Hey everyone! Are you ready to dive into the magical world of Ragnarok Online Pre-Renewal? If you're looking to play as a Wizard, you've come to the right place! This guide is designed to help both newbies and seasoned players alike navigate the intricacies of the Wizard class in the Pre-Renewal era. We'll be covering everything from essential skills, optimal build paths, and effective leveling strategies to help you become a powerful force in Midgard. So, grab your Wizard hat (metaphorically, of course), and let's get started!

Understanding the Pre-Renewal Wizard

Before we jump into the nitty-gritty, let's talk about what makes a Pre-Renewal Wizard so awesome. Unlike the Renewal system, where skills and stats have been rebalanced, Pre-Renewal presents a unique challenge and opportunity. The Wizard class is known for its incredibly high damage output, but it also has some serious glass-cannon tendencies. This means you can dish out massive amounts of damage but can be taken down quickly if you're not careful. This guide will help you understand the core mechanics and optimize your Wizard's strengths to overcome these weaknesses.

Core Strengths and Weaknesses

Wizards in Pre-Renewal are primarily damage dealers. They excel at dealing area-of-effect (AoE) damage, making them invaluable in party settings and for grinding large groups of monsters. Their primary strengths include:

• High Damage Output: Wizards can unleash devastating spells, capable of quickly eliminating enemies.
• Versatility: With access to a variety of elemental spells, they can adapt to different monster weaknesses.
• AoE Capabilities: AoE spells make Wizards exceptional at clearing out large groups of monsters, which is crucial for efficient leveling.

However, Wizards also face certain limitations:

• Low HP and Defense: Wizards are fragile and can be easily killed if caught off guard or focused by enemies.
• SP Management: Wizards rely heavily on SP (Skill Points) for casting spells, and proper SP management is essential.
• Mobility: Wizards lack mobility skills, making them vulnerable to melee attackers and kiting situations.

The Importance of Strategy

Success as a Pre-Renewal Wizard relies heavily on strategic play. You need to position yourself carefully, be mindful of your SP, and know when to cast which spells. Learning to anticipate enemy movements, understand monster weaknesses, and cooperate with your party members will be crucial for survival and efficiency. This guide will provide you with the knowledge and tools you need to excel.

Essential Skills for Pre-Renewal Wizards

Let's get down to the crucial skills every aspiring Wizard should prioritize. Mastering these skills is the key to becoming an effective damage dealer and a valuable asset to any party. Choosing and mastering these skills is a critical step in creating the perfect Wizard build. The best Wizard builds are made up of the right combination of skills to accomplish the desired build type. Here's a breakdown of the must-have skills:

Offensive Spells

• Fire Bolt (Level 10): This is your bread-and-butter single-target spell. It's relatively cheap on SP and deals decent damage, making it perfect for solo leveling and taking down individual enemies. Maxing it out early is a must.
• Fire Ball (Level 10): An AoE fire spell. Great for clearing groups of monsters quickly. Proper positioning is crucial to avoid drawing too much attention to yourself.
• Lightning Bolt (Level 10): Another essential single-target spell. Good for dealing damage to enemies that are resistant to fire. Similar to Fire Bolt, maxing it is important.
• Thunder Storm (Level 10): An AoE lightning spell. Similar to Fire Ball but with lightning properties. It's effective against monsters weak to lightning.
• Cold Bolt (Level 10): A single-target ice spell. Useful for freezing enemies, which can provide crucial crowd control. It's very useful for both damage and utility.
• Ice Wall (Level 10): Creates walls of ice that can block enemies and buy you time to cast other spells or escape. Invaluable for survival and controlling the battlefield.
• Meteor Storm (Level 10): A powerful, high-damage AoE fire spell. One of your most powerful offensive tools. It's often used for large-scale damage dealing and clearing monster waves.
• Lord of Vermillion (Level 10): A powerful, high-damage AoE lightning spell. Similar to Meteor Storm but with lightning properties. Good for large group clearing and dealing devastating damage.
• Storm Gust (Level 10): An AoE ice spell with a wide range, capable of freezing multiple enemies. Extremely effective for crowd control and damage output.

Supportive Skills

• Energy Coat (Level 1): Reduces damage taken, significantly increasing your survivability, especially in the early stages of the game. It is a must-have.
• Magic Cloak (Level 10): Increases your magic defense, making you more resistant to magical attacks. Very useful for survivability.
• Sight (Level 10): Reveals hidden enemies. Useful in PvP and certain PvE situations where enemies can use stealth.
• Safety Wall (Level 10): Creates a wall that can absorb a certain amount of damage, protecting you from incoming attacks. Valuable for surviving ambushes.

Skill Priorities and Leveling Strategy

When leveling your skills, prioritize offensive spells first, starting with Fire Bolt or Lightning Bolt. Maxing out these core single-target spells will help you level faster and deal consistent damage. Then, focus on AoE spells like Fire Ball, Cold Bolt, Thunder Storm, and Storm Gust for group clearing. Gradually, you can allocate points to supportive skills such as Energy Coat, and Magic Cloak to increase your survivability. Remember, you don't need to max every skill immediately. It's more effective to spread out your points strategically to gain access to a wider range of spells and abilities early on. Proper skill point allocation will ensure you can take on a wide variety of enemies.

Building Your Pre-Renewal Wizard: Stats and Builds

Now, let's talk about the fun stuff: how to build your Wizard. Stat distribution is crucial to success, so you must carefully plan your build based on your playstyle. Pre-Renewal offers flexibility, but some builds are more effective than others. Understanding the roles of stats, and how to allocate stat points, is critical.

Understanding Stats

• STR (Strength): Not useful for Wizards. Ignore this stat unless you plan to multi-class or carry a lot of items.
• AGI (Agility): Increases Flee and ASPD (Attack Speed). Not a priority, but a few points can be helpful for faster casting.
• VIT (Vitality): Increases HP and Defense. Provides some survivability, but not as important as INT and DEX for a damage-focused Wizard.
• INT (Intelligence): Increases SP, SP regeneration, and MAtk (Magic Attack). This is your primary stat. Maxing this out will increase your damage output and SP pool.
• DEX (Dexterity): Reduces cast time and increases hit rate. This is your second most important stat. Critical for casting spells quickly and hitting enemies reliably.
• LUK (Luck): Increases critical rate, perfect dodge, and resistance to status effects. Not a priority for Wizards.

Popular Wizard Builds

The Pure INT Build

• Stats Focus: Primarily INT, with DEX as a secondary focus. Some VIT for HP is fine, but not a priority.
• Pros: Maximum damage output, excellent for party settings and PvP. The best choice for maximum damage output.
• Cons: Very low HP and defense, very vulnerable to attacks, requires excellent positioning.
• Skill Focus: Prioritize offensive spells like Fire Bolt, Fire Ball, Lightning Bolt, and Storm Gust. Also include support skills like Energy Coat, Safety Wall, and Ice Wall.

The High DEX Build

• Stats Focus: Moderate INT with a high DEX. This provides a balance between damage and cast time.
• Pros: Fast casting, good damage output, good for leveling solo.
• Cons: Lower damage compared to pure INT build.
• Skill Focus: Same as the Pure INT build, but with a focus on maxing DEX for faster casting.

The Balanced Build

• Stats Focus: A balance between INT, DEX, and VIT. This provides moderate damage, faster casting, and more survivability.
• Pros: More survivable than the Pure INT build, decent damage output, good for beginners.
• Cons: Lower damage compared to the Pure INT build, and slower casting speed compared to the High DEX build.
• Skill Focus: Same as the Pure INT build, with a moderate allocation to each stat.

Stat Distribution Guide

Here’s a general guideline for stat allocation, but remember to adjust it to fit your playstyle and needs:

• INT: Aim for 80-99 as soon as possible, and max it out when you can.
• DEX: Aim for 60-80 early on, and then increase it to 90 or 99.
• VIT: 10-40, depending on preference.
• AGI/LUK/STR: Leave these low, if at all.

Remember to consider your equipment when allocating stats. Some equipment can boost your stats, so adjust your stat points accordingly. For example, if you have gear that boosts DEX, you can allocate fewer points to DEX and more to INT or VIT.

Leveling Your Pre-Renewal Wizard

Leveling a Wizard can be a rewarding, but challenging experience. Understanding optimal leveling strategies and locations is essential to maximize your efficiency and minimize downtime. Let's look at some important considerations for leveling.

Early Game (Levels 1-40)

• Monsters: Porings, Lunatics, and Spores. These monsters are easy to kill and offer a decent amount of EXP.
• Skills: Fire Bolt or Lightning Bolt are your primary damage dealers at this stage.
• Strategy: Focus on killing mobs of monsters quickly. Try to find a spot with a moderate spawn rate to avoid running out of SP or being overwhelmed.

Mid Game (Levels 40-70)

• Monsters: Zombies, Ghouls, and Orcs. Fire Ball and Fire Bolt are your best skills.
• Skills: Fire Ball, Lightning Bolt, and the rest of your Fire and Lightning spells.
• Strategy: Look for areas with dense monster spawns and decent experience rates. Grouping mobs before casting your AoE spells can significantly increase your EXP gain.

Late Game (Levels 70+)

• Monsters: Magma Dungeon, Clock Tower, and Payon Dungeon. Meteor Storm, Lord of Vermillion, and Storm Gust become your best friends.
• Skills: Prioritize your strongest AoE spells.
• Strategy: Party up for faster leveling. Coordinate with your party to effectively clear dungeons and maximize EXP gains. Make sure you choose a dungeon based on the type of build you are creating.

Leveling Tips and Tricks

• SP Management: Always carry Blue Potions or use a Merchant's vending skills (like