robe are +22 or higher. |
| Peuz's Greaves, Peuz's Manteau, Peuz's Plate, Peuz's Seal, & Storm Stone Set |
-70% | For 10 seconds duration after using Aura Blade |
| Temporal Ring & Speed of Light Enchant Set | -30% | |
| After Skill Delay Enchant | -2%~6% | Lv1 = -2%. Lv2 = -4%. Lv3 = -6% |
Cooldown
During Cooldown (or Skill Re-use Delay), the character can move and attack freely, but cannot use the same skill again. There is no visible indication of Cooldown except the grayed out skill icon of the just used skill in the Hotkey bar.
Almost all 1st and 2nd Class skills have no Cooldown.
Modifiers
Skill Reset
A character's skills can be reset in a few ways:
- Rebirthing to prepare for transcendent classes (can only done once, and does not apply to classes that cannot transcend).
- The Hypnotist NPC in Prontera (146, 232) or Izlude (127,175) will currently reset a character's skills for free, provided they are base level 99 or below and have 0 weight.
- A Neuralizer (Kafra Shop item) will reset a character's skills.
- An event NPC called Mesmerizer will reset both stats and skills (only put in the game in certain situations). Sometimes other NPCs are put in that offer the same reset methods.
Notes
- Even after doing a skill reset, a character cannot put 1st class skill points into 2nd class skills, or 2nd class skill points into 3rd class skills. The game will force the character to put all of their 1st class skill points into 1st class skills before the character is able to acquire 2nd class skill points and so on.
- If a character promoted below the maximum Job Level, they will never be able to recover the lost points. Thus, it is always recommended to reach the max Job Level before promoting (although some players may choose to promote early before transcending as all stats and skills are reset anyway). For example:
- If an Acolyte promoted to Priest at Job Level 45 instead of Job Level 50, they will still only get 44 skill points (instead of 49) out of the Acolyte skill points after doing a skill reset.
- If a High Priest promotes to Arch Bishop at Job Level 67 instead of Job Level 70, they will still only get 66 skill points (instead of 69) out of the High Priest skill points after doing a skill reset.
See Also
| Game Mechanics | ||
|---|---|---|
| General | Levels • Experience • Skills • Elements • Drop System • Monsters • Items • Status Effects | |
| Stats | Primary Stats | STR • AGI • VIT • INT • DEX • LUK |
| Substats | ATK • MATK • DEF • MDEF • HIT • CRIT • FLEE • ASPD | |
| HP / SP | Max HP • Max SP • HP Recovery • SP Recovery • Healing Items • Restoration Calculation | |
| Quasi-Stats | Attack Range • Cast Time • Perfect Dodge • Perfect Hit • Weight Limit • Movement Speed | |
