Best Pure PVE Gladiator Skill Build in Dragon Nest

If you are an avid reader of this blog, then you should know by now that most of my skill build in Dragon Nest is more on Hybrid skill builds. Well, I really like to be versatile, and play on both PVE and PVP that is why I decided to go Hybrid.

However, the problem with being a Hybrid is you can't get the most of either side. You can be good at both PVE and PVP, but you can't be great in both even if you are a skilled player already. What's lacking in Hybrid build is the ability to maximize the skills that is more suitable on either PvE or PvP.

That is why I have decided to create a Pure PVE guide and in the future, I will also be creating pure PVP guide for all classes in Dragon Nest.

First stop! The Pure PVE Gladiator Skill Build in Dragon Nest!

First thing that we should determine are those skills which are best utilize in PVE by Gladiators. It may be hard for us to find it out when we only have basic knowledge on Gladiators as for starters, we will definitely that Gladiators are just made for PVP. Well, I think that way also at first and then at the end, I was proved wrong by my experience playing the class and of course, by a little bit of research.

Gladiators can be a great source of DPSon Nest raids or just even on Dungeon Raids. Based on research and experience,Gladiators get to enjoy some of the shortest CDs for abilities of all the classes. Here are some examples:

So yes! When we think of making a PVE eccentric Gladiator, we should think first of the skills which Gladiators have, that can apply the most Damage Per Second against his environment.

To take the discussion further, let us now look at the Gladiators DPS. But before that, I would just like you to know that the materials (images and computations) that you will see after the break aren't mine. They are from Ace of Spades whom generously shared his knowledge on us for free.

(((Min Damage + Max Damage)/2) * %Amp + Additional Damage) * Coefficient) / (Skill CD + Casting Time)

If we assume a damage range of 12000-16000 PATK & MATK (it's impossible to have the same MATK as PATK, i know, but for the purposes of equal comparison) here's how Gladiator DPS works out roughly on a single target (no crits, or PDEF modifications):

Level 1 Rising Slash DPS = 3137 | Lvl 16 Rising Slash DPS = 8105

Level 1 Rising Slash DMG = 31367 | Lvl 16 Rising Slash DMG = 81052

*From level 6 onwards add +25% to total damage for 2 additional hits

Level 1 Circle Break DPS = 3451 | Lvl 16 Circle Break DPS = 6655

Level 1 Circle Break DMG = 37964 | Lvl 16 Circle Break DMG = 73204

Level 1 Dash Slash DPS = 5164 | Lvl 6 Dash Slash DPS = 7652

Level 1 Dash Slash DMG = 25824 | Lvl 6 Dash Slash DMG = 38261

Level 1 Dash Combo DPS = 4742 | Lvl 6 Dash Combo DPS = 6495

Level 1 Dash Combo DMG = 23709 | Lvl 6 Dash Combo DMG = 32474

Level 1 Aerial Combo DPS = 2774 | Lvl 11 Aerial Combo DPS = 4299

Level 1 Aerial Combo DMG = 38842 | Lvl 11 Aerial Combo DMG = 61581

Level 1 Eclipse DPS = 1706 | Lvl 6 Eclipse DPS = 2733

Level 1 Eclipse DMG = 34128 | Lvl 6 Eclipse DMG = 54650

Level 1 Triple Slash EX DPS = 4814 | Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX DPS = 9692

Level 1 Triple Slash EX DMG = 57769 | Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX DMG = 116301

Level 1 Hacking Stance DPS = 6921 | Lvl 11 Hacking Stance DPS = 13704

Level 1 Hacking Stance DMG = 283782 | Lvl 11 Hacking Stance DMG = 561844

Level 1 Deep Straight (Front Shove) EX DPS = 5796 | Lvl 11 Deep Straight (Front Shove) EX DPS = 9301

Level 1 Deep Straight EX (Front Shove) DMG = 75368 | Lvl 11 Deep Straight (Front Shove) EX DMG = 120911

Level 1 Line Drive DPS = 3377 | Lvl 11 Line Drive DPS = 7423

Level 1 Line Drive DMG = 91181 | Lvl 11 Line Drive DMG = 200424

Level 1 Infinity Edge (SS) DPS = 5044 | Lvl 2 Infinity Edge (SS) DPS = 6211

Level 1 Infinity Edge (SS) DMG = 630453 | Lvl 2 Infinity Edge (SS) DMG = 776420

*Maybe higher as apparently landing all hits deals 50% more damage

Level 1 Evasion Slash DPS = 3534 | Lvl 4 Evasion Slash DPS = 6862

Level 1 Evasion Slash DMG = 35342 | Lvl 4 Evasion Slash DMG = 58326

Level 1 Finishing Attack DPS = 8086 | Lvl 4 Finishing Attack DPS = 8904

Level 1 Finishing Attack DMG = 169812 | Lvl 4 Finishing Attack DMG = 186979

Level 1 Moonlight Splitter DPS = 4365 | Lvl 16 Moonlight Splitter DPS = 9327

Level 1 Moonlight Splitter DMG = 34923 | Lvl 16 Moonlight Splitter DMG = 74619

Level 1 Cyclone Slash DPS = 3335 | Lvl 11 Cyclone Slash DPS = 5597

Level 1 Cyclone Slash DMG = 43354 | Lvl 11 Cyclone Slash DMG = 72765

Level 1 Crescent Cleave DPS = 4247 | Lvl 11 Crescent Cleave DPS = 8723

Level 1 Crescent Cleave DMG = 76449 | Lvl 11 Crescent Cleave DMG = 157008

*If only a single target, likely lower as not all waves will hit

Level 1 Half Moon Slash DPS = 3309 | Lvl 11 Half Moon Slash DPS = 6905

Level 1 Half Moon Slash DMG = 79420 | Lvl 11 Half Moon Slash DMG = 165709

Level 1 Great Wave DPS = 4377 | Lvl 2 Great Wave DPS = 8026

Level 1 Great Wave DMG = 525240 | Lvl 2 Great Wave DMG = 963171

*Likely higher as the final wave can strike a target multiple times

For the sake of a more accurate representation of MATK skills for a PATK focused Gladiator (based roughly of my stats we assume 4000-7000 MATK), the DPS for magical skills is:

Level 1 Moonlight Splitter = 1720 | Lvl 16 Moonlight Splitter = 5088

Level 1 Cyclone Slash = 1315 | Lvl 11 Cyclone Slash = 2662

Level 1 Crescent Cleave = 1697 | Lvl 11 Crescent Cleave = 4303

Level 1 Half Moon Slash = 1329 | Lvl 11 Half Moon Slash = 3540

Level 1 Great Wave = 1916 | Lvl 2 Great Wave = 3596

The purpose of calculating DPS allows us to identify efficient ways to distribute our SP. Here amongst the highest DPS skills are Lvl 11 Hacking Stance, a Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX, a Lvl 11 Deep Straight EX and Finishing Attack. It's interesting to note that Evasion Slash's DPS practically doubles, partly because each level reduces its CD also. Moonlight Splitter actually sees a phenomenal growth in DPS, but would require you to sink a precious 18 SP into one skill if you intend to max it.

Looking at other magical skills, the result is the magical tree really is just a utility tree for PATK focused Gladiators like mine (more over, if you have the light suffix they make it more difficult to appropriately time its use), if you intend to take advantage of your naturally higher PATK, focus on adding SP to PATK skills. Of course this isn't the whole story, sometimes you won't be able to deal physical damage, sometimes you won't be able to deal ranged damage, so this is really just a guide.

Using the table above we can identify the skills with the highest DPS and damage growth between levels 1, 4 (for Gladiator skills), 6, 11 and 16 (using 12000 ~ 16000 PATK & MATK once more):

Some of the skills to take note of are Evasion Slash Lvl 1-4, experiencing a DPS growth as high as Hacking Stance Lvl 1-6. The next highest DPS growth between levels 1-6 is surprisingly Dash Slash followed by Crescent Cleave. From 1-6 Rising Slash also has good DPS growth because at level 6 the skill gains a +25% boost to damage from the 2 additional hits. Finishing attack actually has quite average damage growth but it continues to be desirable for its skill affect. The lowest DPS growth skills is as expected the buff and debuff skills such as Luring Slice (Provoke) and the new SM skill, Brave. Surprisingly however, Aerial Combo experiences the lowest growth of all skills between 1-6. A List of DPS Growth in order of highest to lowest between levels 1-6 is (excluding MATK based skills since their growth will be lower with PATK focused Gladiators): 

At levels 6-11, Hacking Stance continues to maintain the highest DPS growth of all SM skills. The tables also show us that some of SM's main skills such as Triple Slash and Moonlight Splitter experience considerably less Damage Growth than the rest of the SM tree despite being amongst our highest DPS skills. Aerial Combo is surprising once again in that it has more DPS growth than Circle Break between lvls 6-11 as compared to lvls 1-6. A List of DPS Growth in order of highest to lowest between levels 6-11 is (exlcuding MATK based skills once more): 

This indicates to us that if spending SP with the intention of spending it efficiently, Hacking Stance should take priority in maxing. Of course there are other factors also when considering which skills to spend SP in, not just solely related to DPS/DMG growth. One example is the flaws i pointed out in Line Drive earlier, so feel free to experiment. 

Lvl 9 Line Drive 

DMG = (14000 * 9.39) + 33211 

DMG = 164671 

Lvl 9-10 Line Drive Comparison

= 171850 - 164671 

DMG growth = 7179 

Lvl 10 Line Drive achieves: 

DMG = (14000 * 9.65) + 36750 

DMG = 171850 

Lvl 10-11 Line Drive Comparison 

= 200424 - 171850 

DMG growth = 28574 

These calculations continue to reinforce the idea that Line Drive is nothing remarkable. 7423 DPS for a 14000 PATK Lvl 11 Line Drive is assuming you land all four hits every time and its still less than a lvl 6 Dash Slash alone in terms of DPS. If you're landing 1-2 hits it'd probably only be worth half or a quarter of that DPS value (3711.5-1855.75 DPS). You can spend gold and 9 additional SP to get Line Drive up to Level 11 just to be semi-decent, or you can spend 8 SP since Level 6 Dash Slash alone deals more consistent damage than Line Drive. 

Of course, if you want higher burst damage against targets like Arch Bishop, Sea Dragon, Green Dragon, etc. Line Drive is worth considering. Assuming one chance to attack each, a level 11 Line Drive still deals higher damage than a level 5 Finishing Attack outside of final boss bars (which is why i recommend only to max it and get a skill ring for it at Lvl 60, as the damage growth at Lvl 11 is basically equal to the damage growth between levels 6-10. In addition, a Lvl 6 Line Drive deals less Total DMG than a Lvl 1 Finishing Attack, so leaving it mid-way is not recommended in my opinion). This assumes you land all four hits of course. The other bright side is Line Drive has a relatively short CD of 27 seconds. 

In terms of crest choice: 

A Skill Crest + Skill Accessory for Finishing Attack affects its DPS like so: 

DMG = (14000 * 11.89) + 25150 

DMG = 191610 

Lvl 4 Finishing Attack DPS Without Crest = 8904 

DPS with CD Plate = 191610/16.8 

Lvl 5 Finishing Attack DPS with CD Plate = 11405 

Total DMG = 191610 

DPS with DMG Plate = (191610 * 1.2)/21 

Lvl 5 Finishing Attack DPS with DMG Plate = 10949 

Total DMG = 229932 

So out of the two crests, the CD plate is slighter better in regards to overall DPS for Finishing Attack. However this doesn't take into account the affects the DMG Plate may have on Finishing Attack's affect during a bosses final bar of HP. Given the nerf to Finishing Attack's ability (7% additional damage to 5% additional damage per 1% of HP remaining at Lvl 5), i'd contend that CD is the better option overall now though. 

Similarly a comparison can be made with the Triple Slash Skill Crest which is another alternative skill crest i'd strongly recommend getting: 

DMG = ((14000 * 5.1) + 18062) * 1.3 

DMG = 116301 

Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX DPS Without Crest = 9692 

DPS with CD Plate = 116301/10.7 

Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX DPS with CD Plate = 10855 

Total DMG = 116301 

DPS with DMG Plate = (116301 * 1.2)/12 

Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX DPS with DMG Plate = 11630 

Total DMG = 139561 

Triple Slash EX is actually a great DPS skill when compared to the rest of the swordmaster tree, and is worthwhile considering getting a DMG plate for likewise. The only other skills on par with a Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX in terms of DPS is a Lvl 5 Finishing Attack with a CD plate, Hacking Stance and Deep Straight EX with a DMG plate. 

As mentioned, Hacking Stance is self explanatory: 

DMG = ((14000 * 1.69) + 3747) * 20.5 

DMG = 561843 

Lvl 11 Hacking Stance DPS Without Crest = 13704 

DPS with CD Plate = 561843/36.25 

Lvl 11 Hacking Stance DPS with CD Plate = 15499 

Total DMG = 561843 

DPS with DMG Plate = (561843 * 1.2)/41 

Lvl 11 Hacking Stance DPS with DMG Plate = 16444 

Total DMG = 674212 

Lvl 2 Infinity Edge 

DMG = ((14000 * 33.64) + 46653) * 1.5 

DMG = 776420 

Lvl 2 Infinity Edge DPS Without Crest = 6211 

DPS with CD Plate = 776420/111.6 

Lvl 2 Infinity Edge DPS with CD Plate = 6957 

Total DMG = 776420 

DPS with DMG Plate = (776420 * 1.2)/125 

Lvl 2 Infinity Edge DPS with DMG Plate = 7454 

Total DMG = 931704 

There likely isn't a situation where the CD plate for Hacking Stance, Infinity Edge or Triple Slash would be superior over the DMG crest in terms of PVE. -12% CD is just too little to be worthwhile in terms of PVE where the focus is dealing damage. But in the case of Finishing Attack, sometimes you may just want more burst damage, in which case the DMG Crests will likely be better for you. Other times you'll want more DPS, in which case the CD plate might be the better choice. 

For a bit of fun we can test what the affects a DMG crest on Deep Straight and Dash Slash can achieve: 

Lvl 11 Deep Straight (Front Shove) EX 

DMG = ((14000 * 4.87) + 12427) * 1.5 

DMG = 120911 Lvl 11 

Deep Straight EX DPS Without Crest = 9301 

DPS with DMG Plate = (120911 * 1.2)/13 

Lvl 11 Deep Straight (Front Shove) EX DPS with DMG Plate = 11161 

Total DMG = 145093 

DMG = ((14000 * 2.44) + 4101) 

DMG = 38261 

Lvl 6 Dash Slash DPS Without Crest = 7652 

DPS with DMG Plate = (38261 * 1.2)/5 

Lvl 6 Dash Slash DPS with DMG Plate = 9183 

Total DMG = 45913 

DMG = ((14000 * 10.85) + 48524) 

DMG = 200424 

Lvl 11 Line Drive DPS Without Crest = 7423 

DPS with DMG Plate = (200424 * 1.2)/27 

Lvl 11 Line Drive DPS with DMG Plate = 8908 

Total DMG = 240509 

DPS with CD Plate = 200424/24.11 Lvl 11 

Line Drive DPS with DMG Plate = 8314 

Total DMG = 200424 

DMG = ((14000 * 3.38) + 11006) 

DMG = 58326 

Lvl 4 Evasion Slash DPS Without Crest = 6862 

DPS with DMG Plate = (58326 * 1.2)/8.5 

Lvl 4 Evasion Slash DPS with DMG Plate = 8234 

Total DMG = 69991 (With Skill Accessory) 

DMG = ((14000 * 3.72) + 13410) 

DMG = 65490 

Lvl 5 Evasion Slash DPS Without Crest = 8186 

DPS with DMG Plate = (65490 * 1.2)/8 

Lvl 5 Evasion Slash DPS with DMG Plate = 9824 

Total DMG = 78588 

From this we can deduce that if you're looking for a cheap/easy way to boost your DPS, a dash slash plate maybe worth considering. It's likely amongst the cheapest skills or easiest to find skill crests available. The Deep Straight DMG Crest is also quite formidable, increasing the DPS of a Lvl 11 Deep Straight such that it almost beats a Lvl 16 Triple Slash EX with a DMG crest. Evasion Slash maybe worthwhile investing in at later levels also, depending on how low the devs will allow the CD of the skill to drop (Level 6 reduces the CD to 7.5 seconds so who knows). Currently (at the 60 cap) however, it's probably better and easier to take DMG Crests for any of the above skills for higher DPS.

Do the numbers and words made your head spin?hehe. Well, if you did read it all then congratulations! You now have the knowledge on what are the skills best for Gladiators in PVE. Judging from the computations, we can say that the perfect skills build for a Gladiator in PVE is: