Confused about what units to play with in the genre twisting MMO Atlantica Online? Come check out this developer journal explaining the Archer unit!

This week continues our look into the various units in Atlantica Online, the genre-bending, turn-based MMO that made quite the splash when it entered the massively multiplayer online scene. Although plenty of individuals have already played the game, the initial moments in the world can be slightly confusing, especially when you're given so many different units to choose from.

To make your selection process easier, the developers at NDOORS have put together a series of developer journal on Atlantica's units. This week we take a look at the Archer. Enjoy!

In Atlantica Online, the Archer is the only D-class mercenary that can hit any single target on the battlefield, regardless of the enemy’s position. The Archer has high Attack Power, which allows her to deliver highly damaging shots, and combined with her high Action Power, the Archer can strike quickly and frequently. This makes the Archer a great sniper with the ability to shoot down even the toughest of mercenaries.

What the Archer has in her offensive arsenal, she lacks in physical toughness. That doesn’t necessarily means she gives up defensive capabilities; rather, the Archer simply cannot take the hits like the two mercenaries—the Swordsman and the Spearman—we covered in the previous features. Yes, the Archer has relatively low HP, and she can only equip lighter armor with less Defense, but she makes up for it in high Dexterity. This makes the Archer a highly evasive mercenary and not as vulnerable as one might think.

The Archer has two skills: Silence and Deadly Shot. Deadly Shot is highly situational and is essentially a ranged version of Deadly Strike. Silence, on the other hand, is a spell you will find using in nearly every PvP battle. Silence prevents enemies in a row from casting any spells for three turns (after upgrades). It can only target up to the second row, but that is where strategy comes into play. Ultimately, it is the back row that you would want to target because that is where most players keep their support mercenaries. Spike builds, which are builds that allow you to deal damage in bursts, can effectively break through the second row, basically giving you the opportunity to silence the back row. Doing so would essentially lock down the enemy’s spell casters and put you in a great position to win. Throw in seals like the Exorcist’s Mana Seal and you have full control of the since it will stop all enemy staff mercenaries from casting any spells.

As we mentioned above, Archers are very effective at sniping, or focus-firing, on a single target. But in addition to the benefit of dealing a large amount of damage, sniping can be very effective against players who use scrolls, as the only way to prevent a character from using a scroll is by hitting him before the scroll activates.  So the combination of her ability to deal damage and maintain control of a battle makes the Archer that much more formidable.

The Archer is also one of only two D-class mercenaries that can be upgraded into a C-class mercenary—the Dark Archer. The Dark Archer can be recruited at level 100 after a series of quests. Upon completion, you will be rewarded with the Immortal Spirit Stone, which is used to upgrade your Archer into a Dark Archer. The main difference between the Hero Archer—Hero Robin Hood—and the Dark Archer is twofold. One is that the Dark Archer’s base Defense is higher. Secondly, the Dark Archer learns a new skill called Multi-Arrow, an offensive spell that strikes the enemy in a cross-shaped pattern. And because it has a low cooldown, it is a spell that can be used frequently, which is especially effective in PvE. However, it is less utilized in PvP because of Silence.

So go test a new formation with the Archer! Next week, we will be covering our second ranged mercenary—the Gunner!