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Universal

Gladiator

A heavy-weapon frontline class that wins space through pressure, stagger control, and sustained close-range damage.

Version: AION 2 Chapter 1Source: verified
Gladiator in Aion 2

Overview

Gladiator is the direct, physical frontliner of the class roster. It is built for players who want to stay close to the target, convert openings into heavy weapon combos, and keep contributing when a fight becomes chaotic. The class is less about a single trick and more about controlling the center of the encounter: approach safely, maintain pressure, punish stagger windows, and use its durability to keep attacking. It is a strong first choice for players who prefer visible impact and straightforward decision-making over stealth or long cast sequences.

Class profile

Primary role
Melee DPS
Secondary role
Bruiser / stagger pressure
Weapons
Greatsword and heavy melee weapons
Combat range
Close
Armor profile
Heavy frontline equipment
Difficulty
Medium
Solo profile
Reliable when it can stay on the target and chain its pressure tools.
Party profile
Adds sustained melee damage and helps create stagger windows for the group.
PvP profile
Strong when it can close distance; vulnerable to kiting and poorly timed approaches.

Strengths

  • High close-range pressure
  • Good stagger and disruption potential
  • Simple core loop with room for advanced combo timing

Tradeoffs

  • Must commit to melee range
  • Loses value when forced away from the target
  • Positioning matters more than raw damage in group fights

Recommended for

  • Players who want a direct melee class
  • Players learning frontline positioning
  • Players who like heavy weapons and visible impact

How to play

  • Enter after the target commits to an animation or control window.
  • Keep pressure on staggerable targets instead of spending every tool at once.
  • Reserve mobility or defensive tools for re-entry when the enemy creates distance.

35 Skills

Parsed from the confirmed NCSOFT Taiwan Guidebook source. The English labels and descriptions shown here are editorial translations of the official Traditional Chinese skill data; official English localization is not confirmed.

35 skills

Active Skills (12)

A sharp blow, a breaking blow, an angry blow

A sharp blow, a breaking blow, an angry blow

Causes damage to the enemy and increases the enmity to restore MP.

No target/movable
Cut off slam break slam

Cut off slam break slam

Causes damage to the enemy and increases the enmity by stun scale damage.

No goal
Jumping Gouge

Jumping Gouge

Leap towards the target and deal damage stun scale damage

Ravage sword

Ravage sword

Causes damage to the target and puts it into a [Knocked Down] state. If the target is unable to move and is immune, the action stun scale damage will be changed.

Down chisel

Down chisel

Causes damage to targets in the [Knocked Down] state, increasing the hostility effect. When attacking an immune target that cannot move, there is a certain chance of triggering stun scale damage.

Removable
Sword energy flurry

Sword energy flurry

Causes damage to targets in the [stunned] state

Ankle chop

Ankle chop

When the block is successful, it will cause damage to the enemy centered on the target, and have a certain probability of putting it into a restrained state. If the target is an NPC, there will be a 100% chance of being restrained and hitting the stun scale for damage.

Crush wave range wave

Crush wave range wave

Focusing on yourself, causing damage and stun scale damage to the enemy.

No goal
Sudden attack

Sudden attack

After using [Emergency Evasion], move towards the target and cause damage, with a certain probability of making it fall into [Knockdown] state. If the target is an NPC, there is a 100% chance of [Knockdown] hitting the stun scale damage.

Tie in the air

Tie in the air

Causes damage to the target in the [Knocked Down] state, and has a certain probability of making it fall into the [Aerial Bound] state. If the target is an NPC, there is a 100% chance of being hit by [Aerial Bound].

Destruction Slam

Destruction Slam

Rush towards the target, cause damage, and put yourself into the [Combat Ready] state. When charging to the maximum, cause area damage [Combat Ready]: Damage increase, critical hit increase, abnormal status hits increase stun scale damage

Accumulate power
Shock relief

Shock relief

Release one's [Knockdown], [Knockdown], [Aerial Restraint], [Grab], [Freeze], [Fear] status, and become [Strong] state [Strong]: Immune to abnormal status

No goal

Passive Skills (10)

Survival posture

Survival posture

Increase your maximum HP and natural HP recovery

Protective armor

Protective armor

Your own [Block] increases, and when [Block] is successful, your HP is restored

Blood absorption

Blood absorption

When an attack hits, you gain the [Blood Absorption] effect. Whenever an attack hits, you have a certain chance to recover your own HP and part of your maximum HP. When your HP is lower than 50%, you can immediately recover part of your maximum HP.

Master weaknesses

Master weaknesses

Increase your own critical strike and perfection

Attack preparation

Attack preparation

Increase your own damage, defense and hit points

Impact hit

Impact hit

Impact system and strong attack increased

Destructive impulse

Destructive impulse

If the target is in shock or stunned state, it will cause additional damage.

Skilled counterattack

Skilled counterattack

When blocking is successful, the PVE damage increase and PVP damage increase of yourself and your team members will be increased within a certain period. The PVE damage increase and PVP damage increase effects will not be applied at the same time as the Guardian Star [Excitement] effect.

Will to live

Will to live

Abnormal status resistance increases. When attacked by shock, freezing, and fear effects, damage resistance and abnormal status resistance increase. When attacked by breathlessness, knockdown, air restraint, ice, and fear effects, abnormal status resistance increases by 10% for 5 seconds (can be stacked up to 10 times).

Murderous aura bursts

Murderous aura bursts

Whenever an attack hits, you will gain [Murderous Aura] which will be superimposed 5 times to remove the murderous aura, causing damage to the enemy centered on yourself, and increasing your critical hit damage for a certain period of time.

Stigma Skills (13)

Anger wave

Anger wave

Focusing on yourself, it causes damage to the enemy and reduces its attack power. The enemy has a certain chance of falling into the [Knocked Down] state. If the target is an NPC, there is a 100% chance of [Knocking Down] the stun gauge. The damage amount is reduced.

No goal

Assault stance

Your own combat speed increases and your mental power consumption decreases.

No target/movable
Blessings from Jikel

Blessings from Jikel

Increase your attack power and hit points for a certain period of time

No target/movable
Focus on blocking

Focus on blocking

The damage reduction of blocking forward attacks is temporarily increased, and it is guaranteed that when the weapon is launched to block successfully, MP and mobility will be restored.

Sustained skills
Balanced armor

Balanced armor

Impact resistance increases for a certain period of time

No target/movable
Throwing knife blades dancing wildly

Throwing knife blades dancing wildly

Causes damage to the target, and reduces its defense and recovery by stun scale damage.

Removable
Perseverance

Perseverance

No damage will be taken for 3 seconds, and no abnormal status will be applied. When the effect ends, the damage resistance is increased for a certain period of time and cannot defend against some powerful attacks. When the invincible and non-repeatable effect is held, the effects of perseverance, rescue, and enchantment spells will not be applied within 30 seconds.

Vampire sword

Vampire sword

Deals damage to the target and absorbs damage from the Vitality Stun Gauge.

Enraged explosion

Enraged explosion

Causes damage to the target. When hit, the target's attack power is reduced and the bruise effect is given, and the own damage amplification is increased. When hit, the [Down Gouge] bruise effect is activated for a certain period of time and does not stack with the shrinking effect of the guardian star [Provocation]. Stun scale damage

Wave Armor

Wave Armor

Focusing on yourself, causing continuous damage to the enemy

No target/movable
Forced binding

Forced binding

Causes damage to the target, and has a certain chance of causing it to fall into [Seal] state. If the target is an NPC, there is a 100% chance of [Restraint] hitting the stun scale damage.

A powerful strike

A powerful strike

Centered on the target, it causes damage and mental damage to the enemy, and has a certain chance of causing it to fall into [Knockdown] state. When hit, the attack power is increased. If the target is an NPC, there is a 100% chance of [Knockdown] hit. Depending on the number of people hit, the defense power is increased.

Smash dash

Smash dash

Rush forward, causing damage to the target on the path, and have a certain chance of putting them into [Restraint] state. If the target is an NPC, there is a 100% chance of [Knockdown] to hit the stun scale damage.

Equipment, builds & guides

Equipment links use the official bilingual item catalogue. Build Planner and Builds remain separate from source-checked class metadata and are clearly labelled as tools or community content.

How to play against

  • Deny the approach with slows, roots, or displacement.
  • Punish missed gap closers before the Gladiator can rebuild pressure.
  • Force it to choose between chasing and protecting its team.

Details

archetype
Frontline melee damage
primary role
Melee DPS
secondary role
Bruiser / stagger pressure
weapons
Greatsword and heavy melee weapons
combat range
Close
armor profile
Heavy frontline equipment
difficulty
Medium
solo profile
Reliable when it can stay on the target and chain its pressure tools.
party profile
Adds sustained melee damage and helps create stagger windows for the group.
pvp profile
Strong when it can close distance; vulnerable to kiting and poorly timed approaches.

Updated 8/12/2026.