▣ What is Tamer Awakening?

Using a Celestial Bo Staff as the Awakening weapon, Tamer Awakening has quite satisfying combat despite the lack of synergy with the pet and the somewhat narrow attack range/power. With the recent patch, the pet synergy has improved, though it’s not at a sufficient level quite yet. If you compare her to other classes, you may feel comparatively worse off. That said, she’s still plenty of fun to play on her own.

▣ Recommended Skill Build

Like I said in the Pre-Awakening guide, every other Pre-Awakening skill is the same except for resetting Whiplash and Roaring. Invest in Skilled Hunter if you have spare points. You should pick up all Awakening skills except for the autoattack-based ones. Decide whether you want to get Heilang: Howling(at level 58), which is only used for in Aakman Hystria Ruins party grinds.

▣ Skill Specialization

As I’ve said in my Pre-Awakening guide, skill specialization comes down to personal preferences. So, take this part of the guide with a grain of salt. My recommended specialization is Beast Rampage’s +25 attack against monsters and +20 all defense. When you’re still a newbie with low damage and health, Beast Rampage’s +25 attack against monsters and +20 all defense do wonders for you in terms of both attack and defense. It’s just too good to pass up.

You can go with Echo Pierce for other skills, but my personal favorites are Moonlight Strike’s attack speed/accuracy and Allround Spinner’s +30 attack against monsters. The specialization above is mostly for grinding. If you want to do PvP, you can pick up slows and PvP damage.

▣ How to Level

After you’re Awakened, most leveling consists of grinding. Just get to an appropriate grinding spot for your gear, and grind away.

Here’s a brief list of the recommended grinding spots for three types of players.

I want to farm so I can get better gear:

Sell trash items - Sausan Garrison, Wandering Rogue Den, Elric Shrine, Hasrah Ancient Ruins
Farm Witch’s Earrings and Marks of Shadow - Hexe Sanctuary and Abandoned Monestary
Farm ogres to strike big - Mansha Forest
If your gear can take it - Crescent Shrine and Basilisk's Lair
I wouldn’t recommend farming for Serap’s Necklace due to its extremely low drop rate.

I want to level as fast as possible:

Party play - Sausan Garrison, Bashim Base(mid to high DP required), Desert Naga Temple, and Wolf Hills(High DP required)
Solo play - Cox Pirates' Lair, Desert Fogan, Crescent Shrine, and Pila Ku Jail

**I wouldn’t recommend soloing Bashim Base because it’s not efficient with the Tamer’s mobility skill. Crescent Shrine and Pila Ku Jail require some gear.

I want the best of both worlds:

Solo play – Sausan Garrison, Crescent Shrine, Pila Ku Jail, Cox Pirates' Lair(given you’re master 2 in trading)

▣ Recommended Gears

***This gear guide isn’t the be-all and end-all. Feel free to replace any parts of the gear.

Building onto the gear from the Awakening guide:

Main weapon: +15 Yuria Shortsword, +15 Rosar Shortsword
Secondary weapon: +15 Needle Trinket
Awakening weapon: Tri - Practice Celestial Bo Staff
Helmet: Pri - Grunil Helmet
Top: Pri - Grunil Armor
Gloves: Pri - Grunil Gloves
Shoes: Pri - Grunil Shoes
Rings: Pri - Mark of Shadow set piece
Earrings: Pri – Blue Coral Earring
Belt: Duo - Belt of Shultz the Gladiator
Necklace: Tri - Bares Necklace

Enhance your Awakening weapon to Tri or purchase one to grind primarily using Awakening skills. Then head on to higher level spots to get your armor to Pri or Duo. Maximize grinding efficiency with cost-effective accessories. If you’re suffering due to weight limit, swap Grunil sets with Hercules’ Might

Getting ready for Boss weapon:

Main weapon: Tri - Kzarka Shortsword or Tri - Liverto Shortsword
Secondary weapon: Tri - Nouver Trinket
Awakening weapon: Tri - Practice Celestial Bo Staff
Helmet: Tri - Grunil Helmet
Top: Tri - Grunil Armor
Gloves: Tri - Grunil Gloves
Shoes: Tri - Grunil Shoes
Rings: Duo - Mark of Shadow set piece
Earrings: Tri – Blue Coral Earring
Belt: Tri - Belt of Shultz the Gladiator
Necklace: Tri - Bares Necklace

It’s time for you to get a boss weapon. Prioritize getting a new main weapon if you can afford it. Then move on to your secondary weapon, armor, and accessories in that order. This is when most players struggle because it takes quite a long time to push through this phase. Good news is that if you get this gear, you’ll be able to comfortably grind almost any spots save for a select few high-end ones.

Next comes the toughest part - getting a Dandelion Celestial Bo Staff. I recommend getting it by any means necessary. Many players quit the game altogether trying to enhance their weapon to oblivion, so I recommend you frequent Karanda and the Black Market. Also, don’t forget about purchasing queues. As a final note, it’s nice to get your Mark of Shadow to Tri.

Getting Boss armor:

Main weapon: Tri - Kzarka Shortsword or Tri - Liverto Shortsword
Secondary weapon: Tri - Nouver Trinket
Awakening weapon: Tri - Dandelion Celestial Bo Staff
Helmet: Tri - Giath’s Helmet
Top: Tri - Dim Tree Spirit's Armor
Gloves: Tri - Bheg's Gloves
Shoes: Tri - Muskan's Shoes
Rings: Tri - Mark of Shadow set piece
Earrings: Tri – Blue Coral Earring
Belt: Tri - Belt of Shultz the Gladiator
Necklace: Tri - Bares Necklace

This set of equipment is also hard to put together, especially Dim Tree Spirit’s Armor. If you get lucky and see it in the Black Market, just buy it. You can find Bheg’s Gloves and Giath’s Helmet in the Marketplace from time to time, but I can’t say the same for Muskan’s Shoes and Dim Tree Spirit’s Armor. You don’t have to have all of that armor if you only want to grind and do life skills. That said, I’d highly recommend you still pick up Dim Tree Spirit’s Armor and Muskan’s Shoes because they’re just so effective.

Next up is the renowned Tet – Dandelion Celestial Bo Staff. You’ll need a significant amount of luck to craft it. You’ll get it pretty soon if you’re lucky, or you may get over 100 stacks if not. This is another point in time when many players give up. I hope you hang in there, so that you’ll soon be one step closer to becoming one of the high ranking players.

Now you’re one of us:

Main weapon: Tet - Kzarka Shortsword
Secondary weapon: Tet - Nouver Trinket
Awakening weapon: Tet - Dandelion Celestial Bo Staff
Helmet: Tet - Giath’s Helmet
Top: Tet - Dim Tree Spirit's Armor
Gloves: Tet - Bheg's Gloves
Shoes: Tet - Muskan's Shoes
Rings: Tri - Ring of Crescent Guardian set piece
Earrings: Tet – Witch’s Earrings or Tri – Tungrad Earrings
Belt: Tri - Belt of Shultz the Gladiator(you can get Duo – Basilisk's Belt along way)
Necklace: Tri - Bares Necklace(you can get Duo – Ogre Ring or Tri – Serap’s Necklace along the way)

Yes, this is the end goal in terms of gears. To get to this point, you’ll often be sublimely bored and question the meaning of life. I think you’ll get the hang of it if you get this far though. If you can grab some yellow Alchemy Stones of Destruction along the way, please do. Sturdy Alchemy Stones of Destruction or above will have a profound impact on your gear.