Soul Linker Guide (Taekwon to Soul Ascetic)

Soul Linker is the Taekwon line's caster branch: a support class that hands out class-specific Spirit links, and at the same time one of the strongest solo levelers on dewataRO thanks to Esma. This page covers the whole line on this server: Taekwon, Soul Linker, Soul Reaper and Soul Ascetic. Every number below comes from the server's own scripts and skill database, not from the classic-era wiki.

The job path

Every change is free. The only conditions: spend all your skill points first and do not be riding a Peco or pulling a cart. Baby Taekwon exists too and reaches Baby Soul Reaper by the same 99/50 gate, but Baby classes have no 4th job.

Taekwon (job 1 to 40)

You fight barehanded. There is no free weapon for the Taekwon line; the only free weapon you will ever get from the Adventurer's Gear Box is the Metal Staff, which becomes useful once you are a Soul Linker.

• Take Flying Kick 7, Peaceful Break and Happy Break 5 (HP/SP regen while sitting), Kihop 5, Mild Wind 7 (endows your kicks with an element). Put the rest into whichever kick stances you like.
• Kihop only works with party members on the same map; alone it does nothing.
• Kick kills are fast at low level, so just run the normal Eden boards from the Leveling Guide.

Soul Linker: two ways to play

1. Esma nuker (solo leveling)

This is what makes Soul Linker fun on 38x rates.

• Stats: INT first, then DEX for cast time (Esma has 1.6 s variable and 0.4 s fixed cast), a little VIT. STR and AGI are wasted.
• Skills: Estin 7 and Estun 7 to unlock Esma 10. Kaina 7 is mandatory: +210 max SP and it cuts the SP cost of Estin/Estun/Esma by up to 49% at base 90+.
• Rotation: Esma can only be cast while you hold the SMA status, a 3-second window. You get SMA from a level 7 Estin or Estun that lands, from Eske, or from casting any Spirit link. So the loop is Estin or Estun, then Esma, repeat.
• Estin only does full damage to small monsters (+70% at level 7). Estun only does full damage to medium ones (+35%) and always stuns them. Against large monsters both do 1% damage; you cast them purely to open the Esma window.
• Esma damage = (40 + your base level)% MATK per hit, 10 hits at level 10. At base 99 that is 1,390% MATK per cast, at base 150 it is 1,900%. Esma takes the element of your weapon endow, so carry Elemental Converters (fire, water, wind, earth) and switch to whatever the map is weak to.
• Eske on a boss: its ATK goes +300% but its hard DEF is halved and soft DEF cut by half, and Eske also opens the Esma window. Do not use it while you are the one being tanked.
• Eswoo slows the target hard for a few seconds. Never cast Eswoo or Eska on a target that already has that effect: you stun yourself for 10 seconds.

2. Support linker (parties and WoE)

Each Spirit of the X link lasts 150 to 350 seconds and costs 460 SP at level 1 down to 60 SP at level 5, so level 5 links are cheap. A link only sticks to its own class (and the trans and baby versions of it). The ones that matter most:

dewataRO twist: on this server links also stick to the 3rd and 4th versions of these classes. Spirit of the Assassin works on a Guillotine Cross or Shadow Cross, Spirit of the Priest on an Arch Bishop, Spirit of the Sage on a Sorcerer. Official renewal servers block this; ours does not.

Ka-skills (Kaahi, Kaupe, Kaite, Kaizel) can only target: yourself, another Soul Linker, your marriage partner, your child, or anyone who is currently under Spirit of the Soul Linker. Being in the same party is not enough. Link the person first, then buff them.

• Kaahi 7: each time they get hit by a weapon attack they heal 1,400 HP, paying 35 of their own SP. Lasts 350 s.
• Kaupe 3: dodges one damage source of any kind, 100% chance, then ends. Lasts 10 minutes.
• Kaizel 7: auto-resurrect with 70% HP plus a short Kyrie, lasts 30 minutes. Does not trigger on WoE maps.
• Kaite: reflects single-target magic, but on renewal every melee hit you take is multiplied by 4 while it is up. Use it only against pure casters.

Soul Reaper (99 to 200)

• Turn on Soul Collect (a toggle): you gain one soul sphere every 20 seconds at level 5, up to 5 + 3 x Soul Energy Research (max 20). Each sphere gives +3 MATK. Up to five spheres orbit your character; the exact count is the number on the Soul Energy icon in your buff bar.
• Nuke chain: Espa, then Eswhoo, then Esma. Espa hits for (500 + 250 x level)% MATK scaled by your base level and opens Eswhoo for 5 seconds; Eswhoo is a splash for (1,100 + 200 x level)% and opens Esma. Esha slows the target by 50% and also opens Esma.
• Soul Curse marks everything around the target so it takes +100% dark damage; follow with Curse Explosion, a 7-hit dark splash at (1,200 + 300 x level)% on cursed targets.
• Golem's, Shadow's, Falcon's and Fairy's Soul are buffs anyone can receive (DEF and MDEF, ASPD and CRIT, ATK and HIT, MATK and cast time), but they cannot stack with a Spirit link on the same person.
• Soul Unity heals 150 x level HP every 3 seconds to party members within 11 cells of you. Kaute converts your HP into a target's SP. Soul Revolve removes a link or soul buff and refunds SP.
• Your free Mirage Wand arrives automatically at base 150 (see Free Job Gear).

Soul Ascetic (200+)

Skills run on talisman charms and soul spheres. Raise Talisman Mastery and Soul Mastery early; both scale every talisman.

• Four gods chain: Blue Dragon → White Tiger → Red Phoenix → Black Tortoise → Circle of Directions and Elementals. Each stage needs the previous stage's buff on you, and Circle needs the fourth stage. Circle grants a buff worth S.MATK +5 x level that makes the four talismans hit much harder, so keep the chain rolling.
• Exorcism of Malicious Soul consumes every soul sphere you hold and scales with the count; it is at its best on a Soul Cursed target or while you stand in your own Totem.
• Talisman of Soul Stealing is the single-target nuke and refunds SP on cast.
• Party kit: Talisman of Protection (heal over time), Talisman of Warrior / Magician (P.ATK / S.MATK), Talisman of Five Elements (+damage against fire, water, wind, earth and neutral), Totem of Tutelary (ground heal, uses the same field slot as Volcano and Land Protector), and Soul of Heaven and Earth (full SP for the whole party plus a damage buff).
• The free Helm of Faith for this line is handed out at the job change.

Server-specific traps

• Es-skills cannot target players. Estin, Estun, Esma, Eswoo, Eske, Eska, Espa, Esha and Eswhoo only work on monsters; casting them on a player stuns you for half a second and fails. Soul Explosion and Soul Division only work on PvP, WoE and Battleground maps.
• Eska and Eswoo on an already-affected target stun you for 10 seconds.
• No free weapon for Taekwon or Soul Linker. Use the Metal Staff from the Adventurer's Gear Box, then buy a rod at the Player Market.
• Links stick to 3rd and 4th jobs here (see above). Ka-skills need the Soul Linker link on the target first.

See Also

• Expanded & Baby Classes
• Level Caps & EXP Curve
• Free Job Gear, Weapons & Tools
• Leveling Guide