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Gladiator Skills - Version 1 vs Version 2
Oct 6, 2026, 11:44 PM
Initial version (2026-10-06)
Oct 7, 2026, 12:47 AM
Added the official class selection portrait
11This page lists every Gladiator skill in AION 2: the twelve Mastery actives, the thirteen Stigma skills and the ten passives, with their Korean names, unlock levels, cooldowns, MP costs, specialty options and a dated history of balance changes. NCsoft's official guidebook describes the Gladiator as a greatsword fighter with high attack and defense that mainly deals melee damage but can also act as a sub-tank thanks to its HP and defensive skills.22English skill names come from the global client. Descriptions follow the official Korean guidebook (skill page updated August 18, 2026) and the global client tooltips. Unlock levels, cooldowns and MP costs are the level 1 values in the global client data snapshot dated September 18, 2026; they change as skills level up and with balance patches. The balance history is drawn from the Korean service's official update notes, so some of its later changes may not be in the global build yet.45How Gladiator Skills Fit Together67MP economy: the Keen Strike chain restores MP and the Rending Blow chain spends it, with the heavier strikes (Crushing Wave, Ruinous Blow, Mocking Blade) costing 200 to 250 MP.Knockdown follow-ups: Mocking Blade knocks a target down, which opens Overhead Slam and Aerial Snare. Rage Burst also opens Overhead Slam for 10 s, and against bosses, which are immune to incapacitation, Overhead Slam and Aerial Snare have a small chance to become available on any attack.Stagger: Sword Aura Rampage only works on a target in the Stagger state, and most Gladiator skills add stagger gauge damage. See Stagger Gauge for the stagger (Groggy) system and Combat and Skill Chains for skill chains.Block triggers: Ankle Slice activates after a successful block, and Experienced Counterstrike turns blocks into a party damage buff. Focused Block guarantees parries for a short time.Prepare for Battle: Ruinous Blow grants it for 20 s, and a Leaping Slam specialty grants it briefly; it raises damage boost, Critical Hit and status effect chance.NPC rules: most knockdown, root, seal and airborne chances that can fail against players always land on NPCs.Skill points raise Mastery skills to level 10; further levels come from items, Arcana and the Daevanion board. Stigma skills level with Stigma Shards; see Stigma System.89Active Skills1011Mastery skills are learned automatically as the character levels. Dodge (긴급 회피) is available to every class from level 1 with a 0.5 s cooldown and is not listed below.1213SkillKoreanUnlock LevelCooldownMP CostWhat It DoesKeen Strike예리한 일격1NoneNone (restores 100 MP)Basic three-step chain: Keen Strike, Rupture Strike (파열의 일격) and Wrathful Strike (분노의 일격). Each step hits up to four enemies within 4 m, raises enmity and restores MP (100 MP on the first step). Non-target and usable while moving. Spec 5 adds Reckless Strike (무모한 일격) to the chain.Rending Blow절단의 맹타1None120Two-step chain with Smashing Blow (격파의 맹타). Hits up to four enemies within 4 m, raises enmity and deals stagger damage; this is the line that spends MP. Non-target.Leaping Slam도약 찍기115 sNoneLeaps onto a target up to 20 m away and strikes it, dealing stagger damage. Spec 1 grants Prepare for Battle for 3 s. On the Korean service it cannot be used while rooted (September 16, 2026).Mocking Blade유린의 검320 s200Strikes a target within 4 m and knocks it down for 3 s. Against targets immune to incapacitation (bosses) the motion changes. Opens Overhead Slam and Aerial Snare.Overhead Slam내려찍기45 sNoneFollow-up on a knocked-down target within 4 m; strikes twice (since August 19, 2026 on the Korean service) and raises enmity. Against incapacitation-immune targets it has a 7% chance to become available on each attack, and Rage Burst opens it for 10 s. Usable while moving. Spec 3 adds Upward Strike (올려치기).Sword Aura Rampage검기 난무5NoneNoneCan only be used on a target in the Stagger (Groggy) state, within 4 m. No cooldown.Ankle Slice발목 베기710 sNoneActivates after a successful block: hits up to four enemies around the target with a 50% chance to root them for 3 s. NPCs are always rooted. Spec 2 adds Ankle Smash (발목 격파).Crushing Wave분쇄 파동820 s250Hits up to four enemies within 5 m of the Gladiator and chains into Frenzied Wave (광폭 파동). Non-target.Rush Strike돌진 일격1020 sNoneUsable after Dodge or while flying: rushes a target up to 10 m away with a 30% knockdown chance for 3 s. NPCs are always knocked down.Aerial Snare공중 결박1245 s150Strikes a knocked-down target within 4 m with a 50% chance to launch it (Airborne, 3 s); NPCs are always launched. Has a 5% chance to become available against incapacitation-immune targets. Spec 4 adds Forced Fall (강제 낙하), which slams an airborne target back down.Ruinous Blow파멸의 맹타1445 s250Rushes a target up to 7.5 m away, hits up to four enemies around it and grants Prepare for Battle for 20 s: +20% PvE and +10% PvP damage boost, +100 Critical Hit and +15% status effect chance. A normal skill since August 19, 2026 (it used to be a charge skill).Defiance충격 해제1660 sNoneShared escape skill. Removes Stun, Knockdown, Airborne, Grab, Frost and Fear and grants Tenacity (status immunity) for 5 s. Not affected by cooldown reduction. Spec 1 adds Wrath Burst (분노 폭발), a knockdown strike.1415Stigma Skills1516Every Gladiator Stigma skill unlocks at character level 22. Stigma skills are leveled with Stigma Shards rather than skill points and keep every specialty they have unlocked.1718SkillKoreanCooldownMP CostWhat It DoesBlade Toss칼날 날리기20 sNoneThrows the blade at a target up to 20 m away, cutting its Defense by 30% and its healing received by 50% for 10 s. Chains into Blade Dance (칼날 화무). Usable while moving.Focused Block집중 막기20 sNoneHeld guard: frontal block damage reduction rises by 100% and every frontal hit is parried with the weapon. Restores 110 MP and stamina once on a parry. On the Korean service Evasion drops by 10,000 while it is held.Armor of Balance균형의 갑옷90 sNoneRaises impact-type status resistance by 50% for 10 s. Usable while moving.Wrath Wave분노의 파동60 s200Hits up to four enemies within 5 m of the Gladiator with a 50% chance to knock them down for 3 s (always on NPCs) and heavy stagger damage. Non-target.Zikel's Blessing지켈의 축복120 sNoneRaises the Gladiator's own Attack by 20% and Accuracy by 100 for 10 s. Self-only since July 8, 2026.Lifestealing Blade흡혈의 검90 s200One strike on up to four enemies within 4 m that absorbs 10% HP. Spec 2 gives party members Predation for 20 s, a buff that drains HP on their attacks.Tenaciousness근성150 sNoneThree seconds of immunity to damage and status effects, then +50% PvE and +25% PvP damage tolerance for 3 s. Some powerful attacks cannot be blocked, it is not affected by cooldown increases, and it shares a 30 s lockout with other classes' invincibility skills.Rage Burst격노 폭발45 s100Strikes a target within 4 m and inflicts Wounded (Attack down 10%) for 10 s; the Gladiator gains +10% PvE and +5% PvP damage boost for 10 s, and Overhead Slam opens on the target for 10 s. Wounded does not stack with the Templar's Shrink from Taunt.Lunge Stance돌격 자세60 sNoneRaises Combat Speed by 20% for 10 s. Usable while moving.Wave Armor파동의 갑주60 s200Deals damage over time to up to four enemies within 3 m for 10 s. Usable while moving; its specialties boost other Gladiator passives.Forced Restraint강제 결박60 s100Strikes a target within 4 m with a 75% chance to Seal it for 5 s (always on NPCs).Fracturing Rush분쇄 돌진90 s100Added March 25, 2026 on the Korean service. Rushes 10 m forward, hitting up to four enemies on the path with a 60% chance to root them for 3 s (always on NPCs). Since September 23, 2026 on the Korean service it travels in the direction of the movement key held. Spec 2 adds Destructive Rush (파괴 돌진).Assault Strike강습 일격120 sNoneSelects a target up to 20 m away and hits up to four enemies around it with a 30% knockdown chance (always on NPCs); Defense rises by up to 20% with the number of targets hit. The guidebook also lists MP damage, which the global client data places on spec 2.1920Passive Skills2021SkillKoreanUnlock LevelWhat It DoesSurvival Stance생존 자세1More HP, maximum HP, natural HP regeneration and damage tolerance.Protection Armor보호의 갑옷6Raises Block and restores HP on a successful block (1 s internal cooldown).Blood Absorption피의 흡수950% chance on hit to restore HP plus a share of maximum HP; when HP drops to 50% or less, instantly restores a large share of maximum HP (60 s cooldown).Identify Weakness약점 파악11Raises Critical Hit and Perfect chance.Attack Preparation공격 준비13Raises PvE and PvP damage boost, Defense and Accuracy.Impact Hit충격 적중15Raises impact-type status chance and Double Chance (강타).Destructive Impulse파괴 충동17Extra damage against targets that are staggered or under an impact-type status.Experienced Counterstrike노련한 반격21Raises front attack damage boost. A successful block raises the PvE and PvP damage boost of the Gladiator and party members for 20 s; does not stack with the Templar's Fury.Survival Willpower생존 의지23Raises status resistance; while stunned, knocked down, airborne, frozen or feared, gains damage tolerance and +10% status resistance per hit taken for 5 s (up to 10 stacks).Murderous Burst살기 파열25Each hit grants a stack of Menace; at five stacks Menace is consumed to hit up to four enemies within 5 m and raise the Gladiator's critical damage boost for 3 s.2223Specialties2324Specialties (특화) unlock as a skill levels. On Mastery skills the five options unlock at skill levels 8 (the first three), 12 and 16, and the player assigns them to the skill's specialty slots. On Stigma skills the options apply automatically once the level is reached. The tables below give the options in the global client snapshot; Korean patch notes refer to them as Spec 1 to Spec 5 in this order. The Korean notes also mention a fifth Stigma specialty that the snapshot does not list.2526How specialty slots, skill levels and presets work for every class is covered on Skills and Specialties.2728Mastery Skill Specialties2930SkillSpec 1 (Lv 8)Spec 2 (Lv 8)Spec 3 (Lv 8)Spec 4 (Lv 12)Spec 5 (Lv 16)Keen Strike+20% MP restoredAbsorbs 1% HP+50% Multi-Hit on hit-1s Ruinous Blow cooldown on hitAdds Reckless Strike Chain SkillRending Blow-20% MP consumed+200 Block while using skillChanges to mobile skillDeals up to 12% more damage when less targets are hitRestores 50 MP on landing a Critical HitLeaping SlamPrepare for Battle effect on the caster for 3s50% chance to trigger Ankle Slice on hitResets cooldown on defeating an enemy+20% PvE Damage Tolerance and +10 PvP Damage Tolerance for 3sChanges to AoE skill and pulls in enemiesMocking BladeAbsorbs 4% HP, absorbs 15% HP of target with Incapacitated ImmunityChanges to AoE damage on down strikeAdds 2 additional strikes+1s Knockdown durationIgnores Block and Evasion and lands as Multi-HitOverhead SlamAbsorbs 0.7% HPChanges to AoE SkillAdds Upward Strike Chain SkillCritical Hit on hitRemove cooldownSword Aura RampageAbsorbs 5% HPRestores 120 MPChanges to mobile skillMulti-Hit on hit-1s all skill cooldowns on hitAnkle Slice30% chance to inflict Knockdown for 3s on landing Ankle SliceAdds Ankle Smash Chain Skill+16m Ankle Slice rangeIgnores Block and Evasion and lands as Multi-Hit25% chance to reset Ankle Slice cooldown on BlockCrushing WaveAbsorbs 2% HPRestores 50 MP on landing a Critical HitUp to +20% damage when more targets hitResets cooldown on landing a Critical Hit50% chance to pullRush StrikeRestores 300 Stamina on hit+10m RangeChanges to Charge Skill and deals AoE damage-10s cooldown+25% Knockdown ChanceAerial SnareMulti-Hit on hit+25% Aerial Snare Airborne Chance+100% damage to targets with Incapacitated ImmunityAdds Forced Fall Chain Skill-50% Aerial Snare cooldownRuinous Blow+20% Skill Speed+12.5m Range+30% Skill Critical HitExtra damage on hitIgnores Block and Evasion and lands as Multi-HitDefianceAdds Wrath Burst Chain SkillRestores 1000 Stamina on using DefianceRestores 20% HP on using Defiance+2s Tenacity duration+50% PvE Damage Tolerance and +25% PvP Damage Tolerance for Tenacity duration3132Stigma Skill Specialties3233SkillSpec 1 (Lv 5)Spec 2 (Lv 10)Spec 3 (Lv 15)Spec 4 (Lv 20)Blade Toss+20% Blade Toss Incoming Heal reductionBlade Toss inflicts Slow for 5sBlade Toss breaks Protective ShieldsBlade Dance has 30% chance to inflict Knockdown for 3sFocused Block+1 consecutive useChanges to mobile skill+20% Move Speed for 3s on ParryRestores 10% HP once on ParryArmor of Balance+20% Ailment-type and Mental-type Resistx1.5 Blood Absorption effect for the durationx1.5 Protection Armor effect for the duration+50% Impact-type Resist increaseWrath WaveUp to +20% damage when more targets hitReduces Attack by 20% for 5sDeals damage 1 additional time+25% Knockdown ChanceZikel's Blessing+50% Stagger Gauge Damage+10% PvE damage boost and +5% PvP damage boost+50% Multi-Hit chance+20% Status Effect ChanceLifestealing BladeUp to +20% damage when more targets hitPredation effect on party members for 20s-30s cooldown+5% HP absorbedTenaciousness+100% Incoming HealRestores 20% Max HP when the effect ends+20% AttackTrigger Tenaciousness when afflicted with Impact-type statusRage Burst-15s Rage Burst cooldown+10% Attack reductionCritical Hit on hit+10% PvE damage boost increase and +5% PvP damage boost increaseLunge Stance+5% Double Chance for the durationIncreases Move Speed by 20% for the durationx1.5 Identify Weakness effect for the duration50% chance to reduce all skill cooldowns by 1s on Critical Hit for the durationWave ArmorAbsorbs 2% HPx1.5 Experienced Counterstrike effect for the durationx1.5 Murderous Burst effect for the durationReflects 10% of damage takenForced Restraint50% chance to inflict Root for 5s-1,000 Stamina+2s Seal duration+25% Seal ChanceFracturing Rush+2 max targets hitAdds Destructive Rush Chain Skill+20% Root Chance50% chance to inflict Airborne for 3sAssault Strike+20% Attack for 5s on hit500 MP damage on hit+10m Range+20% Knockdown Chance3435Balance History3536Changes from the Korean service's official update notes and class-care maintenance notices, from the November 19, 2025 launch to the October 7, 2026 update. Values are as published on the Korean service. The global service, live since October 5, 2026, runs its own build and has not published Gladiator balance changes.3738DateChange (Korean and Taiwanese service)November 2025 to early December 2025No Gladiator-specific changes in the launch-week notes; the December 3, 2025 note raised the base status resistance of Survival Willpower, a passive the Gladiator shares, from 11.5% to 16.5%.December 10, 2025More enmity from Keen Strike, Rupture Strike, Wrathful Strike, Rending Blow and Smashing Blow; Experienced Counterstrike's Attack bonus became a damage boost with new values; Sword Aura Rampage spec 5 now cuts cooldowns by 1 s; Prepare for Battle now keeps the longer of two remaining durations.December 17, 2025Rending Blow and Smashing Blow +10% damage and smoother motion while moving; Prepare for Battle from Leaping Slam and Ruinous Blow raised from 10% to 15% damage boost; Experienced Counterstrike's boost lasts 10 s instead of 3; Murderous Burst triggers at 5 stacks instead of 10; Impact Hit set to 12% base and 2% per level.December 24, 2025Faster Overhead Slam; Wrath Wave, Lunge Stance, Zikel's Blessing, Tenaciousness, Wave Armor and Forced Restraint now scale with Combat Speed (Assault Strike no longer does); Murderous Burst +20% damage; Crushing Wave spec 5 pull set to 50% (100% on NPCs).January 7, 2026Overhead Slam became usable while moving and its spec 3 now adds the Upward Strike chain; Aerial Snare spec 3 became +50% damage to status-immune targets; Blood Absorption gained a life drain stat; Murderous Burst gained a critical damage tolerance cut. Mocking Blade's grab became an impact-type effect that Defiance can break, and activation on status-immune targets became a base effect of Overhead Slam and Aerial Snare instead of a specialty.January 14, 2026Upward Strike visuals; Leaping Slam's on-kill cooldown reset made more reliable; Protection Armor tooltip fix.January 21, 2026Fixed Blood Absorption stacking with Wave Armor spec 2 (it applied 2.5 times); Attack Preparation's Attack bonus became a damage boost plus Accuracy.February 4, 2026Faster Wrath Wave; Rage Burst now opens Overhead Slam on the target for 10 s; Protection Armor's heal-on-block cooldown cut from 3 s to 1 s.March 11, 2026Fixed repeated Rage Burst casts not refreshing the Overhead Slam window.March 25, 2026New Stigma skill Fracturing Rush. Blade Toss: faster projectile, cooldown 30 to 20 s, its debuff became a 30% Defense and healing-received cut. Lifestealing Blade: faster, all hits area damage. Faster Forced Restraint. Tenaciousness: immunity cut from 5 to 3 s, followed by +50% damage tolerance for 3 s.April 22, 2026Life drain overhaul: specialty drains changed from a share of damage to a share of HP (Keen Strike line 2%, Overhead Slam and Upward Strike 2% plus enmity, Sword Aura Rampage 5%, Mocking Blade 15%); Blood Absorption reworked to heal a share of maximum HP on hit and below 50% HP. Lifestealing Blade spec 2 now gives party members Predation for 20 s. Rending Blow and Smashing Blow +7% PvE, Ruinous Blow +15% PvE, Wave Armor +30% PvE with a 10 s base duration growing to 20 s; Focused Block now lowers Evasion by 10,000 while held.April 29, 2026Rage Burst reworked: hit lowers the target's Attack by 10% for 10 s, raises the Gladiator's PvE damage boost 10% and PvP 5%, and opens Overhead Slam for 10 s; Prepare for Battle gained +15% status effect chance; Mocking Blade +20% PvE with 4% HP drain (15% on incapacitation-immune targets); Murderous Burst +30% PvE; Aerial Snare spec 3 raised to +100%; Lunge Stance spec 1 became +5% Double Chance; Tenaciousness now also removes damage over time.May 13, 2026Lunge Stance gained a 20% MP cost reduction while active.May 20, 2026Fixes: Keen Strike and Reckless Strike combos cancelling, Lunge Stance spec 4 tooltip (50% chance), knockdowns from Mocking Blade spec 5 and Ankle Slice specs ignoring block and evasion rules.May 27, 2026Murderous Burst's critical damage tolerance cut no longer stacks with the Templar's Shrink.June 4 and June 10, 2026Murderous Burst fixes: debuff overwritten by a lower-level copy; effect not clearing after Dodge at four stacks.June 17, 2026Rage Burst spec 4 doubled to +10% PvE and +5% PvP damage boost; Prepare for Battle raised to +20% PvE and +10% PvP; +5% PvE on the Keen Strike line, Rending Blow and Smashing Blow, and Overhead Slam and Upward Strike (also 10% faster); +10% PvE on Aerial Snare and Forced Fall; +20% PvE on Ruinous Blow.July 1, 2026 (Chapter 1)Experienced Counterstrike gained a front attack damage boost (5, 10 and 15% at skill levels 10, 20 and 30) and its block buff became a 20 s party buff that does not stack with the Templar's Fury (PvE 17, 24 and 31%; PvP 8.5, 12 and 15.5%); Ruinous Blow +40% PvE; Rending Blow and Overhead Slam lines +5% PvE; Lifestealing Blade's Predation damage cut 40% while its drain rose from 2% to 3%; Keen Strike line spec 2 drain cut from 2% to 1%.July 8, 2026Zikel's Blessing became self-only and gained +100 Accuracy; Leaping Slam no longer costs MP; Murderous Burst at five stacks now raises the Gladiator's own critical damage boost; specialty swaps on Wave Armor and Armor of Balance. All classes lost 30% PvP damage.July 15, 2026Lifestealing Blade became a single hit with 10% base HP drain (party Predation drain 1.5%); Overhead Slam and Upward Strike lost 7% PvE damage; Murderous Burst and Wave Armor areas grow with range-extending weapons.July 22, 2026Rush Strike knockdown chance cut from 50% to 30%; Tenaciousness spec 5 duration bonus cut from 2 s to 1 s; Experienced Counterstrike front attack bonus cut to 4, 8 and 12%. NCsoft said a rework of Gladiator skill chaining was being prepared.August 12, 2026Lunge Stance lost its MP cost reduction; Blade Toss healing cut raised from 30% to 50% (spec 1 adds 20% more); the cancel point on Rending Blow and Smashing Blow moved from the first hit to the second; Ruinous Blow cooldown 30 to 45 s and Prepare for Battle 5 to 20 s; Keen Strike line +3% PvE.August 19, 2026Ruinous Blow changed from a charge skill to a normal area skill with stagger damage raised from 15 to 25, and spec 3 became +30% skill critical; Overhead Slam now strikes twice.August 26, 2026Every skill gained a minimum cancel time. Experienced Counterstrike's party values cut to 9, 13 and 17% PvE and 4.5, 6.5 and 8.5% PvP; Keen Strike line +20% PvE; Overhead Slam and Upward Strike spec 1 drain cut from 2% to 0.7%.August 27, 2026 (maintenance)To keep the feel of the Rending Blow cancel sequence while adjusting damage: Overhead Slam and Upward Strike, and Rending Blow and Smashing Blow, each lost 10% PvE and PvP damage.September 2, 2026Fixed Protection Armor, Experienced Counterstrike and Murderous Burst not working while a low-level Armor of Balance or Wave Armor buff was active.September 16, 2026Leaping Slam, Ruinous Blow and Ankle Slice with its range specialty can no longer be used while rooted; Ankle Slice range specialty fix.September 23, 2026Fracturing Rush now travels in the direction of the movement key held.October 7, 2026All classes: fixed attacks made while in the air sometimes failing to land on a target even when in range.3940Global Client Differences4041The global client snapshot of September 18, 2026 matches the Korean values for the Gladiator skills checked (Ruinous Blow 45 s cooldown, Blade Toss 50% healing cut, Experienced Counterstrike party values). Restrictions added on the Korean service after that date, such as the rooted-state limits of September 16 and the Fracturing Rush direction change of September 23, are not visible in the data and may not apply on the global service.4243Related Pages4445Gladiator for the class overview and role.Classes for the full roster.Stigma System for Stigma slots and Stigma Shards.Status Effects for knockdown, airborne, root and seal.Templar Skills for the other block-based melee kit.
