Combat
Stances, Instincts & Last Resorts
Every class now carries four more layers beneath its abilities: a Stance you hold, Instincts that watch the fight for you, a Last Resort for the blow that would end you, and — for six classes — a Resource that builds as you fight. Five classes also gain a piece of utility that has nothing to do with combat at all.
None of it is on a nine-minute cooldown. Stances and Instincts are simply always there, which is the whole point: they shape how your class feels in the fights you actually have, not the one fight an hour where a long cooldown happens to be ready.
Where to find it: Combat → Stances. The same screen lists your Instincts, your Resource, your Last Resort and your utility, and shows which stance you are holding.
Stances
A stance is a toggle, not a cooldown. You hold one at a time and it lasts until you change it — there is no timer and nothing to re-apply. It is the one piece of your class that is present in every fight rather than one fight an hour.
Every stance is a genuine exchange, and there are two halves to it. The first is the damage trade: what a stance grants you in damage dealt it charges you in damage taken at exactly the same rate, and the reverse for the careful ones. The second is what actually separates the classes — each pair is built on the mechanic that belongs to that class. A Hexblade chooses how deep the hex gathers. A Tamer chooses whether the beast fights or they do. A Minstrel chooses whether the song lasts or lands all at once. A Runesmith chooses between a rune cut deep and a rune scratched in a hurry.
Because of that, the two stances of a class are not a safety dial with the numbers reversed. They are two ways to play the class, and neither is the beginner option.
Where to find it: Combat → Stances. The same screen lists your Instincts, your Resource, your Last Resort and your utility, and shows which stance you are holding. Both stances unlock at Level 10.
| Class | Stance | The trade |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Drillmaster Short forms, repeated without pause. The gauge fills constantly and no single blow is worth much. | +25% TP gained · -20% Weapon Arte damage |
| Executioner’s Rhythm One form, practised to the exclusion of all others. It comes rarely, and it finishes what it starts. | +20% Weapon Arte damage · -25% TP gained | |
| Gladiator | Open Guard Drop the guard entirely and play to the crowd. Openings everywhere — yours and theirs. | +18% damage dealt · +18% damage taken · +6% crit chance · -6% dodge |
| Crowd Work Fight for the roar rather than the kill. Nothing lands cleanly, and the fury builds far faster. | -12% damage dealt · -12% damage taken · +25% TP gained · -25 crit damage | |
| Paladin | Oathkeeper Stand as the oath demands. The light stays with you and your strikes are measured, not cruel. | -18% damage dealt · -18% damage taken · +5% lifesteal · -20% Weapon Arte damage |
| Zealot Judgement before mercy. Every form lands like a verdict, and the light no longer stops to mend you. | +18% damage dealt · +18% damage taken · +20% Weapon Arte damage · -5% lifesteal | |
| Lancer | Skyward Guard Keep the lance high and the feet light. Hard to pin down, and slow to commit to anything. | -15% damage dealt · -15% damage taken · +6% dodge · -25 crit damage |
| Impaler Set the lance and drive. Devastating on the way in, and you cannot turn aside once committed. | +20% damage dealt · +20% damage taken · +25 crit damage · -6% dodge | |
| Rogue | Shadow Work Patience over force. Ordinary strikes are feeble; the ones that find the gap are ruinous. | -15% damage dealt · -15% damage taken · +6% crit chance · +25 crit damage · -25% TP gained |
| Cutthroat No patience at all. Fast, loud, entirely unprotected, and never waiting for the gap. | +20% damage dealt · +20% damage taken · +25% TP gained · -5% crit chance | |
| Archer | Steady Aim Breathe, hold, release. Every arrow is placed rather than loosed, and placing takes time. | -12% damage dealt · -12% damage taken · +15% ACC · +5% crit chance · -25% TP gained |
| Rapid Loose Empty the quiver. Nothing is aimed, a great deal of it lands anyway, and the gauge never rests. | +18% damage dealt · +18% damage taken · -15% ACC · +25% TP gained | |
| Pugilist | Iron Body Take the hit on purpose. Very little gets through, very little goes out, and nothing comes back quickly. | -22% damage dealt · -22% damage taken · +6% dodge · -15% ability cooldowns |
| Reckless Palm Every strike thrown from the shoulder with nothing held back for defence — and thrown again sooner. | +22% damage dealt · +22% damage taken · -15% DEF · +15% ability cooldowns | |
| Magician | Focused Casting Every syllable placed exactly. Slower, cheaper, and it does not go astray. | -12% damage dealt · -12% damage taken · +15% ACC · −20% spell MP cost |
| Wild Channelling Let it run. More power reaches the target, far less stays under control, and it drinks the pool dry. | +18% damage dealt · +18% damage taken · +8% DEX · +20% spell MP cost | |
| Warlock | Slow Burn Let the curse do the work. Your own blows are weak; what you leave behind lingers far longer. | -15% damage dealt · -15% damage taken · +25% buff & song duration · +20% spell MP cost |
| Blood Price Pay in the only currency that never runs out. Power comes easily, and nothing you cast outlasts the moment. | +20% damage dealt · +20% damage taken · +6% lifesteal · -25% buff & song duration | |
| Necromancer | Plague Bearer Spread rather than strike. Little force behind the hand, a great deal behind the rot, and nothing returns to you. | -15% damage dealt · -15% damage taken · +25% buff & song duration · -6% mana steal |
| Grave Hunger Take greedily and hold nothing back. The dead are impatient, and nothing you sow is left to grow. | +18% damage dealt · +18% damage taken · +6% lifesteal · +6% mana steal · -25% buff & song duration | |
| Death Knight | Unliving Stop pretending to be alive. Very hard to put down, slow to do the putting, and nothing sustains you. | -22% damage dealt · -22% damage taken · +6% dodge · -6% lifesteal |
| Grave Pact Spend yourself instead of your strength. Enormous force, bought at your own expense and repaid in blood. | +25% damage dealt · +25% damage taken · +6% lifesteal · -6% dodge | |
| Tamer | Pack Leader Let the beast lead. You hang back and direct, and what you have raised does the work. | -20% damage dealt · -20% damage taken · +20% pet damage |
| Lone Hunter Hunt at the front yourself. Far more dangerous, and the beast is left trailing behind you. | +22% damage dealt · +22% damage taken · +8% STR · -20% pet damage | |
| Minstrel | Sustain Hold the note. Everything you weave lasts far longer, and your own hand grows idle. | -18% damage dealt · -18% damage taken · +25% buff & song duration · -25% TP gained |
| Crescendo Play it all at once. Brief, enormous, utterly exposed, and gone before the bar ends. | +22% damage dealt · +22% damage taken · -25% buff & song duration · +25% TP gained | |
| Hexblade | Hexweave Mark first, cut later. The blade is an afterthought while the hex gathers deeper than it should. | -15% damage dealt · -15% damage taken · +2 max Hex Stacks · -20% Weapon Arte damage |
| Blade Trance Forget the marks and simply cut. Less gathers, and nothing needs to. | +18% damage dealt · +18% damage taken · -2 max Hex Stacks · +20% Weapon Arte damage | |
| Mimic | Perfect Copy Study before you steal. What you take is flawless; taking it leaves you open, and it takes time. | -15% damage dealt · -15% damage taken · +10% echo absorption · +10% echo quality · -25% TP gained |
| Improvise Do not study at all. Rougher, faster, and it hits like something borrowed in a hurry. | +18% damage dealt · +18% damage taken · -10% echo absorption · -10% echo quality · +25% TP gained | |
| Runesmith | Deep Etching Cut the rune properly. Slow work, and what it releases is worth the wait. | -18% damage dealt · -18% damage taken · +25% Detonate damage · -15% ability cooldowns |
| Quickmark Scratch it and go. Shallow, hasty marks, laid down faster than they can be read. | +20% damage dealt · +20% damage taken · -25% Detonate damage · +15% ability cooldowns | |
| Skypirate | Batten Down Close the hatches and ride it out. Nothing much reaches you, and you reach nothing much. | -22% damage dealt · -22% damage taken · +6% dodge · -25% TP gained |
| Full Sail Everything to the wind. Tremendous speed, and not a plank between you and the sea. | +22% damage dealt · +22% damage taken · -6% dodge · +25% TP gained | |
| Astromancer | Fixed Star Hold to one point of the sky. Patient, immovable, and what you read there stays true far longer. | -20% damage dealt · -20% damage taken · +25% buff & song duration · -5% crit chance |
| Wandering Follow whichever star is brightest tonight. Unpredictable, unanchored, and nothing you read outlasts it. | +20% damage dealt · +20% damage taken · +6% crit chance · -25% buff & song duration |
Instincts
Instincts need no button. They watch the state of the fight and pay out the moment their condition holds — no cooldown, nothing to remember. Each class has two, and no two classes share the same pairing of condition and reward. The first unlocks at Level 12, the second at Level 30.
| Class | Instinct | When | What you gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Opening Strike (Lv12) | against a foe still at full health | the blow always lands as a critical |
| Second Wind (Lv30) | while you are below a quarter of your health | you take 20% less damage | |
| Gladiator | Crowd's Favour (Lv12) | while you are below a quarter of your health | +20% damage |
| Killing Blow (Lv30) | against a foe near death | +120 TP | |
| Paladin | Trial of Faith (Lv12) | against a foe above your level | you take 20% less damage |
| Righteous Stand (Lv30) | while you are below a quarter of your health | restores 6% of your health | |
| Lancer | First Lance (Lv12) | against a foe still at full health | ignores 30% of their defence |
| Dragonsbane (Lv30) | against a foe above your level | +20% damage | |
| Rogue | Ambush (Lv12) | against a foe still at full health | +25% critical chance |
| Finish It (Lv30) | against a foe near death | +20% damage | |
| Archer | Steady Hand (Lv12) | while you are above nine tenths of your health | +25% critical chance |
| Clean Kill (Lv30) | against a foe below your level | ignores 30% of their defence | |
| Pugilist | Cornered (Lv12) | while you are below a quarter of your health | +25% critical chance |
| Flow (Lv30) | while you are above nine tenths of your health | +20% damage | |
| Magician | Deep Reserves (Lv12) | while your power is three quarters full | +20% damage |
| Desperate Theory (Lv30) | while your power is nearly spent | +25% critical chance | |
| Warlock | Debtor's End (Lv12) | against a foe near death | restores 6% of your health |
| Last Bargain (Lv30) | while your power is nearly spent | +20% damage | |
| Necromancer | Grave Certainty (Lv12) | against a foe near death | the blow always lands as a critical |
| Home Ground (Lv30) | while you are in the Underworld | +20% damage | |
| Death Knight | Unyielding (Lv12) | while you are below a quarter of your health | +20% damage |
| Doom Sight (Lv30) | against a foe above your level | ignores 30% of their defence | |
| Tamer | Run It Down (Lv12) | against a foe below your level | +20% damage |
| Flush It Out (Lv30) | against a foe still at full health | +120 TP | |
| Minstrel | Steady Measure (Lv12) | while you are above nine tenths of your health | you take 20% less damage |
| Final Verse (Lv30) | against a foe near death | +25% critical chance | |
| Hexblade | First Mark (Lv12) | against a foe still at full health | +20% damage |
| Spite (Lv30) | while your power is nearly spent | ignores 30% of their defence | |
| Mimic | Quick Study (Lv12) | against a foe below your level | +25% critical chance |
| Borrowed Nerve (Lv30) | while you are above nine tenths of your health | +120 TP | |
| Runesmith | Etched True (Lv12) | while your power is three quarters full | ignores 30% of their defence |
| The Ward Holds (Lv30) | against a foe below your level | you take 20% less damage | |
| Skypirate | Home Winds (Lv12) | while you are in the Sky | +20% damage |
| No Quarter (Lv30) | against a foe near death | ignores 30% of their defence | |
| Astromancer | Clear Skies (Lv12) | while you are in the Sky | +25% critical chance |
| Written Ending (Lv30) | while your power is three quarters full | the blow always lands as a critical |
Class Resources
Six classes had nothing that built up as they fought. Each now has a counter that fills through ordinary play and discharges by itself when it reaches its cap — there is no button to press and nothing to spend. The next action after it fills carries the payoff. Unlocks at Level 15.
| Class | Resource | Builds on | At its cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magician | Charge Every spell you cast leaves a little of itself behind. The fifth one comes out all at once. | each spell you cast, 5 times | ×1.6 damage on your next action |
| Warlock | Debt Power is borrowed, never given. The fifth loan comes due whether you are ready or not. | each spell you cast, 5 times | ×1.7 damage on your next action, and it costs you 8% of your health |
| Necromancer | Remnants Something is left behind by everything you strike, and you have never been squeamish about keeping it. | each blow you land, 4 times | ×1.5 damage on your next action |
| Death Knight | Runes Three runes cut into the armour. Each one drinks a blow, and the third gives it all back. | each blow you take, 3 times | ×1.45 damage on your next action |
| Tamer | Bond The longer the two of you fight together, the less either of you needs to be told. | each blow you land, 6 times | ×1.6 damage on your next action |
| Minstrel | Verses Three verses and a finale. You have never once written it any other way. | each blow you land, 4 times | ×1.5 damage on your next action, plus +20% STR for 30s |
Last Resorts
Gear lowers your chance of dying. A Last Resort changes what happens when you would have. Every class has one and no two work the same way — some refuse the blow, some answer it, some put you back on your feet. It fires by itself the moment a blow would kill you. Unlocks at Level 40.
| Class | Last Resort | What happens | Recharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Hold the Line The line does not break while you are standing on it. | for 20 seconds nothing can reduce you below 1 health — you still take the blows, you simply do not die | 90 minutes |
| Gladiator | Blood in the Sand A crowd did not come to watch you lose, and neither did you. | you live at 1 health, and the enemy loses half of its remaining health | 120 minutes |
| Paladin | Unbreakable Oath The oath is not finished, so neither are you. | you are restored to full health and every affliction on you is burned away | 90 minutes |
| Lancer | Skyfall You go up off the end of the lance and come back down through them. | you live at 1 health and strike immediately for 8× your Strength, leaving the enemy Weakened | 60 minutes |
| Rogue | Perfect Dodge The one that would have killed you is the one you were watching for. | the blow does not land at all, and the next blow misses completely | 60 minutes |
| Archer | Break Away The whole point of a bow is not being where the fighting is. | you live at 1 health and the enemy is Dazed for 20 seconds | 60 minutes |
| Pugilist | Inner Gate There is a door in you that is not supposed to be opened. | your maximum health doubles for 30 seconds and you are filled to the new maximum | 90 minutes |
| Magician | Rewind A half-second, taken back. Everything that was spent is unspent. | you live at 1 health and every ability cooldown is cleared | 90 minutes |
| Warlock | Soul Anchor Power is only ever borrowed. Spending all of it at once buys one thing. | spends all your power to live, and the enemy takes damage equal to what was spent. No recharge — but it needs at least 40% of your power to fire at all | None — but it needs at least 40% of your power |
| Necromancer | The Debt Falls Due You know precisely what death costs, and you have arranged for someone else to pay. | you live at 1 health and the attacker takes the entire blow meant for you | 60 minutes |
| Death Knight | Refuse the Grave You have declined this invitation before. Someone still has to accept it. | you tear 25% of your maximum health out of the attacker and keep it | 45 minutes |
| Tamer | Between You And It The beast has never once needed to be told to do this. | the blow does not reach you at all — but your Bond is spent to nothing | 60 minutes |
| Minstrel | Final Movement The piece is not over. You simply go back to the beginning of the bar. | you live at 50% health and every buff on you is refreshed to full duration | 60 minutes |
| Hexblade | Every Mark At Once Everything you carry is a mark waiting for a reason. | you live at 1 health and every affliction on the enemy detonates | 60 minutes |
| Mimic | Copy That You have spent your whole life learning things by having them done to you. | you live at 1 health and every Echo slot recharges instantly | 60 minutes |
| Runesmith | The Ward Breaks A rune cut long ago, for exactly this, breaks instead of you. | you live at 1 health, take half damage for 20 seconds, and the enemy is left Sundered | 60 minutes |
| Skypirate | Cut and Run You have never once been too proud to be somewhere else instead. | you live at 1 health with your Tactical Points filled | 60 minutes |
| Astromancer | Star Shower Something very old and very far away notices, briefly, that you were about to stop existing. | you are restored to full health and full power | 90 minutes |
Utility
Five classes gain something that has nothing to do with fighting at all. Unlocks at Level 20.
| Class | Ability | What it does | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skypirate | Field Salvage You have never once carried a broken thing to a shop to have it broken properly. | Break items down anywhere, without standing in a Smash Shop. | Always in effect |
| Tamer | Forager's Eye The beast casts about and comes back knowing which way to go. | Points to the nearest gathering node even when it is off your map. | Once every 2 minutes |
| Rogue | Appraise A long look at something before deciding whether it is worth the trouble. | Names what can actually drop around your level, and how often. | Once every 3 minutes |
| Astromancer | Divining The sky is quite willing to say where a thing is, if asked precisely. | Name a set you are collecting; it marks where the missing pieces fall. | Once every 10 minutes |
| Runesmith | Reforge Back into the fire it goes. What comes out is not always better. | Reroll one held item's rarity. It can come out worse — that is the wager. | Once every 30 minutes |
Notes
- Stances, Instincts and Resources apply everywhere you fight — the overworld, dungeons, raids, the Labyrinth and the Arena.
- A stance belongs to the class that learned it. Switch character and you are simply not holding one until you pick that class's own.
- A Resource resets if you change class; a Death Knight's Runes do not become a Minstrel's Verses.
- Your Last Resort fires on its own. There is nothing to activate and nothing to time.