Guides / gladiator

Aion 2 Gladiator Guide: Build, Stigmas and Daevanion

Meta KRMelee AoE DPSPatch: KR · data from 2026-10-01Updated: 2 October 2026

Global launched with Season 1 and a level cap of 45. The numbers on this page come from top Korean players, who are on a later patch with a higher cap. Only skills, wings and Daevanion boards that exist in the global client are shown, so read the percentages as priorities, not as exact targets.

Quick summary

The Gladiator is a greatsword melee DPS built around area damage. It is one of the best classes for farming and leveling, performs well in group dungeons, and is one of the easiest to pick up, which is why it is often recommended to new players.

Strengths

Among the fastest classes at clearing mob packs.
Straightforward skill kit.
Has both survival and mobility tools.

Weaknesses

Struggles against enemies that keep their distance (kiting).
Less single-target burst on bosses than Assassin or Ranger.
In PvP, if it can’t close the gap, it loses most of its value.

Gear upgrade order

Complete the max-level dungeon set.
Swap to the “Splendent” variants: within the same quality there are versions with higher base stats.
Weapon first. It contributes the most damage.
Manastones and bonus stats. On armor and accessories, look for crit and accuracy. Crit and weapon damage amplification dominate among top players.
Finish with Daevanion, Arcana and titles.

Gameplay tips

Farming: size your pulls to your AoE cooldowns. Pull too much and you run out of defensives, pull too little and you waste the class’s biggest strength.
Dungeons: clear adds with AoE, then switch to bleeds and single-target skills during boss phases.
Mobility: save your gap closers and dashes for dodging boss mechanics. Over a full fight you lose less damage that way than by using them offensively.

Based on 8,459 top-ranked Korean players (2026-10-01). Data: AION2CAL.

Stigma skills

How many top Korean players run each stigma skill, in PvE (6,995 players) and PvP (1,209 players). Tap or hover a skill to see what it does.

Take these first: Lunge StanceZikel's BlessingRage BurstFocused BlockLifestealing Blade

Skill	Priority	PvE	PvP
Lunge Stance	Core	99%	99.6%
Zikel's Blessing	Core	98.8%	99.3%
Rage Burst	Core	96.9%	99.7%
Focused Block	Core	94.8%	99.3%
Lifestealing Blade	Core	93.7%	96.9%
Tenaciousness	StrongPvP pick	76.7%	98.4%
Wave Armor	Strong	75%	85.6%
Armor of Balance	StrongPvP pick	60.8%	90.8%
Wrath Wave	SituationalPvP pick	43.4%	59.1%
Blade Toss	SituationalPvP pick	42.3%	63.6%
Fracturing Rush	Situational	23.1%	29.3%
Forced Restraint	Situational	22.4%	36.5%

Active skills: what to level first

Every top player uses all 12 active skills, so pick rate says nothing here. What matters is where they spend skill points first: the bar shows how many have pushed each skill to level 20 or higher.

Level in this order: 1Overhead Slam2Rending Blow3Ruinous Blow4Crushing Wave

Skill	Priority	Lv 20+ PvE	Lv 20+ PvP
Overhead Slam	Max first	91.1%	96.1%
Rending Blow	Max first	79.9%	25.6%
Ruinous Blow	Max first	72%	81.2%
Crushing Wave	Second	40.3%	41.2%
Leaping Slam	Last	8.6%	41.2%
Rush Strike	Last	7.4%	68.2%
Keen Strike	Last	6.2%	1.5%
Ankle Slice	Last	1.9%	23.2%
Sword Aura Rampage	Last	1.5%	0.1%
Mocking Blade	Last	1.3%	6.2%
Defiance	Last	0.7%	41.2%
Aerial Snare	Last	0.2%	0.8%

Wings

Only wings available in the global client. Korean wings that are not in global yet are left out, so the columns do not add up to 100%.

Wings	PvE	PvP
Talisra Wings	37.8%	55.7%
Nightmare Wings	16.3%	1.3%
Ultimate Daeva Wings	3.3%	–
Dark Veil Wings	2.3%	0.7%
Forest Spirit Wings	1.2%	–
Brawler Wings	–	23.3%
Springflower Butterfly Wings	–	0.5%

Arcana

The global client has two Arcana sets, Magic and Vigor, with one card of each per slot. Every card carries the stat of one Empyrean Lord. The bars show how many top Korean players stack that stat, so the card with the longer bar is the better pick for that slot.

Slot	Card	Main stat	PvE	PvP
Bell	Bell of Magic	Destruction [Zikel] +20	97%	92.5%
	Bell of Vigor	Justice [Nezekan] +20	7.1%	69.6%
Chalice	Chalice of Magic	Space [Israphel] +20	2.1%	1.7%
	Chalice of Vigor	Time [Siel] +20	97.8%	98.1%
Compass	Compass of Magic	Death [Triniel] +20	82.6%	18.1%
	Compass of Vigor	Freedom [Vaizel] +20	17.3%	81.6%
Mirror	Mirror of Magic	Wisdom [Lumiel] +20	94.1%	43.5%
	Mirror of Vigor	Illusion [Kaisinel] +20	5.7%	56.3%
Parchment	Parchment of Magic	Destiny [Marchutan] +20	93.9%	33.5%
	Parchment of Vigor	Life [Yustiel] +20	86.4%	91.9%

In Korea there are more sets and a card can roll different Lord stats, so use this as a guide to which stats matter for the class, not as an exact copy of a Korean build.

Titles

Titles worn by top Korean players that also exist in the global client. The effect shown is the global one, which is lower than in Korea. You equip one attack, one defense and one utility title.

Title	Type	Effect when equipped (global)	Used by
Empty Closet	Utility	Combat Speed +3.5%, Natural HP Regen +42, Cooldown Reduction +3.5%	72.8%
Unbound by Genus	Attack	PvE Damage Boost +4.5%, Attack Bonus +34, Critical Hit +68	41.7%
Saint of Altgard (Asmodian)	Defense	Defense Bonus +300, Damage Tolerance +3%, Block +100	19.4%
Saint of Verteron (Elyos)	Defense	Defense Bonus +300, Damage Tolerance +3%, Block +100	16.6%
Rule All Creation	Defense	Defense Bonus +320, Back Attack Damage Tolerance +3%, Boss Damage Tolerance +4%	16.6%
Saint of Ereshkigal	Attack	PvP Damage Boost +4%, Endurance Penetration +2.5%, Critical Hit +60	6.7%
Dominator of Dimensions	Defense	Defense Bonus +340, HP +1,000, PvE Damage Tolerance +4.5%	6.5%
Golden Glow	Attack	Critical Attack +45, Critical Damage Boost +3%, Accuracy Bonus +60	4.6%
Treading on White Wings (Asmodian)	Attack	PvP Damage Boost +4%, PvP Attack +40, PvP Accuracy +80	4%
Treading on Black Wings (Elyos)	Attack	PvP Damage Boost +4%, PvP Attack +40, PvP Accuracy +80	3.5%
Through Hell and Back	Utility	Cooldown Reduction +3%, HP +900, Stamina +225	2%
Encountering Kaisinel's Core (Elyos)	Utility	HP Potion Recovery +400, Move Speed +3%, HP +900	1.2%
Encountering Zikel's Core (Asmodian)	Utility	HP Potion Recovery +400, Move Speed +3%, HP +900	0.9%

Daevanion boards: suggested unlock order

These are the global boards. The number on each node is the order we suggest unlocking it in, starting from the centre. The order follows what the top 200 Korean players of this class prioritise, weighed against what each node costs. Drag the slider to see how far a given number of crystals gets you.

This board opens at character level 12. Completing it takes 134 Daevanion Crystals.

Daevanion Crystals spent: 134 / 134

Tap or hover a node to see what it gives.

The Korean version of this board has a different layout, so priorities are matched by node type (same skill or same stat), not node by node.

First 12 nodes on Nezekan

Attack Attack Bonus +3 1 crystals
Defense Defense Bonus +30 1 crystals
Critical Hit Critical Hit +5 1 crystals
Identify Weakness Identify Weakness +1 2 crystals
Attack Attack Bonus +3 1 crystals
Max HP HP +100 1 crystals
Defense Defense Bonus +30 1 crystals
Rush Strike Rush Strike +1 3 crystals
Critical Hit Critical Hit +5 1 crystals
Attack Attack Bonus +3 1 crystals
Blood Absorption Blood Absorption +1 2 crystals
Max HP HP +100 1 crystals

Stat (1 crystal)Passive skill level (2)Active skill level (3)Special node (4)

Frequently asked questions

Is Gladiator good in Aion 2?

Gladiator is A tier in PvE dungeons and S tier in PvP on our tier list, which is built from Korean ranking and combat-log data. For farming and leveling it is S tier.

What are the best Gladiator stigmas?

The stigma skills top Korean Gladiator players run most in PvE are Lunge Stance (99%), Zikel's Blessing (98.8%), Rage Burst (96.9%) and Focused Block (94.8%).

Which Gladiator skills should I level first?

Top players push Overhead Slam, Rending Blow and Ruinous Blow to level 20 first.

What are the best wings for Gladiator?

Of the wings available in global, the most used are Talisra Wings: 37.8% in PvE and 55.7% in PvP.

Is Gladiator a good class for beginners?

Yes. It is one of the easiest classes to start with: S tier on our beginner list.