[Guide] Warrior Classes (Gladiator, Templar)

[~Greedy~]

1. Introduction

 

If you like the taste of melee combat and enjoy being the first to jump into a fray, this is the path for you. Warrior classes are the most resilient in the game, possessing the greatest amount of strength and constitution.

 

You will start the game as a Warrior and begin your adventures equipped with a 1H sword as your first weapon. At level 9 you will be given the Daeva quest, during the course of which you will be able to choose between the Gladiator and the Templar as your specialization path (this is the same quest that gives you your wings). Upon completing the quest, your level will be set automatically to 10 in your new class.

 

The Gladiator can wield a wide range of weapons, but mainly uses 2-handed weapons to deliver AoE melee attacks.

The Templar is the primary tanking class of Aion, and should never be without a shield.

 

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2. Warrior Base Stats

 

Strength: 110

Constitution: 110

Agility: 100

Accuracy: 100

Intelligence: 90

Spirit: 90

 

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3. Gear

 

Armor

Warriors equip chainmail armour before specialization, after which they switch to plate armour.

Shields in Aion do not add to defense stats, but are used instead for shield blocks (% based) and shield skills.

 

 

Weapons

Currently the most popular weapon for Gladiators is the polearm. Templars stick to the usual tanking combo of sword and shield.

 

 

Legend

3 Stars: Primary

2 Stars: Useful in certain situations

1 Star : Almost never used

No Star: Unequippable

 

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4. Gladiator

 

Playstyle

Damage Dealer, Off-tank

Gladiators will see their role shift to output more damage, but with the option of moonlighting as off-tankers or substitute tanks.

Comparable classes from other games: WoW Arms Warrior, L2 Warlord/Destroyer

 

 

 

Popular Builds

Although most players will want to focus on enhancing the Glad's damage dealing ability, more experimental players may want to take advantage of the Gladiator's large range of wield-able weapons and try hybrid builds.

 

1. Damage Dealing Build

Gear: Polearm/2H Sword

Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate

 

2. Tanking Build

Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield

Enhancements: + HP, + Shield Rate

 

3. Dual Weapon Build

Gear: 2 x 1H Sword/Mace

Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate

Stigma Skill: Dual Weapon Mastery

 

 

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5. Templar

 

Playstyle

Tank

Templars are the ultimate tanks of Aion, using the shield for both defense and offense while protecting its party members.

Comparable classes from other games: WoW Prot Warrior, L2 TK/SK

View Templar Gameplay Video

 

 

 

Popular Builds

Templar players will want to keep their shields close for shield stun skills and blocks, though PvP players may want to have a 2H in their inventory for initial gank attacks.

 

1. Tanking Build

Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield

Enhancements: + Shield Rate, + HP

 

2. PvP Build

Gear: Swap between 1H Sword/Mace + Shield and a 2H Weapon

Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate

Stigma Skill: Prey

 

3. Offensive PvE Shield Build

Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield

Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate

Stigma Skill: Increased Critical Rate

 

4. Offensive PvE 2H Build

Gear: Polearm/2H Sword

Enhancements: All + Crit Rate

Stigma Skill: Increased Critical Rate

 

 

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6. Current State of Warriors - CBT3

 

As you might be able to tell from the user ratings, Warriors took a hard hit in popularity in CBT3 with the introduction of the Abyss RvR area. Melee classes were found to be at a disadvantage in PvP (which makes perfect sense when players have the option to fly off) and the few stigma skills that were added to neutralize this (Templar's Prey skill, for example) came with long cooldown times. The slow attack speed both Warrior classes suffer from didn't help either, and at the moment Warrior class forums on Korean sites are flooded with complaints.

 

Class balancing is on the way for open beta however. In a post-CBT3 dev interview, Ji mentioned some of the Warrior changes to come, a positive sign that NCSoft is actively addressing widespread player concerns. For the Templar, the cooldown on the 'Prey' stigma skill may be removed entirely, while Gladiators will see more knock-back AoE attacks in their arsenal.

 

PvP balance challenges aside, Warriors remain a staple choice for PvE as the only tanking branch of Aion, and should be the unquestionable first choice for players that enjoy protective roles in parties.