There are different approaches to getting your first dragon kill. Some are better than others, and some are a matter of preference or style of play.
Starting T[]
...And stay down, you mangy mongrel, or I'll stab you in the eyeball again!
It is recommended that newer/rusty players try starting out as a Thief. It's simpler and has game advantages that pay off right away, sometimes literally.
If you start the round as a Thief, your goal is to achieve as many T points as possible before meeting the dragon on level 12. Carry gems on hand at all times and this will be easier than dying to Vidion in the level 8 forest. If you're really lucky, you can earn more than 25 T points before you have enough cash to afford DK equipment. 25 T points will give you 6 T uses, including your bonus (25/5 + 1), and makes any equipment package easier on you. Many players will manage only 5T, or occasionally only 4T, though, and will need to carefully consider their weapon purchase when upgrading to kill the dragon.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
The advantages to starting T are:
- you can use the T skills on players a level above you, and get lots of exp
- you can rob the bank with a fairy, and buy better equipment faster, for surviving the forest (armor) and getting harder kills (weapon)
- if you keep at least one gem on hand at all times, you're assured of gaining a skill point every time you encounter your skill masters
The disadvantages to starting T are:
- you have no Light Shield to protect you against the first dragon
- you won't have it for same-level offline kills either
- you won't have Shatter for offline player kills soon after you've gotten past the first dragon, but you'll want it ASAP, so you'll switch to M, as you should. But this means that, unless you get a horse, then catch a fairy, switch to T, rob the bank, ride back to the DCT and switch back to M, you won't be robbing the bank the whole second run up to 12, and lucky M starters who are now Thieves can pass you
- occasionally you run into the dilemma of how to use a fairy when you are after a nice player kill: do you rob the bank, upgrade and get your kill, or do you take your current equipment and the fairy to try for the kill?
- better equipment will probably help you later, even if you are killed in self defense
- if you bought some crap equipment, though, you could have just hosed yourself on cash, and won't be able to make it past a tough master or get further kills
- if you don't upgrade, but you die in self defense anyway, there went your chance at better equipment as well as a kill
Dragon Kill Probabilities without Light Shield[]
Run by Thundercloud, using 1m trials.
| Equip | hott | hott | hott | fairy | fairy | fairy | h+f | h+f | h+f | |||
| W / A | 4T | 5T | 6T | 4T | 5T | 6T | 4T | 5T | 6T | 4T | 5T | 6T |
| 1/1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| 1/4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 |
| 1/10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| 1/40 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 3.2 |
| 1/100 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 11.3 | 2.3 | 6.2 | 14.9 |
| 4/1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 |
| 4/4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 4.7 |
| 4/10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 5.1 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 7.9 |
| 4/40 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 10.3 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 14.4 |
| 4/100 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 12.7 | 28.2 | 7.1 | 16.6 | 33.9 |
| 10/1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 7.3 | 0.9 | 6.0 | 12.1 |
| 10/4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 6.1 | 12.4 | 1.7 | 9.2 | 18.5 |
| 10/10 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 9.5 | 18.9 | 3.1 | 13.4 | 25.9 |
| 10/40 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 4.4 | 16.1 | 29.5 | 6.5 | 21.2 | 37.0 |
| 10/100 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 5.4 | 9.8 | 17.1 | 35.8 | 52.3 | 21.5 | 41.7 | 58.6 |
| 40/1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 17.7 | 31.6 | 31.8 | 23.2 | 40.6 | 41.0 |
| 40/4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 22.9 | 39.6 | 39.9 | 28.9 | 48.1 | 48.5 |
| 40/10 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 29.0 | 47.3 | 47.8 | 35.5 | 55.2 | 55.8 |
| 40/40 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 7.9 | 7.9 | 38.1 | 57.1 | 57.6 | 44.8 | 64.0 | 64.6 |
| 40/100 | 9.9 | 15.9 | 16.1 | 15.1 | 23.5 | 23.7 | 57.7 | 73.2 | 73.7 | 63.2 | 77.7 | 78.3 |
| 100/1 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 64.2 | 64.6 | 64.6 | 70.8 | 71.4 | 71.4 |
| 100/4 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 69.2 | 69.8 | 69.8 | 75.1 | 75.7 | 75.7 |
| 100/10 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 8.1 | 15.8 | 15.9 | 15.9 | 73.9 | 74.4 | 74.4 | 78.9 | 79.6 | 79.6 |
| 100/40 | 14.9 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 24.3 | 24.4 | 24.4 | 79.1 | 79.7 | 79.7 | 83.2 | 83.9 | 83.9 |
| 100/100 | 32.4 | 32.6 | 32.6 | 41.4 | 41.7 | 41.8 | 86.9 | 87.3 | 87.3 | 89.6 | 89.9 | 89.9 |
Starting M[]
Don't make me Pinch you again, beastie. Roll over and die like a good dragon.
Starting M is something more veteran players do successfully, due to the complicated issues of skills, possible class switching, and coping with disadvantages against T users. The usual explanation they give for why M is superior is that having LS (and other M combinations) early on is better than being limited only to T skills. However, it can be done by anyone with a combination of luck and skill, just like anything else in the game.
If you start the game as a Mage, your goal should be to acquire 12 M points by level 12, in order to use Light Shield on the Red Dragon. The Switching Method is sometimes used to gain T skills while amassing exp points. Otherwise, players often switch to T as soon as they reach level 12, so they will receive a bonus T use and can start looking for T events in the forest.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
The advantages to starting M are:
- you have Light Shield to protect you against the first dragon
- LS can also be used for same-level offline kills, if you get it before reaching 10m exp/level 12
- you will have Shatter for offline player kills soon after you've gotten past the first dragon
- you can switch to T as soon as you have Shatter, enabling you to make use of Shatter and fairies both, on the second trip to 12
- if you catch a fairy, you know what you're going to do with it: kill a player (unless you have a horse, in which case you still know exactly what you're going to do with it: rob the bank)
The disadvantages to starting M are:
- you can't attack players a level above you very well. Pinches might work at the very start of the game, but Heat Wave is crap. You must stay at the top of the level pool in order to strike down, but without T skills to bring you fat exp, it's hard to get/stay there in the first place.
- you have no access to fairies for cash purposes (unless you have a horse)
- it's difficult to gain skill points other than leveling up. Sometimes the mystical man isn't even home, and when he is, you have to guess the number right to earn your point.
Achieving a DK[]
- 100m weapon: With 2T, or 3T if you are lucky in skill events, you'll need it, and probably a fairy, for your kill. Luck is always a factor, but saving up for 100m/10m minimum is a good mindset.
- 10m armor MINIMUM: Light Shield will make that armor last longer against the dragon. If you have no extra Pinches and 1 or 2T, you may need as high as the 100m armor.
- T uses: you should switch to Thief when you reach level 12. You'll have your one bonus T use on top of any you earn from skill events. The dragon is killable with just 1T, but it pretty much requires a fairy and a metric buttload of luck. Odds are around 5% of success with the 100m weapon.
- Extra Pinches (more than 12 M pts) will lessen the number of (A)ttacks you need after you run out of T skills, as they are equivalent to an automatic power move.
- As with any level 12 venture, try not to upgrade your equipment unless you believe you have a very good shot at the dragon that day. This usually means you have a fairy in hand, and at least 80m, if not 100m, in your bank account.
Purposeful Horse Kill[]
Alternately, some M users plan on the possibility of getting a horse kill to get past the first dragon. The odds of a horse kill are 1/27 every time you take damage (whether from dragon, master, or forest monster). That's 3.7% per strike, and on average, players who have Light Shield can take 3-4 strikes from the dragon before dying. That adds up to about a 13% chance of a horse kill every day you face the dragon. And that's without the extra HP from Jennie HOTT, or extra points in DEF from gems, which can help you survive longer and bring your odds to around 17-18%/day. If you get your DK before you've taken 27 hits from the dragon (over several days), you're ahead of the game.
For the first several days at level 12, this percentage will be higher than that of getting a regular DK. As an M user without a fairy and more than 10m/10m, your chances are very slim for a non-horse-kill DK.
The players who consider the horse kill an option must begin asking for a horse from the fairies as soon as they reach level 12, or else risk the one they have dying on the way past the masters. Once they have a horse, they must not enter the forest at all, except to go straight to the dragon. All fights bring a risk of losing the horse, and then once it's gone, you're back on the normal DK track, unless you can snag another horse. And fairies have been known to desert level 12 players for a week or more.
The longer you have the horse, and skip gaining skills/gold in the forest, the higher the stakes go. If you haven't killed the dragon with the horse in a week, then the other players will begin to have better odds against the dragon than you will. They'll have more skills, and more cash for upgrades. Your chances are the same every single day, but they're low. Their chances will improve with time and upgrades. It's a tough call, and many players don't go this route.
If you don't get a horse during the first three or four days in the forest, it's probably not worth it to consider chucking aside the regular DK progression (cash, skills, fairies) if you do catch one. But that depends on how profitable your days have been, where your competition is, and your skill points.
Dragon Kill Probabilities With Light Shield[]
Run by Valkyrie, using 1m trials.
| Equip | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS | w/ LS |
| (mil) | hott | hott | hott | fairy | fairy | fairy | h+f | h+f | h+f | |||
| W / A | 1T | 2T | 3T | 1T | 2T | 3T | 1T | 2T | 3T | 1T | 2T | 3T |
| 10/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | <1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 10/4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | <1 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 17 |
| 10/10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | <1 | 2 | 6 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 23 |
| 10/40 | 0 | 0 | <1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 26 | 9 | 18 | 35 |
| 10/100 | <1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 34 | 51 | 28 | 43 | 60 |
| 40/1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | <1 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 43 | 11 | 27 | 53 |
| 40/4 | 0 | <1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 50 | 16 | 34 | 60 |
| 40/10 | 0 | 1 | 4 | <1 | 2 | 8 | 15 | 33 | 57 | 22 | 42 | 67 |
| 40/40 | <1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 44 | 67 | 33 | 54 | 75 |
| 40/100 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 7 | 16 | 31 | 49 | 67 | 83 | 59 | 75 | 88 |
| 100/1 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 32 | 60 | 86 | 41 | 69 | 90 |
| 100/4 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 13 | 37 | 39 | 66 | 89 | 49 | 75 | 92 |
| 100/10 | 2 | 9 | 30 | 5 | 17 | 43 | 47 | 72 | 91 | 56 | 80 | 94 |
| 100/40 | 5 | 15 | 37 | 10 | 25 | 56 | 57 | 79 | 93 | 67 | 85 | 96 |
| 100/100 | 15 | 31 | 54 | 24 | 43 | 67 | 77 | 90 | 97 | 83 | 93 | 98 |
Starting D[]
There is no strategic advantage to starting a round as a Death Knight. The rounds at Nuklear are too short to spend time slowly amassing D skills. You'd fall behind the T users, who get their skill events right with gems, and unlike the M users, you'd have no defensive bonus like Light Shield against the dragon.
You'll notice on the above stats tables that the skills included on the top bar are T, not D, even though 1 D skill is exactly the same in damage as 1 T skill: 3x your normal attack damage. T skills are the standard because the players that play this game competitively know that playing a Death Knight has no competitive edge whatsoever.
D is for Don't.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
The advantages to starting D are:
- if you catch a fairy, you know what you're going to do with it: kill a player (unless you have a horse, in which case you still know exactly what you're going to do with it: rob the bank)
- "Death Knight" sounds cool
- you can use your D skills to kill players a level above you: D skills are identical in strength to T skills
The disadvantages to starting D are:
- you have no access to fairies for cash purposes (unless you have a horse)
- "Death Knight" isn't actually cool
- the speed at which you gain skills will be slower--and thus less useful against the dragon--than Thieves, and has no protective function--so it's less useful against the dragon--than Mages.