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Bowmaster

Bowman Bowmaster
Path Beginner → Bowman → Hunter → Ranger → Bowmaster
Primary DEX
Secondary STR

Bowmasters are the bow-wielding specialists of MapleStory, raining arrows upon enemies with unmatched speed. Their signature skill Hurricane unleashes a continuous stream of arrows, making them one of the highest single-target DPS classes in the game. With Sharp Eyes boosting critical rates for the entire party, Bowmasters are always welcome in boss runs.

Key Skills
Hurricane Sharp Eyes Strafe Arrow Rain Maple Warrior
Pros
  • Hurricane provides the fastest single-target DPS in the game, melting bosses at high levels
  • Sharp Eyes is one of the most sought-after party buffs, giving the whole party increased critical rate and minimum critical damage
  • Arrow Rain offers strong mobbing capability for training at crowded maps
  • Phoenix summon provides additional damage and stun utility during both training and bossing
  • Relatively low funding needed compared to other classes to deal respectable damage
Cons
  • Squishy class with low HP and no defensive skills beyond Concentrate, making boss mechanics dangerous
  • Hurricane roots you in place while firing, leaving you vulnerable to touch damage and boss attacks
  • Bows have lower base weapon attack than crossbows, resulting in slightly lower per-hit damage than Marksmen
  • Early-to-mid game training (levels 10-70) can feel slow before Strafe and Arrow Rain come online
  • Requires good positioning and timing knowledge for bossing since you cannot move during Hurricane

AP Distribution

Lv. 1-10 Follow Maple Island quests. Put AP into DEX. Keep STR at base (4) unless you need it for early equipment. Reach level 10 with high DEX to maximize early damage.
Lv. 10-30 As a Hunter, go DEXless or low-STR. Put all AP into DEX. You need 25 STR minimum for early bows, but many players stay at base STR and rely on STR gear.
Lv. 30-70 Continue pumping DEX. Your STR should remain at the minimum needed for your current bow. With Soul Arrow active you never run out of arrows, so focus purely on damage stats.
Lv. 70-120 By 3rd job as a Ranger, your DEX should be very high. Do not add any STR unless absolutely required for a weapon. Consider getting STR from equipment instead of AP.
Lv. 120-200 As a Bowmaster, all AP goes into DEX. With Bow Expert and Concentrate boosting your damage, high DEX is essential. Aim for 999 DEX with gear for maximum Hurricane damage.

SP Allocation (Level by Level)

2nd Job Hunter Lv. 30-70

Level 30: Put 1 point into Arrow Bomb for immediate mobbing, then start maxing Bow Mastery
Level 30-37: Max Bow Mastery (20) for stable damage and accuracy
Level 37-46: Max Bow Booster (20) for faster attack speed
Level 46-55: Max Soul Arrow (20) so you never need arrows again
Level 55-70: Max Arrow Bomb (30) for best mobbing damage
Remaining points: Put into Power Knock-Back for utility, then Final Attack if desired
Note: Some players skip Final Attack entirely since it can disrupt Hurricane at 4th job

3rd Job Ranger Lv. 70-120

Level 70: Put 1 point into Strafe, Arrow Rain, Silver Hawk, and Puppet immediately
Level 70-79: Max Strafe (30) as your primary single-target damage skill
Level 79-89: Max Arrow Rain (30) for efficient AoE training
Level 89-99: Max Silver Hawk (30) for the summon's passive DPS and stun
Level 99-108: Max Puppet (20) for safe bossing with aggro redirection
Level 108-117: Max Inferno (30) or Mortal Blow (20) based on preference
Level 117-120: Dump remaining points into leftover skills
Tip: Always recast Puppet before engaging bosses for safe DPS windows

4th Job Bowmaster Lv. 120-200

Level 120: Immediately max Hurricane (30) - this is your defining skill and top priority
Level 120-130: After Hurricane, start maxing Sharp Eyes (30) for critical rate party buff
Level 130-140: Max Bow Expert (30) for the passive mastery and damage boost
Level 140-150: Max Maple Warrior (30) for the percentage-based stat increase
Level 150-160: Max Phoenix (30) to replace Silver Hawk with a stronger summon
Level 160-170: Max Concentrate (30) for the weapon attack boost during bossing
Level 170-180: Max Dragon's Breath (30) for AoE situations
Level 180+: Max Hamstring and Hero's Will with remaining points

1st Job Hunter

# Skill Max Notes
1 Bow Mastery 20 Max first for stable damage. Increases bow accuracy and mastery percentage, reducing your damage variance significantly. 2 Bow Booster 20 Max second to increase attack speed. Faster attacks means more DPS and smoother training. 3 Soul Arrow: Bow 20 Eliminates arrow consumption entirely. Max for convenience so you never need to buy arrows again. 4 Arrow Bomb: Bow 30 Your main mobbing skill in 2nd job. Hits multiple enemies and can stun. Max for training efficiency. 5 Power Knock-Back 20 Pushes monsters back. Put remaining points here. Useful for keeping distance from enemies. 6 Final Attack: Bow 30 Triggers additional attacks automatically. Some players skip this as it can interfere with Hurricane later, but it adds good DPS during 2nd job.

2nd Job Ranger

# Skill Max Notes
1 Strafe 30 Your primary single-target skill for 3rd job. Max first for maximum damage on bosses and strong single enemies. 2 Arrow Rain 30 Powerful AoE attack that hits all enemies in a wide area below you. Essential for training at flat maps. Max second. 3 Silver Hawk 30 Summon that attacks enemies and has a chance to stun. Great passive DPS boost during training and bossing. 4 Puppet 20 Places a decoy that draws monster aggro. Invaluable for bossing as it keeps bosses off you while you Strafe. Max for HP and duration. 5 Inferno 30 Fire-element AoE attack. Useful against ice-weak monsters but generally lower priority than Arrow Rain. 6 Mortal Blow 20 Chance to instantly kill a weakened monster. Put remaining points here for quality of life during training.

3rd Job Bowmaster

# Skill Max Notes
1 Hurricane 30 THE signature Bowmaster skill. Fires arrows at incredible speed continuously. Max immediately upon 4th job advancement for massive DPS. 2 Sharp Eyes 30 Max second. Party buff that adds critical rate and minimum critical damage. Essential for all party content and self-DPS. 3 Bow Expert 30 Passive mastery boost exclusive to Bowmasters. Increases damage significantly. Max third for consistent high damage. 4 Maple Warrior 30 Boosts all stats by a percentage. Max for the biggest stat increase at high levels. 5 Phoenix 30 Powerful fire summon that replaces Silver Hawk. Deals more damage and has stun chance. Great passive DPS. 6 Concentrate 30 Boosts weapon attack and reduces MP consumption. Excellent self-buff for bossing. 7 Dragon's Breath 30 Powerful AoE attack with knockback. Good for mobbing but lower priority than Hurricane skills. 8 Hamstring 30 Slows enemies hit by your attacks. Useful utility but low priority. Add points after core skills. 9 Hero's Will 5 Removes seduce and similar status effects. Put 1 point early for Horntail, max later.

Training Spots

Lv. 1-10
Maple Island
Snails Blue Snails Shrooms
Complete all Maple Island quests for fast leveling to 10. Use the basic bow from the quest reward.
Lv. 10-20
Henesys Hunting Ground I
Green Mushrooms Horned Mushrooms
Close to Henesys for potions and NPCs. Good spawn rate for early bowmen to practice.
Lv. 20-30
Land of Wild Boar
Wild Boars Iron Boars
Dense spawns on flat terrain. Arrow Bomb can hit multiple boars at once for efficient training.
Lv. 30-45
Kerning City Subway
Stirges Jr. Wraiths
Great spawn density and EXP. Stirges give excellent EXP for this level range. Arrow Bomb shines here.
Lv. 45-55
Toy Factory Process 2 Zone 3
Robos Master Robos
Excellent EXP with dense spawns. Arrow Bomb and Strafe make quick work of these mobs.
Lv. 55-70
Wolf Spider Cavern
Wolf Spiders
Outstanding EXP per hour. Wolf Spiders give massive EXP. Use Puppet to tank while you Strafe.
Lv. 70-85
The Nightmarish Last Days
Dreamy Ghost
Excellent EXP with Strafe. Flat map layout is perfect for Arrow Rain. Puppet keeps you safe.
Lv. 85-100
Cemetery Full of Ghosts
Ghost Pirates Dual Ghost Pirates
Great EXP and meso drops. Use Arrow Rain on the platforms and Strafe for stronger mobs.
Lv. 100-120
Area of Red Kentaurus
Red Kentaurus
Solid EXP for pre-4th job leveling. Use Strafe for singles and Arrow Rain for groups.
Lv. 120-200
Road to Oblivion 3
Oblivion Monks Qualm Monks
Top-tier EXP map for 4th job bowmen. Hurricane destroys everything here. Also try Newt Secured Zone or Forgotten Twilight at higher levels.

Equipment Progression

Level Weapon Armor Notes
10-30 War Bow or Composite Bow Green Hunters Armor set or any DEX armor from quests Focus on getting any bow with decent attack. Quest rewards are sufficient for armor.
30-50 Vaulter 2000 or Olympus DEX Green/Brown Legolier set Start scrolling your bow with 60% Bow ATT scrolls for a noticeable damage boost.
50-70 Red Viper or Dark Arund DEX Brown/Dark Legolier set or Archer Snow Suit Aim for a decently scrolled bow. Consider buying one from the Free Market.
70-100 Asianic Bow or Golden Hinkel DEX Pirate set or Reverse/Timeless armor if affordable A well-scrolled Asianic Bow can last you until 4th job. Get your Zakum Helmet for stats.
100-130 Dragon Shiner Bow or Nishada Zakum Helmet, HTP, any DEX scrolled armor set Transition to endgame weapons. Dragon Shiner Bow is the standard 4th job weapon.
130-200 Nisrock or Timeless Engaw Full endgame: Zakum Helm, HTP, PAC, scrolled Archer gear Best-in-slot is a perfectly scrolled Nisrock. Timeless Engaw is a strong alternative.
  • Always have Puppet up before engaging bosses. Place it where the boss will target it, then stand at max range and Hurricane for safe, consistent DPS.
  • Hurricane cancels if you get hit by knockback. Position carefully during boss fights and use Concentrate to help sustain through chip damage.
  • Sharp Eyes affects your entire party. Always keep it active in party content as it is one of the most valuable buffs in the game.
  • During training, alternate between Arrow Rain for mob clearing and Hurricane for boss-type monsters to maximize your EXP per hour.
  • Carry All Cure Potions for boss runs. Hero's Will has a long cooldown, so potions serve as backup for seduce and other debuffs.