Author of the guide: Impulse
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Introduction

In this guide we'll get to know the main races in the game, class archetypes, we'll distribute them by fighting style and equipment used, and at the end we'll try to answer the popular question "which class to play?".
Remember that this guide only serves as a recommendation, in Essence each class is self-sufficient and you can choose any of them, without distinction.

Lineage 2 Essence races

The current version of the game offers each player a choice of 7 races. Each has its own set of characteristics and includes different class archetypes.

1. Humans - humans are the most popular race with the largest number of classes, most of them with balanced characteristics.
2. Elves - elves are fast and skilful, distinguished by their speed of attack and movement, but they deal less damage than the others.
3. Dark Elfs - apply more damage and have high attack power and strength, but at the same time are more vulnerable and have less defense than the others.
4. Orcs - have high physical strength and HP (life points) values, and are generally slower in movement and attack speed.
5. Dwarven - have high defense and HP values and also attack potential, but are very limited when choosing a class.
6. Kamaels - a balanced race, distinguished by a special mechanic of collecting the souls of enemies to transform and increase their attributes.
7. Sylphs - fast and agile, using firearms as their main method of attack, they can apply extremely powerful damage to single targets.
8. High Elves - high elves in which each gender has different and well-defined characteristics; the male high elf uses sword and shield to cause damage and heal allies, while the female high elf masters the elements of water, fire, nature and powerful light magic.

The table below clearly demonstrates the difference in characteristics between the classes, and also shows the characteristics of the classes within each race. But first we need to clarify which of their characteristics influence what:

• STR - strength, affects physical attack damage and physical attack critical hit chance
• INT - intelligence, affects magic attack damage
• DEX - agility, affects attack speed, physical accuracy, physical evasion and chance of physical critical hits
• WIT - wisdom, affects magical speed, magical accuracy, magical evasion and chance of magical critical hits
• CON - resistance, affects the maximum amount of HP and CP, weight limit, chance to block with a shield
• MEN - spirituality, affects magic defense, maximum MP, chance to cancel magic

How should I choose the itens

Weapons

There are several types of weapons in the world of Lineage 2 Essence, the ideal weapon depends on the type of class you choose, some class abilities can only be used if you have a specific weapon, so take a look at the section below to understand the functions of each class and which weapon is ideal for them.

Armors

Armors are classified into 3 types (Heavy, Light and Robe)

• Heavy armor is suitable for fighters in general, especially tankers and warriors.
• Light armor is suitable for archers and daggers. Some classes such as summoners, healers and shamans also have passive skills that improve status when wearing light equipment.
• Robe is armor for mages in general, which has passive abilities for these types of armors

In Lineage 2 Essence, you don't need to complete a set of armors to get status from a set, in C and B grade armors, you can get bonuses from 2 pieces of the same set, the bonuses for using all the pieces of the same set are applied as "penalty removal". So, you can use different parts of B grade armors to get different bonuses.

• Example: you can use Blue Wolf Breastplate, Blue Wolf Gaiters, Blue Wolf Helmet (Heavy) to receive STR +3, DEX +1 and Speed +7 bonuses and at the same time use Doom Gloves (Light) and Doom Boots (Light) to receive DEX +1 and P. Atk +2.7% bonuses. If you don't use a complete B-Grade set you'll receive some negative bonuses, so you can choose whether to use different pieces or pieces from the same set depending on your needs.

In A-Grade armors, there is no bonus for using parts of the same set, so you can choose different pieces of A-Grade to make up your defensive equipment.
The advice in this case is to choose an armor (breastplate and gaiters) according to the type of resistance you'd like to improve. For example, to get more Stun resistance you should wear Majestic-type armor (heavy, light or robe depending on your class).

Support" classes

Tankers

They have a wide range of defensive abilities, both active and passive, as well as a unique "aggression" ability to divert enemies' attention to themselves while their allies carry out their duties.

Tankers are very popular in PVP, especially in pvps involving several groups, as well as in group PVE activities, since the Tanker in zGaming has the best potential for attracting mobs to a farm AoE.

Suitable equipment:

• Heavy armor;
• Sword or Blunt;
• Shield.

These are the tankers and their races:

• Phoenix Knight [human]
• Hell Knight [human]
• Eva's Templar [elf]
• Shillien Templar [dark elf]

Healers

In all versions of the Lineage 2 game and in any chronicle, the "healer" class is the most important and valuable profession that can change the outcome of any battle. A healer's most important task is to restore the health (HP) of allies, cast positive protection skills, as well as resurrect other characters in the event of death.

In the Essence version, the healer class has received a variety of attack skills, allowing them to easily hunt monsters on their own, and in 1×1 PVP they can pose a threat to almost any class.

Suitable equipment:

• Robe or light armor;
• Magic Sword, Magic Blunt or Staff;
• Shield or Sigil.

These are the healers and their races:

• Cardinal [human]
• Eva's Saint [elf]
• Shillien Saint [dark elf]

Buffers

Classes that have various group support abilities that enhance the offensive and defensive abilities of allies.

In the Essence version, the buff system has been completely redesigned, and now all essential buffs are available to the character himself in all classes, which significantly strengthens him in PVP and PVE.

But at the same time, specific "buffing" classes can use something on their allies:

• Orc Shamans can heal the entire group (allies and the entire clan) with a special ability that replenishes health every second.
• Sword Muse and Spectral Dancers can cast songs and dances that increase their allies' characteristics.

Suitable equipment:

• Heavy, Robe or Light armor;
• Dual Sword, Sword, Blunts and Staffs;
• Shield or Sigil.

These are the buffers and their breeds:

• Sword Muse [elf]
• Spectral Dancer [dark elf]
• Doomcryer [orc]
• Dominator [orc]

DD" classes (damage dealers)

And then let's talk about a group of classes - damage dealers (DD), whose main task is to cause damage. They are divided into several types: melee fighter, ranged fighter and mages.

Fighter Melee

Melee warriors are considered classes whose damage is dealt over a short and/or almost short distance.

They have high health and defense parameters and have balanced characteristics for a successful hunt. Some classes can take advantage of "lures", which is the name given to the accumulation of several monsters to kill them simultaneously, for example Warlords, Titans and Blacksmiths. Most warriors have the ability to quickly "rush" a target, shortening the distance by a fraction of a second.

The Hierophant can also be considered a mid-range warrior: it's a hybrid class with physical and magical skills from the Human race, and the way you equip your character determines what kind of class you are. To make the most of your potential, it's best to focus on just one of the builds: physical or magical.

Suitable equipment:

• Heavy armor;
• Sword, Two-Handed Sword, Dual Sword, Spear, Fists and Blunts;
• Sigil.

These are the melee warriors and their races:

• Dreadnought [human]
• Duelist [human]
• Hierophant [human]
• Titan [orc]
• Grand Khavatari [orc]
• Vanguard Rider [orc]
• Fortune Seeker [dwarf]
• Maestro [dwarf]
• Doombringer [kamael]
• Divine Templar [high elf]

Daggers

A distinctive group of melee warriors who specialize in quick and deadly attacks. Due to their agility, they have high evasion rates, attack and movement speed, but at the same time they have low defense and life indicators, which creates certain problems when hunting monsters and in PVP.

A dagger's main objective is to inflict maximum damage with a dagger in a minimum amount of time, otherwise the dagger runs the serious risk of receiving a deadly response.

Skills that make you completely invisible will help you hide from enemies, as well as skills that increase your evasion rates several times over a certain period of time.

Suitable equipment:

• Light armor;
• Dagger;
• Sigil.

These are the daggers and their breeds:

• Adventurer [human]
• Wind Rider [elf]
• Ghost Hunter [dark elf]

Rangers (Archers/Sylph)

Rangers are a very popular class in almost every Lineage 2 update, and Essence is no exception, allowing them to do even more damage at long range and use combo skills.

Archers have high movement speed, high evasion, but at the same time poor defense and low HP, so the main tactic for archers is to stay as far away from the enemy as possible.

The rangers also include the Storm Blaster (Sylph), who has a weapon unique to the world of Lineage 2 - pistols. The class is fairly easy to manage, is mobile and, at the same time, deals triple damage consistently (by learning the Extra Hit skill). Its HP is higher than that of archers and it can also exceed its maximum movement speed, which will help it quickly escape from the enemies chasing it.

Suitable equipment:

• Light armor;
• Bow and Pistol;
• Sigil.

These are the rangers and their races:

• Sagittarius [human]
• Moonlight Sentinel [elf]
• Ghost Sentinel [dark elf]
• Trickster [kamael]
• Storm Blaster [sylph]

Wizards

Wizards are long-range magicians who use a huge arsenal of magical abilities. As a rule, each representative of the magicians has a certain element. For example, elves use water magic and dark elves use wind. But fundamentally there is no difference between the elements, the only difference is in the animation of the skills.

Warlocks have various debuffs that block the target's movement, have mastered the Sleep spell and can also use defense skills using their MP value.

The Soul Hound can also be considered a mage: it's a hybrid class with physical and magical skills from the Kamael race, but its main ability, which it uses in most cases, is magical.

The disadvantages of wizards include a very small amount of Physical Defense and HP, high MP consumption and low movement speed.

Suitable equipment:

• Robe armor;
• Magic Sword, Magic Blunts, Staffs and Rapiers;
• Sigil.

These are the wizards and their races:

• Archmage [human]
• Soultaker [human]
• Hierophant [human]
• Mystic Muse [elf]
• Storm Screamer [dark elf]
• Soul Hound [kamael]
• Element Weaver [high elf]

Summoners

Summoner - that's what they call the magical class of summoners, whose mechanics consist of summoning various creatures that perform the functions. In the first versions of the game, the summoner himself acted as a healer for his summoned creature, but in the Essence version the role has changed slightly, now the summoner is an independent combat unit, and the summoned Summons' animals serve him as assistants, for example, they recover the owner MP and receive part of the damage the owner receives, as well as applying independent damage to enemy targets.

The disadvantages of summoners are practically the same as those of elemental magicians: low defense and low movement speed, as well as having few damage abilities on the character itself.

Suitable equipment:

• Robe armor and Light Armor;
• Magic Sword, Magic Blunts, Staffs and Rapiers;
• Sigil.

These are the summoners and their races:

• Arcana Lord [human]
• Elemental Master [elf]
• Spectral Master [dark elf]

Death Knights

One of the strongest classes in the world of Lineage 2 Essence. A melee warrior, he is able to lure enemies from afar using pull skills, as well as approach them quickly. DK has enormous physical damage, a large number of control skills and a unique survival mechanic: when he takes fatal damage, he gains immortality for a time, which makes it possible to change the outcome of the battle. The Death Knight has a large number of skills that target multiple targets, allowing him to hunt even faster and more efficiently.

Humans, Elves and Dark Elves can become Death Knights. Their basic skills are identical, with the exception of a few unique abilities.

Suitable equipment:

• Heavy armor;
• Sword;
• Sigil.

These are the Death Knights and their races:

• Death Knight [human, elf and dark elf]

Assassins

A new and completely unique class in the world of Lineage 2 Essence, distinguished by a special skill mechanic that allows you to summon and use countless "shadows" for even more effective hunting and successful confrontation with other players in PVP.

Almost all of the Assassin's abilities can deal damage from a distance. The Assassin, like the DK, is a formidable opponent for almost every other class in the game, human male and dark elf female can choose this class, and the set of skills and characteristics for them is completely identical.

Suitable equipment:

• Light armor;
• Dagger;
• Sigil.

These are the Assassins and their races:

• Assassin [human male and dark elf female]

Meta classes

The "meta" is the strongest class, which dominates the world of Essence over all other classes. As a rule, the "meta" can change with the addition of equipment to the game, new content and the release of skills.
At zGaming, we constantly apply class balancing, our aim being to make each class unique and useful in various aspects of PvE and PvP, so that you can choose what you like best without worrying about any "meta" in the game.

Which class should I choose?

Let's get back to the main question of the guide: which class to choose? And here's the most important secret of Lineage 2 Essence: there is no right answer to choosing a class.

Each player chooses what they like based on various parameters, so set your objectives in the game, and based on these objectives it will be easier for you to answer the question "which class to choose?"

To make this choice easier, I'm going to list some classes and their main advantages in PvE and PvP as a personal opinion, which changes according to each player's thinking.

Solo player: Classes with high potential

If you play alone and don't want to join a group, one of the classes below may be the right one for you:

• Soul Hound - has specific single-target abilities, has a comfortable game from the start to the end-game phases
• Shillien Saint - has a high MP recovery power, especially at the beginning of the game it will save you mana recovery and MP potions. This class also has a high farm potential in groups as it has the Stigma of Shillen debuff, which is important for optimizing a farm PvE.
• Summoners (Arcana Lord, Elemental Master, Spectral Master) - with summons that can recover your MP and make you save, from summons that cause high damage to targets, the summoner classes can be a good choice for an independent player
• Storm Blaster - sylphs have high damage on single targets, can be a good option for players who intend to play solo, however, this class needs itens to have a higher potential.
• Daggers (Adenturer, Wind Rider, Ghost Hunter) - with their game mechanics and high damage output, daggers are interesting classes for a quick farm for those who don't want to invest so much in their character.
• Dreadnought, Maestro, Fortune Seeker - because they have Provoke (a skill that attracts many monsters) and area attack (AoE) skills, these classes have a lot of solo potential farming in AoE without relying on others. Obviously, if you want to take advantage of this potential in areas with stronger monsters, you should find a group and improve your skills even more. farm
• Bards (Spectral Dancer, Sword Muse) - swordsingers and bladedancers have dances and songs that will help a lot in PvE, as well as evasion features that allow them to kill stronger mobs in the game.
• Element Weaver - with the mechanics of skill combos, this is a class with great potential for farm solo AoE

Group: Classes with high potential

If you play with groups or want to join one, these classes may be more interesting and you can take advantage of their potential. You can play solo with these classes, but it may not be as comfortable for you.

• Healers - healers are very useful in farm AoE when it's necessary to apply healing to allies. In addition, Cardinals and Eva's Saints have the ability to attract mobs, which optimizes farm as a group. In addition to maintaining the durability of allies in PvP, they help by removing debuffs
• Tankers - tankers are essential for optimizing the potential of a farm group, attracting a high number of mobs and applying buffs to allies. In PvP, they help by attracting enemies and making the game more comfortable for their allies.
• Warriors - basically all melee warriors have area attack (AoE) skills, which are important damage dealers for attacking multiple targets or even specific target types such as Wizards and Healers.
• Archers - archers greatly optimize their potential by playing in a group with other archers, attacking the same target with explosive damage makes the game easier and the damage potential of the whole group is revealed
• Wizards - apply high damage to both single targets and areas, but are vulnerable. It is recommended that you have healers and/or tankers in your group to protect you.
• Death Knights - for their part, DKs initially have single-target attacks, later learning important AoE skills, especially in PvP. These AoE skills have high re-use times but are very impactful in massive PvP.