Hammer Time! Fiona Long Hammer Guide



Fiona is a heavily armored warrior character who wields a one-handed weapon and a shield. In battle, Fiona can use her shield to block enemy attacks and launch powerful counterattacks while her enemies are vulnerable. Fiona has many powerful attacks that excel at stunning foes, allowing her and her allies to rush in and attack downed opponents.

Fiona can only equip Longswords at first, but eventually she'll also learn to equip Long Hammers.

Long Hammer Guide Introduction
This guide was created for Fiona players interested in Long Hammers. Essentially, this is not a general skills guide, but rather a perspective guide that will attempt to look at Fiona's skills through Hammer-wielding Fiona's eyes. Long hammers are slow but powerful; they can inflict many concussive blows that leaves any enemies in Fiona's path crumpled on the ground.

Long Hammers can be equipped as early as level 24. Acquiring the Long Hammer Mastery skill book is required to equip Long Hammers.

Acquiring the Long Hammer Mastery Skill Book
The skill book can be obtained via storyline: skill: Long Hammer Mastery. In short, players need to follow the main storyline and acquire the Broken Wand from Information Chief Kalis and talk to Ellis. Kalis can be fought in the missions Hell Beyond the Door and Wake Up Call. Afterwards, speak with Marrec who asks the player to obtain the title "Long Hammer Bearer" by defeating 30 enemies with object smashes.

The quest itself may say you need to throw objects, or imply you need to be able to pick up objects of a certain weight, but this is NOT true. ANY object may be used, regardless of weight or size. The only requirement is that the final blow needs to be dealt with an object smash. Also note many titles in-game are bugged; players may need to relog to view their progress.

General Differences Between Long Hammers and Longswords


 * Hammers are heavy, so guard cannot be used as quickly while Fiona is swinging a hammer.
 * Many hammer smashes damage enemies directly behind Fiona.
 * Hammer smashes gain additional attack elements at rank F.
 * All Hammer attacks are affected by Critical Hit, including normal attacks.
 * Hammer attacks have great range and inflict severe damage.
 * Hammers generally cost more resources to craft than swords.
 * Hammers have less Balance than swords, making their damage range wider.

Skills Unnecessary to Long Hammers

The following skills do not in any way effect Long Hammers. If you're 100% positive that you do not wish to use Longswords after level 24, investing AP heavily into these skills is highly unrecommended.
 * Unnecessary Skills:
 * Amaranth Kick
 * Blossom Blow
 * Ivy Sweep
 * Petal Toss
 * Rose Thorns
 * Longsword Mastery *

''*important: it should be noted that while this skill only affects Longswords, you need this skill at Rank D to learn Long Hammer Mastery

Fiona's Hammer Smashes

Honey Bee Sting A weak smash that isn't even too useful for finishing weak enemies. It can sometimes flatten enemies, knocking them down face-first into the floor. You will eventually obtain a skill for this smash which allows it to be charged up. Fully charged, it will instantly kill most trash mobs of your level, but otherwise it will see almost no use. Grand Slam Calla A powerful upward swing that will knock most enemies flat on their backs. This smash can be used to inflict decent damage quickly when needed. Eventually comes with a skill called Crushing Arc, which at Rank 9 will allow you to throw a horizontal smash after the upward swing. Orchid Strike A powerful downward swing that has a low area of effect but is powerful against single targets. This smash has a particularly long forward momentum. Butterfly Swing A powerful roundhouse swing that sends enemies flying in all directions. Excellent smash to clear groups of powerful enemies quickly. Stigma Hammer A devastating downward hammer swing that inflicts severe damage. Great when Fiona needs to throw down the hammer on powerful Fomors.

Skill Planning
Long Hammer Fiona (or sometimes "Hammona") is still Fiona and that core game play style does not change drastically for Hammona. Hammona's skill path only really begins to differ at level 24 when Fiona can actually acquire the Long Hammer Mastery skill book.

Skill priorities
Much of Fiona's AP she gains in battles should be allocated to her core skills first. Once her core skills are at adequate levels, AP then can be used for skills that still improve her abilities, but not as much as her core skills do. All other skills should be ranked on a need-to-have basis, or simply when there's nothing better to put AP into.

Prerequisite Skills
This is a list of all skills that unlock other skills at later levels.


 * Guard (level 1) Rank D                      unlocks→ Heavy Stander (level 8) and Counterattack (level 20)
 * Shield Mastery (level 1) Rank 9            unlocks→ Large Shield Mastery (level 42)
 * Longsword Mastery (level 10) Rank D         unlocks→ Long Hammer Mastery (level 24)
 * Heavy Armor Proficiency (level 10) Rank D   unlocks→ Plate Armor Proficiency (level 30)
 * Strength Mastery (level 14) Rank D          unlocks→ Weight Mastery (level 34)
 * Combat Mastery (level 18) Rank D            unlocks→ Smash Mastery (level 22)
 * (optional) Smash Mastery (level 22) Rank D  unlocks→ Blossom Blow (level 30)
 * Willpower Mastery (level 22) Rank D         unlocks→ Life Flare (level 22)
 * Long Hammer Mastery (level 24) Rank C       unlocks→ Butterfly Swing (level 24) and Stigma Hammer (level 24)
 * Battle Respiration (level 26) Rank D        unlocks→ Stamina Mastery (level 38)

Fiona's Core Skills
These skills are going to be crucially important to both Fiona weapon game play styles. Fiona is centered around her shield: she can use it to block enemy attacks as well as use that opening to launch powerful counterattacks.

Counterattack
This is a crucial Fiona skill that she will use more and more often as she progresses. Counterattack has a high stun rate, but this skill eats shields for breakfast: in other words, it decreases the toughness of your shield greatly. Ranking this skill quickly will both increase its effectiveness and lower the toughness loss of your shield.

Counterattack should be ranked as frequently as AP allows. It's perhaps Fiona's best skill, and always a good investment.
 * Ranking:

Guard
Another important skill but not immediately as important as Counterattack or Heavy Stander. The main benefit of ranking Guard is eventually reaching Rank 9. Rank 9 unlocks an ability called "swift guard" that allows Fiona to attack with strong smashes after perfect-guarding an enemy attack.

Guard should be ranked to D early on as it is a prerequisite for other skills. As Fiona nears level 30, ranking this skill to 9 will unlock the swift guard technique. Guard could generally be left at rank 9 for a time: the durability cost for using even a normal guard is low in comparison to Heavy Stander.
 * Ranking:

'''Check this out! →Rank 9 Guard Demonstration'''

Heavy Stander
This skill can block powerful smash attacks. Blocking any attack with Heavy Stander costs extra stamina and an increased toughness loss to your shield compared to blocking attacks with a guard. Blocking smash attacks with a small shield will block the attack, but knocks Fiona out of Heavy Stander. Using a Large Shield, however, allows Fiona to block consecutive smash attacks without being knocked back.

Heavy Stander should be ranked to A quickly: this rank blocks 100% of the damage you receive in Heavy Stander. Generally, this skill could be left at rank A for a time if there is other skills players wish to invest in. There's no added benefit at rank 9 as there is with guard, however using Heavy Stander is more toughness consuming. On the other hand, Fiona may find ranking Shield Mastery to increase durability more overall effective as it will enhance all shield related skills.
 * Ranking:

Shield Mastery
This skill increases the overall durability of Fiona’s shield. This in turn will increase the effectiveness of all her shield related skills like Counterattack, Guard, and Heavy Stander.

Shield Mastery can ranked as AP allows. It will increase how often you can use your shield without fear of it breaking, so any AP invested in this skill could be considered very worthwhile. Second in priority only to Counterattack.
 * Ranking:

Getting Hammered: General Skills
This section contains skills that compliment Fiona's core skills and game play. Any AP used for these skills would be a good investment, assuming that her core skills have been adequately ranked. Skills are listed in alphabetical order, not necessarily by importance.

Campfire Campfire is especially important to Fiona, definitely more so to her than other heroes. Sitting near a campfire for 10 seconds provides an attack buff and an armor-regeneration buff; these buffs will stay active for a set period of time even after Fiona leaves the campfire. Extra attack is great, but especially appealing for Fiona is the armor-regen; armor regen means considerably less broken shields, which means many more guards and counterattacks.

Campfire should be ranked to A as quickly as AP allows. At rank A the buffs last for 12 minutes and you get the full effects of each buff. Campfire is inexpensive to rank and the benefits are well worth the investment as it allows Fiona to use her shield very frequently without fear of it breaking. This is crucial because Counterattack and other shield skills can wear out your trusty equipment very quickly. Campfire can supplement low ranked shield skills early on in the adventure, but be cautious in thinking that it can replace skills like Shield Mastery all together. The buffs do not last forever, and if Fiona happens to become incapacitated during battle the buff will disappear entirely and you cannot get another buff from the same campfire again. So be careful!
 * Ranking:

Combat Mastery
Increases the damage Fiona’s normal attacks inflict. This is a skill that is more viable for Hammona since hammers are more powerful and their normal attacks can land critical hits.

Combat Mastery can be ranked to E after learning it as it is relatively cheap to do so. However, for increasing Fiona's combat abilities, AP could easily be invested in other skills well before this one: for example, Smash Mastery, Critical Hit, Hammiona's individual smashes, and even STR Mastery.
 * Ranking:

Battle Respiration
This is an important and inexpensive skill Fiona can buy at level 26: it recovers stamina faster. Being able to recover quicker will allow for more attacks and more guards.

Can safely be ranked to A quickly as AP allows. This skill is a worthwhile investment.
 * Ranking:

Critical Hit
Critical hits cause additional damage when landed. This skill both increases how often they occur and increases the damage inflicted by a critical. This skill has extra benefits for Hammona whose normal hammer swings can land critical hits.

Critical Hit should be ranked to E after learning the skill. Its offensive priority falls behind Smash Mastery and perhaps individual smash attack skills, however.
 * Ranking:

Downward Counter
Downward Counter allows Fiona to perform an additional attack after being staggered by an attack (not completely knocked down).


 * Ranking:' Very low priority. Fiona should focus her energies on dodging or deflecting blows with her shield. However, This skill can be used as a utility to get back into the fray faster after being staggered, or to potentially dodge a combo of attacks if Fiona finds herself accidentally taking a blow. But this skill can be left at very low rank for that.

Heavy Stander Counter
Heavy Stander Counter allows Fiona to perform an additional attack after an attack has been successfully blocked with Heavy Stander. Not available while wearing a Large Shield.
 * Ranking:This skill is useful, albeit situational. It isn't a very high priority skill because of such. It is situational because, even though most bosses possess smash attacks, Fiona won't always want to activate this skill as it may give you poor positioning, or not allow enough time to recover stamina in some cases. It still does decent damage and has a decent knockdown, but the amount of use Fiona will get from this skill is limited to only a handful of battles.

Large Shield Mastery
This skill allows Fiona to equip Large Shields. You cannot Counterattack with Large Shields, but a Large Shield gives Fiona the ability to block enemy smashes without getting knocked backward. Large Shields are not a progression from Small Shields, they simply have a different application. They are very useful for fighting tough bosses that can use consecutive smash attacks, or against enemies that cannot be easily countered, or when it's simply not possible due to the enemy having all smash attacks.

Simply because this skill is so cheap to rank, it makes for a safe enough investment to put a few ranks in it once Fiona receives it. By level 42 Fiona should, hopefully, have decent ranks in Guard and Heavy Stander, and also Shield Repair and Campfire to help buffer her shield. Also note that this skill is needed to equip higher level large shields, and also that large shields are extremely heavy, so increasing this skill's rank will make large shields less of a burden.
 * Ranking:

Long Hammer Mastery
Upon reaching level 24, Hammiona might want to take a small AP detour and invest in getting this skill to rank C as soon as possible. After rank C, rank this skill as you need it to equip higher level Long Hammers.


 * Rank E needed to learn Butterfly Swing
 * Rank C needed to learn Stigma Hammer

Long Hammer: Butterfly Swing
Upon learning this skill at rank F, Hammona unlocks the ability to repeatedly use this smash until all of her stamina is consumed. The first swing is very powerful and it has a 360 degree radius. Subsequent swings have the same radius, but they do 25% less damage and cost several times more stamina.

Butterfly Swing could safely be ranked to E upon learning. In Fiona's offensive priority, this skill falls below Smash Mastery (and perhaps Stigma Hammer.)
 * Ranking:

Long Hammer: Stigma Hammer
Hammona's most devastating smash. Upon learning this skill at rank F, she gains the ability to charge this smash and release a more tremendous amount of power. There are 3 levels of the charge, and each charge takes about a second to power up. Time consuming, but it can be used in a very interesting variety of ways, some of which require thinking outside the box.

Stigma Hammer can be ranked to E upon learning it. Offensively, it falls below only Smash Mastery in priority.
 * Ranking:

Smash Mastery
This skill is the most important for Hammiona's offensive capabilities: it will increase the damage and knockdown of all her smash attacks at once.

Smash Mastery is Fiona's best skill to increase her offensive capabilities. This skill should be ranked as AP allows. Since Hammiona isn't obligated to rank her individual smashes like sword Fiona, it's more than reasonable to rank Smash Mastery first.
 * Ranking:

Standing Endurance
This skill isn't as useful in earlier stages of the game as it is later on. That being said, it isn't a real high priority at first. It becomes substantially more useful at rank 9 because Fiona will be able to sacrifice some stamina to immediately roll out of being knocked down. Subsequent ranks after rank 9 decreases the amount of stamina consumed to roll off the ground and decreases the chance of being knocked down. In later updates, this skill can be used in conjunction with another skill that will allow Fiona to quickly get back into the fray even if knocked backwards.

Fiona can opt to rank Standing Endurance as she feels she needs it. It is frustrating to be attacked while on the ground, and this skill counteracts that liability. Keep in mind that rank 9 is unavailable until at least level 30. In later battles, this skill can easily save Fiona from being incapacitated, as well as all other heroes.
 * Ranking:

SP Skills
These skills become unlockable later; the first being at level 36. SP skills have an SP bar that controls how often they can be used inside a battle. Each SP skill consumes a different amount of SP. Upon learning a SP skill, Fiona gets 4 SP bars. SP bars start off empty at the beginning of a battle and needs to be filled up before any SP skills can be used. SP bars can be filled slowly over time, or by attacking monsters, by being attacked, by using guard or heavy stander, and also by using counterattack (which is the best method)

SP: Shield Bash One of the more useful SP skills. Shield Bash has a decent knockdown rate and only uses 1 SP bar. Used in tandem with Counterattack, it becomes even more potent. Get this skill as soon as possible and rank it to max as AP allows.

SP: Shield Repair Useful to have in emergencies. Fiona by all means should do what she can to prevent her shield from breaking, but if it should happen and there's no other means of repair, this is an excellent option. Fiona can cancel the shield repair early by rolling forward it will still restore her shield 100%, so it's much faster and safer than an armor repair kit or trying to find a campfire anvil. On the other hand, if a campfire is easily available, it would perhaps be wise to conserve your SP.

Active: Slashing High While Slashing High is active, Fiona becomes invulnerable to being knocked back, movement speed is increased, and she is given an unlimited supply of stamina for a short while. In late-game this skill becomes a Hammona's single most powerful SP slot. The 12% extra speed also increases your attack speed, which equates to a monumental dps increase and also better ability to recover from smashes to put up your guard. Due to the recent hammer buff which more than doubled the damage of repeat Butterfly Swings, Spin2Win Hammona with Slashing High has essentially replaced Spear Lann as the top dps in the game. Note that this tactic should be used with caution. The best times to employ it are during Transformation, if your Tunic has Stone Enchant Scroll that triggers, and when the boss is disabled in some way.

SP: Shield Charge Shield Charge can be learned at level 52. This skill lets you ram opponents with great force from a distance. Its SP consumption is considerably higher than Shield Bash, but it has superb knockdown and high damage. It is also excellent for hitting some boss break-offs like Irukul's tusk and Thor's Inner Mouth. During the entire attack you are invulnerable to any damage. However, there is a short moment just before the skill is launched where taking damage will cancel the attack and completely deplete all your SP. This can completely destroy a lot of work, so time it carefully.

Transformations
Transformation skills temporarily transform Fiona into either a Paladin or a Dark Knight for 120 seconds. During transformation, Fiona will have 50 extra Stamina as well as other attributes such as removed hit delay (attack speed slowing when hitting bosses), and increased attack range, among other benefits such as increased SP gain. After the transformation ends, all equipped armor breaks. (this does not include shields)

Paladin Transformation

Dark Knight Transformation

Mastery and Proficiency Skills
These skills are low on the priority rung. Invest AP into these skills only as needed or required.

 Equipment Mastery Skills  This includes Cloth Armor Proficiency, Light Armor Proficiency, Heavy Armor Proficiency, and Plate Armor Proficiency. Fiona only need concern herself with Light Armor early on, then Heavy Armor Mastery, and Plate Armor Mastery. Rank these skills as it becomes necessary: they'll let Fiona wear higher level equipment and also reduce the weight of equipped armor, plus add a DEF bonus to said armors.


 * Cloth armor provides little to no benefit for Fiona, besides aesthetic ones of course.
 * Light Armor is more viable, as you could wear the Savage Leather Armor Set, however AP can safely be saved otherwise.

''note: it would be best to keep in mind which armors you would like to use in the future so you can plan these skills accordingly. Visit List:Equipment Sets for details on crafting, level requirements, and how many stones armor sets weigh. For a recommendation of Fiona armors, visit Fiona Skill Guide. Generally, you'll want to wear armor in this stat priority: DEF → STR → AGI ↔ WIL → INT.

 Weight Endurance  Fiona gets this skill at level 34. It increases the maximum number of stones she can carry by +20 every rank.

Weight Endurance can safely be ranked to E after learning it. It should then be ranked as Fiona's armor becomes too heavy for her to wear.
 * Ranking:

 Strength Mastery  This is probably the most important of the stat-mastery skills for Fiona. It will increase her ATT by a small amount per rank and allow her to pick up and carry heavier objects longer.

STR is an important stat, but it falls below in priority to almost all other offensive skills. Rank STR Mastery when it is felt all of Fiona's other offensive skills are adequately ranked.
 * Ranking:

 Agility Mastery  AGI adds to Fiona’s defense, stamina restoration, and recovery time. Not a useless thing to have by any means, but there's a lot of more useful skills than this.

AGI does add to things that sound great, but to that end the respective skills that increase things like defense and stamina restoration are many, many times more effective than pure AGI.
 * Ranking:

 Willpower Mastery  WIL increases Fiona’s chance to land critical hits and the damage dealt by critical hits. (formulas in the article)

Can be optionally ranked to D to unlock Life Flare. Afterwards, this is very low priority. Ranking Critical Hit is many times more effective.
 * Ranking:

 Intelligence Mastery  For Fiona, this skill is next to useless in physical application. It only decreases the time in between receiving bonus AP.

When there's literally absolutely no other skill Fiona can put AP into: it's that low of a priority skill.
 * Ranking:

 Stamina Mastery  Increases Fiona's max stamina.

Having more Stamina is always useful, but this skill is really expensive and it only adds an additional 18 stamina when rank A is reached. Around level 60 when Fiona unlocks more RAID battles, some may find having extra stamina useful to successfully block chains of enemy smash attacks.
 * Ranking:

 Health Mastery  Increases Fiona's max Health.

Expensive, but if there's nothing else to use AP on, this isn't a terrible option. Can add somewhat to Fiona's already high survivability potential.
 * Ranking:

 Life Flare  This skill keeps Fiona alive after taking a hit that would otherwise have incapacitated her. Sounds neat, but upon further consideration this skill is only going to be of any use to Fiona when she almost get killed, which she'll want to definitely avoid. This skill is really costly in the AP department, and after all the AP you spend to get it to rank 6, Fiona only has a chance to survive 3.5/10 hits that would've otherwise knocked her out. Certainly not something she'd want to have to rely too heavily on. Due to Fiona's naturally high Willpower, the chance for her to activate this skill is better than anyone else's, but it's still not a guarantee.

As this skill is only useful in some circumstances, Fiona could rank to F or E and leave it alone util there's nothing better to put AP into.
 * Ranking:

 Defense Mastery  Increases Fiona’s base defense.

This may seem like a natural skill to have as Fiona, but considering you have a shield and heavy armors it isn't really a priority at all. It would be unwise to spend AP here when other skills would benefit Fiona more greatly. It's also extremely expensive in AP. Perfectly fine to invest in after level 60 when high-priority skills are payed for, as high defense will eventually become important.
 * Ranking:

 Stone Skin  Increases Fiona’s defense if her armor shatters.


 * Ranking: Fiona has superb shielding abilties: this skill isn't very necessary in light of that. Extremely low priority skill, considerably lower than most all defense-oriented skills.

 Meditation  This skill decreases the timer for receiving bonus AP.


 * Ranking:There is much debate on whether or not this skill is worth the initial investment. In some calculations, it would take a full year to begin paying off.

 HP Potion Proficiency  Increases the effect of HP potions when consumed.

Ranking Extremely useful later on, and very cheap. Essentially stretches your gold if you happen to be buying potions at all.

 Secondary Weapon Mastery  Allows the character to use secondary weapons more effectively, and also allows for higher quality secondary weapons to be used, like: Light of Plara, Fine Spears, Fine Small Bombs, and Sticky Bombs. Rank this skill if it is felt to be needed, but be aware it has a high AP cost.

Combat Tactics & Strategy: Hammer


In general, your style as while equipped with a hammer doesn't differ greatly from sword; Fiona's best role is still up close to powerful fomors, turning their attacks against them with Counterattack. However, there is still important differences between the two weapons. Fiona will find herself on the wrong end of attacks if she treats her hammer like she did her sword.

Guarding with Long Hammers
As hammers are quite heavy, Fiona will no longer be able to guard as quickly as she could when she was holding a much lighter sword; this is crucial to remember when swinging the hammer at an enemy. If Fiona gambles that an enemy won't attack her, but then gets attacked at an inopportune moment, she may not have enough time to guard against the hit.

This doesn't indicate hammer is conservative or defensive play. Attack when openings allow, don't gamble when it isn't necessary.

Hammiona's Smashes
This section will describe in detail hammer smashes and provide tactics and advice for employing them at the best moment.

Honey Bee Sting
 * Very low damage smash: only as powerful as about 2 normal hammer swings.
 * Can knock some light opponents face-first into the ground.
 * If charged, deals medium-high damage, but at a fairly inconvenient investment of time.

Grand Slam Calla
 * Light damage: slightly less powerful than an unranked Blossom Blow.
 * Fast attack with low recovery.
 * Can clear most low to medium HP mobs very quickly.
 * Has very low recovery time: guard can be used quickly, making this a good defensive option for attacking quickly.
 * Decent knockdown. Can throw many medium weight enemies on their backs.
 * Later can deal quite impressive damage with Rank 9 Crushing Arc's second smash.
 * Crushing Arc second swing has very wide radius and decent forward range.

Orchid Strike
 * Great damage for a low tier smash: a full (no criticals) Orchid Strike inflicts the same damage percentile as a "naked" rank F Amaranth Kick (i.e. landing Amaranth without connecting any of the normal swings)
 * Excellent backward to forward range during its attack arc
 * Due to its good range, this smash can be used to inflict damage from enough distance that allows enough time for guard, especially against slow-moving opponents
 * Good 'tactical' smash

Butterfly Swing
 * High damage smash: A naked Butterfly inflicts the same damage percentile as Amaranth Kick, so connecting the normal swings easily beats even a full Amaranth in damage.
 * Excellent radial attack: hits opponents in a full circle around Fiona. (better range in front than in back)
 * Can be used repeatedly at rank F and above. (additional swings inflict 25% less damage and cost a lot more stamina)
 * Fast and inexpensive for the damage it inflicts: Butterfly connects faster than Amaranth kick
 * Great smash for large mobs, very high HP enemies, and against bosses

Stigma Hammer
 * Very high damage smash
 * Can be charged: this allows Stigma to be used tactically (see below for notes on charges)
 * Decimates any normal mob with ease.
 * Connects slower than Amaranth, however, with only few exceptions, there's enough time to land Stigma while the boss is knocked down.

Butterfly Swing VS. Stigma Hammer In some situations in Vindictus, using Butterfly Swing is actually a better idea even if time allows for Stigma Hammer, especially during knock downs.

In short:
 * 1) Against bosses with short knockdowns, use Butterfly Swing. (ex: in some cases Strong Ekelch, Sturdy Emuloch, Wisp bosses like Argontel)
 * 2) Against bosses with normal knockdowns, use 0charge Stigma Hammer (ex: Gnoll Chief, Rampage, etc.)
 * 3) Against bosses with long knockdowns, use 2 Butterfly Swings over charging Stigma Hammer (ex: All Ainle Vampire bosses like The Ashen up to Blood Prince, Dim Gray, etc.)
 * 4) Against bosses with very long knockdowns...Has yet to be determined. Apparently, some bosses in future content, like Ogre bosses, have exceedingly long knockdowns. Hard to say which would be best since the content is not available in Vindictus, only in Mabinogi Heroes.

Guidelines for Butterfly Swing and Stigma Hammer In case the above list is vague, here's some damage comparisons to help reason which attacks are better.

1 Butterfly Swing < 1 0charge Stigma 2 Butterfly Swings > 1 3charge (max) Stigma

So, essentially, whenever Fiona finds enough time during a knockdown to land over a 1charge Stigma (the logic here is that Fiona wouldn't have the time to land more than 1 Butterfly if time only allowed for 1charge of Stigma), using the time to quickly connect 2 Butterfly Swings inflicts more damage.

Part Deux It was mentioned that Stigma Hammer can be used tactically, and the explanation of that is as follows. Since Stigma Hammer can be charged (albeit not indefinitely) players can improvise a few creative methods of using Stigma. For example, you could run away from a slow boss, combo and charge Stigma, then land the charged Stigma on the boss with some good timing and still have enough time to use Guard or Heavy Stander to block attacks.

However, that method becomes nearly obsolete against bosses beyond Episode 2. It could be used in some situations against normal monsters, but that begs the question "why even bother when normal mobs are so easy to handle?" Against most bosses, unless you can see into the future, Fiona's time is better spent making use of Counterattack or Shield Bash.

Question & Answer: Ask the Editors
The below is commonly asked questions and what the editor(s) of this guide consider to be good answers.



'''Q: I hate Counterattack! Does Fiona really need it?'''

A: "Counterattack is another skill in Fiona's repertoire that can be used to score knockdowns: the more skills Fiona gets like this the better. Fiona learns other skills that can be used to the same end, but that doesn't make Counterattack obsolete by any stretch of the imagination. SP skills like Shield Bash require multiple bars of Fiona's meter to use, and ironically the quickest method to filling those bars up is Counterattack. Use Counterattack in tandem with that skill plus your smashes and Fiona should be landing knockdowns very effectively.

The other argument is that some Fionas just prefer using rank 9 "swift guard" to land high tier smashes quickly. This works to some extent particularly against lower level bosses who are kind enough to stay immobile for longer amounts of time, but many stronger bosses won't do you the favor unless you knock them down first, and Counterattack is a great method to that end. Personally, I'd prefer knocking down a boss and using a full smash combo and allow my other party members free hits as well.

If you hate Counterattack, perhaps more practice should be in order. Once an enemy's attack pattern is learned, countering their moves is pretty simple with good timing. Your party will thank you and you'll thank yourself for having this skill. Give it a chance before you decide to throw this valuable strategy out the door." --Tamaki 04:42, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

Q: How powerful are Long Hammer smashes compared to Longsword smashes?

A: Please see the section immediately below.

Q: Does Campfire become obsolete after learning Shield Repair?

A: "The short answer is no; the long answer is nooooo. The campfire toughness buff is valuable to have regardless of having other methods to quickly repair your shield. Shield Repair costs 2 SP bars: less chances for Fiona to use other SP skills like Shield Bash. Campfire isn't expensive to rank and the other benefits of having it at rank A shouldn't be ignored, like the 250+ attack buff and 20 HP/3 second regen. That doesn't mean that Shield Repair has no uses either. If Fiona's shield does happen to break, Shield Repair costs no AP to learn and it's a very fast method of shield repair (if you cancel), far superior to armor repair kits or an anvil. Shield Repair has saved me plenty of hassle a number of times.

Besides, before level 38 when Shield Repair can be learned and when Fiona's Counterattack / Shield Mastery is lower ranked, campfire is invaluable." --Tamaki 04:42, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

Q: Can I use both Longsword and Long Hammer?

A: I suppose you could, but I seriously question the effectiveness of using both weapons. Hammers can accomplish anything their sword counterparts can, just in a different method. That being said, I don't see a real benefit to being proficient with both. I've never found myself in a situation where I wished I had a Longsword instead of a Hammer. There is a small play style adjustment between the two weapons, but it isn't the difference between night and day. In other words, it's different, but not THAT different. Using both weapons is costly both in resources and AP, I think it'd be much more efficient and effective to simply use one or the other, not both. --Tamaki 21:57, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

'''Q: This guide says Fiona doesn't need skills like Defense Mastery, Stone Skin, Health Mastery, or Life Flare: why is that?"

A: "Because Fiona has shield skills that can deflect 100% of the damage you receive. If Fiona's shield should happen to fail, then she can always fall back on Heavy or Plate Armor. That isn't to say the above skills are useless, but they'd be of more potential value to Lann or Evie." --Tamaki 04:44, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

Q: What's the difference between Large Shields and Small Shields?

A: "The main advantage of Large Shields is they can block multiple smash attacks without getting knocked backwards; however, you cannot use Counterattack. I would argue that Large Shields are not necessarily a progression of Small Shields (in other words Large Shield isn't on a higher tier) they are just another shield with different applications. Against enemies where it's crucial to be able to block multiple smashes, or against bosses that cannot effectively be countered, you may wish to use a Large Shield. Against any other enemy, you may find the ability to Counterattack more useful." --Tamaki 04:42, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

'''Q: My shield keeps breaking! What do I do?'''

A: "Early on, ranking campfire past rank C is a very effective way of keeping your shield intact longer. Campfire somewhat "supplements" other skills that would conserve your shield. However, it'd be unwise to rely on Campfire for too long. Ranking Shield Mastery is probably the most efficient way to prevent your shield from shattering too often, assuming your Counterattack is at a decent rank. You could rank individual skills such as Guard and Heavy Stander, but ranking Shield Mastery benefits all three of your shield-related skills (besides large shields) and you only have to spend the AP in one place. Don't forget to repair at Ferghus regularly, either" --Tamaki 07:52, 30 October 2010 (UTC)

Q: Which stat is most important for Hammer Fiona?

A: I hear this question from time to time. A common argument I hear is that since hammers can critical more often than swords, WIL trumps stats like AGI and even STR. It makes at least some sense, but here's my honest answer: don't sweat over it. Fiona should always be focusing AP into skills like Counterattack or Smash Mastery / Individual smash skills. Those types of skills are going to help her overall effectiveness more so than a few odd stat points. Fiona should definitely make use of her stun skills, and she should always focus on making her smashes count. After that, it's kind of a toss up between ranking skills like Combat Mastery/STR Mastery or Critical Hit/WIL Mastery. There's good arguments either way, but honestly as long as Fiona is landing stuns on bosses that is the most important point. Critical Hit and WIL would definitely help your damage and stuns, but Combat Mastery and STR would also help you out.

Personally, I ranked both Critical Hit and Combat Mastery at nearly the same time: I'd rank Critical up a rank, then switch to ranking Combat up a rank. They're both decent, either way won't severely weaken you as long as you have your other important skills at adequate ranks.

'''Q: I still cannot decide between using a sword or a hammer! Which is better??'''

A: "I would recommend to simply use whichever you find the most appealing. They are both good weapons and there is equally skilled sword and hammer users on both sides. Getting into a massive debate over hypothetical situations where one weapon seems to trump the other is a fruitless endeavor. Choose one and make it your own: don't worry about what anyone else says." --Tamaki 21:47, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

Q:What armor set should I get next?"

A: "I know other guides attempt to cover this topic, however I am not going to bother with it here too much. This wiki has all the information you need about which sets are available and to whom, how much they weigh, what armor proficiency is required, the materials to craft them, and anything else you could want to know. If you want my opinion, armor is useful for a lot of things: it's useful for adding defense, it's useful for adding stats, and sometimes it even looks really neat. You should decide as a player what you think is more important. If you're all about defense, heavy and plate armor is more up your alley. For players who feel like they need to squeeze the most important stats out of their armor, you'll probably need to browse around and have a variety of different armor types and sets equipped. If you find armor is simply cosmetic and figure you can do fine with just a shield, just choose whatever you think looks the best.

Personally, I do some of all of those. In unfamiliar battles I tend to wear high defense armor. As I get more comfortable with the battle, I might switch around to increasing ATT or CRIT. Then for battles that are way below my level I usually go with inner armor or cloth armor. Hell, sometimes I just get tired of seeing the same armor all the time and I switch it around for absolutely no apparent reason. It's honestly up to you." --Tamaki 06:01, 2 December 2010 (UTC)

Q: I have a suggestion/comment/criticism for this guide, where do I put it?

A: Please use this guide's discussion page.

Damage Chart: Fiona
Credit for this chart belongs solely to the original creators, the editor of this guide takes no credit for it, nor does the editor vouch for its accuracy. This chart, however, is widely accepted among the player base as it was apparently developed by a credible guild in Mabinogi:Heroes.

LONGSWORD

LONG HAMMER

Damage Formula: Damage = [Attack - Defense + 900 + Extra Damage*6.25] x Percentile x [1+Mastery%+Skillspecific Mastery%]

By comparing the percentiles, This allows at least a small glimpse at how sword attacks differ from hammer attacks in power.

Media
<--Guide Media--> Video Counterattack Guide Rank 9+ Standing Endurance Demonstration Long Hammer Smash Combos Rank 9+ Guard Demonstration

<--Other Media--> Hammiona Blood Prince Solo Hammiona Red Tyrant Solo Hammiona Blood Prince SPEED RUN Hammiona Rampage Solo Hammiona Giant Spider Solo (2:34)

If you have good videos feel free to suggest or post them yourself!