Gladius (Text) Strategy Guide

Gladius Strategy, Quest, and Character Guide Table of Contents
Introduction Strategy and tips Quests and special tournaments Towns, arenas, and shops Gladiators Cheats and secrets
1. Introduction
Gladius is a RPG-style game for the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube that allows you to gather a school of gladiators and then take them into battle against opposing schools. The world is loosely based on the Roman Empire and your school has the opportunity to travel through four distinctly different regions on their road to the ultimate championship.
Here's a synopsis of the game written by LucasArts:
An Epic Gladiatorial Saga Comes to Life The darkness of the Great War has passed and the lands of Gladius are peaceful once more. Now combat takes place only in the gladiator arenas, where schools from around the world compete for the title of Imperial Champions. Follow the grand saga of two young heroes, Ursula and Valens, as they recruit and train a team of warriors and compete in the gladiator games. Battle with deadly weapons and powerful magic as you learn vital combat tactics while you enhance and customize your own characters. Strategies are nearly endless, with 16 character classes and over 100 unique character types from which to choose.
But be warned. Evil is on the rise again. And a new hero must step forward to vanquish the threat. So train well, for the dark must not prevail.
I put together this page to collect tidbits of game-related information in one convenient place. If you happen to read this I hope some of it might aid your school in battle.
If you have comments, something to add, or a question, feel free to drop me a line at bradjolie@gmail.com.
Revisions: 20031218 - page created. continuous updates since. 20040415 - added info submitted by Nick. Thanks Nick! 20040620 - minor updates to gladiators. 20090725 - quick copyedit.
This page is Copyright 2003 by Brad Jolie. This document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use.
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2. Strategy and tips Combat strategy
Use other gladiators as blocks to prevent ranged opponents from targetting your guys. Note that beasts are short and provide no cover.
Seek out high ground if you're out-numbered. Having higher ground than your opponent increases your damage while reducing theirs. Keep your ranged gladiators away from the opposition. Ideally, ranged guys work best on high ground where will deal more damage, receive less, and have greater range providing a better selection of opponents. Bears and Wolves only use Earth Affinity; Plains Cats only use Air; Scarabs only use fire; Scorpions use only water: so if you're going into battle against several of them be prepared. (There are one or two exceptions of animals with different affinities.) Dervishes start off with partial resistance to Air Affinity and can gain total immunity later, so any gladiator wielding a weapon with Air Affinity will deal 0 damage. Luckily you don't fight a lot of Dervishes, and equipping a different affinity weapon lets you damage them normally. Keep light gladiators moving! Bandits and Secutors always want to be moving to take advantage of flank and back attacks. It's not always possible to have all your gladiators slugging away at opponents, so consider bringing units like Channelers and Centurions that have special powers that can be used on allies. Valens and Murmillos have exceptional defense and are great against ranged attacks.
Choosing skills
Combos should be the most-used attack for most of your melee gladiators, but you don't need all four combo attacks. Take perhaps Combo 2 and Combo 4. Give all your warriors at least a level 1 affinity attack. It provides guaranteed damage when you're too low on skill points to use a combo or other attack. Chose one affinity type for each of your gladiators and stick with it. Some gladiators work better with certain affinities. Check the Class Skills section. Level 3 affinity attacks do damage plus a special effect depending on the affinity type: Fire poisons; Water slows; Earth petrifies; Air freezes. Level 4 affinity attacks do damage to all opponents in the arena but do not have any special effects. It's useful for characters that build up affinity quickly. Have a diverse range of affinity types in your school to combat opponent affinity defenses. If everyone uses Fire Affinity you'll have a hard time facing opponents with some immunity to that. As well, there are a few league battles that only allow gladiators with a specific Affinity.
The transformation skills available to Barbarians and Gungnirs are handy because they also heal the gladiator. Innate abilities are always a good choice. Sometimes it's worthwhile to store skill points for the first few levels so you can choose a really high level innate skill. Everyone should have a running attack, when possible. (eg. Roam, Charge, etc.)
General tips
If your school is short on cash: Nordagh: go to Odin's Keep and complete in one of the leagues that has treasure chests spread throughout the field and collect as much loot as you can. The loot is yours whether you win or lose, and will easily offset the cost of admission. Imperia: search the beach in the south of the map in the morning for washed up gear by stopping and holding A. Much of the stuff you'll find is for mid-level gladiators and worth quite a bit of cash. Southern Expanse: the beaches here also yield loot, but it's usually not worth the effort by that point in the game. If you can afford it, buy several identical shields your shield-using characters. This way you'll automatically re-equip during a chain of battles if you lose your shield... and you have backups if you go to an area that doesn't have any good shields for you. Attack metres move really fast for light classes and slower for heavies. Despite having smaller critical ranges, the slow speed allows mediums and heavies to average a much greater number of criticals. Using the attack metres can make the game much easier. Later in the game, many opponents will have high defense making them very hard to hit unless you score a critical. If you're not controlling your swings, the computer randomly determines if you score a critical. With a little practice you can almost always score a critical and thereby make battles much easier. Wilderness battles are dangerous because death means losing a character permanently, and loss of a hero means game over.. When recruiting, try to choose women gladiators over men. Amazons have skills that only target men, and there are several battles only women can enter, but there's no similar discrimination against women.
3. Quests and special tournaments
Here's a list of the side-quests and special tournaments that I discovered while playing through the game. These aren't required to complete the game, but a few of them open the door to new allies and powers that you might find hard to turn down. Imperia
Ambush Priam the Murmillo Assigned by: Caryatis, Via Domus (Trikata) Conditions: None. Synopsis: Priam the Murmillo fought Caryatis' brother in a gladiator battle and killed him. She's learned that Priam is again competing in the area and has asked you to avenge her brother's death. Solution: If you don't feel right killing Priam in cold blood you can turn down the quest without any consequences. If you choose to do it, Priam can be encountered on the beach between Trikata and Syrna at night at any time within 7 days of talking to the shopkeeper. If you kill him you'll gain the Blade of Tides, a really awesome Murmillo weapon, that you give to Caryatis the shopkeeper as proof of the kill. In return, Caryatis will give you some mid-level Murmillo equipment and tell you she feels bad about asking you to kill the guy. And if that didn't make you feel like a jerk, Priam's mourning wife will begin wandering the beach where he died. Return Agamede's Stolen Goods Assigned by: Agamede, The Loyalist (Belfort) Conditions: Must have completed all four regions. Synopsis: Agamede's shop, The Loyalist, has been burgled by Northerners! Track down the miscreants and return what was stolen to Agamede in Belfort. Solution: East of Belford, at night, fight the mysterious "Quiet Man" standing near the woods. You'll have to defeat a yeti and three bandits, and then a barbarian and two gungnirs. Return to the shopkeeper in Belford for your reward. The Mythic Invasion of Imperia Assigned by: Scotia, Scotia's (Cro Beska) Conditions: Must have completed Mongrel Siege league in Cro Beska.
Synopsis: The shopkeeper tells of a league of mostly monstrous gladiators that recreate historical battles from Imperia's past. They're competing in Cro Beska five days from now. Solution: Return to Cro Beska in 7 days and look for a league called The Historians. After the battle either a minotaur or satyr will offer to join your school if there's an open spot. Reload if you don't get the gladiator you want. The Mythic Invasion of Imperia II Assigned by: Scotia, Scotia's (Cro Beska) Conditions: Must have completed all four regions. Synopsis: Long ago, Imperia was invaded by strange creatures. Satyr and Minotaur ran amok in the city of Syrna, terrorizing the citizens and wreaking havoc on the Region. Four heroes stood against the hoards of invaders and persevered. Can you follow in their footsteps? Go to the League Office in Syrna in 7 days to reenact the historic battle. Solution: Head to Syrna in 7 days and look for a league called The Historians. After the battle either a Minotaur, Satyr, or Cyclops will offer to join the school if there's an open spot. Reload if you don't get the gladiator you want. Save Cresus' Father Assigned by: Cresus, Legendary Bartonus (Pirgos) Conditions: Must have completed Agony of Saturno battles in Pirgos. Synopsis: Years ago, Cresus' father, Acrisius, sold himself into the custody of Queen Ibliis to pay for his son's passage back to Imperia after a difficult adventure through the Windward Steppes and into the Southern Expanse where the two were waylaid by bandits. All his life, Cresus has been studying the ways of the arcane--working his shop just to make ends meet--in the hopes that someday he'll be powerful enough to go down to the Southern Expanse and free his father. He's getting anxious, however, and might like to send a school of gladiators down to do the job for him. Head to Saraa Izel in the Southern Expanse and try to free Acrisius. Solution: Go to Saraa Izel and talk to the guard outside the city. The queen will agree to release Acrisius if four Channelers from your school can beat four of her Summoners. It can be tricky because the Summoners come back as Undead Summoners after you defeat them. Acrisius is in the ring with your school, so don't let him die. You'll gain a Death's Head staff and Crown of Darkness helmet for your Undead Summoner when you complete this quest. Next time you're in Imperia, visit Cresus' store.
Nordagh
Search for Sigi the Galdr Assigned by: Xandl, The Dragonslayer (Mordare) Conditions: None. Synopsis: Sigi, a good friend of Xandl, has gone missing. This not only bodes ill for Xandle and Sigi, but also for the welfare of Mordare's Den and the city of Mordare itself. Sigi is responsible for keeping Earth Affinity Stones in the skull of the slain dragon Riwigo to keep it from ressurecting itself. Since Earth Affinity stones have become scarce in the Sloan Forest, she's had to widen her search to the plains and beyond. With Sigi missing, unable to keep the dragin's power in balance, Mordare trembles under the possibility of Riwigo's ressurection. Sigi must be found so that she can return to Mordare and continue her work as the guardian of Mordare's Den. Solution: Sigi can be found in the wide grassy plain northeast of Roanor. She's being attacked by mongrel shamen. After helping her fend them off, you'll be rewarded the Signet of the Valkyrie. Tip: the mongrels will scale with your level, but Sigi will always be level 15. At higher levels it can be nearly impossible to keep Sigi from dying because she starts surrounded by mongrel shamen, so for the Valens campaign try to do this as soon as you get to Nordagh. As well, it's an outdoor quest, so non-hero characters that fall in battle will be permanently killed. Destroy Undead at Tombstone Assigned by: Xandl, The Dragonslayer (Mordare) Conditions: Must have completed Search for Sigi the Galdr. Must be during the night. Synopsis: Go to the place where Xandl and Sigi like to spend time together and rid it of the Unliving. Xandl said it was on a hill just outside of Fliuch. Solution: Wander around the tombstone south of Fluich during the night for an encounter with the undead. The tombstones are actually summoning the undead, so ignore the skeletons and smash the tombstones. After returning to Xandl you'll gain the Talisman of Unlife; it can be used at any of the tombstones in the regions to recruit an Undead Legionnaire to serve the school. Find a Greater Bear for Roanor Assigned by: Unna, Unna's (Roanor) Conditions: Must defeat the greater bear in the third wave of the One Against Many league in Roanor. Synopsis: Go find a Greater Bear somewhere in the woods of Nordagh to replace the one you took out in the One Against Many League. Solution: Head to the forest in western Nordagh south of the village of Sloan Forest for an encounter with the bear. The encounter is in the thick part of the woods directly south of the end of the Sloan Village fence.
Windward Steppes
Prove the Strength of Imperia/Nordagh Assigned by: Tolui, The Crag (Altuhrun) Conditions: No conditions to get assigned the quest, but must be able to compete in History of the Frontier League to get into the battle. Synopsis: Prove that your region is the strongest by entering the Altahrun Ruins Ringers Battle in the History of the Frontier league. Ringers from all four regions enter in this battle and attempt to take out the other regions' leaders. If your leader falls, you lose. If your leader is the last one standing, you win. Head to Altahrun 4 days from now to enter the battle if your school has access to the History of the Frontier league. Solution: Fight in Altuhrun in 4 days and keep your leader alive to the end. The league is called History of the Frontier and the battle is Imperial/Nordagh Ringers. To make sure that you can compete in the History of the Frontier league, before you talk to the shopkeeper in Altahrun complete the tournament in Yuset, then complete the Jochi Affinity league in Altahrun. Find Eiji's Friend, Qorin Assigned by: Duger, Duger's Imports (Yuset) Conditions: Only available after completing all four regions. Synopsis: The shopkeeper mentions that one of Eiji's friends was looking for her. Eiji asks if the school will help her locate her friend near The Wastes. Solution: At The Wastes, enter the Wandering Souls league and fight The Outcasts battle. After the battle Qorin the Amazon will offer to join your school if there is space. Fight Greater Plains Cat in Arena Suren Assigned by : Duger, Duger's Imports (Yuset) Consitions: Only available after completing all four regions and Beast Za League in Yuset. Synopsis: Arena Suren is holding a one-time only battle for foreign schools to see how well they can fight against a Windward Steppes native Greater Plains Cat. Go to the League Office in Yuset and sign up for this battle to prove your school's prowess in the areana, not only against humans, but beasts as well. Solution: One day after receiving the quest from the shopkeeper go to the Beast Za league in Arena Suren and choose the Attack the Plains Cat battle.
Southern Expanse
Revive the Dying Dervish Assigned by: Not assigned. Conditions: None. Synopsis: On the overland map, between Akar An and the hidden city of Saraa Izel there's a Dervish dying of thirst. The Dervish, however, is too far gone to say anything. Solution: There are no requirements or anything to this quest and it can be done quite simply by picking up the blue water jug slightly to the northeast of the Dervish's body. After letting the Dervish drink, a reward will be offered to the school. Declining the reward will give Valens and Ursula a free innate skill called Dervish Faith, which makes them immune to bleeding attacks when a Dervish is in the arena. (Thanks to Nick for the info!) Fight the Dervish Underclass Assigned by: Nazin, The Oasis (Akar An) Conditions: None. Synopsis: At the end of every Dervish training period in the school at Akan An, the Dervish hold a traveling challenge tournament where anyone can pit their warriors against the recently graduated Dervish. Head to the League Office in Akar An 7 days from now to enter the battle. Solution: 7 days from receiving the quest, head to Akar and look for the Trial of the New league. Fight the Dervish Midclass Assigned by: Nazin, The Oasis (Akar An) Conditions: Must have completed Fight the Dervish Underclass. Synopsis: At the end of every Dervish training period in the school at Akar An, the Dervish hold a traveling challenge tournament where anyone can pit their warriors against the recently graduated Dervish. Head to the League Office at The Scorched Oasis 5 Days from now to enter the battle of the Midclass. Solution: 5 days from receiving the quest, head to The Scorched Oasis and look for the special league. Fight the Dervish Overclass
Assigned by: Nazin, The Oasis (Akar An) Conditions: Must have completed Fight the Dervish Midclass. Synopsis: At the end of every Dervish training period in the school at Akar An, the Dervish hold a traveling challenge tournament where anyone can pit their warriors against the recently graduated Dervish. Head to The Offering Plate 3 days from now to enter the battle of the Overclass. Solution: 3 days from receiving the quest, head to Saraa Izel and tell the guards that you're there for The Trial of The New. The fight is one-on-one, and the opposing Dervish can move across the arena in 2 or 3 turns with incredible initiative and movement. Valens usually works well. Hunt Down the Desert Yeti Assigned by: Aziza, Bazaar Aziza (Saraa Izel) Conditions: None. Synopsis: People in Saraa Izel are accusing Aziza, the Shop Owner, of summoning a Yeti and setting it loose on the people of the Southern Expanse. While she's studying the summoning ways, she is not yet of the ability where she could summon such a creature. Find the Desert-Yeti and bring its head back to Aziza so she can clear her name. Solution: The Yeti is alone and will be encountered on a road somewhere in the Southern Expanse. Return to Aziza with the Yeti head for a reward. Deliver This Mysterious Tablet Assigned by: Aziza, Bazaar Aziza (Saraa Izel) Conditions: Must have completed Hunt Down the Desert Yeti. Synopsis: Aziza has handed you a Mysterious Tablet to deliver to a man in the desert. She says you'll know the man once you see him. Would you like to read the text on the Mysterious Tablet? Solution: Read the table by examining it from the equipment menu for some information relating to the overall quest. This will give you the Promise Stone and clue you into part of the larger story of the game regarding the Promise Stone and Signet of the Valkyrie. Once it's been read, deliver it to a man in the western half of the desert. The encounter is almost directly north of the tombstone within sight of the palace. Find and Destroy Sarenenutet Assigned by: Aziza, Bazaar Aziza (Saraa Izel) Conditions: Assigned after Deliver This Mysterious Tablet
Synopsis: The Southern Expanse's most feared summoner, Sarenenutet, has escaped his captors and although he was mortally wounded, is believed to have survived. Go find him and destroy him. Bring proof that you've destroyed Sarenenutet back to Saraa Izel for a reward. Solution: He can be encountered along any road in any of the lands. Returning to Saraa Izel after defeating him will net a reward. Hell's Gate Assigned by: Not assigned. Conditions: Need Promise Stone, Signet of the Valkyrie, explanation from the man in the Mysterious Tablet, six gladiators of 18+ level, completed Find and Destroy Sarenenutet. Synopsis: In the last great war, the Affinity Gods granted a few heroes knowledge of a power to aid them in defeating the Dark God. Munio was one of those gifted. The Mysterious Tablet had information about the power, but now someone else has knowledge of it and they must be stopped. Solution: Go to the southern part of the desert outside of Saraa Izel. A gate will open and you'll be asked if you want to continue. Inside you'll fight four waves of four summoners, with each wave specializing in an affinity. Ignore the summoned monsters and hit the summoners themselves. The fifth wave is a reanimated Sarenenutet. Your reward for this monumental effort is Hell's Fury, a 3 SP cost skill that does massive (~1000 pts!) damage to opponents in a radius around you. All characters that survive the fight gain this power.
Cartha and Post-Cartha (End game)
Before Competing in Cartha Make sure you've completed all the leagues and side-quests you're interested in. For instance, you might want to go back to the Windward Steppes and get Eiji's amazon friend Quorin to join the school. You don't have to do that one in particular, but be aware that once you win the Cartha Championship the game becomes very linear, the plot picks up, and there are no more random battles. Also, you may no longer roam from town to town, so make sure you have all the recruits in your school that you'll need!
Cartha Championship Winning the Cartha championship should prove faily easy. Valens' old friend Ludo is back, but he's evil. Smack him and his team down to claim glory. Unfortunately, your victory is marred by a statue that comes to life and rampages through the stadium. Usus leads the school to safety, but the situation
allows Mutuus to take control of Imperia. Usus sends Valens and Ursula to learn the truth of the situation. Post-Cartha The Valens and Ursula campaigns have very similar end sequences. After fleeing from the chaos in Cartha, the school seeks out the Galdr/Channelers for guidance. The Sorceress blocks gates and a battle ensues. Facing 3 dark legionnaires and a reanimated Galverg. Must use Valens, Ursula, Urlan, and Eiji in battle. Along the road the heroes are attacked by four Undead Legionnaires and an Undead Summoner. No chance to change characters here. At their destination, Ursula/Valens is challenged by the four Affinity Gods. There are four battles, each vs an Incarnation of one of the Affinity Gods plus two Channelers. The order is: Exuros (fire), Aeris (air), Mauritamus (water), Solum (earth). These could be hard fights (Channelers can be a pain), but because the combat ends when the Incarnation is defeated you can simply choose your four biggest sluggers, charge straight to the Incarnation and ignore the Channelers. After the battle Ursula/Valens will get some awesome equipment. On the way to Roanor a corrupted Ludo and two Dark Legionnaires challenge the party. Valens, Ursula, Urlan, and Eiji all battle. Valens and Ursula confront Mutuus at the steps of the Roanor temple. A battle with Mutuus and four Dark Legionnaires begins. Again, Valens, Ursula, Urlan, and Eiji fight. Mutuus' death sets the stage for the return of the Dark God. Valens and Ursula, plus three others of your choosing, must fight in each stage of the battle as you hack away at the Dark God's towering form. First up are eight Dark Knights with massive swords that use Wide Swing, so be careful in positioning your melee guys. Ranged attacks work wonders here, especially Volley/Deluge; the dragon counters by breathing fire, but it's less damage than getting slashed by the knights. Next up are four Dark Faces that summon Dark Cats and Dark Wolves. As soon as a summoned animal is killed the Faces create another, so don't bother killing the summoned beasts. The Faces' attack is rather weak, so a team of strong melee mediums will take them down best while taking less damage from the light beasts. The final battle is versus the dragon. Bring along two or three support gladiators because the dragon has a knockback attack that makes melee annoying. Bowmen and spear-chuckers make the last battle a piece of cake. Woo! You win.
[Top] 4. Towns, arenas, and shops
This table summarizes the places and people you'll encounter. Region Town Arena Shop Imperia Shopkeeper Legendary Bartonus Tecis Cresus
Pirgos Pirgos Arena
Caltha Caltha Arena Belfort Belfort Arena Trikata Bloody Halo Cro Beska Orus
Emperor's Annex The Loyalist Via Domus
Agamede Caryatis Scotia's Sciras Artemis Scotia
Mongrel's Maw
Exuro's Eye
The Forge of Exuro Trinkets
Syrna Theatre Antiquitis Nordagh Orin
Orin's Keep
Orin's Armory Ryon
Vargen Fjord of the Fallen Sloan Forest
Bifrost Hazel Birgitte
Stadium Dreas Ragnarok's Keep
Roanor The Pit Unna's Unna Fliuch The Fen Mordare The Stopover Ulf Xandl The Crag Tolui
Mordare's Den The Dragonslayer Altahrun Duger's Imports Altahrun Duger
Windward Steppes Yuset Arena Suren
Ononhaar The Wastes
Ononhaar Arena Wandering Soul Akar An
Nomad's Store Temujin The Traveler Palace Ibliis None Aziza Baichu The Oasis Nazin
Southern Expanse Qaa Rah Saraa Izel
Scorched Oasis None
Offering Plate Bazaar Aziza
[Top] 5. Gladiators
Light gladiators: Bandit, Berserker, Dervish, Gwazi, Mongrel, Secutor, Satyr, Medium gladiators: Barbarian, Legionnaire, Ludo, Murmillo, Undead Legionnaire, Urlan, Ursula, Valens Heavy gladiators: Centurion, Cyclops, Minotaur, Ogre, Samnite, Yeti Ranged gladiators: Amazon, Archer, Eiji, Gungnir, Peltast, Arcane gladiators: Channeler, Mongrel Shaman, Summoner, Undead Summoner Animals: Bear, Plains Cat, Scarab, Scorpion, Wolf
This section lists the gladiators available to your school. The tables are useful in comparing two or three classes to see which would be the most useful in the long term. The original impetus for this these tables came from wanting to compare Gungnirs and Peltasts.
This is probably a good place to note that there is no way to recruit greater animals of any sort. Greater Bears, Greater Wolves, and Greater Plains Cats are only opponents.
Choosing new skills for your characters as they progress can have a dramatic effect on their prowess on the battlefield. There's no requirement that you must use skill points immediately. It can be very beneficial to hold off on purchasing skills for a few levels so you can get a really high-cost skill.
The table for each character is broken down into six sections. Skills are grouped together based on how they're used exactly like you would see during combat. Move skills all allow you to move a few paces before executing the attack. Attack skills require you to launch the attack from where you're standing without any movement. Combo skills hold all your combo skills and do not allow any movement. Special tends to hold a wide variety of skills, from bizarre attacks to simple things like Guarding. Affinity contains all the skills that require any amount of affinity charge to execute. Innate isn't actually a category in the battle interface; these are skills that are always active and don't need to be activated.
The Learn/Use/Meter column describes how many job points it costs to learn a skill, the cost to use it in battle (s=skill points (diamonds), a=affinity points (circles), and the type of meter for the skill. There are several meters used in the game. The Basic meter is the one used for standard attacks with a long normal zone, followed by a smaller critical zone, and then a miss zone. The Combo meters are compounded versions of the Basic meter, with several hit/crit/miss zones that have to be hit several times. Match meters require you to match a sequence of buttons quickly. Masher meters require you quickly press A then B over and over. Aim meters are usually used for special abilities and require you to hit a smallish target in the midst of either a miss or no-effect zone. Generally, most of the meters are easy, except for the mashers. I'd strongly recommend skipping skills that use masher meters.
[Top] Amazon (support)
Similar to Archers, Amazons also have a number of skills that can be used against male gladiators. They can be very useful in tough battles against many male gladiators, but can be a liability when facing women. Generally I prefer Archers for their usefulness against any opponent. Eiji's friend, Quorin, is an Amazon and can join the school through a mini-quest.
Statistically, Amazons have exceptional accuracy, decent defense, but poor hit points and movement.
Amazons have a range of special skills that focus on neutralizing male opponents. Obviously this is very useful, but it lead to a lot of frustration when you need to take down a female gladiator. Volley is a solid skill that will damage many opponents in a small area.
Air Affinity is a the best choice for an Amazon. The best armour for them is Braided Metal Bikini in Cartha. Skill Move Move - Bow Shot Strike 0/1s/None 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Quick, low power attack.
Attack Low Kick Poison Arrow 0/4s/Special 0/1s/Special Kick attack that can only be used against male opponents. Successful attack may poison opponent with potent venom.
Spark 18/3s/Aim
Electric shock attack that causes damage and stuns a male opponent. Successful attack may poison opponent with potent venom.
Venom Arrow 20/4s/Special Volley 30/2s/Special Flip Kick Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Distract Enamor Flirt 0/2s/Special 0/2s/Special 0/3s/Special
Multiple arrow range attack with area effect.
36/2s/Special Strong kick attack.
8/2s/Slow Chain 12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: AB Three hit attack. Meter: ABY Four hit attack. Meter: ABYX Five hit attack. Meter: ABYXA
Lower initiative of male opponent. Root male opponent.
Male opponent stunned by beauty. Freeze opponent. Automatically attack all units entering a designated 3x3 area.
Cold Shoulder 22/0/Special Cover Area 24/1s/None
Wink 28/0/None adjacent square. Beguile 32/2s/Special Blind 32/2s/Special
Sets a trap that preemptively attacks any male opponents who move into an
Confuse target opponent. Male opponent blinded by beauty. Charm male opponent.
Charm 38/4s/Special Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
4/2a/None
Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air,
Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Earth, Air, Fire, Water available.
Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Evasion Standard defensive maneuver. More effective defensive maneuver.
40/0/None
[Top] Archer (support)
Archers are fun and useful members of any school. Their ranged attacks don't pack the devastating punch of a Gungnir's or Peltast's combo, but their line-of-sight rules are much more relaxed and they can move-and-shoot. Generally you should have at least one of these gladiators hanging around.
Statistically, Archers have high accuracy, with good defense and initiative. Hit points and movement aren't too high, but not too low.
Archers have a nice range of skills. Whistling Arrow is cheap to purchase and handy to pump up the crowd when the archer has no viable targets. Cover Area is less useful in the mid to late game because most opponents can dodge or block the attacks, but it comes in useful sometimes. Deluge sends a massive volley of arrows at all enemies within a group; very handy! Skill Move Move - Bow Shot Attack Exploding Arrow 8/4s/Special Exploding range attack; causes area damage. 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Bulls Eye Jolt Arrow Long Shot 1 Long Shot 2 Long Shot 3 Long Shot 4
12/2s/Aim 10/3s/Special 0/2s/Aim 10/3s/Aim 36/4s/Aim 38/5s/Aim
Close attack that bypasses opponent defenses, does very good damage. Successful attack knocks opponent back. Standard range attack. Diamond-shaped range of 8. Long range attack. Extremely long range attack. Longest range attack.
Rapid Shot 20/0/None Close range attack with fast recovery time. Low damage, but can be used on adjacent opponents, doesn't require aiming, and only counts as half a turn. Standing Bow Shot Poison Arrow Indirect Fire Point Blank 22/3s/Special Longest range attack.
22/4s/Special 30/3s/Special 32/4s/Special
Ranged attack that may poison opponent. Range attacks travel over obstructions. Heavy damage attack for nearby opponents.
Spray 34/3s/Special range. Deluge 40/4s/Special Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 ABY Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Cover Area
Medium range attack with multiple arrows damaging all opponents within
Long range attack with multiple arrows damaging all opponents within range.
6//2s/Slow Chain 12/3s/Slow Chain
Two hit attack; diamond-shaped range of 5. Meter: AB Three hit attack; diamond-shaped range of 6. nMeter:
22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain
Four hit attack. Meter: ABYX Five hit attack. Meter: ABYXA
18/1s/None
Automatically attack all opponents entering designated area. 3x3 area. Pump up the crowd.
Whistling Arrow Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
8/0/None
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver.
[Top] Bandit (light)
Bandits are quick and accurate light units that are great for speedily closing in on enemy arcane and support units. A key piece of equipment for them is the Revenge Armband, which gives them two counter attacks every time they are damaged. Generally I prefer the Secutor, but if the battle is about taking down groups of heavies, the Bandit's Incapacitate Heavy and Strong Incapacitate is invaluable.
When taking skills for a Bandit, keep in mind that they work best on the move with flank and back attacks. Choose skills from the Move category and innate abilities, like Backstabber, before Combos. Defense is very important for Bandits so make Heightened Evasion and Awareness high priorities. Consider using Bandits in groups of two or three to maximize their Group Courage skill. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Run a greater distance across battlefield to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 6/2s/Special Sprinting Attack
32/2s/Special
Pierce Defense 24/2s/Special Attack
Quick attack that evades opponent shield.
Spear Attack 0/1s/None Attack from the diagonal using the spear's extended reach. Must be wielding spear. Damage slightly better than for a single strike. Trip 18/1s/Special Successful attack knocks down opponent. Successful attack reduces opponent initiative. Heavy damage attack that may cause bleeding damage.
Vigor Theft Slicing Attack Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special
34/1s/Special 40/3s/Special
6/2s/Chain 12/3s/Chain 22/4s/Chain 34/5s/Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: AA Three hit attack. Meter: AAA Four hit attack. Meter: AAAA Five hit attack. Meter: AAAAA
Incapacitate Heavy 0/4s/Special Bandits are adept at stopping Heavy classes. A successful attack will petrify a heavy for a short period of time. The heavy will wake up when they're damaged. On Guard 12/0/None Increase defense next turn.
Strong Incapacitate 36/4s/Special Successful attack may stun opponent for several rounds. Stunned opponent doesn't wake up when hit. Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air,
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Shield Block Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield.
0/0/None
Group Courage 8/0/None Backstabber Evasion Riposte 10/0/None 20/0/None 22/1s/None
Increase movement and initiative when near other Bandits. Damage doubled when attacking from behind. More effective defensive maneuver. Immediate counter-attack when an incoming opponent attack misses. Most effective defensive maneuver.
Heightened Evasion Awareness
30/0/None
38/0/None
No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind.
[Top] Barbarian (medium)
Barbarians are among the best of the non-hero medium-class gladiators. They don't have as many innate abilities as some other classes, but all their abilities are really solid. The downside to Barbarians is that the game's heroes are also medium class combatants, so there's not a lot of room in your school for further duplication.
Barbarian skills are fairly straight forward. Totem of the Bear and Totem of the Falcon are no-brainers and should be taken as soon as possible because they permanently improve two key aspects of your gladiator. Running Attack is always useful. Perhaps take a Combo 2 and 4, and maybe one of the Attack skills like Crippling Blow. The biggest decision is wolf or bear form, and it's important to choose one form and stick with it to level 3. Choosing bear results in the gladiator turning into a heavy, while the wolf is a light gladiator. Personally, I prefer wolf because of the extra mobility it provides. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 10/2s/Match Attack Target Leg 4/2s/AIm
Reduce opponent movement rate.
Overhead Cleave
24/5s/Masher Heavy overhead attack; may break opponent's helmet.
Crippling Blow 32/3 SPSpecial Brutal attack that may stun and knock down opponent.
Break Defense 34/4s/Special Several fierce attacks that prevent defense. Destroy Shield 40/1s/Aim Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Wolf Form 1 2/0/None Shapeshift into a wolf of lesser ability. 6/2s/Slow Chain 12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AY Three hit attack. Meter: AYX Four hit attack. Meter: AYXB Five hit attack. Meter: AYXBA Successful attack may destroy opponent shield.
Defend 6/0/None Bear Form 1 Wolf Form 2 Bear Form 2 Wolf Form 3 Bear Form 3 Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn. Shapeshift into a bear of lesser ability. Shapeshift into a wolf. Shapeshift into a bear. Shapeshift into a wolf of greater ability. Shapeshift into a powerful bear.
8/0/None 12/1s/None 20/1s/None 22/4s/None 30/4s/None
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. 18/0/None Increase attack damage in battle.
Totem of the Bear
Totem of the Falcon
38/0/None
Increase accuracy in battle.
[Top] Bear, beast (heavy)
Bears are a solid defensive unit to have in a school. They don't possess any really exceptional offensive skills, but can be great at holding ground in a battle or tying up other units. In the Ursula campaign, grab one as soon as possible.
Skills like Hibernation, Raging Bear, Winter's Fat, and On Guard work well together allowing the bear to guard or pass while taking minimal damage and still damaging opponents. A Collar of Spite helps too. Unfortunately, counter-attacks rarely hit late in the game and the usefulness of the bear is likely to decrease as well.
Bears can only use Earth Affinity.
There is no way to recruit Greater Bears. Skill Move Snap 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Quickly move across the battlefield and attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Charge 14/1s/Match Attack Bite 2/1s/Masher
High power attack with low accuracy. Light damage attack that may stun opponent.
Swipe 12/2s/Aim Slash
18/3s/Masher More powerful attack. 20/4s/None Prolonged stomping attack. Medium damage attack that may stun opponent.
Pull Down
Powered Swipe 24/4s/Special
Powered Pull Down Raking Attack Smack Back Vicious Slash Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Knock Back On Guard Hibernation Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Affinity Attack 2 Earth only.
32/5s/Special
Prolonged stomping attack.
36/2s/Special 38/3s/None 40/5s/Special
Heavy damage claw attack that causes bleeding damage. Damage your opponent while pushing them backward. Most powerful move to attack.
Two hit attack. Meter: AB Three hit attack. Meter: ABA Four hit attack. Meter: ABAB Five hit attack. Meter: ABABA
2/1s/None 12/0/None 22/2s/Special
Push your opponent backwards. Increase defense next turn. Give up turn to regain Hit Points.
4/2a/None 10/3a/None
Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth only. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth only. Affinity Attack 4 in arena. Earth only. Innate Beast Dodge Winter's Fat Raging Bear 0/0/None 6/0/None 30/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Reduce damage received. Counter attack after successful opponent hit. 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents
[Top]
Berserker (light)
Berserkers can be useful in a pinch because they require little equipment to be effective. They use no armour or shields, but can throw their axes and swords and gain large bonuses to damage when they're heavily wounded. In terms of overall usefullness, they're outclassed by Secutors and Bandits but Berserkers are capable of inflicting far more damage.
The downside to Berserkers is that in order to be most effective they must enter Rage, and while they're enraged the computer controls their actions. In a free-for-all having the Berserker run amok isn't really a bad thing as long as you have another gladiator or two that can support it. Mad Rage is hard to do manually, but the computer has no problem with it, so grab it if you like having a wildly powerful berserker.
When a Berserker Rages I think they become Heavy class gladiators because I've had Bandits use Incapacitate Heavy on them. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Attack Axe Throw Target Leg Mad Rage 0/3s/Special 4/2s/Aim 24/0/Masher Throw weapon for range attack. Medium damage attack that may reduce opponent movement rate. Successful attack strikes opponent three times. Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Overhead Cleave Gouging Fury
30/4s/Masher Heavy overhead attack; may break opponent's helmet. A heavy attack capable of knocking an opponent back. Successful attack may destroy opponent shield.
34/3s/Special
Destroy Shield 40/1s/Aim Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3
6/2s/Chain 12/3s/Chain 22/4s/Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: AA Three hit attack. Meter: AAA Four hit attack. Meter: AAAA
Combo Attack 4 Special Rage 0/2s/None
34/5s/Chain
Five hit attack. Meter: AAAAA
Enter mild berserk status. Computer takes control. Enter berserk status. Computer takes control. Enter intense berserk status. Computer takes control. Successful attack may root nearby opponents. Successful attack may confuse nearby opponents. Successful attack may panic nearby opponents. Increase defense next turn. Successful attack may petrify nearby opponents.
Rage 2 20/3s/None Rage 3 36/5s/Special Yowl Howl Roar 0/2s/Special 8/3s/Special 12/4s/Special
On Guard Metal Face Affinity
18/0/None 32/5s/Special
Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Adrenaline 0/0/None Receive large damage bonus when Hit Points are low.
Dodge 0/0/None Indomitable Will Riposte
Standard defensive maneuver. 19/0/None Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
22/0/None
Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses.
[Top] Centurion (heavy)
Centurions combine the power and durability inherent in all heavies with a strong set of skills that enhance their comrades. Most classes are being wasted if they're not smacking an opponent every round, but not so with the Centurion. Centurions are useful in almost every battle, and can easily justify having two in the school.
Motivate is constantly useful for boosting the damage of all nearby allies and has an amazing range. Reprimand is great for removing negative effects from allies. Probably the first skill a Centurion should take is Roam. Although swords and axes do slightly more damage, equip your Centurions with spears to take advantage of Spear Attack and strike at diagonal opponents. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Roam 10/2s/Match Attack Spear Attack 0/1s/None Attack from the diagonal using the spear's extended reach. Must be wielding spear. Damage slightly better than for a single strike. Target Leg 0/2s/Aim Medium damage attack that may reduce opponent movement rate. Reduce opponent accuracy. Reduce opponent initiative. Standard move to attack. Increase range move to attack. Good range and good damage. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Bungle Enemy 18/2s/Aim Target Head 34//1s/Aim
Overhead Cleave Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Motivate
Two hit attack. Meter: AY Three hit attack. Meter: AYX Four hit attack. Meter: AYXB Five hit attack. Meter: AYXBA
0/2s/Aim
Increase attack damage of all allies within 3 square radius.
Defend 6/0/None Reprimand
Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn. Remove stun, or confusion effects from ally.
8/3s/Aim
Impel 22/1s/Special Spur Rally 24/1s/Aim 32/2s/Aim
Increase movement of ally. Temporarily increase accuracy of allies. Recover Hit Points and increase initiative of heavily wounded allies within range. 38/2s/Aim Give ally greater initiative.
Immediate Response Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. Successful attack can occasionally grant an additional attack to
Shield Block
0/0/None
Coordinated Attack allies within range. Garrison
8/0/None
12/0/None
Give defensive bonus to adjacent allies. Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze. More effective defensive maneuver with shield.
Indomitable Will Shield Excellence
18/0/None 20/0/None
[Top] Channeler (arcane)
Channelers are fantastic arcane gladiators capable of bringing heavy firepower and a lot of useful powers into battle. While it's not an offensive power, Steal Affinity, a Channeler's only way of gaining affinity, is great for depriving foes of the opportunity to use Affinity powers. Paired with the fact that it only takes half a turn, like passing, Steal Affinity is quite versatile. You can check which opponents and allies have charged affinity by using the X button on them.
Probably the most useful series of spells for a Channeler are Sleet, Ice Storm, Ice Tempest. Ice Tempest can be hard to use because of the small critical zone, but Ice Storm is invaluable for holding off multiple opponents by freezing. Use Teleport to keep out of reach of opponents because it has no use cost. In long battles, a Channeler is great for teleporting around the battlefield and using Ameliorate to heal allies.
Although all four affinities work well with Channelers, Air Affinity has a slight edge. The Ayasa is an Air Affinity staff that increases magic damage. Use it and a Talisman (also increases magic damage) and the Channeler will be dishing out much more magic damage than is possible with other affinities. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Attack None Combo None Special Steal Affinity 0/3s/None clear line of sight. Teleport Tornado Drain Affinity 18/0/None 8/0/None Steal Affinity Power from any gladiator. Range of 4; does not have to be Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Teleport a short distance on battlefield. Teleport all within range to random location.
22/0.5a/None Reduce target opponent's ability to charge Affinity Power. Slightly increase movement of all allies within 4 squares in a diamond
Wind Stepper 12/.5a/Aim shape.
Wind Runner shape. Invigorate
24/1.5a/Aim
Increase movement of all allies within a range of 5 squares in a diamond
10/2a/Aim
Recover some Hit Points for one ally.
Enliven 16/3a/Aim Ameliorate
Recover Hit Points for one ally. Recover many Hit Points for one ally. Air attack that decreases opponent movement rate. Usually reduces
36/4a/Aim
Stiff Wind 36/1a/Aim movement to 1.w Boost Affinity Affinity Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4
38/0.5a/None Boost ally Affinity Power.
8/1a/Chain 16/2a/Chain 28/3a/Chain 42/4a/Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: YB. Ranged. Three hit attack. Meter: YBA. Ranged. Four hit attack. Meter: YBAX. Ranged. Five hit attack. Meter: YBAXY. Ranged.
Fire Bomb 8/1a/Match Range attack damages and knocks back all opponents in explosion radius. Doesn't damage allies. Fire Cloud Fire Tempest Fire Storm Sleet 10/0.5a/Match Attack that causes fire damage. 14/2.5a/Match Most powerful attack that causes massive fire damage. +10 accuracy. 36/1.5a/Match Powerful attack that causes intense fire damage. Freeze opponent for a short time causing frost damage. Freeze opponent causing frost damage. Freeze opponent causing massive frost damage.
8/0.5a/Aim
Ice Storm Ice Tempest
24/1a/Aim 46/2a/Aim
Affinity Attack 1 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Range of 2 in a diamond shape. Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available.
Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Evade 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver.
[Top] Cyclops (heavy)
Cyclops are interesting heavies. They have some hard-hitting attacks, plus a cool looking ranged attack, and a fear spell.
There's a must have accessory for Cyclopses called Blindman's Eye which raises their accuracy so they will always hit. Although they have a few neat skills like Eye Beam and Sweeping Attack, they're not spectacular gladiators. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Punch 4/2s/Aim Attack Bungle Enemy 8/2s/Aim Destroy Shield 10/1s/Aim Eye Beam 12/1s/Match character. Looks cool too. Overhead Smash not affect animals. Sweeping Attack character. Target Head Reduce opponent accuracy. Successful attack may destroy opponent shield. Powerful range attack; damages all opponents directly in front of Standard move to attack. Quick, low power attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
18/3s/Special
Heavy damage attack that may knock an opponent down; does
22/3s/Masher Two-handed attack that damages several squares in front of
34/1s/Aim
Reduce opponent initiative.
Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Glower 12/1s/Aim Focus 12/2s/Aim Knockback On Guard High Guard Successful attack causes fear. Remove stun, or confusion effects from ally. Push opponent backward. Increase defense next turn. Large increase to defense next turn. Successful attack causes long-lasting fear. Massive increase to defense next turn. Petrify opponents within range. 6/2s/Slow Chain 12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AY Three hit attack. Meter: AYX Four hit attack. Meter: AYXB Five hit attack. Meter: AYXBA
16/1s/None 20/0/None 30/2s/None
Devastating Glare Supreme Guard Penetrating Stare Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
32/2s/Special 36/3s/None 38/3s/Special
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Increase melee attack damage.
Heavy Handed 0/1s/None
[Top] Dervish (light)
Dervishes are exceptionally quick and skilled light gladiators, but differ from other lights by featuring many attacks that affect all surrounding foes. Dervishes have little to fear from opposing heavies, and actually thrive when completely surrounded because of their Dust Devil 2 skill. The biggest downside is that they're obtained fairly late in the game and that can lead to problems integrating them with your established tactics. Nonetheless, they're worthy of at least one slot.
Dervishes have plenty of cool skills. Bone Spray, Whirlwind, and Dust Devil 2 deal damage to opponents in surrounding squares. Surprise Attack is always useful. And Dervishes can choose to be totally immune to all damage from Air Affinity and Air Affinity infused weapons, which is obviously invaluable in some matches.
Dervishes work well with the Water Affinity. Twin Vipers is probably their best weapon; it has Water Affinity with a poisoning effect, and can be bought in Sara Izel in the Southern Expanse. There's another sword called the Tsunami that actually does slightly more damage and boosts affinity much more, but I prefer the poisoning attack of the Twin Vipers especially for when the Dervish uses an attack that damages many opponents. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Target will not face when attacked. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Surprise Attack 8/2s/Aim Running Attack 12/1s/Match Attack Blood Letter 6/2s/Masher
Heavy damage attack that may cause bleeding damage.
Blood Letter 2 20/4s/Masher Heavy damage attack that may cause bleeding damage. Dust Devil 2 their turn. Bone Spray 24/1s/Aim Damage surrounding opponents; reduce opponent initiative and delay
34/3s/Special
Attack causes bleeding damage in nearby enemies.
Slicing Attack Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special
40/4s/Special
Wind Movement Dust Devil Whirlwind Whirlwind 2 Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
2/3s/Aim
Increase movement rate.
10/1s/Aim 18/3s/Aim 36/s/Aim
Reduce movement and initiative of surrounding opponents. Wind attack that knocks back all adjacent units. A petrifying wind attack that knocks all adjacent units back.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Adrenaline 0/0/None Increase damage when health is low. Increase resistance to Air Affinity attacks.
Air Protection 0/0/None Dodge 0/0/None Evasion
Standard defensive maneuver. More effective defensive maneuver. May reduce projectile range attacks.
22/0/None
Lightning Reflexes Air Immunity
32/0/None
30/0/None
Immune to all Air Affinity attacks.
Off Balance
38/0/None
Lowers opponent defense if opponent misses attack.
[Top] Eiji (support)
Eiji's joins the school immediately upon entering the Windward Steppes. Her skills are a useful combination drawn from both the archer and amazon classes. Her low hit points cause some trouble in long slugfests, but otherwise she is a great character to include if some ranged support is required.
Eiji statistics tend to be high initiative, accuracy, and movement, with low hit points and power.
It's important to note that Eiji's Combo attacks are not ranged. They're a melee attack for when an opponent is getting in her face, and ideally you don't want that to happen. Taking Combo 2 is more than enough. Volley attacks multiple enemies in an small area. Cover Area is good, but by the time Eiji joins the party most opponents can dodge or block the shots. Flash Arrow is very handy for stunning a group of enemies.
When Eiji joins the school, she'll usually have a point or two in Air Affinity, and it's a good match for her, so there's no sense changing it. Eventually she can purchase the Black Bow in Belfort (second visit to Imperia) which has the Super Range ability allowing her to hit almost anywhere in any arena without moving. Skill Move Move - Bow Shot 0/0/Basic Basic attack. Eiji and Archers are cool because they can move and do a ranged attack unlike Gungnirs and Peltasts. Punch 0/1s/None Attack Acid Arrow 0/2s/Special Medium range poison attack that damages shields if blocked. Diamondshaped range of 5; cannot hit adjacent targets. Quick, low power attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Flash Arrow 0/4s/Match Range attack that can stun anyone in the 3x3 area of effect, including allies. Range of 6, can't include adjacent squares. Low Kick 0/4s/Special Kick attack that can only be used against adjacent male opponents.
Spark 0/3s/Aim shaped range of 5. Long Shot 1 squares. Long Shot 2 Long Shot 3 Nerve Arrow
Electric shock attack that causes damage and stuns a male opponent. Square-
0/2s/Aim
Standard range attack. Diamond-shaped range of 8; cannot hit adjacent
20/3s/Aim 36/5s/Aim 22/3s/Aim
Long range attack. Extremely long range attack. Range attack that stuns opponent.
Volley 30/2s/Special Razor Arrow Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Cover Area Distract
Multiple arrow range attack with 3x3 area effect.
32/3s/Special
Two hit attack. Meter: AB. Not ranged. Three hit attack. Meter: ABA. Not ranged. Four hit attack. Meter: ABAB. Not ranged. Five hit attack. Meter: ABABA. Not ranged.
0/1s/None 0/2s/Aim
Automatically attack all opponents entering designated 3x3 area. Lower initiative of male opponent.
Wink 0/0/None adjacent square. Blind 34/2s/Special
Sets a trap that preemptively attacks any male opponents who move into an
Male opponent blinded by beauty. Charms male opponent.
Charm 38/4s/Special Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Evasion Standard defensive maneuver. More effective defensive maneuver.
40/0/None
[Top] Gungnir (support)
Gungnir's can be versatile support gladiators. Their Long Throws are so powerful that with a height advantage they can outright kill most other gladiators. Their Combos also have amazing power.
If an enemy begins to close, a Bulls Eye or Powered Throw can usually eliminate the problem. If not, Bear Form will allow the Gungnir to take less damage and regain hit points. Cover Area is a useful skill in the early and middle parts of the game, but decreases in usefulness later. Compared to Peltasts, Gungnir's tend to be tougher and more accurate gladitors, but Peltasts' Long Throws cost fewer skill points in battle.
The best Gungnir equipment is Earth Affinity based. The Bear Cowl is a great looking and highly protective helmet that's earth affinity based. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Attack Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Long Throw 1 4/1s/Match adjacent opponents. Long Throw 2 Long Throw 3 Long Throw 4 opponents. 12/2s/Match 20/3s/Match 40/4s/Match
Standard distance throwing attack. Range of 4 squares; cannot target
Medium distance throwing attack. Cannot target adjacent opponents. Long distance throwing attack. Cannot target adjacent opponents. Extremely long distance throwing attack. Cannot target adjacent
Destroy Shield 6/2s/Aim Aimed javelin throw destroys opponent shield. Range of 5 squares; cannot target adjacent opponents. Exploding Javelin 8/4s/Match Exploding range attack; causes 3x3 area damage.
Bungle Enemy 10/2s/Aim opponents. Impale Leg 18/2s/Aim
Reduce opponent accuracy. Range of 4 squares; cannot target adjacent
Reduce opponent movement rate. Powerful javelin throw that is unblockable. Range of 4 squares;
Unstoppable Throw 24/4s/Match cannot attack adjacent opponents. Bulls Eye 32/3s/Aim
Close attack that bypasses opponent defenses.
Pin Down 32/3s/Aim Aimed javelin throw pins opponent in place. Range of 5 in diamondshape; cannot target adjacent opponents. Does not affect units immune to Root. Powered Throw 34/4s/Match squares out in a straight line. Combo Combo Attack 1 6/2s/Slow Chain attack adjacent opponents. Combo Attack 2 12/3s/Slow Chain cannot attack adjacent opponents. Combo Attack 3 22/4s/Slow Chain cannot attack adjacent opponents. Combo Attack 4 34/5s/Slow Chain cannot attack adjacent opponents.. Special Bear Form 1 8/0/None Shapeshift into a bear of lesser ability with Snap and Bite attacks. Two hit attack. Meter: AB. Range of 5 squares; cannot Heavy damage attack for nearby opponents. Range of two
Three hit attack. Meter: ABY. Range of 5 squares;
Four hit attack. Meter: ABYX. Range of 5 squares;
Five hit attack. Meter: ABYXA. Range of 5 squares;
Bear Form 2 Cover Area Affinity
36/0/None 22/1s/None
Shapeshift into a bear. Automatically attack all opponents entering a 3x3 designated area.
Affinity Attack 1 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Range of 5 squares; cannot target adjacent. Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Range of 5 squares; cannot target adjacent. Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Range of 5 squares; cannot target adjacent. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Awareness Standard defensive maneuver. No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind.
38/0/None
[Top] Gwazi (light)
Gwazi possesses most of the skills of a Secutor with some of a Berserker. He will join the school after entering the Southern Expanse, and can use his speed to great advantage in battle. Statistically, Gwazi has exceptional movement and initiative. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Target does not turn to face this attack. Idential skill to the Secutor's Learn/Use/Meter Description
Back Attack 0/0/Aim Surprise Attack Running Attack 0/2s/Match Shield Bypass 32/0/???
Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Opponent cannot use shield to block attacks.
Attack Destroy Shield 0/1s/Aim Infallible Aim Trip 0/0/Aim Successful attack may destroy opponent shield. Opponent cannot evade attack; attack may be blocked.
0/1s/Aim
Successful attack knocks down opponent. Throw weapon for range attack. Reduce opponent initiative. Heavy damage attack that may cause bleeding damage.
Weapon Throw 0/2s/Match Target Head Slicing Attack Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special On Guard Sand Toss Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 0/0/None 0/1s/??? 34/1s/Aim 40/3s/???
Increase defense next turn. Successful toss may blind opponent.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Evade 0/0/None Evasion Standard defensive maneuver. More effective defensive maneuver.
0/0/None
Shield Block
0/0/None
Standard defensive maneuver with shield.
Taunt 0/0/None Berate 0/0/None
Taunt when opponent attack misses; crowd cheers. Taunt opponent; crowd reacts positively.
[Top] Legionnaire (medium)
Legionnaire's have a good set of offensive and defensive skills, but nothing exceptional. Their biggest weakness is that the heros of the game (Valens, Ursula, Urlan, Ludo) are all medium gladiators that share a similar skill set, so there's little need for that level of duplication in a school. Generally, Murmillos are better defensively and offensively.
As opponents, Legionnaire's aren't a massive threat, but are dangerous because a couple of them using Practiced Maneuvers can take down opponents. They also have a huge list of innate abilities. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Precision Attack Attack Target Leg 4/2s/Aim Medium damage attack that may reduce opponent movement rate. Reduce opponent accuracy. Successful attack may destroy opponent shield. Reduce opponent initiative. Standard move to attack. 10/1s/Aim Quick, low power attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Bungle Enemy 18/2s/Aim Destroy Shield 24/1s/Aim Target Head 34/1s/Aim
Overhead Cleave Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2
6/2s/Chain 12/3s/Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: AB Three hit attack. Meter: ABA
Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special On Guard High Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
22/4s/Chain 34/5s/Chain
Four hit attack. Meter: ABAB Five hit attack. Meter: ABABA
6/0/None 30/2s/None
Increase defense next turn. Greatly increase defense next turn.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Shield Block Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. Increase initiative and movement when Legionnaires are within
0//0/None
Practiced Maneuvers range. Orders 8/0/None Evasion
2/1s/None
Increase initiative when Centurion is within range. More effective defensive maneuver. Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
12/0/None
Indomitable Will Awareness Riposte Discipline Off Balance
18/0/None
20/0/None 22/1s/None 32/0/None 38/0/None
No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind. Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses. Immune to stun, confusion, charm and fear. Lowers opponent defense if opponent misses attack.
[Top] Ludo (medium, hero)
Ludo is Valens' best friend and co-founder of Munio's School. He's a decent medium gladiator and has a the unique skill Upper Hand which can be very useful in the right circumstances. In the Valens Campaign, Ludo will leave the school in the Windward Steppes so be prepared with a possible replacement. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Upper Hand Attack Target Leg 4/2s/Aim Medium damage attack that may reduce opponent movement rate. Reduce opponent accuracy. Successful attack may destroy opponent shield. Reduce opponent initiative. Heavy damage attack. Standard move to attack. Successful attack knocks opponent down. Learn/Use/Meter Description
10/2s/Aim
Bungle Enemy 18/2s/Aim Destroy Shield 24/1s/Aim Target Head 34/1s/Aim
Upward Slash 40/3s/Special Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special On Guard High Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 6/0/None 30/2s/None
Increase defense next turn. Increase defense next turn.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Shield Block Toughness Evasion Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. Resist a portion of all incoming damage. More effective defensive maneuver. Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
0/0/None 6/0/None 8/0/None
Indomitable Will Awareness
18/0/None
20/0/None
No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind. Crowd meter increases faster.
People's Champion Riposte Discipline Off Balance
22/0/None
22/1s/None 32/0/None 38/0/None
Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses. Immune to stun, confusion, charm and fear. Lowers opponent defense if opponent misses attack.
[Top] Minotaur (heavy)
Minotaurs are true powerhouse gladiators. They can deal exceptional damage, and have decent accuracy and movement too. Simple combo attacks work well with them, but Charge is always good to take. Several of the innate skills, such as Labyrinth Senses and Bullheaded Resolve, prevent the Minotaur from being flanked and stunned which make them much more effective versus light gladiators. Back Off can unleash tremendous damage if you allow the enemy to come to you.
Earth Affinity tends to be the best choice for Minotaurs.
There are only two recruitable minotaurs in the game. One will offer to join after you complete the quest The Mythic Invasion of Imperia and the other after the quest The Mythic Invasion of Imperia 2. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 6/2s/Match Gore Attack Rampage 12/2s/Aim 24/2s/Special
Head butt attack; may stab opponent with horns.
Strong attack with very low accuracy that may knock down opponent.
Skewer 18/3s/Masher Powerful attack that can knock an opponent down and stun them. Stampede 22/1s/None Rush attack that knocks opponents down. Aims in straight line beginning two away from Minotaur. Trample 34/4s/Special Prolonged stomping attack.
Overhead Cleave Heavy Strike Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Maze 8/0/Aim
38/4s/Masher Heavy overhead attack; may break opponent's helmet. Heavy damage, low accuracy attack.
40/5s/None
Successful attack causes confusion that can last for several turns. Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn. Immediately attack the next opponent that walks near.
Defend 12/0/None Back Off
22/0/None
Grunt 32/2s/Special
Increase accuracy.
Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air,
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. 6/0/None 8/0/None 16/0/None Immune to surprise and confusion. Immune to stun. Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
Labyrinth Senses Bullheaded Resolve Indomitable Will Riposte Super Critical
30/1s/None 38/0/None
Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses. Increase damage of all critical hits.
[Top] Mongrel (light)
Mongrels aren't very good light gladiators. When Mongrels show up as opposing forces, I honestly thing to myself, "Woo! This'll be easy." And it it usually is. They have some higher level skills like Festering Claws and the Kick series which are very good, but they aren't able to keep up with other classes.
Earth Affinity is a good choice for Mongrels. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 6/2s/Match Kick 1 4/1s/Masher
Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away.
Standard kicking attack.
Kick 2 24/3s/Masher Powerful kicking attack. Kick 3 34/5s/Masher Most powerful kicking attack. Attack Hobble Enemy 8/2s/Special Knuckle Buster 40/3s/Special Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special On Guard High Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, 6/0/None 32/2s/None Increase defense next turn. Greatly increase defense next turn. 6/2s/Chain 12/3s/Chain 22/4s/Chain 34/5s/Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AA Three hit attack. Meter: AAA Four hit attack. Meter: AAAA Five hit attack. Meter: AAAAA Medium damage attack that may reduce opponent movement rate. Heavy damage attack that may cause bleeding damage.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Driven 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Initiative bonus received when Ogre is near.
Riposte Backstabber Evasion Riposte
12/1s/None 18/0/None 20/0/None 22/1s/None
Counter attack when critically injured. Double damage when attacking from behind. More effective defensive maneuver. Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses. Most effective defensive maneuver.
Heightened Evasion Off Balance Festering Claws
30/0/None
36/0/None
Lowers opponent defense if opponent misses attack. Successful attack causes poison damage.
38/0/None
[Top] Mongrel Shaman (arcane)
Mongrel Shaman are an interesting gladiator class to have in your school. They can be difficult to use effectively because their only means of gaining affinity is through attacking. Their skill Affinity Draw doubles the affinity they gain when attacking but going toe-to-toe with opponents can put them in great danger.
The best Mongrel Shaman equipment is Earth Affinity based, and one of their weapons called the Petrified Bludgeon has 50 Earth Affinity associated with it. That much affinity really lets them take advantage of their casting power. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Kick 1 0/1s/Special Standard move to attack. Standard kicking attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 0/1s/Match Kick 2 24/3s/Special Kick 3 34/5s/Special Attack
Powerful kicking attack. Most powerful kicking attack.
Knuckle Buster 40/3s/Special Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Distract On Guard High Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
8/1a/Chain 16/2a/Chain 28/3a/Chain 42/4a/Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: YB Three hit attack. Meter: YBA Four hit attack. Meter: YBAX Five hit attack. Meter: YBAXY
8/0.5a/Special Reduce enemy initiative. 22/0/None Increase defense next turn.
36/0.5a/None Greatly increase defense next turn.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Freeze Enemy 4/1a/Special Fungus Amongus opponents. Freeze opponent for a short time causing frost damage. Area attack that causes lengthy poison damage to all adjacent
6/1a/Special
Feverish Mind 32/1.5a/Special Innate Affinity Draw 0/0/None
Successful attack may cause weakness and confusion.
Double Affinity power gained from any attack.
Dodge 0/0/None Driven 0/0/None
Standard defensive maneuver. Initiative bonus received when Ogre is near.
Poison Resistance Evasion Festering Claws Heightened Evasion
0/0/None
Immune to poison.
20/0/None
More effective defensive maneuver. Kick attacks may cause poison damage. Most effective defensive maneuver.
30/0/None 38/0/None
[Top] Murmillo (medium)
Murmillos are one of the great classes in the game. They rely on their shield to deliver many of their special attacks like the medium ranged attack Shield Throw and their unique charge, Shield Rush. Give the Murmillo a few of the innate abilities available and they become a defensive powerhouse! The Murmillo relies on having a shield for many of their attack and defense skills, so taking Shield Mastery isn't a bad idea. Although if you want to save a few skill points, simply keep lots of spare shields until the school can purchase an indestructable shield.
The best Murmillo equipment is Water Affinity based, but that equipment is only available near the end of the game so it won't make a large difference overall. The Blade of Tides can be purchased in Trikata and Caltha the second time through Imperia. It's a fantastic sword, not as powerful as some others, but has a bleeding effect and lots of Water Affinity. There's also a matching Tidal Guard armour.
Since all schools have three medium gladiators (Valens, Ursula, Urlan) it's tough to find a reason to use a precious slot for another medium gladiator. Murmillos are valuable enough to warrant the inclusion in almost any school. They have amazing defense and can hold out very well against other mediums, lights, and especially ranged support! Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Attack Throw Shield 1 8/3s/Match Gut Basher Short range shield attack. Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
10/1s/Masher Successful attack lowers opponent initiative.
Shield Smash
12/3s/Special
Shield attack that may knock back an opponent. Medium range shield attack. Shield-first charge to distant opponent. Shield attack that may knock opponent down. Long range shield attack. Heavy damage, low accuracy attack.
Throw Shield 2 18/4s/Match Bull Rush Shield Ram 20/1s/None 24/1s/Special
Throw Shield 3 34/5s/Match Heavy Strike Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special On Guard High Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 6/0/None 32/2s/None 40/5s/None
Increase defense next turn. Increase defense next turn.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. May reduce projectile range attacks.
Shield Block Arrow Guard
0/0/None 4/0/None
Shield Mastery 8/0/None Advanced Block
Increase durability of shield. More effective defensive maneuver with shield.
20/0/None
Shield Counter 22/1s/None Incoming Off Balance Humiliate 30/0/None 36/0/None 38/0/None
Shield counterattack if incoming attack is successfully blocked. Increase evasion of long range attacks for nearby allies. Lowers opponent defense if opponent misses attack. A successful defend attack lowers opponent initiative.
[Top] Ogre (heavy)
Ogres are decent heavy gladiators, but have nothing exceptional to recommend them over Centurions or Samnites. If you're considering putting together a school of Mongrels and Mongrel Shamen, an Ogre would be useful because of the initiative bonus it emparts to those gladiators. Fearsome Funk is an amusing skill.
Earth Affinity works well for Ogres. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 0/2s/Match Attack Broad Swing 0/1s/None
Sweeping attack that damages multiple opponents in front of character. Plow through an enemy and into the square behind then,
Charging Attack 0/4s/None dealing damage along the way. Destroy Shield 0/1s/Aim Uppercut 18/5s/Special affect animals.
Successful attack may destroy opponent shield. Heavy damage attack that may knock an opponent down; does not
Overhead Cleave Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special
Fearsome Funk 0/3s/Special Huddle 0/1s/None Purge 0/2s/Special
Adjacent units may become petrified.
Give up turn to reduce the damage received until next turn. Remove negative status effects. Lower opponent defense temporarily.
Lecherous Grin 22/2s/Special Stench 30/2s/Special Bulwark Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 32/2s/None
Give up turn to greatly reduce damage received until next turn.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. 0/0/None 18/0/None Immune to stun and confusion. Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
Deliberate Nature Indomitable Will Awareness
32/0/None
Counterattack 38/0/None
Deliver counter attack.
[Top] Peltast (support)
Peltasts are Imperia's javelin-throwing gladiators and share many skills with their Gungnir cousins. They can't shapechange but do have some handy close-range attacks like Bulls Eye and Power Throw, and their Long Throw 1 costs nothing to use so they can use ranged attacks continuously. Indirect Fire allows the Peltast to target opponents by throwing javelins over intervening obstacles; very handy when you consider how strict their line-of-sight is compared to Archers.
The best Peltast equipment is Air Affinity based. A weapon called the Falarica is available in Cartha, as is a fantastic helmet called the Infantry Helm, and Imperial Breastplate armour. During the final battles of the game, there's also a Peltast weapon called the Feathered Pike that does more damage with a bleeding effect. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 8/1s/Match Attack
Long Throw 1 0/0/Match Standard distance throwing attack. Costs nothing to use! Diamond shape range of 4, cannot hit adjacent squares. Long Throw 2 12/1s/Match hit adjacent squares. Long Throw 3 Long Throw 4 20/2s/Match 40/3s/Match Medium distance throwing attack. Diamond-shape range of 5, cannot
Long distance throwing attack. Extremely long distance throwing attack. Aimed javelin throw destroys opponent shield. Exploding range attack; causes area damage. Diamond shape
Destroy Shield 6/0/Aim
Exploding Javelin 8/3s/Match range of 4, damages 3x3 area.
Bungle Enemy 10/2s/Aim Impale Leg 18/2s/Aim
Reduce opponent accuracy. Reduce opponent movement rate. Powerful javelin throw that is unblockable.
Unstoppable Throw Indirect Fire Bulls Eye Pin Down Powered Throw Combo
24/4s/Special
30/3s/Special 32/3s/Aim 34/3s/Aim
Range attacks travel over obstructions. Close attack that bypasses opponent defenses. Aimed javelin throw pins opponent in place. Heavy damage attack for nearby enemies.
38/4s/Special
Combo Attack 1 6/2s/Slow Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AB. Range of 4 squares in all directions, excluding immediately adjacent squares. Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special On Guard Cover Area Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, 6/0/None 22/1s/None Increase defense next turn. Automatically attack all units entering a 3x3 designated area. 12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain Three hit attack. Meter: ABY. Ranged Attack. Four hit attack. Meter: ABYX. Ranged attack. Five hit attack. Meter: ABYXA. Ranged attack.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver.
Awareness
38/0/None
[Top] Plains Cat (beast, light)
Plains Cats can be fun to use in big arenas because of their extreme mobility and initiative. In fact, Plains Cats can climb up some levels that other gladiators cannot. All Plains Cats use Air Affinity so they're useless against Dervishes.
Their attack skill Swipe deals wicked damage and also stuns the opponent for one full round. That can be very useful for indefinitely taking an opponent out of battle since they'll wake up on the Cat's next turn ready to be stunned again. Growl and Roar will petrify surrounding opponents. A Combo 2 skill is usually enough because you'll want the Cat to concentrate on movement and special skills to keep out of danger's way.
There is no way to recruit Greater Plains Cats. Skill Move Claw 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. 0/1s/Aim Quick, low power attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Precision Attack
Running Attack 0/2s/Match Attack Bite 0/3s/Masher
Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away.
High power attack with low accuracy.
Swipe 0/2s/Aim Light damage attack that may stun opponent. Stun lasts until your next turn, allowing you to possibly stun again. Pulldown Slash 24/4s/Special Prolonged stomping attack.
34/4s/Special
Medium damage attack that may stun opponent. Heavy damage claw attack that causes bleeding damage.
Raking Attack
36/4s/Special
Slicing Attack Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special
40/5s/Special
Growl 0/2s/Aim Roar Iron Cat Iron Cat 2 Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Affinity Attack 2 only. 32/4s/Aim
Successful attack petrifies nearby opponents. Successful attack petrifies nearby opponents for a long duration. Increase defense next turn. Greatly increase defense next turn.
0/0/None 30/2s/None
Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Air only. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Air
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Air only. Affinity Attack 4 in arena. Air only. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Leap 0/0/None gladiators cannot. Evasion Riposte Reflexes Standard defensive maneuver. Move to a higher position. Plains Cats can climb up level changes that other 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents
0/0/None 22/1s/None 38/0/None
More effective defensive maneuver. Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses. Immune to counter attacks.
[Top] Samnite (heavy)
Samnites are purely offense-oriented gladiators. Most of their skills involve dealing massive amounts of damage and knocking around opposing forces.
They are very slow and have low initiative, but can be great for battles in small areas, and work well without support from other characters. The downside is that in large battles they're not exactly team players like Centurions. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. -10 to Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 22/2s/Special accuracy. Attack Overrun 4/2s/None damage along the way. Power Bulldoze 6/2s/None and cause damage. Forward Thrust 10/2s/Special Blind Spot Attack Sweeping Attack character. Squat 32/4s/Special Befoul Area Heavy Strike Combo Combo Attack 1
Plow through an enemy and into the square behind them, dealing
Push an opponent backward, move into the previously occupied square,
Successful attack damages two squares in front. -10 to accuracy. Character attacks square in front and behind. Two-handed attack that damages several squares in front of
Attack that knocks surrounding opponents back. Push back all units in adjacent squares; cause damage. Heavy damage, low accuracy (-10) attack.
34/4s/Special 40/5s/None
6/2s/Slow Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: AY
Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Bulldoze square. Bulwark Clear Area On Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain
Three hit attack. Meter: AYX Four hit attack. Meter: AYXB Five hit attack. Meter: AYXBA
2/1s/None
Push an opponent backward and move into the previously occupied
6/0/None 24/3s/Special 30/0/None
Give up turn to reduce the damage received until next turn. Push back all units in adjacent squares. Increase defense next turn.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. More effective defensive maneuver. Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
Shield Block
0/0/None
Heightened Parry Indomitable Will Off Balance
12/0/None 18/0/None
38/0/None
[Top] Satyr (light)
Satyr's are useful for their special dances that can boost crowd favour and give team bonuses. Their Jug Bonk is useful because it does damage, stuns, and knocks down opponents, but it's their only redeeming offensive attack. If you do plan on using a Satyr take lots of defensive skills. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away; Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 8/2s/Match Attack Volatile Breath 6/1s/Special Jug Bonk Jug Throw 10/3s/Special 18/3s/Special
Flaming spirits burn opponent. Successful attack knocks opponent down. Standard range attack. Flaming spirits burn multiple opponents. Area attack of flaming spirits burn all opponents within range.
Flammable Breath Exploding Breath Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special
34/3s//pecial 40/5s/Special
Crowd Pleaser 4/1s/Special Merry Jig On Guard 4/1s/Special 12/0/None
Crowd favors team with Satyr. Increase nearby ally's initiative. Increase defense next turn. May remove all negative status effects. Recover Hit Points. Crowd heavily favors team with Satyr.
Hair of the Dog 22/0/Special Invigorating Spirits Crowd Charmer
High Guard Affinity
38/2s/None
Greatly increase defense next turn.
Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Evade 0/0/None Evasion Ridicule Standard defensive maneuver. More effective defensive maneuver. Taunt opponent; crowd reacts positively.
0/0/None 0/0/None
Taunt 24/0/None Heightened Evasion
Taunt opponent; crowd goes wild! 30/0/None Most effective defensive maneuver.
[Top] Scarab (beast, heavy)
Scarabs are very tough beasts that can be recruited after winning the Insect Ze league at Scorched Oasis in the Southern Expanse. Toughness is their hallmark, and skills like Weathered Chitin and Toughened Chitin really allow them to soak up damage in battle. With spitting attacks that damage at range, close range attacks, and area effect attacks, it's hard to put a Scarab at a disadvantage in battle. They can also Tunnel or Burrow to get out of tough situations.
Scarabs are probably the best of the beast gladiators, but are found rather late and can be hard to integrate into the team because of that. Skill Learn/Use/Meter Description
Move Bite Attack Carapace Ram 0/3s/Masher Contamination 0/0/Masher Fiery Spittle Gas Cloud Mandible Swipe Tunnel 24/4s/None 0/0/Aim 0/0/Masher Successful attack may stun opponent. Gas cloud damages all adjacent opponents and allies. Fiery range attack. Radius 3. Successful attack may petrify opponent. Successful attack damages three opponents. 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack.
8/3s/Special
Tunnel to a distant point and attack, possibly knocking opponents back. Ranged attack that may poison opponent. Heavy damage attack that may knock an opponent down; does not
Poison Spittle 30/3s/Special Crippling Blow 34/5s/Special affect animals. Heavy Strike Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Burrow 0/3s/None Defend 6/0/None Fortified Defense Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Affinity Attack 2 only. 40/4s/None
Heavy damage, low accuracy attack.
Tunnel under units to reach a distant point. Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn. 36/2s/None Give up turn to greatly reduce damage received until next turn.
Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Fire only. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Fire
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Fire only. Affinity Attack 4 in arena. Fire only. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Fire Affinity Bonus attacks. Standard defensive maneuver. 0/0/None Resistant to Fire Affinity attacks; weak against Water Affinity 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents
Gas Immunity 0/0/None Weathered Chitin Toughened Chitin Riposte
Immune to poison. Increase defense. Greatly increase defense.
12/0/None 32/0/None
38/1s/None
[Top] Scorpion (beast, light)
Scorpions are deadly beasts that can be recruited after winning the Insect Ze league at Scorched Oasis. A single Poison Flick is often enough to bring down a light gladiator, and two is enough to take down a almost anyone else. They're quite fearsome to face, but handy in your school. Once an opponent closes with them, a Scorpion can get smacked around a bit, so it's important to take Weathered Chitin. Skill Move Bite 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. 8/1s/Aim 12/1s/Match 22/2s/Match Quick, low power attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Run a greater distance across battlefield to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Precision Attack Skittering Attack Skittering Attack 2 Attack
Pincher Attacks 0/1s/Aim
Light damage attack; cannot be blocked or evaded.
Poison Flick
18/2s/Aim
Ranged attack that may poison opponent. Devastatingly heavy damage.
Venom 22/2s/Special Shield Snip Hurricane Tail Whip Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Defend 6/0/None Fortified Defense Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Affinity Attack 2 Water only.
Vicious tail attack that may poison opponent. Destroy shield by cutting in half. Tail attack that damages all opponents in adjacent squares. Quick attack that may poison opponent.
Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn. 12/3s/None Give up turn to greatly reduce damage received until next turn.
Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Water only. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Water only. Affinity Attack 4 in arena. Water only. Innate Beast Dodge 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Resistant to Fire Affinity attacks; weak against Water Affinity attacks. Immune to poison. Increase defense. 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents
Fire Resistance 0/0/None Poison Resistance Weathered Chitin Riposte
0/0/None 24/0/None
30/1s/None
Awareness Evasion
36/0/None 38/0/None
No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind. More effective defensive maneuver.
[Top] Secutor (light)
Secutors are similar to Bandits, but feature more pure offensive power. The Surprise Attack and Backstabber skills can take a chunk out of any gladiator, especially when dealing with arcane and support gladiators. Taunt and Deride are handy skills, letting the Secutors lower opponent initiative and boost the crowd. Their versatility makes them an important part of any school.
Any affinity works well with Secutors. The Ring of Refuge accessory works very well with Secutors because it increases the range of their move attacks allowing them to run around an opponent they're facing and use Surprise Attack on the flank or back. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Run a greater distance across battlefield to attack. Target will not turn to face when attacked. This is the Secutor's greatest Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 8/1s/Match Sprint Attack 36/2s/Match
Surprise Attack 10/2s/Aim attack. Attack Spear Attack Trip 6/1s/None
Attack from the diagonal using the spear's extended reach.
18/4s/Aim
Successful attack knocks down opponent. Successful attack may disarm opponent. Opponent cannot use shield to block attacks. Pretty small target zone. Reduce opponent initiative. Heavy damage attack that may cause bleeding damage.
Remove Shield 24/0/Special Shield Bypass Target Head Slicing Attack 32/1s/Aim 34/1s/Aim 40/5s/Special
Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Sand Toss On Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, 4/1s/Aim 12/0/None Successful toss may blind opponent lowering their INI and MOV. Increase defense next turn. 6/2s/Fast Chain 12/3s/Fast Chain 22/4s/Fast Chain 34/5s/Fast Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AA Three hit attack. Meter: AAA Four hit attack. Meter: AAAA Five hit attack. Meter: AAAAA
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Shield Block Backstabber Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. Damage doubled when attacking from behind.
0/0/None 0/0/None
Taunt 8/0/None Evasion
Taunt opponent; crowd reacts positively. More effective defensive maneuver.
20/0/None
Deride 22/0/None Heightened Evasion Off Balance
Taunt opponent; crowd goes wild! 30/0/None Most effective defensive maneuver.
38/0/None
[Top] Summoner (arcane)
Summoners create their own affinity, and are known for summoning creatures to fight for them in battle. Summoned Scorpions tend to work well, and Dark Affinity Beasts provide some handy innate boosts as well. Interestingly, it costs very little to summon something, leaving plenty of affinity for other attacks. Since they can create their own affinity, Summoners are great for frequent level 4 Affinity Attacks.
The Affinity Attacks for Summoners can only be aimed straight out, which can make it tough to effectively use them, and being able to have only one summoned creature at a time limits their usefulness. The Undead Summoner and Channelers will be more effective in all situations.
There's only one Summoner available to recruit in the entire game. He's in the Southern Expanse and begins with several Earth Affinity attacks. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Attack None Combo None Special Summon Power Tornado 0/4s/None 0/1a/None Summon Affinity power directly from the Affinity gods. Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Teleport all within range to random location. Summon a servant of the Air Affinity God; only one summoned creature
Air Beast 2/1a/None may exist at a time. Earth Beast 4/.5a/None may exist at a time.
Summon a servant of the Air Affinity God; only one summoned creature
Fire Beast 6/.5a/None creature may exist at a time. Water Beast 8/.5a/None creature may exist at a time.
Summon a servant of the Fire Affinity God; only one summoned
Summon a servant of the Water Affinity God; only one summoned
Dark Air Beast 30/.5a/None Summon a tainted servant of the Air Affinity God; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Increase all allies defense. Dark Earth Beast 32/.5a/None Summon a tainted servant of the Earth Affinity God; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Increase all allies defense. Dark Fire Beast 34/.5a/None Summon a tainted servant of the Fire Affinity God; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Increase all allies power. Dark Water Beast 36/.5a/None Summon a tainted servant of the Water Affinity God; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Lower all opponents defense. Skeleton 1 time. 12/.5a/None Summon undead warrior; only one summoned creature may exist at a
Skeleton 2 28/1a/None exist at a time. Scarab 40/.5a/None Scorpion Magic Guard
Summon a more powerful Skeleton; only one summoned creature may
Summon a Scarab; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Summon a Scorpion; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Greatly increase defense next turn. A successful attack will petrify a Heavy for a short period of
44/.5a/None 42/1a/None
Incapacitate Heavy time. On Guard
0/1a/Special
0/0/None
Increase defense next turn.
Affinity Affinity Attack 1 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Ranged attack in straight line out from Summoner. Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Ranged attack in straight line out from Summoner. Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Ranged attack in straight line out from Summoner.
Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Far Strike 0/1a/Special Summoner. + and X pattern. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. More powerful attack. Ranged attack in straight line out from
[Top] Undead Legionnaire (medium)
Undead Legionnaire's can be recruited from the graves during night if the school has the Talisman of Unlife. They're not exceptional gladiators and can be difficult to place in your school because of an abundance of medium class gladiators, but they are handy in some situations. For instance, since you can recruit them for free at gravestones and their levels are always relatively high, Undead Legionnaire's can be expendable for wilderness battles.
One downside to using them is a lack of decent equipment with Dark Affinity. Make sure to grab chests dropped by undead opponents, and stock up when you find a store with Dark Affinity equipment. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Attack Fear of Death Rot Helmet 0/3s/Aim 24/4s/Special Target may become panicked. Attack that damages opponent helmet. Attack that damages opponent shield. Successful attack may cause opponent to retreat. When health is low, sacrifice self to cause area effect damage. Reduce opponent initiative. Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Rotting Touch 24/3s/Special Scare Attack Shatter Self Target Head 0/2s/Aim 0/0/None 34/1s/Aim
Heavy Strike Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special
40/5s/None
Defend 0/0/None
Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn. Scare and lower opponents' initiative. Successful attack may petrify opponent. Give up turn to greatly reduce damage received until next turn.
Grave Laughter 0/1s/Aim Scared Stiff 32/4s/Special
Heightened Defense Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Affinity Attack 2
36/0/None
Attack enhanced by the power of the Dark Affinity God. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Dark Affinity God. Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Dark Affinity
Affinity Attack 3 20/3a/None God; temporarily poisons opponent. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Shield Block Fleshless Target Afterlife Grave Rot Knit Bones Riposte
Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. Resistant to projectile range attacks.
0/0/None
0/0/None 0/0/None 0/0/None 38/0/None 0/1s/None
Resistance to worldly damage but weakness against affinity. Critical hit causes poison damage. Regenerate Hit Points. 20 hp every several turns. Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses. When this Gladiator is defeated, an area effect cloud causes poison
Sickly Marrow 0/0/None damage.
[Top] Undead Summoner (arcane)
Quite possibly the most entertaining gladiator in the game, the Undead Summoner combines summoning and offensive magics with some cool innate abilities. There is only one Undead Summoner in the game, and it will offer to join the school in the Mordare recruitment office after the Dead of Night league is won.
They charge affinity through Darkness from Life by sacrificing their own health. At first this seems horrible and costs a good chunk of their health, but once the Undead Summoner gets some Dark Affinity items the health cost is reduced to almost nothing. In the meantime, Steal Life can be used on allies to regain health, and later Knit Bones will regenerate health throughout battle.
A Death's Head staff, with instant death special, is gained as a prize at the Jochi Affinity league in Altahrun, Windward Steppes. The staff is useful because it allows the Undead Summoner to gain Dark Affinity after using Darkness from Life and the hit point loss for using the skill is greatly reduced. There's also Interment Robes that can be purchased in Altahrun, and the Crown of Darkness is a prize for winning the Channeler vs Summoner battle in the Save Cresus' Father quest. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Steal Life 0/0/None Steal the life force of a teammate to heal yourself. One possibility is to summon a Skeleton 1 and drain it to heal yourself. Attack Darkness from Life Combo None Special 0/4s/None Convert some of your life force into Affinity power.
Skeleton 1 time.
6/.5a/None
Summon undead warrior; only one summoned creature may exist at a
Skeleton 2 22/1.5a/None Summon a more powerful undead warrior; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Skeleton 3 42/3.5a/None Summon a very powerful undead warrior; only one summoned creature may exist at a time. Tornado Teleport 22/2.5a/None Teleport all within range to random location. 30/1.5a/None Teleport a short distance on battlefield. Opponent is cursed to die in several turns, unless caster is killed first. Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn.
Reaper 40/5a/Aim Defend 32/0/None Affinity Covet Life Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Affinity Attack 1 Affinity Attack 2
0/4a/Aim
Steal the life force of an opponent. Two hit attack. Meter: AB. Diamond-shape range of 3. Three hit attack. Meter: ABY. Diamond-shape range of 3. Four hit attack. Meter: ABYX Five hit attack. Meter: ABYXA Attack enhanced by the power of the Dark Affinity God. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Dark Affinity God. Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Dark Affinity
10/1a/Chain 18/2a/Chain 28/3a/Chain 42/4a/Chain 4/2a/None 10/3a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None God; temporarily poisons opponent. Fire Cloud Fire Storm of 4.
10/1.5a/Match Attack that causes fire damage. Diamond-shape range of 4. 24/3.5a/Match Powerful attack that causes intense fire damage. Diamond-shape range
Splintering Bones 18/1.5a/Aim Long range spell attack that deals damage and can cause an enemy to retreat. Diamond-shape range of 4. Rotting Touch 24/1.5a/Aim Death Blast to do. Attack that damages opponent shield. More powerful attack. Potential for a lot of damage but difficult
38/1.5a/Masher
Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. 0/0/None 0/0/None Resistant to Dark Affinity attacks. Resistant to projectile range attacks.
Dark Resistance Fleshless Target
Sickley Marrow 12/0/None When this gladiator is defeated, an area effect cloud causes poison damage to opponents in surrounding squares. Knit Bones 38/0/None Regenerate Hit Points. 20 hp every few turns.
[Top] Urlan (medium, hero)
Urlan is Ursula's older brother, and also heir to the throne of Nordagh. His skillset is very similar to the Barbarian. He doesn't get any cool move attacks and loses out on the Totem skills, but does get Break Defense. Lunge is very hard to use because it requires your opponent to be one square away, and Urlan works best in the thick of battle. Of the three animal forms he can assume, the Cat Forms are probably the most useful because of the mobility they add. Whenever possible, use Urlan and Ursula together to take advantage of Older Brother.
Urlan is a medium gladiator but uses a slow combo meter like heavy gladiators. This allows him to hit criticals fairly regularly making him very reliable in battle.
In the Ursula campaign, Urlan starts off with Air Affinity Attack 1, so you can continue along that path, although there are a good number of Earth Affinity weapons too. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Several fierce attacks that prevent defense. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Break Defense 34/4s/Special Attack Target Leg 12/2s/Aim
Reduce opponent movement rate.
Lunge 24/1s/Masher Heavy damage attack; can only target an opponent 2 squares away.. Crippling Blow 20/3s/Aim affect animals. Overhead Cleave Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Bear Form 1 Bear Form 2 Bear Form 3 Wolf Form 1 Wolf Form 2 Wolf Form 3 Cat Form 1 claw attack. Cat Form 2 attacks. Cat Form 3 Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, 10/0/None 20/0/None 38/0/None 4/0/None 10/0/None 32/0/None 6/0/None Shapeshift into a bear of lesser ability. Shapeshift into a bear. Shapeshift into a powerful bear. Shapeshift into a wolf of lesser ability. Shapeshift into a wolf. Shapeshift into a wolf of greater ability. Shapeshift into a cat of lesser ability. No special attacks, only has a basic 6/2s/Chain 12/3s/Chain 22/4s/Chain 34/5s/Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AB. Three hit attack. Meter: ABX Four hit attack. Meter: ABXB Five hit attack. Meter: ABXBA Heavy damage attack that may knock an opponent down; does not
18/0/None
Shapeshift into a cat with Claw, Precision Attack, Swipe, Bite, and Growl
36/0/None
Shapeshift into a cat of greater ability.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available.
Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Urlan is more resistant to damage when Ursula is on the battlefield. Give defensive bonus to adjacent Nordagh allies. Immediate counter attack when an incoming opponent attack misses.
Older Brother 0/0/None Inspiration Riposte 12/0/None 22/1s/None
[Top] Ursula (medium, hero)
Ursula is great. She's pretty fast and agile for a medium gladiator and has high defense allowing her to dodge many attacks. Throughout the game a few unique powers will manifest for her. Like Valens, she can Empower Self for a temporary boost to her power, damage, and defense. As time goes on, she'll also gain the power to Summon Shield to temporarily replace a shield destroyed in battle, and later she can heal wounded allies (although the healing is pretty minimal).
The best weapon for Ursula seems to be the Altan (axe/fire) that can be purchased in Odin's Keep the second time the school is in Nordagh. In general, fire is a good affinity for Ursula, but there isn't any exceptional affinity-specific equipment for her, so any affinity will work. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic High Kick Attack Spell Blast 0/4s/Masher A powerful blast of white light energy that damages all opponents within range (2 square radius around Ursula). It's a decent area attack if you're good at mashing the A B buttons. Energy Blast 18/3s/Special Spell blast of energy. Standard move to attack. Heavy damage kick attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
4/3s/None
Overhead Cleave Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special
Empower Self 0/2s/None damage for 3 rounds.
A divine gift of increased combat abilities. Boosts defense, accuracy,
Summon Shield 0/0/None Replace destroyed shield with magical shield of Light. Ursula must have started battle with a shield to use this power. Ursula develops this power at level 3. Light Beam 0/0/Aim Healing beam that extends 5 squares straight out from Ursula; damages those aligned with the Dark Affinity. Heals/damages for about 40 to 50 hitpoints. This power only manifests itself during the Ursula campaign. Ursula develops this power at level 5. On Guard 10/0/None Increase defense next turn. Blind all opponents within range.
Blinding Flash 22/2s/Special Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Dodge 0/0/None Shield Block Standard defensive maneuver. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. Ursula is powered up when Urlan is on battlefield.
0/0/None
Sibling Rivalry 0/0/None
Awareness Off Balance
20/0/None 38/0/None
No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind. Lowers opponent defense if opponent misses attack.
[Top] Valens (medium, hero)
Valens is probably the most well-rounded medium combatant in the game. He has great power and exceptional defense. Unless the school is fighting all heavies, Valens is always a good choice for battle.
Valens has high defense and hit points, and very few low statistics. His lowest score is usually initiative.
His strong suite of skills includes a unique skill called Wide Swing which targets the three squares facing him in one direction. Some of his skills allow him to become immune to nasty effects and avoid flanking, while others, like the innate Munio's Spirit boost his already impressive defense.
Water Affinity works well for Valens, but there is little difference between all four. Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Attack Stagger Foe Wide Swing 4/2s/Aim 10/3s/None Reduce opponent movement rate and normal damage. Sweeping attack that damages multiple opponents in front of character. Reduce opponent accuracy. Strong attack using shield. Spinning attack that knocks back any unit around Valens. Reduce opponent initiative. Standard move to attack. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Bungle Enemy 18/2s/Aim Shield Hit Smack Back Target Head 24/1s/Special 30/4s/Aim 34/3s/Aim
Overhead Cleave
Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Empower Self 0/2s/None A divine gift of increased combat abilities. Boosts defense, accuracy, damage for 3 rounds. Begin with this skill. On Guard Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available. 4/2a/None Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air, 12/0/None Increase defense next turn. 6/2s/Chain 12/3s/Chain 22/4s/Chain 34/5s/Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AB Three hit attack. Meter: ABA Four hit attack. Meter: ABAB Five hit attack. Meter: ABABA
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Munio's Spirit 0/0/None skill. People's Champion Dodge 0/0/None Shield Block Evasion Awareness Receive large defensive bonus when Hit Points are low. Begin with this
0/0/None
Crowd Meter increases faster. Gained at level 6.
Standard defensive maneuver. Begin with this skill. Standard defensive maneuver with shield. Begin with this skill. More efffective defensive maneuver. No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind. Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
0/0/None 12/0/None 18/0/None
Indomitable Will Discipline
18/0/None
32/0/None
Immune to stun, confusion, charm and fear.
Off Balance
38/0/None
[Top] Wolf (beast, light)
Wolves are decent light beasts. They are overshadowed later in the game by Plains Cats, but can be useful in the early game to race for highground in king-of-the-hill battles. They have great initiative, and movement, but don't tend to be terribly accurate.
Wolves, like Bandits, work best in pairs, so the Pack Mentality skills are a good choice for them. Also, the two Lupus Call skills allow healing, which is always useful. Pull Down is a great skill when going up against big opponents and allows your allies to beat on the opponent while they're on the ground.
There is no way to recruit Greater Wolves. Skill Move Snap Nip Attack Target Leg 10/2s/Aim Reduce opponent movement rate. Reduce opponent accuracy. Increase defense next turn. Tearing attack that causes bleeding damage. Prolonged stomping attack. Big damage is possible with this. Tearing attack that causes extreme bleeding damage. 0/0/Basic 0/2s/Special Standard move to attack. Weak running attack with high accuracy (+25). Learn/Use/Meter Description
Bungle Enemy 24/2s/Aim On Guard Tear Throat Pull Down Shred Throat Combo Combo Attack 1 12/0/None 18/4s/Special 34/4s/Special 40/5s/Special
6/2s/Slow Chain
Two hit attack. Meter: AB
Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Lupus Call Fearful Snarl Lupus Call 2
12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain
Three hit attack. Meter: ABA Four hit attack. Meter: ABAB Five hit attack. Meter: ABABA
Partially recover Hit Points of self. Intimidate opponent; moves back one square. Partially recover Hit Points of allies within range. Intimidate oppoents within range; causes retreat.
Heightened Snarl Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Affinity Attack 2 Earth only.
38/3s/Special
Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth only. Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth only. Affinity Attack 4 in arena. Earth only. Innate Beast Dodge Pack Courage 0/0/None 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. Increase movement and initiative when near other wolves. Critical hit gives all wolves a free attack on targeted opponent. 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents
Pack Mentality 1 Riposte Evasion
8/0/None
22/1s/None 30/0/None
Immediate counter strike when an incoming enemy attack misses. More effective defensive maneuver. Successful hit gives all wolves a free attack on targeted
Pack Mentality 2 opponent.
36/0/None
[Top] Yeti (heavy)
The Yeti is a powerful heavy gladiator that can be picked up in Nordagh. In the Ursula campaign, Iaar the Yeti is invaluable because he's the only heavy gladiator available at that stage in the game. Iaar will appear in the Vargen recruitment pool once the school has proven themselves to the Yeti elders in the Trial of the Elders league. Even if you have Samnites and Centurions, the Yeti is a solid (and unique!) addition to the school. One of the downsides is that Yetis don't wear armour, shields, or helmets so they're light on defense, but can pick up several abilities to compensate.
Statistically, Yetis are all about high power, with hit points above average, and everything else is average. One of their downsides is that they can't wear armour, shields, or helmets so they're light on defense, which makes it important to pick up some defensive skills.
Cry of Anger and Back Off can be combined to outright kill almost any opponent that walks adjacent to the Yeti. Thick Hide and Defend are probably the best of the defensive skills, and should be taken to cover a lack of defense, but the are also good skills available to make the Yeti immune to effects and even regain hit points. Ice Breath and Numbing Blows can also prove useful for immobilizing opponents.
Earth affinity works well for Yetis. There's definitely a lack of Yeti weapons in the game, which is probably reasonable considering there's only one Yeti gladiator. In Imperia the best weapon is the Biathainne, and in the Windward Steppes it's the Skullbasher bought in The Wastes Skill Move Strike 0/0/Basic Standard move to attack. Run across battlefield to attack foes who are farther away. Open handed attack that causes heavy damage. Learn/Use/Meter Description
Running Attack 8/2s/Match Fierce Backhand Attack Heavy Claw 4/2s/Masher quick opponents. Numbing Blows initiative. Heavy Strike
34/4s/Special
Heavy damage attack. A -20 to accuracy means that it likely won't hit
18/5s/Special
Series of hits causing cold damage; reduces movement and
40/5s/None
Combo Combo Attack 1 Combo Attack 2 Combo Attack 3 Combo Attack 4 Special Defend 8/0/None Back Off Cry of Anger Give up turn to reduce damage received until next turn. Immediately attack the next opponent that walks near. Increase attack damage for several turns. Adjacent opponents will retreat. Cold breath that can freeze opponents. Give up turn to regain Hit Points. Give up turn to greatly reduce damage received until next turn. 6/2s/Slow Chain 12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain Two hit attack. Meter: AB Three hit attack. Meter: AYX Four hit attack. Meter: AYXB Five hit attack. Meter: AYXBA
20/0/None 12/3s/Aim
Fearsome Yell 22/3s/Special Ice Breath Hibernation 24/3s/Special 30/3s/None
Heightened Defense Smack Back Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.
32/2s/None
36/3s/None
Heavy attack that can knock an opponent back.
4/2a/None
Affinity Attack 3 20/4a/None Mightiest attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods; special effect depending on type. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Affinity Attack 4 36/5a/None Summon a servant of the Affinity Gods to attack all opponents in arena. Earth, Air, Fire, Water available. Innate Parry 0/0/None Standard defensive maneuver. 6/0/None Immune to stun.
Deliberate Nature Thick Hide
12/0/None
Reduce damage received.
Indomitable Will
19/0/None
Immune to root, petrify, blindness and freeze.
[Top] 6. Cheats and secrets
Here are the cheats and secrets found in the game so far. With a little planning and judicious use of the various gladiators, there's nothing in the game that's truly difficult, so cheats aren't necessary (but they can be fun to play with).
Munio's Equipment for Valens On the Windward Steppes, in Ononhaar's Ghawza Open league, there's a battle called Middleweight Class that sometimes has opponents named Valens, Ludo, Ludouber, etc. If you happen to see an opponent named Valens wearing awesome-looking armour compete in that battle, and when Valens drops a chest, pick it up. It's possible to get a Munio's Sword, Munio's Armour, or Munio's Shield. They're all pretty awesome. It can be tricky getting the super Valens to appear. When you enter the battle setup screen, press X twice to see the second set of opponents, and if Valens isn't there exit to the league screen and go back in. It can take a long time to get this to work, but super Valens does exist.
[Top]

Gladius (Text) Strategy Guide

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Gladius Strategy, Quest, and Character Guide Table of Contents

Here's a synopsis of the game written by LucasArts:

2. Strategy and tips Combat strategy

3. Quests and special tournaments

Cartha and Post-Cartha (End game)

[Top] 4. Towns, arenas, and shops

Pirgos Pirgos Arena

Emperor's Annex The Loyalist Via Domus

Agamede Caryatis Scotia's Sciras Artemis Scotia

The Forge of Exuro Trinkets

Syrna Theatre Antiquitis Nordagh Orin

Orin's Armory Ryon

Vargen Fjord of the Fallen Sloan Forest

Bifrost Hazel Birgitte

Stadium Dreas Ragnarok's Keep

Mordare's Den The Dragonslayer Altahrun Duger's Imports Altahrun Duger

Windward Steppes Yuset Arena Suren

Ononhaar The Wastes

Ononhaar Arena Wandering Soul Akar An

Southern Expanse Qaa Rah Saraa Izel

Scorched Oasis None

Offering Plate Bazaar Aziza

[Top] Amazon (support)

Quick, low power attack.

Multiple arrow range attack with area effect.

36/2s/Special Strong kick attack.

8/2s/Slow Chain 12/3s/Slow Chain 22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain

Lower initiative of male opponent. Root male opponent.

Cold Shoulder 22/0/Special Cover Area 24/1s/None

Wink 28/0/None adjacent square. Beguile 32/2s/Special Blind 32/2s/Special

Charm 38/4s/Special Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.

Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air,

Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Earth, Air, Fire, Water available.

Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.

[Top] Archer (support)

12/2s/Aim 10/3s/Special 0/2s/Aim 10/3s/Aim 36/4s/Aim 38/5s/Aim

22/4s/Special 30/3s/Special 32/4s/Special

6//2s/Slow Chain 12/3s/Slow Chain

22/4s/Slow Chain 34/5s/Slow Chain

Whistling Arrow Affinity Affinity Attack 1 Fire, Water available.

Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air,

Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Earth, Air, Fire, Water available.

Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.

[Top] Bandit (light)

Running Attack 6/2s/Special Sprinting Attack

Pierce Defense 24/2s/Special Attack

Quick attack that evades opponent shield.

6/2s/Chain 12/3s/Chain 22/4s/Chain 34/5s/Chain

Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Earth, Air, Fire, Water available.

Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.

Group Courage 8/0/None Backstabber Evasion Riposte 10/0/None 20/0/None 22/1s/None

Heightened Evasion Awareness

No bonus given to enemies when attacked from behind.

[Top] Barbarian (medium)

Running Attack 10/2s/Match Attack Target Leg 4/2s/AIm

Reduce opponent movement rate.

24/5s/Masher Heavy overhead attack; may break opponent's helmet.

8/0/None 12/1s/None 20/1s/None 22/4s/None 30/4s/None

Attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods. Earth, Air,

Affinity Attack 2 10/3a/None Earth, Air, Fire, Water available.

Mighty attack enhanced by the power of the Affinity Gods.

Totem of the Bear

Totem of the Falcon

Increase accuracy in battle.