Kain is an edgy edition to the MapleStory family. Kain is a Nova and Archer class. The class is similar to Cadena and Ark in the way the skills work. The class lacks Sharp Eyes and a bind but has a great link skill and a bunch of flashy skills. The class can be very intensive since you’ll need almost all your skills and know when to use them. But if you like the challenge and the look of the class, this might be your new main!
Kain is a class that has great mobility but also requires you to manage marks and combos which can be annoying. Make sure to make one since the Link skill is very good.
Kain Link Skill
Kain link skill is, Time to Prepare:
- Level 1: When you kill 8 enemies or hit a boss monster 9 times, complete 1 preparation. When you have 5 preparations, your damage is increased by 9% for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 40 seconds
- Level 2: When you kill 8 enemies or hit a boss monster 17 times, complete 1 preparation. When you have 5 preparations, your damage is increased by 17% for 20 seconds. Cooldown: 40 seconds
Kain Legion Effect
Kain’s legion effect is Flat DEX.
| Rank B | Rank A | Rank S | Rank SS | Rank SSS |
| +10 | +20 | +40 | +80 | +100 |
Rank SSS: Level 250
Rank SS: Level 200-249
Rank S: Level 140-199
Rank A: Level 100-139
Rank B: Level 60-99
Kain 1st Job Skill Build
Kain’s 1st job is pretty simple, you use Strike Arrow to mob and try to get used to Shadow Step and Grappling Wire.
Shadow Step is great since you get a small duration of Dark Sight at the end of the movement. Note that killing mobs with Execution skills reset Shadow Step.
If you have a decent Legion, 3-4k +, it’s better to put points into mobility first but, if you don’t, focus your points into your damage skill and damage boost first.
Kain 1st job skill build is,
- Strike Arrow (+1), Shadow Step (+1), Shadow Swift (+1)
- Grappling Wire (+1)
- Shadow Swift (MAX)
- Ghost Walk (MAX)
- Assassin (MAX)
- Strike Arrow (MAX)
- Shadow Step (MAX)
- Grappling Wire (MAX)
Kain 1st Job Skill Explanation
| Skill Name | Max Lvl Description | Purpose |
  Strike Arrow | Consumes 14 MP. Deals 70% damage 5 times on up to 4 enemies Arrow Fragments: Deals 55% damage 5 times on up to 3 enemies not hit by Strike Arrow | Main Mobbing Skill for 1st Job |
 Shadow Step | Consumes 30 MP Cooldown: 10 seconds Passive effect: 10 speed | Mobility Skill for going left, right, up, and down |
 Grappling Wire | Consumes 21 MP Fire a wire at a platform. Use the skill again to move on the wire Passive effect: 10 jump | Mobility Skill that helps you reach platforms and stay in the air for a bit |
 Shadow Swiftness | Consumes 10 MP. Jump a certain distance | Flash Jump Skill |
 Assassin | 40 attack, 35% critical rate, 50% stance, 15% max HP, 200 defense, 15% damage reduction | Passive Buff |
 Ghost Walk | 25% avoid, 20 speed, 20 maximum speed, 10 jump | Passive Buff |
Kain 2nd Job Skill Build
The 2nd job of Kain is where you get your Possess skills. The skill Possession will change your attacking skills to Possess Skill (if it has a possess form). Possess skills are stronger versions of the skill and can even hit more mobs and cover more area.
Because Kain is a gauge class you’ll need to charge points quickly to use your Possess Skills. The normal form of the skill will help you gain more points quickly.
Don’t forget to toggle on Dragon Fang.
Kain 2nd job skill build is,
- Strike Arrow 2 (+1), Dragon Fang (+1), Scattering Shot (+1)
- Whispershot Mastery (+5)
- Whispershot Booster (+1)
- Whispershot Mastery (MAX)
- Physical Training (MAX)
- Strike Arrow 2 (MAX)
- Dragon Fang (MAX)
- Whispershot Booster (MAX)
- Scattering Shot (MAX)
Kain 2nd Job Skill Explanation
| Skill Name | Max Lvl Description | Purpose |
 Possession | Create 10 Malice every few seconds Create 13 Malice when a Whispershot skill hits an enemy 100 Malice is required to acquire a Malice Stone. You can hold up to 2 Malice Stones at a time When you use the skill, consume 1 Malice Stone to enter Possession mode for 15 seconds Cooldown: 0.3 seconds | Changes your skills to Possess skills (You must press skill in order to use Possess forms so keep it on an easy to reach key) |
 Dragon Fang | When Kain’s own attacking skills hit an enemy, enter Attack Mode and activate Dragon Bite which tracks an enemy and deals 100% damage 4 times After Attack Mode is activated, up to 7 Dragon Bites will be cast and then return Damage is increased by 50% on normal monsters Up to 3 can be summoned Attack Mode activation cooldown: 3 seconds | Toggle On Skill that helps you deal damage on top of your other skills |
 Strike Arrow 2 | Consumes 14 MP. Deals 160% damage 5 times on up to 4 enemies Passive Effect: Strike Arrow’s damage is increased by 89%, arrow fragments’ damage is increased by 85% | Main Mobbing Skill for 2nd Job (more horizontal range) |
 [Possess] Strike Arrow | Consumes 14 MP. Deals 200% damage 8 times on up to 6 enemies | Upgrades alongside Strike Arrow and is changed into when you use Possession |
 Scattering Shot | Consumes 35 MP. Fire 5 arrows that each deal 120% damage 4 times. Each arrow can hit up to 2 enemies Damage is increased by 30% on normal monsters If multiple arrows hit 1 enemy, the 2nd and later arrows’ final damage will be decreased by 50% Prepare 1 Scattering Shot Cartridge every 6 seconds. You can hold up to 3 Cartridges at a time | Secondary Mobbing Skill for 2,3,4th Job (more of a vertical range) |
 [Possess] Scattering Shot | Consumes 35 MP. Fire 6 arrows that each deal 135% damage 4 times Damage is increased by 30% on normal monsters If multiple arrows hit 1 enemy, the 2nd and later arrows’ final damage will be decreased by 50% Re-possess cooldown: 6 seconds | Upgrades alongside Strike Arrow and is changed into when you use Possession |
 Whispershot Booster | Consumes 10 MP. For 200 seconds, increase the Whispershot’s attack speed | Active Buff for Attack Speed |
 Whispershot Mastery | Whispershot mastery increased to 50%. 40 attack | Passive Buff |
 Physical Training | permanently increases dexterity 60 DEX | Passive Buff |
Kain 3rd Job Skill Build
The 3rd job of Kain is where you are really getting to the core of the class. The Death’s Blessing Passive Skill makes it so that using an Execution skill after a Possess skill deals bonus damage and gives you a buff.
The Execution skills are really good for bossing since you can deal a ton of damage once you get max stacks. Scattering shot charges stacks quickly on a boss.
Some people prefer using the Execution skills to mob because killing a mob resets your Shadow Step and your mobility increases if done right. If you want to try this, Max Tearing Knife first instead of Strike Arrow.
But, an easy and more reliable way to mob will be the Strike Arrow, Scattering Shot, and Shaft Break combination.
Kain 3rd job skill build is,
- Strike Arrow 3 (+1), Shaft Break (+1), Lasting Grudge (+1)
- Death’s Blessing’s (+1), [Execute] Tearing Knife (+1), [Execute] Phantom Blade (+1)
- Natural Born Instinct (MAX)
- Grinding (MAX)
- Strike Arrow 3 (MAX)
- Lasting Grudge (MAX)
- Death’s Blessing (MAX)
- Shaft Break (MAX)
- [Execute] Tearing Knife (MAX)
- [Execute] Phantom Blade (MAX)
Kain 3rd Job Skill Build Explanation
| Skill Name | Max Lvl Description | Purpose |
 Strike Arrow 3 | Consumes 10 MP. Deals 240% damage 5 times on up to 4 enemies Passive Effect: Strike Arrow’s damage is increased by 79%p, Strike Arrow II’s damage is increased by 79% [Possess] Strike Arrow’s damage is increased by 80%p, arrow fragments’ damage is increased by 60% | Main Mobbing Skill for 3rd + 4th Job |
 Death’s Blessing | 90 second duration, stacks up to 15 times Materialized Blessing: Consume 1 Death Blessing stack to deal 140% damage 10 times and acquire the Merit buff Merit Buff: For 5 seconds, Death Blessing/Execute skills’ final damage is increased by 10% and create 10 Malice when an Execute skill hits an enemy and materializes the blessing | Passive Effect where you get benefits for using the Execute Skill after a Possess Skill on a mob (Possess skill will mark the mob and an Execute skill will activate that mark, dealing damage and giving you a buff) |
 Shaft Break | Consumes 67 MP. Deals 180% damage 3 times on up to 3 enemies When it collapses, it pulls in up to 7 enemies then explodes, dealing 140% damage 10 times on up to 10 enemies Prepare 1 Shaft Break Cartridge every 8 seconds You can hold up to 3 Cartridges at a time | Secondary Mobbing Skill for 3rd + 4th job and has good AoE |
 [Possess] Shaft Break | Consumes 67 MP. Deals 180% damage 3 times on up to 3 enemies When it collapses, it pulls in up to 7 enemies then explodes, dealing 220% damage 10 times on up to 10 enemies The tornado deals 40% damage 3 times on up to 10 enemies continuously Re-possess cooldown: 11 seconds | Upgrades alongside Strike Arrow and is changed into when you use Possession |
 [Execute] Phantom Blade | Consumes 30 MP. Deals 155% damage 6 times on up to 4 enemies | Mainly used to activate Death’s Blessing (this skill does not reset Shadow Step) |
 [Execute] Tearing Knife | Consumes 40 MP. Deals 210% damage 7 times on up to 4 enemies Cooldown: 4.5 seconds | If Bossing, use this skill to activate the Death’s Blessing mark after getting all the stacks you can (note that if your Execution skill kills a mob, it reset your Shadow Step) |
 Lasting Grudge | When a Possess skill or Thanatos Descent’s Area of Death is activated, create crystals for 10 seconds The number created changes depending on the used skill When activated, each crystal will deal 90% damage 4 times on 1 enemy Damage is increased by 100% on normal monsters Recreation cooldown: 0.3 seconds | Toggle On Skill (creates balls on the field and when you attack a mob near a ball, the ball will activate and attack the mob) |
 Natural Born Instinct | 20% final damage, 40 attack, 20% critical rate, 10% defense ignore, 30 status resistance, 30% elemental resistance | Passive Buff |
 Grinding | 20% max MP, 20% defense Scattering Shot’s damage is increased by 75% [Possess] Scattering Shot’s damage is increased by 80% Dragon Fang’s damage is increased by 50% | Passive Buff |
Kain 4th Job Skill Build
The 4th job for Kain isn’t anything crazy, you mainly get boosts to your current stuff and a few more skills. Your main mobbing skill will still be Strike Arrow 3 while Falling Dust is just a nice addition for some burst.
Weaving in some Execution skills is fun during your mobbing rotation but is not necessary unless you want to reset your Shadow Step. Remember to use the Execution skills mainly while bossing.
Kain 4th job skill build is,
- Falling Dust (+1), [Execute] Chain Sickle (+1), [Execute] Poison Needle (+1)
- Advanced Death’s Blessing (+1)
- Grinding 2 (MAX)
- Whispershot Expert (MAX)
- Dogma (MAX)
- Adapt to Death (MAX)
- Falling Dust (MAX)
- Advanced Death’s Blessing (MAX)
- [Execute] Poison Needle (MAX)
- [Execute] Chain Sickle (MAX)
- Nova Warrior (MAX)
- Dragon Scale (MAX)
- Nova Hero’s Will (MAX)
Kain 4th Job Skill Explanation
| Skill Name | Max Lvl Description | Purpose |
 Possession 2 | Malice created every few seconds is increased to 20 Malice created when a Whispershot skill hits an enemy is increased to 18, maximum number of Malice Stones is increased to 4 | Powers up your Gauge and helps you get more Malice |
 Advanced Death’s Blessing | Recover 5% max HP when you kill 50 enemies When the Death’s Blessing is materialized on boss monsters, recover 3% max HP Materialized Blessing: Damage is increased by 135% Merit Buff: Death’s Blessing/Execute skills’ final damage boost is increased by 5% Malice created when an Execute skill hits an enemy and materializes the blessing is increased by 2 | Powers up your Death’s Blessing (HP % recovery and Damage boost) |
 Falling Dust | Consumes 95 MP. Deals 410% damage 8 times on up to 12 enemies Prepare 1 Falling Dust Cartridge every 10 seconds You can hold up to 2 Cartridges at a time | Burst Skill (good for covering an area quickly) |
 [Possess] Falling Dust | Consumes 95 MP. Deals 420% damage 8 times on up to 12 enemies Afterwards, the malice erupts, dealing 240% damage 15 times on up to 15 enemies Re-possess cooldown: 14 seconds | Upgrades alongside Strike Arrow and is changed into when you use Possession |
 [Execute] Chain Sickle | Consumes 95 MP. Deals 200% damage 6 times on up to 5 enemies, then activates a final strike, dealing 200% damage 12 times on up to 5 enemies Cooldown: 7 seconds | Bossing + Burst Skills (great for activating Death’s Blessing) (note that if your Execution skill kills a mob, it reset your Shadow Step) |
 [Execute] Poison Needle | Consumes 105 MP. Deals 235% damage 8 times on up to 6 enemies After that, perform a continuous attack, dealing 190% damage 8 times on up to 6 enemies Enemies hit by the consecutive attack will be inflicted with DoT, dealing 290% damage every second for 12 seconds Cooldown: 15 seconds | Bossing + Burst Skills (great for activating Death’s Blessing) (note that if your Execution skill kills a mob, it reset your Shadow Step) |
 Dragon Scale | Consumes 8% max MP per second. Maximum key down time of 3.4 seconds Cooldown: 40 seconds Passive Effect: 30% avoid rate | I-Frame Skill (hold the key down and you can move during the cast) |
 Nova Warrior | Consumes 70 MP For 900 seconds, increases all stats of directly invested AP by 15% | Active Buff |
 Nova Temperance | Consumes 5 MP Removes Status Conditions Cooldown: 360 seconds | Active Skill that removes Abnormal Status |
 Grinding 2 | +30 attack Strike Arrow, Strike Arrow II, Strike Arrow III, and arrow fragments’ damage are increased by 100% [Possess] Strike Arrow’s damage is increased by 85% Scattering Shot’s damage is increased by 75% [Possess] Scattering Shot’s damage is increased by 80% Dragon Fang’s damage is increased by 70% Shaft Break’s arrows and explosion’s damage are increased by 60% [Possess] Shaft Break’s arrows and explosion’s damage are increased by 90%, tornado’s damage is increased by 15% [Execute] Phantom Blade’s damage is increased by 75% [Execute] Tearing Knife’s damage is increased by 95% Lasting Grudge’s damage is increased by 60% | Passive Buff that strengthens your damage skills |
 Dogma | 20% final damage, 20% critical damage, 30% defense ignore | Passive Buff |
 Whispershot Expert | Whispershot mastery increased to 70% 30% final damage, 30 attack, 20% critical damage | Passive Buff |
 Adapt to Death | 10% damage, 10% boss damage, 20% max HP, 15% damage reduction | Passive Buff |
Kain Hyper Skill Build
The best Kain hyper skill build is,
Whispershot – Guardbreak- Whispershot – Reinforce
- Whispershot – Boss Killer
- Lasting Grudge – Reinforce
- Execute – Reinforce
- Chasing Shot
- Unseen Sniper
- [Possess/Execute] Unseen Sniper
- Incarnation
Whispershot – Guardbreak
Whispershot – Reinforce
Whispershot – Boss Killer
Lasting Grudge – Reinforce
Execute – Reinforce
Chasing Shot
Unseen Sniper
[Possess/Execute] Unseen Sniper
IncarnationIf you are going to be using this class to do hard bosses you’ll probably want to use use Execute – Enhance instead of Execute – Reinforce since super stance is super valuable while doing harder bosses.
Kain 5th Job Skill Build
When you reach level 200 and get access to your V Matrix and new 5th job skills. The best way to level them up is through Nodestones and Experience nodes. Kain V Skills are,
[Possess] Dragon Burst
[Execute] Fatal Blitz
Thanatos Descent
Grip of Agony
Dragon Burst stacks the marks quickly and Fatal Blitz is your strongest [Execute] skill so, you’ll be wanting to use them together.
Kain Perfect Trio Nodes
Kain has 3 sets of nodes, The nodes are Strike Arrow, Death’s Blessing, Dragon Fang, Falling Dust, Shaft Burst, Scattering Shot, Phantom Blade, and Chain Sickle.
This set is more for mobbing
– Strike Arrow Boost
– Dragon Fang Boost
– Shaft Burst Boost
This set is good for both mobbing and bossing
– Death’s Blessing Boost
– Falling Dust Boost
– Scattering Shot Boost
Last set is your Execution skill set. Because those two boost nodes cover all the Execution skills, the last slot can be whatever else you want to boost.
– Chain Sickle and Poison Needle
– Phantom Blade and Tearing Knife
Some other good nodes would be Decent Sharp Eyes, Decent Speed Infusion, Guided Arrow, Vicious Shot, Erda Nova, Decent Combat Orders, and of course Decent Holy Symbol.
Also, you need Decent Sharp Eyes since Kain does not have it even though it’s an Archer.
Blink is also going to be changed and could be very good so, don’t get rid of them yet.
Kain 5th Job Skill Explanation
| Skill Name | Max Lvl Description | Purpose |
 [Possess] Dragon Burst | Consumes 750 MP Maximum key down duration of 5 seconds Deals 880% damage 12 times on up to 12 enemies continuously The attack can be activated up to 15 times. When all of the attack activations are used, the skill will immediately end You can change directions. After changing directions, you can change again after 0.5 seconds Cooldown: 90 seconds | Ka me ha me ha Boss Skill (great burst damage and horizontal coverage for a short duration) (When bossing use this first then [Execute] Fatal Blitz) |
 [Execute] Fatal Blitz | Consumes 750 MP. Deals 660% damage 12 times on up to 8 enemies continuously for 2 seconds The attack can be activated up to 14 times When all of the attack activations are used, the skill will immediately end Cooldown: 90 seconds | Burst and Bossing Skill (must use when you get boss to 15 stacks) |
 Thanatos Descent | Consumes 1000 MP For 35 seconds, increases your damage by 45% and stance by 50% Malice created every few seconds is increased to 40, Malice created when a Whispershot skill hits an enemy is increased to 35 When your own attacking skills hit an enemy, fire 6 Arrows of Death, each dealing 715% damage 3 times Damage is increased by 25% on normal monsters Reactivation cooldown: 3 seconds When the skill is reused, it will instantly end, creating an Area of Death which deals 1430% damage 15 times on up to 15 enemies continuously You are invincible during the cast action of the Area of Death Cooldown: 180 seconds | Full Map Attack Skill (first cast summons extra arrows when you mob and 2nd cast is a full map attack) (I-Frame during 2nd cast action) (increases your damage for a duration after skill use) |
 Grip of Agony | Passive Effect: When you kill 30 enemies or hit a boss monster 25 times, harvest 1 Agony. You can harvest up to 15 Agonies Consumes 1000 MP Requires a minimum of 1 Agony. Consumes all harvested Agonies to summon the Hands of Suffering for 6 seconds, dealing 1045% damage 6 times on up to 12 enemies continuously For every additional Agony, the duration is increased by 1 second Cooldown: 180 seconds | Summon Skill (duration gets longer the more Agonies you have) |