Gunlancer Leveling Guide In Lost Ark: The Right Way To Level
Although many MMORPGs have seen the rise of hulky heroes, Lost Ark features a very unique and versatile warrior – the Gunlancer class. Many Lost Ark players absolutely adore the Gunlancer since he flaunts a set of some highly impressive skills and abilities, and this class is much easier to level up than one might expect.
Gunlancer Class Overview
The Gunlancer is an advanced class within the Warrior Main class in Lost Ark. As a warrior, the Gunlancer class will play an essential role in various battles by taking on waves of enemies head-on – and withstanding the heat.
This class is equipped with an explosive shield and a mighty lance, topped with the ability to inflict ailments onto enemies and create barriers that protect the entire team. These skills set the Gunlancer apart from other support-type classes such as Bard or Paladin.
The Gunlancer’s unique blend of attributes makes him a DPS-Support hybrid type class, which is incredibly useful in just about any context. This class is indispensable in both PvE and PvP settings. Create two setups to switch between as you level up, and create a build for Chaos Dungeon and Cube as well as a build for Raids once you hit level 50.
Gunlancer Abilities
The Gunlancer has amazing clear speed overall, as he boasts some massive AoE skills such as Sharp Gunlance and Guardian’s Thunderbolt. These abilities and skills mean that the Gunlancer can defeat hordes of enemies for a faster leveling process overall.
The Gunlancer’s skills are divided into Lance Skills and Normal Skills. Lance Skills are indicated with reddish icons, while Normal Skills are indicated with blue icons.
Gunlancer Identity Skill
Defensive Stance is the Identity Skill of the Gunlancer class, which is powered by a Shield meter. This meter will automatically regenerate when you’re out of Defensive Stance or as you deal damage to enemies.
When Defensive Stance is activated, the Gunlancer will become significantly slower. But, incoming damage will reduce the Shield Meter as opposed to your health.
This skill is not always practical, as it lessens the Gunlancer’s already relatively low movement speed. But, it can be almost vital in tough encounters, such as when taking on high-tier enemies or bosses. Learning this class’s Identity Skill mechanics can be tough, but will be extremely valuable at higher levels.
Gunlancer Awakening Skills
Unlocking the Gunlancer Awakening skills will take some time, as you will first need to reach level 50 and complete the Main Questline. Complete quests until you reach Vern city, and talk to Beatrice as she will ask you to meet her in Trixion.
As with all classes, the Awakening skill that you choose will be based on your preferred build. Below are the Awakening skills you can expect for the Gunlancer class:
Guardian’s Protection
Guardian’s Protection will fill the Gunlancer’s Shield Meter to the max and create a protective aura that will last for 10 seconds. The initial casting of this skill will damage and stun enemies, while party members in the aura’s range will take 40% less damage and become immune to debuffs and pushes.
Lance of Judgement
Lance of Judgement will summon a huge spear that will damage enemies while launching them into the air. This skill also has an aura impact that will increase team members’ crit rate by 10% for 10 seconds.
Guardian’s Protection and Lance of Judgement can be extremely beneficial, depending on the instance. The huge AoE damage from Lance of Judgement can be extremely valuable in some cases, such as in PvP settings.
But, overall, Guardian’s Protection seems to be the most OP Awakening Skill, offering defensive bonuses, crowd control immunity, and the obvious benefit of affecting the Shield meter’s regeneration. These advantages may typically result in DPS uptime from the entire team, which can lead to more damage dealt overall.
As a result, Guardian’s Protection should be the default option. Lance of Judgement should generally be reserved for instances where you need to prioritize high damage and AoE all at once, depending on the needs of your team.
Gunlancer Leveling Guide
While the Gunlancer flaunts some fantastic skills and traits, the main downfall is that he has slower movement speed. This may be the primary setback while traveling around Arkesia and leveling up, but it can be aided with a few specific approaches.
Gear & Combat Stats
Focus on equipping the highest item level gear possible throughout the leveling process. Prioritize the Crit and Specialization Combat stats, as these will increase the Gunlancer’s overall clear speed and damage.
The Gunlancer class will need a helping hand in terms of his mobility, as he does lack in this area, so focus on Agility for increased movement speed. This class would also benefit from reduced casting time and faster cooldowns.
Best Class Engravings
Acquiring Class Engravings will take some time and effort, but they’ll be incredibly valuable in the endgame. Each class has two special Engravings that are unique to their Identity Skill, both of which will directly impact the class’s effectiveness in battle.
The Gunlancer’s Class Engravings are as follows:
Lone Knight
Lone Knight would be more suited for a damage-based Gunlancer build. It increases the crit rate of Lance Skills and increases overall crit damage. However, the Shield Meter consumption while in Defensive Stance is far higher.
Below are the specific boosts of the Lone Knight Engraving:
- Crit rate increased by 15%.
- Crit damage increased by 50%.
- Consumption of Shield Meter during Defensive Stance is increased by 100%.
- The Battlefield Shield cannot be used.
Combat Readiness
Combat Readiness is more suited for players wanting to achieve the ultimate tank Gunlancer build. Players with this build survive some massive damage, while outright ‘ignoring’ many boss mechanics – an absolutely insane ability for any MMORPG class.
It increases the damage of normal skills and also adds some extra damage in the form of a bonus every time you are hit while in Defensive Stance. This can stack up to 3 times and can also absorb an additional amount of damage while Defensive Stance is activated.
Below are the specific boosts of the Combat Readiness Engraving:
- Normal skill damage increased by 20%.
- Shield amount is increased by 50% while in Defensive Stance.
- Damage is increased by 60% for 10 seconds when in Defensive Stance (stacked up 3 times, once every 1 second).
Generic Engravings
Generic Engravings can be acquired from Engraving Books or accessories such as rings, earrings, or necklaces. The Cursed Doll, Adrenaline, Grudge, and Spirit Absorption generic Engravings will be great for either Gunlancer build or playstyle.
But, a few generic Engravings will be specifically advantageous depending on your chosen build. Below are the most useful generic Engravings for either Gunlancer build:
Combat Readiness Build
- Barricade (Lv. 3): Damage while shielded +16%.
- Stabilized Status (Lv. 3): Damage +16% when HP is above 80%.
Lone Knight Build
- Super Charge (Lv. 3): Charge skills’ charging speed +40%; Damage +20%.
- Master Brawler (Lv. 3): Head attack Damage +25%
- Keen Blunt Weapon (Lv. 3): +50% Crit Damage but your attacks have a chance to deal Damage -20%
- Precise Dagger (Lv. 3): Crit Rate +20%. Crit Damage -12%.
Continue The Main Story
If you really want to gain levels as quickly as possible, continuing the main story and quests will be incredibly advantageous. Continuing the Main Questline will be beneficial to any class at any stage of the game, as it will grant players some solid rewards in addition to unlocking some awesome activities in-game.
Since the Gunlancer deals great AoE damage, you’ll be able to run through many enemies awaiting along the Main Questline and gain a ton of XP in the process. Plus, each completed quest will reward players with some bonus XP for speedy levels.
Skill Point Allocation
Allocate Skill Points to acquire Tripods for the Gunlancer’s most effective skills. Below are the most significant Character Levels and Skill Tripods for the Gunlancer class:
- Level 12: Sharp Gunlance and Fire Bullet (4 points each) for low cooldown damage.
- Level 20-21: Guardian’s Thunderbolt (48 points) for Area of Effect (AoE) damage.
- Level 25: Shout of Hatred (20 points) for AoE damage.
- Level 30-31: Charged Stinger (20 points) for single target damage; Shield Shock (4 points) for AoE damage and debuff.
- Level 35: Charged Stinger (48 points) for more damage.
- Level 40-41: Sharp Gunlance (20 points) to group packs tightly; Leap Attack (20 points) for AoE damage.
- Level 42: Sharp Gunlance (48 points, remove 16 points from Leap Attack) for more damage.
- Level 47: Fire Bullet (48 points) for more damage.
- Level 49: Leap Attack (back up to 20 points) for AoE damage.
All of the Gunlancer’s skills can come in handy, but there are a few notable skills that can help you as you level up. In addition, try and focus on mobility skills earlier on as this can make for a faster leveling process.
Below are the Gunlancer skills that can be advantageous throughout the game:
- Leap Attack: Extra damage overall.
- Sharp Gunlance: Adds extra range to poke combos.
- Rising Gunlance (if needed): Can throw mobs into the air for follow-ups, and also has a Thunderstroke tripod that can paralyze standard enemies and bosses.
Gunlancer Gameplay Tips
While every player’s experience with the Gunlancer will differ based on factors like gear, build, and playstyle preference, there are a few basic factors to consider throughout gameplay.
Groups of Enemies with Gunlancer
Since the Gunlancer mostly inflicts damage with his AoE skills, he can lack high burst damage at lower levels. Group enemy encounters can be aided by grouping them up with Sharp Gunlance, after which you can debuff them using Shield Shock.
From this point, finishing them off with AoE abilities can be quite straightforward. You can use AoE skills such as Guardian’s Thunderbolt, Shout of Hatred, and Leap Attack in these cases.
Defending with Gunlancer
One of the best things about the Gunlancer is that he can defend himself and his teammates really well. Use Defensive Stance to protect yourself while you charge up Charged Stinger to burst down bosses and Elites.
Defensive Stance will grant both shielding and Push Immunity Super Armor to the Gunlancer. This will prevent any interruptions from most Crowd Control, apart from debuff attacks.
Single Target Damage with Gunlancer
The Gunlancer primarily deals AoE damage and kills, but there may be times when you need more single target damage. Single target damage is crucial for tough enemies and bosses and can be aided with Charged Stinger, or by replacing Sharp Gunlance with Gunlance Shot when needed.
Although the Gunlancer may be slower than other classes, he is tough as nails and is not easy to take down. With the right skill setup, build, and approach, you’ll be leveling up and striking a great balance between damage and defense in no time.