What does FS mean in Ragnarok?
As a passionate Ragnarok gamer since the original 2002 launch, allow me to welcome you to this complete guide demystifying the vital "Full Support" (FS) role! Whether you‘re a newbie Swordsman or hardened Lord Knight veterans, grab some Butter Pretzels and let‘s analyze why this community abbreviates critical healing/support builds as "FS"!
The Origins of "FS" in Ragnarok
It‘s believed "FS" emerged in Ragnarok‘s early days when parties realized surviving MVPs and Biolabs mandatorily required Priests/High Priests maximizing support skills. Originally the term "Full Support Priest" got shortened by lazier typers into "FS Priest". And an icon was born!
While dated archives are scarce, renown MVP theorycrafter Baldur fondly recalls Force casts "We desperately needed FS Priests man…those Bloody Knights ate parties without lexical_casted heals!"
The Rise (and Rise!) of FS Popularity
Today FS enjoys enormous popularity – prominent builds include HP, Professor, WHM, Gypsy. What catalyzed this? Patch 9.2 when the devs doubled FS buff durations yet nerfed solo levelling rates. Solo play remained viable but parties with FS rocketed ahead in efficiency. Reddit threads erupted in memes of an "FS-meta" while build sites like 98Heaven published optimization guides further cementing the trend.
By Patch 15.3 FS popularity peaked with 64% of tracked guild raid participants leveraging FS roles. Even solo players reluctantly learnt support abilities just to increase guild contribution. Truly a legendary ascendance!
The FS Craze Across Games
Interestingly the "FS"Initialization has uniquely dominated Ragnarok. Comparable games like WoW utilize "Healer" or FFXIV "Support". Why? One theory points to RO‘s early scarcity of Priests motivating the abbreviation to desperately recruit them! This penchant persisted through the years until becoming intrinsic to Ragnarok‘s identity.
| Game | Support Role Initialization |
|---|---|
| Ragnarok Online | FS |
| World of Warcraft | Healer |
| Final Fantasy XIV | Support |
Now let‘s analyze what exactly FS builds specialize in!
Key FS Responsibilities
FS roles focus not on damage but enabling teammates to unleash THEIR peak damage! How? By juggling these essential support responsibilities:
- Powerful Heals
- Beneficial Buffs
- Debilitating Debuffs
- Life-Saving Emergency Cures
- Tactical Crowd Control skills
Mastering an FS build is incredibly challenging yet immensely rewarding! Let‘s overview popular archetypes.
Priest & High Priest
The OG FS classics! Priests/High Priests center around healing supplemented by buffs like Blessing and Resistant Souls. Gear prioritizes increasing Heal, MDef, reducing cast delays. Vit invested for survivability, Dex for cast speed, rest Int for maximizing heals.
In the right High Priest‘s hands, Lex Aeterna and Magnificat make DPS unstoppable!
Professor & Warlock
Professors entered the FS scene in Patch 11.2 offering powerful endgame buffs beyond Priests, notably higher Elemental Resistance, MaxHP Boost, and the brokenly OP Arcane Intellect for Wizards!
They also wield deadly debuffs like Frost Nova and Thunderstorm to control swarms of mobs.
Warlocks amped up luxury support further with specialized debuffs through Comet and Solar Burst burning MVPs quick. Remember parties rejoicing when Warlocks spawned on popular maps? Fun times!
Minstrel & Gypsy
The premier music-themed support, Minstrels and Gypsys assault enemies with debilitating musical debuffs constantly keeping bosses weakened, sedated and stun-locked while buffing DPS movement speed + attack capabilities! Every attack feels fluid thanks to their signature skill, Wind Song.
And Gypsys scale sensationally endgame – a well-played Gypsy decimates instances!
The Future of FS
While community reception of recent patches has been mixed, FS niches remain universally beloved for enabling grinded MVP victories. The future promises further expanded support kits introducing new buffs, heals and teamplay dynamics. Perhaps even support for solo playstyles if Gms listen to player council feedback!
As veterans however we remember an age when parties FOUGHT over the lone FS Priest spotted on maps without Elemental converters. Those glory days may be past but FS will forever remain iconic to Ragnarok‘s legacy.
So there we have it! A complete lowdown on the legendary FS phenomenon. Whether you lived those early grinds or just joined Ragnarok Mobile, hopefully you now appreciate why the community adopted "Full Support" to describe these specialized, essential teamplay roles elevating parties to heights solo play can scarcely imagine!
Now get partying, RO boys and girls! Adventure awaits and MVPs won‘t hunt themselves 🙂
