The Overwhelming Smash!

[Reginald]

Reginald's Guide to Perfecting Smash!
Perfect for Newbies and Returning Players alike!

In this guide I'll be covering what's the gist of Smash for newbies and get into some advanced stuff for Adept and Expert Players. The knowledge I'll be using is information directly from my experiences with the skill and some knowledge from friends and Guildmates in the past.


Introduction
First of all, Smash is a skill most (if not all) warrior-type players will use very often. This skill is obtained very early in the game where Trefor sends the quest "The Overwhelming Smash". This quest requires killing Brown Foxes. Alternatively, go talk to Lassar and use the "Skills" keyword to get a Skill Book or take Ranald's combat class (you'll eventually get it). For Elves and Giants, follow the Beginner Chain Quest.

Smash in my opinion is a popular skill to start off a boss mainly because at Rank F, Smash will do twice your base damage, making it great to injure a boss beforehand (or one-hit kill if that's what your going for).

What makes Smash so mainstream (besides the damage it does) is also because it still deals full damage to monsters with Defense activated and it sends them flying back! It also virtually works with any weapon (wands are not recommended, Bows and Crossbows are an exception).

The downside of Smash is that if a monster is already wary of your presence, they can easily counter your Smash with Counterattack, Windmill, and etc. So charge the skill wisely.

One more thing is that Smash uses is a teensy bit more stamina than most skills (until later on, where it uses 10 at rank 1), but Stamina Potions can quickly counter this (thanks, Zid!)


Ranking Smash
AP on this skill is generally high in the minds of beginners, but to veterans it's a small cost. Humans and Giants in total use 185 AP and Elves use 146 AP total. At Rank 9 the skill will start to add Strength and Will, and at Rank 5 the skill will start to add Splash Damage (but in turn, the AP needed will suddenly ramp up from 12 to 20). The Master Title "Smash Master" will add 20 Stamina, 20 Strength, and 20 Luck. But in turn, reduce 10 Protection and 20 Dex.


Damage
Smash tends to raise it's damage by increments of 10% to 50% an Splash Damage will be 10% (at Rank 1 it becomes 20%), capping at 500%. Meaning, if you do about 100 damage, it' a possibility you'll do 450-550-ish using Smash.


Techniques
One I naturally do to Single-Aggro Monsters is something I call Revolver. This combo consists of a preliminary Smash, followed by a pattern of Counterattack and Windmill. Smash makes this skill very easy to perform and can finish off monsters quickly if the monster your targeting just barely survive the Smash.

Another one is Smashmill. Smashmill uses two skills, Smash and Windmill (ofc). Simply put, alternate between Smash and Windmill. Very effective if you know how much distance to put between you and your target (preferably, about less than half of the size of a Dungeon Room in Ciar).

If your doing a 2-person dungeon run, Smash Tennis might be preferable. The first person would use Smash and utilize it's knockback and send it to the second person. The second person would Smash on the boss again and then immediately load up Windmill use it right before the target attacks, sending the target back to the first person. Rinse and Repeat. Be careful not to use this against monsters who like to attack very quickly after getting hit or counters Smash with Counterattack or Windmill after being hit.

One final combo (suggested by Strawberry) that I completely forgot (and believe it or not, I even actually used) is Smash Assault. Basically, hit a target with smash then execute Assault Smash. This adds some extra damage to Smash if your using it as a preliminary attack, but you'll gamble your distance between you and your enemy. Use as needed.


Instinctive Reaction
Once you fight stronger monsters, it might not be a bad idea to do some research. To be more specific, I'm referring to Instinctive Reaction (this one was one of the very few things I had to look up). This is a passive skill almost all monsters have, but are barely noticeable until later on. What is it basically? Essentially, something that alerts other monsters to aggro you if your attacking another monster nearby. What does this have to do with Smash? Because some monsters can sometimes automatically use counterattack if Smash is used for a first hit. Deadly. Normally this would make my statement "Smash in my opinion is a popular skill to start off a boss" null and void, but only a handful of monsters posses it. A way you can ignore Instinctive Reaction altogether is simply letting your pet attack first (thanks, Strawberry!)


Misc. Points

• Smash actually has an increased Crit rate if used with a Two-Handed Sword, Blunt Weapon, or Lance.
• Even though Smash ignores the Defense skill, it doesn't ignore the Monster's Protection and Defense stats.
• Smash with a Two-Handed sword is actually stronger overall (600% at Rank 1).
• Smash's animation is changed based on weapon and race (this is purely cosmetic).
• Splash range is dependent on weapon.
• Monsters are invincible awhile they're midair when Smashed. This is the only skill that does this.
• Elves, Humans, and Giants take different times to charge up the skill (2.5 seconds, 2 seconds, and 1.6 seconds, respectively)

In Conclusion
Smash is a warrior friendly skill to take down even the toughest foes. Even if your not a warrior, it's nice to at least have the skill, so you can follow up with your Magic or Alchemy attacks. It's worth to have, it's nice to have, and it's definitely convenient to have.




Information primarily from the mind of Reginald, and extra information from friends and guildmates! Testing on Instinctive reaction for this guide was me, but definitely not discovered by me. If you want to put this guide on any other website, pop a PM!

Comments and feedback (hate or love) is accepted! Thanks!

[Claudia]

Mm, very nice, I like it.

I even learned something new! ~

[Cho]

Smash's percentage increases to 600% damage for 2 handed swords. You may add it to the Misc facts about it, but it's a good thing to know statistically how much.

Also, Smash to Assault Slash is also used quite often, you could as well also add it to the techniques part as well.

Extra tips could be that if you wanted to Smash something with Instinctive Reaction without getting hit in the first place, you could use a pet to take the hit off the monster's Instinctive Reaction, while you land the Smash. But be aware that for mobs that splash such as the Shadow Commander, keep your pets well away from you when you've got Smash loaded.
Pets that stun such as the Thunder Dragon and the Crystal Deer upon being summoned also can help you land a Smash on a mob like that, safe and sound, sort of safer in case you rubber band back to your pet spot in case of lag, etc.

Overall though, great guide. x]

[Lie]

Also, don't forget to mention about Stamina use! Important for beginners to look after.

10 Stamina Points at r1 Smash can be troublesome for those low on SP potion fundings.

[Cho]

Also, don't forget to mention about Stamina use! Important for beginners to look after.

10 Stamina Points at r1 Smash can be troublesome for those low on SP potion fundings.

Pfft, Cypress Healer works on a secondary weapon, little need for stamina potions if you can swap in and out the weapon somewhere in between.

Rank 1 Windmill would be the same in a way. D:

Edit: Production Mastery gives 10 Stamina per rank? ; ;

[Lie]

Pfft, Cypress Healer works on a secondary weapon, little need for stamina potions if you can swap in and out the weapon somewhere in between.

Rank 1 Windmill would be the same in a way. D:

I was speaking in terms for newbies who can't afford Cypress or the Enchant rank for Healer.

[Reginald]

Thanks for the pointers, I'll add them to the guide right away (with proper credits of course)!

[SUNFLARE]

You Didnt even add Charge Mill :( but overall 7/10

[Idris]

Smash is most easily countered with a normal melee attack. Which is what Instinctive reaction really consists of; if you wanted to confirm that it'd not Countering you attack it's pretty easy; use your strongest weapon to smash, and compare the damage the instinctive reactions do to you with the damage caused while you're wielding something weak like a gathering knife.

Also- another way to avoid instinctive reactions is not to have your pet attack them, but simply summon a pet with splash AoE damage (firehorse, dragon, crystal deer)

All in all, it's good to see some credit for this skill. Such a mainstay for my adventures/grinding on Mabinogi.

[Zyrus]

Nice job on your first guide. Hope you write many more soon. If I may suggest adding videos for combat skill guides to show newbies how to use the skill in different situations (smash with stun pets, or smashmill etc etc.

Nice to see new contributers.