WarriorSTR · Melee fighters with the highest HP
MagicianINT · Spellcasters
BowmanDEX · Ranged attackers
ThiefLUK · Fast and evasiveCrossbowman Guide for MapleStory Classic World: Skill Build, AP, Crossbows and Iron Arrow
The Crossbowman is the crossbow half of the Bowman branch. You pick it from Athena Pierce in Henesys at level 30. Your weapon shoots slower than a bow but hits harder per arrow. Your mobbing skill is Iron Arrow, a piercing shot that runs through a line of mobs in front of you.
Quick answer: Iron Arrow 1 at level 30. Then Crossbow Mastery 5 → Crossbow Booster 5 (with 1 in Final Attack) → Soul Arrow 1 → max Mastery → max Iron Arrow → finish Booster, Soul Arrow, then Final Attack. AP: 1 STR and 4 DEX per level, ending at 60 STR. Train on long, flat lanes.
This continues from the Bowman 1–30 guide. Finish your 1st job skills before 30; community guides say 2nd job SP can't go back into them.
Becoming a Crossbowman
At Lv 30, talk to Athena Pierce in Henesys and pick Crossbowman (Nexon's Grand Launch notes). The test, per the quest data: carry Athena's letter to the Bowman Job Instructor on The Road to the Dungeon, collect 30 Dark Marbles, and bring The Proof of a Hero back. Step by step: 2nd job quest guide.
First SP: Iron Arrow 1. Community testing says Arrow Blow is still better on a lone mob. Iron Arrow earns its MP when several mobs are lined up.
Crossbowman skills
| Skill | Max Lv | Needs | Effect at max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Arrow | 30 | – | Piercing shot through up to 6 mobs: 120% at Lv 1, 180% at max; 14 → 28 MP |
| Crossbow Mastery | 20 | – | Mastery 10 (steadier damage), +20% Critical Damage |
| Crossbow Booster | 20 | Crossbow Mastery 5 | Crossbow speed +2 stages for 300 sec; 10 HP + 10 MP (30 each at Lv 1) |
| Soul Arrow: Crossbow | 20 | Crossbow Booster 5 | Attacks don't use arrows for 300 sec, 5 MP (25 MP at Lv 1) |
| Final Attack: Crossbow | 30 | Crossbow Mastery 3 | 25% chance to add a 360% single-target hit (270% at Lv 1); 12 → 20 MP |
| Amazon's Judgement | 20 | Crossbow Mastery 5 | Crits have a 100% chance to take 35 Speed off the target for 5 sec |
Max levels, prerequisites, costs and effects are from the Classic World skill data.
Iron Arrow's numbers. The skill data settles the old dispute: 180% at max, piercing up to 6 mobs (some community tables list 190% on 4 targets; that's not the launch data). The skill text confirms damage drops as the arrow passes through each mob. One community source puts the falloff at 80% of the previous mob: 100%, 80%, 64%, 51%, 41%, 33%. Either way, it's a line attack, and more mobs in a row means more value.
SP build: levels 30–70
A common community order, built on a popular level 70 Crossbowman build:
| Level | Spend | Where you end up |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Iron Arrow +1 | Piercing unlocked |
| 31–32 | Mastery to 5, Booster +1 | Booster available |
| 33 | Booster +2, Final Attack +1 | Single-target follow-up unlocked |
| 34 | Booster to 5, Soul Arrow +1 | Arrow-free attacks unlocked |
| 35–39 | Mastery to 20 | Mastery maxed |
| 40–49 | Iron Arrow to 30, Judgement +1 | Iron Arrow maxed |
| 50–54 | Booster to 20 | 300-second Booster |
| 55–61 | Soul Arrow to 20, Final Attack +2 | 300-second Soul Arrow |
| 62–70 | Final Attack to 30 | Done |
Community testing backs the Mastery/Booster-first start: it improved the sample build's EXP/min in a community training calculator at both level 35 and level 40. Another community build order starts the same way (Iron Arrow, Mastery 5, Booster 5, Soul Arrow, Final Attack), so the opening is about as settled as anything in Classic right now.
Why one point of Final Attack at 33? At Lv 1 it's a 25% chance to add a 270% hit for 12 MP a proc. That's a cheap boost while you're still killing single mobs. Levels 2–30 add only about 3 percentage points of damage each, which is why the rest waits until last.
AP build: levels 30–70
The common community build starts from the 1–30 crossbow path (20 STR / 142 DEX) and adds +1 STR and +4 DEX each level, ending at 60 STR / 302 DEX. The reason: every crossbow from Heckler to Gross Jaeger needs STR equal to its level minus 10. Gross Jaeger needs 60 STR, ten less than the Hunter's Golden Hinkel, so those ten AP stay in DEX.
Don't copy Hunter STR numbers. It's one of the most common Crossbowman mistakes.
Crossbows
| Level | Crossbow | W.ATK | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Eagle Crow | 52 | Slow |
| 40 | Heckler | 59 | Normal |
| 45 | Silver Crow (optional) | 67 | Slow |
| 50 | Rower | 72 | Slow |
| 60 | Golden Crow | 82 | Slow |
| 70 | Gross Jaeger | 92 | Slow |
- The level 50–70 crossbows carry more base W.ATK than the matching bows in the item data (Rower 72 vs Olympus 70, Golden Crow 82 vs Asianic Bow 80, Gross Jaeger 92 vs Red Hinkel 90). From level 30 up, Heckler is the one crossbow that keeps pace with bow speed, at Normal.
- Eagle Crow (Woodcrafting 6), Heckler (8), Silver Crow (9) and Rower (10) have Woodcrafting recipes; community sources report crafting currently tops out at level 8. Golden Crow and Gross Jaeger have no recipe or quest reward in the launch data, so they come from other players.
- Crossbows are two-handed, so no shield.
- Mastery, Booster, Final Attack, Soul Arrow and Iron Arrow all need a crossbow equipped. Don't switch back to a bow after you've spent 2nd job SP.
- Carry arrow stacks until Soul Arrow lasts a full session. Vicious in the Henesys Market teaches Woodcrafting. See the crafting guide.
Gloves: Gloves Attack scrolls still beat Crit Rate in community level 70 math, though it's one of the closer calls. Critical Shot and Crossbow Mastery push the build to 61% Critical Damage.
Final Attack: when to turn it off
Final Attack: Crossbow only hits one mob, and each proc plays its own animation. Community numbers with it maxed:
| Main attack | Mobs in front | Final Attack on vs off |
|---|---|---|
| Double Shot | any | 10% more damage |
| Iron Arrow | 2 | 2% more |
| Iron Arrow | 3 | 4% less |
| Iron Arrow | 4 | 6% less |
Rule: leave it on for single targets, and turn it off when Iron Arrow is hitting three or more. Community guides say each proc uses 1 arrow unless Soul Arrow is up.
Strengths and weaknesses
In a community DPS benchmark at level 70, the Crossbowman is #6 of ten 2nd jobs for single-target DPM and #6 for AoE DPM. Its hits per cast are among the biggest, which helps make up for shooting slower than a Hunter. In that model, Booster raises its attack rate from 68 to 76 casts a minute.
- Good: heavy hits per arrow, strong crit damage, cheaper STR needs than a Hunter, and a piercing attack that loves flat maps.
- Bad: slower shots. Iron Arrow loses damage on each mob it passes through. It needs long, flat lanes, and staggered platforms waste it. Inside about 65 px you whack instead of shoot. No movement skill in 2nd job.
Where to train
Kerning subway Stirges at 30, the Ant Tunnels and Dark Cave around 40, then Ant Tunnel III or Monkey Forest II at 50, and the subway Wraith lines into the 60s and 70. Full table: Crossbowman training spots. Torn between the two jobs? Hunter vs Crossbowman.
Common Crossbowman mistakes
- Reading 180% as 180% on every mob. It drops off with each mob it pierces.
- Using a bow after spending 2nd job SP. Your skills need a crossbow.
- Fighting on stacked platforms. Iron Arrow wants mobs lined up in front of you.
- Standing in whack range. Leave at least 65 px.
- Adding Hunter-level STR. 60 STR is enough for Gross Jaeger.
After 2nd job
No 3rd job at launch, so this is your Crossbowman's final form for now. Snipers advance through Rene in El Nath, which isn't in the game yet.