Staves

Overview

Staves are a two-handed weapon and, much like their counterpart, Clubs, Staves are used more often for their stat boosts than their damage. Early on, Staves tend to give minor bonuses to HP and MP; their usage increases at level 51, when players get access to the set of Elemental Staves, which boost the potency and accuracy of spells of specific elements (Slow, for example, gets a powerful accuracy boost when it is cast while the Earth Staff is equipped).

Although staves are primarily used by mages looking to boost stats, the Paladin and Monk jobs get some use out of a couple of staves, most notably for Paladins, the Earth Staff (for its -20% Physical Damage trait) and for later levels, the Primate Staff/Kinkobo (for its excellent damage capabilities against enemies weak against blunt damage). Staves also possess the powerful weaponskill Spirit Taker, which regenerates a large amount of MP for the user based on TP, and unlike Aspir, will work on any mob regardless of whether or not it has MP. This weaponskill allows mages and Paladin alike to increase their longevity in battle without having to resort to healing. It is important to note that the argument of "Staff Tanking" (using an Earth Staff as a Paladin in battle instead of a sword and shield) versus "Shield Tanking" is still a topic of great debate.

Although there are some staves built for damage (most noticably the "poles"), the stave class generally is not a preferred damage-dealing weapon - it has its situational uses, but for any melee looking to do damage, there is almost always a better weapon. With that said, mages and Paladin using the staff in a soloing situation may find the weapon and the skill very helpful, especially after Spirit Taker becomes a usable weaponskill.