Gladiator PvE build

ChixyD (Chixy) is rank 3 Gladiator on NotMeter's Ludra Hard ranking (Global, week of 5 Nov: 116K DPS at 261.8K combat power) and part of Krix Domi's Ludra world first group. Krix: "hes the goat."

1. Skills and Specialties

Read off his Skill window. Levels are his.

Skill	Level	Specialties he runs
Keen Strike (left click)	15	+20% MP restored. -1s [Ruinous Blow] cooldown on hit. Farming the Abyss without mana problems: +50% Multi-Hit on hit instead
Rending Blow	17	Changes to mobile skill. Deals up to 12% more damage when fewer targets are hit
Leaping Slam	15	Prepare for Battle effect on the caster for 3s. Resets cooldown on defeating an enemy
Mocking Blade	12	Absorbs 15% HP of a target with Incapacitated Immunity (for bosses). Adds 2 additional strikes. 8 is enough
Overhead Slam	22	Critical Hit on hit. Remove cooldown. At 20 add Adds [Upward Strike] Chain Skill
Sword Aura Rampage	16	Multi-Hit on hit. -1s all skill cooldowns on hit. Below 16: Restores 120 MP instead of the cooldown
Ruinous Blow	20	+30% Skill Critical Hit. Extra damage on hit. Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as Multi-Hit. "A very strong skill that also empowers you"
Crushing Wave	16	Resets cooldown on landing a Critical Hit. 50% chance to pull. Rarely used, good for pulling in Transcendence
Rush Strike	14	+10m range. -10s cooldown. Gap closer, strong at 20 in PvP
Defiance	12	Restores 20% HP on using [Defiance]. +2s Tenacity duration

• Ankle Slice: PvP only (closes distance, roots).
• Aerial Snare: not part of his damage. It has 20 Stagger, so it helps on the bosses you need to stagger.

Passives, best first

1. Experienced Counterstrike: front attack damage up all the time. Blocking (Focused Block guarantees a Parry) gives the whole party a damage increase too.
2. Murderous Burst: Critical Damage plus extra damage. Overhead Slam always crits, so it scales well.
3. Impact Hit, slightly ahead of Attack Preparation (Double Chance is rare this season).
4. Identify Weakness at 10 or higher.
5. Survival Stance and Blood Absorption keep you alive.

Macro

• His macro holds only his two main damage keys. A buff can go in the first slot, he casts it by hand.
• Hold right click. When MP runs out, hold left and right click so Keen Strike restores it.
• Asked about Keen Strike's level 16 pick: "It's not bad if ur ping is good you can weave keen + ohs instead of rmb but it's way less dmg." Keen Strike only fires when Overhead Slam isn't up or you lack MP for the macro.

2. Stigmas

Stigma	Level	Why
Lunge Stance	20	+20% Combat Speed and Move Speed, x1.5 Identify Weakness, 50% chance to cut all cooldowns by 1s on a crit. Needed at 20
Zikel's Blessing	20	+20% Attack, +100 Accuracy, Stagger, PvE Damage Boost, Multi-Hit. 2 minute cooldown, so only once Lunge Stance is 20
Rage Burst	5	-15s [Rage Burst] cooldown at 5
Focused Block	5	Guaranteed Parry, triggers Experienced Counterstrike. "It keeps you alive"

• Before Lunge Stance is 20, run Lifestealing Blade at 10 instead of Zikel's Blessing: its Predation effect gives the party extra damage and HP absorb.
• Wave Armor in dungeons where you won't block (short boss fights, a Templar already triggering the buff, world bosses): at 10 and 15 it makes Experienced Counterstrike and Murderous Burst x1.5.
• Stigma shards: "nightmare/shugo/abyss."

3. Arcana

• The Chalice from the Primal Vigor set for Time (Combat Speed).
• The perfect pair: Overhead Slam +4 and Ruinous Blow +3, or the other way round. The missing level comes from the Chalice, the rest from rings, so both reach 20.
• Chalice: passives only. Bell: Attack Preparation +4, then Survival Stance +3 (or Survival Willpower for PvP).
• Mirror: Experienced Counterstrike +4, the rest split over Impact Hit and Murderous Burst.

4. Wings and Daevanion

• Wings: Dark Veil Wings once you have more Might and Destruction, they add Attack and scale with both. Talisra Wings are the best for their cooldown and Attack bonus.
• Daevanion: his boards aren't fully optimised yet. He would like Critical Damage Tolerance for PvP.

5. Genus Insight

• Slot 4 on every board: Front Attack Damage Boost first, then Double Chance, then Critical Damage. A very high PvE Damage Boost roll is worth keeping too.
• Accuracy over Critical Hit: he has about 1,300 Critical Hit before buffs, and Lunge Stance and a rune add about 300 more.

6. Soul Binding

Slot	What he rolls for
Weapon	Combat Speed, Weapon Damage Boost, Might, Multi-Hit, then Damage Boost. Not Precision
Helmet	Double Chance, Attack Increase, Experienced Counterstrike, Murderous Burst, flat Attack
Pauldrons	Double Chance, Critical Damage Boost, flat Attack, the two passives
Breastplate	Damage Boost, flat Attack, the two passives, Attack Increase
Legs	Damage Tolerance and Perfect Chance are on the list too: take whichever of the first six comes
Gloves	Combat Speed, Perfect Chance, flat Attack, passives
Cloak	Attack Increase, Double Chance, flat Attack, passives
Boots	Move Speed, Perfect Chance, flat Attack, passives
Earrings	Move Speed, Might, Accuracy, Experienced Counterstrike
Necklace	Might, Combat Speed, flat Attack, the two passives
Rings	Attack, Might, Precision, Ruinous Blow, Overhead Slam

• Without crafted gear (one line fewer), skip flat Attack and keep the two main stats and the two passives.
• Asked why he hasn't finished his Soul Bindings: "Cause it will increase the price each click and my soulbinds are not 100% correct yet."