Looking for the definitive Lost Ark Wardancer build? The Wardancer acts as a foil to the Striker class. They share an identity gauge as well as the bulk of their skills. But don't confuse the two. The Engravings, Awakening Skills, and other features that differentiate these two classes can make them very different and allow them to have completely different playstyles. This Lost Ark Wardancer build guide will help you decide between the two classes.
This guide will give you an overview of Wardancer's skills and her best engravings. And if you are hungry for more Lost Ark content, be sure to check out Borderpolar's Lost Ark section. We have guides on classes such as Paladin, Gunlancer, Sorceress, Berserker, or Bard. Bundled with some other useful guides for the game's content.
Best Wardancer Lost Ark build: Class Identity Overview
Classes in Lost Ark revolve around Identity Gauges, Skills, and other things that help differentiate them. The Wardancer shares the Esoteric Orb gauges with the Striker. These Orbs are charged up when the Wardancer deals normal or skill damage. She can then spend these Orbs to cast powerful Esoteric Skills (which many players refer to as “spenders”). This is the heart of both Striker and Wardancer's gameplay. You can build up Esoteric Energy and then spend them to do massive damage bursts.
The difference between the classes is in their attack types. Many skills in Lost Ark include either the Front Attack and Back Attack attributes, which increase their damage when they hit enemies in those sweet spots. While Striker's skills do not have an attack-type, Wardancer's majority of skills are Back Attacks. Wardancer is more skill-intensive due to the positioning required to maximize her potential damage.
Best Wardancer Lost Ark Build: PVP and PVE Skills Overview
Wardancer uses mobility and powerful combos in order to clear monster packs. Although she doesn't have the AoEs that an Artillerist has, Wardancer is more than capable of grouping mobs and then mowing them down. You can also use your Esoteric skills to quickly increase your gauge. Wardancers will be able to use Back Attacks against bosses. This is both for safety and damage. It also unleashes spender skills for huge bursts.
Each level you achieve will give you skill points. Each skill has 10 levels and each level requires more and more skill points. Skills gain Tripods at levels 4, 7, 10, and 10. These powerful enhancements can alter a skill's stats and even drastically alter its functionality. You'll need to start investing in skills early on. Then, max out the rest of the skills to get ready for the endgame later on. This build requires just over 250 skills points. It will allow you to transition into the endgame content at level 50.
Best Wardancer PvE skills
| Skill Name | First Tripod | Second Tripod | Third Tripod |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweeping Kick | Weak Point Detection | Light of Justice | Pure Excellence |
| Moon Flash Kick | Flame Flash Kick | Light Footed | Fancy Footwork |
| Wind's Whisper | Oath of the Wind | Quick Prep | Superwind |
| Lightning Kick | Sharp Movement | Thunder Kick | Flash Lightning |
| Call of the Wind God | Lightning Storm | Growth Attack | Summon Storm |
| Energy Combustion | Combustible Armor | ||
| Sleeping Ascent Celebration | Spiral Kick | ||
| Swift Wind Kick | Lightning Round Kick |
Best Wardancer PvP skills
| Skills | Tripod 1 | Tripod 2 | Tripod 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call of the Wind God | Lightning Storm | Over Revolution | Raging Storms |
| Lightning Kick | Sharp Movement | Thunder Kick | Flash Lightning |
| Moon Flash Kick | Intense Shock | Excellent Mobility | Full Moon Kick |
| Wind's Whisper | Blessing of the Wind | Warrior's Courage | Superwind |
| Phoenix Advent | Wide Hit | Ferocious Attack | Nimble Movement |
| Sleeping Ascent Celebration | Wide Hit | Quick Prep | Leaf Sweep |
| Energy Combustion | Combustible Armor | Skill Reduction | Last Whisper |
| Sky Shattering Blow | Excellent Mobility |
PvP normalizes your stats and skill points across configurable presets so that you have more points even before you start your adventure. Wardancer is a PvP master who wants to outflank his foes and combo them into the air before finishing them off with powerful spenders. Although this is a difficult class to master in PvP it can be very rewarding.
Best Wardancer Lost Ark build: Awakening skills Overview
Another endgame unlock is the Awakening skill. This can be accessed by completing Trixion's questline. Awakening skills are powerful and high-cool-down abilities that each class can have. These skills can be thought of as the ultimate ability in similar games. Wardancer's awakening skills are:
- Fist of Dominance: allows the Wardancer to fly around striking enemies six times before unleashing an explosive strike. All damage received is reduced by 80% during the attack.
- Flash Rage Blow causes Wardancers to sprint forward and then charge up to unleash a massive shockwave
Right now, Fist of Dominance is the meta awakening skill. It is safer and easier to score a hit with because of the damage reduction. Flash Rage Blow can be fine. However, standing still and charging without any damage reduction against bosses with higher damage outputs is dangerous. Not to mention that in PVP it can sign your death sentence.
Best Wardancer Lost Ark Build: Engravings In a Nutshell
Endgame customization in Lost Ark is made possible via powerful engravings. All classes have the option to use a variety of generic engravings. These can give your character major boosts but often come with significant downsides. You can also choose from two different class engravings, each with its own playstyles and content for the endgame. Wardancer's class engravings are:
- Esoteric Skills Enhancement: Increases your maximum Esoteric Orbs to four and increases damage to all Esoteric Skills, based on how many Orbs are available.
- First intention: Disables your Esoteric Orb gauge but greatly increases outgoing damage.
This gives you two completely different ways to play Wardancer at Lost Ark's endgame. Esoteric Skill Enhancement enjoyers will be focusing on these Esoteric Skills to increase their meter and unleash a massive burst. First Intention users will abandon Esoteric Skills completely to increase their normal skills and provide more reliable damage. Both are viable options for all endgame content. However, you might find First Intention not as good without a bunch of points invested into Swiftness.
Although generic engraving options are flexible, there are some outstanding choices that work well with the class. These are our recommendations
- Master Of Ambush increases back attack damage. This is something you should take advantage of. Not to mention that this is a perfect combo with your skills that already have back attack modifiers.
- Raid Captain increases damage based upon your movement speed. This skill synergizes well with your Wind's Whisper skill.
- All outgoing and inbound damage is increased by Grudge. While this is powerful if you have the ability to max it, the incoming damage increases are flat at all levels of Grudge. This is an option for the late game, and should not be used until you have Grudge level 3. Swap out for anything else that catches your eye while leveling Grudge.
That's everything you need to get started with Wardancer in Lost Ark's endgame! If you're still wondering which class you should pick, check out our tier list for some ideas. Every class has strengths and quirks of its own, so don't sweat it too much. Once you've made your decision, our guides can help you prepare for the end-game.
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