Steel's Swift Descent! 95 Gladiator PVE Guide

[LazyKahn]

Updated Guide link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

Outdated Guide below:

Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Gladiator in a Nutshell
III. Pros and Cons of Gladiator
IV. "Cooldown Reduction Mechanism"
V. Skill Details
VI. Sample Skill Build
VII. Skill Rotation
VIII. Equipment
IX. Acknowledgements / Other Information


I. Introduction

Hello everybody, I am LazyKahn from Dragon Nest SEA. I have been playing the Gladiator class since 60 cap. I have written this guide in hopes of helping aspiring Gladiators maximize their potential and enjoy the Gladiator class in the way that it is meant to be played. Without further ado, here it is.

II. Gladiator in a Nutshell

The Gladiator class is a 2nd specialization of the Warrior class,branching from the Sword Master 1st specialization, among with Moonlord. Gladiators are known for theirimmense physical strength and mobility in the PVE aspect of Dragon Nest. Gladiators specialize in close range combat skills.

III. Pros and Cons of Gladiator

Pros:
-Superior Mobility
-Above Average Damage dealer
-Many invincible frame (i-frame) skills

Cons:
-Gear is costly (As most DPS classes are.)
-Critical Damage dependent
-Considered hard to use by some people.

IV. "Cooldown Reduction Mechanism"

Gladiators utilize a so-called “Cooldown Reduction Mechanism” from its Class Mastery. Whenever you hit an enemy, you gain 1 bubble. Also, when you use [Awakened] Brave and it hits an enemy, you gain 11 bubbles, 10 from the awakening buff and 1 for the hit. When you accumulate the max number of bubbles (20), the current cooldown of some of the Gladiator’s skills are reduced by 50%. Refer Here:

Triple Slash has a cooldown of 12 seconds.
Front Shove has a cooldown of 13 seconds.
Hacking Stance has a cooldown of 35 seconds, 25 at level 15.
Line Drive has a cooldown of 27 seconds.
Evasion Slash has a cooldown of 6.5 seconds at max level.

Let's say you used Line Drive without any bubbles, its normal cooldown is 27 seconds. When you reach 20 bubbles, it reduces the current cooldown to half. And when you use Finish Attack or Hyper Drive, you consume 15 bubbles, the remaining cooldown of the skill remains the same. So when you use [Awakened] Brave and accumulate your bubbles to max, the cooldown is reduced again to half.

Example:

Line Drive = 27 seconds cooldown
Reach max bubbles = reduced to 13.5 seconds
Use Finish attack = around 12 seconds remaining
Use [Awakened] Brave and filler skills to reach max bubbles in 2 seconds = reduced again to 6 seconds ((12 - 2 ) / 2)

Hence the "Cooldown Reduction Mechanism"

If you still need more information on this mechanism, refer to post #2 here: http://forum.cherrycredits.com/topic...in-93-cap-pve/

Credits to suineg

V. Skill Details

Finish Attack


Any Gladiator worth his damn should know this skill. Even other classes know this skill. So should you.

Finish Attack consumes 15 bubbles, has a board damage of 3476%, and a cooldown of 18 seconds. Also, every 1% of HP loss from the enemy, starting at below 60%, increases the board damage of Finish Attack by 16%.


Maths:
Boss at 50% HP = (60 - 50) = 10 x 16 = 160% increase = 3476 x 2.6 = 9037% (160% increase = x2.6)
Boss at 25% HP = (60 - 25) = 35 x 16 = 560% increase = 3476 x 6.6 = 22941% (560% increase = x6.6)
Boss at 10% HP = (60 - 10) = 50 x 16 = 800% increase = 3476 x 9 = 31284% (800% increase = x9)


Line Drive

The Gladiator class’ most underestimated skill. Line Drive has a board damage of 3159% with an increase of 90% from its EX version (30% increase at Line Drive + 10% per wind blade (6 wind blades)), netting it a total of 6002% total board damage with accurate hits, and a cooldown of 27 seconds. This skill is affected by the “Cooldown Reduction Mechanism”, reducing its cooldown to 13.5 seconds. Also when Dash Kick hits an enemy, Line Drive’s cooldown is reset, allowing Gladiators to use it twice. (Line Drive -> Dash Kick -> Line Drive instant)


Hyper Drive

The Gladiator’s second active awakening skill. Hyper Drive consumes 15 bubbles, has a board damage of 19700%, and a cooldown of 18 seconds. However, Hyper Drive is hard to aim and even harder to get all hits. The “Turn” key will help you with aiming and allow you to use it quickly and more accurately.


[Awakened] Front Shove

[Awakened]Front Shove has a board damage of 2582% and a cooldown of 13 seconds. This skill is also affected by the “Cooldown Reduction Mechanism”, thereby reducing its cooldown to 6.5 seconds. Also when Evasion Slash hits an enemy, Front Shove’s cooldown is reset. [Awakened] Front Shove also reduces an enemy’s critical resistance by 20% and restores your HP by 3% when hit.


[Awakened] Parrying

[Awakened] Parrying has a board damage of 5100% and a cooldown of 5 seconds. The awakening passive allows the Gladiator to execute the counterattack sequence without getting hit first by clicking the Normal Attack Button. Sadly, this skill costs MP. A LOT. Also, [Awakened] Parrying has a bugged i-frame. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.


[Awakened] Triple Slash

[Awakened] Triple Slash has an overall board damage of 6389% and a cooldown of 12 seconds. This skill is also affected by the “Cooldown Reduction Mechanism”, thereby reducing its cooldown by 6 seconds. Also when Evasion Slash hits an enemy, Triple Slash’s cooldown is reset. Sadly, this skill is very sluggish.


Heavy Slash

The most controversial skill for the Gladiator build. Heavy Slash has a board damage of 258% at level 6 and a cooldown of 10 seconds, while at level 27 it has a board damage of 502%. Gladiator’s Class Mastery III increases Heavy Slash’s damage by 500%, netting a 6x increase. Overall, level 6 has a board damage of 1548%, and the level 27 Heavy Slash has a board damage of 3012%. Its up to you whether you will invest 21 sp on this skill or not.


Evasion Slash

Evasion Slash has a board damage of 1288% and a cooldown of 6.5 seconds. This skill is also affected by the “Cooldown Reduction Mechanism”, thereby reducing its cooldown to 3.25 seconds. This skill is purely utility since it resets the cooldown of Triple Slash and Front Shove.


Dash Kick

Dash Kick has a board damage of 462% and cooldown of 7 seconds at max level. This is mainly a utility skill to reset Line Drive’s cooldown.

Provoking Slam

Provoking Slam is a debuff skill which increases your damage by 20% to that enemy. Use it. It's good for your health.

Side Dodge

Side Dodge has a board damage of 1500% and a cooldown of 5 seconds. However it is mainly used as a utility for pushing objects or quickly adjusting your position.

VI. Sample Skill Build


This is my current skill build, as stated above, it is up to you whether to invest 21 sp in Heavy Slash or not. Feel free to customize to your liking.

[LazyKahn]

VII. Skill Rotation

Gladiator's skill rotation varies by situation depending on the enemy's current HP. When the boss has > 50% HP left, here is your rotation:


Provoking Slam*** -> [Awakened] Brave** -> Line Drive -> Dash Kick -> Line Drive -> Filler Skills* (until your bubble count maxes) -> Hyper Drive** -> [Awakened] Brave -> Filler Skills* (Until Line Drive is in cooldown) -> Line Drive -> Dash Kick -> Line Drive -> Heavy Slash -> Finish Attack EX Instant**. Rinse and Repeat


*Filler Skills: [Awakened] Front Shove, [Awakened] Parrying, Evasion Slash, Triple Slash. Priority: Left to Right.

**Hyper Drive and Finish Attack EX Instant are used mainly after using Line Drive twice. (Line Drive -> Dash Kick -> Line Drive combo).

***Use Provoking Slam as much as possible when soloing to increase your damage by 20% most of the time.


After the boss has 50% HP or less:

Provoking Slam*** -> [Awakened] Brave** -> Finish Attack EX -> Line Drive -> Dash Kick -> Line Drive -> Hyper Drive** -> [Awakened] Brave -> Filler Skills (Until Line Drive is in cooldown) -> Line Drive -> Dash Kick -> Line Drive -> Provoking Slam -> Finish Attack EX


*Filler Skills: [Awakened] Front Shove, [Awakened] Parrying, Evasion Slash, Heavy Slash, Triple Slash. Priority: Left to Right.

**Hyper Drive and Finish Attack are used mainly after using Line Drive twice. (Line Drive -> Dash Kick -> Line Drive combo).

***Use Provoking Slam as much as possible when soloing to increase your damage by 20% most of the time.



When the boss has less than 50% HP remaining, your priority is Finish Attack over Hyper Drive.

VIII. Equipment

Building your Gladiator's equipment is very costly. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Main Equipment:

Legend Rune Dragon Equipment. +12 or +13. Replace with +20 Calypse when it is released. With +15 Bear Jades with VIT & HP. You can go with Crit & Critical Damage but your HP will be ridiculously low. +10 Variant Jade STR for Helmet

For Weapons: Use Legend elemental conversion jade and complimentary Legend elemental jades.
Genesis Rings. Highly recommended. Refined Genesis Rings are even better.
Genesis Necklace. Expect your damage to be small if you don't have this. Refined Genesis Necklace is better.
93 Unique Skill Earring (STR-based) with +1 FA. OR Genesis Earrings/Refined Genesis Earrings.

Heraldries:

Finish Attack (+damage)
Front Shove (+damage)
Line Drive (+damage)
Evasion Slash (MP Recovery)*

*For recovering MP lost from [Awakened] Parrying.


Talismans:

200% Slots: Bear with Physical Attack, Destruction, Ancient Element Talisman
175% Slots: Limitation, Wind, Ultimate*
125% Slots: Health, Intellect, Life Vitality
100% Slots: Fatal, Tent, Iron Wall

Note: All Talismans here except Ultimate and Bear are assumed to be highest grade available, with STR as 2nd Stat.

IX. Acknowledgements / Other Information

If you are still having difficulties on understanding the Gladiatior's skill rotations, you can refer to my Rune Dragon Nest run here -> https://youtu.be/-ZNlGNSOL6Q
Credits to suineg AKA 47BuLLeT for his comprehensive guides on the Gladiator class.
Have fun with your own Gladiator! Hope this helps~

[Dark]

Isn't ins finish attack ex better to use before hyper drive on smaller bosses? Considering cast time as well

[LazyKahn]

Well if it was mobs like the minions in Rune Dragon Nest then Finish Attack EX instant WOULD be a lot better. What I thought about the smaller boss was something like gate bosses (which are usually something like Cerberus). Too bad even though they fixed Hyper Drive to have a 4-hits distributed by 88%+4%+4%+4%, that 4% is still lost when 80% of the time they barely connect.

[Dark]

Have you gotten a chance to practically test if using hyper drive before FA ins is better for your dps? If you have I'd like to know how it was affected, b/c in your vid you use FA ins first.

[LazyKahn]

Will do a test when I get the chance. Since I do not see much of a difference myself when it comes to comparing Hyper Drive and Heavy Slash to Finish Attack EX instant.

[sngweiwei]

TIL. There is actually a turn key. Lol. All this time i've just been playing on high sens. Oh well.

[Adhelaida]

What about a skill earing with element? Is worse than a STR based? Also you lacked mentioned about the Swag that Side Dodge adds to your gameplay

[Adhelaida]

Btw, what can you tell about LD's stiffness what apparently breaks Boss's SA and makes them delay on their skills/mechs. Its due to the high ping? Due to wooden pc? Due to Boss's SA in the perfect moment? I really want to know how to fix it (if can be) because sometimes could be really annoying and thats the least important point, sometimes could be really dangerous cause of other members thinking they got the right timing to dodge but then A new challenger approaching!! Line Drive joints the battle!!... Half pt dead/agonizing.

[LazyKahn]

The Line Drive stiffness is still bugged. It was supposed to be fixed around a month after Gladiator's previous revamp way back in mid 93 cap. (Hot Sands Desert Dragon Nest patch I think). It happens randomly like [Awakened] Parrying's i-frame. I happen to encounter it a lot especially in IDN's first boss, mostly in stomp animations.

[ceruulean]

The stiffness is just from the EX windblades, you can’t really do much about it since it’s an intentional game mechanic that’s noticable in pvp (delay animation as you get hit) and the devs would probably have to recode Line Drive EX. You have a few options in a raid; don’t raid with classes with strict timing, call out if you delay an important attack, take a guardian, or preserve your line drive when you know a deadly attack is coming for the sake of teammates(at the cost of dps)

[Nytetingale]

Hello,i see that currently most glads is using a skill build with side dodge but i thought that side dodge always mess up glad rotation?

[LazyKahn]

Side dodge sometimes interferes with the Line Drive>Dash Kick>Line Drive combo. If you can adapt to not using side dodge when it is not needed then I don't see why you would not take it. It is somehow useful for pushing objects/quickly adjusting your position anyway.

[darkb1ader]

Personally i love this skill for repositioning myself and closing gaps between the monster and myself.
At times, it can be usefull for dodging some boss skills as well .

[IJumpUJump]

One question. whats the point of eclipse? I see many builds take it at only lvl 1.
Filler skill? Triple slash with its 5 slashes can fill things up just fine.
Too many SP left over? Better to invest in cyclone slash for some DOT or easy bubble gain.

[LazyKahn]

Eclipse:
Level 1: 242% Board Damage, 18 seconds cooldown
Level 10: 820% Board Damage, 9 seconds cooldown

-I only see eclipse as a utility skill in dungeons since it pulls small mobs near you while it cannot pull most small mobs in nests.
-Triple Slash is decent, but [Awakened] Front Shove is a whole lot better. It has faster animation, does nearly the same damage as the first 3 slashes of Triple Slash, and recovers 3% of your HP.
-As stated above, it is up to you whether or not to max Heavy Slash. I do it since it does decent damage and used as a link to Finish Attack EX instant.

[darkb1ader]

It can be use to cancel some glad skills that have action delay and can be a life saver from mobs as well.
Most prefer to leave it at level 1 but i personally level it to 10 for cooldown PVE wise of course.

[Verbena]

Sticky for this

[szcko2]

Question!
How does additional damage work on Glad. Coz on PVE Sometimes it adds up on skills, sometimes it doesn't. Sorry for the noob question. I'm new to glad

[darkb1ader]

I think you mean additional damage from FInish Attack.
If that's what you meant, additional damage occurs in FInish Attack when the foe's hp is lower than 60%. The lower the foe's hp from 60% the greater the bonus damage.
Refer to the first post for detailed info.

[szcko2]

Uh no, I understand the additional damage from FA, What I don't get is, sometimes I get this additional damage from other skills when it crits.

Parrying for example, when 1st counter attack crits for like 90m, There is this 15-20m additional damage on top of the original damage from the slash. Unfortunately I can't provide a screenshot, will try to if I can go nest later.

[LazyKahn]

If you have an assassin in your party, then there's your answer. Assassin's Raid buff adds +15% damage for every critical hit you do. The 15% is also visible as an additional damage like Finish Attack's.

[Pisc]

Do you guys have any example video or steps by steps guide for making FA cd to 9 sec with cd plate? Thanks!

[LazyKahn]

There is no "step-by-step" guide. All you need to do is to buy and use an FA cd plate and it will be applied automatically. Although it is not applicable for the INS version of FA (it will have a 15s cd with a cd plate).

[Pisc]

Thanks, LazyKahn. One more question though. For CM2 Own Attack increase 18% activation, do I need to dash combo+dash kick or either one will do?

[AjiBuster499]

that's a passive increase to your attack. All CM2's have that passive attack increase. no activation necessary. Don't even need to "just add water"

[Pisc]

I see. Noted and thanks, Aji.

[LazyKahn]

It is applied even when you're in town. There is nothing required to activate it.

[AjiBuster499]

I've seen times (and actually executed it myself) where a double Line Drive Instant occurred. But I'm not able to make it happen all the time. So, here are my questions:

1. My way of doing a Double LD EXi consists of: Dash Slash>Line Drive EXi>Dash Kick>Line Drive EXi. Sometimes, however I end up doing a regular Line Drive EX the second time, and I think it's because the window to execute the instant isn't refreshed upon using Dash Kick, or in other words, the window for the instant opened with Dash Slash, and was not re-opened by Dash Kick (refreshing the window duration). This means that if I don't smash Dash Kick and the LD button fast enough, the window to execute the instant again will close and I'll pop off a regular LD. Is there some way to counteract this?
2. Given that the Double LD EXi compresses two Line Drives into a much shorter window than LD>Dash Kick>LD EXi, I assume it increases DPS. However, is this really true? sounds like a dumb question but I wanted to ask it anyways.

tl;dr how to do double line drive instant and is it good for your dps.

[vangeodee]

that's basically it. if it reverts to regular, probably lag or something, it's not supposed to go back to regular LD.

As for DPS, yes, it is better.

[LazyKahn]

As vangeodee says, it is most likely due to lag or you're not using the first LD EXi fast enough. When you use Dash Kick, it does not refresh the duration of which you can use the instant version.

As for the second question, I am not quite sure myself if it actually increases DPS. Since I do not think that there is much of a difference in execution. Line Drive charging stance vs. Tumble -> Dash Slash -> LD EXi , both takes almost the same time to execute.

[Aimrizal]

I have 2 Questions for u LazyKahn and the rest of Fanatic Gladiators like me:

1. If im not an FD user, should i concentrate my heraldy plates to be critical dmg / crit. If its both, how many of each plates should i have crit and critical damage respectively ? As of now im using 2nd stat STR for heraldy plates.

2. Finish attack has an attack hit at the start of casting, why do some gladiators avoud that casting attack and always hit on the 2nd part of the Finish Attack? Is there a reason behind this/ or a theory formed in this whether it will deal more dmg?

Thank you for ur time in reading and answering these questions. I await ur reply

[Aimrizal]

Hahaha i dont think thats the reason behind it hehehe

[ceruulean]

The first attack moves you forward and only does 10% of the board dmg. depending on situation this is good or bad. For large bosses, if you are too close and you land on them the landing animation will cancel your FA and do no dmg. Other times you can use it to evade a boss skill with pure movement, saving time and directly hitting FA main damage. Easiest example I can think of is ABN bishop in Slayer mode, when he charges his laser you can FA slide behind or sideways

[Skyros]

In personal experience, the only reason why I kinda avoid hitting FA's first hit is either my position or for movement. It is either I am too close to the boss or in an uncomfortable side, and the boss try to do shenanigans when I casted my FA.

The first hit actually does okay damage (the FA % Damage increases depending on Boss' HP is applied to this hit) and it moves you forward significantly. You can use the forward movement to your own advantage depending on how you see fit. Either you try to gain some space away from the Boss to be more comfortable with your position, face sideways to move away from danger areas (like Dragon Tails, Boss Skillshots, etc.), or just move forward to ensure that the succeeding hits are to be successful.

There is actually a problem of being too close to the Boss when using FA. The jumping animation could make you land atop the Boss and cancel your FA instead. I encounter this problem mostly in VN when I try to dodge stomps using FA's jump. So, I think that's why most Gladiators tend to not face forward when using FA (specially the first hit).

[CiferGranny]

Maybe this is out of thread question, but Im confused if i should go barb or glad. Honestly i enjoy watching glad. In terms of dps, which is more better? As we all know that barb had a huge revamp last update. Im currently a destro and have a 421k pattk, 64 crit chance and 244% crit dmg in town (My FD is sht) Would it be enough to have a good dps glad? Thanks for the replies.

[vangeodee]

your gear will be enough to give you a "decent" character for both barbie doll and glad.

however, I'd say barbie dolls are a lot simpler to play compared to glad. proper and full utility for gladiators requires you to be of a very high skill level.

If you're not at that level yet, I'd say both are roughly the same.

[CiferGranny]

Yaa glad needs practice to maximize its dps. But let's say, im a "skillful" player, which will be the better class for me?

[vangeodee]

gotta define your "skillful" lmao. but basing on your replies, you're better off going with a barbie doll.