The Gladiator class is able to use most weapons in the game, but they are more geared towards using either two handed pole arms (for Area of Effect combat) or dual-wielded swords. Almost all of their skills are geared towards the use of either a pole or a sword (Dual swords do count for this), so it is highly recommended that you choose to use one of those two weapons.
Along with this, the Gladiator is able to use multiple types of armor. They have passives for Leather, Chain, and Plate. Because of this, your choice in armor will be Plate. Your goal is to build up your defense and attack as much as possible, and Plate is the best method to going about this.
The biggest thing to keep in mind when choosing to play this class is that your main priority is to be a damage dealer, rather than a tank. You will have the ability to take monsters and players, yes, but if there is a Templar as well it is best to allow them to take care of that.
StrategyThe strategy of the Gladiator is going to be a pretty solid one. There really are not any times you will deviate from your normal play style, however your play will depend on what type of weapon you are using at the time.
First of all, carrying a bow is a very positive thing. You do not have any skills that you are able to use with bows, however you can use them to pull mobs out of groups. Your damage with this bow clearly will not be as devastating as with your normal skills, but that is not your objective at this point. Instead, you will want to use your bow to pull and then swap back to your normal weapon of choice.
Because your masteries (and skills) are based on two different weapons we will go ahead and cover the scenarios of each of these. These two weapons are the pole arm and the dual-wielded swords.
The dual-wielded swords are used just like any other weapon. Your goal is to get up to melee range of your target and deal damage to them as fast as possible. This is going to be the same whether you are tanking or not, however when you are tanking you will be the first one to attack your enemy (or enemies). This play style is the most common among Gladiators because if you keep using skills you will deal a large amount of damage over a short period of time. The issue, however, is that your attacking ability (in terms of damage dealt) is highly dependent upon how many skills you are able to dish out to your opponent. Because of this, your large attack power has both strengths and weaknesses. It is very important to gauge, especially when playing alone, how much health you have and what you are able to kill. Not doing so will result in a quick return to the nearest respawn point!
The pole arm is one of the most tricky weapons in any game, and Aion is no different. The point of the pole arm is to deal damage to multiple enemies at once, using a melee weapon. Using this style of battle means you need to completely separate yourself from your normal, in which you just attack one mob at a time. This time, your goal is to run beside multiple mobs, pulling their aggression along with you as you run to an area (preferably a corner) where you can attack all of them at the same time. This style takes much practice to fully grasp the hang of it. Because of this, here is a small guide to assist you in understanding the various workings of the Area of Effect combat methods.
Step One – Your first step here is to figure out where you wish to do your slaying mobs at. This is by far the most important decision because you want the ones that either are good for your quest, have decent drops, or give good experience. Looking at those three things, you will quickly notice that they do not always coincide with one another. You could have mobs that you need for a quest but have horrible drops and experience, for example. As a general rule of thumb, it is best to find mobs that are one or two levels below you. This generally cuts down on the amount of damage that they deal to you, increases your damage to them, and thus causes you to experience much less down time. Along with this, when choosing your target area make sure you understand how the different mobs react to players. Aggressive mobs, for example, are much easier to pull along with you than passives. With passive mobs, you must manually hit them to get them to chase you, causing you to take a considerable amount of damage sometimes just while pulling! Both types are fine, just ensure you understand which one you are dealing with ahead of time.
Step Two – The second step once you have chosen your target area is to determine whether or not you need a healer. There are some times you will find that you are able to do decent pulls (I consider three mobs a decent pull when solo) without anyone else assisting you, but there are also times that those three mobs may slay your character. Determining whether or not you are going to need a healer is extremely important because it can save you much time in the long run. Do notice that adding someone else to your group does mean you will receive less experience, gold, etc. however.
Step Three – After you have done the above two steps you are ready to move on to determining how many mobs will be an efficient pull for you. Whether you have a healer or not this part will always be the same. The biggest mistake people make is starting big and slowly working their way down. Instead, you should be doing the exact opposite. Start out with small pulls, such as two mobs (if solo) or three (if grouped) and move up one mob at a time until you feel comfortable but not overwhelmed. Some players may find this to be “weak” but it is much better than wasting hours trying to figure out what went wrong or how to get better efficiency. Also note that this bottom-to-top approach should be used with each run or each day. Many times you may be doing perfect during a run and then take a break and end up wiping your party (or yourself) multiple times due to not doing as well.
Step Four – At this point you are ready to roll and AoE down some mobs! You are ready to either try out your solo play or ensure that your team is being attentive so you can do a pull. Note that if you are unsure if a party member you rely on is AFK or not, you will want to question them ahead of time. Nothing is more irritating than a healer that left to go take care of something while you sit there dying.
