Weapon Master Guide (by DW>FrankyTheFly)

 

1. Overview

 

The Weapon Master is a fighter. His main role is to kill monsters, stay alive and share weapons with other players. Spawning with all weapons, the Weapon Master unique abilities make him able to survive without the help of Medics. Considering by most the hardest class to achieve, the WM true power resides in the fact that it he is a versatile player that can adapt to almost any situation encountered in the game.

 

At low level, a Weapon Master can survive most of the Monsters in the lower waves all by himself, relying on his Vampirism skill to heal himself and his Resupply skill to take care of his ammo regeneration. Switching to other weapons when you’re out of ammo is a good way to keep up, thanks to your Loaded Weapons.

 

At high level, a Weapon Master can use the Globe of Invulnerability, and the Triple Damage like an Adrenaline Master) as long as he has some Weapon of Energy in his inventory. He can therefore becomes a hybrid Adrenaline Master, but with all the advantages of being a Weapon Master. This make the Weapon Master highly dependant of the Adrenaline Masters. Sometimes, luck can be on the side of the Weapon Master and he can spawn with good weapons, such as Energy, Vorpal or Petrification. Getting the Artifacts is another hard mission for the Weapon Master, knowing that anytime he dies, he loses them. Knowing this, staying alive for a whole match at high level is a high priority.

 

 

2. Starting stats and skills

 

The skills you should immediately buy for the Weapon Master class are :

-  The Weapon Master class

-  Loaded Weapons (lvl 1)

-  Resupply (lvl 1)

-  Vampirism (lvl 2)

-  Awareness (lvl 1)

 

The stats you should start with are:

-  Weapon Speed : 25

-  Health Bonus: 50

-  Max Adrenaline: 109

-  Damage Bonus: 50 (needed for Vampirism)

-  Damage Reduction: 10

-  Max Ammo Bonus: 50 (needed for resupply)

 

* A current glitch make it so you actually don't need 50 Ammo Bonus to be able to buy resupply. Whether or not you want to put your points into Ammo Bonus is up to you.

 

 

3. Building up your character

 

* Recommanded order for maxing stats: Weapon Speed > Damage Bonus > Damage Reduction > Health > Ammo Bonus > Max Adrenaline

  

The first skill you should buy before anything else is Recall. Once you have level 1, you won’t loose the weapon you are using when you die. (Weapon Master can only have level 1 of this skill).

 

The first thing you should start upgrading after Recall is your Offensive Stats and skills. The offensive stats are Weapon Speed and Damage Bonus. The offensive skills are Resupply and Advanced Damage Bonus. Have in mind that the more weapon speed you have, the faster it empties your ammo. For that reason, it is recommended when updating your weapon speed to add 1 level of Resupply per 25 weapon speed, meaning once you have 100 weapon speed your Resupply is max at level 4.The next step is Damage Bonus. You can either boost your Damage Bonus up to the max (290) or building a more balanced character by updating your Damage Bonus and Damage Reduction at the same time. If you decide to build your DB and DR at the same time, my recommendation is 2 DB for 1 DR, meaning at 290 db you have 140 dr. Once your Damage Bonus is at max, you can consider buying the skill Advanced Damage Bonus for more fire power. 

 

* Don’t forget to update your Loaded Weapons once you’ve reach level 40 and 55. At level 40, you can buy Loaded Weapons level 2 witch will give you the ONS weapon such as the mine layer and the AMRIL. Level 3 will give you the super weapons (Redeemer and Ion Painter).

 

The second thing you should upgrade is your Defensive Stats and skills. The defensive stats are Health Bonus and Damage Reduction. The Defensive Skills are Vampirism and Regeneration. Damage Reduction is more important then HP, thus you should max DR first. Once again, you can either boost your DR up to the max (350) or build a more balanced character by updating your DR and HP at the same time. If you chose the balanced way, my recommendation is 2 DR for 1 HP, meaning once you have 350 DR you should have 350 HP (don’t forget 5 stats = 10 HP, so yes it’s a 2:1 ratio). Once your DR is maxed, you can start building your HP and upgrade your Vampirism skill and Regeneration skill. You should add 1 level of Vampirism per 100 HP and add 1 level of Regeneration per 200 HP. Once again, you have the choice to either boost your HP to 1000 or build a more balanced character by updating your Ammo Bonus and Max Adrenaline at the same time. If you chose to update your ammo and adrenaline simultaneously, my recommendations are 1 HP per 1 Ammo and adrenaline. This means that at 400 HP, you’ll have 200 adrenaline and 200 ammo bonus.

 

* Once you have maxed DR, you should immediately finish your Loaded Weapons up to level 5 if you haven’t done it yet.

  

Now that you have maxed Weapon speed, Damage Bonus and Damage Reduction, it’s time for the Support Stats and skills. The support stats for the WM class are Max Adrenaline and Max Ammo Bonus. The support skills are Cautiousness, Iron Legs, Speed Switcher, Quickfoot, Power Jump, Airmaster, Awareness and Ghost. Those skills will help you survive in the field, dodge projectiles and enhance your movements. Now, once again, you have the choice. You can wait and max your primary skills and stats before even getting those skills, or you can buy those skills and work on your primary skills at the same time. 

 

If you chose to wait and max your primary skills and stats, then the first things you should get are Quickfoot and Ghost. Quickfoot is an amazing skill that make you run faster (you gain 5% more speed per level, up to level 5) and can help you get those Experience Shards. Ghost will give you a second live at each wave, increasing your survival chance by 2.

 

After that, concentrate on Awareness and Speed Switcher. Awareness will help you pinpoint the monsters and show their location through fog and vegetation. Level 2 will also give you the amount of HP in numbers, meaning you can now tell the moment Lucifer have low HP and shoot that deamer to get the kill. Speed Switcher will accelerate your weapon switching speed, which is a must when fighting monsters in the field.

 

Finally, go for Power Jump, Airmaster, Cautiousness and Iron Legs. Power Jump makes you jump 5% higher per level, up to level 3. Some roof tops are now easy to reach without the use of the translocator. Airmaster will improve your dodging skill in mid air. No globe on Lucifer wave? Use Airmaster and dodge all shoots from Lucifer without trouble. Cautiousness will give you an additional 15% DR on your OWN DAMAGE ONLY. At level 5, you won’t fear your own deamer or your own mine layer anymore. Iron Legs will reduce the damage you take from falling, which is useful in some maps.

 

If you choose to update those skills and your primary skills simultaneously, my recommendations are as follow:

 

- 1 level of Quickfoot per 50 DB, starting at 100 DB

- 1 level of Cautiousness  per 50 DR, starting at 150 DR

- 1 level of Power Jump per 2 level of Quickfoot

- 1 level of Airmaster per level of Quickfoot, starting at level 2

 

You should also buy Ghost around level 150-175, max Speed Switcher after maxing Damage Bonus and max the Awareness skill after maxing Damage Reduction.

 

* While updating your support skill, you should also update your Support Stats, witch are Max Adrenaline and Max Ammo Bonus. Try buying them in a 1:1 ratio

 

Finally, once you got all this, you should be around level 350. Now is the time to get Ultima skill and all other non-usefull skill like Smart Healing, Shield up!, CounterShove and Retaliation.

 

 

4. Survival Tactics

 

At low level (25-100)

The Weapon Master tactics for survival at low level generally depend of the current map and the weapon he gets. During the lower waves (1 to 4), use your Mine Layer, Shock Rifle and Lightning Gun to kill the monsters. Good weapons like Vorpal or Petrification really help. Try getting a Triple Damage or a Magic Weapon Maker in those waves.

 

On medium waves (5 to 8), you need to watch yourself because some monsters can kill you easily if your DR is below 200, so lay a Translocator somewhere if you’re in trouble. If you have enough DR, the Flak Canon and the mp5 may come in handy against the Queens and the Raptors. If your DR is low, try finding a camping spot and use your long range weapons like the Shock Rifle and the Lightning Gun to kill the monsters, while laying some spider mines now and then.

 

On high waves (9 to 12), it’s hiding time. Don’t try to play hero, has you don’t have enough DR or HP to resist multiple shots and can’t use the Globe of Invulnerability yet. Find a safe spot and use your long range weapon and your Mine Layer to attack the monsters.

 

On very high waves (13 to 15), you should hide somewhere so the monsters can’t see you and use your Mine Layer. Shooting a Monster with any long range weapon will get their attention and 1 shot will probably kill you. On Lucifer wave (16), try getting a Link Gun of Infinity and link someone who is at high level. If you have an mp5 or Shock Rifle of Infinity, you can try shooting Lucifer if some tankers are in the field and distracting them.

 

At medium level (100-200)

The Weapon Master tactics for survival at medium level generally depend on the team average level and the number of players actually playing. The lower waves (1 to 4) should not pose any problem.

 

At medium waves (5 to 8), you should now have enough DR to resist most of the incoming shots, but the danger resides in the team configuration. If an insufficient number of players are connected, more monsters will target you, thus multiple shots from monsters in those waves can kill you because your HP is not maxed yet. Always lay a translocator somewhere and press F1 to check the team status regularly. If a lot of players are connected and the average level is low, then this wave should not pose any threat since your Vampirism skill should keep you alive and your max DB will help you kill Monsters before they start targeting you.

 

At high waves (9 to 12), the situation may vary. If you have a Triple Damage and bought some Quickfoot, Power Jump and Airmaster, then you can easily dodge Titan’s rocks. Having Ghost around level 150 will also improve your chance of survival in those waves. If some Adrenaline Masters have energy weapon, then you can ask for copy. The Mine Layer or Flak Canon of Energy are your best friends if you have a Globe. Having at least 100 ammo bonus, 150 adrenaline and max Resupply mean you can globe in those waves if it is needed.

 

On very high waves (13 to 15), you should hide somewhere safe. Without 200 adrenaline, more ammo bonus and maxed Quickfoot, it is very difficult for a medium level Weapon Master to keep his adrenaline with an energy weapon in those hard waves. Your best chance is to fire with long range weapon and try killing monsters from far away. If you still have the Triple Damage, don’t hesitate to use it. Remember: the best modifier against Seekers is Petrification and Freezing, so having a Shock Rifle or mp5 of Petrification or Freezing can come in handy. On Lucifer wave (16), if you have a Flak Canon of Energy and a Globe, and if you have enough Adrenaline (150 min) and ammo (100 min), you can try tanking Lucifer. If you own a Link Gun of Infinity, try finding a safe spot and ask for others to link you. Your chance of getting the Lucifer kill should be around 50%.

 

At high level (200+)

The Weapon Master tactics for survival at high level now exclusively depend on maps and luck. The lower and medium waves (1 to 8) should not pose any threat at this level.

 

The high waves (9 to 12) however, can still be dangerous. You now should have enough adrenaline and ammo bonus to be able to use the energy weapons like an Adrenaline Master, meaning you can use the Triple Damage and Globe of Invulnerability together. If you’re lucky enough to possess a Globe, Triple Damage and energy weapon like the Mine Layer or the Flak Canon, then those waves should not be too risky. If you don’t have any of these, then use your Quickfoot-Power Jump-Airmaster skills to dodge the incoming projectiles as much as possible.

 

The very high waves (13 to 15) can be a problem if you don’t own any energy weapons or Globe. Owning a Protection weapon may replace the Energy, but remember that raptors in wave 13 still can kill you even with a +4 protection. If you don’t have any Protection or Energy weapon, then find a safe spot and shoot monsters from a distance with the Shock Rifle or the mp5. Having a Triple Damage there also help. On Lucifer wave (16), if you have kept a Flak Canon of Energy and a Globe, then you can tank Lucifer easily. You should now have enough ammo bonuses (300+) to use the energy link gun instead of the infinite link gun and use the globe+triple damage with it. If some people link you, then your chance of getting the Lucifer kill rise up significantly.

 

 

5. Redeemer/ion painter combos

 

Weapon Masters and super weapons make a perfect couple. Once you have maxed Ammo Bonus (599), you now spawn with 6 Redeemers and Ion Painters. Once you have fired a Redeemer or Ion Painter, you can immediately switch to any magical weapon you want. The Redeemer missile or the Ion explosion will therefore TAKE THE EFFECT of the weapon you switch to; this is called a SUPER WEAPON COMBO. The most useful super weapon combos are as follow:

 

1. Redeemer-Protection

This combo is useful if you are stuck in a monster pack and have a Protection weapon in your inventory. You need max DR and at least 500 HP to use this combo. The protection effect from the Protection weapon should be effective against the blast of your own Redeemer. If you have the skill Cautiousness, you can even use the Triple Damage with the Redeemer without fear of killing yourself. 

 

2. Ion/Redeemer-Vampirism

More useful then the protection combo, the Vampirism combo can be use in the same matter, that is if your stuck in a pack of monster or if you need to replenish your HP. The vampirism effect should counterbalance the damage taken; therefore you won’t loose any HP when doing this with a Redeemer at close range. Using an Ion Painter-vampirism combo is also a good way to replenish your HP quickly if no medics are around.

 

3. Ion/Redeemer-Chain lightning

Probably the most devastating Blast you’ll ever going to experience. This combo is extremely powerful and combined with a Triple Damage, it can literally sweep the floor. Combined to the super weapon blast, the chain lightning effect while produce an electrical discharge that will kill everything living in it. Using the Ion Painter-Chain lightning at long distance is the best way to clean the place from monsters. If you want to use the Redeemer-Chain lightning combo at close range, be sure to have a Globe ready or else you will be fried.

 

* Update (November 2009): Due to adjustement to the Chain Lighning Modifier including the reduction of the chain effect radius, damage and time interval, the Chain Lighning combo is not has powerfull has describe in the upward section but still can deliver some punch.  

 

4. Ion/Redeemer-Energy

The most useful super weapon combo you’ll experience. It is particularly efficient with the Redeemer at close range. This combo can replenish your adrenaline meter up to the max at critical moments. This is the one combo to use when the monster level have increase beyond the point where energy weapons become inefficient to keep your adrenaline level while globing. Shooting a Redeemer in a pack of monsters will therefore replenish your adrenaline, and this willwork against high level monsters.

 

* Update (June 2009): the super weapon combo is NOT WORKING ANYMORE ON SOME MAPS. You will notice that in maps like Deep-violet and Kotam (probably others too).

 

** Update (November 2009): The super weapon combo is now fixed and fully functional again.