The edge of a blade, howl of the wind, and flash of a lightning strike. Welcome to our ongoing series leading up to launch, where we focus every other week on a class you can play in Blade & Soul. Today the Blade Dancer has pirouetted into the spotlight. Check out our updated Blade Dancer class page, where we have our class video, beautiful wallpapers, and a page from the Hongmoon Secret Tome, showing you the techniques required to become a Blade Dancer. Join us on our official livestream December 17 at 4pm PST to see the Blade Dancer on stage; and check out SattelizerGames December 16 at 9am PST as he jumps onto Closed Beta 4 to showcase his own Blade Dancer performance. The Blade Dancer Overview The Blade Dancer is a true hybrid, taking the Blade Master’s damage and stances, and combining it with the Force Master’s elemental focus and stacking buffs. It’s a class exclusive to the Lyn race, and therefore takes advantage of their small stature to eke out powerful damaging abilities, and emphasizing maneuverability to avoid damage—since the class lacks the solid defensiveness of the Blade Master, or the crowd control of the Force Master. Wind and Lightning are the two primary elemental damage types for the Blade Dancer, and each element associates with a particular stance. Draw Stance uses Lightning-related abilities, but relies upon a short-lived buff called “Electric Surge” that generates Electric Focus, which increases critical rating and allows use of specific skills. Basic Stance has skills that build Wind Focus, which, when consumed, add extra damage to certain skills, and boost the attack speed of others. Like the Force Master, a Blade Dancer also has access to Phantom Grip, but they also have many more options available to make their helpless victim rue their existence, as many of these skills can be cast once, but apply their damage multiple times in sequence. The Blade Dancer in Play The Blade Dancer focuses on dealing two types of damage: Lightning and Wind. Not all skills will have an associated elemental damage, but those that do will have their damage increased with the selection of the right items. This is vital for the Blade Dancer, because unlike the versatility of their Force Master sibling, a Blade Dancer has to choose to focus on either Lightning or Wind abilities as part of their build. For party play, the Blade Dancer is a solid high damage-dealer, and very proficient at taking down single enemies quickly. Their maneuverability and speed is also beneficial when it comes to fast reaction times, making them especially valuable for time-sensitive challenges. In Arena PvP, the high damage that the Blade Dancer can dish out is tempered by their low health—if you can reach them. However, their maneuverability comes at a price, and that is Focus management. Their core defensive skill costs Focus with each use, as do many of their attack abilities. Choosing to spend Focus on damage versus defense is a dilemma every Blade Dancer faces, but those who can master this balance can dominate in the Arena. Common Combos 1. Multislash (2) - Raid Tier 2 Stage 2 2. Whirling Scourge (Z) - Guardian Tempest Tier 2 Stage 3 3. Blindside (E) 4. Sunder (RB) – Tier 3 Stage 2 5. Rolling Typhoon (F) – Tier 2 Stage 1 6. Sunder (RB) 7. Rolling Typhoon (F) 1. Phantom Grip (4) - Tier 2 Stage 1 2. Soul Stab (2) 3. Lightning Rod (F) 4. Flock of Blades (Z) 5. Blade Swarm (RB) 1. Storm Cleave (V) – Dual Strike Tier 3 Stage 3 2. Flaming Scourge (Z) – Guardian Tempest Tier 4 Stage 3 3. Lightning Flash (F) – Flash Step Tier 2 Stage 3 4. Flicker (LMB) - Tier 2 Stage 1 5. Lightning Flash (F) 6. Flicker (LMB) 7. Lightning Flash (F) PvP Combo 1. Five Point Strike (X) - Tier 3 Stage 2 2. Heavenly Dance (RB) 3. Blitzblade (F) 4. Ascend (LB) 5. Lightning Draw (C) – Tier 4 Stage 1 6. Lightning Strike (RB) – Tier 3 Stage 2 7. Lightning Flash (F) – Flash Step Tier 3 Stage 2 8. Flicker (LMB) - Tier 3 Stage 2 9. Lightning Flash (F) 10. Flicker (LMB) 11. Raid (2) – Rush Tier 3 Stage 3 12. Lightning Flash (F) 13. Flicker (LMB) 14. Lightning Flash (F) 15. Flicker (LMB) 16. Dual Strike (V) – Tier 3 Stage 2 17. Take Flight (F) 18. Rising Eagle (LMB) 19. Soaring Falcon (1) 20. Crash (RB)
