QiGong / Shaman (Part I)

I began playing Ran Online after watching my cousins played the game in 2006. I first started my hand with this MMORPG near the end of December 2006, prior to me flying to Hanoi, Vietnam to attend my best friend's wedding there.

I chose Sacred Gate campus, because I like the word Sacred, and the word Gate. Why I chose a QiGong/Shaman is probably because I like magical attacks, somehow reminded me of the cool magic from Final Fantasy VII.

Shikibu's evolution in the game went through the following process:

1. Started with a Pow-type QG
2. Reset to an Int-type QG
3. Evolved into a hybrid Int+Att (Wrath of Gaia + Gravity + Meteor) QG
4. Reset to a hybrid Int+Att (Weakening, Advance Weakening, Stone, Poison) QG
5. Reset back into a hybrid Int+Att (Wrath of Gaia + Gravity + Meteor) QG

From January to August 2007, I usually played three to four times a week. Mainly from 12:00 AM to 5:30 AM. During Friday night to Sunday, I played longer hours. I began to play daily from September to October 2007. Two months of crazy playing.

Since then, I have significantly reduced my playing hours.

Aside from this, I don't usually keep grudges with most of the other players. But, just like in real life, in the virtual reality you will find jerks (orang brengsek), too. I play games because I am a Gamer. I have played games since I was 9 or 10 years old, back during the Atari age and then the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) age. Online games are fun because you get to interact with different people from different backgrounds, characters, and thinkings. You make new friends, you get in touch with camaraderie, sportsmanship, team works, and so on.

Anyway, the 4th evolution happened because a QG with the negative status ailments are real deadly during PK. It's built purely to cause negative status to other players from different campus during PK. See, this built does not kill the enemies, 'cause the killing can now be executed by other users from different jobs/classes (i.e. fighters, swordsman, archers, QG pow/att).

This type of QG mainly deals a combination of the following skills:

1. Scroll of Weakening (very short delay & casting time)
2. Advanced Weakening (moderate delay & casting time)
   
3. Scroll of Stone (somewhat long casting time but moderate delay)
   
4. Scroll of Poison (short delay & moderate casting time; cast this when skill #2 & #3 are in delay, and/or cast this on single enemy; best result when this is first cast before other negative status skills are cast, otherwise it's quite useless because it doesn't cause negative poison effect on the enemy)
   

When you are facing this type of QG as an enemy, DO NOT let it cast Advanced Weakening, Weakening, and/or Poison on you. Advanced Weakening is a very dangerous skill because it really slows down your movement to attack and cast any skills.

If you have a skill that allows you to run real fast, run away first when you see a QG gets close on you during PK, and then quickly approach it and began your attack. Surprise attack, diversion, & carelessness of the opponent are the only three methods that this QG strongly strategized upon to effectively cast it's negative status skills.

There is another way to face this type of QG. If you have a support/Int-type QG in your party, tell that QG to cast Frenzy Attack or FA to the enemy's QG. You must work together to cancel the enemy's QG attempt to cast its skills, and then that's it. If your QG mastered the Scroll of Stone, cast that skill to the enemy's QG. However, don't cast FA on the enemy's QG that is built with Attacking skills like Wrath of Gaia, Gravity, Meteor, and/or Spirit Summon. There is a possibility that you can't kill that QG type, and that QG type can cause a more powerful damage to you and your party.

However, I reset back to an Int+Att (Gravity + Meteor) type of QG, because I was really not satisfied with the negative status casting QG. See, I do enjoy attacking the enemies/monsters with damaging skills instead of just waiting for others to kill the enemies/monsters for me.

Concluding part I of this simplified FAQ, I would like to say that choose and build a character that suits your personality and playing style. Do not choose/build a character just because other people say this is good or not good. However, there will be times when what other people advised you would be a real great advice. More on this later.

The character you choose should be the one that you really enjoy and have fun playing with. If you focus on that character, you will be among the best to use it.

A master is a master because the master focuses on one thing, and one thing only. The master knows the ins and outs of that one thing which he/she focuses on.

That is why in Ran Online, the "Char Combine" mode is only available much later in the game, especially when your character reaches a very high level. After you have become a master of one job/class/character, you can then branch out to master another job/class/character to complement the original job/class/character which you have mastered. Meanwhile, if you like, you can try practicing and learning other job/class as well.