Lukless Mage guide

~ Low LUK Magician Guide ~


I've received quite a few questions asking about how to go about make a successful low LUK magician, so I decided to compile this quick reference on how to go about it.


-- What is a Low LUK build? --

A low LUK build is simply a normal build, but taking the advantage of LUK-stated equips to keep your base LUK at a minimum, therefore getting the most base INT possible for your money. This build has the most customability when it comes to equipment choices and stat attributes, and is quickly becoming a popular choice for upcoming magicians.

-- Why a Low LUK build? --

You may think that a LUKless build has the greatest power output throughout their leveling career, and for the most part this is correct. However, when planned properly, a low LUK magician can have equal or greater damage output when their LUK is finally capped. Low LUK also have the advantage of wearing normal equipment, which means they don't lack the defense that LUKless do.

The only problems with a low LUK build is the extensive planning of stat additions and equipment upgrades, and the high costs to do so. Also, you won't really be able to get the benefit from this build until you reach your final equips and LUK stats. Either way, it is better then a normal build.

Where it stands now based on the "Top 20 Magicians With The Greatest Magic Attack for Their Level [in GMS]" ( link ), the highest M.ATK is from a low LUK build magician as well as almost half the others, which says a lot about it in comparison with LUKless.

-- How to Plan Your Equips --

The first most step into making a successful low LUK magician is planning out when and what equipment to upgrade to, and when to add LUK.

-- End -of-Game Weapon --
The most important part is to plan out what will be your final WEAPON and plan your base LUK accordingly. The reason why I say weapon is because the majority of the magic attack obtained from equipment will come from your staff or wand, with minor additions from everything else.

Keep in mind that generally every wand requires it's level+2 worth of LUK, and every staff requires level+3 worth. This 1 LUK may not seem crucial, but it does make wands a better choice for this build, with the exception of the following point. All staves and wands in later levels output their level+15 M.ATK when average and un-scrolled EXCEPT pyogo, which gives level+20, and blade staff, which gives level+28. So in terms of getting the most M.ATK for your LUK, Pyogo and Bladestaff would be the best choice.

But finally, keep in mind the prices. Finding or scrolling an awesome Pyogo will be very rare, whereas obtaining a pretty powerful Pheonix Wand or Evil Wings is not so difficult. It is all about getting the most M.ATK for your money, and for the LUK requirement. So plan well.

-- End-of-Game Armor --
Now that you've decided on your final weapon it's time to worry about the rest of your equips. Obviously you are able to wield anything below that chosen weapon's LUK requirement. After that it's all about getting the most LUK or INT from them as possible.

-- What should I scroll with LUK, what should I scroll with INT? --
Now comes the complicated part. You're probably thinking, I just scroll everything I have with LUK right? Well you could, and it won't do you any harm and may be better off, but consider this:

You have the option of scrolling an overall with LUK or INT. You will either scroll with INT giving you more M.ATK right off the bat, or with LUK that allows you to take more out of your base LUK and stack it into INT. In other words this method is exactly the same, the only difference scrolling with INT will be easier to plan around, but scrolling with LUK will allow more base INT, therefore giving you a minute addition to MP on your next level ups. So technically, LUK scrolling everything will be the same as INT, but will give you a very slightly higher max MP.

There are some things however, that can help with LUK that can't do the same for INT. For example, you have the option now to scroll shields with LUK or INT/M.ATK, and INT shield scrolls give more M.ATK per slot, but considering that INT shield scrolls are so expensive and hard to come by LUK still and may always be the way to go. Utilizing the LUK from a well scrolled shield is one of the great benefits of a low LUK magician.

Another great item to have is a Zakum Helm (1). Although hard to come by at early levels, when obtained you can receive the benefit both from the 15 INT and the 15 LUK.

-- A Low LUK Build Example --

To help familiarize yourself with how a low LUK build works, please read the following example (these are not actually my equips);

I am a low LUK magician. I have decided my final weapon to be a Pheonix Wand because it can be both well scrolled, and is affordable and easy to find. This means that I need a total LUK of 80 to wield. I get additional LUK from equips like a 20 LUK Maple Shield, 15 LUK from a Zakum Helm, 25 LUK from a Calas, and 2 LUK from boots and gloves. This gives me a total of 62 LUK from equips to subtract from my base LUK. In other words, I need only 18 base LUK to wield a Pheonix Wand, meaning the rest can all go to INT!

-- Personal Experience --

I myself am a 13X low LUK ice mage in Bera, GMS. I currently have a base LUK of 43 and +38 LUK and +86 INT from equips and am able to wield a 140 total m.atk Blade Staff. I've been playing this character for well over 2 years, and have slowly been getting stronger since, and am one of the strongest low LUK magicians in GMS.

Thanks to everyone's support and suggestions in the guide! If you have anything to add, change or need clarification on please message me. Also, if you believe this should be stickied, please support it by clicking the thumbs up.

Credits go to MysticMagix, 2007.