The Road of a Fire/Poison Magician
By: Spartan120
Welcome to the world of MapleStory, and most importantly, the magical world of the Fire/Poison Magician. There are rumors circulating that the Fire/Poison Magician, lets call ourselves FP Mages, will be weak in the long run, as we lack the ability to inflict status effects on our enemies, other than poison. Take the Ice/Lightning mage for example. They have the ability to freeze enemies with the Cold Beam at the 2nd Job level, and this can be pretty useful when taking on monsters many times your level. Damage-wise, FP Mages win them hands down, with the Fire Arrow inflicting the most punishment for a magical attack at 2nd Job level. HOWEVER, the same rumor-mongers argue that we FP Mages lose out from third Job onwards. Well, there's some truth to that. Crusaders deal 5-digit damages at level 90, Rangers do phenomenal damage with their Strafe, even Priests have their Shining Ray to counter our Fire Arrow at the more popular training spots (Forest of Dead Trees). Ice/lightning mages have the Thunder Spear, its massive lightning-based attack seriously overpowering the Fire Arrow, although in the span of a Thunder Spear, 2 Fire Arrows could be launched. Nevertheless, we have chosen this path, and we will endeavour. I personally, am a Fire Mage.
Ability Points
These are important, as you're a magician, who relies on magic to kill. Your LUK should be three more than your level. For example, if you're lvl 45, your ideal LUK level should be 48, this would enable you to equip items. To keep it simple, just add 4 to INT and 1 to LUK each time you level.
Skills
Alright, lets get started. You're level 30, with all the needed skills maxed, and you have collected 30 Dark Marbles. After talking to the Old Man of Ellinia, you're now officially a FP Wizard! Hurray! Here are the skills you have acquired.
The Guide to Fire and Poison
MP Eater
Type:Passive Support
Master Level:20
MP cost and effect at lvl 1:Nil,11% success rate of soaking 21% of target's MAXMP
MP cost and effect at MAXED lvl: Nil,30% success rate of soaking 40% of target's MAXMP
Description:With a certain success rate,after each successful attack,a fixed amount of MP is absorbed from the target and channeled to the caster's MP Bar.
Teleport
Type:Active Defense
Master Level:20
MP cost and effect at lvl 1:MP-60, teleport distance 130
MP cost and effect at MAXED lvl: MP-13,teleport distance 150
Description:Expend MP to travel instantaneously to a set distance away from caster's current position.The higher the skill lvl, the lesser the MP used.
Mediation
Type:Active Party Support
Master Level:20
MP cost and effect at lvl1:MP-10, Magic attack +1 for 10 secs
MP cost and effect at MAXED lvl:MP-20,Magic attack +20 for 200 secs
Description:Increases the Magic Attack of all party members in the area for a fixed amount for a set amount of time.Requires Lvl 3 MP Eater.
Slow
Type:Active Defensive Multi-Target
Master Level:20
MP cost and effect at lvl 1:MP-8,speed-2 for 2 secs
MP cost and effect at MAXED lvl:MP-16,speed-40 for 40 secs
Description:Temporarily slows down the enemies around you. Cannot use it on them twice at a time,and not more than 6 monsters can be affected at any one time. Requires Lvl 5 Teleport.
Fire Arrow
Type:Active Offensive Single Target
Master Level:30
MP cost and effect at lvl 1:MP-14,basic attack 33,15% mastery
MP cost and effect at MAXED lvl: MP-28,basic attack 120,60% mastery
Description: Expend MP to create a Fire arrow and fires it at a target and deals great generic damage,especially to ice-based monsters,who receive 1.5 times the normal damage,whereas fire-based ones shrug off half the damage.
Poison Brace
Type:Active Offensive Single Target
Master Level:30
MP cost and effect at lvl 1:MP-10,base attack 10,15%mastery,31% success rate of poison for 4 secs
MP cost and effect at MAXED lvl:MP-20,base attack 70,60%mastery,60% success rate of poison for 40 secs
Description:Conjures a poisonous water bubble and flings it at a target. In addition to the initial damage, there is a chance for the target to be thrown into a state of poison for a fixed period of time,where it will continue taking damage for a fixed amount of time, or until its HP reaches 1.

Not bad right? Some skills serve to complement your attacking ability, while the rest act as supports for you to generally stay out of trouble.
OK. You now have this book of skills.
The first of many questions soon arises: Which skill to learn first?
The following are my experiences, and you do not need to follow. MapleStory is a game of choices, and you can have any type of FP Mage you want. Following guides can sometimes be boring.

From level 30 to 70, you should have around 121 Skill Points(SP) to invest in skills, and these SP can be put to ANY skill from ANY skill book.
By level 70 in time for third job, you should have these skills maxed:
-Fire Arrow (IMPORTANT)
-Teleport (Thats for you to tele-cast, more on that later)
-Mediation (Increase your Magical Attack, useful)
-Slow (Useful supportive skill for third job)
-MP Eater (Same as Slow)

Why these?
Fire Arrow: This would be your primary attack skill, and this would overpower the Magic Claw of old, and should be maxed ASAP.
Personal Experience: I maxed this skill at lvl 40.
Teleport: This is a rather useful skill, for travelling between towns and in combat. In combat, if used correctly, you can inflict serious damage on yout target while avoiding its attacks. Telecasting with this skill is a must-learn for mages.
Personal Experience: I maxed this skill at lvl 60-something. Low leveled Teleport consumes a huge portion of MP each time you use it.
Mediation: This skill is like giving you and your fellow party mages a 4-level boost in intelligence, minus the boost for magic defence. Nevertheless, this skill would significantly increase your attacking capability.
Personal Experience:This skill was maxed right after Fire Arrow, and it did hell with the Jr. Grupins.
Slow: This is a useful skill if you're attacking monsters that move quickly, like the Pepe of El Nath. Slow, well, slows them down so that you can pick your targets carefully and obliterate them without spamming too much MP. Used together with third job skills, the results can only be said to be spectacular.
Personal Experience: Slow was maxed shortly after Mediation was, as I had only found out the advantages of Slow then.
MP Eater: At first, this did not look like a cool skill to learn. After all the animation was only a blue "fart" and it's a PASSIVE skill. We are active people who enjoy actively pressing hot keys for our skills. But wait, this skill will benefit you in the long run. Explosion gives SIX chances for this to trigger.
Personal Experience: MP Eater was the last skill I maxed, by level 70.
So, there you have it. Out of 121 skill points, (30+20+20+20+20)=110 were used. Where are the rest (11 SP), you ask. Well, I'm a non-conformist, that is, I do not go along with tradition. So instead of the level 11 Poison Brace favoured by tradition, I only have a level 1 Poison Brace. Why, you ask. Cause Poison Myst is much better, and I did not regret my actions. This doesn't mean that Poison Brace sucks, it has potential to be a killer, as you will see later. The remaining 10 SP went to Magic Armor, to boost my defence against the monsters of El Nath, whom do massive contact damage.
In Summary...
Lvl30 : 1 to Teleport
Lvl31 : 3 to Fire Arrow
Lvl32 : 3 to Fire Arrow
Lvl33 : 3 to Fire Arrow
Lvl34 : 3 to Fire Arrow
Lvl35 : 3 to Fire Arrow
Lvl36 : Save 3 SP
Lvl37 : Save 3 SP
Lvl38 : Save 3 SP
Lvl39 : Save 3 SP
Lvl40 : 15 to Fire Arrow(MAXED)
Lvl41 : 3 to Mediation
Lvl42 : 3 to Meditation
Lvl43 : 3 to Meditation
Lvl44 : 3 to Meditation
Lvl45 : 3 to Meditation
Lvl46 : 3 to Meditation
Lvl47 : 2 to Meditation(MAXED), 1 to Slow
Lvl48 : 3 to Slow
Lvl49 : 3 to Slow
Lvl50 : 3 to Slow
Lvl51 : 3 to Slow
Lvl52 : 3 to Slow
Lvl53 : 3 to Slow
Lvl54 : 1 to Slow(MAXED), 1 to Teleport, to MP Eater
Lvl55 : 3 to Teleport
Lvl56 : 3 to Teleport
Lvl57 : 3 to Teleport
Lvl58 : 3 to Teleport
Lvl59 : 3 to Teleport
Lvl60 : 3 to Teleport(MAXED)
Lvl61 : 3 to Magic Armor
Lvl62 : 3 to Magic Armor
Lvl63 : 3 to Magic Armor
Lvl64 : 1 to Magic Armor(Leave at lvl 10), 1 to Poison Brace, 1 to MP Eater
Lvl65 : 3 to MP Eater
Lvl66 : 3 to MP Eater
Lvl67 : 3 to MP Eater
Lvl68 : 3 to MP Eater
Lvl69 : 3 to MP Eater
Lvl70 : 3 to MP Eater
Phew, thats it. That what I've gone through. And now for the monsters you have to kill.
Monsters to Kill
Lvl 30 to 40: Ant Tunnel 1 (Good Spawn, good money, good leveling)
Lvl 40 to 50: Garden of Green 1 (May be a bit tough at first, but gradually you will like it)
Lvl 50 to 60: Watch Out for Icy Path 1 (The Jr Yetis may prove to be quite a challenge at first. but they make good training monsters)
Lvl 60 to 70: The Crown Flyer OR Wolf Territory V (Pepes and White Pangs both give 220 EXP, but Pepe spawns faster and have better drops)
You did it. You managed to overcome all odds and is now a lvl 70 FP Wizard awaiting Third Job Advancement. The time has come, what are you waiting for?
The Third Flight
Advancement Part One: Strength
Head to El Nath and enter the big house of the top of the plateau closest to Watch out for Icy Path 1. Enter and look for a floating NPC by the name of Robeira. Talk to her and she will ramble on and on about whether you want to become a much more powerful magician. To do that, you have to return to your birthplace - Ellinia, and obtain the Necklace of Strength. Take the ship back to Ellinia and find the Old Man (Grendel the very old). Talk to him and he will talk some unnecessary nonsense before asking you to defeat his Dark Side. This Dark Side can be found in the Forest of Evil 2, at the extreme top right. Click on it and you will find yourself in a strange cavern of sorts, reminiscent of the Cursed Sanctuary.
Walk along the path and you will eventually see a crystal. Click it and you will find yourself in an arena, with a timer at the top for 20 minutes. Thats the time you have to beat the Old Man's Dark Side. You can see him hovering around at the bottom, waiting for you to face him. To fight him effectively, stay a safe distance away from him, as he does use low leveled third job skills on you. On me, he used Explosion, Ice Strike, Shining Ray and the annoying Seal. Make sure you have a sufficient number of All-Cure Elixirs with you. Bombard that Old man with Fire Arrow, and Teleport to safety if you see him using a skill. When you have dealt him a certain amounf of damage, he would SUMMON 2 Tauromacis at once to fight you, and these could be a problem. During my fight with him, the Old Man summoned FOUR of the buggers. Kill them for the experience, and after a few more arrows, a Black Charm is all the remains of Grendel's Dark Side. Pick it up and return to the Magical Library. I spent 3 minutes to obtain the Charm, and used 30 White Potions with 20 Pure Waters. Talk to Grendel and he will exchange the Charm with a necklace of Strength, which is essentially a Power Crystal with a string attached. There, the first part has been completed.
Advancement Part Two: Wisdom
Head back to El Nath with the Necklace and talk to Robeira again. She would say the complimentary pleasantries and then ask you to now obtain the Necklace of Wisdom, from the Holy Stone. Have a refined Dark Crystal ready, and begin your trek to the Holy Ground. It is at the top righthand corner of Sharp Cliff 2, where Dark Yetis and Pepes roam. Its a Hidden Street, so you cannot see any visible portals whatsoever. Press UP at the wooden door to enter. Drop to the bottom of the map and you will see a black pointed stone, an obelisk of sorts. Talk to it and it will take away your Dark Crystal and present to you FIVE questions. Be warned: all of them have to be answered correctly. Failure to do so would require you to use another Dark Crystal. Done, you answered all five questions correctly and have the Necklace of Wisdom strung around your neck. Exit the Hidden Street and take a scroll back to El Nath, and talk to Robeira to complete your advancement. In a flash of golden animation, you are now a Fire/Posion Mage. Congratulations! You get 5 additional AP and 1 SP as an added bonus.
Ability Points
The general idea is still the same, LUK level is +3 of your level, so not much to say here.
Skill Points
Now you have a new skill book, Mastery of Fire and Poison, with 7 new skills to learn. Here are what a FP Mage gets.
Mastery of Fire and Poison
Partial Resistance
Master Level: 20
Type: Passive Defensive
Description: You get additional resistance from Fire & Poison based Magical attacks.
Level 1: 23% resistance against fire/poison attacks
Level 10: 50% resistance against fire/poison attacks
Level 20: 70% resistance against fire/poison attacks
[Not really a must-max, as you won't be training on monsters with your element type. Put a point to it to reduce poison damage.]
Element Amplification
Master Level: 30
Type: Passive Support
Description: Expend more MP, but increases Magic Attack.
Level 1: MP -105%; Magic attack +102%
Level 15: MP -170%; Magic attack +120%
Level 30: MP -200%; Magic attack +135%
[This skill is useful, although it drains your MP faster. This skill has to be at lvl 3 to unlock Seal and Spell Booster.Max this at your leisure.]
Explosion
Master Level: 30
Type: Active Offensive Multi-Target
Description: Make an explosion around the character, and up to 6 enemies are hit with a fire based attack.
Level 1: MP -21; Basic attack 60, mastery 15%, attack range 110%
Level 15: MP -35; Basic attack 94, mastery 35%, attack range 150%
Level 30: MP -50; Basic attack 120, mastery 60%, attack range 200%
[Finally, an area of effect spell for FP Mages. 50 MP to attack 6 monsters is a bargain, as compared to 28X6.]
Poison Myst
Master Level: 30
Type: Active Offensive Multi-Target
Description: Make a poison fog around the character, and all monsters in the fog would be posioned with a set success rate.
Level 1: MP -21; Basic attack 32, mastery 15%, attack range 110%, 41% success rate to put enemy into the state of poison for 4 seconds
Level 15: MP -35; Basic attack 60, mastery 35%, attack range 150%, 55% success rate to put enemy into the state of poison for 20 seconds
Level 30: MP -50; Basic attack 90, mastery 60%, attack range 200%, 70% success rate to put enemy into the state of poison for 40 seconds
[This skill is the better cousin of Poison Brace, and at maxed level, does wonders.]
Seal
Master Level: 20
Type: Active Support
Pre-requisite: Element Amplification Lv 3
Description: Seals up the enemies around you for a certain amount of time. Once sealed up, the monsters can't use attacking skills, but the skill does not work on boss monsters.
Level 1: MP -12; 38% success rate for 10 seconds
Level 10: MP -18; 65% success rate for 15 seconds
Level 20: MP -30; 95% success rate for 20 seconds
[A useful skill when fighting those monsters with magical attacks, like the Werewolf. Seal renders their skill useless, and they can only bang into you for 20 secs.]
Magic Booster
Master Level: 20
Type: Active Support
Pre-requisite: Element Amplification Lv 3
Description: Uses up a significant amount of HP and MP to increase the attacking speed for spells.
Level 1: HP -53, MP -58; boost spell casting speed to Level 2 for 10 seconds
Level 10: HP -35, MP -40; boost spell casting speed to level 2 for 100 seconds
Level 20: HP -25, MP -30; boost spell casting speed to level 3 for 200 seconds
[This is a must-max for all mages, because it increase the cast rate for all Spells, especially slow ones like Explosion.]
Magic Composition
Master Level: 30
Type: Active Offensive Single Target
Description: Uses fire & poison-based spell on a single enemy. Applies massive damage to monsters that are weak against fire or poison, and the enemy will be poisoned on a set success rate.
Level 1: MP -14; Basic attack 80, mastery 15%, 41% success rate to put enemy into the state of poison for 4 seconds
Level 15: MP -18; Basic attack 124, mastery 35%, 55% success rate to put enemy into the state of poison for 20 seconds
Level 30: MP -22; Basic attack 150, mastery 60%, 70% success rate to put enemy into the state of poison for 40 seconds
[The best of both worlds, fire and poison together in a mortal blow. Note that the fire damage become 1.25X instead of 1.5X due to its half-fire heritage.]

How's that? You now have seven rather powerful spells to learn, and since third job is still new, you can pretty much learn what you want. But this is what I have done.
Overall, the skills that need to be maxed are:
1)Explosion (This is like a multi-fire arrow; 6x120 basic attack for 50 MP is a bargain)
2)Poison Myst (If you don't have a poison skill before, you do now. This skills does wonders with high leveled mobs)
3)Element Amplification (Though you spam more MP than before, you have to, as the damage increase is significant)
4)Spell Booster (A must-have for all Mages, especially useful if skills have long cooldown periods)
5)Magic Composition (The successor of the Fire Arrow, lower MP usage and massive damage. This is the Skill)
Seal can be kept at level 10, since its still a supportive skill, and can be pretty useful when fighting high-leveled monsters using spells. Spell Booster can also be left at level 11, and Seal maxed. But then, its all up to you, the individual, to decide how your FP Mage would turn out. =D
In Summary...
Lvl70: 1 to Magic Composition
Lvl71: 3 to Explosion
Lvl72: 3 to Explosion
Lvl73: 3 to Explosion
Lvl74: 3 to Explosion
Lvl75: 3 to Explosion
Lvl76: Save 3 SP
Lvl77: Save 3 SP
Lvl78: Save 3 SP
Lvl79: Save 3 SP
Lvl80: 15 to Explosion (MAXED)
Lvl81: 2 to Magic Composition, 1 to Poison Myst
Lvl82: 2 to Magic Composition, 1 to Element Amplification
Lvl83: 2 to Magic Composition, 1 to Element Amplification
Lvl84: 2 to Magic Composition, 1 to Element Amplification
Lvl85: 3 to Magic Composition
Lvl86: 3 to Magic Composition
Lvl87: Save 3 SP
Lvl88: Save 3 SP
Lvl89: Save 3 SP
Lvl90: Save 3 SP
Lvl91: 15 to Magic Composition (MAXED)
Lvl92: 3 to Spell Booster
Lvl93: 3 to Spell Booster
Lvl94: 3 to Spell Booster
Lvl95: 3 to Spell Booster
Lvl96: 3 to Spell Booster
Lvl97: 2 to Poison Myst, 1 to Seal
Lvl98: 3 to Poison Myst
Lvl99: 3 to Poison Myst
Lvl100: 3 to Poison Myst
Lvl101: 3 to Poison Myst
Lvl102: 3 to Poison Myst
Lvl103: 3 to Poison Myst (MAXED)
Lvl104: 2 to Element Amplification, 1 to Seal
Lvl105: 2 to Element Amplification, 1 to Seal
Lvl106: 2 to Element Amplification, 1 to Seal
Lvl107: 2 to Element Amplification, 1 to Seal
Lvl108: 2 to Element Amplification, 1 to Seal
Lvl109: 2 to Element Amplification, 1 to Seal
Lvl110: 2 to Element Amplification, 1 to Seal
Lvl111: 3 to Element Amplification (MAXED)
Lvl112: 2 to Seal, 1 to Spell Booster
Lvl113: 2 to Seal, 1 to Spell Booster
Lvl114: 2 to Seal, 1 to Spell Booster
Lvl115: 2 to Seal, 1 to Spell Booster
Lvl116: 2 to Seal, 1 to Spell Booster (MAXED)
Lvl117: 2 to Seal (MAXED), 1 to Partial Resistance
Lvl118: 3 to Partial Resistance
Lvl119: 3 to Partial Resistance
Lvl120: 3 to Partial Resistance
Monsters to Kill
Pretty much anything on both Victoria Island and Ossyria Continent, it though it would be advisable to stick to ice-based creatures, since your spells inflict the most punishment on them, and with Explosion, you can now stop envying that lightning mage with Thunderbolt. Explosion is a much better Thunderbolt, if you forgive the cooldown. Still, a rough guide on what to hunt can be drawn up:
Lvl 70 ~ 80: Pepes, Yetis, Werewolves, Cerebes
Most of these creatures receive tremendous damage from fire attacks, but the last three do a lot of magical damage,so excercise caution when confronting them.
Lvl 80 ~ 90: Yetis, Cerebes, Lycantrophes
Yetis and Cerebes are the decent EXP givers, and the drops fetch loads. Lycantrophe on the other hand can be quite the challenge, and if one is not careful, he will find himself back in town. Seal works against these creatures.
Lvl 90 onwards: You can pretty much kill whatever that gets in your way. If you're feeling brave enough, go take on the Crimson Balrog.
By the time you get to lvl 120, fourth job would be on its way.
Take a look at yourself. You have evolved from a Magic Clawing Magician into a powerful mage commanding the fearsome flames of magic. In retrospect, you have come a long way.

Weapons
This is a bonus section, and serves as a guide as to when and what to change your magical weapons.
From level 8~33, change wands/staffs whenever possible, and do not scroll them, not even with 100% Wand for Magic Attack scrolls.
At level 33, get yourself a Wizard Wand. Scroll it with 7 100% Wand for Magic Attack scrolls. This should last you till either Arc Staff or Cromi at level 45 and level 48 respectively. Fairy Wand is not worth getting, unless you have a lot of mesos to spare.
If a friend of yours has an Arc Staff to loan, try to sell off your Wizard Wand and use the Arc Staff. If you're rich enough, scroll it with 7 60% Staff for Magic Attack scrolls. If at least 5 pass, you have a 70 Magic Attack(MA) Arc Staff to use until Hinomaru Fan, but its not recommended. At level 48, get a Cromi. Now, scroll it with 7 60% Wand for Magic Attack scrolls. This should last you till level 60. Thorns is not worth getting, firstly its expensive, and secondly it looks ugly. So just skip that staff and advance directly to a Hinomaru Fan. An average Hinomaru Fan has a MA of 75, and if not screwed, will serve you until the end of your Maple days. (75+{2X7}=89 MA with +7INT) If you're sick of using wands, stay with the Cromi for a little while longer and get yourself an Evil Wing, the second best weapons for Mages in the game, and its the only staff with a Fast attack speed. As always, scroll it. If your scrolling is good, you need not change anymore weapons throughout the rest of your Maple career. But if you're still using a Hinomaru fan by the time third job rolls along, consider getting yourself a Dark Ritual. Sure its expensive, but then you're a Fire Mage, you should be rich. Besides, only a scrolled Dark Ritual can reach a three-digit MA number without hacking. It is also the last staff you will ever change.
Thats it, thanks for reading my guide and I hope it aids you in your quest to greatness. There's no need for you to follow it zealously, its just a guide.
Happy Mapling!
Credits:
www.hidden-street.net, for their extensive database without which I would not be able to access the skill details for this guide.
Wizet and Asiasoft, for creating and maintaining this awesome game for which this guide would not have existed without.
My Maple buddies, although they did not help in the creation of this guide.

Contacting me:
You can find me in my Aquila characters:
Piyopyid
Spartan120
Spartan118
=D