Lost Ark Glaivier Class Preview - Dual Master

Lost Ark is already filled to the brim with content, but the game's April update (coming later today) will expand the world of Arkesia even further as Amazon and Smilegate RPG look to start bringing more content already present in the Korean version of the popular free-to-play MMO to the West.

Leading the charge in terms of the new content is an additional female martial artist advanced class for players to learn: the glaive and spear-wielding Glaivier (aka the Lance Master in the Korean version of the game). GameSpot recently got the chance to go hands-on with the latest addition to Lost Ark's class roster prior to its official arrival as part of the game's Battle for the Throne of Chaos update, which also adds the new South Vern continent, multiple quality-of-life improvements, and more. Read on for our Glaivier impressions, and why we think the new martial artist may be the perfect class to use one of the game's level-boosting Powerpasses on.

Glaivier Impressions - Sweep, Slash, Swap, Stab, Poke, Repeat

A master of spear and glaive, the Glaivier is a DPS class that excels in just about every kind of situation. When battling large groups of enemies where area-of-effect damage and crowd control is key, the glaive makes short work of foes, juggling them in the air, slamming them down, and slicing them apart with far-reaching sweep attacks. For elite foes or bosses, the spear is king. Its rapid-fire, single target-focused thrusting attacks, and the ability to augment many of the spear's abilities with crit-boosting effects using the game's Tripod system, makes the weapon incredibly potent at chipping away huge chunks of a boss's health.

It's fast, frenetic, and fun, much like many of Lost Ark's other DPS classes. But what's most interesting about the Glaivier, and what sets the class apart, is how these two styles work together in tandem to create a playstyle that is all about adapting to the situation at hand. As players wield the glaive or spear, each with their own unique set of abilities, it increases the class's unique Dual Meter. This meter has three segments, and swapping between weapons once the Dual Meter fills to certain stages consumes the meter and grants powerful buffs that are key to using the Glaivier effectively. Swapping from the glaive's Flurry Stance with a press of the "Z" key to the spear's Focus stance when at full Dual Meter grants movement speed, attack damage, and critical hit damage buffs, while changing to the Focus stance from the Flurry stance grants attack speed, attack damage, and critical hit rate buffs.

Knowing when to swap stances is essential and also part of what makes the Glaivier so enjoyable. It adds an extra element of strategy to encounters, as players need to do the cost-benefit analysis when to swap weapons on the fly. The two-weapon system also adds a spice of variety to the Glaivier that isn't found in most of Lost Ark's other DPS classes. Clearing out waves of enemies with knock-ups to build up the Dual Meter, swapping to the spear to focus down a single tougher foe, then swapping back to the glaive to juggle additional enemies never gets old.

Thanks to the class's two unique move sets, the Glaivier is arguably more complicated than many of the game's other damage-dealing classes, but through one of the Glaivier's engravings, players can actually forgo the spear all together to focus solely on the glaive. Going this route will increase the damage of all glaive abilities significantly and makes the class simpler to play, but at the cost of losing out on all spear abilities. That locks players out of the spear's great single-target damage, stance-swapping buffs, and a unique spear-only parry skill that is an incredible defensive tool when used correctly. Alternatively, players can double down on the Dual Meter system with the Glaivier's other class-specific engraving, which grants additional buffs for swapping between the Focus and Flurry stances.

The Glaivier's unique weapon-swapping playstyle isn't quite like any other DPS class currently in the game, and it helps that all of the class's abilities look incredibly stylish to boot. That makes the Glaivier a great candidate for one of the game's level-boosting Powerpasses. Players get two Powerpasses for progressing through the game's Vern continent, but using those boosts on the Glaivier might be wasted, as it will only boost the character to the item level appropriate for Vern content. With the Battle for the Throne of Chaos update, players who have completed the Feiton region (or do so before June 30) will get an additional Powerpass that will boost a character all the way to the appropriate item level for Feiton content, meaning 960 item level gear. While you still won't be able to jump into the new South Vern content right away, if you're wanting to make Glaivier your new main, pushing through to the end of the Feiton storyline to take advantage of the new Powerpass might be your best option.

If you're just diving into Lost Ark, be sure to read up on our beginner's guide for getting started, and for those nearing the end of their leveling journey, make sure you know how to jump into Lost Ark's substantial endgame.