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Latest PvP Changes as of 2018 in Dragon Nest Korea
May: Holy moly whack a moley!!! Have you guys seen the latest (and so far the greatest) PvP balance patch that Eyedentity has released?!? The amount of nerfs for all classes (except Silver Hunter as far as I can tell) have been very significant and most of it are CD and Damage reduction to awakening skills and some other skills that used to be utterly broken. I really like what Eyedentity has done with the patch (albeit really late), but we Paladins also got a bit more nerfs - specifically to our Shield Charge and, which is now 20 seconds CD time and Toughness which had 5% damage reduction but got reduced to 1% (which makes it a useless skill to take now). However, I do not mind these nerfs at all and I am really happy that the developers are taking a step in the right direction in balancing all classes for a more fair fight. Not only will players be discouraged to wait for their big AOE and OP damage skills, but now the core skills of our classes will get more attention to be utilized now more than ever! In my honest opinion, this is what PvP should have been all the way. Windwalker kinda seems broken so I hope they nerf her in the near future and probably Gear Master too, where they should limit the number of ducks being summoned at any time. Aside from that, everything else is looking good, and with a little bit more adjustment, PvP will be great again. I am really hyped and can't wait to try out the new balance patch in SEA!!! As there are more adjustments to the Paladin class, I will be making new skill builds yet again so keep an eye on that!
March:Some classes got nerfed, but the biggest and most significant change of all is that Dash is being removed for all classes except Warrior. A new skill build contemplating these changes will be up by tomorrow.
January:There has been some major reworks on how the Guardian plays out with the most recent January 2018 patch in DN Korea. Although there has been some quality of life improvements to utility skills, Guardian generally got nerfed pretty badly due to the removal of Aerial Block and making Divine Ascension one hit only. Honestly, I don't know why the developers keep making "adjustments" to the Cleric classes while ignoring major balancing on other classes that has remained broken for a very long time. The mindset of the devs seem to be moving towards more movement in battle while employing hit and run tactics. Overall, I am very disappointed with these new changes and it discourages me to PvP even more than ever - especially with the bad netcode of the game that can make the usage of Stance of Faith and a handful of skills either delayed or unusable at times. A new build should be up by next week as I will be tinkering with the new changes and make a build as I see fit. Thanks for all the support.
December: Due to the latest patch in Dragon Nest Korea as of December 13, 2017, I will be making another skill build in the coming days.
0.0 Foreword
Hello there! I have been playing the Paladin class ever since 16 cap. I have gathered all the experiences from then till now to make a guide for you, my fellow Guardians, to fully utilize the class in the battlefield no matter the mode.
Guardians may be the tanks of the game, but not many people know the full power of the class in terms of PvP. He may have a steeper learning curve compared to other classes, but with dedication and practice, Guardians are very formidable foes to fight against.
Guardians heavily depend on chaining combos,breaking enemy Super Armor/Staggering, and Counterattacking with our trusty shields. Proper usage of Block, Stance of Faith, and dodging are the bread and butter of a Guardian, and his key to survivability and victory.
There will be 3 types of builds that are tailored to their respective modes:
1.0 Current DN SEA Skill Builds (March 2018 Patch for DN KR)
2.0 Old DN SEA Skill Builds (Pre-December 13,2017 Patch for DN KR)
May: Holy moly whack a moley!!! Have you guys seen the latest (and so far the greatest) PvP balance patch that Eyedentity has released?!? The amount of nerfs for all classes (except Silver Hunter as far as I can tell) have been very significant and most of it are CD and Damage reduction to awakening skills and some other skills that used to be utterly broken. I really like what Eyedentity has done with the patch (albeit really late), but we Paladins also got a bit more nerfs - specifically to our Shield Charge and, which is now 20 seconds CD time and Toughness which had 5% damage reduction but got reduced to 1% (which makes it a useless skill to take now). However, I do not mind these nerfs at all and I am really happy that the developers are taking a step in the right direction in balancing all classes for a more fair fight. Not only will players be discouraged to wait for their big AOE and OP damage skills, but now the core skills of our classes will get more attention to be utilized now more than ever! In my honest opinion, this is what PvP should have been all the way. Windwalker kinda seems broken so I hope they nerf her in the near future and probably Gear Master too, where they should limit the number of ducks being summoned at any time. Aside from that, everything else is looking good, and with a little bit more adjustment, PvP will be great again. I am really hyped and can't wait to try out the new balance patch in SEA!!! As there are more adjustments to the Paladin class, I will be making new skill builds yet again so keep an eye on that!
March:Some classes got nerfed, but the biggest and most significant change of all is that Dash is being removed for all classes except Warrior. A new skill build contemplating these changes will be up by tomorrow.
January:There has been some major reworks on how the Guardian plays out with the most recent January 2018 patch in DN Korea. Although there has been some quality of life improvements to utility skills, Guardian generally got nerfed pretty badly due to the removal of Aerial Block and making Divine Ascension one hit only. Honestly, I don't know why the developers keep making "adjustments" to the Cleric classes while ignoring major balancing on other classes that has remained broken for a very long time. The mindset of the devs seem to be moving towards more movement in battle while employing hit and run tactics. Overall, I am very disappointed with these new changes and it discourages me to PvP even more than ever - especially with the bad netcode of the game that can make the usage of Stance of Faith and a handful of skills either delayed or unusable at times. A new build should be up by next week as I will be tinkering with the new changes and make a build as I see fit. Thanks for all the support.
December: Due to the latest patch in Dragon Nest Korea as of December 13, 2017, I will be making another skill build in the coming days.
0.0 Foreword
Hello there! I have been playing the Paladin class ever since 16 cap. I have gathered all the experiences from then till now to make a guide for you, my fellow Guardians, to fully utilize the class in the battlefield no matter the mode.
Guardians may be the tanks of the game, but not many people know the full power of the class in terms of PvP. He may have a steeper learning curve compared to other classes, but with dedication and practice, Guardians are very formidable foes to fight against.
Guardians heavily depend on chaining combos,breaking enemy Super Armor/Staggering, and Counterattacking with our trusty shields. Proper usage of Block, Stance of Faith, and dodging are the bread and butter of a Guardian, and his key to survivability and victory.
There will be 3 types of builds that are tailored to their respective modes:
- 1v1 Softban build (with Justice Crash and Awakening)
- All-around build (Captain, Respawn, FFA, KOF, Rounds)
- 1v1 Pure Hardban Build (without Justice Crash and Awakening)
1.0 Current DN SEA Skill Builds (March 2018 Patch for DN KR)
1.1 1v1 Softban build (with Justice Crash and Awakening) 
1.1.1 Build Explanation
The upcoming rework of the Guardian and Paladin's has forced for very few changes in terms of 1v1 SB build. Air Block is now removed, and is replaced by Divine Judgement. Since the skill has an Awakening version, I highly recommend taking it for its damage capabilities. You will also notice that there isn't Stance of Faith Awakening anymore and its stats has transferred over to the EX version instead. So with that skill gone from the Awakening Tree, the Guardian Force Awakening gained more benefits to it - the CD of Thrust Force and Overwhelm decreased when Divine Avatar is cast - which makes it really useless in 1v1 SB mode, so I haven't taken up the skill and put the SP elsewhere. Additionally, the Charge Bolt has an additional Skill Accessory that gives it +1 due to lack of SP, nonetheless, I still do believe its a really good skill to use. You can however switch the Accessory with +1 Divine Vengeance so you can keep the skill at max level while having Charge Bolt at max level as well. It will also be recommended to get the Shield Charge Awakening because they increased its speed and distance, all the while giving it a left-click to instantly cast the upper cut. Do not add SP on Dash as the latest March 2018 patch disables dash for all classes except for Warrior. And use Conviction Aura when a match starts because this skill will improve your overall movement and skill speed from what I have experienced.
1.1.2 Build Heraldry Plates
You can use the same Heraldry Plates from the old skill build down below.
1.1.2 Build Heraldry Plates
You can use the same Heraldry Plates from the old skill build down below.
1.2 All-Around Build (Captain, Respawn, FFA, KOF, Rounds) 
1.2.1 Build Explanation
The only change you will see in this build are Stance of Faith becoming level 1 due to the Awakening version stats transferring over to EX, and removal of Aerial Block and being replaced by Divine Judgement. Overall, the survivability rate of the Guardian has decreased as a result, but this skill build shall still provide the optimal defense as well as attacking capabilities. Use the same plates that are mentioned in the old skill build below. 7 SP is left on this build so spend it elsewhere however you may like aside from Dash.
2.0 Old DN SEA Skill Builds (Pre-December 13,2017 Patch for DN KR)
2.1 1v1 Softban build (with Justice Crash and Awakening) 
2.2 1v1 Hardban build (without Justice Crash and Awakening)
This build is meant to be used by players who don't want to use Awakening or the Guardian Tree Skills and just enjoy the purest form of softban. Do be warned that I do not recommend this build while playing against people you do not know as they will normally use their Awakening and their level 50 skills on you, unless they agree to go pure softban. Maxed out Divine Breaker actually does surprisingly decent damage for a 9 second cooldown skill. Conviction Aura is taken for the movement speed benefit (Auras aren't softbanned as far as I know). The rest is self explanatory.
2.2.2 Build Heraldry Plates
Use the same Heraldry Plates as the 1v1 Softban Build with Justice Crash and Awakening.
2.3 All-Around Build (Captain, Respawn, FFA, KOF, Rounds)
While not giving up all the damage skills, this build has all the things you need to survive. Additionally, this skill build is also capable in doing 1v1 if you so choose to do so. Heal skill is taken to ensure maximum survivability.
Mental Mastery is the last skill I put the rest of the SP on as having a higher mana pool will greatly increase your chances of lasting longer. Holy Bolt is maxed out and Charge Bolt is taken out in order to spend the SP for the block skills as we are balancing out damage and defense.
2.3.2 Build Heraldry Plates
Since this build is focused more on the utilization of shield skills to achieve the best life expectancy in any situation, you can get Block Cooldown Plate, Aerial Evasion Reset Plate, Justice Crash Cooldown Plate and a choice of your own. I personally get Sliding Step Mana Recovery Plate as its a gives me +3000 mana every time I cast the skill. With all the dashing that will happen in the field, you will pretty much run out of mana quickly, so having this plate will greatly help with restoring your mana and keep fighting afterwards. Having aerial reset greatly helps in keeping you alive during the fight, especially when multiple enemies are fighting against you.
If you want to do Rounds for this build, then you will have to switch over to the 1v1 build plates.
3.0 Further Discussion
2.1.1 Build Explanation
This is the particular build that I use when I play Rounds. Maxed out Charge Bolt delivers 7k-9k with all the 4 hits placed on the enemy and Divine Combo dishes out 6k-7k damage. With their short cooldowns, they have an amazing damage potential. Since this is a softban build, you don't need Block, Heal and Divine Punishment. Skills below Auto Block had to be put in order to unlock the Awakening skills. Maxed out Holy Bolt can deliver as much as 5k-6k damage and can bind the enemy for 2.5 seconds. For me personally, its a must get and with a Holy Bolt Reset Plate, as it can be an absolute bonkers skill that will leave your enemies shocked and confused while they take massive damage from you. Divine Ascension EX is a nice skill to get because if you do get a block from your opponents attacks, you will almost guarantee a lift with this skill. I don't actually use my Justice Crash and Awakening skills unless my opponents start to use them. Do also note that with Armor Break's debuff, all your skills will have a noticeable damage increase (Charge Bolt could go up to 14k!!!).
2.1.2 Build Heraldry Plates
For this build, I highly recommend Holy Kick Attack Speed, Stomping Kick Attack Speed, Half Turn Kick Attack Speed, and Holy Bolt Reset. Half Turn Kick and Holy Kick is a great way to initialize and chain your combos and also Stagger your enemies from a distance. Holy Bolt's reset will mean that you can do a lot more damage while chaining it with other skills and you will get 7.5 seconds of binding if RNG blesses you with triple back-to-back bolts.
This is the particular build that I use when I play Rounds. Maxed out Charge Bolt delivers 7k-9k with all the 4 hits placed on the enemy and Divine Combo dishes out 6k-7k damage. With their short cooldowns, they have an amazing damage potential. Since this is a softban build, you don't need Block, Heal and Divine Punishment. Skills below Auto Block had to be put in order to unlock the Awakening skills. Maxed out Holy Bolt can deliver as much as 5k-6k damage and can bind the enemy for 2.5 seconds. For me personally, its a must get and with a Holy Bolt Reset Plate, as it can be an absolute bonkers skill that will leave your enemies shocked and confused while they take massive damage from you. Divine Ascension EX is a nice skill to get because if you do get a block from your opponents attacks, you will almost guarantee a lift with this skill. I don't actually use my Justice Crash and Awakening skills unless my opponents start to use them. Do also note that with Armor Break's debuff, all your skills will have a noticeable damage increase (Charge Bolt could go up to 14k!!!).
2.1.2 Build Heraldry Plates
For this build, I highly recommend Holy Kick Attack Speed, Stomping Kick Attack Speed, Half Turn Kick Attack Speed, and Holy Bolt Reset. Half Turn Kick and Holy Kick is a great way to initialize and chain your combos and also Stagger your enemies from a distance. Holy Bolt's reset will mean that you can do a lot more damage while chaining it with other skills and you will get 7.5 seconds of binding if RNG blesses you with triple back-to-back bolts.
2.2 1v1 Hardban build (without Justice Crash and Awakening)
2.2.1 Build Explanation
This build is meant to be used by players who don't want to use Awakening or the Guardian Tree Skills and just enjoy the purest form of softban. Do be warned that I do not recommend this build while playing against people you do not know as they will normally use their Awakening and their level 50 skills on you, unless they agree to go pure softban. Maxed out Divine Breaker actually does surprisingly decent damage for a 9 second cooldown skill. Conviction Aura is taken for the movement speed benefit (Auras aren't softbanned as far as I know). The rest is self explanatory.
2.2.2 Build Heraldry Plates
Use the same Heraldry Plates as the 1v1 Softban Build with Justice Crash and Awakening.
2.3 All-Around Build (Captain, Respawn, FFA, KOF, Rounds)
2.3.1 Build Explanation
While not giving up all the damage skills, this build has all the things you need to survive. Additionally, this skill build is also capable in doing 1v1 if you so choose to do so. Heal skill is taken to ensure maximum survivability.
Mental Mastery is the last skill I put the rest of the SP on as having a higher mana pool will greatly increase your chances of lasting longer. Holy Bolt is maxed out and Charge Bolt is taken out in order to spend the SP for the block skills as we are balancing out damage and defense.
2.3.2 Build Heraldry Plates
Since this build is focused more on the utilization of shield skills to achieve the best life expectancy in any situation, you can get Block Cooldown Plate, Aerial Evasion Reset Plate, Justice Crash Cooldown Plate and a choice of your own. I personally get Sliding Step Mana Recovery Plate as its a gives me +3000 mana every time I cast the skill. With all the dashing that will happen in the field, you will pretty much run out of mana quickly, so having this plate will greatly help with restoring your mana and keep fighting afterwards. Having aerial reset greatly helps in keeping you alive during the fight, especially when multiple enemies are fighting against you.
If you want to do Rounds for this build, then you will have to switch over to the 1v1 build plates.
3.0 Further Discussion
Pre-January 2018 Patch for DN KR
This build does raise some questions with regards to certain skills like Shield Charge and not getting the auras. You CAN actually not take the awakening of Shield Charge if its the mobility, closing in on your enemy , and escaping measures is what you are after. You can instead spend the SP on Conviction Aura instead and make use of the movement speed that it grants. These can apply to all the build types I have discussed above. I do not recommend getting the Elemental Aura in any of these builds as the nerf to the aura sometime ago adds very little damage to your elemental skills. In my opinion, awakened Shield Charge does have more drag to it and it certainly helps with the DPS of the class as its easier to chain and catch people with it.
Do note that this build is optimized for 95 cap PvP and it could be outdated by the time the cap is raised, stats of the skills adjusted and new skills are added.
Thanks for taking your time viewing this guide. May it help you Guardians achieve victory in any battle.
January 2018 Patch for DN KR
New rework, new changes. It is now strongly recommended to get Shield Charge Awakening due to increase in its speed and distance. Having Stance of Faith at max level is pointless now as the stats from the Awakening went over to the EX version. Having to spend 10 SP just to have the 1 Guardian bubble per 2 seconds out of your bubble meter just doesn't make sense and is better to spend that SP elsewhere that will make the class more useful. I highly suggest getting Divine Judgement and its Awakening for its damage and its usefulness in stopping enemy attacks. Check out the new changes below.
Do note that this build is optimized for 95 cap PvP and it could be outdated by the time the cap is raised, stats of the skills adjusted and new skills are added.
Thanks for taking your time viewing this guide. May it help you Guardians achieve victory in any battle.
January 2018 Patch for DN KR
New rework, new changes. It is now strongly recommended to get Shield Charge Awakening due to increase in its speed and distance. Having Stance of Faith at max level is pointless now as the stats from the Awakening went over to the EX version. Having to spend 10 SP just to have the 1 Guardian bubble per 2 seconds out of your bubble meter just doesn't make sense and is better to spend that SP elsewhere that will make the class more useful. I highly suggest getting Divine Judgement and its Awakening for its damage and its usefulness in stopping enemy attacks. Check out the new changes below.
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