WarriorSTR · Melee fighters with the highest HP
MagicianINT · Spellcasters
BowmanDEX · Ranged attackers
ThiefLUK · Fast and evasiveHunter Guide for MapleStory Classic World: Skill Build, AP, Bows and Arrow Bomb
The Hunter is the bow half of the Bowman branch. You pick it from Athena Pierce in Henesys at level 30, and from there your game is Arrow Bomb: shoot one mob, blow up the group around it. Add Bow Mastery, Bow Booster and Soul Arrow and you've got a fast-shooting, long-range mobber that never has to buy arrows again once Soul Arrow is up.
Quick answer: Take Arrow Bomb 1 at level 30. Then go Bow Mastery 5 → Bow Booster 5 → Soul Arrow 1 → max Mastery → max Arrow Bomb → Final Attack → finish Booster and Soul Arrow. AP: 1 STR and 4 DEX per level. Keep Henesys citizenship. Train on dense, grouped mobs.
This page continues from the Bowman 1–30 guide. Your 1st job skills should already be finished; community guides say 2nd job SP can't go back into them.
Becoming a Hunter
At Lv 30, talk to Athena Pierce in Henesys and choose Hunter. That's straight from Nexon's Grand Launch notes. The quest data shows the test in between: Athena sends you with a letter to the Bowman Job Instructor on The Road to the Dungeon, you collect 30 Dark Marbles, and you trade them for The Proof of a Hero. Full walkthrough for every class: 2nd job quest guide.
First SP: Arrow Bomb 1. The skill data gives every level the six-target explosion (70% damage and a 30% stun chance at Lv 1). Keep Arrow Blow (or Double Shot) for lone mobs until Arrow Bomb catches up.
Hunter skills
Max levels, prerequisites, costs and effects below are from the Classic World skill data.
| Skill | Max Lv | Needs | Effect at max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrow Bomb | 30 | – | 130% damage, hits up to 6 mobs, 60% chance to stun for 2 sec, 28 MP (14 MP at Lv 1) |
| Bow Mastery | 20 | – | Mastery 10 (steadier damage), +10% Critical Rate, +10 Speed |
| Bow Booster | 20 | Bow Mastery 5 | Bow attack speed +2 stages for 300 sec; 10 HP + 10 MP (30 each at Lv 1) |
| Soul Arrow: Bow | 20 | Bow Booster 5 | Attacks don't use arrows for 300 sec, 5 MP (25 MP for 60 sec at Lv 1) |
| Final Attack: Bow | 30 | Bow Mastery 3 | 25% chance to enable a follow-up worth 120% to up to 3 mobs, 20 MP |
| Amazon's Judgement | 20 | Bow Mastery 5 | Crits have a 100% chance to take 35 Speed off the target for 5 sec |
SP build: levels 30–70
This is the build guide's order, built on a community level 70 Hunter:
| Level | Spend | Where you end up |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Arrow Bomb +1 | Mobbing unlocked |
| 31–32 | Mastery to 5, Booster +1 | Booster available |
| 33–34 | Booster to 5, Soul Arrow +1, Mastery +1 | Arrow-free attacks unlocked |
| 35–39 | Mastery to 20, Final Attack +1 | Mastery maxed |
| 40–49 | Arrow Bomb to 30, Final Attack +1 | Arrow Bomb maxed |
| 50–59 | Final Attack to 30, Judgement +1, Booster +1 | Final Attack maxed |
| 60–64 | Booster to 20, Soul Arrow +1 | 300-second Booster |
| 65–70 | Soul Arrow to 20 | Done |
Why this order: the build guide's own test shows the Mastery/Booster detour helps at level 35, but by level 40 an Arrow Bomb-first build pulls ahead. So it's a judgement call:
- Arrow Bomb first: if your groups already die cleanly, max it straight away and skip the early Mastery/Booster.
- Judgement before Final Attack: after Arrow Bomb, maxing Judgement slows mobs sooner. You lose the earlier Final Attack procs.
- Final Attack off: if one cast already kills, the build guide suggests turning Final Attack off so the extra animation doesn't waste time.
AP build: levels 30–70
The build guide's plan from the 1–30 guide's 30 STR / 132 DEX: +1 STR and +4 DEX every level. That lands on 70 STR at level 70, exactly what Golden Hinkel needs, with 292 base DEX.
Bows and arrows
| Level | Bow (community build guide) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Ryden | 50 W.ATK, +1 STR, Woodcrafting 6 craft |
| 35 | Red Viper (optional) | 52 W.ATK and Fast speed, Woodcrafting 7 craft |
| 40 | Vaulter 2000 | 60 W.ATK, Woodcrafting 8 craft |
| 50 | Olympus | 70 W.ATK, Woodcrafting 10 recipe |
| 60 | Asianic Bow | 80 W.ATK |
| 70 | Golden Hinkel | 88 W.ATK, +2% Critical Rate |
- Crafting routes (game data): Ryden, Red Viper, Vaulter 2000 and Olympus all have Woodcrafting recipes. Vaulter 2000 takes 10 Processed Wood, 2 Iron Ingot, 2 Black Crystal, 40 Drake Skull and 24 Screw plus an 11,500 meso fee. Olympus is a Woodcrafting 10 recipe (12 Processed Wood, 3 Mithril Ingot, 2 Sapphire, 30 Screw, 16,500 fee), but community sources report crafting currently tops out at level 8, so check before you plan on it. Asianic Bow and the Hinkels have no recipe or quest reward in the launch data; community sources say no shop sells them, so it's the Free Market.
- Golden Hinkel or Red Hinkel? Both are level 70 bows in the data. Red Hinkel has more W.ATK (90); Golden Hinkel trades 2 W.ATK for +2% Critical Rate. The build guide picks Golden.
- Woodcrafting is taught by Vicious in the Henesys Market. Start early. See the crafting guide.
- Iron Arrows for Bows are a Woodcrafting 7 recipe (no fee; 1 Processed Wood, 1 Iron Ingot and 1 Stiff Feather), and community sources say no shop sells them. One craft gives 500.
- Soul Arrow makes arrows a non-issue once its uptime is comfortable. Until then, carry spares.
- Bows are two-handed, so no shield.
Gloves: the build guide's level 70 math still prefers Gloves Attack scrolls over Crit Rate scrolls. It's closer than for most classes, because Critical Shot already gives Hunters a lot of crit damage.
How Arrow Bomb and Final Attack actually play
Arrow Bomb hits one mob, and the blast catches up to six in total (skill data). That's only true if they're bunched up. Spread-out mobs mean less damage per cast. Community guides also pass on player reports of delayed explosions or missed mobs for players outside North America, possibly ping-related. That's unconfirmed, but worth knowing if you're on high ping.
Final Attack: Bow is a toggle. While it's on, each attack has a 25% chance to fire a 120% follow-up at up to three mobs. The build guide's numbers on whether it's worth leaving on:
| Main attack | Mobs in front | Final Attack on vs off |
|---|---|---|
| Double Shot | any | 13% more damage |
| Arrow Bomb | 2 | 10% more |
| Arrow Bomb | 3 | 1% more |
| Arrow Bomb | 4 | 4% less |
So when you're bombing big groups, turn it off. Community guides say each proc also eats 3 arrows unless Soul Arrow is up.
Amazon's Judgement slows mobs when you crit. At max, every crit takes 35 Speed off the target for 5 seconds (skill data). It needs Bow Mastery 5.
Strengths and weaknesses
A community DPS benchmark at level 70 has the Hunter #2 for AoE damage with Arrow Bomb and #4 for single-target DPM with Double Shot, out of the ten 2nd jobs. More in Hunter vs Crossbowman.
- Good (per community guides): the best long-range AoE of any 2nd job, shoots faster than a Crossbowman, and Accuracy is basically never a problem at your own level.
- Bad: Arrow Bomb eats MP at 28 a cast. Inside about 65 px you bow-whack instead of shooting. No movement skill in 2nd job. One community guide calls it "probably the squishiest class" in Classic.
Where to train
Short version: Kerning subway Stirges at 30, then the Jr. Wraith and Wraith subway lines, the Florina Beach crabs, the Ant Tunnels, and Sleepy Dungeon V near 60. Full level-by-level table: Hunter training spots.
Common Hunter mistakes
- Maxing Final Attack before Arrow Bomb. Arrow Bomb works every cast; Final Attack procs 25% of the time.
- Standing too close. You'll whack instead of shoot, and Power Knockback costs MP.
- Picking maps by mob level. A lower map you clear in one cast beats a higher one that takes three.
- Running out of arrows before Soul Arrow has decent uptime.
After 2nd job
There's no 3rd job at launch, so 2nd job is where your Hunter stays for now. Community guides note that Rangers advance through Rene in El Nath, and El Nath isn't in the game yet. No date has been announced.