ArcheAge Begins: Knight, Warrior, and Musician Heroes Guide

ArcheAge Begins packs in five separate hero classes, which is a reasonable spread. On top of that, the class set is much more varied than it might at first seem. Each hero, no matter the class, is distinctly unique and works better and against some heroes more than others.

The variety in hero abilities and building teams is one of the bigger draws of the game because of the sheer amount of options between your own team composition and whatever enemies you’ll face in stages, raids, or PvP.

This guide is split into two parts due to length, with this one highlighting Knights, Warriors, and Musicians and the other focusing on Assassins and Mages. Each hero’s section lists its skills and mentions its strength or type.

For ease of use, skill listings will not mention how many times a skill hits. Instead, they mention the type of damage (physical or magical, harsh, etc.) and any other effects the skills may have once leveled up (referred to as “with talents” here).

Knight Heroes

Knights are the magic resist-oriented class in ArcheAge Begins — but don’t think their abilities are copies of their physical-oriented Warrior brethren.

Each Knight is unique and can find its way into most party lineups, but some are certainly better suited to some tasks than others and vice versa.

Gigas

This should be your go-to if you need someone with high magic resist, two taunts, and reliable AoE physical damage.

Gigas deals a lot of AoE physical damage, which is just the thing you’re going to need for certain stages. This all sounds good, and the Silence skill is just the icing on the cake.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage to enemies; deals harsh AoE physical damage with talents
• Mighty Sunder — Deals AoE physical damage; adds a 6-second taunt with talents
• Boastful Roar — Taunts enemies for 8 seconds and increases his defense by 10%~16% and magic resist by 20%~30%
• Whirlpool — Deals AoE physical damage
• Silence — Silences enemies for 6-12 seconds

Shashuk

Shashuk is in a weird spot. His damage is solid but his taunt is shorter than the other normal Knights and his taunt buff is less than the others. However, he gets a very good reflect via Thorns.

Shashuk’s biggest draw lies in his Thorns skill, and even that has to be almost fully talented to make him worth it. The magic attack reduction on his standard attacks makes him good against high magic attack teams.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage to enemies; reduces enemy magic attack by 10~15% talents
• Finishing Strike — Deals physical damage and crits automatically if hitting an enemy from behind; deals harsh physical damage and crits automatically from any angle and inflicts bleeding with talents
• Victor’s Cry — Taunts enemies for 5 seconds and increases his defense and magic resist (up to +8% DEF and +15% MRES)
• Uppercut — Deals physical damage; deals very harsh physical damage with talents
• Thorns — Deflects 25%~50% of incoming magic damage from himself for 9 seconds and restores as much HP as damage deflected

Siranus

Siranus is one Knight that can fit on most teams, but excels on teams more focused on magic attacks as he has two skills that reduce magic resist and increases casting speed.

This should be your go-to magic tank for any team with piles of magic damage. The increased magic damage granted by his debuffs on enemies is no joke, and the team-wide invincibility is more than sufficient as a protective skill.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage to enemies; reduces enemy magic resist by 10%~15% with talents
• Swinging Strike — Deals physical damage to enemies; deals AoE physical damage and taunts for 8 seconds with talents
• Invincibility — Makes allies invincible for up to 14 seconds with talents
• Mocking Howl — Taunts enemies for 8 seconds and reduces their defense by 10%~16% and their magic resist by 20%~30%
• Yaksa’s Grace — Increases ally casting speed by 5%~20% for 9 seconds

Inoch

The Knight class’s rare hero, Inoch is an incredibly durable tank. He works well in almost any team but excels versus enemies with high magic attack.

This guy only has one short taunt but has two stuns in his kit. Those facets, combined with his self buffs, make Inoch basically a pure tank, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage; deals harsh physical damage and increases his defense by 10%~15% and magic resist by 20%~30% with talents
• Charge — Charges to deal physical damage and stun enemies for 5 seconds; makes him invincible for 8 seconds with talents
• Storm Cleave — Deals physical damage to two enemies; attacks three enemies and stuns for 5 seconds with talents
• Menacing Roar — Taunts enemies for 5 seconds and reduces their attack by 5%~8% and their magic attack by 10%~15%
• Tight Defense — Increases his defense by 10%~25% and his magic resist by 20%~50%

Warrior Heroes

Warriors are the physical defense counterparts to Knights and should be used when up against teams or stages with a large chunk of physical damage. And of course, there’s no harm in having both a Warrior and a Knight on a team if the situation calls for it.

Gene

A lot of newer players mistakenly think Gene is bad because he’s the first Warrior you’re granted, but that is not the case. He is a competent physical tank, and he packs some good damage and crowd control effects.

Gene is well-rounded enough to fit in most teams but is not the most durable of the Warrior lot. He’s a good choice if you need some extra damage along with durability, rather than a ironclad tank.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage to enemies; deals harsh AoE physical damage with talents
• Whirlwind Slash — Deals AoE magic damage; taunts enemies for 6 seconds with talents
• Mocking Shout — Taunts enemies for 8 seconds and increases his defense by 20%~30% and magic resist by 10%~16%
• Sunder Earth — Deals AoE physical damage
• Earth Shatter — Reduces the movement speed of enemies in an area by 25%~30%
• Kyrios’s Courage — Deals AoE physical damage with a 25%~50% chance to freeze enemies

Balrog

This big guy might be the game’s mascot. It’s really hard to tell. In any case, he’s technically a Warrior, but is not entirely defense-oriented despite his two taunts and a stun.

Balrog is best on teams with high physical damage as he reduces their defense, attack, and magic attack. Reducing their defense makes them more vulnerable to attacks, and reducing their offensive stats keeps your teammates alive.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage to enemies; deals harsh physical damage and reduces enemy defense by 10%~15% with talents
• Assault — Charges and deals AoE physical damage; taunts enemies for 6 seconds with talents
• Enemy Territory — Deals AoE physical damage; stuns for 5 seconds with talents
• Threatening Shout — Taunts enemies for 8 seconds, and reduces their attack by 20%~30% and magic attack by 10%~16%
• Haste — Increases movement speed of allies in an area by 25%~33% for 20~30 seconds

Ollo

And here we finally have a purely defensive Warrior. Ollo is a hard dwarf to take down, and he is fantastic versus enemy teams with high attack.

Ollo has everything a tank could want: a stun, enemy attack reduction, ally buffs, and even team healing. You could not do much better except for Toro, the game’s only current rare Warrior.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage to enemies; reduces enemy attack by up to 10~15% with talents
• Ollo’s Hammer- – Deals AoE physical damage; deals harsh physical damage and stuns enemies for 5 seconds with talents
• Mocking Cry — Taunts enemies for 5 seconds and increases his defense by 10%~15% and magic resist by 5%~8%
• Shatigon’s Revenge — Deflects 25%~50% physical damage from allies for 9 seconds and heals them for the damage deflected
• Shatigon’s Blessing — Increases defense of allies in an area by 10%~25%

Toro

This is another purely defensive Warrior. Much like Ollo, Toro’s exceptional versus physical attack teams.

Toro’s kit is a bundle of enemy debuffs, from stats reduction to a physical skill bind. It all looks great, but he’s not meant to go against teams with high magic attack. Keep that in mind and use him accordingly.

• Normal Attack — Deals physical damage; increases his own defense by 20%~30% and magic resist by 10%~15% with talents
• Shield Bash — Deals AoE physical damage to enemies; deals AoE harsh physical damage and binds enemy physical skills for 9 seconds with talents
• Hobgoblin Fire — Reduces the accuracy of enemies in an area by 15%~25% for 9 seconds
• Shout of Provocation — Taunts enemies for 5 seconds and reduces their attack by 10%~25% and magic attack by 5%~8%
• Hobgoblin Game — Reduces enemy attack by up 15%~25% for 9 seconds

Musicians

Keeping in line with ArcheAge‘s style and lore, Musicians in ArcheAge Begins are the game’s support and/or healer heroes.

It’s almost always a requirement to have at least one Musician in a party, but you can’t just toss any one of them in a team and hope it does well. Each excel in different ways, and we’re about to find out just how.

Kyprosa

Kyprosa is a pure healer, perhaps too good for this world. Everything about her kit is protective and she certainly stands as a powerful healer. She fits on most teams with ease.

A special thing to note with her is the status effects she dispels, as the cleansing is absolutely necessary in many match ups.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage to enemies; creates a barrier on allies that protects them for up to 20% of their HP for 5 seconds with talents
• Continuous Heal — Restores an ally’s HP 5 times; increases heal amount and AoE heals with talents
• Clear Mind — Dispels Immobility, Slow, Sleep, Blind, Fear, Hit List, Launch, Physical Skill Bind, Stun, Fall, Charm, and Silence from allies and makes them immune to these effects for up to 14 seconds with talents
• Devotion — Restores the HP of the lowest HP allies for 5~10 times
• Blessing and Curse: Blessing — Increases all allies’ incoming heals by 25%~50% for 24 seconds
• Kyprosa’s Love — Creates a barrier on allies in an area that protects them for 25%~50% of their maximum HP for 12 seconds

Lucius

Lucius is one Musician that is perfectly suited to high magic damage teams. His one heal is adequate, but his real benefits lie in buffing and debuffing to allow your team to pump out an insane amount of magic damage.

The only real downside to Lucius is he is basically useless on high attack teams. He’s also best paired with allies that have their own sustain.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage to an enemy; increases an ally’s magic attack by 20%~25% with priority given to Mages
• Healing Music — Restores the HP of the lowest HP ally 10~15 times; with talents, restores the HP of the 3 lowest allies 15 times and then the HP of the lowest HP 10 more times
• Sonic Blade — Deals magic damage
• Song of Focus — Increases allies’ magic power by 10%~20% for 12 seconds
• Veil of Illusion — Reduces enemies’ magic resist by 15%~25% for 9 seconds

Naima

Specializing in general offense and defensive buffs, Naima can fit on most teams but like Lucius, she is not a reliable sustained healer as she only has one actual heal.

This is another Musician better suited to tanks or Assassins with their own sustain.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage; damage becomes AoE with talents
• Healing Dance — Restores the HP of the lowest HP ally 10~15 times; with talents, restores the HP of the 3 lowest allies 15 times and then the HP of the lowest HP 10 more times
• Vibrant Rhapsody — Increases all allies’ attack and magic power by 10%~25%
• Mirror Image — Resets Naima’s threat value and summons a mirror image for 5~10 seconds
• Earth Anthem — Increases allies’ defense and magic resist by 15%~25%

Nadiya

The other side to the Kyprosa coin, Nadiya is also a pure healer with cleansing effects. Kyprosa focuses on cleanses status effects while Nadiya focuses on dispelling damage over time effects.

Nadiya fits on most teams with ease. Her cast animations are some of the longest, though; keep that in mind in raids.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage; with talents, allies receive 3%~5% less damage
• Surge of Life — Gradually restores an ally’s HP; heal becomes AoE with talents
• Pain Relief — Dispels Bleed, Poison, Burn, and Disease from allies; makes allies immune to damage over time skills for 6~14 seconds
• Heal All — Restores the HP of the lowest HP ally 5~15 times
• Blessing and Curse: Curse — Reduces enemies’ incoming heals by 25%~50% for 24 seconds

Choa

Choa is easily the best Musician for a physical attack team, particularly those heavy on melee Assassins. She is an offensive support.

Another Musician with only one heal, Choa’s whole draw is the immense physical damage increase she can bring the right team. Her one heal is pretty weak in comparison to some other options, meaning it’s best to pair her with other heroes with sustain.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage; with talents, deals harsh magic damage and increases an ally’s attack by 20%~25% with priority on Assassins
• Echo of Light — Restores HP to one ally over 2.5 seconds; heal becomes AoE with talents
• Echo of Darkness — Deals magic damage; becomes AoE and reduces enemies’ incoming healing by 25%~31% with talents
• Deify — Increases a melee ally’s critical hit chance by 2.5%~5% and melee critical damage by 25%~50% for 12 seconds
• Incapacitate — Reduces enemy defense by 15%~25% for 12 seconds

Melia

A mostly-defensive Musician, Melia specializes in going up against teams with high magic damage. Her buffs and debuffs target magic attack and magic resist.

Melia has one purely offensive skill, Spear of Judgment, which seems out of place among her other support-focused skills but allows her to dish out some damage while mitigating it. Pair her and two magic damage dealers with Lucius for a good laugh.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage; with talents, deals harsh magic damage and increases an ally’s magic resist by 20%~25% with priority on Knights
• Fountain of Healing — Restores the HP of the lowest HP ally 5~15 times
• Detect Magic — Increases ally’s magic resist by 15%~15% for 12 seconds
• Spear of Judgment — Deals AoE magic damage
• Focused Control — Reduces enemy magic power by 15%~25% for 12 seconds

Narin

Every Musician has its specialty and Narin’s is to bolster her own team against physical damage.

Narin is essentially the physical counterpart to Melia, and like Melia she is not too useful against teams of the opposite damage type.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage; with talents, deals harsh magic damage and increases an ally’s defense by 20%~25% with priority on Warriors
• Seed of Healing — Restores an ally’s HP; with talents, restores an ally’s HP and then gradually heals more after the effect
• Drums of War — Increases ally defense by 9%~17% for 30 seconds
• The Divine Whip — Deals AoE magic damage
• Demoralize — Reduces enemy attack by 15%~25% for 9 seconds

Oscar

The one rare Musician, Oscar is a pure defensive healer capable of keeping allies clear of any and all status effects while being a more efficient healer than the rest.

Oscar fits on pretty much any team but is especially useful on teams with absolutely no sustain because he can heal so much, so often. If you’re up in the air over which Musician to take into PvP and actually have Oscar, just use him.

• Normal Attack — Deals magic damage; with talents, instantly restores the HP of the lowest ally and restores their HP gradually over 4 seconds
• Song of Healing — Restores 3 allies’ HP; with talents, also restores allies’ HP over time after the initial effect
• Purify All — Cleanses allies in an area of all status and damage over time effects, and makes them immune for 8~14 seconds; also recovers HP with talents
• Combust Magic — Cleanses allies in an area of Immobility, Slow, Sleep, Blind, Fear, Hit List, Launch, physical skill binds, Stun, Fall, Charm, and Silence for 6~14 seconds

That’s it for the current Warriors, Knights, and Musicians in ArcheAge Begins. If you enjoyed this guide, check out our other ArcheAge Begins guides.