This post was created as part of NEXON PEAK activities.

Hello, I’m 이호, an adventurer living in Erinn!

While leveling 5 characters of different classes and playing a Crossbowman in Season 2, I practiced my damage rotations on training dummies. I went over the sequences I kept mixing up until they felt familiar, checking each class’s rotation as I played.

A damage rotation is the order in which you chain your attack skills. Knowing which skills to use is one thing, but once a fight starts, you want to use them efficiently! That’s not always as easy as you’d like... So I’d like to share how I practiced, especially for anyone who, like me, has returned to RPGs after a long break and is struggling to get comfortable again.

As you level alts, you’ll find that each class chains attacks differently and relies on different core skills. Even within the same class, your accessories can often change your rotation. I want to fight efficiently no matter which character I’m playing, so I practice with each of my alts using their own class and accessory setup.

Image - Key accessories for Crossbowman in Season 2: “Accessory Runes: Piercing, Gunpowder, Buckshot”

Crossbowman was one class I felt I needed to practice again in Season 2. Its playstyle had changed since Seasons 0~1, so I couldn’t just stick with the sequence I’d learned before. That practice experience is what I’ll be sharing here.

One thing to keep in mind: every class has a different damage rotation, so it’s worth looking up an efficient one for your class! This post focuses on getting comfortable with the inputs for my Crossbowman setup.

Two common places to practice are the school training dummy sparring area in Tir Chonaill and the training dummy on the guild ship. I usually prefer practicing on the guild ship. Its “Training Dummy” is a recreational facility available on a level 1 guild ship.

First, to reach the guild ship’s training dummy, speak to the Cat Captain NPC in Colhen and select Go to Guild Ship. You can find the location in the image.

Second, to use the Tir Chonaill training dummy, just speak to the training dummy opposite Ranald, the NPC at Tir Chonaill’s school!

There’s an important difference between the two dummies. The one at Tir Chonaill’s school is in a defenseless state, so it doesn’t quite reflect actual combat. The guild ship’s dummy doesn’t enter that state, letting you check your damage under conditions closer to a real fight. That’s why I personally prefer the ship’s dummy.

Before you start practicing! If you’re new, first check which accessories the character you’ll be practicing with has equipped. For Crossbowman, the damage rotation changes depending on whether you use [Accessory Rune: Reversal]!

Even if you’re following an attack sequence other players have worked out, it’s worth checking whether their setup matches yours—and, if not, where it differs.

I practiced the skill sequence repeatedly, paying close attention to the parts I often mixed up. I also focused on how to get back on track when my rotation went wrong.

Trying to learn an entire damage rotation in one go can be difficult. There are also procs to consider: these are chance-based triggers that make a skill light up! A proc gives you a stronger effect in combat, making it another variable to account for in your rotation.

A flame appears on the skill to show that a proc has activated.

Here’s how I’d break down my practice.

• Learn the sequence: Practice pressing your skills in the order you’ll actually use them.

• Identify confusing parts: Notice which skills leave you unsure of what to press next.

• Understand your accessories’ traits: Look at your equipped accessories alongside your attack sequence to compare efficiency.

If you try this yourself, it helps to understand your own accessories and skills. The proc for Crossbowman’s skill 5, Spreading Bolt, comes from the [Combat Skills - Passive: Fortune Bolt] effect. Understanding that helps explain why the rotation is 5-1-444-3-(5)-3-2-1-444…. Using skill 4, Gusting Bolt, three times in a row lets you use the other enhanced bolt, skill 5, once more with greater power! Practicing this way has given me a reasonable understanding of my alts’ class accessories and how their skills work.

Even with practice, getting flustered in a real fight can still throw off your rotation now and then. That happened to me at first, too. But with repeated practice, I learned to get back on track when I mixed up the order. That’s where the dummy practice really helped me this time.

Watching other people get through the whole sequence without a mistake can make you think, “That looks easy enough!” But as someone returning to RPGs after 10 years, I didn’t find it easy. I still make mistakes sometimes! Whenever I slipped up, I’d head back to the dummy and practice some more.

If you’re new to RPGs, don’t be intimidated! I’d recommend this kind of repeated practice to any beginner struggling with damage rotations. I do it, and so do top-ranked players. I think it’s essential if you keep getting confused about which skill comes next or slipping back into your old sequence after changing your setup.

When you first start practicing, try to understand how each skill connects to the next rather than aiming to execute a long sequence perfectly from start to finish. Knowing why it’s efficient makes it easier to put into practice!

I still visit the dummy from time to time as I adjust to Crossbowman’s new rhythm in Season 2. Wanting to play just a little better is part of being an RPG player, after all.

If damage rotations feel unfamiliar, start with the part you keep mixing up. I hope my experience gives beginners who find rotations difficult a little guidance on where to start!