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Key Takeaways

Short on time? These are the points worth remembering before you open the skill window for the first time. Everything below expands on them class by class.

  • A build is a package: it covers skills, their Specialties, passives, Stigmas, the macro you press them with and the stats you aim for while farming gear score.
  • Level breakpoints matter more than raw levels: skills mostly gain their strength from the Specialty slots that open at levels 12 and 16 (and 20 for some), not from the small damage bump per level.
  • Keep it to about four Stigmas: each build leans on roughly four of them, and putting your points into those few beats spreading them across everything you unlock.
  • Eight classes are covered: Templar, Gladiator, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Elementalist, Cleric and Chanter, each with a PvE-focused skill order, passive order, Stigma order, macro and stat priority.
  • Macros are optional but worth it: a short two- or three-skill chain on one key lets you fit more skills into the same time, and early macros keep working even if a key Stigma is still missing.
  • There is no loadout saving: if you want to try a different setup, you reset and reassign the points by hand, so pick your direction carefully.

How AION 2 Builds Work

Anyone who has just made a character in AION 2 quickly hits the same question: which skills deserve the points, which passives are worth picking up, and which Stigmas should you actually slot? This guide answers that for all eight classes. Every build below is a PvE build meant to carry you through leveling and into gear score farming, with notes on what shifts once you start chasing higher gear score.

What counts as part of a build

A class build is everything you need to get through leveling and then start farming gear score. In practice that means a handful of things:

  • Skills and Specialties: which active skills get levels first, and which Specialty you pick at each breakpoint.
  • Passives: the always-on bonuses, ranked by how much they help your rotation.
  • Stigmas: a small set of extra skills slotted on top of your normal ones.
  • Macro: the short skill chain you fire from one key, plus the skills you keep manual.
  • Stat priority: what to aim for once you start rerolling stats on gear.

Some systems are deliberately not part of a build. Arcana, Pantheon, Soulstones and the various stat and gear upgrades belong in a full class guide instead, because they are layered on top of whichever skill setup you choose. Mixing them into a build would only make the picture muddier.

Why skill levels are about Specialties

Across every class below you will see the same pattern: target levels like 12, 16 and 20. Those are not random. Reaching them unlocks Specialty slots, and Specialties are where the real character of a skill comes from. A Specialty can remove a cooldown, turn a hit into a guaranteed Critical Hit, add a Chain Skill or refund MP. The base damage you gain from each extra level, by comparison, is small. So when you only have a limited pool of skill points, spend them on the skills that cross an important breakpoint first and leave the rest at a lower level.

To see how skills reach level 20, read the AION 2 skill progression guide.

Another reason to be selective is the Stigma side of things. A build usually uses around four Stigmas, not more. Pick the four your class guide below suggests, push the priority one first, and resist the urge to unlock every Stigma in sight.

The eight classes at a glance

Before the details, here is how the eight classes differ in role. Use it to pick a class, or to jump to the section that matters to you.

Class Role Core of the build
Templar Dedicated tank Triggering Judgment through shield skills and keeping Punishment ready
Gladiator Melee, can off-tank Overhead Slam and Rending Blow, with Rage Burst windows
Assassin Burst melee DPS (S-rank) Heart Gore, Insignia Explosion and attacking from behind
Ranger Ranged DPS Deadshot, Gale Arrow and keeping Marking Shot up
Sorcerer Ranged DPS Hellfire, Firestorm and a healthy MP bar
Elementalist Ranged DPS with summons Spirits, Elemental Fusion and Ancient Spirit
Cleric Ranged healer and damage dealer Chain of Torment into Condemnation, plus Healing Light
Chanter Melee support and DPS Dark Crush, Spinning Strike and party-wide buffs

How to read the tables

Each class section has three tables. The columns mean the same thing everywhere:

  • Target Level: the level to aim for. A word such as “first”, “after” or “priority” tells you the order in which to invest.
  • Priority: in the passive tables, how much attention a passive deserves, from Highest down to Secondary.
  • Specialties: the options you can choose for a skill once its breakpoint is reached. Several are separated by semicolons.

The numbers in the tables come straight from the game’s skill descriptions at the time of writing, so a patch can change them. If a value in your client looks different, trust your client.

Early game versus later game

Early on you will not own every Stigma, and many Specialties will still be locked because the skills behind them are not leveled enough. That is fine. You can run the same macro as the full build even when a key Stigma is still missing; the chain simply has one less ability in it. Treat the early build as practice for the finished version, because getting the order of your skills into muscle memory now makes the endgame setup feel natural later.

If you would rather start with the full toolkit already in place, a powerleveling service can take you through the leveling stretch so you arrive with Stigmas, Daevanion boards, Arcana and Pantheon already sorted.

Where the stats come in

You will not need to think about stats until you begin farming a gear score of around 1400. That is when rerolling stats on gear becomes relevant, and even then most rerolls are about nudging your gear score higher rather than hunting a perfect stat line. Each class section ends with a short stat priority so you know what to look for when that moment arrives.

Best Templar Build

Templar is the one dedicated tank in AION 2. Gladiator can also hold aggro, but it usually plays the off-tank role, so a Templar build has a bigger job: it has to deal respectable damage, generate enough Enmity (the game’s word for aggro) and stay alive through long boss fights. In PvP the picture is different. You mostly lean on crowd control and survivability, pulling an enemy in and holding your ground while teammates finish them off. You can still get kills, but the class earns its keep through the one thing every other class lacks: stacking Enmity on an enemy.

Even though Templar is the tank, its PvE build puts plenty of weight on damage, aggro and party utility at the same time. The engine of the build is Judgment, which you trigger through your shield skills. Punishment stays ready for burst damage, and repeatable melee attacks fill the gaps between them. The early-game goal is to reach level 45 and a gear score of 1000, and the way to get there is to push the key skills to levels 12 and 16. Those two levels open not one but two Specialty slots, which lets you equip the most impactful ones.

Templar Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Judgment 16+ Deals damage to a target within 4m and increases Enmity. 5 Stagger Gauge Damage. Extra damage on hit; Critical Hit on hit; Remove cooldown
Vicious Strike 12+ Deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and increases Enmity. Restores 100 MP. +20% MP restored; -2s [Warding Strike] cooldown on hit
Warding Strike 12+ Deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 5m of the caster. Immediately restores HP and grants Warding to the caster for 10s. Triggers [Judgment] for 2s. Warding: Increases PvE Damage Tolerance by 20% and PvP Damage Tolerance by 10%. 5 Stagger Gauge Damage. -5s cooldown or +100 Block during Warding; Adds PvE Damage Tolerance and PvP Damage Tolerance increase effect when more targets hit to Warding
Shield Smite 12+ Deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m. Has a 60% chance to inflict Stun on the target for 3s. Triggers [Judgment] for 2s. 100% chance to inflict Stun on NPC targets. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage. 50% chance to trigger [Debilitating Smash] on hit; -2s cooldown
Annihilate 12+ Deals damage to a target afflicted with Stun or Knockdown within 4m with a 30% chance to inflict Knockdown for 3s. 100% chance to inflict Knockdown on NPC targets. Has a 5% chance to trigger when attacking a target with Incapacitated Immunity. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage. +100% damage to targets with Incapacitated Immunity; -10s cooldown
Punishment 16+ Selects a target within 20m and deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m of the target and grants the Executor effect to the caster for 20s. Executor: Increases Accuracy by 200, PvE Damage Boost by 20%, and PvP Damage Boost by 10%. Max 3 Charge Levels. 20–35 Stagger Gauge Damage. Inflicts Damage over Time to target on hit; +30% Skill Speed; Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as a Critical Hit

Start with Judgment and take it to level 16. Its cooldown-removal Specialty is the reason: once Judgment has no cooldown, every time a shield skill triggers it you can actually use it, instead of watching a timer. In terms of order, Judgment comes before Warding Strike, Vicious Strike and Annihilate.

Vicious Strike is the next skill to invest in. Its level 12 Specialty shaves 2 seconds off Warding Strike’s cooldown every time it lands, and Warding Strike is itself one of the skills that triggers Judgment. That loop is a big part of why this version of Templar can fire Judgment so often.

Tip: Because skill points are limited, treat the breakpoints as a shopping list. Judgment at 16 first, then the 12+ skills that feed it, and only then Punishment, which you want ready for burst but which does not drive the core loop.

In practice the loop looks like this. Vicious Strike and the shield skills keep Judgment available, Warding Strike keeps coming back sooner thanks to Vicious Strike, and Punishment gives you a burst of damage plus the Executor bonus whenever you want to push harder. If you ever feel lost mid-fight, return to that cycle: shield skill, Judgment, filler attack, repeat.

Templar Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Fury Highest Increases Front Attack Damage Boost by 0.3% for the caster, and increases PvE Damage Boost by 5.5% and PvP Damage Boost by 2.75% for 20s for the caster and party members on Block. Cooldown: 1s.
Ironclad Defense High Increases the caster’s Defense by 7% and Endurance by 1%.
Insulting Roar High Increases Enmity Boost by 100% for the caster and increases Attack by 5.5% for 5s on landing a Front Attack. Cooldown: 5s.
Impact Hit High Increases the caster’s Impact-type Chance by 11.2% and Double Chance by 0.3%.

Fury is the passive that defines the build. A tanking Templar blocks naturally, and Fury converts each Block into a damage buff that covers the whole party, so a purely defensive habit becomes a source of group damage. After Fury, work through Ironclad Defense, Insulting Roar and Impact Hit in that order.

Templar Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Doom Shield Priority Rushes to a target within 20m and deals damage. Has a 75% chance to inflict Knockdown for 3s. Grants a Protective Shield that blocks damage equaling 5% Max HP for 5s on hit. Triggers [Judgment] for 3s. 100% chance to inflict Knockdown on NPC targets. 20 Stagger Gauge Damage.
Battlefield Banner Priority Increases Attack proportional to Defense for 10s.
Taunt Utility Deals damage to a target within 20m and increases Enmity. Inflicts Shrink for 15s on hit and has a 50% chance to inflict Taunt for 3s if the target is a player. Shrink: Reduces Accuracy by 200 and Attack by 10%. 20 Stagger Gauge Damage.
Empyrean Lord’s Punishment Damage Selects a target within 20m and deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m of the target. Has a 50% chance to inflict Stun for 3s. 100% chance to inflict Stun on NPC targets. 50 Stagger Gauge Damage.

Battlefield Banner grows a lot with investment. Its Stigma upgrades add +10% Multi-Hit Chance, +10% Weapon Damage Boost and a +20% Attack increase proportional to Defense, and the last of them removes 30 seconds from its cooldown. That makes it a very good place to put points, since a tank naturally has plenty of Defense to convert into Attack.

Keep in mind that this list is not a claim that these are the only Stigmas a Templar can use. They are simply the ones this PvE build prioritizes for its active loadout and for where it spends upgrade points.

Templar Macro

If macros and skill chains are new to you, read a dedicated macro guide first, because the setup steps are the same for every class. The Templar version keeps Vicious Strike on the left mouse button and runs the Judgment-focused chain through the macro key. The logic is easy to follow: you keep hitting Vicious Strike while the macro cycles through the shield skills that trigger Judgment, so Judgment keeps getting its chance to fire without you having to time it by hand.

Want to press fewer buttons? The AION 2 macros guide shows class macros.

Templar Stat Priority

This is an offensive Templar, so the focus is Combat Speed and damage stats, with just enough Accuracy to handle current PvE content. Block still matters because it switches on Fury, but this version is not a pure Block-stacking tank.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Combat Speed → Attack / Damage Boost → Block

You do not need to fuss about stats until you start farming a 1400 gear score. That is when rerolling stats opens up, and even then you will usually reroll to push gear score higher rather than to chase one specific stat.

Best Gladiator Build

Gladiator is a melee class that can tank when the group needs it, and its PvE build is built around two skills: Overhead Slam and Rending Blow, plus the buffs that let you use them as often as possible. The class builds Enmity through its core attacks, so holding aggro comes naturally, yet most of the investment in this build still goes into damage and cooldown interactions.

The plan is to level Overhead Slam and Rending Blow first, so that you can fire Overhead Slam over and over rather than chaining it with Keen Strike. Later in the game Mana stops being a real problem, unlike at low levels, which means the light attacks can be dropped from your rotation altogether. If you want to experiment with your own variation, there is an online Skill Builder website where you can put together your own build.

Gladiator Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Overhead Slam 16 Deals damage to a target afflicted with Knockdown within 4m and increases Enmity. Has a 7% chance to trigger when attacking a target with Incapacitated Immunity. 5 Stagger Gauge Damage. Adds [Upward Strike] Chain Skill; Critical Hit on hit; Remove cooldown
Rending Blow 16 Deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and increases Enmity. 2 Stagger Gauge Damage. Changes to mobile skill; Deals up to 12% more damage when less targets are hit; Restores 50 MP on landing a Critical Hit
Ruinous Blow 16 Rushes to a target within 7.5m to deal damage to up to 4 enemies nearby and grants Prepare for Battle for 20s. Prepare for Battle: Increases PvE Damage Boost by 20%, PvP Damage Boost by 10%, Critical Hit by 100, and Status Effect Chance by 15%. 25 Stagger Gauge Damage. +20% Skill Speed; Extra damage on hit; Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as Multi-Hit
Sword Aura Rampage 16 Deals damage to a target afflicted with Stagger within 4m. Absorbs 5% HP; Multi-Hit on hit; -1s all skill cooldowns on hit
Leaping Slam 8 Leaps to a target within 20m and deals damage. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage. Resets cooldown on defeating an enemy
Rush Strike 8 Moves to a target within 10m and deals damage with a 30% chance to inflict Knockdown for 3s after using [Dodge] or while flying. 100% chance to inflict Knockdown on NPC targets. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage. +10m range
Defiance 8 Removes Stun, Knockdown, Airborne, Grab, Frost, and Fear from the caster and grants Tenacity for 5s. Tenacity: Grants Status Effect Immunity. Unaffected by cooldown reduction effects. Restores 20% HP on using [Defiance]

The first two targets are Overhead Slam and Rending Blow at level 16. Removing Overhead Slam’s cooldown is what turns Rage Burst into a proper damage window, because for its duration you can keep using Overhead Slam and Upward Strike back to back. Rending Blow’s level 16 Specialty restores MP, and that matters a lot: it lets the finished build lean far less on Keen Strike to generate MP.

Ruinous Blow and Sword Aura Rampage come after that. They are worthwhile upgrades, but they do not reshape the rotation the way the first two level 16 breakpoints do, so there is no rush. The level 8 skills, Leaping Slam, Rush Strike and Defiance, are utility pieces that you only need at a lower level for what they offer.

It helps to think of Rage Burst as the switch that starts your damage window. It places a Wounded effect on the enemy, boosts your own damage and triggers Overhead Slam on the target, so everything else in the rotation hangs off that one cast. Rending Blow then keeps the pressure on several enemies at once while also feeding your MP, and that combination is why the plain light attacks fade out of the rotation.

Gladiator Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Experienced Counterstrike Highest Increases Front Attack Damage Boost by 0.4%. Increases PvE Damage Boost by 5.4%, PvP Damage Boost by 2.7% for 20s for the caster and party members on Block. PvE Damage Boost and PvP Damage Boost does not stack with Templar’s [Fury] effect.
Attack Preparation Highest Increases the caster’s PvE Damage Boost by 5.5%, PvP Damage Boost by 2.75%, Defense by 2%, and Accuracy by 100.
Impact Hit High Increases the caster’s Impact-type Chance by 11.2% and Double Chance by 0.3%.
Murderous Burst High Grants a stack of Menace for 3s when landing an attack. Removes Menace at 5 stacks and deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 5m of the caster and increases the caster’s Critical Damage Boost by 5.5% for 3s.

Most of your early attention should go to Experienced Counterstrike and Attack Preparation. Experienced Counterstrike is especially strong because a Gladiator normally fights facing the enemy while tanking, so a successful Block hands the whole party a damage buff. Note that this buff does not stack with the Templar’s Fury, so a party with both classes will not double up.

Impact Hit and Murderous Burst follow. They become much better once your character is developed enough to benefit from Double Chance, Critical Hits and frequent attacks. The general rule is simple: pick up every passive that raises your damage, and also take the one that improves Enmity, which is AION 2’s name for aggro.

Gladiator Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Rage Burst 5 first Deals damage to a target within 4m. Inflicts Wounded for 10s on hit, reducing the enemy’s Attack by 10%, and increases the caster’s PvE Damage Boost by 10% and PvP Damage Boost by 5% for 10s. Triggers [Overhead Slam] on the target for 10s on hit. Wounded does not stack with the Shrink effect from the Templar skill [Taunt]. 20 Stagger Gauge Damage.
Focused Block 5 first Temporarily increases Block Damage Reduction by 100% and guarantees Parry. Restores MP and Stamina once on Parry.
Lunge Stance 20 priority Increases the caster’s Combat Speed by 20% for 10s.
Zikel’s Blessing Secondary Increases the caster’s Attack by 20% and Accuracy by 100 for 10s.

Take Rage Burst and Focused Block to level 5 first. Rage Burst gets a major cooldown reduction at that breakpoint, and Focused Block gains an extra use.

Lunge Stance is the main long-term investment after that. Its level 20 effect gives your Critical Hits a chance to reduce skill cooldowns by 1 second, and that dramatically increases how often a Gladiator can cycle through its buffs and Rage Burst windows. Zikel’s Blessing stays in the secondary slot.

Gladiator Macro

The core Gladiator macro is a three-skill chain: Rage Burst → Overhead Slam → Rending Blow.

Once Overhead Slam and Rending Blow have reached level 16, Keen Strike falls out of the regular rotation and no longer needs much attention. Lunge Stance, Zikel’s Blessing, Ruinous Blow and Focused Block stay outside the macro. Use them by hand whenever the situation calls for them.

Gladiator Stat Priority

In PvE, a Gladiator wants enough Accuracy for the content it is running, then offensive stats that suit its frequent attacks and its Critical Hit interactions.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Crit → Double → Attack / Damage Boost

When you finally reach the stage of rolling for specific stats, this is the order to follow. If you would rather not spend your time on gear score at all, a Transcendence boost can cover that part for you.

Best Assassin Build

Assassin is a burst-oriented melee DPS that earns most of its value from Critical Hits, Insignia stacks and attacking from behind. It is currently the S-rank DPS class, which means it is the class able to deal the most damage in the game.

The build centers on Heart Gore, Insignia Explosion and the skills that keep both of them available as often as possible. Once it gets going the class is very fast, but it rewards positioning and timing far more than simply pressing everything the moment it comes off cooldown. Think of it as a class where you stand matters as much as what you press.

Assassin Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Heart Gore 16 Triggers on landing a Critical Hit, dealing damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and restores 100 MP. 5 Stagger Gauge Damage. Multi-Hit on hit; Resets [Heart Gore] cooldown on landing a Critical Hit
Insignia Explosion 16 Selects a target within 20m and deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m, inflicting Stun for 3s. Stun chance is doubled on NPC targets. Damage and Stun chance increase based on Insignia stacks. 1 stack: 10% Stun chance. 2 stacks: 20% Stun chance. 3 stacks: 30% Stun chance. 4 stacks: 40% Stun chance. 5 stacks: 50% Stun chance. 7 Stagger Gauge Damage. +50% Multi-Hit on hit; Keep 2 stacks of Insignias after [Insignia Explosion]; -3s cooldown
Quick Slice 16 Deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and restores 100 MP. +20% MP restored; -1s [Insignia Explosion] cooldown on hit; Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as a Critical Hit
Savage Roar 8 Deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and engraves 1 Insignia for 10s. 2 Stagger Gauge Damage. +20% Skill Speed
Shadowstrike 8 Moves behind a target within 20m and deals damage, rotates, and inflicts Stun for 3s. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage. +20% caster Critical Damage Boost for 10s on hit
Ambush 8 Deals damage to a target within 4m. Increases damage by 30% on landing as a Back attack. 7 Stagger Gauge Damage. Engraves 2 Insignias for 10s on landing as a Back attack
Infiltrate 8 Moves behind a target within 10m and deals damage with a 50% chance to inflict Blind for 3s after using [Dodge] or while flying. 100% chance to inflict Blind on NPC targets. 10 Stagger Gauge Damage. +10m [Infiltrate] range

The single most important breakpoint is Heart Gore at level 16. That skill only becomes usable after a Critical Hit, and the whole build speeds up once crits can keep resetting its cooldown. Insignia Explosion and Quick Slice at level 16 are the next goals, because they improve the other two parts of the combo: detonating your Insignias, and feeding those detonations with a steady stream of basic attacks.

Savage Roar does not need the same early investment. Its job is to apply Insignias quickly, and the +20% Skill Speed Specialty is plenty for this stage of the build. The level 8 skills Shadowstrike, Ambush and Infiltrate are positioning tools that put you behind the target, which is exactly where the class wants to be.

Notice how the three level 16 skills depend on each other. Quick Slice restores MP and, with the right Specialty, reduces Insignia Explosion’s cooldown. Insignia Explosion consumes the stacks you built. Heart Gore rewards every Critical Hit you land along the way. If one of the three lags behind, the loop slows down, so bring all three up together instead of finishing one at a time.

Assassin Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Exploit Weakness Highest Increases caster’s Critical Hit by 100. Has a 25% chance to increase Attack by 5.5% for 10s, and a 7% chance to summon up to 5 clones on landing a Critical Hit. Each clone deals damage and inflicts Insignia that lasts for 10s, up to 5 Insignia stacks. Clone cooldown: 1s. Attack increase cooldown: 1s.
Rear Smite Highest Increases the caster’s Back Attack Damage Boost by 3%, PvE Damage Boost by 3%, and PvP Damage Boost by 1.5%.
Assault Stance High Increases the caster’s Critical Damage Boost by 6%.
Impact Hit High Increases the caster’s Impact-type Chance by 11.2% and Double Chance by 0.3%.

Exploit Weakness is critical because it ties Critical Hits straight into the Insignia mechanic. Its clones can add Insignia stacks on your behalf, so Insignia Explosion does not have to depend entirely on you stacking things manually. Rear Smite matters just as much in boss fights, since an Assassin wants to stay behind its target as often as it can.

Assassin Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Triniel’s Dagger 10 first Deals heavy single-target damage, increases the target’s skill cooldowns, and deals 30% more damage from behind. At Lv. 10, it gains -10% all skill cooldowns on hit.
Illusive Clone Main priority after Removes Heart Gore’s cooldown and deals 20% of your damage as extra damage for 10s.
Swift Contract High Increases Combat Speed by 20% for 10s.
Savage Fang High Deals heavy damage and immediately engraves 5 Insignias for 10s.

Your main burst window comes from combining Illusive Clone with Swift Contract. Illusive Clone removes Heart Gore’s cooldown and Swift Contract raises your Combat Speed, so this is the moment to stay behind the boss and spend as many Critical Hit-driven Heart Gore activations as you can.

Triniel’s Dagger is worth taking to level 10 early. At that level it reduces all skill cooldowns on hit, which helps the entire burst cycle come back sooner. Illusive Clone then becomes the main priority, with Swift Contract and Savage Fang close behind.

Assassin Macro

The Assassin macro is short: Insignia Explosion → Heart Gore → Savage Roar.

Keep Quick Slice on the left mouse button and hold it down alongside the macro key. Illusive Clone, Swift Contract, Triniel’s Dagger, Shadowstrike and Ambush are used manually. They work best when timed around burst windows and your position behind the target, not when a macro fires them at random.

Assassin Stat Priority

Assassin gets more out of Critical Hit than most classes, because crits directly activate Heart Gore and several passive effects. Back Attack bonuses are particularly valuable too, as the class spends its time behind bosses.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Crit → Back Attack Damage Boost → Critical Damage Boost / Weapon Damage Boost

Best Ranger Build

Ranger is a ranged DPS built on three habits: keep your buffs running, keep Marking Shot up, and cycle Deadshot with a quick two-line macro. It is a pretty simple class to play, because most of the time you are simply holding a button down, which is why it makes a comfortable first alternate character.

The build treats Deadshot, Gale Arrow, Drill Dart and Snipe as the main damage skills. Tempest Shot and several utility skills stop at lower breakpoints. For looking up the exact details of skills and passives, a community database such as the aion2app database is handy to keep open in a second window.

Ranger Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Deadshot 20 Deals Wind damage to a target within 20m and deals 35% more damage while Precision is active. It can be charged up to three levels. +30% Skill Speed; Changes to mobile skill; Extra damage on hit
Gale Arrow 20 Deals Wind damage to up to 4 enemies and grants Gale for 10s, increasing Combat Speed, PvE Damage Boost, and PvP Damage Boost. Changes to mobile skill; Increases Combat Speed, PvE Damage Boost, and PvP Damage Boost when less targets hit; -10s cooldown
Drill Dart 20 Deals Fire damage, restores 100 MP on a Critical Hit, and inflicts Bleed for 6s while reducing Incoming Heal. +20% Skill Speed; Multi-Hit on hit; Activates [Drill Dart] 1 extra time
Snipe 20 Deals Wind damage to a target within 20m and restores 120 MP. +50% Multi-Hit on hit; -1s [Deadshot] cooldown on hit; Adds [Tempest Arrow] Chain Skill
Tempest Shot 16 Deals Wind damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m of the target. Deals up to 12% more damage when less targets are hit; +20% Skill Speed
Snare Shot 12 Deals Earth damage to up to 4 enemies and inflicts Slow, reducing Move Speed by 40% for 5s. +20% Skill Speed; Adds [Shackling Arrow] Chain Skill
Marking Shot 12 Deals Wind damage, moves the Ranger in the input direction, and grants Precision for 10s. Precision increases Critical Hit by 300. +5% Perfect Chance for the duration; +5s duration
Burst Arrow 12 Deals Wind damage to targets affected by Slow or Root. +50% Multi-Hit on hit; Deals up to 20% more damage when less targets are hit
Defiance 16 Removes crowd control and grants Tenacity for a short duration. Restores 20% HP on using [Defiance]; +50% PvE Damage Tolerance and +25% PvP Damage Tolerance for Tenacity duration

Deadshot and Gale Arrow are the first two skills to take to level 20. At that breakpoint Deadshot unlocks one of its most important damage Specialties, and Gale Arrow becomes far easier to cycle thanks to its cooldown reduction. Once more skill levels become available, Drill Dart and Snipe are the next skills worth pushing to level 20.

Tempest Shot only needs level 16 in this PvE build. It does contribute plenty of damage, but skill levels are valuable mainly because they unlock Specialties, not because of the fairly small base damage increase each level adds. That is why it is fine to stop a skill early once its useful Specialty is in the bag.

Several of these skills share a theme: Specialties that change a skill into a mobile one, such as Deadshot and Gale Arrow. As the name suggests, that lets the Ranger keep moving while it shoots, so taking those Specialties fits a class whose whole job is to stay on the trigger.

Ranger Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Focused Eye Highest Increases Ranger’s damage output and scales well with the class’s offensive stats.
Hunter’s Resolve Highest Increases Critical Damage Boost.
Hunter’s Soul High Adds another offensive boost and becomes the next passive worth developing after the main two.
Concentrated Fire Secondary Improves Ranger’s sustained ranged damage.
Rooting Eye Secondary Adds further offensive value after the main passive priorities are covered.
Melee Fire Secondary Provides another damage-oriented passive once the important passives are already developed.

Focused Eye and Hunter’s Resolve are the two passives that deserve most of your early points, followed by Hunter’s Soul. The other offensive passives can come afterward as more points become available.

Ranger Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Vaizel’s Authority 20 priority Provides a major offensive buff. At higher levels, Critical Hits gain a chance to reduce all skill cooldowns by 1 second.
Bow of Blessing 20 after Grants an offensive buff and gains additional Multi-Hit, Critical Damage Boost, and Double Chance as it levels.
Supporting Fire 20 after Summons an additional attack source that fires alongside the Ranger for a limited duration.
Griffon Arrow 20 after Deals damage and applies Crimson Flames, adding Damage over Time and additional offensive effects as the Stigma is upgraded.

At first, spread your Stigma levels fairly evenly so that every one of them reaches its early breakpoints. Once you have enough points, reset the distribution and push Vaizel’s Authority to level 20 first. Its cooldown reduction has the largest effect on how quickly the whole Ranger rotation cycles.

After that, keep developing Bow of Blessing, Supporting Fire and Griffon Arrow rather than sprinkling resources over every Stigma you unlock.

Tip: Because respeccing is a manual job in AION 2, do the even spread first and the focused reset second. You get the early benefits of all four Stigmas now, and the cooldown-reduction payoff of Vaizel’s Authority once you have enough points.

Ranger Macro

The Ranger uses two main skill lines:

  • Griffon Arrow → Snare Shot → Burst Arrow
  • Gale Arrow → Drill Dart → Tempest Shot

Put both lines into the in-game macro with a 10 ms delay. Deadshot and Marking Shot stay separate, so you control them yourself. Use the main buffs manually, and reapply Marking Shot before Precision runs out.

Ranger Stat Priority

A Ranger has to balance Accuracy and Critical Hit before piling on pure damage. Marking Shot already grants +300 Critical Hit while Precision is active, so meeting the Crit requirement is generally easier than meeting the Accuracy one, and that is why Accuracy comes first.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Crit to requirement → Attack → Double / Damage Boost

Best Sorcerer Build

Sorcerer is an easy ranged DPS. That can make it sound like Ranger with a different hat on, but the two do not play the same. This build is about keeping your Fire-related buffs active, bringing down Hellfire’s cooldown with Firestorm and Wish of Concentration, and holding on to enough MP to keep Sorcerer’s passive damage bonuses switched on.

Sorcerer Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Wish of Concentration 16 Grants a temporary offensive buff and becomes one of Sorcerer’s main cooldown tools at higher levels. +10% additional Attack; +10% Combat Speed; -10s all skill cooldowns
Blaze 16 Deals Fire damage and benefits from Fire Mark interactions. It also helps restore MP and becomes part of the main Fire rotation. Delayed Damage after 3s; Multi-Hit on hit; -3s [Wish of Concentration] cooldown on hit
Flame Arrow 16 Deals Fire damage and restores MP. At higher levels, it also applies Fire Mark through Pyroclasm and can reset Blaze. +50% Multi-Hit on hit; +5% Fire Damage Boost for 10s on activating [Pyroclasm]; Reset [Blaze] cooldown on landing [Pyroclasm]
Hellfire 16 Charges up to three levels and deals heavy Fire damage in an area. It is one of Sorcerer’s main burst skills. +30% Skill Speed; Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as Multi-Hit; -15s cooldown
Firestorm 16 Fires multiple Fire projectiles and is one of the main ways to reduce Hellfire’s cooldown during sustained damage. +20% Skill Speed; -2s [Hellfire] cooldown per fireball; +15% damage per fireball, up to +75%
Winter’s Shackles 16 Deals Water damage to up to 4 enemies, inflicts Slow, and provides an offensive buff through its Specialties. +20% PvE Damage Boost and +10% PvP Damage Boost for 5s on landing [Winter’s Shackles]; Adds [Winter’s Illusion] Chain Skill; -15s [Winter’s Shackles] cooldown
Bittercold Wind 16 Summons a Water-based attack that contributes damage and control while feeding the Sorcerer’s wider cooldown cycle. +1s summon duration; Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as a Critical Hit; -1s [Frost] cooldown

Your first level 16 targets are Wish of Concentration, Blaze and Flame Arrow. After those, Hellfire, Firestorm, Bittercold Wind and Winter’s Shackles are the next upgrades to chase.

The interaction to understand is Firestorm shortening Hellfire’s cooldown. Each Firestorm projectile can cut another 2 seconds from Hellfire, and Wish of Concentration later removes 10 more seconds from all active cooldowns. Combined, those two effects are what turn a Sorcerer from an occasional burst caster into a much faster Fire rotation.

The level 16 Specialties also tell you which direction the class is going. Hellfire can lose 15 seconds of cooldown outright, Firestorm pushes its damage up with every fireball it fires, and Winter’s Shackles can add a Chain Skill, so the Water side of the build is far more than decoration. Bittercold Wind belongs to the same family: its Specialties make the summon last longer, force a Critical Hit and trim another cooldown.

Sorcerer Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Robe of Flame Highest Increases offensive stats including Accuracy, PvE Damage Boost, PvP Damage Boost, and Double Chance.
Grace of Enhancement Highest Increases PvE and PvP Damage Boost while MP remains above the required threshold and can add extra damage on hit.
Vitality Evaporation High Increases damage against targets while their HP remains above a certain threshold.
Fire Mark High Applies and improves the Fire Mark mechanic that several Sorcerer Fire skills interact with.
Robe of Earth Secondary Increases Max MP and MP regeneration, and grants additional Critical Hit while enough MP is maintained.

Remember that for a Sorcerer, MP is effectively an offensive resource. Grace of Enhancement loses value when your MP falls too low, and Robe of Earth likewise rewards keeping a healthy MP bar. That explains why several of the early Specialties reduce MP costs or return extra MP: the build needs help sustaining itself until your stats can do the job.

Sorcerer Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Element Enhancement Main priority Increases Fire and Water damage and improves several Sorcerer passive effects as it levels.
Delayed Explosion High Deals delayed damage, restores MP, and applies a damage-increasing effect that is useful before major burst skills.
Fire Wall High Creates an area that repeatedly deals Fire damage to enemies standing inside it.
Cold Storm High Creates an area that repeatedly deals Water damage and works well against bosses that remain in place.

Element Enhancement is the main Stigma investment, since it directly boosts Fire and Water damage and picks up extra passive interactions at higher levels. Delayed Explosion, Fire Wall and Cold Storm round out the main PvE damage package, and they combine nicely during burst windows. Fire Wall and Cold Storm in particular shine against bosses that stand still, because their area damage keeps ticking on the same spot.

Cast Element Enhancement by hand before a fight starts. The other offensive Stigmas are tied into the opening sequence and the macro.

A good habit is to treat the opening as a ritual. Element Enhancement goes out first, the offensive Stigmas follow through the macro, and Hellfire is saved for the moment its charges and cooldown reductions line up. Doing this the same way every pull makes the rotation feel automatic.

Sorcerer Macro

The main macro opens with: Element Enhancement → Winter’s Shackles → Blaze.

Keep Flame Arrow on the left mouse button and hold it together with the macro key to fill the animation gaps. Hellfire, Wish of Concentration, Flame Scattershot, Steel Barrier and Divine Burst stay manual, so you can time them around charges, cooldown reductions, Stagger windows and boss mechanics.

Sorcerer Stat Priority

A Sorcerer cares about Cooldown Reduction and Combat Speed more than many other classes do, because so much of its damage comes from cycling Hellfire, Firestorm and its buffs again and again. Accuracy still has to be high enough for the content you are running, and Attack and Crit gain value once those basics are covered.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Cooldown Reduction → Combat Speed → Attack → Crit / Double

Best Elementalist Build

Elementalist is a ranged DPS class that revolves around managing summons rather than working through one traditional rotation. Every spirit contributes toward Elemental Fusion, while Dimensional Control and Jointstrike: Curse add damage around those summons. The goal is to trigger Fusion quickly, keep your main spirit buffs running and use Ancient Spirit as the centerpiece of your bigger damage windows.

Put simply, the Elementalist is a mage that calls on various spirits to fight for it, which makes for a fun and slightly different playstyle. The build here is tagged for Global PvE DPS and centers on spirit uptime, Elemental Fusion and scaling up the Ancient Spirit as progression opens more Stigma levels.

Elementalist Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Cold Shock 20 Deals Water damage and restores MP, making it one of Elementalist’s main repeatable attacks. +20% MP restored; +2% Attack on hit; Multi-Hit Chance
Combustion 20 Deals Fire damage at the cost of a significant amount of MP. -50% MP Consumption early; switch to +20% Skill Speed once MP is comfortable; damage-oriented Specialty at the final breakpoint
Jointstrike: Curse 20 Commands the active spirit to attack and applies Damage over Time to the target. +2s duration; -2s cooldown; additional damage Specialty at higher level
Dimensional Control 20 Activates around spirit summons and applies additional delayed damage to enemies. Extra damage after 3s; Guaranteed Multi-Hit
Elemental Fusion 20 Becomes available after building four Fusion stacks through spirit skills and summons. It is one of Elementalist’s largest direct damage hits. Prioritize the damage-oriented Specialties that improve repeated Fusion activations.
Summon: Water Spirit 16 Summons a single-target spirit that also restores MP to the Elementalist. +10% Skill Activation Chance; damage-oriented Specialty at the next breakpoint
Summon: Fire Spirit 12 Summons an AoE-focused spirit that can attack several enemies. +10% Skill Activation Chance
Summon: Earth Spirit 12 Summons a durable spirit that generates Enmity and can tank enemies for you. +10% Skill Activation Chance
Summon: Wind Spirit 12 early Summons a spirit with healing utility and provides another easy way to generate a Fusion stack during early progression. +10% Skill Activation Chance

The biggest priorities are Cold Shock, Combustion, Jointstrike: Curse, Dimensional Control and Elemental Fusion. Those are the skills that feed the normal damage cycle directly, as opposed to the skills that merely decide which spirit is out.

The spirit skills behave a little differently. Water Spirit is the most useful single-target option, Fire Spirit suits fights with multiple enemies, and Earth Spirit gives up damage in exchange for tanking utility. Wind Spirit is handy early, since summoning it adds one more Elemental Fusion stack, but it matters less once your spirits attack fast enough to produce Fusion consistently without you cycling through all four of them.

Warning: Combustion eats a lot of MP. Take the MP consumption Specialty early, and only switch to the Skill Speed option once your MP feels comfortable, or the skill will leave you empty at the worst time.

Elementalist Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Spirit Strike Highest Improves the offensive performance of your summoned spirits, including their PvE and PvP damage.
Spirit Descent Highest Gives your summons a chance to deal additional damage for several seconds after a spirit is summoned.
Consecutive Countercurrent High Adds additional damage against enemies already affected by Elementalist debuffs or Damage over Time.
Spirit Protection Secondary Improves the defensive stats of the Elementalist and its spirits.
Elemental Unification Later priority Increases Critical Damage Boost and becomes more valuable once you have enough Critical Hit to activate it consistently.

Give Spirit Strike the most attention first, since the whole build depends on your summons dealing meaningful damage. Spirit Descent is another obvious pick because you are constantly rotating or resummoning spirits anyway.

Crit-related passives are much weaker in early progression. Once your gear supplies enough Critical Hit for them to activate reliably, they become far more worthwhile, so leave them for later.

Elementalist Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Summon: Ancient Spirit 20 first Summons Ancient Spirit for 30s. Its attacks repeatedly contribute toward Elemental Fusion, making it the main Stigma behind the build’s damage cycle.
Flame Blessing 20 after Provides an offensive buff for the Elementalist and strengthens the main damage window.
Jointstrike: Destructive Attack 20 after Commands the spirits to perform an additional heavy attack.
Jointstrike: Corrode 20 last Commands the active spirits to attack and applies Corrode, increasing the value of continued spirit damage.

Here the order of leveling matters more than simply unlocking all four. Follow this sequence:

  1. Take Ancient Spirit, Flame Blessing and Corrode to level 5, and Destructive Attack to level 7.
  2. Push Destructive Attack to level 10.
  3. Take Ancient Spirit toward level 15 and eventually level 20 first.
  4. Then continue with Destructive Attack, Flame Blessing and finally Corrode.

Ancient Spirit is the centerpiece of the build. Improving it shortens the time between the spirit’s major effects and gives you more chances to trigger Elemental Fusion while it is out.

In practice this means the early game is about learning the order of the spirits. Water Spirit gives you single-target damage and MP, Fire Spirit covers groups, Earth Spirit holds enmity and Wind Spirit adds an easy Fusion stack. Once Ancient Spirit and your Jointstrike skills grow, you rely less on that rotation of summons.

Elementalist Macro

The Elementalist works well with two short skill chains:

  • Water Spirit → Corrode → Earth Spirit → Fire Spirit
  • Jointstrike: Curse → Elemental Fusion → Dimensional Control → Combustion

Keep Summon: Ancient Spirit and your main buffs manual. That way you can activate them together at the start of the damage window instead of letting the macro fire them at an awkward moment.

Elementalist Stat Priority

Combat Speed helps an Elementalist a great deal, because faster spirit attacks mean faster stack generation and more frequent Elemental Fusion activations. Accuracy still has to meet the requirement for whatever PvE content you run, and Crit grows in importance later, once your Crit-based passives start firing reliably.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Combat Speed → Attack → Crit → Double / Damage Boost

Best Cleric Build

Cleric is the dedicated healer in AION 2, yet its PvE build is not about standing at the back and healing without a break. It is an unusual healer. Much of its value comes from keeping enemy debuffs up, dealing damage in the gaps between mechanics, and healing only when the party really needs it. Despite the mace-and-shield look, Cleric is not a melee class at all but a ranged caster, which surprises plenty of new players. It is also a class that tends to get invited to instances instantly, because everybody wants a healer along.

This build leans into that hybrid role. Condemnation and Chain of Torment make up the main damage combo, and Healing Light covers the most important early healing breakpoint. If you enjoy support roles and want to be useful in every group, it is a rewarding pick, and if you would rather jump straight into group content, dungeon runs are one way to get there.

Cleric Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Judgment Thunder 16 Deals Wind damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m of the target. Deals up to 12% more damage when less targets are hit; Activates [Divine Punishment] 1 extra time
Earth’s Retribution 16 Deals Earth damage to a target within 20m and restores MP. Prioritize the MP-focused Specialty early; swap toward the cooldown-oriented option once MP is no longer a problem.
Condemnation 16 Deals Earth damage to enemies afflicted with Chain of Torment. Up to +12% damage when less targets hit; Resets cooldown on landing a Critical Hit with [Condemnation]; Multi-Hit on hit
Divine Aura 16 Summons a stationary Divine Aura that repeatedly attacks a selected target. +50% [Divine Aura] attacking speed; +3s [Divine Aura] duration; -10s cooldown
Chain of Torment 16 Deals Earth damage, applies Damage over Time, and reduces the target’s PvE Damage Tolerance. +3s Damage over Time; +10% PvE Damage Tolerance reduction and +5% PvP Damage Tolerance reduction; Ignores Block and Evasion and reduces Damage over Time interval by 50%
Healing Light 16 Restores HP to the Cleric and the party member with the lowest HP within 40m. Prioritize the Specialties that allow repeated healing and improve HP restoration.

The damage interaction that matters most is Chain of Torment into Condemnation. Chain of Torment applies the debuff that Condemnation requires, and Condemnation’s Critical Hit reset Specialty lets you cast it repeatedly whenever the build forces, or naturally lands, a Crit. Chain of Torment also lowers the target’s PvE Damage Tolerance, so keeping it active helps the entire party, not only the Cleric.

Healing Light at level 16 is your main healing priority. It is the one healing skill worth pushing early, so that the Cleric can handle its dungeon role comfortably while the rest of the investment goes into damage skills.

Earth’s Retribution deserves a special mention for its Specialty advice. Early on, choose the MP-focused option so you can keep casting. When MP is no longer a problem, swap toward the cooldown option and treat the skill as a damage tool instead of a mana battery. The same swap mindset applies to Healing Light, where you pick the Specialties that allow repeated healing and stronger HP restoration.

Cleric Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Empyrean Lords’ Grace Highest Increases Critical Hit and adds additional damage when attacks land.
Earth’s Grace High Increases Critical Damage Boost.
Healing Enhancement High Improves how strongly Cleric healing scales from Attack.

Unlike several other classes, this build does not put passive nodes first in early progression. Pick them up when they happen to be on your path, and put most of your early investment into the active skill breakpoints.

Once the active skills are developed, Empyrean Lords’ Grace, Earth’s Grace and Healing Enhancement are the most useful passives. The first two reinforce your damage, and Healing Enhancement keeps your healing competitive without forcing the whole build to turn defensive.

Cleric Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Earth’s Punishment 5 first Deals damage and makes Condemnation land as a Critical Hit, enabling repeated cooldown resets.
Light of Protection High Grants PvE Damage Boost and PvE Damage Tolerance to the Cleric and nearby party members.
Noble Aura High Summons an aura that adds consistent damage during combat.
Resurrection Utility Revives a fallen party member during PvE content.

Earth’s Punishment is the key offensive Stigma because it powers the Condemnation combo directly. Once it guarantees Condemnation Crits, every Crit can trigger Condemnation’s reset Specialty, which allows repeated casts during the Stigma window.

The other slots are more flexible. Light of Protection gives the party useful offense and defense, and Noble Aura adds steady damage. Resurrection is hard to give up while you are still learning content, but once a group is comfortable with the mechanics, one of the utility options can be swapped for a more offensive Stigma.

Note: Stigma choice for the utility slot depends on your group. A party that wipes often benefits from keeping Resurrection, while a team that knows the fights can afford to trade it for damage.

Cleric Macro

The Cleric can stack its main debuffs and damage skills into a single short chain: Chain of Torment → Debilitating Mark → Condemnation → Judgment Thunder.

Healing, cleansing, Earth’s Punishment and the main party buffs stay manual. They are too situational to let a macro fire them automatically.

Cleric Stat Priority

A Cleric wants enough Accuracy for current PvE content, followed by stats that improve both damage and cast speed. Crit is particularly useful because Condemnation and several passives benefit from Critical Hits, while Combat Speed makes offensive casts and emergency heals feel much smoother.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Combat Speed → Crit → Attack → Double / Damage Boost

Best Chanter Build

Chanter is a melee support and DPS class whose main purpose is to hand out buffs that raise damage. It is not the dedicated healer that Cleric is, but its buffs make a huge difference to a group. It is also one of the more distinctive classes to look at: Chanters fight with staves and kung-fu style moves, which gives them a very different look from the other classes.

This PvE build is about keeping Dark Crush available, cycling Spinning Strike and Impactful Crush, and holding your party-wide buffs up for the important damage windows. Chanter also has helpful healing and defensive tools, but the build here puts the damage and support skills that matter most in group PvE first.

Chanter Skills and Specialties

Skill Target Level What it does Specialties
Dark Crush 20 Deals damage to a target within 20m. It becomes available through several Chanter skills and is one of the main attacks in the PvE rotation. Critical Hit on hit; Adds [Piercing Strike] Chain Skill; Removes [Dark Crush] cooldown
Spinning Strike 20 Deals damage to up to 4 enemies, increases Critical Damage Boost by 15% for 30s, stacks twice, and activates Dark Crush for 2s. -5s cooldown; Up to +20% damage when less targets hit; Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as a Critical Hit
Impactful Crush 20 Deals damage to a target within 20m, has a 60% Stun chance and guarantees Stun against NPCs. It also activates Dark Crush for 2s. Changes to mobile skill; +30% Skill Speed; +20% [Impactful Crush] Stun Chance
Incandescent Blow 16 Deals damage to up to 4 enemies within 4m and works as one of Chanter’s main filler attacks. Deals up to 12% more damage when less targets are hit; Ignores Block and Evasion and lands as Multi-Hit
Onslaught 12 Deals damage to up to 4 enemies and restores 100 MP. +20% MP restored or +50% Multi-Hit on hit; -1s [Spinning Strike] cooldown on hit
Wave Blow 16 Deals damage to a Stunned target and inflicts Knockdown. It can also activate against targets with Incapacitated Immunity. Multi-Hit on hit; -15% target PvE Damage Boost and -7.5% PvP Damage Boost for 10s; -5s cooldown
Recuperation 16 Restores HP, removes a debuff from party members within 40m, and applies healing over time. +1 consecutive use and Heal over Time can stack up to 2 times; +5% HP restored; -3s cooldown

Dark Crush is the most important skill, and you want it at level 16 or higher. Removing its cooldown means you can use every activation window that Spinning Strike and Impactful Crush open, rather than being held back by the normal cooldown. Spinning Strike is the second big priority, since it both opens Dark Crush and gives you a stacking Critical Damage Boost.

Incandescent Blow and Onslaught are simpler. Incandescent Blow is the reliable filler during Dark Crush downtime, and Onslaught restores MP while its level 12 Specialty reduces Spinning Strike’s cooldown.

The chain in this build has a clear shape. Spinning Strike and Impactful Crush both activate Dark Crush for 2 seconds, Dark Crush with no cooldown can fire in every one of those windows, and Incandescent Blow fills the quiet moments. Wave Blow and Recuperation are the level 16 extras that deal with stunned targets and keep the party topped up when needed.

Chanter Passives

Passive Priority What it does
Attack Preparation Highest Increases PvE Damage Boost, PvP Damage Boost, Defense, and Accuracy.
Earth’s Promise Highest Applies an offensive effect that reduces enemy Damage Tolerance, increasing the damage your party deals.
Impact Hit High Improves Impact-related effects and adds offensive value to Chanter’s repeated skill chains.
Raging Spell High Improves Chanter’s personal offensive output during sustained combat.
Inspiring Spell High Adds party-oriented offensive support alongside Chanter’s personal damage.

Attack Preparation is the safest first investment, because it grants PvE Damage Boost and Accuracy and adds a little defense on top. Earth’s Promise is particularly valuable in group content: lowering a boss’s Damage Tolerance helps everyone in the party, not just the Chanter.

Chanter Stigmas

Stigma Target Level What it does
Undefeated Mantra 20 priority Increases PvE Damage Boost and Damage Tolerance for the Chanter and nearby party members. Its upgrades add Critical Hit, Accuracy, Critical Damage Boost, and Double Chance.
Power of the Storm High Increases Combat Speed and reduces cooldowns for the Chanter and nearby party members.
Marchutan’s Wrath High Adds another offensive attack to the main melee chain and works well inside Chanter’s damage macro.
Fracturing Blow High Reduces the target’s Defense for a short period, creating a burst window for the entire party.

Undefeated Mantra is the main long-term investment, because each breakpoint adds another useful party stat. At level 20 it provides extra Critical Hit, Accuracy, Critical Damage Boost and Double Chance on top of the base PvE Damage Boost and Damage Tolerance.

Power of the Storm and Fracturing Blow are your burst-window tools. Use them when the group is ready to unload damage, not at random as soon as they come off cooldown.

Chanter Macro

The main Chanter macro uses two skill lines:

  • Spinning Strike
  • Dark Crush → Marchutan’s Wrath → Impactful Crush → Incandescent Blow

Keep Onslaught on the left mouse button and use it between macro activations. Power of the Storm, Undefeated Mantra, Fracturing Blow, Recuperation and the other support tools stay manual, so you can use them exactly when the party needs them.

Chanter Stat Priority

Chanter gains from Combat Speed, because it spends nearly all its time cycling melee skills and reacting to Dark Crush activations. Accuracy still needs to meet the current PvE requirement, and Attack and Crit become more valuable once those basics are covered.

Priority: Accuracy to requirement → Combat Speed → Attack → Crit → Damage Boost / Double

That covers all eight classes. If you want a hand getting any of them geared and ready, the Aion 2 store is the place to look, and the same build logic applies whichever one you pick: fix the breakpoints, slot the four Stigmas, and keep the macro short.

Not sure which class to pick? Our Aion 2 class tier list ranks them for PvE and PvP.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make a build in AION 2?

There is not much variety between builds for a given class, and most players run very similar PvE setups. A build is made of four things: the skills you level, the Specialties you choose for them, your passives and your Stigmas. How you arrange those skills and Stigmas inside a macro also counts. Later on, once you stop chasing gear score, you will also roll for specific stats on your gear to fine-tune the result.

What is the best Gladiator build in AION 2?

The strongest Gladiator setup revolves around Overhead Slam with no cooldown, paired with Rending Blow and a few buffs on top. As you level those two skills to 16, you rely on Keen Strike less and less until it barely shows up in your rotation. The macro Rage Burst → Overhead Slam → Rending Blow is the backbone, with Lunge Stance, Zikel’s Blessing, Ruinous Blow and Focused Block used manually.

What is the difference between early-game and endgame builds?

The most obvious difference is what you have available. Stigmas and Specialties depend on how far you have leveled the skills behind them, so an early build simply has fewer pieces. Reaching max level is not the hard part, which means the early-game version is mostly educational: it teaches you the rotation so the full build feels familiar once everything is unlocked.

Do I have to use combat macros in AION 2?

No, macros are not required. They do let you use more skills at the same time, though, so your character deals more damage than it would with every skill pressed by hand. The builds above keep their macros short, usually two to four skills, and leave the situational skills such as heals, big buffs and burst cooldowns for you to press manually.

Can I save builds in AION 2?

There is no build or loadout saving option. If you want to try a different combination of skills and Stigmas, you have to reset and reassign your points yourself. Because of that, it is worth testing a new idea only when you are ready to rebuild, and if you would like to spend your time playing rather than grinding currency, you can pick up some Kinah ahead of time.

How many Stigmas should a build use?

Roughly four. Each class guide above lists four Stigmas, and the idea is to push the top-priority one first instead of spreading your points across everything you unlock. Ranger, for example, spreads points evenly at the start, then resets and takes Vaizel’s Authority to level 20 before the others.

Do I need to think about stats while leveling?

Not really. Stats only start to matter once you are farming a gear score of around 1400, which is when rerolling becomes available. Even then, many rerolls are aimed at raising gear score rather than getting one exact stat. The stat priorities in each section are there so you know what to aim for when you reach that point.

Is Assassin really the best damage class?

At the moment Assassin is the S-rank DPS class, meaning it can deal the most damage of any class. That can shift with future patches, and the numbers in this guide may change as well, so treat the ranking as a snapshot. A class you enjoy and play well will usually beat a higher-ranked class that you struggle with.