Swordcrash's Guide to the Doll

So, here is my second weapon guide – it’s about the doll. This guide will be written from my personal experience with the doll. It was the first weapon I mastered.

I hope this will help both new and old players to master their doll.

Introduction To the Doll
The doll is the third weapon you get, and the first voodoo item you will collect. After finishing a quest, you get your first voodoo doll (along with a good amount of rep) from Tia Dalma. The doll is possibly the most useful weapon, and it is important to know how to use it properly.

How to use your doll
Using the doll is pretty simple. Walk up to an enemy and press CTRL or the left mouse button to attune them. After attuning them, use the different voodoo hexes on them (I’ll talk about those later).

Attune is the first skill you will get on your doll. Upgrading it increases the amount of enemies you can attune. For Basic Access members, upgrade it to 2. For Unlimited, spend 5 skill points on it.

Every time you use a hex, a certain amount of voodoo points escape from your pirate. They come back after a certain amount of time.

The Different Types of Voodoo Users
I guess I should mention that there are three different types of Voodoo Doll users. First off, the attacker. The attacker is the one who will never heal, and focuses on making the attacks most powerful. Second, the healer. The healer will heavily upgrade the healing hexes (Heal and Cure) and the passive skills as well, only spending a little on the actual attacks. Third is the most common. This is the pirate who spends a fair amount of skill points on both. I will call this third class the mixed class.

I consider Basic Access a mixed class, as they don’t have many skill points to spend – attackers and healers are always unlimited.

The Hexes
The hexes are the voodoo equivalent of attacks. You get Poke and Swarm right away.

Poke is the least powerful, but quickest recharging voodoo attack. When used, your pirate will jab into the voodoo doll with a needle, resulting in a red light surrounding the opponent. You can get Poke at doll level 1. On first rank, it does 55 – 110 damage. I suggest upgrading this to 2 skill points for Basic Access, and 4 or 5 for Unlimited Attackers, 2 or 3 for Unlimited Healers, and 4 for mixed. Poke uses 5 voodoo points.

Swarm is the second least powerful, but second quickest recharging voodoo attack. When used, a swarm of locusts or similar insect will surround and attack your attuned enemy. You can get Swarm at doll level 1. Swarm does 75-151 damage. Upgrade this to 2 for Basic, 5 for attackers, 3 for healers, and 4 for mixed. Swarm uses 20 voodoo points.

Heal is the first healing hex you get for your doll. I know the name isn’t very obvious to what it does, but you will learn (LOL!). To use it, attune an ally. You can get Heal at doll level 4. For Basic access, upgrade it to 2. For attackers, leave it alone, or give it 1 just in case. For healers, 5. For mixed, 2 or 3 should do it. Heal uses 15 voodoo points.

Curse is the fourth hex you get for your doll, and somewhat overrated. When used, a green skull covers your enemy and for a few seconds all attacks will do 30% more damage to your opponent. You can get Curse at doll level 6. For attackers, rank it up to 2 or 3. For healers, leave it alone. For mixed, 1 or 2 should do it. Curse costs 30 voodoo points.

Scorch is the fifth hex you get for your doll. When used, flames engulf your opponent and burn them. Doesn’t do too much damage at first, but when upgraded it will do more. You can get Scorch at doll level 8. For attackers, 2 or 3 is good. For healers, leave it alone. For mixed, 1 or 2. Scorch uses 35 voodoo points.

Cure is the sixth hex and second healing hex. When used, a large amount of health goes back to your attuned ally. Also, all debuffs (burn, poison, stun, etc..) leave your ally. You can get Cure at doll level 12. For attackers, leave it alone. For healers, do 5. For mixed, 1 or 2. Cure costs 40 voodoo points.

Grave Shackles is the seventh hex. When used, chains come up from the ground and hold your enemy in place for a small amount of time. You can get Grave Shackles at doll level 17. For attackers, upgrade this to 1 or 2. For healers, 1. For mixed, 1 or 2. Grave Shackles costs 50 points.

Life Drain is the eighth and final hex, as well as the third healing hex. When used, blue dots come from your enemy and return to you. What Life Drain does is remove both health and voodoo points from your opponent and give them to you. You can get Life Drain at doll level 20. A fully maxed out Life Drain can do 640 – 1280 damage to your attacker... pretty good! For attackers, upgrade to 5. For healers, rank up to 2 or 3. For mixed, 5. Life Drain costs 100 voodoo points, and has an extremely long recharge.

The Passive Skills
Passive skills are automatic and always in effect. They cost no voodoo to use.

Focus is the first passive skill you can use. What it does is increase your total voodoo points. Very useful for the doll, and much more useful when you get your staff. You can get Focus at doll level 10. For all classes, upgrade to 4 or 5.

Spirit Ward is kinda like Parry for the doll. When in effect, it can stop some voodoo attacks from hurting you. You can get Spirit Ward at doll level 14. For all classes upgrade to 1, more if you face voodoo-wielding opponents a lot.

Types of Dolls
There are several different types of voodoo dolls you can obtain. The first one you unlock automatically, but the others you must buy or do a quest to get.

The Straw Doll is your first voodoo doll. It is made of straw (if you haven’t figured that out from the name…) and is in a crude shape of a human. It has no damage bonus.

The Cloth Doll is your second voodoo doll. You can buy it from a gypsy for 300 gold when you reach Doll level 5. It is made of cloth (No, really?) and is in the same shape as the Straw Doll. It has +2 damage per attack.

The Witch Doll is the third voodoo doll. You can buy it from a gypsy for 1200 gold, when you reach Doll level 10. It looks like Tia Dalma (No.. it’s made out of witch. Kidding!) Also, when you cast a hex with it, Tia Dalma’s face appears. This doll gives 4+ damage per attack.

The Pirate Doll is the fourth voodoo doll. You must be level 15 (on doll) to get the quest for this doll. The Pirate Doll looks like Captain Barbarossa – and when you cast a hex with it, Barbarossa’s face appears. This doll gives 6+ damage per attack.

The Taboo Doll is the fifth and final voodoo doll. You must be level 20 on doll to do the quest for it. It doesn’t look specifically like any pirate, but it’s face resembles Jack Sparrow. When you do a hex with it, Jack’s face appears. This doll gives 8+ damage per attack.

Where to Train
T raining a doll is, without a doubt, one of the most fun things in Pirates Online. I don’t know why, there’s just a certain amount of satisfaction you get when you see an enemy engulfed in flames, or flying bugs…

For Doll levels 1 – 5: Cuba’s Pantano River is a great place to train your doll right when you get it. It’s also the same area you obtain the doll from Tia, so you don’t have to go far to get your first level on the doll.

For Doll levels 5 – 10: Fort Charles on Port Royal is a great place to train your doll. The levels there are good, and, as an added bonus, there are usually plenty of pirates there to heal or revive you, if need be.

For Doll levels 10 – 15: The Misty Mire on Tortuga is a pretty good place to train your doll on some of the higher levels there. There is also usually a good amount of pirates there to heal or revive you.

For Doll levels 15 – 20: Kingshead. Almost any place in Kingshead is a great area to train your doll, but especially the field with the Vets.

For Doll levels 20 – 30: Definitely Isla Tormenta. Go to the river place in the middle with all the Flotsams and Spineskulls. If Tormenta is too hard for you at first, try Outcast Isle.

Ways to Train
The doll also has several different ways to train it. What I love doing is going to Kingshead or Tormenta (if your doll is that good, of course) and attune a few bad guys. Then run around attacking them. I mastered my doll a while back, in July of 2009 (back when 25 was the limit on a weapon) and spent hours at Kingshead running around with the Vets in the field chasing me. When the weapon cap was raised, I headed to Tormenta and mastered it there – making it my first weapon mastered. Also, healing fellow pirates gives a good amount of rep.

Thanks To…
I’m thanking my guild, the Elite Thievery Co., for all the help you have given me in training my doll. Thanks, guys. Written by Swordcrash on March 17, 2010 (St. Patricks Day!)