Please turn on the document outline to navigate the document. [View → Show Outline]
State of Hayato & Recent News
Recent News
Dreamer Update - New 6th Job Shinsoku Node
MapleStorySEA DREAMER 6th Job Skills Preview 4K!
Bugs and Suggested Changes (compiled by Samurai)
Dankuusen and Blade Flash combo does not work. Use Dankuusen + Surging Blade instead. Confirmed to be an intended change.
Sudden Strike doesn't keep Battoujutsu Advance stacks up anymore, resulting in a loss of damage from having those stacks.
Additional bugs: State of Hayato v240
As of v. 252, Shinsoku has been upgraded to a HEXA skill. This is not only a damage boost, but also changes Shinsoku into a charge-system type skill (think Sakuno’s Blessing, or Bishop’s Divine Punishment). It can hold a maximum of 3 charges at a time and has a 15 second recharge time. With this change, Shinsoku is now non-cooldown skippable and non-cooldown reducible, and its range has also been extended to match HEXA Rai Blade Flash.
Introduction
This document is written from the PoV of a GMS Reboot player. The tech should be the same regardless of the server (on GMS at least), but IA and Gear may differ. This is NOT a Maplestory guide, this is a guide for new Hayato players regarding Hayato mechanics
DPS | ||
Burst | ||
Mobbing | ||
Mobility | ||
Survivability | ||
Utility | ||
Difficulty |
Pros
| Cons
|
Inner Ability
Ideal Inner Ability Lines
Bossing Preset | Farming/Training Preset | |||
First | Second | Third | Legendary | Unique |
15 - 20% Boss Damage (not recommended) 15 - 20% Cooldown Skip Chance | 7 - 8% Damage Increase to Monster with Abnormal Status | 15 - 21 Weapon Attack or 38% Buff Duration | 18 - 20% Meso Obtained or 18 - 20% Item Drop | 13 - 15% Meso Obtained (if you have Item Drop as Legendary line) or 13 - 15% Item Drop (if you have Meso Obtained as Legendary line) 7 - 8% Damage Increase to Normal Monsters |
Meso Obtain is recommended in Reboot due to Reboot’s passive 6x meso gain.
CD Skip affects 4th Job skills and below, this includes Hitokiri Hundred Strike, Hitokiri Strike, and Terms and Conditions (AB Link). CD Skip can potentially increase your burst by a large increment but is entirely RNG-reliant. However, with the v. 252 patch, Shinsoku (which was previously skippable) has been changed to a charge-system type skill and is now boosted as a HEXA skill, and is not cooldown skippable or cooldown reducible. Therefore, this is not recommended at all for inner ability lines, as the unique values would be 5 - 10% chance of skip (incredibly low and not at all worth having on an inner ability line).
You can use a Black / Chaos Circulator to reroll your IA values.
V-Matrix
Node Priority
New Age Changes: Instant Slice, Ultimate Will, Zankou have been buffed to deal more damage.
High | Boost Nodes | Low |
Iaijutsu Phantom Blade is Hayato’s most vital skill, not only is it a valuable FMA, but it provides a monumental Final Damage Buff (up to 115% FD). Upgrading Phantom Blade also increases the duration of the buff, upgrade this skill ASAP.
Sengoku Force, Assemble! can contribute to roughly 6 - 8% of Hayato’s overall BA as well as provide buffs such as Critical Damage, Ignore Enemy Defense, or Attack.
Princess Sakuno’s Blessing provides a massive Final Damage Buff, ramping up as it persists. This FD ramps up faster the higher level it is and is vital to Hayato’s burst.
Decent Holy Symbol is important to level up as it provides a notable EXP Buff as well as an additional Item Drop Rate with 100% uptime. It is recommended to level this up due to its benefits to training.
Weapon Aura also provides a notable Final Damage Buff, when at max level lasts 140 seconds. It is recommended to level this up due to its high uptime.
Perfect Trios
As of Savior, Hayato’s potential, boostable Trinodes have dropped from 23 to 10 nodes, making Hayato much easier to fund.
Save every single perfect trio, as going for symmetrical trios is not ideal. This goes for all classes.
Estimated Nodestones to get Perfect Trios: 111 nodestones.
(Calculations taken from this Reddit Post)
Mandatory Boost Nodes
Shinsoku is part of Hayato’s bossing rotation, with a 15 second cooldown, it will be used quite often. Testing needs to be done to see how much DPS it contributes to our BA. This skill also boosts Akatsuki Trace.
Sanrenzan / Blade Flash is useful for both bossing and mobbing. Blade Flash is Hayato’s primary bossing skill. Sanrenzan is Hayato’s primary mobbing skill that doesn’t have a cooldown.
Hitokiri Hundred Strike / Summer Rain is used mainly as part of Hayato’s burst. Since it is a beginner skill, it gains 7% dmg/level instead of the usual 2% / level that a 4th job skill would have.
Falcon’s Honor is used primarily for mobbing and recovering Sword Energy.
It is used consistently in both bossing and mobbing which makes it worth boosting.
Optional Boost Node(s)
Sudden Strike is an optional node to fit into a 3-node setup. Used primarily as a debuff, boosting it provides minimal damage gains but is recommended over any of the other filler boost nodes. For context, Sudden Strike makes up less than 1% of our DPS.
Hitokiri Strike is now a viable fillter node to replace Sudden Strike with since the angled variant is now properly boosted. This can be helpful in mobbing but will remain irrelevant in bossing as its primary function is an I-Frame.
Node Setups
Example: 3 Node Setup (Recommended)Ideal for those looking to make Hayato a main. Sudden Strike can be substituted for any other filler node, depending on how much of a min-maxer you are. |
Example: 2 Node SetupIdeal for those looking to make Hayato a bossing mule. (Warning: High node investment - Iaijutsu Phantom Blade) If you get a third symmetrical node, you can save a lot of nodestones. |
6th Job
Node Priority
If you want to optimize Node Boost Order for your specific case: hayato_6th_v1.ipynb
Origin Skill
Jin Battoujutsu: Owari No Susanoo | Max Level: 30 |
Cost: 1200 MP Activates 10 strikes that deal 2000% damage, 8 times, to up to 15 enemies, then applies the Jin Quick Draw buff on Hayato for 10 seconds. Increases Hayato's Final Damage by 10% while the buff is active. Invincible during casting. 1st Strike: Damage: 1500%, Max Enemies Hit: 15, Number of Attacks: 5 Recovers 100 sword energy upon activation. 2nd Strike: Damage: 1500%, Max Enemies Hit: 15, Number of Attacks: 5 Recovers 150 sword energy upon activation. 3rd Strike: Damage: 1500%, Max Enemies Hit: 15, Number of Attacks: 5 Recovers 200 sword energy upon activation. (Jin Quick Draw 1st-3rd Strikes can be used while using some attack skills.) Final Strike: Hits up to 15 enemies for 4800% damage 15 times. Activates 10 times. Invincible during casting. Cooldown: 360 seconds. |
Mastery Core
Rai Sanrenzan VI | Max Level: 30 |
Cost: 13 MP Damage: 540%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 4 |
Rai Blade Flash VI | Max Level: 30 |
Cost: 14 MP Damage: 540%, Max Enemies Hit: 4, Number of Attacks: 8 |
Enhancement Core
Final Damage scaling per level is NON-LINEAR.
Battoujutsu Zankou | Max Level: 30 |
Increases Battoujutsu Zankou’s Final Damage by 60%. |
Battoujutsu Ultimate Will | Max Level: 30 |
Increases Battoujutsu Ultimate Will’s Final Damage by 60%. |
Instant Slice | Max Level: 30 |
Increases Instant Slice’s Final Damage by 60%. |
Iaijutsu Phantom Blade | Max Level: 30 |
Increases Battoujutsu Zankou’s Final Damage by 60%. |
Hyper Setup
Unchanged for New Age.
Mandatory Hyper Skills
Shinsoku - Reinforce Damage +20% | |
Shinsoku - Extra Strike Number of Attacks +1 | |
Shinsoku - Boss Rush 20% Additional Damage against Bosses | |
Hitokiri Strike - Cooldown Cutter Cooldown -30% |
Situational Hyper Skills
If you rely on Hitokiri Strike to upkeep your critical rate, go with Hitokiri Strike - Persist.
Hitokiri Strike - Persist Duration +20% | |
Sudden Strike - Extra Strike Number of Attacks +1 |
Hyper Stats
Hyper Stats for Hayato are the same as most other classes in the game. As always, try to split your hyper stat points evenly as the cost of hyper stats gets higher at each level.
Bossing | Training |
Critical Damage Ignore Enemy Defense Damage Boss Damage Critical Rate | Normal Monster Damage Bonus EXP Arcane Force |
Note that the Boss Damage and Normal Damage Hyper Stat gives more % per level than Damage at later levels.
Link Skills
Mandatory Link Skills
Bossing
Damage / Boss Damage | ||
Fury Unleashed Demon Slayer | Boss Damage + 10 / 15 / 20% | |
Solus Ark | Activates when in combat state for 5 seconds. Increases damage by 1% and an additional 1 / 2 / 3% per stack. Duration: 5 seconds Stacks up to 5 times. (Average +16% Damage) | |
Wild Rage Demon Avenger | Damage + 5 / 10 / 15% | |
Tide of Battle Illium | Activated when moving a certain distance Damage per stack +1 / 2% Duration: 5 seconds Stacks up to 6 times. (Average +12% Damage) | |
Unfair Advantage Cadena | Attacks against weaker opponents (lower leveled enemies) + 3 / 6% Damage. Attacks against monsters inflicted by Abnormal Statuses + 3 / 6% Damage. (Average +12% Damage) | |
Elementalism Kanna | Damage + 5 / 10% | |
Thief’s Cunning Explorer - Thief | Upon debuffing an enemy Damage + 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 / 15 / 18% Duration: 10 seconds Cooldown: 20 Seconds (Average +9% Damage) | |
Noble Fire Adele | For each party member, including yourself, on the same map Increases damage by 1 / 2% up to 4 / 8% Boss Damage + 2 / 4% | |
Hybrid Logic Xenon | All stats + 5 / 10% | |
Terms and Conditions Angelic Buster | + 30 / 45 / 60% skill damage for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 90 seconds (Ideal for Burst Bosses: Lucid, Gloom, Slime, etc) | |
Ignore Enemy Defense | ||
Fury Unleashed Demon Slayer | Boss Damage + 10 / 15 / 20% | |
Light Wash Luminous | IED + 10 / 15 / 20% | |
Bravado Hoyoung | IED + 5 / 10% Damage + 9 / 14% against Enemies with 100% HP | |
Rhinne’s Blessing Zero | Reduces your damage taken 3 / 6 / 9 / 12 / 15% IED + 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10% | |
Critical Rate | ||
Focus Spirit Beast Tamer | Boss Damage + 4 / 7 / 10% Critical Rate + 4 / 7/ 10% Max HP + 3 / 4 / 5% Max MP + 3 / 4 / 5% | |
Phantom Instinct Phantom | Critical Rate + 10 / 15 / 20% | |
Adventurer’s Curiosity Explorer - Archer | Chance to add Monster to Collection + 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35% Critical Rate + 3 / 4 / 6 / 7 / 9 / 10% | |
Survivability | ||
Spirit of Freedom Resistance | Invincible for 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 seconds after being revived. | |
Invincible Belief Explorer - Warrior | Activates when HP goes below 15% Restore 20 / 23 / 26 / 29 / 32 / 35% of Max HP every second for 3 seconds. Cooldown: 410 / 370 / 330 / 290 / 250 / 210 seconds | |
Close Call Shade | Fatal Attack Survival Chance + 5 / 10% | |
Innate Gift Khali | Damage +3/5% Upon attacking, Recovery Chance: 100%, Recovery: 2% of Max HP/MP per sec, Duration: 5 sec Cooldown: 30 sec | |
Training
Elven Blessing Mercedes | Permanently receive 10 / 15 / 20% additional EXP Return you to Elluel, Cooldown: 10 minutes | |
Rune Persistance Evan | Rune Duration + 30 / 50 / 70% | |
Combo Kill Blessing Aran | Combo Kill Orb EXP: + 400 / 650 / 900% | |
Nature’s Friend Lara | Damage + 3 / 5% Activates Nature’s Help upon defeating 20 enemies. [Nature’s Help] Increase Damage against Normal Monsters by 7 / 11% for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds. | |
Cygnus Blessing Cygnus Knights | Attack and Magic Attack + 7 / 9 / 11 / 13 / 15 / 17 / 19 / 21 / 23 / 25 Abnormal Status Resistance + 1 / 3 / 4 / 6 / 7 / 9 / 10 / 12 / 13 / 15 All Elemental Resistance + 1 / 3 / 4 / 6 / 7 / 9 / 10 / 12 / 13 / 15% | |
Bravado Hoyoung | IED + 5 / 10% Damage + 9 / 14% against Enemies with 100% HP |
Stats
Critical Rate
Static Critical Rate Sources |
Base: 5% Legion Artifact: 20% (maxed crystal value) Night Lord Legion Bonus: 0 - 5% (4% at lv 200) Marksman Legion Bonus: 0 - 5% (4% at lv 200) Lynn Link Skill: 5 - 10% (10% at lv 3) Hyper Stat: 0 - 25% Level 20 Node: 5% Unfaltering Blade Passive: 40% |
Temporary Critical Rate Sources |
Decent Sharp Eyes: 10% Quick Draw Stance: 30 - 50% Hitokiri Strike: 45% |
Decent Sharp Eyes will need to be cast regularly or bound to a pet with Auto Buff.
Hitokiri Strike should not be relied on to give critical rate during bossing, as it is one of our two I-frames. However, it can be used to supplement up to 45% critical rate when mobbing with up to 100% uptime if both the Hitokiri Strike Duration and Cooldown Reduction Hyper skills are active.
Critical Damage
Due to the way Shimada’s Heart functions, Critical Damage is diminished for Hayato. However, critical damage sources are still valuable, such as Critical Damage on glove potentials.
Ignore Enemy Defense
Hayato does not have a lot of conditional (hidden) Ignore Enemy Defense bonuses. Instead, Hayato gains a static IED buff from Cleaver. As such, it is recommended to aim for 95 - 97% visual IED (IED stated in your stat window) to ensure your abilities deal optimal damage.
Attack Speed
Base | Booster | Quick Draw | Green Pot | DSI | Total | ||
5 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | 10 |
New Age Update: Rai Blade Flash is once again become our primary bossing skill. As a result it is recommended to aim for 10 Attack Speed.
Since Rai Blade Flash is Hayato’s primary bossing skill, having 10 Attack Speed is a high priority. Attack Speed also decreases the delay between our movement abilities.
Gear
Optimal WSE
WSE stands for Weapon, Secondary, and Emblem and is often referred to when talking about their potentials.
An optimal WSE varies between a player’s progression within the game. Factors such as Familiar potentials, Legion, and Starforce may all contribute to different setups.
For example, if you have insufficient Boss Damage Familiars, you may benefit more from Boss Damage lines on your Weapon or Secondary. If you have low legion, you may have low IED, making IED lines more beneficial. To accurately see what your optimized WSE would be, use a WSE calculator.
The Ideal WSE for most players will be 9 lines of Attack. Cubing for perfect WSE can potentially cost dozens, if not hundreds, of billions of meso, so it is common to settle on hybrid lines.
According to Suckhard’s Cubing Calculator, cubing a level 160 weapon for 3 line attack has a median cost of ~37B.
Example WSE Setups
Weapon | Secondary | Emblem | ||
13% Attack | 12% Attack | 12% Attack | ||
10% Attack | 9% Attack | 9% Attack | ||
10% Attack | 9% Attack | 9% Attack |
Weapon | Secondary | Emblem | ||
13% Attack | 12% Attack | 12% Attack | ||
10% Attack | 30% Boss Damage | 30% IED | ||
30% Boss Damage | 9% Attack | 9% Attack |
Level 160+ Equipment receive an additional 1% Stat lines, including Attack.
Secondary Weapon
Hayato’s BIS Secondary Weapon is Princess No’s Kodachi
You can also use any Level 100 Secondary Weapon, as they both get the same potentials albeit with lower base stats. Princess No’s Kodachi provides 14 STR and 7 Attack over Level 100 Secondaries.
CD Hat
Cooldown Hat is NOT REQUIRED but it is a viable alternative for QoL purposes, mostly for training. A 3-Line STR Hat will still provide more damage.
CD Potential affects both Falcon’s Honor and Instant Slice, which are heavily used in mobbing and Sword Energy recovery.
Oz Rings
For Solo Bossing: Continuous Ring 4 provides more damage than a 22-star Ring.
For Party Bossing: Ring of Restraint and Weapon Jump are usually better, especially if there is a support on the team.
Princess Sakuno’s Blessing requires us to time our ring usage much more stringently. If you are using Terms and Conditions, Hayato’s burst rotation becomes even more complicated.
Keep in mind Hitokiri Hundred Strike can move you during burst. To avoid this, use RoR near a wall, and HHS towards the wall or edge of the map.
Notable Skills
Some skills will be omitted from this section, if you do not see a skill here, it is safe to assume that it is self-explanatory, unimportant, or unused.
Beginner Skills
Shimada Heart | Max Level: 1 |
Permanent Damage Increase: 0.5%, Defense: +100 Defense | |
This ability’s description can be misleading, and can inflate a player’s damage range. The damage of Shimada’s Heart behaves as critical damage while affecting non-critical hits. This diminishes the effectiveness of Critical Damage. For more information, visit the Hayato Discord. | |
Quick Draw | Max Level: 1 |
Max Sword Energy Cost: 100 | |
Switches between Normal and Quick Draw Stance. | |
Stance Bonus | 0 / 200 / 400 / 700 / 1000 Sword Energy |
[Normal Stance] Atk +1 / 2 / 4 / 6 / 8% HP/MP +20% IED +9 / 13 / 17 / 21 / 25% Knockback Resistance +100% [Quick Draw Stance] Boss Damage +6 / 6 / 8 / 8 / 10% Attack Speed +1 Stun Chance +30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50% Knockback Resistance +100% Attacks Enemies for 150 / 175 / 200 / 225 / 250% damage | |
Quick Draw’s periodic damage does not ignore damage reflection and can kill you. | |
Summer Rain / Hitkori Hundred Strike | Max Level: 1 |
Damage: 220%, Max Enemies Hit: 15, Number of Attacks: 15, +15% damage for 120 sec Cooldown: 120 sec | |
Summer rain is activated in Normal stance.
Although this is a beginner skill, it does not reveal itself until you have hit 4th job. These abilities can be animation canceled by using Sudden Strike or Blade Flash directly beforehand. | |
Omitted skills: Natural talent
First Job
Sanrenzan | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 5 MP Damage: 120%, Max Enemies Hit: 4, Number of Attacks: 3 | |
This skill is superseded by Rai Sanrenzan (4th Job). | |
Blade Flash | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 11 MP Damage: 180%, Max Enemies Hit: 1, Number of Attacks: 3 | |
This skill is superseded by Rai Blade Flash (4th Job). This ability can animation cancel Dankuusen and Hitokiri Hundred Strike. | |
Surging Blade | Max Level: 15 |
Cost: 8 MP Damage: 75%, Max Enemies Hit: 4, Dashes forward. | |
Primary horizontal micro movement ability. The end delay of Surging Blade can be eliminated by using 3 Surging Blades instead of 4. This ability is treated as a normal attack in some activities such as Tower of Oz and Amoria PQ. This lets you hit multiple boxes / targets with ease. | |
Battoujutsu Leap | Max Level: 10 |
Cost: 5 MP Adds an extra jump when used in midair. Can be used 2 times back to back. | |
Hayato’s Flash Jump in Normal Stance. Can be used twice. Can be bound to a separate key. | |
Quick Leap | Max Level: 10 |
Cost: 10 MP Allows you to jump a greater distance. | |
Allows you to use Flash Jump in Quick Draw Stance. | |
Battoujutsu Dash | Max Level: 10 |
Cost: 10 MP Dash left or right as desired. | |
Horizontal dash while in Quick Draw Stance. Can be used in conjunction with other movement abilities and Blink. Cannot be disabled. Can be bound to a separate key. | |
Battoujutsu Advance | Max Level: 1 |
Cost: 20 MP Duration: 15 sec, Damage increases by 2%, and sword energy is restored by 8 when using skills related to Battoujutsu, Cumulative Damage Increase Cooldown: 5 sec | |
It is NOT recommended to use this skill as it locks you in one combo, and leaves you vulnerable to attack. However, using any of these skills will still give you damage stacks. | |
Omitted skills: Center Ki, Shouryuusen
Second Job
Jin Sanrenzan | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 9 MP Damage: 180%, Max Enemies Hit: 5, Number of Attacks: 4 | |
This skill is superseded by Rai Sanrenzan (4th Job). | |
Jin Blade Flash | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 14 MP Damage: 210%, Max Enemies Hit: 1, Number of Attacks: 4 | |
This skill is superseded by Rai Blade Flash (4th Job). This ability can animation cancel Dankuusen and Hitokiri Hundred Strike. | |
Vapor Blade | Max Level: 5 |
Cost: 12 MP Damage: 100%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Jumps during attack | |
Can be Right-Clicked to lock the usage of double tapping Up Arrow key. Can be animation canceled to allow the usage of other abilities mid-air such as Blink. | |
Katana Booster | Max Level: 10 |
Cost: 11 MP Duration: 200 seconds. Increases Attack Speed by 2 levels. |
Falcon Dive | Max Level: 15 |
Cost: 40 MP Max Enemies Hit: 8, Damage: 170%, Number of Attacks: 6 |
Omitted skills: Rising Slash, Military Might
Third Job
Fuu Sanrenzan | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 13 MP Damage: 260%, Max Enemies Hit: 6, Number of Attacks: 4 | |
This skill is superseded by Rai Sanrenzan (4th Job). | |
Fuu Blade Flash | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 14 MP Damage: 270%, Max Enemies Hit: 1, Number of Attacks: 5 | |
This skill is superseded by Rai Blade Flash (4th Job). This ability can animation cancel Dankuusen and Hitokiri Hundred Strike. | |
Sweeping Sword | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 31 MP Max Enemies Hit: 10, Damage: 210%, Number of Attacks: 6 | |
Can be used in conjunction with Shinsoku to stall in mid-air. | |
Whirlwind Cut | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 33 MP Max Enemies Hit: 6, Damage: 380%, Number of Attacks: 3, Critical When Combined with Shouryuusen: 100% | |
This upward’s motion of this skill behaves like a teleport. | |
Merciless Blade
| Max Level: 15 |
Status Chance: 30%, 190% damage every 1 sec, Duration: 6 sec | |
This can activate Explorer Thief’s Link Skill, Thief’s Cunning. | |
Warrior’s Heart
| Max Level: 15 |
Chance: 40%, HP Recovered: 4% | |
A very strong life-steal ability. So long as you are activating critical hits, you will have a chance to lifesteal. | |
Dankuusen | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 15 MP Damage: 210%, Max Enemies Hit: 6 Number of Attacks: 4 | |
This is Hayato’s primary horizontal movement ability and can be animation canceled to quickly move across a map. | |
Omitted skills: Willow Dodge
Fourth Job
Rai Sanrenzan | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 13 MP Damage: 330%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 4 | |
Your primary mobbing skill. | |
Rai Blade Flash | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 14 MP Damage: 340%, Max Enemies Hit: 1, Number of Attacks: 8 | |
Your secondary bossing skill; used in mid-air or to target two enemies. This ability can animation cancel Dankuusen and Hitokiri Hundred Strike. | |
Akatsuki Trace | Max Level: 20 |
Akatsuki Trace Attack Chance: 60%, Damage: 440%, Times Activated: 1 | |
Akatsuki Trace makes up a large percentage of Hayato’s dps. There is no singular Akatsuki Trace boost node, instead it is split between Rai Sanrenzan and Shinsoku. | |
Shinsoku | Max Level: 30 |
Cost: 18 MP Damage: 1010%, Max Enemies Hit: 3, Number of Attacks: 10
| |
Use Shinsoku whenever it is off cooldown in bossing. | |
Hitokiri Strike | Max Level: 30 |
Cost: 142 MP Max Enemies Hit: 15, Damage: 500%, Number of Attacks: 8, Guaranteed Critical Attack, Critical Rate Increase: 45% for 40 sec, Invincibility: 3 sec Cooldown: 90 sec | |
One of two I-Frame abilities. This ability can “stun” enemies and bosses which can create weird interactions such as semi-canceling Damien fireballs and Lucid special attacks. However some bosses can still attack when stunned, so you may not see their attack animation and get hit. When Hitokiri Strike is on cooldown, the skill is swapped with Hitokiri Strike - Angle. | |
Hitokiri Strike - Angle | Max Level: 30 |
Cost: 48 MP While moving diagonally - Damage: 500%, Max Enemies Hit: 15, Number of Critical Attacks: 8. You can adjust the attack direction by holding the Up or Down Arrow key while pressing the skill key. Cooldown: 6 sec | |
This part of Hitokiri Strike is NOT an I-Frame. This ability can also “stun” enemies and bosses which can create weird interactions such as semi-canceling Damien fireballs and Lucid special attacks. However some bosses can still attack when stunned, so you may not see their attack animation and get hit. | |
Akatuski Warrior | Max Level: 30 |
Cost: 70 MP All Stats: +15%, Duration: 900 sec |
Hero’s Will | Max Level: 5 |
Cost: 30 MP Removes all abnormal status effects. Cooldown: 360 seconds | |
Hero’s Will has many useful applications in multiple bosses: Papulatus, Pierre, Pink Bean, Damien, Gloom, Darknell, Verus Hilla, Black Mage, etc | |
Eye for an Eye | Max Level: 10 |
After you successfully dodge, you can counterattack with 350% damage against up to 6 enemies. |
Bloodletter | Max Level: 10 |
Status Chance: 50%, 280% damage every 1 sec, Duration: 6 sec |
Sudden Strike | Max Level: 20 |
Cost: 56 MP Max Enemies Hit: 10, Damage: 405%, Number of Attacks: 6, Additional Debuff Damage from Party: +20%, Duration: 30 sec. Debuff applies to Boss Monsters. Cooldown: 3 seconds | |
This skill provides a superstance during usage. This ability can animation cancel Hitokiri Hundred Strike / Summer Rain. | |
Omitted skills: Jinsoku, Tornado Blade, Bushido’s Will
Hyper Skills
Falcon’s Honor | Max Level: 1 |
Cost: 200 MP Sword Energy: +100, Damage: 500%, Number of Attacks: 8, Max Enemies Hit: 14 Cooldown: 8 seconds | |
This skill can be animation canceled by Instant Slice. | |
Princess’s Vow | Max Level: 1 |
Cost: 80 MP Duration: 60 sec, Damage: +10%. Only applies to Sengoku classes within the party Cooldown: 120 seconds |
God of Blades | Max Level: 1 |
Cost: 80 MP ATT +50 for 30 seconds, All abnormal status and elemental resistance increased by 100. Cooldown: 90 seconds |
Fifth Job Skills (Hayato)
Iaijutsu Phantom Blade | “Delivers a series of unbelievably swift strikes. Successful strikes grant a buff that stacks up to 5 times. Usable during Sanrenzan, Blade Flash, and Shinsoku.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 200 Sword Energy Delivers an attack dealing 243 / 273 / 303 / 323 / 363% to up to 15 enemies, 15 times, activated 2 times. Upon hitting an enemy, receive a 5% Final Damage Buff for 15 seconds. Stacking up to 5 times. (Max 25% FD) |
Level 30 | Cost: 200 Sword Energy Delivers an attack dealing 330 / 360 / 390 / 410 / 450% to up to 15 enemies, 15 times, activated 2 times. Upon hitting an enemy, receive a 23% Final Damage Buff for 33 seconds. Stacking up to 5 times. (Max 115% FD) |
It is recommended to max this ability as soon as possible, due to its increase in Final Damage and Duration. When the duration of Iaijutsu Phantom Blade (PB) is over, ALL stacks of PB will disappear and will initiate a short delay before any additional PB casts. As a result of this and the enormous final damage buff, it is recommended to max PB as soon as possible. PB has a different attack animation and damage for each of its 5 hits. Once you achieve 5 stacks it will consistently use the 5th attack and refresh the duration. Please read Using Iaijutsu Phantom Blade | |
Instant Slice
| “Display your masterful swordsmanship by slicing down your enemies in a single blinding flash. This skill can be activated even while using certain other skills.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 500 MP Damage up to 15 enemies for 196% 3 times. Number of Attacks: 10. Cooldown: 10 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 500 MP Damage up to 15 enemies for 1100% 3 times. Number of Attacks: 10. Cooldown: 10 seconds |
Instant Slice is Hayato’s most versatile animation cancel skill as well as one of your core FMA abilities. Click Here to see more about Animation Canceling with Instant Slice. | |
Battoujutsu Ultimate Will
| “Releases the maximum amount of Sword Energy required to materialize the blade god. Absorbs Sword Energy from the enemy, performs a final attack at the end of its duration or by using the skill again, and restores your Sword Energy. Unaffected by attack reflection.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 150 Sword Energy Summon the God of Blades for 30 seconds, this stationary summon attacks up to 10 enemies at occasional intervals dealing 206% damage. (If there is only 1 enemy, this damage is increased to 325%) Number of attacks: 15. At the end of the duration, deals 8 attacks of 312% damage 3 times and reallocates the sword energy to your sword gauge. Energy Absorption: 8 Sword Energy for each enemy defeated. 10 Sword energy per attack when attacking 1 enemy. Cooldown: 120 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 150 Sword Energy Summon the God of Blades for 30 seconds, this stationary summon attacks up to 10 enemies at occasional intervals dealing 380% damage. (If there is only 1 enemy, this damage is increased to 615%) Number of attacks: 15. At the end of the duration, deals 15 attacks of 2000% damage 6 times and reallocates the sword energy to your sword gauge. Energy Absorption: 8 Sword Energy for each enemy defeated. 10 Sword energy per attack when attacking 1 enemy. Cooldown: 120 seconds |
Ultimate Will is a versatile summon that can be used in mobbing as well as bossing. While summoned, it gathers sword energy into itself and returns the energy to your Hayato once the ability ends by either the duration or manual casting. However, if you stray too far away, Ultimate Will will stop killing. | |
Battoujutsu Zankou | “Imbued with the power of the morning moon, quickly charges toward and slash various enemies. Can attack a group of enemies repeatedly and recover Hayato's sword energy after use. Battoujutsu Zankou is not affected by attack reflection.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 1000 MP Targets up to 11 enemies, and deals 475% damage 15 times in the form of “rush attacks”. Enemies can be targeted multiple times by “rush attacks” depending on the number of available targets within range. Recovers 700 Sword Energy upon use. Invincible while casting. Cooldown: 90 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 1000 MP Targets up to 11 enemies, and deals 1860% damage 15 times in the form of “rush attacks”. Enemies can be targeted multiple times by “rush attacks” depending on the number of available targets within range. Recovers 700 Sword Energy upon use. Invincible while casting. Cooldown: 90 seconds |
Battoujutsu Zankou is Hayato’s premier burst skill and one of Hayato’s two I-frame abilities. Due to the nature of Zankou’s “rush attacks,” a single target may endure all 11 instances of Zankou leading to 165 lines of 475 - 620% damage. This greatly increases this ability’s damage on bosses except when there are multiple targets in range as Zankou does not prioritize bosses. This ability can be animation canceled with Instant Slice and Hitokiri Hundred Strike. | |
Fifth Job Skills (Sengoku)
Sengoku Force, Assemble! | “Calls upon brave Sengoku heroes for aid, randomly summoning two. Each warrior performs a unique attack. Unaffected by attack reflection.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 1000 MP Summons two random Sengoku warriors and their respective buffs for 30 seconds. [Uesugi Kenshin] Damage: 260%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 4, Ignore Defense +10% [Tsuchimikado Haruaki] Damage: 165%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 5, Damage Taken -5% [Ayame] Damage: 320%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 4, Critical Damage +5% [Takeda Shingen] Damage: 131%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Hits: 8, Attack Power +6, Magic ATT +6 Cooldown: 120 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 1000 MP Summons two random Sengoku warriors and their respective buffs for 30 seconds. [Uesugi Kenshin] Damage: 550%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 4, Ignore Defense +22% [Tsuchimikado Haruaki] Damage: 455%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 5, Damage Taken -17% [Ayame] Damage: 610%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Attacks: 4, Critical Damage +17% [Takeda Shingen] Damage: 305%, Max Enemies Hit: 8, Number of Hits: 8, Attack Power +35, Magic ATT +35 Cooldown: 120 seconds |
Because of the randomness of “Sengoku Force, Assemble!” Hayato’s burst can potentially be weaker just by summoning the wrong Sengoku warriors. This ability can also destroy boss reward chests, but as of v240 can now be canceled by right clicking the buff. | |
Princess Sakuno’s Blessing | “The blessing of Princess Sakuno will protect you from abnormal status effects and increase your final damage.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 1000 HP Increases Final damage by 10% for 45 seconds. Over the duration this final damage increases periodically by 1% up to 40%. Cooldown: 120 seconds. |
Level 30 | Cost: 1000 HP Increases Final damage by 15% for 45 seconds. Over the duration this final damage increases periodically by 4% up to 50%. Cooldown: 120 seconds. |
Due to the periodical final damage increase of Princess Sakuno’s Blessing, Hayato’s burst is often referred to as being backloaded. This complicates party bursts and various mechanics within bosses such as Gloom and Slime. | |
Fifth Job Skills (Warrior)
Weapon Aura | “Infuses your weapon with a portion of your health, granting it a visible aura and temporarily empowering it. The aura wave is unaffected by attack reflection.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 10% of Max HP Ignores 10% Enemy DEF for 82 seconds, Final Damage +1%. Aura Wave (usable every 5 seconds) - Using certain offensive skills will generate waves, inflicting 520% damage on up to 10 enemies, 6 times. Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 10% of Max HP Ignores 16% Enemy DEF for 140 seconds, Final Damage +6%. Aura Wave (usable every 5 seconds) - Using certain offensive skills will generate waves, inflicting 1100% damage on up to 10 enemies, 6 times. Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Weapon Aura provides a substantial damage increase with high uptime. Maxing out Weapon Aura nearly doubles its duration and provides a noticeable final damage buff. | |
Impenetrable Skin | “Makes your flesh as strong as steel so you're not pushed back by enemy attacks.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 30 sec, Knockdown Immunity and Status Resistance: +51 Damage increases +3% when hit, Max Stack: 5 times Cooldown: 240 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 36 sec, Knockdown Immunity and Status Resistance: +80 Damage increases +3% when hit, Max Stack: 11 times Cooldown: 240 seconds |
The knockdown immunity is unecessary due to Hayato’s Sudden Strike, however it can provide a small damage buff if enough node slots are available. | |
Fifth Job Skills (Other)
Erda Nova | “Collect Erda from within yourself and from the surrounding area, then detonate it around your enemies. The Erda of attacked enemies will become disrupted, which will bind their movements. Can deal damage to enemies even when they are under Attack Ignore. Also ignores Attack Reflection.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 15% of Max HP Bind up to 10 enemies hit for 10 seconds and 156% damage. Number of Attacks: 5 Cooldown: 216 seconds |
Level 25 | Cost: 15% of Max HP Bind up to 10 enemies hit for 10 seconds and 300% damage. Number of Attacks: 5 Cooldown: 120 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 15% of Max HP Bind up to 10 enemies hit for 10 seconds and 330% damage. Number of Attacks: 5 Cooldown: 100 seconds |
Because Hayato does not have a class bind, Erda Nova is required for the V-Matrix. It is recommended to level Erda Nova to at least 25 (or 20+5) to sync up with Hayato’s burst rotation. | |
Erda Shower / Fountain | “Fires a blast of compressed Erdas at nearby enemies. Using the skill with the down arrow key summons Erda Fountain, which is an object filled with pure Erda.” |
Level 1 | [Erda Shower] Max Enemies Hit: 15, Damage: 465%, Number of Attacks: 6, Cooldown reduced by 2 sec per attacked enemy Cooldown: 40 sec [Erda Fountain] Object Summon Duration: 60 sec. Every time enemies in a map with the summoned object are defeated, the Erda released from the enemies condenses around the object. Defeating 12 or more will release the gathered Erda, Max Enemies Hit: 10, Damage: 465%, Number of Attacks: 4 Cooldown: 60 sec Cooldown shared with Erdas Shower and Erda Fountain. |
Level 30 | [Erda Shower] Max Enemies Hit: 15, Damage: 900%, Number of Attacks: 6, Cooldown reduced by 2 sec per attacked enemy Cooldown: 40 sec [Erda Fountain] Object Summon Duration: 60 sec. Every time enemies in a map with the summoned object are defeated, the Erda released from the enemies condenses around the object. Defeating 12 or more will release the gathered Erda, Max Enemies Hit: 10, Damage: 900%, Number of Attacks: 4 Cooldown: 60 sec Cooldown shared with Erdas Shower and Erda Fountain. |
Erda Fountain is a core part of farming for every class. Highly recommend farming with. | |
Blink | “Teleport to a random location on the map. You can float and move slowly for a fixed time, instead of using Vapor Blade, by holding the key down while in mid-air.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 3% of Max HP Teleport to a random location on the map. Float for up to 3 sec. if you hold the key in the air Attack and Magic Attack: +1 Cooldown: 20 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 3% of Max HP Teleport to a random location on the map. Float for up to 5 sec. if you hold the key in the air Attack and Magic Attack: +30 Cooldown: 20 seconds |
Blink has many useful application in multiple bosses: Can be used in conjunction with Battoujutsu Dash and Vapor Blade Cancel | |
Will of Erda | “Hones your resolve to ignore certain abnormal status effects. Immune to Abnormal Status for 3 sec after use.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Cooldown: 475 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Cooldown: 330 seconds |
Will of Erda has many useful applications in multiple bosses: Papulatus, Pierre, Pink Bean, Damien, Gloom, Darknell, Verus Hilla, Black Mage, etc | |
Decent Sharp Eyes | “Allows you to locate an enemy's weak spot to inflict lethal damage against them. Does not stack with Sharp Eyes.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 183 sec, Critical Rate: +10%, Critical Damage: +8% Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 270 sec, Critical Rate: +10%, Critical Damage: +8% Cooldown: 180 seconds |
DSE is recommended as a Critical Rate supplement and for the Critical Damage. | |
Decent Speed Infusion | “Consumes HP to increase your attack speed by 1 level for a short time. Can be stacked with buffs other than Speed Infusion.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 183 sec, increases attack speed by 1 level. Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 270 sec, increases attack speed by 1 level. Cooldown: 180 seconds |
DSI is recommended to hit Attack Speed 0. | |
Decent Holy Symbol | “Temporarily gain extra EXP and items when hunting monsters. Does not stack with Holy Symbol.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 183 sec, EXP: +20%, Drop Rate: +14% Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 270 sec, EXP: +35%, Drop Rate: +24% Cooldown: 180 seconds |
It is highly recommended to level this skill, as it provides additional EXP and Drop Rate. | |
Decent Combat Orders | “Temporarily increases all of your skill levels. Only 4th Job Skills can be increased beyond master level while other skills can only be increased to master level. Exceptions: Some special skills, Beginner Skills, Combat Orders, Decent Combat Orders, Hyper Skills, and 5th Job Skills cannot be increased. Does not stack with Combat Orders.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 183 sec, All Skills: +1 Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 270 sec, All Skills: +1 Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Decent Advanced Blessing | “Greatly increases your ATT, Magic ATT, DEF, Max HP, and Max MP. Can be stacked with other buff skills, except Bless and Advanced Blessing.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 183 sec, Attack Power: +20, Magic ATT: +20, DEF: +425, Max HP: +475, Max MP: +475 Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 270 sec, Attack Power: +20, Magic ATT: +20, DEF: +425, Max HP: +475, Max MP: +475 Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Decent Hyper Body | “Increases Max HP and Max MP. Does not stack with Hyper Body.“ |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 183 sec, Max HP: +40%, Max MP: +40% Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Duration: 270 sec, Max HP: +40%, Max MP: +40% Cooldown: 180 seconds |
Does not provide any benefits. | |
True Arachnid Reflection | “The collapsing space between the Mirror World and reality become linked with Will's Erda, causing the spider within the mirror to temporarily materialize in reality.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 15% of Max HP [Spatial Collapse] - Max Enemies Hit: 15, Damage: 468%, Number of Attacks: 15, Once complete, summons True Arachnid Reflection. [True Arachnid Reflection] - Duration: 50 sec, Goes into attack mode at set intervals. During attack mode, uses spider legs 10 times to deal 182% damage 8 times. If the spider legs attack one target 5 consecutive times, attack mode will end immediately. 3 sec cooldown after attack mode ends. Cooldown: 250 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP [Spatial Collapse] - Max Enemies Hit: 15, Damage: 990%, Number of Attacks: 15, Once complete, summons True Arachnid Reflection. [True Arachnid Reflection] - Duration: 50 sec, Goes into attack mode at set intervals. During attack mode, uses spider legs 10 times to deal 385% damage 8 times. If the spider legs attack one target 5 consecutive times, attack mode will end immediately. 3 sec cooldown after attack mode ends. Cooldown: 240 seconds |
Obtained from Will. | |
Solar Crest | “Mitra's power manifests the searing heat of the sun as a blazing inferno. The flame emblem is unaffected by attack reflection and disappears when you change maps.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 15% of Max HP [Mitra's Fire] - summons a Flame Emblem after dealing 780% damage up to 15 enemies 12 times. [Flame Emblem] - deals 208% damage to up to 2 enemies 6 times every 2.1 sec for 51 sec. Deals 286% damage if striking a single enemy. Cooldown: 250 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP [Mitra's Fire] - summons a Flame Emblem after dealing 1650% damage up to 15 enemies 12 times. [Flame Emblem] - deals 440% damage to up to 2 enemies 6 times every 2.1 sec for 51 sec. Deals 605% damage if striking a single enemy. Cooldown: 240 seconds |
Obtained from Seren. | |
Rope Lift | “Fires a grappling hook to a platform above you to ascend quickly.” |
Level 1 | Press the skill key while you're climbing to cancel. [Passive Effect - All Stats: +1] Cooldown: 3 seconds |
Level 30 | Press the skill key while you're climbing to cancel. [Passive Effect - All Stats: +30] Cooldown: 3 seconds |
Decent Mystic Door | “Creates a portal that leads to the nearest town. You (and only you) can use it multiple times until it disappears. Press Up to use it.” |
Level 1 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Consumes 2 Magic Rocks, Portal Duration: 32 sec [Active Effect - All Stats: +1] Cooldown: 130 seconds |
Level 30 | Cost: 5% of Max HP Consumes 2 Magic Rocks, Portal Duration: 90 sec Cooldown: 130 seconds |
Gameplay
In order to play Hayato as fluidly as possible, it is important to learn the many different animation cancels that Hayato can do. Learning some, if not all, of these cancels can really change the class from a clunky Samurai with lots of end delay, to a Samurai that will be zipping across the screen ten times over. We will also go over general information about training, bossing and managing your Sword Gauge.
Essential Tech
Vapor Blade Canceling
New Age Update: Shinsoku can no longer reliably used to cancel Vapor Blade if it is on cooldown. So we must resort to canceling with other skills. You can still cancel with Shinsoku in Mobbing/Normal stance, but in Bossing stance it is less reliable. Better to just get used to Surging Blade.
Normally Vapor Blade locks you into an animation until you hit the ground. This animation is often cancelled using these abilities:
Some abilities that can animation cancel upon ascent
- Falcon Dive
- Sweeping Sword
- Dankuusen
- Whirlwind Cut
Cannot be animation canceled after your descent has started. You can tell if you’ve canceled Vapor Blade correctly by the ending stance of your character. (shown below)
No Animation Cancel | Canceling with Surging Blade |
Dankuusen Canceling
New Age Update: Probably a bug but Dankuusen + Blade Flash no longer works. Hopefully this will be fixed, for now use Surging Blade instead.
Dankuusen is Hayato’s longest horizontal movement ability. Using Dankuusen by itself leads to severe end delay.
Some Abilities that can animation cancel Dankuusen
- Whirlwind Cut
- Falcon Dive
No longer accurate, this is pre New Age canceling with Blade Flash:
Falcon Dive Canceling
To cancel the animation lock of Falcon Dive, you can use Rai Blade Flash or Sanrenzan.
Instant Slice
Instant Slice is Hayato’s most versatile animation cancel tool, on top of being a low cooldown FMA. It can animation cancel most of Hayato’s abilities such as:
- Falcon’s Honor
- Battoujutsu Zankou
- Hitokiri Hundred Strike / Summer Rain
- Sudden Strike
Falcon’s Honor is exceptionally common to cancel with Instant Slice, having similar cooldowns allows them to be used together often.
Due to the Savior update, the delay of Falcon’s Honor has been significantly decreased giving players more flexibility in both farming and bossing on when to use Instant Slice.
Battoujutsu Zankou Canceling
Battoujutsu Zankou is also a vital part of Hayato’s burst, but unlike HHS you are invulnerable during the ability’s long animation. That doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze out more damage though. As stated in the Instant Slice section, you can cancel Zankou with Instant Slice, but you can also weave in HHS in between to ignore both animations.
It is commonplace to use Falcon’s Honor / Instant Slice during your rotation. In order to cancel Zankou, you must remember to reserve Instant Slice.
Advanced Tech
Hitokiri Hundred Strike Canceling
Hitokiri Hundred Strike is a vital part of Hayato’s burst; however, it locks you into a vulnerable and long animation lasting around 3 seconds. You could cancel Hitokiri Hundred Strike with Instant Slice but this would put Instant Slice on its cooldown. Instead, you can use either Blade Flash or Sudden Strike beforehand to cancel the animation instantly.
The Summer Rain variant can also be animation canceled with Sudden Strike and with the second flash jump.
Blink Dashing
Because you can use other abilities during Blink, Hayato can use Blink and Battoujutsu dash in conjunction with one another. While blinking, Hayato can use Battoujutsu multiple times allowing you to cross large horizontal distances in mid-air. This can be helpful in certain boss mechanics such as weaving through Black Mage meteors or crossing over Seren’s attacks.
Surging Blade Cancel
Normally, Surging Blade has a delay at the end of its 4th cast. You can remove this delay by simply casting Surging Blade 3 times instead of 4. This lets you continuously use Surging Blade with minimal delay.
Boss Canceling / Stunning
Both Hitokiri Strike and Hitokiri Hundred Strike can “stun” enemies including bosses. This can cancel certain boss mechanics and allow you to continue attacking them.
You can stun all bosses, but some notable instances include Damien fireballs and Lucid special attacks.
Macro Phantom Blade by Peepoise
Iaijutsu Phantom Blade provides unique interactions with Hayato’s abilities when it is placed in a Maplestory macro. The primary benefit of Macro PB is being able to use it during specific abilities animations, such as Battoujutsu Zankou and Hitokiri Hundred Strike. This allows the user to quickly expend all their Sword Energy to fit within short burst windows.
However you can not use Macro PB during Shinsoku, and it can have unintended delay when used normally. This requires you to have two separate key binds for Phantom Blade.
This technique was commonly used during the Rai Blade Flash Meta, but with changes to Shinsoku, has seen less usage over time.
There are many other animation cancels that Hayato can do. These are just some of the most common ones, feel free to experiment and discover new ones.
Training
General Information
Hayato has many FMAs that are on low cooldown, this makes mobbing especially easy. Looting is also fairly easy due to having many summons. (Battoujutsu Ultimate Will and Sengoku Force)
Due to the Savior update, the delay from Falcon’s Honor has been massively decreased. This means you no longer need to use Instant Slice to animation cancel it, making larger maps much more comfortable to farm in.
Farming Combos/Abilities
Summons
If you are a lazy farmer, you may realize that Hayato excels at stationary mobbing. With multiple FMAs, you can easily farm in small/medium maps while barely moving. This may not be the most efficient, but it is low-effort. Hayato’s movement tech also allows for flexibility in how hard you want to farm.
Make sure to maintain 5 stacks of Phantom Blade if you are struggling with damage.
If you are lacking critical rate then use Hitokiri strike and its relevant hyper skills.
Recommended Maps (WIP)
New Age has reworked some Grandis Maps (260+), these maps are not up to date. Working on it ASAP
As always, use BA to see what maps are most efficient for you. High Burning Fields are also a factor worth considering as well as making sure you are consistently one-shotting. A VAC pet is also a consideration worth taken when farming in high-level maps.
The mobs / hr count is taken from MapleStory GMS Mob Spawn Sheet
This represents the MAX amount of kills you can get per hour.
▲: Small Map, can be lazily farmed in
∎ : Can obtain familiar cards in
Level Range | Training Field | mobs / hr |
200+ | [Vanishing Journey] Weather Land of Rage and Sorrow [Vanishing Journey] Extinction Zone: Fire Spirit Zone [Vanishing Journey] Cave of Repose: Hidden Cave | 11,520 13,440 13,920 |
205+ | [Reverse City] Subway Tunnel 5 ▲ [Reverse City] Surface Train 1 ▲ [Reverse City] Hidden Research Train ▲ | 12,480 12,480 12,960 |
210+ | [Chu Chu Island] Bibble-Bobbly Forest 1 ▲ [Chu Chu Island] Slurpy Forest Depths ▲ | 11,520 12,480 |
215+ | [Yum Yum Island] Hidden Illiard Field ▲ [Yum Yum Island] Hidden Fungos Forest ▲ | 12,480 12,480 |
220+ | [Lachelin Alley] Outlaw’s Street 2 [Lachelin Alley] Victory Plate 1 [Lachelin Alley] Occupied Dance Floor 2 | 13,920 14,400 14,400 |
225+ | [Arcana] The Forest of Earth [Arcana] Between Frost and Thunder 2 ▲ [Arcana] Lower Path 1 ▲ [Arcana] The Deepest Part of the Cavern - Upper Path | 13,440 9,600 10,560 12,480 |
230+ | [Morass] Shadowdance Hall 2 ∎ | 17,760 |
235+ | [Esfera] Mirror-touched Sea 6 ∎ | 13,920 |
240+ | [Sellas] Star-Swallowing Sea 2 [Sellas] Star-Swallowing Sea 4 ▲ | 15,360 11,520 |
245+ | [Moonbridge] Last Horizon 2 ▲∎ [Moonbridge] Void Current 3 ▲∎ | 15,840 15,360 |
250+ | [Tenebris] Labyrinth of Suffering Deep Core 4 ∎ [Tenebris] Labyrinth of Suffering Interior 4 ∎ | 15,840 16,320 |
255+ | [Limina] End of the World 1-4 ▲∎ [Limina] End of the World 1-5 ▲∎ [Limina] End of the World 1-9 ∎ | 14,880 14,400 16,320 |
260+ | [Cernium] Royal Library Section 1 ▲ [Cernium] Royal Library Section 4 ▲ [Cernium] Eastern City Ramparts 2 ▲ [Burning Cernium] Burning Royal Library Section 1 | 15,840 15,840 15,840 15,840 |
265+ | [Hotel Arcus] Nostalgic Drive-In Theater 1 [Hotel Arcus] Train with No Destination 1 ▲ | 15,840 15,840 |
270+ | [Odium] Road to the Castle Gates 1 ▲ [Odium] Road to the Castle Gates 4 [Odium] Captured Alley 1 ▲ [Odium] Laboratory Behind Locked Door 1 ▲ [Odium] Sunny Laboratory 3 | 15,840 18,240 15,840 15,840 18,720 |
275+ | [Shangri-La] Blooming Spring 1 ▲ [Shangri-La] Gentle Summer 2 [Shangri-La] Harsh Winter 4 | 15,840 18,720 18,720 |
280+ | [Arteria] Combat Zone Outskirts 1 [Arteria] Bottom Deck Passage 1 ▲ [Arteria] Bottom Deck Passage 3 | 18,720 16,800 18,720 |
I am a very lazy farmer
Bossing
General Information
New Age Update
With the news that Rai Blade Flash is becoming our primary bossing skill again, Hayato becomes slightly more difficult.
Lifesteal
Hayato’s lifesteal is very strong. So long as you are attacking, and critting, you will be life stealing. Rai Blade Flash will be the main skill that activates your lifesteal, so having higher attack speed will let you benefit more from lifesteal.
Sword Gauge / Phantom Blade
In order to maintain Hayato’s DPS, you need to maintain your Phantom Blade Stacks. This includes managing Battoujutsu Ultimate Will - God of Blades, Battoujutsu Zankou, Falcon’s Honor, and your Sword Gauge.
Generally, so long as you are using Rai Blade Flash and Falcon’s honor / Instance Slice combo, you will be generating enough Sword Energy to upkeep 1000 energy.
Unfortunately, some boss mechanics as well as phase transitions can really test your Phantom Blade Duration, so learning when you should Phantom Blade is key to high uptime. (for example: using Phantom Blade right before a phase transition)
General Tip for bossing, you don’t need to dash or flash jump everywhere. A key to maplestory bossing is taking your time and walking to dodge attacks. Bossing with Hayato means learning when it is best to use your mobility.
Using Iaijutsu Phantom Blade
New Age Update
With the New Age update, we will once again need to weave Phantom Blade during Rai Blade Flash. While not very difficult, if done improperly can cause you to lose a bit of damage especially during Burst. The basic idea is to use Phantom Blade in between Blade Flash casts.
Because Phantom Blade provides up to a 115% FD Buff, it is important to maintain 5 stacks at all times. To do this, you must also learn to manage your Sword Energy.
It is recommended to keep your Sword Gauge topped up as having a full sword gauge allows you to freely use Phantom Blade to refresh your stacks, gain increased benefits of Quick Draw Stance and provide a potential burst by spamming Phantom Blade.
Gaining Sword Energy:
- 5 Sword Energy per Enemy killed (Normal Stance)
- 2 Sword Energy per Enemy hit (Quick Draw Stance)
- 100 Sword Energy from Falcon’s Honor
- 700 Sword Energy from Battoujutsu Zankou
- 0 - 800 Sword Energy from Battoujutsu Ultimate Will
While bossing, using Falcon’s Honor and Instant Slice combo off cooldown not only provides additional dps but also generates Sword energy. In addition to Shinsoku, this combo can help maintain high Sword Energy.
When to use Phantom Blade:
- To Refresh Phantom Blade Stacks, either when the duration is ending or when you anticipate a boss phase/test transition.
- At 1000 Sword Energy, so no additional Sword Energy Gain from Shinsoku or Falcon’s Honor is wasted.
- Prior to Battoujutsu Zankou or Battoujutsu Ultimate Will so that no additional Sword Energy is wasted. (Try to reach below 300 energy before Zankou and 200 energy for Ultimate Will)
- During Burst to optimize damage. (typically in conjunction with Battoujutsu Zankou or Battoujutsu Ultimate Will)
New Age “Simple” Origin Burst Rotation (WIP)
Since Hayato’s burst ramps up over time, due to Sakuno’s Blessing, it is recommended to optimize damage at the end of your burst. Below is an example of Hayato’s burst rotation in standard bossing.
Use Rai Blade Flash, Falcon’s Honor + Instant Slice Combo, and Shinsoku off cooldown.
Make sure to save Instant Slice for Battoujutsu Zankou to animation cancel.
Every instance of means to expend all your Sword Energy.
Reminder that Hitokiri Hundred Strike moves you, be careful when using ROR. You can opt to use Hitokiri Hundred Strikes at the very end if you’re not in a corner.
If you do not have a listed skill, just ignore it.
Before Burst | Always Start with 5x Iaijutsu Phantom Blade Stacks. |
00:00 | |
00:07 | |
00:15 | |
00:30 | |
00:37 | |
00:40 | |
00:45 | Burst ends. |
If you’re bursting without Origin, bind at 00:30. You also need to Weave in Origin’s Chase cut 3 times during the skill. If you’re using RoR, you will also need to ring swap, since using it for the burst before Origin will leave it on cooldown. If you are using only RoR, you will only use it once every 6 minutes.
New Age “Simple” Burst Rotation (WIP)
Same guidelines as above.
Before Burst | Always Start with 5x Iaijutsu Phantom Blade Stacks. |
00:00 | |
00:07 | |
00:15 | |
00:30 | |
00:37 | |
00:45 | Burst ends. |
Pre-New Age Culvert Rotation by Huy (0x4f6e65)Thank you to Huy for providing a well-detailed Culvert explanation:Hayato Culvert Rotation (20,752 NO BUFFS) General notes:
General requirements:
Waiting Room:
Boss Room:
|
Culvert Timeline
Tips for Bosses
Make sure that no tails are present when casting Battoujutsu Zankou as damaging Vellum tails do not do damage to Vellum. | |
Whirlwind Cut can be used to teleport between Lotus P1 lasers. The low cooldown of Sudden Strike perfectly times with Lotus’ knockback attack. So long as you are activating Sudden Strike, you won’t be knocked back. | |
Hitokiri Strike and its Angle variant as well as Hitokiri Hundred Strike can “cancel” Damien’s fireball attacks. Upon “canceling,” the fireballs will persist until the end of their duration, but Damien will be free from his position. If Damien’s mid-air fireball attack is not canceled, you may deal damage by using Blade Flash in mid-air. | |
Due to the duration of Guardian Angel Slime’s vulnerability state, it is recommended to cast Princess Sakuno’s Blessing early to gain peak damage during this state. Be wary of failing or excessively delaying the test as it may waste Sakuno’s Blessing. If you would rather not risk this, you can activate Sakuno’s right as the test finishes but you will deal less damage. It is recommended to slot in Angelic Buster’s Terms and Conditions for this boss. This boss is garbage for Hayato >:( There is no way to maintain phantom blade stacks for test. | |
Hitokiri Strike, its Angle variant as well as Hitokiri Hundred Strike can “cancel” Lucid’s special attacks in P2. Like Damien, Lucid’s special attack persists but Lucid will be stationary for the duration instead of untargetable. The timing on this is very precise and will take practice to consistently “cancel.” I would recommend readying Hitokiri Strike - Angle if you wish to do this. | |
You can jump over Will’s P1 Tornados with Vapor Blade + Falcon Dive. During P1 test, you can duck while in quickdraw stance to avoid hitting the eye. Surging Blade can be used to dodge Will’s P3 Move attack. | |
Cast Princess Sakuno’s around the 29:30 mark to achieve peak damage during the first burst. It is recommended to slot in Angelic Buster’s Terms and Conditions for this boss. This boss is also garbage for Hayato. | |
Hayato’s horizontal movement allows you to play in almost any position on the map while also surviving full-map attacks. If timed correctly, you can Battoujutsu dash in between meteors while maintaining blink. You can dash multiple times during one blink. In P4, Hayato can play White Aura because of their innate lifesteal, which will give them a final damage buff. | |
Blink dashing can be used to safely cross Seren’s wave attack in P1. Sweeping Sword can be used to dodge pillars while holding Seren in the corner. Hayato can easily proc blue orbs in P2 with Dankuusen spam. | |
F.A.Q
Why can’t I Dankuusen Cancel with Blade Flash? | |
Make sure you are using the actual ability keybind instead of the default Maplestory Attack button. If you still cannot Dankuusen Cancel, just keep practicing with different timings! Sadly, this has been changed, so you are now required to use Surging Blade instead. |
Why can’t I use Phantom Blade? | |
If the duration of Phantom Blade ends, there will be a short delay before you can use Phantom Blade again (in GMS). The first stack of Phantom Blade can also be a bit laggy depending on ping. |
Can I cancel Hitokiri Hundred Strike’s movement? | |
The only way to not move during Hitokiri Hundred Strike is to stand facing towards a corner or face towards a direction where you can not move any further. |
Can I get Echo of Hero on Hayato? | |
Yes, to get Echo of Hero you must complete the following quests:
|
Should I roll for DEF potential lines because of Shimada’s Heart? | |
Strength Lines will always be better than Defense lines. For more information about Shimada’s Heart, visit the Hayato Discord. |
Does Hayato need Buff Duration? | |
Yes, but at a lower priority to other stats. Buff Duration is helpful for Terms and Conditions, which has had its cooldown reduced and is therefore up more often. |
How do I stop up-jumping when entering portals? | |
Normally, if you double-tap the up arrow key, you will cast Vapor Blade. This can be quite annoying when you are trying to enter portals. You can right click the Vapor Blade skill in the skill window to disable the use of double up arrow keys. |
Can I disable the horizontal dash from double-tapping arrow keys in Quick Draw Stance? | |
No, Battoujutsu Dash cannot be disabled. |
Should I use Battoujutsu Advance? | |
Because Battoujutsu Advance locks you into place, it is not recommended to use. The only utility this skill has is to generate Sword Energy outside of combat, but Falcon's Honor is primarily used for this instead. It is useful for generating sword energy in preparation for bossing, though. |
Why am I locked in the Battoujutsu Advance Animation? | |
Battoujutsu Advance typically locks the player in the sequence of attacks until all 8 attacks are completed. You can cancel out of the skill by double tapping left/right (Battoujutsu Dash) or up (Vapor Blade, if it’s not locked). |
Who does Hayato share Cash Shop Inventory with? | |
Kanna. |
Do I use Rai Blade or Shinsoku? | |
New Age Update: Rai Blade Flash is our primary bossing skill since Shinsoku has changed to be a cooldown skill. You want to use Shinsoku whenever it is off cooldown. |
Why can't I use Battoujutsu Zankou? | |
Battoujutsu Zankou requires a target to be used. |
What are Hayato's I-frames? | |
Battoujutsu Zankou and Hitokiri Strike. (the angled variant is not an i-frame, and Battoujutsu Zankou requires a target) |
What bosses does Hayato's life steal not work in? | |
Will (Phase 2) and Verus Hilla. |
How do I boost Akatsuki Trace? | |
Akatsuki Trace is boosted by the Shinsoku and Sanrenzan boost nodes. It is boosted by a total of 240% fd. It is unknown if this is intentional or not. |
Does Hayato have any superstances? | |
Hayato's TRUE superstance is Sudden Strike. FALSE superstances include Surging Blade, Falcon Dive, Dankuusen, Whirlwind Cut. |
Hayato Discord, Credits & Change Log
This document uses information collected from the Hayato Discord and its members.
Author: noducks
Thank you to LgtKatana, Battsu, Allen Z, Hayatotju, and anyone else who helped by commenting or suggesting changes!
If you have any other questions, feel free to join the Hayato Discord:
Change Log
7.17.24: Updated Inner Ability following introduction of IA presets and v 252 (HEXA Shinsoku), recent changes, introduction to class, crit rate, cd hat, FAQ
5.29.24: Added Mandatory Link Skills and removed Example Setups.
1.14.24: Adjusted Burst Rotation - Erda Nova moved to later into rotation.
12.8.23: Added Continuous Ring to Oz Rings.
11.30.23: Slight adjustments following 6th job release.
11.28.23: Added 6th Job Node Priority Infographic.
11.23.23: Added Falcon Dive Canceling.
11.16.23: Added New Age information. Reformatted the guide, condensed Skills, removed unnecessary tables. Updated Burst rotations for New Age. Removed Air Stalling. Changed Shinsoku relevant tech. Removed Introduction, it was redundant with the pros and cons below it. Condensed Boss Tips. Removed Server differences.
11.9.23: Slight adjustments to Link skills.
10.28.23: Started updating with 6th Job Information (WIP), readded Macro PB.
7.7.23: F.A.Q has been updated with minor changes.
6.30.23: Removed Macro PB Tech.
6.14.23: Savior Update - Perfect Trios, Attack Speed, and Falcon’s Honor have been updated.
5.15.23: Completion of guide.