The Doctor Guide to Martial Arts

[Silq]

Great guide Jynne!

@ 194 I'm still an MA doc, and I love it..

AR is 922 self-buffed currently, and easily goes over 1k with the right buffs - no ammo worries, never had to worry about keeping a wep up to date or hunt for wrangles, AR has increased with every ding. BwT is a great attack, and the raised parry even works occasionally against melee mobs. More than anything tho, it's fast, fun, and damage over time ain't half bad (and has surprised some ppl).

MA has been maxed every level, Phys Init up to 150 and left til recently, Brawling when I could afford it, and parry just enough for a decent BwT (Attack of the Snake did me for a while). Dimach I still haven't raised because the recycle time is plain silly (and gets parried at the most inconvenient times).

Though people keep asking me where my weapon is! I mumble something not being decided on a wep yet.. been 'deciding' for the last 40odd levels, and I think I'll jus end up 'deciding' on a parry stick... I get a variety of responses, some of them actually pretty positive, others step gently away from the weird doc..

It does suck in pvp being rooted and the helplessness is frustrating.. if you can live with standing back and just being a healer/debuffer tho, it has other rewards.

MA all the way I say! But bear in mind that most (actually, all except one) TL5+ docs I've met think I'm crazy - based solely on my continued MA choice, how rude is that!

[Shanendoah]

I dont think your crazy silq, maybe just a bit eccentric from time to time, besides I have you to thank for my new independance

[Silq]

ty Galve tho i think you give me too much credit.

eccentric.... yes... that's what I'll tell the doctors....

/me goes back to picking the raisins out of her fruit-n-nut bar


I'm glad you're enjoying the MA thing Galve, together we make a mighty addition to teams imho (but then im crazentric)

[Silq]

oh, and (letah?) can we get a link to this guide in the 'useful links to guides for new and experienced doctors' rooted thread perhaps? before it dissapears...(might already be there and i didn't see it!)

It's pretty comprehensive, another Jynne masterpiece (yes I'm a fan)

[Cz]

Originally posted by Jynne
I. Introduction - or, So you Want to be a Kung Fu Fighter?

Got that from HTMLgoodies?

Great guide.

[Letah]

Originally posted by Silq
oh, and (letah?) can we get a link to this guide in the 'useful links to guides for new and experienced doctors' rooted thread perhaps? before it dissapears...(might already be there and i didn't see it!)

It's pretty comprehensive, another Jynne masterpiece (yes I'm a fan)

I think I added it already but ill recheck

[gwend]

depending on how sl ip system works ill tell you this ma will be the first skill i raise and max on my first ding i miss being ma doc so much ;(

[Doctordustin]

Im taking a xp'ing break from my main, to have some fun with a atrox ma doc.. he's kinda heal gimp, but he's strong like bull.

thanks for a cool guide, and i'll let you know how 'ubahcleric' does.

[Crysantimum]

I have been testing using martial arts on MP, Doctor, Agent and Shade .

MP
-Compared to being a "normal" mp do I find it more fun, it makes you more active and you do better damage so you feel as a more productive member of the team.
-You don't constantly end up with empty nano-pool!.
-If buffing your pets with the short duration damage and offensive nano-line do you still do something usefull that doesn't cost nanos you don't have and you don't have to wait for the recharge bar to go away so you can use your not so good nukes.
-You will have to, should, or could, use IPs on evades that might make you slightly behind on the MP nano schedule.
-You shouldn't put IPs in parry as mp, so if using ma-attacks, chose something that doesn't demand parry as prerequisite. Why? Since parry is a 4xSkill.

Agent
-Alergy to rifles that your doctor can't cure? Use martial arts!
-Cheaper IP costs than for mp. Evade clc is more expensive, but the martial art skill is much cheaper, the average cost is an improvement, especially if you plan your skills for a full offensive martial artist. Noticed that martail arts and rifle got the same IP cost for Agents?
-You won't be able to do 10k criticals, like other high level agents.
-You will get amused or wondering remarks from people asking why you [like when FP to Enforcer] are not using swords like the rest of the Enforcers.
-FP to NT is probably the most twisted thing to do next
-You won't have to worry about the incredible OE rifle you could/should be using. Some Agents got an easier social life than others
-Notice that Martial artists also got critical buffs just as Agents!
-You sometimes got to explain that you are not so good tank [as FP Enforcer] as usual [because of extreme nano initiative penalty], but be fair about it...for everyone's reputation.
-The same pets as MPs up to ql110, but better/cheaper martial arts.
-Because of the extreme nano-inits in FP, will some of the Agent buffs be counterproductive because of the nano attack time. I feel martial arts makes the loss less than if using a rifle.

Doctor
-At lower levels will the Martial Artists envy you for your heal and nearly their damage. But do you think that will change?
-BwT+DoTs: You do your things early in the fight and you will continue doing that damage later when you need to focus on healing your team.
-Is better for the AR at lower levels when you don't have that much IP to spend on the usual rifle skills.
-A more expensive character than MP martial art user and Agent martial art user, but much cheaper than being a Doctor using rifle if also adding IPs into the same evades.

Shade
-Do I need to say anything? 8-)

For all those heading for your martial art version of your profession notice that it is rarely more efficient IP wise than being the conservative and boring version of your profession. Some might find your character a gimp and that is something it might be in some level ranges depending on how you plan it with the attacks it will use and weapons.

When you are laughed at being a Doctor using martial art, don't let it break your spirit, but you don't have to make them change their mind either as that is something that now and then proves impossible.

Thanks Jynne

My favorite links when deciding what I want to create:
http://www.anarchylore.com/AO_skillscomp.asp
http://aomainframe.info/nanolist.asp

[Sundai]

"It does suck in pvp being rooted and the helplessness is frustrating.. if you can live with standing back and just being a healer/debuffer tho, it has other rewards. "

Doesn't "upon a wave of summer" or whatever its called remove roots? It did for my MA but I cant remember if it was an MA only attack or not. Just thought I'd ask because whenever my MA would get rooted I'd use that attack and be free of the root/snare.

[Silq]

think it's an MA only attack, which is a pity...

Using the highest Free Movements stims you can bltiz/use helps a great deal... or jus makin sure you don't get rooted in the first place by staying out of range

[Jynne]

All the 'new' MA attacks (UWS, the TOTW and IS attacks) are MA-only. Kind of a bad deal for MA docs

As far as mass pvp... if you want to be a good fighter in mass pvp there is nothing that compares to a caterwaul, except an ithaca.

[Conrad]

I am 157 Doctor at the moment. I use Ql200 Parry stick, I maxed 1HB and MA (not title cap yet), and triple-implanted 1HB and MA. What I found is my attacks are 50%+ parried or missed. I got barely over 800 AR self-buffed so I wonder what other MA doctors think.

Perhaps it was recent patches that increased mobs' ability to parry attacks but now I can hardly solo with even green mobs. Yes, they still parry a lot!

[Jynne]

Try fighting yellows and light oranges instead. Mobs that are under your level will move their agg/def slider left (defensive) and thus you'll miss and be parried by them more.

Mobs that are equal to or over your level don't fight defensively, so they are much easier to hit (and thus, to kill). Try that and let me know how it works for you

[Shanendoah]

Im now level 183 but effectively my skills have not changed since around 164 when i hit title caps.

Im using a ql200 parry stick and have MA maxed but just enough 1hb to equip the stick. My Attack rating self buffed (no abilities just MA exp and Brawl exp) is 830, w/out stick its a smidgeon under 900.

I tend to missions 1 notch above my level so high 190s and more recently 200/201. I do get parried a bit but its not too bad, I can solo up to lev 204 RM's and Aces though the enfos give me a lot of trouble and i usually have to zone out of mish to recharge nano etc. ( they also take a long time to kill) My secret is to start off with parry stick unequiped then init debuff, Brawl, BwT then equip stick and stick, double dot by this time brawl is almost ready again.

I have the my solo attack bar laid out as follows
1) Nano stim
2) Temp Hp
3) LE
4)CH
5) HoT
6) Unbreakable Init debuff
7) BwT
8) Parry Stick
9) Dot (A)
0) Dot (B)

so i just hit B(rawl) ,6,7,8,9,0

every so often rinse and repeat throwing in Brawl where neccessary and just equipping/unequipping parry stick if i need to
If I do need a breather I'll often hit mob with Breakable Init debuff which usually allows me to get a CH off or sit and hit battle nano w/out taking any damage

Hope this helps you

PS I always solo on full agg except the enfo type mobs(I have 700 in Evades and 500 in phys init)

[Conrad]

Oh I don't know the mob being defensive thing. I tried hitting yellow mobs and miracle! they parry a bit less. But Shanendoah pointed out the problem too, we doctors do not have an increase in Attack Rating from lv161/2 to Lv190... Sad enough

About BwT, I did not start raising parry yet Maxed ma, 1hb, init, evades only.

[Chelsea]

I have a Nano doc lev 155. Currently using a Bow... can I project to be an MA DOC whitout too much frustration?

Remeber im a Nano breed....

[Jynne]

I don't think you'll want to be an MA doc at higher levels... it is very lacking compared to shotgun and even bow at 200+

That said, MA and bow both use physical init, so you'd already have your init skill raised. It wouldn't be too hard to respec for MA from there.

[Orvy]

Thanks a lot Jynne this guide is very helpful for a new doc like myself

[Darkbane]

Having a lvl 57 and a lvl 142 MA doc, they're great fun, and good soloers.

My CoT doc is also MA and actually isn't too bad... most of your damage will come from DoTs anyway at that level. Getting to that level of course using MA might be rather trickier...

Remeber too that the Tot3W/IS DoT rings are on the Agent line so stack... (though I think they're still buggy with locking you up on occasion...) At level 40 or so, triple dotting MOBs is fun, and if you can get BwT too...

And when soloing, use Dave's dot and dodge technique against harder MOBs (not really needed on easier MOBs).