Lost Ark: Best Glaivier Builds For PvE and PvP

Lost Ark‘s massive April update is finally here, which means that millions of the MMOARPG’s players are looking for advice on how to build the game’s latest advanced class, Glaiviers.

Anyone familiar with Lost Ark‘s other Martial Artist classes will probably be vaguely familiar with Glaiviers’ basic design. They’re essentially elaborate brawlers who rely on their speed and some sneaky abilities to punish both PvE and PvP opponents. What separates the Glaivier from most other Lost Ark classes is their somewhat complicated resource management system built around a stance-swapping mechanic that can be tricky to master.

So, if you’re interested in trying to learn the Glaivier class but know where to start, here’s a brief look at what you need to know about building the best Glaivier character possible.

Lost Ark: Best Glaivier Builds For PvE and PvP

There are two main types of Glaivier builds in Lost Ark: Control and Pinnacle.

See, Glaiviers are a “stance-swapping” class. Specifically, they have the ability to swap between Flurry and Focus stances. While in Flurry stance (also known as the “Blue” or “Glaive” stance), Glaiviers have access to a variety of abilities that revolve around their glaives. Most of their Flurry stance abilities are fairly well-rounded and typically focus on AOE damage as well as quick movements that allow Glaiviers to attack from behind. Staying in the Flurry stance will eventually grant bonuses to your movement speed, attack speed, damage speed, and critical strike rate.

The Focus stance, meanwhile, is all about making the most out of some truly devastating spear-based strikes. Some of the Glaiver’s hardest hitting abilities are limited to the Focus stance. To sweeten the deal further, swapping to this stance will also reward you with various buffs. The further along your Identity Meter is when you make the swap from Flurry to Focus, the bigger the buff.

A Pinnacle Glaivier player is looking to balance their use of both those stances in order to make the most out of the various abilities and bonuses each offer. While your choice between those stances will often be determined by your current situation, you’ll also need to learn how to maximize your Identity Gauge so that you always swap into Focus stance when the biggest buff possible is available. In other words, Pinnacle Glaivier builds are pure stance dancers.

Control Glaivier builds ignore the Focus stance skills entirely. While that means that they miss out on some of the class’ biggest attacks and best buffs, it also means that they don’t have to worry about managing their resources quite as much. They’re also better able to focus on the class’ speed-based abilities and sneakier attacks.

The truth of the matter is that the decision between Control and Pinnacle often comes down to your personal preference. While one may technically be more powerful than the other, you’re not going to get the most out of a build you’re not comfortable with or don’t even enjoy using.

Having said that, I tend to recommend giving the Pinnacle build a shot first. If you find that you’re just not able to balance your time between the two stances (or don’t like the micromanagement involved with that process), then you can always swap over to a Control build. Pinnacle lets you try a little of both, and it’s incredibly powerful once you get the hang of it.

When it comes to PvP, most Glaivier players are looking for speed and easy access to CC abilities. They’re constantly going to be jumping into and ducking out of the fray, so it’s important that they have the mobility and survivability required to support that playstyle. The PvP build below emphasizes both of those attributes.