Welcome to The Rundown series, where I provide the key identity of each class that players may find fun or interesting. This one focuses on the Martial Artist classes in Lost Ark.
Yes, it is true that not all Lost Ark classes are created equal. Some are naturally more efficient and, if your goal as a player is to pick the highest performing, there are certain classes you should prioritize over others. With that being said, if you ask the question “what is the best class in Lost Ark?” the wisest answer is “whatever is the most fun.” Even with Smilegate streamlining the enhancement process, the optimization grind for items in Lost Ark is a grueling process. How nihilistic would it all feel when you have spent all that time strengthening the class, only to realize that you’re really not enjoying its mechanics?
With that being said, this article is not for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each class. Instead, I will focus on what I think the unique flair of the classes is while listing positive class-defining features. Due to their sheer number, I will divide them according to their big, five categories: Warrior, Martial Artist, Hunter, Mage, Assassin.
Here is my rundown of the three Lost Ark Martial Artist classes: Wardancer, Striker, Scrapper, and Soulfist.
Wardancer
Wardancer is what an MMORPG player would expect a martial artist to be. Utilizing her elemental gauntlets, Wardancer scours through the battlefield with furious kicks that will make her foes tremble in terror. Wardancer’s regular skills and attacks charge her Elemental Orbs, which can be expended to cast powerful Esoteric skills with devastating effects.
As a Wardancer player, you will constantly look to generate as many Elemental Orbs as possible to consistently cast your Esoteric skills. This makes Wardancer one of the most consistent DPS classes in the game if her skill cycles are not interrupted. If you want to be the steady backbone DPS that your party can always rely on, Wardancer is your calling.
Striker
Striker is the alternate-gender class of Wardancer. You will see a lot of similarities between their skills because of this. Striker’s normal abilities also generate Elemental Orbs that are used to activate his Esoteric skills. Striker, however, has an opposite playstyle to his counterpart. If Wardancer’s damage numbers are consistent, Striker’s damage numbers are mediocre until the boss evaporates with one kick.
Striker focuses on using all of his Elemental Orbs at once to maximize their burst damage. As a result, Striker players carefully assess the fight for a clear opening to deal cataclysmic damage to their opponents. Very few classes in the game provide the satisfactory one-shot style gameplay that Striker does. And out of all of them, he is hands down the most consistent and safe.
Scrapper
Scrapper is the most flexible Martial Artist class, who utilizes her fists to punch her enemies to oblivion. Her Identity skill revolves around maintaining two separate resource bars, Energy and Shock, in balance to maximize the skills that use them. Energy skills have little activation delay while offering various mobility options. Shock skills have a longer activation delay, but make up for it with their impressive damage output.
Scrapper is what Koreans call a “hexagonal” character. Utilizing her various abilities allows her to fit into any situation the game throws at her. It will be up to you as the player to learn how to react to each scenario to fully master this jack-of-all-trades class. If this is something that is interesting to you, look no further than Scrapper.
Soulfist
Alright, let’s not beat around the bush here. Soulfist is basically a Dragon Ball Z otaku’s dream class. Her Identity skill causes her to power up, increasing her damage output for its duration. She can activate the skill twice more to increase this buff. Along with her Super Saiyan-esque Identity skill, Soulfist’s ultimate abilities are direct homages to the Kamehameha and the Spirit Bomb.
I can’t really make this up. Soulfist will make you relive your young days while bringing flashbacks of how many times Krillin actually died. If you want to feel the power of dropping catastrophic nukes onto your foes, channel a Spirit Bomb playing Soulfist.
All in all, Martial Artist classes are aimed to be the balanced medium between damage, mobility, and survivability. Any player that finds balanced kits an essential part of their ideal classes should immediately take a look at these classes.
