HTP or MoN for Night Lords? [2024] uwu (2024)

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I don't want to read or understand anything:
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If you don't have auf circlet, then HTP. If yes then MoN. You can close this page now.

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Introduction:
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This is a simple guide for the worst class since Lionheart Castle came out--Night Lord, to decide whether you should use a Horntail Pendant(HTP) or Mark of Naricain(MoN) for your better game experience generally.
This guide is currently text only, I will add pictires more later when I got bored again uwu
Before this guide, make sure you have some basic knowledge knowing how to build your AP and gears for your NL, I will not talk about these in my post. You may see those information in my friend's guide here.

I made this guide because my friend @xDarkomantis keep asking me to do this instead of post under his super pro NL guide. You won my friend, you convinced me wasting another three hours to post a guide on a game I don't really care anymore.
I'm not an English native nor understanding any kind of grammar thing, please forgive me if my words are dirty or hard to understand, and feel free correcting me. I spent half of my time on English stuff when making guide uwu

In this guide you will learn:
a. How to calculate damage for your NL
b. Why you choose an HTP or MoN
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Section A: How to calculate damage?
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Calculator
How to use
To be honest, if you know how and why this calculator, it's totally fine to skip my guide.

In this game, a v83 MapleStory, your damage is calculated by client with following steps. There is a lot of imformation but I simplified them already for NL's case so it should be very easy to understand. If you want some more detailed imformation you can find it here. And then, those actual formulas will be provided in the example section instead of here, means you only need to casually browse these explanations.

Step 1. Find the base min and base max damage from the damage formula. Triple Throw and a few other skills of other jobs have its special formula here. In this step, the "Weapon Attack" parameter means your total Weapon Attack, including the buff with Weapon Attack boost and the projectile, and also the skill "Echo of Hero" which gives 4% bonus furthermore.
Side note: While the entire calculation doesn't seem to be wrong comparing the result of numbers finally seeing in game, I actually don't have any source showing how echo works. If you have source by any chance please let me know and correct my post.

Step 2. Multiply the number by any applicable skill modifiers. While this is most about elemental or magic stuff that NL doesn't care.

Step 3. Calculate things about the monster's defense, then use number of base damage to minus it. Remind that defense(or magic defense) is the only non-linear factor in the whole calculation, and it's before the skill percentage multipliers, it actually matters.

Step 4. Select a number within the range of (min,max) which doesn't have to be an integer. This step doesn't matter much generally, you may pick the middle number as average if you doing DPM calculating, or like my example following uses the max number.

Step 5. Find the damage multiplier, typically this is the percentage in the skill description. Remind that shadow partner skill has a misleading description says "normal attack 80%" but this means the attack you pressing Ctrl. Your lower lines of Triple Throw are not affected, or say it's 100%.

See Also

NA REBOOT OGE MAIL 28X EXPLORER MAGE 67K STAT 9K LEGION ROR4 10 B... | ID 210422471 | PlayerAuctionsPirate - [Guide] Krythan's Buccaneer Washing Guide | Washing Your SI/TL Mule

Step 6. Find the critical bonuses multiplier, typically this is the percentage in the skill description too.

Step 7. Add on values from Step 5. and 6. then multiply it with the base damage number in step 4.

Step 8. Check if the number from step 6. is within the range of (1, 199999), if not, replace it with 1 or 199,999 respectively. NLs will never hit 199999 so don't worry about it.

Step 9. Multiply by any After-Modifiers. While Triple Throw doesn't have any so don't worry about it. Usually you do this on skills like Piercing Arrow, and this is the reason why it breaks damage cap.

Step 10. Round down to an integer, and this is the number you seeing in game really.

From here, you may read more carefully while it's totally okay to forget everything above. Let's take a look of an actual example now.
I assume
I have MW20/SE/echo/stopper buffs,
1200 total LUK and 210 total WA before echo,
I use my TT skill on a monster with 1000 WDEF,
my damage of a lower line in this TT will be:

Step 1:
The TT formula is
max=LUK *5*WA/100,
min=LUK*2.5*Weapon Attack/100.
Where
LUK is the number you seeing when pressing the S key, MW20 is included here,
and WA is the number of your total weapon attack, where gears, throwing star, attack potion and echo are all included here.
For the ease of explaining, I calculate max only, so the max of base damage number is:
1200*5*(210*1.04)/100=13104.

I assume this character is a casual player but leveled to 200 already so LUK should be close to 1200 with gears and MW20. With some affordable gears that provides WA stat in the current meta, like a 81 WA RC, a total 35 WA CGS set, 5WA from rings and medal, and some 29 WA Crystal Ilbis, that is 150 WA or 210 WA after stopper.

Step 3:
The WDEF formula is
max=(max before defense)*(1 - 0.01*D)-WDEF*0.5,
min=(min before defense)*(1 - 0.01*D)-WDEF*0.6.
Where
D is (monster level-player level) if (monster level>player level), and 0 otherwise.
For the ease of calculation I assume monster has fixed WDEF value and player level is 200 here, so:
D=0,
max=12480-1000*0.5=12604.
Remind that some monsters have WDEF buff and paladins have Coma skill, these affect the actual damage in real cases. You may assume another average number here if you are doing on a specific boss case.

Step 5 and 6:
TT has 150% damage at level 30.
Critcal Throw has +100% damage at level 30, when success.
SE has +140% damage at level 30. SE damage will be plused to Critical Throw(instaed of multiplying it by 1.4), this is one of the reason NL is powerful with SE.
So the critical hit nultiplier is 150%+100%+140%=390%.
This 390% is fixed and being used in every cases, so you may memorize that NL's critical shot equals to base damage*3.9 if you can.
Side note: Shadow partner is a skill copying your TT lower lines then multiply it by 50% at level 30, we should ignore it now because we are talking about max damage. I have yet figure out entirely what actually this skill does on lower levels though.

Step 7 and after:
Through those steps we finally get
roundDown(12604*390%)=49155
with no further factors affect the damage.
The max damage of this case is 49155, and is the acutal maximum you can possibly see in game.

These things above is quite complex, however I will do the summary them for you which can be memorized very easily:
Here is the only thing you have to memorize, the simplified formula for NL's damage is:
Damage = Total LUK * Total WA.
Because all other factors/constants/RNGs are not dramatically/just not at all affecting, and can be disgard when only comparing which gear is better.
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Section B: HTP or MoN?
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While I just have told you that you can forget all detail and only memorize one formula, if you have read the post carefully, you probably have noticed that there are a lot of factors affecting your DPM in real case, so, to choose HTP or MoN. And then In this section, I will talk about the current meta of NLs in MapleRoyals, and why I would recommend players use HTP in nowadays meta.

From section A above we already know that:

1. Damage depends on LUK and WA, but not your range in ability window, nor to do with DEX or STR. Again, D=L*A.

2. With 1. that DEX should go as low as possible, best to just match the maximum requirement(usually be your Red Craven or Dragon Purple Sleeve i.e. 140 or 150).

3. Attack potion will affect how much damage 1 extra LUK or WA can do, almost every cases you playing the game as 4th job NL you using whatever attack potion instead of none.

4. A claw got lower WA number compare to other weapon types, this makes the potion affect even more naturally, you should never only consider your clean range, but you consider damage with real case in game, included attack potion.

Let's talk about my case, an NL played years while not maining other classes at all but yet reaching the ultimate goal, as an example and also share my experience these years. A quick summary, being an NL it's fine to use a non-godly HTP then forget about your pendant slot, for a very long period.
And belows are my points:

1. The actual difference
I have a 6DEX/7LUK/8WA MoN(after countless looting F5), and a non-godly HTP which is 23DEX/23LUK. I don't have +20 Auf circlet, my base DEX is still at 43. If I change to HTP, I can reset my base DEX to 25, without changing other gears I'm using now.

My raw numbers from the simplified formula D=L*A are below, I'm using MoN now so the HTP number is an assumpotion that I reset base DEX to 25:
Stopper for MoN: 306,180
Stopper for HTP: 305,244
(MoN better)

Apple for MoN: 354,780
Apple for HTP: 355,284
(HTP better)

Gelt for MoN: 379,080
Gelt for HTP: 380,304
(HTP better)

The difference of these numbers are round 1000, but this number is yet meaningful. We want to know how big or how small is the real DPM difference, that's more useful and easier to imagine.
Because there are a lot of other factors affecting the DPM, we should use the complex version of formulas. Or easier, use a ready-made DPM calculator to check the actual difference. As the result, this 1000 makes 300k DPM difference. The calculator doesn't seem to have the monster defense factor, though.
Imagine a 20 minutes boss fight, is 300k per minute a lot? How long extra you need to be in the run for the 6M damage? I would say, not big deal, the truth is a non-godly HTP performs barely same damage output as a godly 8WA MoN in real cases. Finding out my 8WA MoN only doing same good as 23/23 HTP, I feel wasted years to get it.

Also cases that the potion is above HeartStopper like Onyx Apple, it's HTP's turn having that 300k DPM advantage. Considering the most common cases of boss runs nowadays we at least use stoppers, I would say 8WA MoN just tied with 23/23 HTP.

Talking about a 4th job NL in endgame grinding, we know that NLs suck at rose garden, plus this server is multi-client story elsewhere, maining NL means your life is boss with buffs, not one solo character, energizer cases are relatively rare.

2. Gear build and main/secondary stat myth
Difficulty to reach 25 base DEX is the first thing you need to think about. As I said above, I played years already but yet getting there. It's actually not very easy to get there in a single day, nor you have the necessity getting it any time soon, this will be explained below.

In this post it explains well LUK gears and DEX gears are same good as long as not overflowing(i.e. above Red Craven or Dragon Purplr Sleeve's requirement). If your DEX still overflowing with HTP and 25 base, that's because of DEX gearing. You may spend your mesos on changing DEX gear to LUK gear and make it good, which is still easier/cheaper than getting 8WA MoN(see the point 3. below).
On meso wise, there are some certain popular gears make LUK gears much more easier to access. Even your base dex is at 25 and overflowing with HTP already, you may still consider HTP if you find a slot that replacing LUK gear is cheaper than DEX gear, Ifia's Earring is a good example that made LUK earrings much cheaper nowadays.
Additionally, one of those reasons why I have not got my base DEX to 25 is that I have decent accessories provides LUK stats. I don't need to change them any time soon. This may happens to you possibly.

I totally forgot so I skipped a gear in the previous section, but remind that there is an untradeable WA gear called Von Leon's Belt, which is also a slot providing some WA. This is not an easy-to-get item, especially you going for one better than Dojo's black belt so I didn't add into my example of calculation. But this will push the use of MoN down even more. Every extra point you get on WA will make your next point loss a little bit of weight (the first point is ΔD=L/A and the next will be ΔD=L/(A+1)).
(Gear build notes credit to @Sylafia)

3. The time cost
Your chance to get 8WA MoN is 1 in 360 loots, to get a 8WA MoN you need to spend a looooot of time. Until godly system is confirmed 5% recently, this made me wasted a lot of meso and time. When Geyforlife made the post about HTP vs. MoN, it was announced 10% so he calculated it as 1 in 180. Considering points 1. above, a non-godly HTP doing same good or better than a 8WA MoN, I would say it's totally fine to just use a non-godly HTP.
Yeah, never buy any vip runs of pure relooting, you should know that the pendant slot gives you very low(godly HTP case) or zero(godly MoN case) increase of damage, compare to the time cost this advantage is too little.

On my own experience, no buyer runs are very common nowadays, so if you have a chance to reloot HTP for free, it's good and you should go for it, in the hope of getting godly HTP that beats 8WA MoN furthermore. But when it comes to free MoN relooting, I recommend you give it to your non-NL friends, as those calculations above, you already know that even a MoN is 8WA it's still a close-to-zero advantage for NL.
The only exception is, buying 1 run of your first HTP is recommended. And it would be best if you can be right after you hit level 120.

While it may be the case your claw and CGS set are not very good, so a 8WA MoN provides better number(bigger than 1000 on raw data). Again, you should check real difference of DPM, and make sure the time/meso cost worth you do it. A friendly reminder here, in this case you probably being asked to use onyx apple, an actual case of gaming you need to consider how people judge you also.
Simply, just don't waste your time and meso on pendant slot.

4. The only case for those people not needing this guide
All contents above I assumed an NL who doesn't have the super end game item, the +20 Auf Haven Circlet, because it's super hard to get and only very few people in Royals have gone that far.
The circlet is so powerful that gives many stats, when combining with HTP that definitely makes you DEX overflowing, even with 25 base DEX and all LUK wise gears. In this case HTP no longer gives extra advantage of DEX resetting, plus the extra ~87 LUK on your hat, total LUK should not be like the example says 1200. WA's weight in the formula becoming bigger again so the 8WA MoN will difinitely win in this case.

While as I said in title, if you are this type of people, you don't really need my noob guide. If the case you wasting your life getting +20 Auf, It's not too late to waste your life on MoN at this time either.

Enough talk, the conclusion is:
Until the day it makes larger difference like +20 Auf case, HTP should be your choice, no matter godly or not.
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Credits and Links:
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Thanks @Geyforlife for the DPM calculator which is very accurate.
Thanks @xDarkomantis for nice NL guide but you should stop saying CWK is good F5
Also thanks to resources on the internet that is open source, and you coming my TED talk here uwu

Darko's Night Lord Guide [2024]
MapleStory Formula Compilation
Damage calculator - All classes
[Mythbusters] Secondary Stat is better on gear
Staff Blog: September 2022 (the day we got godly system clarification) and 'Godly Items' Explained (saying 1 in 20 in this post while it was 10 before)