Striker's Awakening is a turning point, especially for PvE enthusiasts. Striker's Awakening is where the class truly shines, offering both high damage output and engaging combat mechanics. This guide dives deep into how to make the most of your Striker's Awakening in PvE scenarios, covering everything from skill builds to rotations and essential gear.

Understanding Striker's Awakening

Striker's Awakening transforms the class from a nimble martial artist into a relentless force of nature, wielding the Gardbrace and Vambrace to unleash devastating elemental attacks. Unlike its pre-awakened form, which relies heavily on combos and quick movements, the Awakened Striker focuses on delivering powerful, sustained damage with a mix of fire, water, and earth elemental skills. This shift not only alters the playstyle but also significantly enhances the Striker's ability to grind efficiently and tackle high-end PvE content. The key to mastering Awakened Striker lies in understanding how to weave these elemental skills together to maximize damage output and maintain a seamless flow of combat. With practice and the right gear, Awakened Striker can become a formidable presence in any PvE environment.

The Awakening skills introduce elemental properties, adding depth to the combat. It's not just about raw power; understanding elemental interactions is crucial. Fire skills might inflict burn damage over time, while water skills could slow enemies down, providing tactical advantages. Earth skills often offer protective effects or knockdowns, controlling the battlefield and keeping you safe. By strategically using these elemental skills, you can adapt to different enemy types and situations, making your Striker versatile and effective in various PvE encounters. Furthermore, mastering the art of chaining these skills together ensures a continuous flow of damage, minimizing downtime and maximizing your overall efficiency in clearing mobs or taking down bosses.

Striker's Awakening grants access to a range of AoE (Area of Effect) attacks, perfect for clearing groups of monsters quickly. These skills allow you to pull enemies together and then unleash devastating combos that can wipe them out in seconds. This not only speeds up your grinding process but also makes it more engaging and rewarding. Experimenting with different AoE skills and finding the ones that suit your playstyle and the specific mobs you're facing is essential for maximizing your efficiency. Additionally, keep an eye on your mana (or WP) management, as spamming these skills can quickly drain your resources. Balancing your AoE attacks with mana-efficient skills will ensure you can keep grinding for longer periods without needing to constantly replenish your resources.

Skill Build for PvE

Crafting an optimal skill build is pivotal for maximizing your Striker's PvE prowess. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the essential skills to prioritize and how they synergize to create a formidable grinding machine.

Core Skills

These are the bread-and-butter skills that form the foundation of your PvE rotation. Mastering these ensures consistent damage output and efficient mob clearing.

• Rage Hammer: A high-damage, single-target skill that also provides a significant buff to your attack speed. Max this skill as soon as possible. It's not just about the damage; the attack speed buff dramatically improves your overall DPS. Using Rage Hammer strategically during boss fights or against elite mobs can significantly reduce their health in a short amount of time. Furthermore, the attack speed buff synergizes well with other skills, allowing you to execute combos more quickly and maintain a higher damage output throughout the encounter. Learning the timing and positioning for Rage Hammer is crucial for maximizing its effectiveness in various PvE scenarios.
• Infernal Destruction: One of your primary AoE skills, dealing massive damage in a wide area. Invest heavily in this skill for efficient mob grinding. Its range and damage make it ideal for clearing packs of enemies quickly, allowing you to move on to the next group without wasting time. Additionally, Infernal Destruction has a relatively short cooldown, meaning you can use it frequently to maintain a high level of damage output. Combining it with other AoE skills, such as Endless Explosion, can create a devastating combo that wipes out entire packs of mobs in seconds. Mastering the positioning and timing of Infernal Destruction is essential for maximizing its effectiveness and ensuring that you're hitting as many enemies as possible with each cast.
• Endless Explosion: Another crucial AoE skill that pulls enemies towards you before detonating. Excellent for gathering mobs and setting them up for other attacks. This skill not only deals damage but also provides valuable crowd control, keeping enemies grouped together and vulnerable to your other attacks. Using Endless Explosion in conjunction with Infernal Destruction can create a powerful synergy, allowing you to quickly clear large packs of mobs with minimal effort. Additionally, Endless Explosion can be used defensively to pull enemies away from you, providing a brief respite if you're feeling overwhelmed. Learning the range and timing of Endless Explosion is crucial for maximizing its effectiveness in both offensive and defensive situations.
• Adamantine: A powerful defensive skill that provides a significant damage reduction buff. Use this to mitigate damage from tougher mobs or bosses. It's not just about defense; Adamantine also provides a brief window of invulnerability, allowing you to avoid certain attacks altogether. Timing your Adamantine usage correctly can be the difference between life and death in challenging PvE encounters. Furthermore, the damage reduction buff synergizes well with other defensive skills, such as Knee Hammer, allowing you to create a highly resilient build that can withstand significant amounts of damage. Mastering the timing and positioning of Adamantine is essential for maximizing its effectiveness and ensuring that you can survive even the most challenging PvE content.
• Knee Hammer: This skill provides a quick burst of mobility and a stun effect. Use it to interrupt enemy attacks or reposition yourself during combat. The stun effect can be particularly useful for interrupting enemy skills or creating an opening for your own attacks. Knee Hammer is also a valuable tool for escaping dangerous situations, allowing you to quickly reposition yourself away from harm. Mastering the timing and positioning of Knee Hammer is essential for maximizing its effectiveness in both offensive and defensive situations.

Utility Skills

These skills offer valuable buffs, debuffs, or mobility options that enhance your overall PvE performance.

• Rampaging Predator: A buff that increases your critical hit rate. Essential for maximizing your damage output. Critical hits are a crucial component of your overall DPS, and Rampaging Predator ensures that you're landing them consistently. Maintaining this buff throughout your grinding sessions is essential for maximizing your efficiency and clearing mobs as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the critical hit rate increase synergizes well with other skills and gear that provide critical damage bonuses, allowing you to amplify your damage output even further.
• Skull Crusher: A debuff that reduces enemy defense. Apply this to tougher mobs or bosses to increase your damage output. Reducing enemy defense is a key strategy for increasing your overall DPS, and Skull Crusher provides a reliable way to achieve this. Applying this debuff to tougher mobs or bosses can significantly reduce their health in a short amount of time. Furthermore, the defense reduction effect synergizes well with other debuffs and buffs that increase your damage output, allowing you to create a powerful combination that can quickly take down even the most challenging enemies.
• Flash Step: A quick dash that allows you to reposition yourself or dodge enemy attacks. Mastering this skill is essential for staying alive and maximizing your mobility. Flash Step is not just about evasion; it can also be used to quickly close the distance between you and your enemies, allowing you to initiate attacks more quickly and maintain a high level of damage output. Mastering the timing and positioning of Flash Step is essential for maximizing its effectiveness in both offensive and defensive situations.

Skill Rotation

A well-executed skill rotation is the key to maximizing your damage output and efficiency in PvE. Here’s a sample rotation you can adapt based on the situation:

1. Engage with Endless Explosion: Pull mobs together into a tight group.
2. Follow up with Infernal Destruction: Unleash massive AoE damage to clear the pack.
3. Use Rage Hammer on tougher enemies: Focus your single-target damage on the remaining elites.
4. Maintain buffs like Rampaging Predator: Keep your critical hit rate high.
5. Use Adamantine defensively: Mitigate incoming damage from tougher enemies.

Remember to adapt your rotation based on the situation and the types of enemies you're facing. Practice makes perfect, so experiment with different combinations and find what works best for you.

Gear Optimization

Proper gear setup is crucial for maximizing your Striker's potential in PvE. Here’s a breakdown of the essential gear pieces and stats to prioritize.

Weapon

• Kzarka Gardbrace: The BiS (Best in Slot) weapon for Striker, providing high AP (Attack Power) and accuracy.
• Offin Tett Gardbrace: A viable alternative if you can’t obtain Kzarka, offering similar stats but slightly less accuracy.

Armor

• Grunil Armor: A solid choice for beginners, providing a good balance of defense and HP (Health Points).
• Boss Armor (Giath's Helmet, Bheg's Gloves, Muskan's Shoes, Dim Tree Spirit's Armor/Red Nose Armor): The ultimate goal for end-game gear, offering superior stats and set bonuses.

Accessories

• Asula Set: A great starting set that provides a significant boost to your AP and accuracy.
• End-Game Accessories (Ogre Ring, Laytenn's Powerstone, Basilisk's Belt, Valtarra Eclipsed Belt, Capotia Ring/Crescent Ring, Cadry Ring, Tungrad Earring, Narc Earring): The ultimate goal for end-game gear, offering superior stats.

Stats to Prioritize

• Attack Power (AP): The primary stat for increasing your damage output.
• Accuracy: Essential for ensuring your attacks hit your target, especially against high-level mobs.
• Critical Hit Rate: Increases the chance of landing critical hits, which deal significantly more damage.
• Critical Damage: Increases the damage dealt by critical hits.

Combat Tips and Tricks

• Animation Canceling: Mastering animation canceling can significantly increase your DPS by shortening the duration of certain skills.
• Skill Addons: Utilize skill addons to enhance your skills with additional effects, such as increased damage or debuffs.
• Buff Management: Keep your buffs active at all times to maximize your damage output and survivability.
• Mob Positioning: Position yourself strategically to maximize the effectiveness of your AoE skills.

Grinding Spots

Choosing the right grinding spot is crucial for maximizing your experience and silver gains. Here are some recommended spots for Awakened Striker:

• Early Game (Levels 56-58): Mediah region (Manes Hideout, Wandering Rogue Den).
• Mid Game (Levels 58-60): Valencia region (Naga Temple, Desert Naga Temple, Bashim Base).
• Late Game (Levels 60+): Kamasylvia region (Polly's Forest, Manshaum Forest, Navarn Steppe), Drieghan region (Tshira Ruins, Sherekhan Necropolis).

Conclusion

Striker's Awakening is a powerhouse in PvE, offering a blend of high damage, engaging combat mechanics, and efficient grinding capabilities. By mastering the skills, rotations, and gear setups outlined in this guide, you can unleash the full potential of your Striker and dominate the PvE landscape. Good luck, and happy grinding!