Combat guide by ruboxjr

Index

• Introduction
• The basics
• Level guides
• Training strategies
• Away from keyboard (AFK) combat
• Player versus player (PvP) combat
• Groupfighting
• Conclusion

Introduction

Combat training in Syrnia is a journey nearly all players must embark upon. Whether it is required by certain quests, the ability to reach places deep, dark, and hot, or if it is your own profession, combat is the most widely trained skill in all of Syrnia. Unlike many other games, combat in Syrnia is broken down into four individual skills (Attack, Defense, Strength, Health) the player must choose how much to train a particular skill, as well as the order of skills trained. For detailed information about combat, we recommend our combat locations page and our creature list.

The basics

Defined here is how each combat factor can affect your overall ability as a combatant.

Attack:

This skill determines three things. First it determines how frequently you will be able to hit for your maximum hit. Secondly, increasing your attack skill also increases your average strike. Lastly, your attack level determines what kind of weapon you are able to equip. The higher your skill, the better weapon you can fight with.

Defence:

Your defense level works to reduce the chances you take damage. The higher your defence level, combined with the armor that you wear works to reduce the chances monsters hit for their maximum, and in the same breath, reduce overall damage taken.

Strength:

Your strength level works to determine your maximum potential hit.

Health:

Your health level determines how many hitpoints you have (HP).

Aim:

This is a rating of your weapon (located on the left side of the "/"). It goes hand in hand with the Attack skill, and can be thought of as an extension of your attack ability. That means weapons with lower aim will hit less consistently, and vice versa.

Power:

This is the other rating of your weapon (located on the right side of the "/"). It goes hand in hand with the Strength skill, and can also be thought of as an extension of your Strength skill. It is used to help calculate your maximum hit.

Maximum hit:

As it seems, your maximum hit is the highest amount of damage you can do to a creature/player in combat. Your critical hits are displayed on your fight screen whenever you hit for anything 80% and higher of your maximum. The absolute maximum can be calculated using the following formula:

(Strength + (Strength rounded down to nearest 10 / 10) + power) / 3

For example, level 76 strength with obsidian axe (90 power) would give (76 + (70 / 10) + 90) / 3 = (76 + 7 + 90) / 3 = 173 / 3 = 57.6

So max hit should be 58 (General rule for formula: Round up any decimals, even at .1 or .2 values.)

The second method for calculating your maximum hit has recently become available. With the introduction of the crictical hit, you can divide your lowest critical hit by the value of .8 (i.e. 32/.8 = 40).

This can also be reversed by taking your max hit and multiplying by 0.8 to get your lowest critical hit. 58 * 0.8 = 46, so I will see a critical hit at 46 but not 45.

Combat level:

(CL) is Syrnia's way of ranking you as a fighter. You can judge how strong you are compared to other fighters and creatures by use of your Combat Level (take a look at our combat level calculator). Overall, all four stats determine what kind of fighter you are. So while you can specialize in one skill (Attack for example to wield a very powerful weapon) if you lack other stats (Defense, Strength, Health) you are not as powerful as you potentially could be.

Food:

The right to life of a fighter consists on his/her food supply. If you have food, you can fight, because it allows you to heal. A fight in Syrnia is to the death. It will not end before either you or your opponent has perished. If you die, you will lose all of the items in your inventory minus any gold you are carrying (including any weapons/armor you have equipped). Therefore, it is recommended that you build a house prior to doing any fighting, and only keep items in your inventory that are necessary for your training. Your food will show in your fight screen (in increasing HP value) for ease of eating during a fight. You can take a look at our foodlist to see what kind of Syrnian food is available.

Equipment:

As explained earlier, your equipment serves to enhance your current stats. The better armor/weapons you can equip, the stronger you will become. To reiterate, your armor rating increases defense, which in turn decreases the overall amount of damage you take. The aim of your weapon increases the abilities of your attack skill, raising your average strike, as well as the frequency in which you hit for your maximum. Lastly, the power of your weapon adds to your strength, which determines the maximum hit you can deal. In our armour and weapons quicklist you can see all the weapons and armour available in Syrnia. You can also use our best equipment tool to find out which weapons and armour are best for your level.

Note I: During combat, anything you have equipped can and will break. Breakage in Syrnia is random; it is not based on usage. Rather than having 5000 durability (i.e. being able to survive 5000 fights) it is better to think about breakage as a percentage (i.e. every time you enter a fight you have a 1 in 5000 chance that your item will break). So yes, luck does play a factor with how long items may last. As a general rule however, higher level items tend to last longer. Smiths can use Hard and Soft Spider silks can be used to increase durability on items (they are relatively expensive, so it is usually done for expensive or rare items).

Note II: Donators: (If not a donator, feel free to skip this part) If you have donated enough to unlock the "trophy" slot on your character, there are two things to know. First, your trophy slot cannot be destroyed in combat. Secondly, upon a refresh of the screen you will lose your item if you die.

Level guides

Now that we have covered the basics, let's dive right in to how to begin as a fighter in Syrnia.

Beginner's Guide: (CL 1-20)

To start, you are only able to equip certain pieces of armor; (All bronze) Sabatons, Medium helm, Small shield, and Hands. As for a weapon at level 1, the best available is the Bronze Long sword (4/4). With this equipment (back-ups available in case some of the armor breaks) and food, (50-100 cooked shrimps is ideal to start with) you are equipped enough to fight level one Rats at Valera. Since rats do not offer any drops, you will be forced to fish/woodcut/cook/farm for additional food unless you find a benefactor to support your combat skill. For all intents and purposes, you should train rats up until CL 10; they are the easiest on food and quickest to kill at a low level.

Tip: to speed up training for the first few levels, get your hands on a Valera sword once you reach attack level 5. This weapon is vastly superior to anything else you can wear at this level, and is comparable to an Ogre club which requires attack level 10 to equip.

After that has been accomplished, feel free to move on to Gnomes (also at Valera), or for better experience, move on to Lemo woods on Dearn Island. Be aware that at Lemo woods (like most other places) you cannot choose which creature you would like to fight.

For best results, training to CL 20 here is the best idea for proper food consumption. Afterwards, options really start to open up as you are no longer a beginning level fighter.

Novice Guide: (CL 20-30)

Once you have reached Combat Level 20, you have graduated Lemo woods. From there, you can try your hand at Deep lemo woods for greater experience and scarier creatures, or you can move to Jungle's edge for a slight upgrade in creature difficulty. Beware, neither of these locations contain monsters that yield any drops, however, once done with the CL 20-30 range, you are more than equipped to successfully fight at some locations that can be very rewarding with drops.

Intermediate Guide: (CL 30-45)

Now that you are CL30, your options for making money as a combatant become feasible. With a watchful eye on the screen, you can either make a dangerous trek across The Outlands to get your first ogre blood at the Ogre outpost, or sail to Webbers Island to satisfy your thirst for blood by slaying spiders. Both of these combat locations offer substantial rewards for fighters. Beware of the spiders a little more than the ogres at outpost; they sneak in hits of 5-9 with an alarming regularity, often times in the same fight.

Advanced Guide: (CL45-70)

Now you are really making progress. You are finding (with a fast connection) that you have a much better chance of surviving a few Outlands bouts, and you are in need of more experience to gain your levels faster. Now is the best time to transfer your fighting skills to locations like Ogre Town, Berian, Thick Jungle, Ketil, Arch cave NE, Arch cave 2, Exella Plain (and at the higher end of this range, Exella Mountain).

Expert Guide (CL71-95)

At this point, there is a good chance you are making a career out of fighting, and supplying your own food needs via selling drops, with change left over. Levels are getting long, and soon enough, you are only getting 2-3 levels a week. To speed up training, there are more advanced locations (Mordor Cave, Arch cave S, Arch cave 2/3/4). Ketil and Arch cave NE will always remain a good option if you have food to burn, simply because of the HP/Exp gained ratio of bats. The only caution flag I will wave here is that locations with creatures CL30-44 will yield significantly higher damage, so bring food and a good attention span. By this point you should be well into obsidian weapons which makes for significant gains in exp to combat the ever increasing level gaps.

Elite Guide (CL96-130)

You've really dedicated yourself to reach this point, beginning to unlock some of the highest level weapons and armor in the game. This has an increasingly drastic effect in separating you from the average combater. While the difference between a CL 95 and 130 is great, the strategies will be simple. At this point you will want to become a well rounded fighter with high defence (syriet armor and above), strength (level 100 and on), and health (level 100 and onwards). More and more locations become accessible to the AFK fighter (Arch. cave S, Exella Mountain, Kaldra) which means great experience and drops. If you have time to pay attention, Beset drops will fund nearly any combat venture you have – even braving the Gamans and Dragons in Arch. cave 5.

Training strategies

One of the most frequently asked questions about combat training in Syrnia is along the lines of, "What skill should I train next?". Syrnia has 4 different combat skills that help determine how skilled a fighter you are. How you train those skills compared to each other can have certain benefit/consequences. Here are a few different takes on the best methods to train the different skills.

Starting off, the first thing you want to be able to do is get into better armor/weapons. Your bronze gear is upgraded quickly, and once at level 10, you can equip ogre items. Now, Ogre gear costs a bit more than Bronze and Iron stuff, but if you can afford it, it offers great benefits stats wise and will greatly reduce training stress at lower levels.

One of the biggest factors on young combatants is the ability to wield a Koban axe. There is no question your abilities as a fighter will dramatically increase the second you are able to equip one. It is because of this that your training from CL 20 to CL 30 should be skewed in that manner. From there, it would be wise to even out your skills, in order to be a stronger overall fighter. Your next milestone in the realm of fighting would be level 35 attack/defense. Once these levels are reached, you are now skilled enough to use Elven armor and weapons.

Further training, and very important for that matter, would involve attaining attack level 45. With this skill, you will be able to use any one of the three Dino weapons. These three weapons, while expensive, will allow you to really diversify your fighting style. A Waranerus spike will allow you to successfully train on monsters hitting for a better average (therefore better experience gains), while if you like to occasional super hit, a Stemosaurus tail spike might better suit you. If you have managed to become a wealthy Syrnian in this time period, you might want to test your luck in trade chat, or use your networking skills to see if you can land a Roodarus Horn, one of the most sought after items in all of Syrnia. This weapon is more effective than a gold axe, which requires level 66 attack to equip.

Moving on, once again equaling out stats will increase your overall combat prowess. At this point, a debate begins among the higher leveled fighters: Weapon versus armor. You may want to train your defence to level 54 to obtain the skill necessary to equip full silver armor, or in fact, you might want to train attack to level 66 to use a cheaper, and more effective weapon (gold axe). Both have pros and cons. Silver armor will replace any need of elven gear, however, that will mean that you are using expensive weapons for a longer period of time.

The same debate exists in whether to train for the Platina axe versus gold armor. Here is the advice I will provide you. The more you train the Attack and Strength skills, the faster you will kill, therefore gaining faster experience. There is no doubt that there are advantages to being a strong overall fighter, but if you are to skew your stats in one direction, I would highly recommend you lead with attack, follow up with strength, and use defense and health as your trailers. With that said, there is a common thought of training for a very high weapon (i.e. Puranium Dagger at level 120) while ignoring most all other skills. While this is not a ‘bad' approach, not having the secondary combat skills to back that up will result in a poor Outlands record as well as inconsistent ability to afk locations.

In the end the choice is yours, but beware, the decisions you make regarding your training will shape your Syrnian future as a combatant in important ways.

Away from Keyboard (Afking) combat

The number one cause of creature death is getting "too" comfortable with fighting all creatures. You should never want to see your health dip below 20hp at a location after complete botchecks without eating. There are always "freak" occurrences that will make your training a lot less productive.

The only conclusive way to give options on where to afk is to first place a disclaimer. There have been instances where CL75-84 has died at Ogre town while on afk because of such "freak occurrences". The stats recommended below are in most instances higher than what is necessary to survive a full botcheck, however it is done in an attempt to guarantee a successful attempt.

The two most important skills (with strength a close second) in regards to being able to AFK at combat are attack and health. Primary focus on the weapon and secondary is hitpoints. The faster you kill, the higher chance you have of survival, coupled with how many hits you can actually absorb. Strength of course will assist in killing faster, but the ultimate truth about combat is there should be a high priority on killing faster over defense.

Location	Recommended stats
Jungles Edge	Att 30 (Koban Axe), Def 25 (Iron + Bat-hide), Str 25-30, Health 34 (40hp)
Sorer Lair	Att 66 (Gold Axe), Def 54 (Full silver/Elven/Saurus), Str 55, Health 57 (65hp)
Ogre Outpost	Att 66 (Gold Axe), Def 54 (Full silver/Elven/Saurus), Str 60, Health 57 (65hp)
Ogre Town/Berian/Thick Jungle	Att 96 (Syriet Axe), Def 64, Str 70, Health 75 (85hp)
Ketil	Att 103 (Obsidian Scimitar), Def 69 (full gold), Str 80, Health 84 (95hp)

Keep in mind, this is not a guarantee. This is just a guideline for you to experiment yourself and come to your own conclusions.

Player versus Player (PvP) combat

PvP Combat in Syrnia is the most interactive thing you can do. Its requires reflexes, wits, and island location knowledge to master. For some, it's the entire reason they train combat, so beware, there are some very serious contenders among these ranks. There are two places in Syrnia where PvP combat is possible: the notorious Outlands (see this page for an overview of working locations in the Outlands) and the Desert arena Battlemage.

The Outlands

This is the only Player versus player (PvP) area in the entire game where you can lose your items. To travel to the Outlands you need a minimum combat level of 5 or a total level of 60. This is the "true" test of a Syrnian fighter as many will say, but this area has more to do with than just your stats. The most important thing you need to be a successful Player Killer (Pk'er) is a fast internet connection. As there is no traveling time between locations, the faster your internet/computer can operate, the more lethal you can be. Now, there is a lot to be said for user skill, as the outlands require practice. One is not instantly adapted to outlands style fighting the moment they enter the outlands. If there is any advice to be offered, it would be to smaller players. Do not stop moving. Sitting still going blow for blow with higher level fighters will not end in an acceptable manner. However, if you keep moving, eating, and striking, you can earn yourself quite a rank among fellow outlands fighters.

Recommended inventory for outlands: 500-1000hp and the armor you currently have equipped. Yep, that's it. One patch of lag and you will be doing the walk of shame from Remer or Skull Island, whether you are a land lubber or a pirate.

The Battlemage

This is the only PvP area where you can fight without risk of losing any items. There are a few basic rules to enter, however. The Battlemage is classified by CL, so there are the following combat groups:

10-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-79, 80-200.

On this page you can see an overview of all the scheduled fights.

The BattleMage can entered at two locations, Kinam if you are a mainlander or Toothen if you are a pirate. The arena opens 15 minutes before the start of the battle. Important to note is that you may not bring in either cooked and grown food, or locked and unlocked items (as they main contain food upon opening them). Other than that, bring your best armor, your best partners, and anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 minutes of your free time. The last player standing is awarded with a Desert arena medal, which can be exchanged for some unique arena items. If there is still no winner after 30 minutes, the game cancels the fight.

NB: as you enter you will notice the arena is set into three circles inside of each other. At the left and right spots of the center circle you were previously able to cook your raws, but the game staff have currently disabled cooking inside the arena. A tinderbox or wood was not required to cook in the arena.

See this page for a more in depth guide on the Desert arena battlemage.

Groupfighting

Lastly, a the special type of Syrnia combat known as groupfighting deserves some attention in this guide. Groupfighting works differently from regular combat in the sense that multiple players can fight the same creature simultaneously. Each round every participant attempts to hit the creature, and the creature strikes at one of the players in the fight (or sometimes no-one). The experience is divided by all participants equally and the player who strikes the final blow gets the creature drop. While groupfighting is normally reserved for the high level combantants taking on the strongest creatures in Arch. cave 4 and 5, other types of groupfighting creatures such as Captain Keelhail may appear throughout Syrnia during certain events.

Arch Cave 4 (Dino hunting)

The first of the deeper caves challenges most fighters in Syrnia. Via Heerchey island, you will have to fight yourself a way through Arch. caves 2 and 3 to get there. If you are wandering helplessly around the murkiness of Arch 3, and you happen to stumble across the sought after location of 3.25, rejoice. You will be able to enter Arch. cave 4 after you defeat the monster lurking at 3.25. Here is where you can really prove yourself as an elite fighter as you showcase your skills (at times with other fighters) as you take on one of the strongest creatures in the game, dinosaurs. Dinos range from combat level 128 to 211 so bring your food, wits, and fortitude. They hit hard over and over again. Anything that appears in Arch. cave 4, however, will spawn. There is no set location where a dino will always be ready to fight. Ores, chests, and dinos will spawn all over the cave, so you must be ready at an instant if you are looking for action.

Arch Cave 5 (Dragon hunting)

A recent tremor in the Syrnian lands was felt and thus a new passage was discovered at Arch cave 4.5. 4 times a day, the molten lava flow will harden enough to cross; afterwards you have a long and dark walk through the Lost Caves in order to find the entrance to Arch. caves 5. After paying homage to the Heerchey family, you are allowed access into the most dangerous yet rewarding place in the game. It was discovered in these caves the newest of the metals possible to smith in Syrnia: Puranium. Here you will also be introduced to new gamans with an angrier temperament than we have ever seen as well as Flame Dragons! Beware; even the top level fighters have perished here with a lack of respect for these monsters. Gamans from CL 79-105 are guaranteed to test every fighter's endurance. Dragon's CL's range from 286-426, hitting far higher than anyone can survive if you aren't properly equipped for battle! Ore spawns in two locations, chest spawns, and dragon spawns will keep you busy for days if you've brought the right amount of patience, mindfulness, and food.

Tip: go here for a more in depth guide of the Arch. cave system.

Conclusion

To summarize, combat in Syrnia is one of the most technically challenging skills found in most MMORPG's. The simple fact that 4 separate skills determine your ability to fight makes reaching a high level combat status in Syrnia more glorifying than any other game. Enjoy your journey, as it will be very, very memorable, as you climb the ranks of Syrnian fighters, and earn the respect that you have long deserved as a valiant fighter.