Loading...
Loading...
Gladiator - Version 12 vs Version 13
Oct 15, 2026, 02:35 PM
Added the October 14, 2026 Korean balance changes: PvP damage cut, Assault Strike rework, Focused Block cooldown change
Oct 24, 2026, 10:22 PM
Add a PvP loadout example with effective-level priorities and practical skill timing.
11Gladiator is the heavy melee damage class: a two-handed weapon, area strikes, and a game plan built on staying inside the enemy's reach rather than trading at range. It is durable enough for off-tank duty in a pinch, which is how the pre-launch material framed it, but its job in a party is damage.22FieldDetailRoleMelee damageWeaponGreatswordSignature mechanicKnockdown follow-ups (Mocking Blade into Overhead Slam), Prepare for Battle from Ruinous Blow, and a party damage buff on blockParty fitFront-line damage in five-player Expedition and ten-player Sanctuary content55NCsoft's own class overview calls the Gladiator a master of chaotic combat who excels in both offense and survival, wielding a massive greatsword. The class is part of the eight-class roster offered on the global service, which opened to Founder's Pack holders in paid Advance Access on September 30, 2026 ahead of the official launch on October 5, 2026.66NCsoft's official Korean guidebook describes the Gladiator as a core melee class with both high attack and high defense. It wields a greatsword and overwhelms enemies with heavy blows; its main job is melee damage, but its large HP pool and defensive ability also let it act as a sub-tank.88Global practical build1010Use Gladiator Global PvE Build for the Global launch setup, including skill-point priorities, specialties, Stigmas, Daevanion routes, Arcana, equipment and the skill sequence. The later Korean and Taiwanese balance history on this page remains service-specific.1212How It Plays1414Gladiator leans on skill chains harder than most of the roster, and NCsoft has reworked its chain mechanic more than once. A passive line grants Front Attack Damage Boost, which rewards attacking a target from the front.1616The class's burst window has been the focus of repeated tuning. A Rage Burst rework landed in the April 29, 2026 update, the June 17, 2026 patch raised several strike multipliers, and the August 12, 2026 pass took its charge stance in the other direction: the stance lost its MP cost reduction, the healing cut on its blade throw rose from 30 to 50 percent, the cancel point on two heavy strikes moved from the first hit to the second, one major strike's cooldown went from 30 to 45 seconds, and four core strikes gained 3 percent PvE damage.1818Party Synergy2020Gladiator sits with Templar, Chanter and Cleric on the side of the roster that kept or gained team-wide synergy when the April 22, 2026 update turned the party-wide effects of the Ranger, Sorcerer and Spiritmaster into self-only ones (the Gladiator's Lifestealing Blade gained a party life-drain buff in the same note), which is unusual for a damage dealer and is worth knowing when a group is deciding who fills the flexible slot.2222Experienced Counterstrike is the source of that synergy: blocking an attack raises the damage of the Gladiator and its party for 20 seconds, and the buff does not stack with the Templar's Fury. On August 26, 2026 NCsoft cut the party damage values of Experienced Counterstrike roughly in half on the Korean and Taiwanese service, from 17, 24 and 31 percent PvE to 9, 13 and 17 percent at skill levels 10, 20 and 30, as part of a pass that toned down the party synergy of Gladiator, Templar, Chanter and Cleric.2424In combat the kit runs on MP. Keen Strike restores MP and Rending Blow spends it, and the heavier strikes cost more. Mocking Blade knocks a target down and opens the follow-ups Overhead Slam and Aerial Snare, Rage Burst opens Overhead Slam on its own, and Sword Aura Rampage is reserved for staggered targets. Most crowd-control chances that can fail against players land every time on NPCs.2626Skills2828In the client data every class has 12 active skills, 13 Stigma skills and 10 passives, plus Dodge and chain follow-ups that do not take a slot of their own. Stigma skills are equipped through the Stigma System and keep every specialty they have unlocked. Each skill also unlocks specialties (numbered Spec 1 to Spec 5 in patch notes) as it levels up.3030Gladiator Skills is the full reference for this class: Korean names, unlock levels, cooldowns, MP costs, every specialty option, how the skills fit together, and the complete balance history since the November 2025 launch.3232SkillTypeWhat it doesRending BlowActiveBasic strike on up to four nearby enemies that raises enmity; costs MP.Keen StrikeActiveBasic strike on up to four nearby enemies that restores MP; usable while moving.Leaping SlamActiveLeaps onto a target up to 20 meters away and strikes it.Mocking BladeActiveSingle-target strike that knocks the target down.Overhead SlamActiveFollow-up on a knocked-down target that raises enmity.Sword Aura RampageActiveStrike that can only be used on a staggered target.Ankle SliceActiveArea strike that can root targets; NPCs are always rooted.Crushing WaveActiveHits up to four enemies around the Gladiator.Rush StrikeActiveAfter a dodge or while flying, charges a target and can knock it down.Aerial SnareActiveFollow-up on a knocked-down target that can launch it into the air.Ruinous BlowActiveRushes in to hit up to four enemies and grants Prepare for Battle, a damage, critical and status-chance buff.DefianceActiveShared escape skill: removes stun, knockdown, airborne, grab, frost and fear, then grants brief status immunity.Blade TossStigmaRanged throw that lowers the target's Defense and the healing it receives.Focused BlockStigmaHeld guard that guarantees a parry and restores MP and stamina once on a parry.Armor of BalanceStigmaRaises resistance to impact-type effects for a short time.Wrath WaveStigmaArea hit around the Gladiator that can knock targets down.Zikel's BlessingStigmaSelf buff to Attack and Accuracy.Lifestealing BladeStigmaArea strike that restores the Gladiator's HP.TenaciousnessStigmaA few seconds of immunity to damage and status effects, followed by extra damage tolerance.Rage BurstStigmaSingle-target strike that inflicts Wounded (lower Attack), raises the Gladiator's damage and opens Overhead Slam.Lunge StanceStigmaRaises Combat Speed for a short time.Wave ArmorStigmaDeals damage over time to enemies around the Gladiator.Forced RestraintStigmaStrike that can Seal the target.Fracturing RushStigmaDashes forward through enemies and can root them.Assault StrikeStigmaRanged area strike that can knock targets down and raises Defense by the number of targets hit.Survival StancePassiveMore HP, natural HP regeneration and damage tolerance.Protection ArmorPassiveRaises Block and restores HP on a block.Blood AbsorptionPassiveChance to heal on hit, plus an emergency heal when HP falls to half.Identify WeaknessPassiveRaises Critical Hit and Perfect Chance.Attack PreparationPassiveRaises damage, Defense and Accuracy.Impact HitPassiveRaises impact-type status chance and Double Chance.Destructive ImpulsePassiveExtra damage against staggered targets or targets under impact-type effects.Experienced CounterstrikePassiveRaises front attack damage; a block buffs the damage of the Gladiator and party members (does not stack with the Templar's Fury).Survival WillpowerPassiveStatus resistance, plus damage tolerance while stunned, knocked down, airborne, frozen or feared.Murderous BurstPassiveHits build Menace; at five stacks it releases an area burst and raises critical damage.3434Balance History3535Changes made on the Korean and Taiwanese service since the Chapter 1 update, through the October 14, 2026 update. Earlier passes, back to the November 2025 launch, are listed on Gladiator Skills, and the cross-class context is on Classes.3737DateChange (Korean and Taiwanese service)July 8, 2026Zikel's Blessing became self-only and gained Accuracy; Leaping Slam no longer costs MP; Murderous Burst at five stacks now raises the Gladiator's own critical damage; specialty swaps on Wave Armor and Armor of Balance.July 15, 2026Lifestealing Blade became a single hit and its base HP absorption rose from 7% to 10%; Overhead Slam and its follow-up lost 7% PvE damage.July 22, 2026Rush Strike's knockdown chance fell from 50% to 30%; Experienced Counterstrike's front attack bonus went from 5, 10 and 15% to 4, 8 and 12%. NCsoft said a rework of the class's skill chains was being prepared.August 12, 2026Lunge Stance lost its 20% MP cost reduction; Blade Toss's healing cut rose from 30% to 50%; Ruinous Blow's cooldown went from 30 to 45 seconds while its Prepare for Battle buff grew from 5 to 20 seconds; Keen Strike and three related strikes gained 3% PvE damage.August 19, 2026Ruinous Blow changed from a charge skill to a normal skill that deals area damage, and its stagger damage rose from 15 to 25; Overhead Slam now strikes twice.August 26, 2026Experienced Counterstrike's party damage values were roughly halved; Keen Strike and three related strikes gained 20% PvE damage; life absorption on the Overhead Slam specialty fell from 2% to 0.7%. A maintenance on August 27 then cut Overhead Slam and its follow-up, and Rending Blow and its follow-up, by 10% in PvE and PvP to keep the feel of the cancel sequence while adjusting 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 and Ruinous Blow can no longer be used while rooted, and neither can Ankle Slice with its range specialty.September 23, 2026Fracturing Rush now travels in the direction of the movement key held when it is cast.October 7, 2026All classes: fixed attacks made while in the air sometimes failing to land on a target even when in range. No class-specific changes for this class in the October 7 note.October 14, 2026All classes: PvP damage reduced by about 30%. Assault Strike now gives up to 80% more Defense and all elemental resistances for 5 seconds, scaled by the number of targets hit (previously up to 20% more Defense), and cooldown reduction no longer applies to it. A successful block now cuts Focused Block's own cooldown: 0.3 seconds in the note, reduced to 0.1 seconds at a temporary maintenance the same day, which also stopped the effect applying to passive skills (NCsoft says it is meant for active skills only).3939Shared Systems4040Every class runs the same underlying loop: tab-targeting with active dodge and parry, skill chains that prompt a follow-up key, a Groggy stagger gauge on bosses, and Perfect Parry (plus Perfect Shield Block for Templars and Clerics), a low-chance block result that stops most of a hit's damage. Loadouts hold twelve active skills, a set of Stigma slots and ten passives, allocated with Mastery Points and Stigma Shards.4242Naming and Sourcing4444Skill names on this page are the English names used in the global client. The skill table is drawn from the global client data as of September 2026 and describes what each skill does rather than its per-level numbers, which change with skill level and with balance patches. The balance history covers the Korean and Taiwanese service, which receives changes on its own schedule; the global build can differ from it at any given time.4646Frontline PvP loadout example48+These are effective-level targets for one loadout example. Mastery skill points raise a skill to level 10; equipment, Arcana and the Daevanion Board supply additional levels. Keep the activation conditions and available specialty slots in the skill tables when choosing options.50+Skill familyEffective levelPriority skillsActive20Rending Blow; Overhead SlamActive16Ankle SliceActive14Keen Strike; Leaping Slam; Mocking Blade; Rush Strike; Aerial Snare; DefianceActive5Sword Aura Rampage; Crushing Wave; Ruinous BlowPassive20Attack PreparationPassive15Impact Hit; Survival Willpower; Survival Stance; Blood Absorption; Identify Weakness; Destructive Impulse; Experienced Counterstrike; Murderous BurstPassive14Protection Armor52+Selected StigmaEffective levelPurposeLunge Stance20Prepare the Combat Speed window.Zikel's Blessing20Prepare the self Attack and Accuracy buff.Blade Toss20Lower the target's Defense and healing received.Forced Restraint20Add Seal and its selected control specialties.53+This setup concentrates its attack levels on Rending Blow and Overhead Slam. Prepare the stance and self buff, apply Blade Toss, then use control and gap closers when they can keep the opponent in reach. Overhead Slam needs a knocked-down target or another valid activation window; a priority queue cannot create that condition by itself.54+Keep Rush Strike's Dodge or flight requirement and Ankle Slice's block trigger in mind before chasing. Use Aerial Snare after knockdown, and preserve Defiance for the enemy's attempt to stop the sequence. Return to Keen Strike for MP recovery instead of exhausting the pool on an opponent who has already escaped.56+Attack, accuracy and Combat Speed support frontline pressure. Defensive, evasion and resistance rolls can keep that pressure useful through the return attack; choose them around the opponents rather than assuming a damage-only set is sufficient.58+Related Pages4860Classes for the full roster and the balance history. Combat and Skill Chains for the shared input loop. Gear and Progression for equipment. Daeva System and Daevanion Board for talents. Stigma System for the enhanceable skill layer.5062Gladiator Skills for every skill, specialty and dated balance change.