[EMS] Several Hero-related techniques that I don't see other Heroes use often

Hi guys! Tomorrow is my 7th (!) year of playing MapleStory Europe on my Hero, without any quits or ever having created other (new) main characters. I actually had the idea to write down in my blogpost of techniques that I use often but I rarely see other Heroes use them. I actually encourage other Heroes trying these out, because it may actually become highly useful during defeating large groups of monsters. With just several of these techniques I'm actually able to solo Alien Visitor PQ, as shown in this video. Below the jump break you can see a list of useful (and rather unknown) techniques that I recommend. Prepare for a long wall of text.


1. Using Puncture as an offensive attack

Yes, it's THAT broken. When jumping at maximum height and using Puncture, I'm able to hit the enemies above me.
I still can't believe that Nexon ever created this attack.

The following is probably not really known about Puncture: it has an impressive reach, especially in height. This reach tends to be really powerful in maps with multiple platforms where using ropes and stairs are often used. I think that most Heroes don't know this, because Puncture is a move that is supposed to be used to give a status effect (bleed) on a boss to increase your damage. This status effect will last for 30 seconds, so a Hero won't use it that often (unless you tend to let a map full of party play monsters bleed out to speed up killing them all).

The damage is actually pretty high, even though it only has three lines the hits themselves are each almost twice the damage you would do with one Raging Blow line (so in some sort of way it compensates). Keep in mind, Puncture only hits 6 enemies, but that's often enough if you are in maps with larger enemies (which tend to have a lower spawn per platform). Don't get discouraged by consuming four Combo orbs, you'll have them back in no time if you use them in conjunction with the other tips in this post!

2. Using Combo Force as an offensive attack

Combo Force has a much longer horizontal reach than Raging Blow. 

Before the RED update, every Adventure Warrior had a move called Monster Magnet. Even though this skill is removed, the idea of this skill is returned in various reincarnations. In Hero's case, the new Monster Magnet would be Combo Force. Combo Force, is often used by Heroes to pull an enemy from a distance and force it to be in the reach of Brandish, Brave Slash and Raging Blow. Enemies will be stunned with a fair succession rate, which will give a Hero 125% damage bonus with the skill Chance Attack.

However, consider that Combo Force has an impressive reach in distance - this can be used in your advantage. If you have enough damage, you may even kill enemies from a distance without having to move. Combo Force hits 8 enemies, which is the same as Raging Blow, unless if the Hero has upgraded it to hit 10 enemies with Hyper Skills. It's quicker to use Combo Force than having to walk to the enemy and finish it with Raging Blow. This includes using Rush to cover distances. Unlike Panic, Puncture and Enrage, Combo Force is the only Combo finisher that can't be used in mid-air.

3. Using Rush as an offensive attack

With incredible speed, Rush enables Heroes to flash through maps with hitting monsters on its way.

This is one of the techniques in this post that I see rarely, but probably the most. Most Heroes tend to use Raging Blow all the time. But when you would have enough funds (and just a little as a Hero will be enough for most enemies under your level), you can use Rush to finish enemies. Rush even hits 12 enemies, while Raging Blow can be upgraded to 10 enemies at max (with Hyper Skills).

Imagine the speed of Rush to cover distance and finish enemies along the way - you'll be speeding through maps pretty quickly. Together with Enraged Raging Blow and Soul Driver, Rush is one of the quickest attacks to be used by a Hero. A small advice: Rush seems to be affected by attack speed, so be sure to use this in your advantage. Unlike all other regular attacks from Hero, Rush is the only one that can't be used in mid-air.

It's also worth to mention that Hero's Rush has a longer horizontal movement than the one for Dark Knight and Paladin. This can either be in your advantage or in your disadvantage, depending on where you use it.

4. Using Shout to hit below you


I've been using this technique when I just became a Crusader in early 2009. 4th job wasn't even released until 2 years later in MapleStory Europe. Shout was seemed pretty useless in most eyes due to its damage and speed, until some found out this technique. It remained tricky to use until the RED patch arrived, since Shout used to be as slow as Rage Uprising is, while having low damage (it even started before Big Bang with a lamenting 30% damage...). Through the years, the damage of Shout has been dramatically improved (even exceeding the damage of Rush), and RED's insane increase of speed makes it a formidable ranged attack.

Shout just only does one hit. That may seem underpowerd, but consider that you'll probably hit enemies underneath your platform that are visible on your screen. Defeating enemies on this way is an easy way of clearing platforms below you, which would save time you would have to spend in climbing ropes if you dropped down. Even with 150% speed (and I have maximum speed & jump before Big Bang hit in EMS), climbing ropes isn't incredibly fast...

Keep in mind, Shout will quickly deal a single hit to surrounding enemies, but holding down the skill is less effective due to Shout having some kind of "slowdown" after the hit which blocks you from hitting too fast with spamming it. Be sure to read tip #8 for additional information about Shout's range.

5. Obtaining Soul Driver and using it as a back attack


In some occasions, it's easier to hit behind you and resume the direction you already face to, instead of having to turn around and use a skill like Raging Blow. Soul Driver is also quicker than Raging Blow without Enrage, so it also saves significant time in this fast-phased MMORPG.

Many people think Soul Driver was limited to Ultimate Adventures (Warrior), an older system for creating new Adventure with an additional skill (one being an attack and one being a summon) and some free gear that has been removed during the Cygnus Returns update. While having Soul Driver on a Warrior, the same applied to the other branches of Ultimate Adventures too, such as Vampire (Thief), Wind Piercing (Bowman), Flame Gears (Mage), and Sharkwave (Pirate).

Most people don't know that you still can get these useful attacks (the summon can't be obtained), however it would actually take some effort. Obtaining Soul Driver at Level 5 is only a must for people who will stay on their Hero for the next upcoming years, because you'll need to hunt the quest items for insane amounts of hours, despite having the RED update multiplying the Quest items droprate by several times (though the You & I update in EMS has reverted the post-RED increase). Below Level 5 just seem to be too weak, it will only hit 6 enemies if it is maxed, and the damage isn't that great either (thankfully Combo Attack increases it!). However, even though Raging Blow does about three times the damage, and the fact that Soul Driver's range (and damage) has been nerfed several times in the past (in conjunction with the nerf for the old Soul Master's variation), it still feels overly useful to me.

The issue with Hero is that it lacks a strong and fast attack that would hit behind him/her. Shout can do the job too, but try using Shout at Party Play enemies (or enemies that you won't one hit kill wit Shout at all due to a single hit) and rules will change. Shout will stun regular enemies, while Soul Driver will tend to let them aggro on you - the enemies will walk to you so you can easily kill them (stunning them will not make them move from their position that much, even if you would include knockback per attack). In addition, as mentioned in tip #4, Shout has some sort of "slowdown", while at Soul Driver this is much less notable. Spamming wise, Soul Driver doesn't only have a lot more hits than Shout, it is also significantly faster.

Using Soul Driver on the right way will be quicker and more efficient than having to swap the direction you face and use Raging Blow in front of you. You may not probably use it that often, but if you have Level 5 Soul Driver, see the use of it, and if you would start a new Hero or play a friend's one without, you'll really miss it. Also, Soul Driver is soooo much better than Brandish during (the old job-restricted version of) The Balrog, but not really of importance...

By the way, Soul Driver can charge Combo Orbs, while Shout can't.

6.  Using Rush to clip through platforms

When using Rush on the location where I stand stationary in the first picture, your character will speed through the large gap between the ones on the right and the larger one on the left. Rush will ignore the gaps due to having that small platform next to me, which "links" the smaller platform where I started with the larger one.

A perk that is found by many Adventure Warriors by accident, Rush can be used to clip through platforms. If you would have a gap between two platforms that can be covered by a single forward jump, you'll be able to ignore the gap and just move forward. Not only being much faster than having a regular forward jump, it's also faster than using War Leap (Hero's Flash Jump), and easier to handle than War Leap because Rush is limited to a fixed range, while War Leap's distance will totally be different depending on your height in the air, and if you would press the walk button at the same direction or press the opposite direction.

What most people don't know, is that Rush even can cover platforms who are placed in a stair-format, as seen in the screenshot above. Given the possibility of Rush being an offensive attack, as mentioned in tip #3 above, in conjunction with clipping through platforms, makes it one of the most important subattacks for a Hero.

Did you know that Rush actually makes Hero invincible for attacks on that small moment of moving? No status effects or damage will be done on the Hero if timed right. This includes the majority of all attacks from Magnus! You can also reduce the knockback from Magnus and Vellum (so you won't be pushed into hazards), although you won't ignore the "knockback stun"-effect it gives.

7. Knowing the range of Raging Blow and Enraged Raging Blow



Raging Blow is your main attack. Knowing as much as possible about your main attack is a must.
How often do you see Heroes jump and use Raging Blow in this map? You can do the same without the jumping part.

Ever wondered why Hero was so powerful before Big Bang? Hero's old main skill, Brandish (yes, the one we still can use, although it's a 2nd job attack now), used to have one of the largest reaches for any melee attack back in those days. Believe it or not, but Brandish could almost hit twice your character's height (this advantage has been removed in the current Brandish because it presumably would be too powerful for 2nd job).

However, when Hero would obtain Brave Slash after Big Bang and Raging Blow after the Champions Update, one thing that I immediately felt is that this advantage was missing (the vertical range was even smaller than the height of your character!). This stayed missing until the RED update, where Nexon gave a reincarnation of the old Brandish' perk to Raging Blow. However, things got more nuts. Because Raging Blow is significant larger than Brandish, the maximum height at this moment that you can hit with Raging Blow is almost three times (!) the height of your character.

Just look at the screenshot above. I just see Heroes too often feeling the need to jump and use Raging Blow, while you can just stay stuck on the ground and do the exact same thing, even faster. Raging Blow is your main skill, know its range - the better you know the range of skills, the more it can be used to your advantage. The same thing applied to combining Enrage with Raging Blow. Ever thought you can do the following below?

When jumping and using Enraged Raging Blow at the tip of your maximum jumping height, you'll get something ridiculously broken as you see in this image. This is the reason why Enraged Raging Blow is one of the most broken 1-VS-1 melee attacks. Yes, you can even hit Magnus when he's airborne when charging his purple laser attack with this technique.

Heck, that's crazy. If you see anyone from now on saying that Raging Blow's range is small, reconsider the height. Show him/her these pictures. Not even most melee classes can reach that with their main attack. Also, please refer to this post - add the facts about utilizing Puncture, Combo Force, Shout and Soul Driver that are written on this post, and I think that the "image" about Hero being a weak mobbing class may be less true as most people thought...

8. Knowing the range of Shout

Near at about 80% of the height between these platforms (easiest to reach through using the ropes), you can hit both platforms when you drop down and use Shout. A Hero can actually use War Leap to immediately reach the required height on the rope, and drop down to use Shout. With this fact, Hero can actually finish this entire map of Nest Golems in matter of seconds by "chaining" - War Leap and grab the rope, drop down and use Shout, War Leap to the next rope, drop down and use Shout again, and repeat this over and over.

So, as an extension of tip #4, there's something important you'll need to know about Shout. Shout's perk is the (in my view broken) downward vertical reach. It's something that's pretty rare to find in MapleStory. Try to make good use of it. When having multiple platforms aligned above each other, in a similar fashion to most maps in El Nath (especially within the Wolves Territory) until to the Forest of Dead Trees, downward jumping and casting Shout will clear platforms even before your feet touched the floor.

Shout has a decent upper vertical range, but not really that much. As you can see in the screenshot above, you can actually achieve hitting multiple platforms that have a fair amount of height between if you drop down and cast Shout.

9. Using Russellon's Pills to regenerate Combo orbs

As you can see, due to being in a poisoned state, I receive 13 damage per second.
Why is this useful? How does it translate into Combo regenerate? Read below.

An old fashioned method, probably known between some older players. Russellon's Pills are an item that can only be obtained once when interacting with Russellon's Desk, only during the quest "Life Alchemy, and the Missing Alchemist". You can only hold one in your inventory and it's intended to be immediately be given to Russellon himself. However, you can ignore giving it to him and consume them for your own goods, never completing the quest and having an endless supply of pills that will poison you. These pills have a fair chance to inflict the status effect poison to the player. You'll probably need a few before the poison will be triggered, and it only lasts for several minutes (approximated five minutes as far as I remember).

You may wonder, how can this be translated into regenerating Combo orbs? As most Maplers know, a Hero must hit an enemy with a successful attack to charge a Combo orb (and since RED, it's not even a guaranteed charge anymore). But since RED, Combo Attack had a new mastery on 3rd job, called Combo Synergy. Combo Synergy will enable the Hero a 30% chance to charge a Combo orb when being hit. You already see it coming. Poison thicks work per second, and every second you'll have 30% chance to charge a Combo orb. This even is better than it sounds, imagine the possibilities with having fast Combo regeneration - you can even use Puncture more often (read tip #1 above), and this will make challenges like Alien Visitor PQ significant easier for any Hero.

In addition, even receiving damage from map hazards (for example Dragon Rider PQ's sky boundaries, El Nath's Death Mine lava pools, Zipangu's cemetery poison clouds), Jump Quest hazards (for example throwing stars, sawblades, spears, lasers, Stirges), poison clouds (Zakum Arm #3, Squids, Horntail's tail), about anything that enables the purple "damage received" digit, in any amount, has 30% chance to charge. Though, it must be noted that the effects of Strange Glasses (from the old version of Veracent) won't trigger it - even though you'll passively receive damage (which are visible with the purple "damage received" digits) every few seconds.

Unfortunately, as mentioned at the start of this tip, you can only hold one in your inventory.
However, by using an old trick (that was often used with White Essence to be able to do multiple Captain Latanica's), you can stack them in larger quantities. When you obtain one, you will have to place it in your bank. On this way, you can stack by continuously filling your bank, since they will be forced to a single stack, until they'll reach the maximum amount per slot (which is about 100 I think?). Getting a large quantity might be time consuming, so be sure to farm them on a Phantom with Shroud Walk and have stolen Mystic Door from a Priest to reduce the time dramatically.

Conclusion
As for many classes in MapleStory, the old ones tend to be underlooked, or even rated less powerful than they actually are. Play a class for fun, not for the damage. I think that people relate too heavily on damage in MapleStory, and that might even ruin the fun for some players too. In my view, Hero has been overshadowed by his/her fellow Warriors for a long time. An experienced Hero can be much more powerful in all kinds of ways than most people would believe.

Hopefully with this information you have learnt at least one new thing about what Hero can do in MapleStory. Hopefully this post might even change the image/perspective of the Hero class on a more positive way. Heroes just don't only have Raging Blow, y'know?

That's it for today's post guys. I'll see you again tomorrow, where I would probably be bragging again about playing MapleStory Europe non-stop for 7 consecutive years without any quits or different mains, having clocked 10.000 hours playtime on my Hero at the start of this year, blablabla...