Zad Archery Jobs
Five archer jobs, starting with Archer and Sniper. You keep skills when you unlock the next class.
Zad Archery’s job system is five archer classes, not a talent respec. Samharia’s store page and the Steam demo both say you unlock five jobs. Live screenshots of the bow tab show Archer and Sniper filled in, with three silhouettes locked behind gem buttons. This page names only what the UI and videos actually show, then tells you how to stack them without stalling.
Jobs are the second left-hand tab, the one with a bow icon. It is not the skill tree. Gold buys tree nodes. Green gems buy job unlocks and job skill ranks.
Archer — the kit you already have
Archer is the default. Three skill slots sit under a brown-haired bow user. The documented signature skill is Explosive Arrow: fires an explosive arrow that detonates on impact for area damage. A mid-run card shows Explosive Arrow Lv.3 at Damage 4, Hits 3, Cooldown 3s, with upgrade buttons at 10 and 20 green gems and a MAX third slot.
The other two Archer icons in that row are the multi-shot and utility pair you see already MAX in later screenshots. Let’s Try and demo videos also call out Arrow Fall as an Archer-side unlock that can later automate. Arrow Fall charges still display on the combat strip even when you are looking at another tab.
Play Archer planted. Auto-shots handle the lane. Your job is clicking Arrow Fall on clumps and not selling the first Rare.
Sniper — job two, keep Archer
Sniper is the second portrait: blue-hooded, darker armor, a compact bow. Unlock cost is green gems; footage and screenshots show it as the cheap second job (later jobs jump to 100 or 500 gems depending on the save).
Important: you keep Archer skills. Demo narrators who swapped to Sniper still had multi-shot and Arrow Fall. The headline Sniper perk is attack while moving, which turns the lane into a kite. A purple orb skill is visible in combat when Sniper is equipped — a dark sphere that deletes stacked bullseyes. Sniper’s three skill slots include that orb, a crosshair, and a bird/raven-style icon.
If you are dying because you stand still in a horned pack, buy Sniper before you buy another tree damage node. Then read controls so you actually move while the orb ticks.
The three locked jobs
The bow tab always shows five portraits. After Sniper, three remain as silhouettes with lock badges. Unlock buttons on different saves show 100 gems and 500 gems — treat those as scaling prices, not a single global number. Samharia has not published official names for jobs three through five in the store copy we can cite, so this wiki will not invent Ranger, Falcon, or Hunter labels.
What we can say from the Steam feature list and demo outro cards:
- The full game ships all five jobs and 15+ skills (demo had the first two jobs and the first four skills).
- Skills stack rather than replace. Unlocking a later job is an additive kit, not a prestige wipe.
- Gem income must rise to match. That is why claw-target and bow-target gem chance on the skill tree is mandatory, not optional.
When a later job name is confirmed in patch notes, it will land on updates and this page together.
How to spend gems without stalling
- Rank Explosive Arrow if the next rank is cheap and you are still on Archer-only.
- Unlock Sniper as soon as the button is not eating your entire gem stack.
- MAX the Sniper movement/orb line that lets you kite.
- Park leftover gems. Do not unlock a 500-gem silhouette the same minute you could buy a gem-chance tree node that pays the next three unlocks.
- After gathering is online, some job power is gated behind mining and alchemy. See mining before you assume a job is weak.
Jobs versus builds
A job is a kit. A build is the kit plus tree plus crafted bow/armor. The jobs tier list ranks kits for push versus farm. The builds list ranks combinations. If you only read one extra page after this one, take the beginner guide spend order, then the farming planner so you stop pushing waves while a job button is 20 gems away.
Guardians do not care which portrait you like. They care whether Arrow Fall charges, orbs, and kiting exist. Get Sniper online before you camp wave 40 hoping a locked silhouette saves you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common Zad Archery questions.
Do I lose Archer skills when I unlock Sniper?
No. Launch and demo footage both keep Archer skills, including Explosive Arrow and Arrow Fall, after Sniper unlocks.
What are the names of jobs three, four, and five?
Samharia has not listed official names in the store copy cited here. The bow tab shows three silhouettes. This wiki will not invent class names.
Should I save 500 gems for a locked job or buy Sniper ranks?
Finish Sniper's movement and orb line first. A later job you cannot kite with is a gem sink. Rankings: jobs tier list.
Are jobs the same as gathering professions?
No. Jobs are combat classes on the bow tab. Herbalism, Mining, and Fishing are on the pickaxe tab — mining guide.