Gladiator Global PvE Build

This Gladiator build covers Global PvE as of October 10, 2026. It starts with Keen Strike and Rending Blow for MP balance, then develops the Rage Burst and Overhead Slam loop. It also keeps Focused Block available for boss attacks and Experienced Counterstrike's party buff. Gladiator Skills lists the full kit. The recommended loadout uses four Stigmas.

Skill point priorities

Levels below are effective skill levels, including gear, Arcana and Daevanion bonuses. Skill points buy Mastery levels up to 10. For the core actives listed here, raising a learned level-1 skill to level 8 costs 13 skill points in total; level 10 costs 21. Check the character-level requirement before spending. Specialty slots open at 8, 12 and 20; the fifth option unlocks at 16, while the skill still has two slots. Spec numbers below follow the five options from top to bottom.

1. Raise Rending Blow to 8 and select its mobile specialty. Bring Keen Strike and Overhead Slam to 8 for MP recovery and Upward Strike. Add Ruinous Blow at 8 when its character-level requirement is met.

2. Take the core damage skills toward base level 10 and use Daevanion nodes to reach effective level 12. Overhead Slam gains the critical-hit option there; Rending Blow gains its fewer-targets damage option.

3. Concentrate extra gear and Arcana levels on Overhead Slam 16 first, then Rending Blow 16. These unlock cooldown removal and MP on critical hits. This is the transition away from holding Keen Strike throughout the damage loop.

4. After those two work reliably, develop Ruinous Blow and the situational Sword Aura Rampage. Overhead Slam 20 opens room for Upward Strike, cooldown removal and the critical-hit option together. Rending Blow 20 lets you keep mobility, fewer-targets damage and MP recovery together.

Specialties

At Rending Blow 16, the table keeps the mobile option for movement. On a stationary target, Spec 4 can replace mobility for its fewer-targets damage, but that restores the movement restriction. Keep the MP-on-critical-hit option when you remove Keen Strike from the repeated loop. Leaping Slam's level-8 Spec 3 resets its cooldown after an enemy dies, which is useful for moving between packs. Defiance's level-8 HP recovery option is a useful early defensive choice.

Stigma loadout

Lunge Stance's level-20 cooldown reductions depend on critical hits during its active effect. They can improve buff and Rage Burst uptime, but a fresh low-Critical Hit character should not assume permanent uptime. Rage Burst's Wounded debuff reduces the target's Attack and does not stack with the Shrink from a Templar's Taunt. Experienced Counterstrike's party buff also does not stack with the Templar's Fury. Coordinate those overlaps; they do not prohibit the two classes from sharing a party.

Daevanion route

The coordinates below use the Global board's grid: row increases downward, column increases to the right, and the starting node is row 8, column 8. Each listed blue node costs 3 Daevanion points and gives +1 to its skill; connecting nodes cost extra. Follow connected north, south, east or west nodes and choose a route that shares useful Attack or passive nodes. These are target locations, not a total-cost allocation.

Nezekan and Zikel open at character levels 12 and 20. Their listed +1 nodes take base level-10 skills to 12 for the second specialty slot. Prioritize Overhead Slam and Rending Blow, then nearby Ruinous Blow and Keen Strike nodes while the early MP loop still needs Keen Strike. Vaizel at 30 and Triniel at 40 add another +1 each. That makes effective 14 from points and all four boards; gear and Arcana supply the rest. After the core skill nodes, take useful offensive orange nodes and Attack, then passives that support the loop. Azphel's PvP bonuses are a separate goal. See Daeva System and Daevanion Board.

Arcana and equipment

Keep Arcana and gear options that reach Overhead Slam 16 or Rending Blow 16 before chasing a complete card set. After both are working, push Overhead Slam toward 20 and then Rending Blow. A card enhancement does not guarantee that the skill you want gains every level, so check the actual result before changing specialties or dropping Keen Strike.

Useful equipment lines include active-skill levels on the greatsword and rings, Combat Speed, Weapon Damage Boost, Attack and Might. Experienced Counterstrike grants Front Attack Damage Boost, so frontal attack lines fit this setup when the encounter allows safe frontal uptime. Critical Hit supports both Rending Blow's MP recovery and Lunge Stance's level-20 proc. Accuracy matters when attacks miss. Add HP, Block or defensive lines if tanking the next encounter demands them, and keep dodge available for attacks that cannot be safely blocked.

Level Experienced Counterstrike and Attack Preparation first among passives. The former adds frontal damage and a party damage buff after a block; the latter adds damage, Defense and Accuracy. Impact Hit and Murderous Burst are later damage priorities. Blood Absorption helps sustain, but its emergency heal has a cooldown and does not replace boss mechanics.

Opener and sustained rotation

1. Activate Lunge Stance and Zikel's Blessing for the pull. Close with Leaping Slam, use Ruinous Blow for Prepare for Battle, then begin the damage loop.

2. Use Focused Block on a suitable early frontal boss attack to trigger Experienced Counterstrike. Some bosses require closing and blocking before you buff; fit the opener to the boss's actual first attack.

3. Give the main damage line priority to Rage Burst, then Overhead Slam, then Rending Blow. Rage Burst opens Overhead Slam's 10s window. Before Overhead Slam 16, its cooldown makes the line fall back to Rending Blow between follow-ups.

4. In the early setup, hold Keen Strike alongside the in-game macro to restore MP. After Overhead Slam and Rending Blow reach 16 and Rending Blow's MP specialty is selected, test the same line without holding Keen Strike. Return to Keen Strike when MP recovery is insufficient.

5. Refresh Ruinous Blow and the self buffs when useful, and handle Focused Block, movement and defensive skills manually. Sword Aura Rampage is a stagger-window tool; at 16 its cooldown-cut specialty can be useful when major cooldowns need recovery.

Rage Burst needs higher priority than the repeatable attacks. If Overhead Slam remains usable in a higher-priority position, Rage Burst can be delayed and the enabling window can fall off. The in-game macro supplies a priority loop rather than a guaranteed sequence. Keep the core line small, check which skills fire in Combat Analysis, and change one part at a time.

Use the boss orientation indicator to find the front, then move for mechanics even when that costs frontal damage. A clean test should show Overhead Slam and its Upward Strike follow-up taking a larger share of damage after the level-16 transition. If you spend time waiting for Overhead Slam, check Rage Burst's availability, the target carrying its effect and the selected cooldown-removal specialty.

Related pages

• Gladiator

• Gladiator Skills

• Stigma System

• Stagger Gauge

• Gear and Progression