Atlantica Online Betting Guide

Breaking the code: Lynnette’s guide to playing at the arena

My name is Lynnette, from Mycenae server. I’m here to talk about the part of the very fun and exciting part of the game called the arena, how it is –not- necessarily just gambling and most importantly, on how to make smart bets to increase your chances of winning.

If you’ve watched the movie 21, or are familiar with the game Blackjack, there is a solid statistical way to go out making a profit all the time. I find that the way Arena is structured is similar; there is a way to overall make profits over time.

So if you’re ready to break the code that is the arena, read on. If you want to jump ahead of the guide, just search for the bolded words and phrases to go to that section.

Disclaimer: This guide assumes that you are somewhat familiar with the Arena and the basics of the betting system and formation/matchup confirmation screens. If this is not the case for you, then please take a look on the help guide in the game for the arena.

Update History:
1.1.1 Minor text edits, added second Raphael to Specialized Formation Section
1.1 Added Chuk Yeon to Main Characters, Added Specialized Formation Section
1.0 Guide Launched

Table of contents:

• I. Main Characters: What you need to know?
• II. Mercenaries: What is their usefulness?
• III. Formation: It’s more important than you think
• IV. Specialized Formations: Separated by Main Characters
• V. Playing the odds: The way to bet
• VI. Conclusion: Tying it all together

I. Main Characters

If you’ve been paying attention to the results of the arena, you have probably noticed that Alexandra wins most of the time, Raphael almost –never- wins and so on. There’s a reason for this; the main character accounts for a good portion of the reason on why he/she is most likely to win. In this section, I will outline each character by my own personal rank, from the “most” to “least” likely to win on average.

First tier: Alexandra
Alexandra (Alex) almost always wins, or is near the top because of one skill: Concentrate. As random as the AI is, if Alex’s enemy does not focus fire at all or miss stun opportunities, there is no reason for Alex to lose. Her frontline lasts significantly longer because of this and in the arena, having your frontline stand as long as possible is key to winning the game.

Second tier: Hasard/Saijo/Michelangelo
These three have one thing in common that makes them second tier; they hit multiple targets at once. Again, the randomness of the AI given, you have to assume that the person you bet on cannot make efficient use of their skills so their normal attacks are key. The fact that they hit multiple targets with their normal attacks therefore, makes them more likely to cause stun which in the arena, often dictates victory over defeat.

With that being said however, here’s a list of skills that the three heroes use more than anything else, which may become a factor in your choice.

• Hasard: Shooting Stance (this multiplies his next hit by 5x damage, used quite often)
• Michelangelo: Summon Machine (If Mich summons a catapult, he’s gets a definite advantage in the match)
• Saijo: None (but him + Brutal will is devastating with at least one other Artilleryman helping him out)

Third tier: Alkinairpay/Beatrice/Cleopatra
These three ladies are in the third tier, but I also should say that they are VERY situational. They have the potential to beat even Alex if their AI suddenly becomes smart. If not though, the chances of them losing to the above four are highly likely just because they don’t really have anything to offer to the table outside of their skills.

• Alkinairpay: Mana Drain (she has put up some come from behind victories with this if the opponent is melee)
• Beatrice: Debuff Signets (Useful in their own right… but sadly it is often cast at the wrong mercenaries at the wrong time)
• Cleopatra: Healing (Seriously, if Cleo healed her frontline every two turns, she would –never- lose. Sadly that’s not the case)

Fourth: Jeanne/Chuk Yeon
Aside from Light Slash, which is merely spike damage (absolutely useless against a melee under Alex by itself), Jeanne doesn’t really offer much to the table. It’s her formations that give her the victory.

As far as Chuk goes, she does cast Beast Summon often enough that it can be a factor, and she does have the strength and toughness enough to be a threat along with her formations. With that said, she doesn't really bring much to the team itself.

Fifth: Raphael
Sigh, for the coolest looking guy IMO he has the short end of the stick. Let me tell you why. He does have a passive which is Speed Cast, but the only characters he can possibly give Speed Cast to are a monk and a shaman. On a good day, both can play good defense but on a bad day, they waste the benefit speed cast gives them. Sadly, with the AI’s randomness, you can’t really expect the good day to happen often so Raphael ends up being an overhyped Sword in Arena. (Heck, even weaker since Sword uses Flame Sword at least) As for other skills, he rarely to never uses them to be a constant factor.

With that said however, keep in mind that just because this guide says so Alexandra would always beat Raphael. That is not the case at all; there are a lot of other points which need to be considered in betting on the most likely team(s) to win. One of which, is the following.

II. Mercenaries

In arena, the mercenaries are all the D class mercs. However, they have a tendency to use skills and not use others; so their normal attack patterns take priority because it’s the only constant variable you can count on.

Same with the heroes, allow me to rank the mercs in the order of usefulness.

A. Melee

1. Viking – Freezing Axe is a godsend if the Viking suddenly becomes “intelligent”. However, even on a bad day, they make good tanks since they seldom take the normally-damaging skills for Viking – ie: Flame Sword.
2. Swordsman – A very very very decent tank. Especially with Alex, Swords be the last melee class that would die on you. Again, keeping the frontline is as important, if not moreso than the damage you deal to your opponent.
3. Spearman – They do not have anything to bring to the table really. Their normal attack does hit two people, but it tends to miss a lot. Lightning spear does negligible damage, and he doesn’t use it often at all to be a threat.

However, if there’s 3 or more spears in the formation, then the spears become a wildcard. AP Killing actually becomes viable in this scenario, as Lightning Spear becomes often cast. Stun games also become more possible as well.

As a sidenote: Alex works EXCEPTIONALLY well with a full spear formation.

B. Range

1. Artilleryman – The stun king himself. If the art hits 4 or more people in one shot most of the time, it usually means victory for the hero. Moreover, Deep Insight does decent damage over time as well. Combined with brutal will, this usually spells game over.
2. Gunner – I’d rather the Art any day, but if you don’t have Art, gunner is the second best choice. She hits 3 columns so she does decent stun; but sadly the AI doesn’t like focus firing on one row.
   A full gunner formation has been a viable though; provided their opponent’s damage output isn’t that high and doesn’t focus fire. It’s more of a wildcard than even a full spear formation, so take it how you will. Arguably, this kind of formation works best for Beatrice.
3. Archer – Single hit, Silence not a factor (ie: She can’t use Silence right for squat), end of story.

C. Magic

1. Shaman – Brutal Will with the occasional Blessing of Life makes her the staff of choice. She’s not smart about it, but almost any willed merc is a good merc to have (just as long as they’re not frozen...)
2. Monk – I seriously wish that it used its skills more, but Monk AI rarely uses Holy Guard, and even on rarer times uses Awakening. Sad really.

III. Formation

Now perhaps the most important part is how the mercernaries are formed on the battlefield. This matters a lot since this is where the statistics come in; namely, how likely are your opponent’s mercenaries going to hit how many of your mercenaries. The key point here is this; the less likely an opponent hits 2 or more of your mercenaries in one attack, the better off you are. This lessens the chances of stun happening, and overall decimation of your party. I can’t stress this enough: formation often dictates if you win the game or not.

Let’s take a couple of common formations seen in arena.

(x = character, o = open space)

x-x-x
o-o-x
x-x-x

This is by far, in my opinion, the best formation to have. Any gunner only has a 33% chance of hitting 3 of your mercenaries, Artilleries also have their stun potential reduced because they can only hit more than 3 at a 66 % chance. Overall, this avoids stun the best. The only plausible weakness I can see with this is a viking’s freezing axe on the last row, but Vikings are usually dead or near death once this frontline is broken. One more thing, If Alex has this formation and is on the bottom right, I can almost guarantee you she’ll win the entire arena.

Prerequisite for maximum odds of victory: 3 Sword Frontline, Viking/Artillery Mid or Backline.

x-x-x
x-o-x
x-o-x

Another good formation, slightly more susceptible to stun. However, it makes up for it that you have to go through two lines to get to the last line. Also, this formation makes the best use of shaman’s brutal will. So if a shaman is on the last line with two arts on the second line,that can spell endgame for your opponent. Just make sure that the frontline is made of mercenaries that can actually tank and take a lot of damage. (No good having two Artillerymen up there… what is Saijo thinking?)

Prerequisite to maximum odds of victory: 3 Sword Frontline, 2 Gunners/Artillery Midline, Shaman Backline

x-x-x
x-x-o
x-x-o

The cookie cutter formation that most heroes have or some minor variance to it. Not much to say except if its not facing any of the aforementioned formations, then it will come down to who has the most multiple hitting mercenaries, right usage of skills and of course, luck. Which is why I hate this formation since its all random. XD
Prerequisite to maximum odds of victory: 3 Sword/Spear Frontline, Viking Midline/Frontline, Artillery/Gunner Midline

x-x-x
x-x-x
o-x-o

Jeane and Cleo have a tendency to go with this. In my opinion, this formation is asking for suicide (if not one of the specialized formations outlined below). Multiple attacks are always guaranteed; very susceptible to Freezing Axe and to boot, Enemy artillerymen are guaranteed to hit 3 and above WHEREVER they aim. If even one frontline gets broken, this formation is screwed.

Update – I have recently found that I have underestimated the potential of this formation, especially if its Cleo’s formation. Seth/Brutal will on the midline with a 3-Sword Frontline can be devastating for an opponent. Again, yet another wildcard.

Prerequisite to maximum odds of victory: 3 Sword Frontline, 3 Gun/Artillery Midline

IV. Specialized Formations

– Separated by Main Characters

This is the part of the guide that gets really subjective. This is what I deem to be the best possible formation(s) each character can have that maximizes their chance of victory. How good these formations actually do against each other I will leave up to you to decide. What this part of the guide (I hope) can do for you is to give you an idea on what formation and what mercenaries make best use of the different characters.

Alexandra (Prophet)

This is Alex’s AP kill formation which especially in the Arena, is quite effective. Moreover, spears hold up the front line even more because of the skill concentrate. All in all, what this leads to is her opponents cannot attack at all, and her frontline is geared to simply not go down.

Hasard (Janissary)

This is Hasard’s stun/damage formation which is designed to stun opponents column-wise with Hasard dealing a fair amount of damage due to shooting stance. Swords are there to hold the frontline with the Shaman potentially willing the last line (if that happens, its usually game over). One could argue that there needs to be a Viking in this formation, and I wouldn’t necessarily dispute that. I just find this formation to be much more solid for Mr. Has.

Saijo (Cannoneer)


This is similar to Hasard that the key is for the last line to do most of the stunning and damage. However, the only problem with this formation is that it’s rarely seen (I’ve only seen it once if I’m not mistaken). There are other formations Saijo uses that use the same mercenaries with a different formation, and those are slightly –less- effective in the sense that the Shaman cannot will as effectively. But all in all, as long as that frontline holds, Saijo will win.

Alkinarpay (Witch)

(or Spears at front)

Alk doesn’t win enough on her own as is, but on the moments that she does win, this is her best formation that does it. Now, you can think of this formation in two ways; one is that the Spears and Vikings work in tandem to stun/immobilize the opponent as Alk (albeit slowly) mows down the opponent. The other way is with a frontline of Swords and holding off the front long enough for the Art’s Deep Insight to put in some damage over time and for Alk to set up her come-from-behind victories with Mana Drain. :p

Beatrice (Princess)


I have fallen in love with this formation. It almost guarantees a column or two stun by 4th turn which more than makes up for the relatively weak frontline. Moreover, Princess Orders allows your Guns to stay alive longer than usual, as well as do more damage. Next to Alex’s all spear formation, this is my second pick for most guaranteed to win.

Cleopatra (Oracle)

(or 3x Artillery for middle line)

Yet another simple yet deadly formation. Seth’s is much more powerful than Brutal Will and when used on the second row, spells endgame for the match. If by any chance Cleo does Healing on her frontline, it usually heals the Sword back to either 3/4th to full health if they weren’t focus-fired. As long as the frontline holds and this stun-prone formation does not get stunned for some reason, Cleo will win the match.

Raphael (Exorcist)


Now this is a -very- weird formation in the sense that there’s two shamans and a sword on the middle row. When I first saw this formation I was highly skeptical, but when I saw this in action I was pleasantly surprised. Raphael doesn’t actually do much in this formation other than guarantee his Shaman’s a turn; therefore it is the Shamans who are key to this formation. The shamans in this formation have a tendency to use Hex of Darkness a lot (which I think is maxed level in AI) and then the middle row or front row Sword uses Dark Seed a lot as well, thus enabling the skill combo, Hell’s Flame. This combo does a LOT of DoT to two people in a column and since Holy Guard is rarely used, it’s a surprisingly good way to drop a frontline fast.


I was pleasantly surprised as I was writing this, since this was the first time I actually saw this formation in action. This is an extremely potent formation in the sense that it mows down opponents fast. Moreover, it is ironic that this formation does NOT use Raphael's passive, Speed Cast. The key to this formation is that if even one frontline falls down, The first and second row gets frozen by the two Vikings. Spears and Artillery's offer support to this cause through moderate AP kill/stun or Deep Insight/Stun. All in all, this is a formation that is efficient in achieving its battle strategy fast.

With that said, if anyone else gets that formation, they'll probably do a better job with it than Raphael. However, I haven't seen the anyone other than this underdog Exorcist having it. :p

Jeanne/Mich to come soon.

V. Playing the odds

– How to bet?

You now have an idea on who to bet on with the highest chances of winning, but how would you bet and how much? There’s personal preferences in this, but allow me to give you four notes which I think any smart arena player should keep at the back of their minds.

1. There’s no reason to bet a first-second bet if the finals bet for the same two players offer the same or more odds. There is no point to increasing your risk for the same payout. If you’re going to bet on two players, just bet all the money that you’re willing to spend on them to Final. The only exception to this rule is if the First-Second bet has a significantly higher payout rate than the Finals bet, but even then its risky.
2. Have safety bets. Keeping in mind that favorites such as Alex almost always has low odds, you can bet on a worse case scenario happening depending on the flow of matchups should Alex or some other favorite lose. The good thing about this is that the safety bets almost always have odds of 10 or higher on average, so you can bet only a small portion of your money which wont be a factor if you lose it, but will gain you a large return for your money if you win it. It’s the best of both worlds.
3. Don’t bet more than what you’re willing to part with. Cheesy I know, but it’s the rule of smart gambling. A gradual increase is the way to go personally because playing the odds game gets you the big numbers eventually. More importantly, the growth of money in any economy is at an exponential rate; meaning the more money you have now, the more chances and opportunities you have to make even more money later. Betting all your money, even on Alex with the best possible formation, is not something I would suggest unless you can throw away that money. Starting from square one and building up your finances again is the worst thing in the world.
4. Make your bets at the last 5-10 minutes before bets close. This gives you a solid idea of the current odds, and will allow you to play smart with the amounts that you bet. Normally, I draw the line that if the odds are not 2.5 or higher, then its not worth betting on. But that's just me.

VI. Conclusion

- Tying it all together

So hopefully I’ve shown to you the smart side to Arena. However, with that said, I won’t say I’ve never been wrong before. I’ve been wrong a lot of times actually: at the time of the writing of this guide, Jeane inexplicably beat Alex through a stroke of luck and bad skill usage in Alex’s part. So upsets do happen quite frequently due to bad AI and even worse timed scrolls.

What I mean to say is do not expect to win arena every time. It’s all about the fun of betting, playing it smart and seeing your efforts pay off most of the time you bet. I can arguably say that Arena has made me gold on par to Goncourt, and I’ve won arena at around a 70:30 ratio. And most importantly, I’m enjoying every minute of it.