Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to become a powerful AoE Blade? Then this guide is for you! Before we get started, here are a few important notes. This guide is primarily aimed at free-to-play players, but it’s also valuable for anyone interested in learning more about this class. This means we’ll be working with minimal equipment—no consumables or high-level items, just a true free-to-play experience.
I this guide we will focus on equipment, stats, skills, jewelry, and more to master the AoE Blade. If you’re wondering why you should choose the Blade class, we recommend checking out our Mercenary guide first, which covers everything up to level 60. This guide will focus specifically on the Blade class, starting from level 60 onwards.
If you need help with the Mercenary class, we have the AoE Mercenary guide to assist you.
Cloak and Jewelry
Let’s start with the cloak. We highly recommend using an STA +8 Cloak of Endurance.
For jewelry, we suggest equipping two Stam Ring+7 rings. Unfortunately, there is no STA Clockwork jewelry to obtain, so Stam +7 rings or higher are the best alternatives. As always, the higher the level of the jewelry, the better, but at a minimum, aim for two Stam +7 rings and two Penzeru+1 earrings, which are significantly cheaper than Plug Earring and offer comparable benefits. Additionally, equip a Gore necklace+7 or a Pep +1 or a similar jewelry; more is always better in this case.
Pet
To maximize your damage output, the Dragon is the best choice due to its superior Grace effect.
If you’re looking to speed up your pulls, the Rabbit is ideal, offering the best overall effect for this purpose.
As for the Lion or Unicorn, your choice should depend on whether or not you’re using Grace: opt for the Lion if you’re utilizing Grace, and go with the Unicorn if you’re not.
Skills “K”
Next, let’s talk about the skills that are relevant for the Blade class. You can completely ignore the upper skill tree as it’s unnecessary for Blades. You also don’t need Protection or Shield Bash, as these skills only work when using a shield. Sneaker can be useful in certain situations, but it’s not essential for AoE farming.
You also don’t need Empower Weapon unless you plan to add an element to your weapon, but even that isn’t crucial for AoE farming (no element boost for Skill, but Element Skills). While you could add an element like Lightning +1 to your weapon when fighting Water-element monsters, the difference it makes is negligible since you’ll be killing all the monsters at the same time.
As an AoE Blade, you’ll be using both swords and axes, so make sure to max out Smite Axe and Blazing Sword. These are straightforward skills that you’ll need to level up as you progress. For actual AoE farming, the main skills you’ll use are Blade Dance and later Rending Entry
Skill Utilization
You might be wondering why other skills aren’t necessary. It’s because they simply aren’t effective for AoE farming. The only exception might be Sonic Blade, which is also an AoE skill, but it scales with STR, which isn’t optimal for our build. We’ll explain why later.
One skill worth mentioning is Berserk. You might be tempted to use it because it increases your attack power by 15%. However, the downside is significant: it reduces your skill damage by 50%. This means that while your auto-attacks gain a slight boost, your overall damage output decreases by about 35%, making Berserk ineffective for Blades focused on skills.
Stats for an AoE Blade “H”
When it comes to the stats for an AoE Blade, the general consensus is to focus on full DEX. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, “But if I go full DEX, I won’t have any HP or STA, and I’ll die instantly!” This guide is to explain why full DEX is actually beneficial.
DEX offers several advantages: it increases your parry and block rates, as well as your damage. Blade Dance, your main AoE skill, scales with DEX, meaning the more DEX you have, the more damage you’ll deal. In addition to the damage boost, you’ll also benefit from higher parry and block rates, which are crucial for survival.
Why Not Sonic Blade?
You might wonder why not use Sonic Blade instead, since it has a better STR scaling and provides a decent bonus. The issue is that with a full STR build, you’ll be extremely vulnerable—just two hits could kill you. No amount of healing can save you in such a scenario. While it’s possible to play with full STR using heavy power-ups and other resources, it’s generally not advisable due to the high risk involved.
By going full DEX with Blade Dance, you gain significant defensive advantages, particularly through increased block rates. For example, at level 105, with full DEX and no additional gear or buffs, you’ll already have a 51% block rate. This is without any equipment or external enhancements—just 280 points in DEX at level 105.
The Importance of Block Rate
For those who are still skeptical, consider this: the maximum block rate is 75%, which you should aim to reach but not exceed. For instance, avoid using Speedos if you’re already at 75% block rate. While some players may choose to allocate 50 points into STA, especially at lower levels, this is more of a safety measure if you struggle with finding a healer or maintaining your health. However, this approach is usually unnecessary if you have a reliable Ringmaster to heal you.
As a face-tank class, which the Blade essentially is, you’re heavily reliant on having a healer both in the early and late stages of the game. Even with maximum block rate and top-tier equipment, you won’t be able to farm efficiently without a healer. If you don’t have one, all the block rate and gear in the world won’t save you from dying if you’re overwhelmed by too many monsters.
Balancing STA and DEX
While it’s true that having a bit of STA can make you slightly tankier, it comes at the cost of reduced damage output. You need to be aware of this trade-off. As you progress to higher levels, such as 105, you’ll naturally achieve around 50% block rate just from DEX alone. With high-quality gear, reaching the maximum block rate becomes easy, and the need for additional STA diminishes.
Element on Weapon
The difference is minimal. Therefore, having an element on your weapon is optional—Element+1 for pullig is sufficient, and it’s not crucial to your performance.
Rending Entry Skill
Another skill worth mentioning is Rending Entry, which becomes available at level 100. Don’t worry about its STR scaling or other attributes; it’s essentially just a gap closer, similar to Silent Strike but better. The main difference is that you don’t need to target an enemy; you can simply click in the direction you want to move, and boom—you leap forward.
This skill is incredibly useful for AoE farming, and you can even use it to pull monsters since the impact of the skill deals damage. It’s similar to Blinkpool but with the added benefit of dealing damage. However, Rending Entry has a fixed animation time that can’t be reduced by casting speed, making it a reliable but unmodifiable tool. Overall, it’s a super helpful skill for your Blade.
Skill Damage
Before we dive into the details of equipment, such as which sets and weapons to use, let’s clarify an important aspect—skill damage on your weapon. This works similarly to elemental attributes. You might think that equipping both of your weapons with 25% Blade Dance skill damage bonuses will give you a total of 50% increased damage. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
The skill damage bonus only applies to the main-hand weapon—the weapon in your primary slot. The secondary weapon does not contribute to skill damage. However, the secondary weapon’s other effects, such as critical damage, still apply. Therefore, you only need one weapon with skill damage Blade Dance, and the secondary weapon can focus on other beneficial stats.
Equipment Stat Bonus
Since we’re discussing equipment improvements, let’s talk about optimal stat bonuses for your gear. Ideally, you want your entire set and weapons to have either three DEX and two STA or four DEX, or even four STA, depending on your preference aplled with Scroll of Stamina and Scroll of Dexterity. DEX should be your primary focus, followed by STA as your secondary stat. STR is nearly useless for an AoE Blade and won’t provide much benefit, so focus on DEX and STA for the best results.
Sets
Now let’s dive into the equipment you’ll need, starting from level 60. When you transition from Mercenary to Blade, avoid using the Recorn/Rescorn set. Despite its popularity, it’s quite subpar. Instead, you should aim for the Shamutra/Shaentra set. Although it doesn’t have a set effect, it’s valuable due to its high defense and additional resistances against all elements except wind. This significantly reduces damage from most monsters, effectively halving the damage you take. The set can be comfortably worn until level 100, providing ample defense to make you feel like you’re wearing higher-level armor.
Although the additional effects of the set—like +250 FP on the helmet and +10% hit rate on the gauntlets—are not particularly impressive the main reason to use this set is for its superior defense. Don’t bother heavily upgrading this set; a +5 upgrade with two sockets should suffice, and for the sockets, consider either Attack (Lightning Card) or HP (Volcano Card). It is a transitional set.
Level 75 Sets
At level 75, things start to shift. You’ll gain access to your first offensive set, marking a significant change from the defensive focus of the Shamutra/Shaentra set. While this set offers excellent defense, it provides no offensive stats. As a Blade, you want to deal damage as well as tank, and that’s where the Einy/Akan Set comes into play.
This set gives you 10 DEX, which boosts your damage and skill accuracy, along with 10% skill damage. It still offers decent defense, though you lose the elemental resistances. Additionally, you get a 15% HP bonus. While this might not seem crucial if you’re full DEX or low STA, it still makes a difference. Generally, you’ll wear this set until level 105, possibly even longer, depending on your situation.
Level 105 and Beyond: Defensive or Offensive?
At level 105, every class gains access to a tank set for Blade the Blain/Viran set, which offers Critical Restistance+10%, HP+15%, block rate+10%, magic defense +7%, and regular defense. This set, however, lacks damage-boosting stats. The choice here is strategic: if you can comfortably survive and deal damage with the Einy/Akan Set, you might continue using it. But if you find yourself taking too much damage, the Blain/Viran set (depending on your character’s gender) is your go-to.
The Blain/Viran set offers significant defense, but if you’re already hitting the max block rate with buffs at level 105, its block rate boost is less relevant. However, its increased defense and critical resistance are valuable. It’s up to you to assess whether you need the extra defense or can stick with the Einy/Akan Set for more damage.
The Noctis/Nox Set
At level 120, the Noctis/Nox becomes available, and it’s a game-changer. This is the good AoE/face tank set for Blades, offering unmatched defense and offensive stats. The Noctis/Nox Set includes damage reduction, PvE reduction+15% (reducing damage taken from monsters), an impressive block rate +10%, Parry+10%, HP+25%. Additionally, it enhances both PvE Damage+15% and skill damage+5%, providing a complete package for both survivability and damage output.
Heraud/Herainn Set
There is also the Level 150 Heraud/Herainn Set which is the upgraded version of the Noctis/Nox Set offers even greater benefits with PvE reduction+20%, block rate +10%, Parry+10%, HP+30%, PvE Damage+15%, and skill damage+10%, instead of the 10% Parry of the Noctis/Nox Set you get Critical Resistance+10%
This set is currently very expensive and may remain out of reach for most players for some time. For now, the Noctis/Nox Set is highly effective and cost-efficient.
Upgrading Strategy
For sets up to level 105, upgrading to +5 or +7 should be sufficient. You don’t need to push for +8 unless you want to, but keep in mind that higher upgrades on lower-tier sets aren’t as cost-effective. The Nocis/Nox Set, however, is worth investing in heavily. Be cautious with lower-tier sets like Einy/Aken or Blain/Viran; don’t sink too much money into them, as they are not as valuable in the long term and can be difficult to sell becaue AoE Blade isn’t the most popular class.
Weapons: Axes & Swords
Starting Weapons: The Guardian Sword
When it comes to weapons, things are relatively straightforward once you understand the essential stats for a Blade. You should start with the Guardian Sword, which is ideal due to its DEX and HP bonuses. With two swords, you get a total of 10 DEX and 20% HP rate, which is a decent combination of defensive and offensive stats. Although the HP rate may not be as impactful, it’s still beneficial. You’ll use this setup until you reach level 75.
Level 75 Upgrade: The Historic Axe
At level 75, you’ll switch to the Historic Axe. This is where the weapon progression begins to vary (Axe or Sword) depending on your playstyle. The Historic Axe is a great choice, especially for AoE Blades, as it provides additional attack speed, which is useful for pulling mobs if you haven’t yet reached 100% attack speed. It also upgrades your HP rate from 20% to 30%. While you lose the 10 DEX, the 10% increase in HP rate compensates for that. The Historic Axe also boosts your damage output, making it a solid upgrade.
The Level 90 Angel Sword: Transition from Axe to Sword
After the Historic Axe, you’ll transition to the Level 90 Angel Sword. This weapon offers 20% HP (effectively 40% with dual-wielding) and 14 DEX, which boosts both your damage and accuracy. Although the additional 14 STR may not be crucial, the overall benefits of the Angel Sword make it a worthy upgrade.
Level 105: The Mythical Silver Weapons
At level 105, you’ll face a choice between the Mythic Silver Axe and the Mythic Silver Sword. However, the choice is simpler than it seems. As a full-DEX AoE Blade at level 105, you’ll already have around 73% block rate without any equipment, nearing the maximum block rate of 75%. Since the Mythic Silver Sword provides 14% block rate, which would push you over the cap, this bonus becomes unnecessary.
Moreover, the sword offers block rate which may sound appealing but is practically useless, especially if your block rate is already high. Reflect Damage +20% in total for Axes, contributes minimally to your overall damage output. Therefore, the Mythic Silver Axe is the better choice, as it offers comparable stats without the unnecessary block rate bonus, ensuring you maximize your damage and defense efficiently.
Level 120: The Obsidian Weapons
At level 120, the Blade Obsidian Weapons become available, which are designed for tanking. Here again, the Bloody Obsidian Sword provides a 10% block rate, which you don’t need, making the Bloody Obsidian Axe the superior option. The Obsidian Axe offers 22% HP, 20 STA, and 4% incoming damage reduction, making it an excellent choice for minimizing the damage you take.
This incoming damage reduction synergizes perfectly with the Nocis/Nox, giving you a significant overall damage reduction. While the STA bonus may not be ideal for pure damage builds, it enhances your tanking capabilities.
Combining Weapons: Bloody and Bloody Obsidian Axe
One advanced strategy is to combine a Bloody Obsidian Axe with a Bloody Axe to gain the additional Steal HP +0.8% stat. However, this comes at the cost of losing the 22% HP, 4% incoming damage reduction, and STA +20 from the Bloody Obsidian Axe. While some players find this combination effective, particularly for healing during high-damage AoE pulls, it may not be worth the trade-off in defense.
For most situations, it’s advisable to stick with dual Bloody Obsidian Axes for the maximum defensive stats, allowing you to perform as an ultra-tank Blade. In certain scenarios, you can carry a Bloody Axe for pulling mobs or for niche purposes, but the Bloody Obsidian Axe remains the go-to weapon for serious tanking.
End game level 150 weapons: Lusaka’s Sword vs Lusaka’s Axe
Finally, at level 150, the Lusaka’s Sword and Lusaka’s Axe becomes available
- Lusaka’s Sword: +20~25% HP; +6~8% Skill damage, +25~30 STA, and 4~9% Skill Chance for Poison.
- Lusaka’s Axe: +20~25% HP; +6~8% Skill damage, Incoming Damage-4%, and 4~9% Skill Chance Bleeding
The Lusaka’s Sword is the upgraded version of the Bloody Obsidian Axe, and the Incoming damage is way more unimportant than the Skill Damage we would recommend using the Lusaka’s Sword.
However, both of these are extremely rare and expensive, so they are typically only relevant for late-game players with the resources to invest in such powerful gear.
Source: The Guide was originally explained by Spielestyler in his YouTube video in German.
