My current view is pretty much as follows:
If you want a skill that will allow you to hunt really large things, if you
want a chance of getting the rarer, more expensive and useful items, you
might want to go with assaulter, if only for the stun aspect of it.
If you want to finally be able to handle mobs, to spend less money in
training and to generally have a more relaxed time, go for band of thieves.
There’s a few things you can fight with it later on that drop decent items,
and it seems like less of a risk, if you’re fighting things that will drop
to a few hits of thieves as opposed to a couple of assaulters, they’re not
going to do much damage in return but you’ll be making a constant, albeit
slightly reduced profit.

I’ve yet to actually get a maxed assaulter, so it’s hard to give a really
good opinion on it, that’s just how I think logically it would work out.
Experimentation, that’s the thing.
Having run a little math on the subject, I’d like to state the following.
It isn’t nearly as long winded as the original calculation, which had a lot
more numbers, HP and weapon attack factored in, but was largely… well,
irrelevant in the end:

Say a zombie dies to 1 hit of assaulter. That’s 450% damage, which you’ll
have to do to every zombie you fight. Thieves does 210, so you’ll probably
either kill a zombie in 2 hits with it, or kill them in 2 with a follow up.
Assaulter costs 26mp, thieves costs 50.
Working with that, then, every time you hit 2 or more zombies with thieves,
it’s like n-1 hits of thieves were free (n being the zombies hit total), or
that all your clones were hitting for free. If you do roughly
half the damage of
assaulter, hitting 2 enemies is like doing a spread assaulter over those
zombies, moreso if you’re hitting larger mobs.

So assume you’re hitting at least 2 things, otherwise you’re doing something
more worthwhile like savages. Anything hit will go down in 2, OR, will
follow you after those two, allowing you to draw them around the map, hitting
other mobs and conveniently getting your follow up hits for free as part of a
separate thieves attack. Factor in tha many high level maps (’specially in
the deep clock tower) now have platforms with reasonable spawns, so the
enemies that have nowhere to go will often walk towards you as you attack
their mobs of friends, and it works out nicely.

As I said, you won’t be able to hunt huge things with this, and while you
can hunt fairly strong(ish) things, you’d better be prepared to pay through
the nose on some runs, so if you’re into fighting yeti and pepe,
werewolves
or whatever, might as well go for assaulter. I just find thieves
more
reliable, following the 70-level-old ‘less hits to kill = more cash and exp
philosophy. Yeah, I do realise the stronger guys are somewhat
profitable and
fine to train on, now.
If you go thieves first, you should really think about getting 1 assaulter,
for A) the teleportation (which helps more than you’d maybe think,
seriously) and B) the fact that really, the first few hours when you get it
are pretty fun. One assaulter, as well as helping the mobility in regular
areas, helps with finding quest items immeasurably, too (even if nependeath’s
honey still took 3 straight days with it).

5] Appendix/outro

—
Training locations
BBTRA
—

Before I start, just bear in mind that what worked for me may not work as
well for other people. I tended to train in areas that provided items I
needed and back when I was level 30-40 the game was much less crowded.
If
the enemies in the level brackets provided don’t work for you, consider
the
group above on the list (physically, not in levels), or just go exploring
and hit on anything that gets in your way until something seems to work,
that’s always entertaining. I used a lot of warrior potions, remember
that,
and you probably should too, especially at level 50+ when you luck stat
starts
getting healthier. Just bear in mind that warrior potions are best used
when
they give you enough power to CONSISTANTLY kill monsters in one less hit,
y’know, with a reasonable success rate. If you’re just doing more damage,
but you’re not actually killing any faster, you’re throwing your cash down
the drain.

I really wouldn’t recommend spending much time in Ossyria until at least
level 50. I didn’t train there properly until level 60, it was never really
worth it, though the Jr. Grupin, Celion and Lioner maps are alright if you
can hold your own against them. They’re a little les populated than they
were when I was there, too.

Also, I had a gephart until level 76. If you get a deadly fin at 60 then
for one thing you’re lucky and for another you’ll probably be able to tackle
the next tier of monsters above your level for my recommendations. I didn’t
get an attack glove until 70, either, it didn’t seem worth the expense (I was
WAY off on that one).

If you can’t find any of these maps, check on:
http://www.hidden-street.net
They’ve got all the maps listed as well as a bunch of other useful stuff.
If you still can’t find the map you’re looking for, mail me, I’ve probably
taken the map name down incorrectly.

[Quote - Sphere]

Lvl 1-9
Red Snails -8 Exp- Maple Island or Henesys Hunting Ground [Henesys]
Blue Snails -4 Exp- Maple Island or Henesys Hunting Ground [Henesys]

Lvl 10-15
Slimes -10 Exp- The Tree That Grew [Ellinia] or Henesys
Hunting Ground [Henesys]
Orange Mushrooms -15 Exp- Henesys Hunting Ground [Henesys]

The Tree That Grew: Two maps left from Top Left Portal of Ellinia
Henesys Hunting Ground: One map left of Henesys Town

Lvl 16-22
Pigs -15 Exp- Rain Forest East of Henesys [Henesys]
or The Pig Beach [Henesys]
Ribbon Pigs -20 Exp- Rain Forest East of Henesys
[Henesys] or The Pig Beach [Henesys]

Lvl 23-27
Bubblings -26 Exp- Subway Line 1 Area 1 [Kerning] or B1 [Kerning]
Green Mushrooms -26 Exp- Henesys Hunting Ground [Henesys]
Horned Mushrooms -35 Exp- Ant Tunnel 1 [Sleepywood]

Lvl 28-40
Wild Boars -42 Exp- Wild Boar Land 1 or II [Perion]
Horned Mushrooms -35 Exp- Ant Tunnel 1 [Sleepywood]
Zombie Mushrooms -42 Exp- Ant Tunnel 1 [Sleepywood]
Jr Sentinels -40 Exp- 16th to 20th Floor of Orbis Tower [Orbis]

Comments:

Wild Boars: They give the best exp for lvls 30-40,
if you think you’re strong enough you can proceed from Bubblings
or Mushrooms to Wild Boars at lvl 28.

Horned Mushrooms/Zombie Mushrooms: Good place to lvl if you wish to
escape the busy wild boar land.
Jr Sentinels: Good lvling place as well, the place where you will be
spending the least HP pots because of they’re small in size.
This place consists of multiple lanes, good for soloing
Lvl 41-50
Evil Eyes -50 Exp- Cave of Evil Eye I or II or III or IV [Sleepywood]
Star Pixies -72 Exp- Cloud Park I [Orbis]
Jr Cellions/Grupins/Lioners -65 Exp- Garden of Red I/Green I/Yellow I [Orbis]
Leattys -60 Exp- 5th to 7th Floor of Orbis Tower [Orbis]
Dark Leattys -65 Exp- 2nd to 5th Floor of Orbis Tower [Orbis]
Panda Teddy -77 Exp- Toy Factory Main Process 2 [Ludibrium]
Jr Wraiths -70 Exp- B2 [Kerning]
Ludibrium Party Quest [PQ] - [Ludibrium]

Comments:

Evil Eyes: Come here once you’re able to 1hitko them. Make sure you do at
least 750 damage per hit in order to experience superb exp here.

Star Pixies: Recommended for bandits who want to hunt panlids. Come here
if you’re not able to kill Evil Eyes in 1 hit.

Jr Cellions/Grupins/Lioners: This map is usually packed especially in Aquila
but their scroll drops are superb.

Leattys/Dark Leattys: They give similar exp to Fire Boars but they are
smaller in size and the
spawn here is good as well. If you don’t like being ksed by Ice Wizards,
come here and lvl!
Ratz: Moderate exp, not very sure of this place.

Panda Teddy: Suggested by haplosg.

Ludibrium PQ: A super good place to earn exp plus great rewards upon
completing the entire quest.
However, do take note, be very careful and make sure you don’t perish
in battle because the
reward comes only after the whole quest is completed.
Read more on Ludibrium PQ by clicking on the link provided here.
http://forums.asiasoft.net/thread.asp?qid=755747

Best Drops:

<>
<>

Lvl 51-60
Jr Yetis -135 Exp- Watch Out for Icy Path I or II [El Nath]
Platoon Chronos -99 Exp- The Path of Time I [Ludibrium]
Master Chronos -115 Exp- The Path of Time IV [Ludibrium]
Block Golems -102 Exp- Eos Tower 4th-5th or 8th to 10th Floor [Ludibrium]
Stone Gollems -170 Exp- Stone Gollem Temple [Henesys]
Lorangs -80 Exp- Lorang Lorang Lorang [Florina Beach]
Cold Eyes and Wild Cargos -85 Exp and 240 Exp-
Wild Cargo’s Area [Sleepywood]
Iron Boar -115 Exp- Iron Boar Land [Perion]

Best Drops:

<>
<

>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>
<>

Comments:

Jr Yetis: Good exp for bandits who can 2-3hitko them. 60% Glove Atk scroll
drops here as well.
Platoon/Master Chronos: Supposedly good exp, will update this
when I get more
feedbacks regarding this area.

Block Golems: Block Golems spawn very closely and their spawn is great.

Stone Gollems: Slow moving monsters, but they hurt you a lot
when you touch
them. Gives the same exp as hectors but spawn is slower here.

Lorangs: Prepare to spend a lot of HP pots here since Lorangs
move very fast.
However, the spawn here is good and the drops are pretty decent.

Cold Eyes/Wild Cargos: Great place to hunt for items,
like Icicles, Olympus etc.
Lvl 61-80
Clangs and Torties -128 and 110 Exp- Hot Sand [Florina Beach]
Mix Gollems -210 Exp- Forest of the Gollem [Sleepywood]
Coolie Zombies -190 Exp- Forest of Dead Trees I or II or III or IV [El Nath]
Pepes -220 Exp- Crown Flyer [El Nath]

Best Drops:

<>
<>
<>
<>
<

>

Comments:

Clangs and Torties: One of the best places to lvl and hunt
items which can be
sold for high prices. See drop list above.

Mix Gollems: Great exp but you’ll find it difficult to find
empty lanes for
training since they’re
supposedly the best place to train for lvl 6x and above
(better than Coolie Zombies).

Coolie Zombies: Marvelous exp, similar to Mix Gollems.
Good spawn as well.

Lvl 81-90
Yetis and Pepes -962 Exp- Ice Valley II [El Nath]
Dark Yetis and Pepes -1415 Exp- Dangerous Cliff [El Nath]
Mix Gollems -210 Exp- Forest of the Gollem [Sleepywood]
[H] Cerebes -295 Exp- The Cave of Trial I or II or III [El Nath]
[H] Werewolf -350 Exp- Wolf Territory I or II [El Nath]
[H] Lycanthrope -850 Exp- Wolf Territory III or IV [El Nath]
[H] Taurospear and Tauromacis -350 Exp and 270 Exp-
Sanctuary Entrance I
or II or III or IV [Sleepywood]
[H] Lucida -320 Exp- Stairway to the Sky II [Orbis]

Best Drops:

< Thorns, Deadly Fin>>
< Tobi Throwing Stars
, Bronze Gigantic, Redemption>>
<

Circlet>>
<>
<>
< Magic, 60% Scroll for Claw Atk>>
< Kandine>>
<>
<>
<>

Comments:

Yetis and Pepes: Super godly equipments + weapons drops.

Dark Yetis and Pepes: A lot less crowded when you compare this map
to Yetis and Pepes map.
Lousier drops compared to Yetis and Pepes but exp gained per time is
similar to the exp gained in Yetis and Pepes map.

Cerebes: One of the best places to hunt items. Look at the crazy
equipments and weapons’ drop list above.

Werewolf: Bad exp for lvl 8x but there are lots of valuable drops here.
See above.

Lycanthrope: Not-too-good exp compensated by wonderful and godly drops.

Taurospear and Tauromacis: Good place to hunt equipments and weapons
which can make you a millionaire in a night’s time
(if you’re lucky ^.^)

Lucida: Great place to hunt Kandine and Lvl 80 Dark Pirate Set.
Exp here is pretty okay.

Lvl 91-100+
Black Squid -2200 Exp- Dangerous Sea Gorge I [Aqua World]
[H] Bain -1800 Exp- The Cave of Trial III [El Nath]
Purple/Lethal Squid -2500 Exp- Dangerous Sea Gorge I or II
[Aqua World]
[H] Dual Ghost Pirates -1500 Exp- Unbalanced Time [Ludibrium]

Best Drops:

<>
< , Dragon Tail, Heaven’s Gate>>
<

, Redemption, Black Oriental Fury Coat, Dark Pirate Top, Dark Pirate
Bottom>>
< Cape Int, Dragon’s Tail>>

Comments:

Black Squid: One of the greatest places to train for all lvl
9x classes, including hermits.
Soloing is good while partying enables good spawn throughout
the entire map.

Bain: Come here with a party, make sure you have a Dragon Knight
in order to gain 60% more HP while hunting items here.
Godly equipment drops as well. Cerebes and Bain maps can be
considered the best places for hunting items.

Purple/Lethal Squid: Magnificient place to lvl for bandits
above lvl 90. Nice drops, as opposed to their counterparts
(Black Squids) which only drop 1-2 good equipments.

Dual Ghost Pirates: Not very sure about this place, but my
guildmates recommended this place to me.
Will update this part when I pay my friends a visit in Ludibrium
later.

Lvl 101-110+
Grim Phantom Watch -2800 Exp- Forbidden Time
Spirit Vikings -2100 Exp- Warped Path of Time 4

Best Drops:

<>
< Scarab>>

Comments:

Grim Phantom Watch: Superb drops which can be seen above and
600 more exp for an extra 3k HP
when you compare Grim to Black Squids. Good place to earn big
bucks, come here! Suggested by Sell2MeCheap.

Spirit Vikings: Good place for hunting after Bain. Although
exp might be a bit slower and their attacks are pretty damaging
, it is a great place to earn money.