Before I start, I'd like to say that this guide is far from perfect, but will hopefully help someone who is just starting out with Aurum Blade.
FIrst of all, Allen is one of those fast, high critical characters that every RPG seems to have. He's seen with a sword and a shield in the selection screen, but is most commonly used with dual weapons. However you could take a more defensive approach with a sword and shield Allen.
NOTE:
When dual wielding with one-handed weapons, DEX raises the damage, on the other hand, when you are using a one-handed weapon along with a shield, STR raises the damage.
DEX mainly gives critical, while STR raises critical damage.
DUAL WIELD (Available when you reach level 10, after learning Dual Wielding Mastery - One)
Pros
- Higher Damage
- Potentially very high critical rate
- Faster attacks (faster HP/MP stealing from Crystals)
- Higher regen (with addition of extra weapon as opposed to a shield)
- Can combine two weapons to get two different bonuses
NOTE: weapon mastery effects are NOT x2 when using dual wielding. They are counted once.
Cons
- Will take MUCH more damage from mobs because of no shield, and no defense buff
- Without the passive Bust accuracy buff, you will miss a lot
ONE - HANDED
Pros
- Much higher defense than dual wield with the addition of the shield
- Potentially very high critical rate
- Has a chance to block hits completely
- Possesses an awesome defense buff (Shield Mastery, and not spending 10 Skill Points on Dual Weapon Mastery to just get back to base Defense levels)
- Has consistent accuracy (save 10 Skill Points on maxing the Bust skill)
Cons
- Less damage than dual wield
- Can only use one type of weapon at a time, meaning only one mastery is recommended
- Less potential for Crystal HP and MANA steal
- Slower attacks ( still pretty fast though)
WEAPONS SECTION:
Benefits from each maxed mastery ( lvl. 1 ) :
These bonuses are from level 1, at level 10 they will be MUCH higher
1.) Blade:
Required stat: Dex
Will give your character much higher critical damage. Attack damage of Blade increases by 7%, so does Critical Damage by 8%.
2.) Dagger
Required stat: Dex
Will give a higher critical rate. Attack damage of Daggers increases by 7%, so does Critical Rate by 1%.
3.) Hammer/Mace:
Required stat: Strength
Can stun your targets. With dual wield, given that both weapons are maces, you can stunlock your target. Attack damage of Mace increases by 7%, so does Stun Rate by 8%.
However you do the least damage compared to the other weapons. ( Also the most consistent in terms of damage)
4.) Axe:
Required stat: Strength
Your character will have a higher maximum damage. Attack damage of Axe increases by 7%, so does Maximum Damage by 1%.
Due to the required stats, it is recommended to use two different weapons of the same stat requirement to reap the benefits from two different masteries. For example, if you were to decide to raise DEX for dual wielding, then it is better to go with Blades along with Daggers. However if you were to raise STR, then it would be better to go with Maces and Axes. See the Legendary and Sets pages to determine which high-level gear you'd like to use late-game.
Mixing 2 weapons with a different stat requirement is possible, but would take many gems and/or Stat Points.
MUST HAVE SKILLS:
- Force Shouting - MAX. For a time duration, attack damage increases by 3% PER LEVEL.
- Concentration - MAX ( this is the source of your outrageous critical rates). For a time duration, Critical Rate increases by 5% PER LEVEL. (50% when maxed)
- Mastery - MAX.
- Dual Weapon Mastery (dual wield only) - required for dual wielding. it's up to you wether or not you should invest in it, personally, I didn't find it too useful - especially at lower levels. Reduces the defense penalty when dual wielding, returning to base defense levels when maxed.
- Bust (dual wield only) - Raise it up until you rarely miss. When dual wielding without this skill, your base accuracy is reduced to 60%. When maxed, this skill returns your base accuracy to 75% [current version, dual wield accuracy max at 75%, only one hand wield accuracy is at 85%].
- Sharpening - MAX. Increases Critical Rate by 2% per level. (20% when maxed)
- Finish Blow - MAX MAX MAX ( 100% critical damage ). Increases Critical Damage by 10% per level, which doubles your critical damage when maxed. (100% when maxed)
Crystals:
My advice would be to get (if possible) at least 5 sockets (if dual wield) and 2 sockets (if one handed)
If your armor gives you a MP steal bonus, MP crystals ( Diamonds ) are not necessarily needed. Pink Diamonds are VERY important for stealing HP, and crucial to surviving. You will along the way find armor that gives you an HP stolen per hit bonus. You can get tons of these in the Power Dungeon. Load up your weapons with pink diamonds, and ONE diamond IF, and only IF you don't already have MP steal.
My character currently has 55 HP steal per hit. With dual wield you hit twice per strike. That means if you have 35 HP steal, you'll recover 70 HP per hit (if dual wield). You can gather up mobs to recover hp faster. The more mobs there are, the more mobs you hit = more recovery.
On a side note: DO THE POWER DUNGEON!!!
Thx for reading, I know it's not perfect. Enjoy playing as Allen, and playing Aurum Blade :D