Ragnarok Online

RAGNAROK ONLINE
-=The Unofficial Merchant Guide=-
written by fwuffy kitty
© 2002


-=Contents=-

1. Introduction
2. Stat Point Allocation
3. Plan of Action
4. Equipment
5. Skills
6. Credits + Thanks
7. Legal
8. Contact Info



-=1. Introduction=-

I've heard many people often state, quite bluntly, that using
a Merchant as your initial class is a bad idea, as Merchants
require a hefty load of money to begin with. This is nonsense.
Merchants make ideal starting characters, they just need the
right strategy, and a little bit of luck.

This guide is aimed at teaching players how to not only start
a Merchant character on the path to zenny quickly, but also to
save you some much unnecessary legwork.



-=2. Stat Point Allocation=-

To begin with, you'll have to create your character. For your
initial stats, I'd suggest the following:

STR: 9 INT: 1
DEX: 9 LUK: 1
VIT: 5 AGI: 5

From here, you'll want to quickly boost both your VIT and AGI
to around 10 or 11, sparing the occasional point for STR and
DEX. Once both VIT and AGI are at 10 or 11, boost your STR to
14-15 and then start raising your STR, VIT, and AGI evenly.
While you won't be dodging everything which comes your way, or
absorbing every shot without wincing from the damage dealt, both
your AGI and VIT will complement each other nicely, leaving the
damaging enemy attacks toned down by your high defense, and the
fast enemy attacks dodged somewhat. However, eventually you'll
want to focus on either AGI or VIT. I'd choose which one by the
time both stats get to around 16-20.



-=3. Plan of Action=-

Now, when you've created your character, enter the first portal.
This will take you to Morroc.

IMPORTANT: Do not talk to the Kapra's staff, (The blue haired
maids.) and don't save your spawn point. It's worth the small
hassle right now to go through an extra loading screen)

Go out of town, and kill a few Porings, untill you have 5 items...
It doesn't matter what items they are.

From here, you'll want to head to the weapon's dealer (bottom
right on the minimap) and sell both your weapon and the items
you got from outside. Now, taking this little bit of money you've
got, you'll want to buy the basic Sword, which retails for 20z (if
you don't have enough, sell your shirt). This will raise your attack
rating by 8, which will *really* help you to start. Now, go out of the
town (the exit is north) and start killing Porings. Now, once you've
gotten yourself around some items to sell, you'll want to head
back into Morroc. Now, buy a Guard, a Cotton Shirt, and an Axe, which
will cost you 410z, before discount. I suggest talking to a 20%
Discounter so it'll only end up costing you 328z. It makes a big
difference.

Now, as soon as you find yourself able to without resorting to
healing items, start killing Pickies. These little guys give
out fantastic drops even normally, dropping around 20z worth of
stuff per kill, if they drop anything. More importantly, you'll
find they drop a Yellow Gemstone for every hundred or so you
kill. They're not really common, but they're not so uncommon
that finding one should be totally unexpected. The PecoPeco Eggs
scattered around can drop these as well, so always kill them
when they're not being attacked already. Always sell any Yellows
you come across for at least 550z, by talking either to an
overcharger or just by selling them on the streets to other
players. The second option might take a bit of time, but every
zenny you earn now is a zenny you don't have to earn later.

Now, by around level 8 or 9, you should find (if you've been
killing a lot of Pickies and have NOT purchased anything else)
that you're getting close to the 3000z you need to become a
Merchant. When you DO hit Job Level 10, and have the 9 Skill
Levels in Basic Skills, go out and let yourself be killed. Now,
instead of heading through the portal to Morroc, head to the
portal to Payon (which is the one closest to the castle). Head
on down to the Merchant's Guild in Alberta (which is due south
of Payon) and pay the full 3000z (no point in waiting). Now,
head outside of town, and then die again. Head back into the
portal in Morroc, and head to the building in the bottom left.
Talk to the man inside, and he'll give you his okay, and five
red potions.

Unfortunately, it seems that your position is automatically
saved in Morroc at this point, leaving you to walk all the way
to Alberta. However, you may wish to make a small detour up
to the church (upper right corner of the map) in Prontera to
pick up a Beretta, which is a cheap piece of headgear which
grants an additional point of defence.

Now, when you finally get to Alberta and the Merchant's Guild,
you'll be given the final okay to become a Merchant, and your
sprite will change to reflect your new class. Head outside and
die, and you'll find yourself back in Morroc.

At this point, I should point out that your character is
severely underequipped. A good plan would be heading back out
into the desert to start killing more Pickies... At least
untill you have 2000z. When you do, go buy a Dirk. From here,
you'll find your path a lot easier, as the Dirk will nearly
double the Attack of your weapon, as well as increasing your
attack speed.

From here, your path is wide open. I'd suggest sticking around
and killing Pickies, as the practice is QUITE profitable, even
if you fail to factor in the occasional Yellow Gemstone drop.
Eventually, you'll want to pick a town to start DCing/OCing
in, once you get one or the other to a respectable level. (I'd
go with DC first, it tends to bring in more money early on, and
you can't really afford to OC large amounts of items anyways.)



-=4. Equipment=-

There are two mindsets when it comes to the choice of weapons.
Speed, such as the speed one gets when using a weapon such as
a Tsuguri, or Power, such as the power one gets when using a
BAA (Big-Ass Axe). The argument for speed is that you can get
a couple attacks in the time it takes to make one power strike.
The argument for power is that you eliminate the need for
multiple strikes with a big enough weapon. ^_^

Speed Weapon Path: Sword-Axe-Dirk-Tsuguri
w/ : Guard-Shield
Power Weapon Path: Sword-Axe-Dirk-Buster-2-Handed Axe
Body Armor Path: Cotton Shirt-Wooden Mail-Chainmail
Head Armor Path: Biretta-Cap-Helm
Robe Armor Path: Hood-Mantaeu
Foot Armor Path: Sandals-Boots
Accessories : Brooch x2 (if a AGI Merchant)
Necklace x2 (if a VIT Merchant)


-=5. Skills=-


Increase Weight Limit
Requirements: NONE
Skill Usage: Passive

Level 1 +100 Weight Limit
Level 2 +200 Weight Limit
Level 3 +300 Weight Limit
Level 4 +400 Weight Limit
Level 5 +500 Weight Limit
Level 6 +600 Weight Limit
Level 7 +700 Weight Limit
Level 8 +800 Weight Limit
Level 9 +900 Weight Limit
Level 10 +1000 Weight Limit

Notes: Once you have this skill at Level 5, don't bother with it.
Past that, you'll get more worth out of the skill point by investing
it in anything but this.


Discount
Requirements: Increase Weight Limit Level 3
Skill Usage: Passive

Level 1 Store Price -7%
Level 2 Store Price -9%
Level 3 Store Price -11%
Level 4 Store Price -13%
Level 5 Store Price -15%
Level 6 Store Price -17%
Level 7 Store Price -19%
Level 8 Store Price -21%
Level 9 Store Price -23%
Level 10 Store Price -24%

Notes: You'll want to increase this skill to Level 10 as soon
as possible, as this can be a major source of income. Just go
into a store and set up a chat stating the DC you'll give.
People pay you to buy items for them, and all you have to do
is sit in the shops and watch the money roll in. If you've
got little money, you should ask for (at least) half the money
up front. That way, if someone renegs on the deal by saying
they don't want it or don't have the rest of the money, for
example, you won't lose anything when you sell it back. Hell,
with enough in DC *AND* OC, you'll make much more money off the
deal than if they'd gone through with it!

The standard DC in areas of high competition (such as Prontera
or Izlude) is usually 20%, so I'd suggest making a trip to
somewhere more exotic (such as Payon or Geffen) where you might
not even run into other DC merchants, let alone any giving a
higher DC than 10%. More of the pie for you, but a little less
business.

Quick Plug: Along with this Guide, I've submitted the DC/OC
Merchant's Friend, a companion chart which features a complete
and printable chart of the all the items in RO, along with
the price for these objects at 10%, 15%, and 20% OC and DC.


Pushcart
Requirements: Increase Weight Limit Level 5
Skill Usage: Passive

Level 1 Allows use of Cart
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
Level 5
Level 6
Level 7
Level 8
Level 9
Level 10 Normal Walking Speed

Cart Prices:

Alberta 300z
Payon 500z
Izlude 600z
Prontera 800z
Moroc 900z
Geffen 1100z

Notes: As you level the pushcart skill up, your walking speed
will slowly return to normal, since it is slowed somewhat by
the use of the cart. I suggest putting more than 3 points in
this only after you've maxed every other skill possible, with
the exception of Increase Weight Limit. :P You need it to make
a shop, however, so get it. Don't forget, you also have to
buy a Pushcart from a cart dealer!


Overcharge
Requirements: Increase Weight Limit Level 3
Discount Level 3
Skill Usage: Passive

Level 1 Item Sell Price + 7%
Level 2 Item Sell Price + 9%
Level 3 Item Sell Price + 11%
Level 4 Item Sell Price + 13%
Level 5 Item Sell Price + 15%
Level 6 Item Sell Price + 17%
Level 7 Item Sell Price + 19%
Level 8 Item Sell Price + 21%
Level 9 Item Sell Price + 23%
Level 10 Item Sell Price + 24%

Notes: This skill can be really useful, as you can sell your
items at a higher price than normal. When combined with DC, you
find yourself saving a LOT of money. Again, you'll want to max
this skill out as soon as you can. It's quite easy to find work
as an Overcharge Merchant, as the practice is currently quite rare.
Even in a place as crowded as Prontera, it's not very common to see
a merchant doing an overcharge for even 10%, let alone 15% or 20%.

The best place to Overcharge, unless you have PILES of money,
is next to an NPC to whom you can sell the items you get, so
that each time you buy a load, you can get rid of it and get your
money back, with interest.

An Overcharger's business is a lot 'safer', in that you aren't
as dependant on another person fulfilling their end of a bargain.
It's just a single straight trade. Profit is generally quite
good, as well. The only reason NOT to switch to OCing from DCing is
lack of money. To be an Overcharger, you'll tend to want to have at
least 10k worth of Zenny which you can afford to spend buying the
items of other players.

A quick note, for those aspiring Overchargers among you. Keep a
pad of paper with you, and a pen or pencil, so you can quickly
add up the amount of money you're paying for the load of items.

Quick Plug (again): Along with this Guide, I've submitted the
DC/OC Merchant's Friend, a companion chart to this Guide which
features a complete and printable chart of the all the items in RO,
along with the price for these objects at 10%, 15%, and 20% OC and
DC.


Vending
Requirements: Increase Weight Limit Level 5
Pushcart Level 3
A Pushcart
Skill Usage: Active (sorta)

Level 1 3 Item Slots
Level 2 4 Item Slots
Level 3 5 Item Slots
Level 4 6 Item Slots
Level 5 7 Item Slots
Level 6 8 Item Slots
Level 7 9 Item Slots
Level 8 10 Item Slots
Level 9 11 Item Slots
Level 10 12 Item Slots

Notes: The type of items you're planning on selling using the
Vending skill should determine the amount of Skill Levels you
raise this skill. If you're planning on mainly using this to
sell Reds at a discount and the occasional Rare you happen to
come across, I'd suggest sticking to Level 3 or 4 tops. If
you plan on Pre-Discounting a whole bunch of items and leaving
them to sell, max this out.

This is a really useful skill, since you can leave the game
alone, and other players will eventually purchase the items
in your store. For those of you who have a connection which
allows you to still use your phone line (such as a second line
dedicated to the internet, or cable/DSL) you can leave your
computer on while you go to school or work, and even when you
go to sleep!


Mammonite
Requirements: None
Skill Usage: Active (5 SP)

Level 1 150% Damage, costs 100z
Level 2 200% Damage, costs 200z
Level 3 250% Damage, costs 300z
Level 4 300% Damage, costs 400z
Level 5 350% Damage, costs 500z
Level 6 400% Damage, costs 600z
Level 7 450% Damage, costs 700z
Level 8 500% Damage, costs 800z
Level 9 550% Damage, costs 900z
Level 10 600% Damage, costs 1000z

Notes: This is a really handy skill to have, especially for those
Merchants who have more money than they know what to do with. Even
at low levels, this skill really puts Swordsman skills to shame, and
combined with the fact that Merchants have access to the most damaging
weapon currently available (Hello, Two Handed Axe!), makes this skill
invaluable in a fight. While not recommended for everyday use, this
can really speed up your fights with boss characters such as Baphomet...
which means that sometimes it might actually be worth the cost! Heck,
if you've got the skill at a decent level and plenty of Reds, you could
take Baphy well before you could normally, with some liberal usage
of this skill.



-=6. Credits + Thanks=-

First of all, I'd like to credit www.MerchantGuild.net for their
fantastic resources. Those resources helped me in the writing of
this Guide, and indeed, even inspired some parts of it.

I'd like to thank my fingers for typing what my brain thought
up. Thanks, guys.

Thanks go to Gravity for making the game, Our English GM working it
(bite me other players... she does a decent job), and the other players
from whom I leech my character's funds. ^_^

Thanks go to CJayC for hosting this.

Thanks go to my parents, for paying my internet connection (Cheapos
got me 3web...)



-=7. Legal=-

Generally, I'll be okay with people hosting this Guide on their site
without my permission. I only ask that the rules below are followed.

-The Unofficial Merchant Guide will be unaltered in any way, except
for formatting
-The Unofficial Merchant Guide will be clearly credited to myself
-The version of The Unofficial Merchant Guide hosted will be the
latest version available
-No profit is made directly or indirectly off of The Unofficial
Merchant Guide (this means no hosting on pay-access sites, nor selling
it directly)

In addition, The Unofficial Merchant Guide cannot be reproduced in
any hard copy format without my express written permission. No way
around THAT. HA!



-=8. Contact Information=-

I can be contacted via email at: chibievil@hotmail.com, but that'll
take you a few days. If you *really* need to find me, you can whisper
Shinji-san on Loki and if I'm on, you'll get me.








-=end=-