Formation Help - Spear

[KNEEofJUSTICE]

Spearman | Swordsman | BT
Gunner | Archer | Spear (Main)
Shaman |Artilleryman | Monk

So I'm level 70 right now with a lack of experience in PvP and I'm beginning to regret not giving it much thought. Ever since my character was made, I've done mostly questing and random FL for some Stamina. I still want to have a PvE-focused formation, but it wouldn't hurt to defend my formation against what PvP-unique traits in FL.

I got a second Spearman early on since I heard that most people who use Spears on their main get another one to capitalize on their AP draining abilities. I later added a BT as a tank since as the frontline was then, I'd have to shuffle my front-line every once in a while.

With that being said, I'm not sure where I'm supposed to build off of. I think it's fine in PvE because I haven't encountered any major problems in the main quest-line (though it's PvE.) If I PvP, I generally target the monk and Viking first before moving on to the main. However, just having this in mind isn't efficient enough, and I tend to get owned a lot as a result.

So, yeah. I still want a PvE formation, but at the same time, I'd like to cover up some blind spots in PvP. Sorry for the scatter-brained typing. Any sort of input is appreciated. Though I can't say that I'll follow them down to the T, I'd at least like to know if I'm on the right track or not :v

[Shirakani]

This is my recommendation. I notice you don't have a Viking, get one. Gunner and Archer is eventually dropped unless you want to keep the Archer for the eventual Dark Archer. These recommendations are for PvE only naturally. I play the game for PvE and only dabble in PvP.

Midgame PvE: (lvl40-70)

Spear/BT/Sword
Arty/SpearM/Vik
Sham/Monk/Prophet

Yes, spear merc needed to pair up for dual lightning spear on a single column. Total immobilization of said column after both are lvl80+ and upgraded. The utility of spear is it's ability to totally deaden a column. This is especially useful for Boss fights at this level. Gunner is dropped around this point due to being pretty much useless and taking up room. Archer is dropped for the INFINITELY more useful Prophet.

High game PvE (80-100):

Vik/BT/Sword
Spear/SpearM/Can
Ora/Monk/Prophet

With lvl80 and Guardian stones, as well as decent lvl80 VIT rings (crucial) the Viking can now frontline. Spear merc gets moved to midline with the spear main and the arty is dropped for cannoneer. Shaman is dropped for Oracle, and the new midline now becomes a VERY damaging Seth's Will line. Only weakness of this formation is the lack of ranged mercs. With the Lady Knight and Janissary most likely at very low levels by this time, they do not yet fit into the formation. Around this point in the game is where PvE boss fights are largely made easier by the use of Seth's Will on the midline. Arty is dropped due to it becoming increasingly squishier at this point due to the increased attack on enemies, and the fact that Deep Insight's -DEF value has already lost it's worth. The only reason to use it now is for the free health check. Frankly, that's not good enough a reason to not swap him for a Cannoneer, who's Smoke Bomb DoT is superior and causes enemies to miss more, thus increasing your survivability.

Endgame PvE (100+):

NVik/LK/BT
Jani/SpearM/Can
Ora/Monk/Prophet

Now with the inclusion of the strongest damager, the Janissary, and the best tank, the Lady Knight. This is pretty much the formation that will take you to endgame. The Viking also is upgraded to Northern Viking and gains in stats as well as the ridiculously good frontline murdering Ice Ridge Axe. By this point the 2nd spear merc is more of a hindrance and is no longer needed. You will be using less and less magic spam on Boss fights and the game becomes more about having bigger and more higher +'d whacksticks. As such, keeping a spear merc for the use of Lightning Spear is a waste... Why disable it? KILL IT! Cannoneer and Prophet can be rotated if ranged seth damage is needed, front line can additionally be Seth'd for melee damage. Recommend to swap the position of the main with the BT before Seth'ing as a seth'd spear main does MARKEDLY more damage.

Final Formation (110-120+):

NVik/LK/Spartan
Jani/SpearM/Pirate or Cannoneer
Ora/Monk/Prophet

Optional but recommended if you can get them, for PvE purposes, the Pirate and Spartan combo is THE ultimate Boss killing combination. The addition of Pirate makes Lightning Spear useful again as the Pirate's Toxic Sword is the ultimate AP burning skill. Combine this with Lightning Spear, and the Spartan's War Cry, and every single boss you fight will probably get 1 move every 2-3 turns, and when it does move it'll only swing at you once, harmless. A boss under war cry, regardless of how big it's power is, once you get the fight down to 1v1, is the most harmless thing. A boss under Toxic Sword+War Cry is not even worth giving any attention, just Seth your front and midlines and go watch TV.

EDIT: Additional possibilities for Endgame PvE.

The 'OMG Heck Less Prz!' Formation:

Spartan/SpearM/Pirate
Jani/Prophet/DArcher
Ora/Monk/Elementalist

Only doable if your pockets are extremely deep and you have +10 armor on the main, spartan and pirate, as well as +10 rings or dangerously close to. +10 weapons go without saying. If you are that well geared, this gives you arguably the strongest possible melee seth line, as well as the strongest possible range seth line. You will be able to massacre anything. NViking can GTFO at this point, he's a liability with his slow AP gain. Frontlining the spear main is usually a Really Really Bad Idea(tm), but if you are extremely well geared, you can do it. Likewise for a Pirate, +10 armor is almost MANDATORY to frontline her as she is an EXTREMELY squishy melee. Addition of Elementalist to the back line makes the expansion endgame content (Aztec onwards) a total cakewalk. She totally DESTROYS their formations before you even get a shot. But for many, this formation is nothing but a dream within a dream to achieve unless you invest EXTREME amounts of time, or spend a lot of real money in order to gear up.

Future Dual-Seth Formation:

Pirate/Spartan/Punisher
DArcher/Prophet/Hwarang
Ora/SpearM/Monk

Somewhat goes without saying... similar to the above, but the addition of the Chainsaw merc (Punisher) and the Hwarang to increase range multi rate makes this a ridiculously damaging combination. Again, similar to above, Pirate needs to be VERY well geared to stand in front.

PhoStyle Formation:

blank/Pho/blank
blank/Pho/blank
blank/Pho/blank

Why? He is just too damn hekk is why. Note: put the Pho at the back. The front and midlines are taken up by his weapon when he removes his pants.

[badna0]

Originally Posted by KNEEofJUSTICE

Spearman | Swordsman | BT
Gunner | Archer | Spear (Main)
Shaman |Artilleryman | Monk

I pvp a fair amount, and I can give you a few pointers on strats. Your current build should work okay, it's similar to my build. A few key strategies:
As a spear main with two spears, it's vital that you use lightning spear effectively. That means you should target low AP gaining targets (viking), and/or high - priority targets (exo). Again, this is much easier @ level 80 when your LS hits backrow as well. But primarily concentrate on AP draining viking/exo. Alternatively, if you're facing off vs. a stun heavy build, you can try AP draining the stunners (gun/cannon).

You'll want to stun pressure with your artillery and gunner. Save the AP on them solely for regular-attack pressuring (a regular attack from them both should hit at minimum 6 mercs), and make sure you add comboes to the monk. Again, making sure that the monk constantly awakens means that you prevent him from Holy Guarding (which would hard counter LS).

One thing worth thinking about in PvP is in order to effectively outdamage/outsurvive your opponent, you need to cut down on their activations/turn. LS helps a long way towards succeeding @ this, but you'll need some sort of hard disable (or the threat of it) in order to cut down a team's activations further.

As Shira noted, your build needs some sort of disabler. ATM it'll be very difficult for you to win free league battles b/c LS is good, but can't disable mercs enough to cut down (significantly) on their activations. Exo would complement your team well in PvP, as mana seal on a monk @ combo one ensures a stun on the monk two turns later. Problem is, you're primarily PvE, and an Exo isn't much use over there. A viking is a second natural choice, with the ability to freeze the front row. If you LS two columns one round and freeze the next, you'll be cutting down the amount of options your opponent has a lot. For PvP, I'd suggest replacing either your archer with an exo or the gunner with a viking. Either way, you'll need to replace one of your mercs/level another one. It'll be very difficult to succeed in PvP with your current formation.

[WhatThePho]

This thread is now officially NSFW.

[Shirakani]

For examples of a master lightning spear user, watch Sharingan's matches. He runs dual spear mercs who's strategy can easily be incorporated into your game.

[KNEEofJUSTICE]

Thanks for all of your input.

I decided to raise a Viking as a middle ground between PvE and PvP. Never got him before because I wanted something more on the front line tank sorta deal. The Viking may replace the Gunner, since I don't use my Gunner very much except for poking back row enemies that are on the brink of death. It'll take a while, but ideally I'd like to get him to within ten levels of the rest of my party.