A Boss Protocol monster is one that has a special flag set. Some monsters, certain unique monsters and all MVPs (excluding the some of MVPs who are not boss-flagged) have this flag set. They have the following attributes. Higher difficulty modes will make them stronger, smarter and even immune to magic and possibly skills:
- They totally block and negate all magic and certain skills (Hard? to Nightmare-Hell mode only or harder difficulty modes only):
- Archer Skills: Eternal Chaos, Slow Grace, Pang Voice, Charming Wink, Lullaby, Frost Joke, Yell, Tarot's Card, Sheltering Bliss, Magenta Trap, Verdure Trap, Cobalt Trap, Maize Trap, Mental Sensing, Classical Pluck will not stop them from casting spells, Metallic Sound, Siren's Voice, Deep Sleep Lullaby, Song of Despair, Gloomy Shyness.
- Thief Skills: Enchant Poison?, Steal, Venom Splasher, Poisonous Weapon: (Paralysis, Pyrexia, Death Hurt, Leech End, Venom Bleed, Magic Mushoom, Toxin, Oblivion Curse), Snatch, Mug, Strip Helm, Strip Shield, Strip Armor, Strip Weapon, Strip Footgear, Full Strip, 5 Masquerade Skills, Intimidate, Plagiarize, Man Hole, Dimension Door, Chaos Panic, Maelstrom, Blood Lust, Feint Bomb, Venom Impression, Weapon Crush, magic portion from Soul Breaker.
- Swordsman Skills: Provoke, Counterattack, Death Bound, Reflect Damage, Shield Spell, Shield Reflect, Martyr's Reckoning, magic portion from Grand Cross and Ray Of Genesis.
- Soul Linker Skills: Kaite, Esma, Eska, Esme
- Mage Skills: Napalm Beat, Soul Strike, Napalm Vulcan, Gravitational Field, Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, Thunder Bolt, Thunder Storm, Fire Wall, Fireball, Fire Pillar, Meteor Storm, Jupiter's Thunder, Storm Gust, Misty Frost, Lord Of Vermillion, Water Ball, Chain Lightning, Hellfire, Comet, Soul Strike, Napalm Strike, Heaven's Drive, Freezing Mist, Jack Frost, Life Drain, Summon Elemental Balls, Stasis,Tetra Vortex, Soul Expansion, Earth Strain, Hell Inferno, Crimson Rock, Fire Ivy, White Prison, Quagmire, Marsh Of Abyss, Monster Scan, Hocus Pocus, Dispel, Magic Rod, Mental Breaker, Spell Breaker, Magnetic Earth, Spell Breaker, Fire Walk, Lightning Walk, Ice Walk, Varteyr's Spear, Psychic Wave, Earth Grave, Diamond Dust, Extreme Vacuum.
- Acolyte Skills: Heal, AGL UP, AGL Down, Cantocandidus, Blessing (Offensive and Defensive), Basilica, Clementia, Cure, Status Recovery, Coulceo Heal, Greater Heal, Holy Light, Turn Undead, Lex Aeterna, Lex Divina, Magnus Exorcismus, Kyrie Eleison, Resurrection, Oratio, Adoramus, Renovatio, Expiatio, Imposito Manus, Blade Stop, Cursed Circle, Crescent Elbow, Sanctuary (?).
- Ninja Skills: Akaitsuki/Omnious Moonlight, Killing Strike, Release Ninja Spell, Charm-Elements.
- Merchant Skills: Acid Bomb of Fire Expansion, Homunculus: Eternal Quick Combo, Shattering Strike, magic portion from Acid Terror and Bomb.
- Gunslinger Skills: Bull's Eye, Disarm
- The knock back aspect of skills does not affect them. (normal difficulty mode?) (will affect them on easier mode, will not receive any achievements for item privileges???)
- XP and Drop penalty for them are negated. (Lower or easier difficulty mode?)
- All active skills will always miss on Boss monsters; only normal attacks from players will harm them. While hunting MVPs which are boss-flagged, it requires many players to take down time by time; better achievements are attained. (Nightmare-Hell mode only)
- Unlike players which cast time is reduced by 50% from higher INT/DEX/LUK, they can have instant cast with higher INT/DEX/LUK, thus breaking the fourth wall. They can ignore fixed cast time literally.
- The magic portion from Metallic Sound, Grand Cross, Soul Breaker, Acid Bomb, Bomb, Acid Terror, Ray Of Genesis does not affect or damage them; only physical damage from this will affect them but unfortunately half the effect. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Physical skills on them will have half the effect. These will have 1/4 of the effect on WOE. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They can bypass Fire Wall even if they are immune to magic. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They can hover and bypass traps; Ankle Snare or traps do not trap them literally; yet they can disarm or destroy them. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They cannot be Dispelled. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Perfect hit from Phreeoni Card and Ignore target DEF/MDEF from Samurai Incantation and Kathryne Keyron cards do not apply on them. (we do not know if Monks test Infiltrate skill on bosses.)
- They can always and totally ignore physical and magical defense on players whether they attack or use skills on them. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Their AI is more chaotic and smarter than any monsters that are not Boss-Flagged; they have Hide and Reflect Magic, Ruwach and Sight literally. (?) (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They can always hit on players, ignoring Flee regardless on DEX unless they are in Kyrie/Eleison/Pneuma/Safety Wall. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They can have automatic splash attack on players with Baphomet Card effect. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They are immune to deflects and reflect damage. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They have Tunnel Drive as they can move freely while moving. They have natural stealth skill; they can move faster while hiding! (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They withstand a lot of damage without flinching. The flinching animation on them is omitted.
- They have random change to cast mage and monster skills wheter they attack or get hit from players. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They have extra fast ASPD and MSPD from Doppleganger and Moonlight Flower card effects in case AGL Down/UP skill does not affect them. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They have 50% chance to reflect magic from players even if they are immune to magic (will not affect players wearing GTB cards). (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Their HP bar and damage they inflict and receive are not displayed and do not appear. (Harder difficulty modes or higher/Nightmare-Hell mode only?)
- All players apply -25 to -50% less universal damage inflicted onto them. They can also take 50% less damage from elements, and again, 50% less damage from all races literally. This is to prevent big damage from players. This will require more players and team to bring MVPS down. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They can apply +0% to +400% hidden extra universal damage inflicted onto players/homunculi. Even worse, they can inflict 5-95% damage to Demihumans, 15% damage to all sizes. With their Powerup Skill, they can possibly wipe players out time by time. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Their cast times are reduced by 50% from Beelzebub Card effect.
- They can deflect 5-30% damage back to player if they deal physical attacks. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They detect the Hiding status and any other skill statuses that is similar to it. They can also detect players with Cloaking. (all difficulties)
- They can freely cast a skill while moving. They have uniterruptible cast rate and Spell Breaker does not affect them anyway. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- They have permanent Phen Card effect.
- The time Ankle Snare holds them and HP and SP drain from cards is reduced. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Skills from players are half as effective against them. (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Unaffected by/immune to status effects and mechanics;
- They cannot be afflicted by silence, stun, poison, frozen, freezing, curse, burning, external bleeding; these do not apply them.
- Exception: They can heal themselves with Gentle Healing Touch; they need spirit spheres first! These bosses can cast monster skills on themselves literally. Because this skill replaced Heal for bosses only. (this update allowed all monsters to have spheres, not just players) (Harder difficulty modes or higher?)
- Affected by/suspectible to all items geared towards, i.e.;
- Abysmal Knight Card increases damage to them by 25%
- Alice Card reduces damage dealt by them by 40%
- They share players' mechanics that have 6 stats to affect:
- Their HP and health regeneration is affected by VIT.
- Their ASPD is affected by AGL and DEX. With very high amounts, they can attack very fast, even at 190-199 ASPD. They have extra +10% to +100% more ASPD even from Doppleganger card effect.
- Their Perfect Dodge and CRIT are affected by LUK.
- Various and Fixed cast times are affected by INT, DEX and LUK. With very high amounts, they can instantly cast a skill without any warning. Their Fixed Cast on skills are totally negated unlike any players who do not negate it. They can also break the fourth wall literally.
- This mechanic appears in Harder difficulty modes or higher...
Example for common monsters with Boss protocol:
- Monsters of Thanatos Tower Lv.7 and above
- Owl Duke
- Owl Baron
- Kasas, Bow Guardians and Sword Guardians
- The Guardians inside WoE SE Castles