PvM Mastery
The Hunter's Compendium records hunting knowledge, points, and the character's active build. Existing characters receive the book on their first login while the system is active; new characters receive it at creation. Keep it in the main backpack and double-click it to open.
How the system works
- Participate in killing eligible creatures to earn PvM Mastery XP.
- Accumulate the required XP and purchase points through the Compendium with gold from the backpack or bank.
- Find Scrolls of Knowledge to discover new masteries.
- Distribute points among the knowledge you have discovered.
- Choose up to five masteries for your active build.
A discovered mastery remains available to the character. Its levels also remain saved when it leaves the active build.
Progression and points
Each mastery has 20 levels. A character can hold up to 95 points and keep no more than five masteries active, enough to maximize five of them. After level 10, each new level continues with diminishing returns.
| Next point | XP requirement | Gold cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Each following point | +500 over the previous requirement | +1,000 over the previous cost |
In a group, each eligible participant receives a share of the XP:
| Eligible players | XP for each player |
|---|---|
| 1 | 100% |
| 2 | 80% |
| 3 | 70% |
| 4 | 60% |
| 5 or more | 50% |
To participate, the character must have looting rights and be within 18 tiles of the encounter. Points can be redistributed through the Compendium while the character is out of combat. This makes it possible to keep different setups for hunts, groups, or roles without losing progress.
Scrolls of Knowledge
Eligible creatures may leave Scrolls of Knowledge on the corpse. Each scroll belongs to a Slayer family and reveals a mastery from that family. The Compendium shows the family of each piece of knowledge that is still locked, helping players choose which creatures to hunt.
The seven families are Undead, Humanoid, Reptilian, Abyssal, Elemental, Arachnid, and Fey. Rarities indicate the general type of knowledge:
- Basic: a direct, consistent improvement;
- Proc: an effect that may trigger during combat;
- Synergy: rewards a condition, sequence, or combination;
- Area: interacts with nearby eligible creatures.
Use these examples to recognize each family. They do not guarantee a scroll: they only show familiar creatures that belong to the group.
| Family | Creature examples |
|---|---|
| Undead | Zombie, Skeleton, and Lich |
| Humanoid | Orc, Ogre, and Troll |
| Reptilian | Lizardman, Drake, and Dragon |
| Abyssal | Imp, Daemon, and Balron |
| Elemental | Earth Elemental, Fire Elemental, and Water Elemental |
| Arachnid | Giant Spider, Scorpion, and Terathan |
| Fey | Pixie, Wisp, and Centaur |
The scroll uses the normal corpse loot lifetime. A mastery does not need to be active for its scroll to drop. After discovering a mastery, use the Compendium to track its level and read the description shown in game.
Live 0.15.0 resource Masteries
Live added five Masteries that convert part of defensive or offensive resources into PvM sustain:
| Mastery | Summary |
|---|---|
| Mana Shield | Pays part of incoming PvM damage with mana. |
| Vigor Shield | Pays part of incoming PvM damage with stamina. |
| Arcane Exertion | Pays part of eligible spell mana costs with stamina. |
| Blood Magic | Pays part of eligible spell mana costs with health. |
| Hit Stamina Leech | Restores stamina from effective direct weapon damage against eligible PvM creatures. |
These five Masteries scale from 5% to 9.5% and preserve the PvP and Arena exclusions. The first learned Mastery can be added to the build automatically at level 1 when the combat log is enabled; the Compendium provides clearer guidance and controls.
0.40.0 catalog
Offense and resources
| Mastery | Family | Rarity | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit Life Leech | Undead | Basic | Restores health from effective PvM damage. Helps characters that remain in combat for longer. |
| Hit Mana Leech | Undead | Basic | Restores mana from effective PvM damage. Useful for builds that consume mana frequently. |
| Melee Damage Increase | Humanoid | Basic | Increases direct Melee damage against creatures. |
| Archery Damage Increase | Reptilian | Basic | Increases direct Archery damage against creatures. |
| Spell Damage Increase | Abyssal | Basic | Increases magical PvM damage dealt directly by the character. |
| Melee Hit Chance Increase | Humanoid | Basic | Improves the chance to hit with Melee attacks in PvM. |
| Archery Hit Chance Increase | Reptilian | Basic | Improves the chance to hit with Archery attacks in PvM. |
| Hit Lightning Chance | Elemental | Proc | May add magical Lightning when dealing compatible PvM damage. |
Defense and control
| Mastery | Family | Rarity | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parrying Block Chance Increase | Fey | Basic | Improves the normal chance to block with Parrying. |
| Physical Damage Resistance | Elemental | Basic | Reduces incoming physical PvM damage. |
| Magic Damage Resistance | Abyssal | Basic | Reduces incoming magical PvM damage. |
| Spell Effect Resistance | Undead | Basic | May negate eligible hostile magical effects. |
| Hit Paralyze Chance | Arachnid | Proc | May paralyze a creature after a direct weapon attack. |
| Paralyzed Damage Bonus | Arachnid | Synergy | Strengthens the next compatible attack against a paralyzed creature. It pairs naturally with sources of paralyze. |
Hunting rhythm, area, and support
| Mastery | Family | Rarity | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hit Effect Area | Elemental | Area | May distribute an attack's effect among nearby PvM creatures. The original effect is divided, not duplicated. |
| Relentless Focus | Abyssal | Synergy | Increases damage while pressure is maintained on the same creature. It is designed for tougher targets. |
| Focused Hunter | Humanoid | Synergy | Builds strength through consecutive kills from the same Slayer group. Charges last 90 seconds and each matching kill refreshes their shared duration. |
| Versatile Hunter | Fey | Synergy | Strengthens the first direct attack against creature types not faced recently. It favors varied hunting routes. |
| Resonant Cascade | Arachnid | Area | May spread targeted Peacemaking, Discordance, or Provocation to other nearby eligible creatures. |
| Summoned Vitality | Reptilian | Basic | Increases the maximum and current health of player-created summons while active. |
| Summoner's Bond | Arachnid | Basic | Redirects part of eligible PvM damage from player-created summons to their summoner while preserving a safe 10-Hit floor. |
| Unbroken Calling | Reptilian | Synergy | Relatively increases the success chance of the six eighth-circle summons and may also appear on PvM jewelry. |
Arcane Disruption
Arcane Disruption is a new PvM Mastery. While active, positive direct damage dealt by the player may make an eligible wild creature fizzle while casting. The effect belongs to eligible PvM encounters; do not treat it as a general PvP or Arena rule.
Its chance uses the full value granted by Mastery level and PvM jewelry, without the former specific 12.5% cap.
Eighth-circle summons
The six eighth-circle summoning spells use a 2% to 98% success curve when cast from a Spellbook, reaching 75% at 100.0 Magery. Scrolls, NPCs, and other spells do not use this curve.
0.40.0 melee Masteries
For their first ten levels, the four Masteries below advance by 0.25 percentage point per level. Levels 11 through 20 continue with diminishing returns. Their effects remain limited to eligible PvM encounters and do not work against players or in the Arena.
| Mastery | Family | Level 1–10 range | What it offers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodbound Renewal | Undead | 7.50%–9.75% | May invoke Greater Heal on a positive primary melee hit. The effect uses no Words of Power, reagents, or mana. |
| Mirrorblade Aegis | Abyssal | 7.50%–9.75% | May grant one Magic Reflection charge on a positive primary melee hit. The effect uses no Words of Power, reagents, or mana. |
| Arcane Bastion | Elemental | 5.00%–7.25% | May nullify eligible creature PvM damage for 6 seconds after the creature's spell resolves. |
| Crimson Wrath | Humanoid | 5.00%–7.25% | May prepare the next positive primary melee hit for up to 8 seconds, adding 100% of its pre-Paralyzed-Damage-Bonus damage. |
Crimson Wrath arms one charge and does not refresh it while it is active.
See PvM rewards for the temporary bonus that may come from Loot Pack jewelry.
Example builds
The combinations below are starting points, not mandatory recipes. The best setup depends on discovered scrolls, equipment, creature type, and whether the character hunts alone or in a group.
Sustained Melee
- Core: Melee Damage Increase, Melee Hit Chance Increase, and Hit Life Leech.
- Flexible slots: Relentless Focus for tougher targets; Physical Damage Resistance or Magic Damage Resistance according to the hunt's main threat.
Versatile Archer
- Core: Archery Damage Increase, Archery Hit Chance Increase, and Hit Life Leech.
- Flexible slots: Versatile Hunter for routes with varied enemies; one resistance to reduce the main source of incoming damage.
Offensive Mage
- Core: Spell Damage Increase, Hit Mana Leech, and Hit Lightning Chance.
- Flexible slots: Magic Damage Resistance and Spell Effect Resistance for greater safety, or Relentless Focus against more durable creatures.
Defense and survival
- Core: Physical Damage Resistance, Magic Damage Resistance, and Spell Effect Resistance.
- Flexible slots: Parrying Block Chance Increase for characters using Parrying; Hit Life Leech for recovery during combat.
Paralyze control
- Core: Hit Paralyze Chance and Paralyzed Damage Bonus.
- Flexible slots: a damage mastery suited to the weapon, Hit Effect Area for groups, and a defensive option.
Group Bard
- Core: Resonant Cascade to extend the practical reach of targeted Barding skills.
- Flexible slots: resistances to remain safe while controlling the encounter, plus resource or damage masteries compatible with the rest of the character.
Resonant Cascade may begin after a successful targeted Peacemaking, Discordance, or Provocation action and spread that control to other nearby eligible PvM creatures. Area Peacemaking, failed attempts, and ineligible targets do not start the echo. The original action still uses its instrument and skill check normally.
Durable Summoner
- Core: Summoned Vitality to improve the survival of player-created summons; Summoner's Bond to redirect part of eligible damage to the summoner.
- Flexible slots: Spell Damage Increase for the character's direct magical attacks, mana recovery, and resistances suited to the hunt.
Choosing your five slots
Start by identifying the problem that limits the hunt most:
- if enemies take too long to defeat, combine the damage mastery for your style with accuracy or a synergy suited to the encounter;
- if health or mana runs out too quickly, prioritize the matching leech;
- if the character takes sudden bursts of damage, choose physical, magical, or effect resistance according to the threat;
- if the build is already stable, use the remaining slots for specialization, area, control, or support;
- in a group, do not judge only personal damage: control, survival, and consistency also improve the team's results.
Test one change at a time and use the Compendium's optional combat record to compare discovered masteries. The record can also be enabled when the Mastery comes from equipped DoB jewelry, even when the jewelry is the only activation source. Remember to leave combat before redistributing points.
Limits
PvM Mastery works only in eligible PvM encounters. It grants no effects against players, controlled pets, opposing summons, Arena participants, or during recent PvP aggression.
See PvM rewards for XP, Loot Packs, jewelry, and amulets.
See also Achievements for the introductory path and activity achievements.
Status: 0.40.0
The Hunter's Compendium provides dedicated progression for characters who fight creatures.