Dark Knight
The front line class: more health per level than any other, strength damage and the only combo in the game.
Updated on August 10, 2026The Dark Knight hits up close, takes a beating and is the class that depends the least on gear to work early on. He gains 2 health per level and 3 per vitality point, the two highest numbers in the game, and his damage comes straight from strength. In exchange his skill range is short: most of them stop at 2 or 3 tiles, and only Strike of Destruction and the Season 20 skills reach 5.
- 5points per level
- STR/6 to STR/4damage from strength
- +3health per vitality
- ×2skill damage multiplier
How he plays in practice
From level 1 to 400 the Dark Knight is a class about closing distance: you walk up to the pack and use Twisting Slash or Rageful Blow to clear it. The rhythm changes when Death Stab (level 160) and Strike of Destruction (which requires the Gain Hero Status quest) come in, because from then on you one shot what used to take three hits.
From third class on he gets the only movement skill in the lineage, Rush, which pushes him into the target, plus three buffs of his own. His skill damage multiplier is 2, twice what the Elf, the Wizard and the Summoner get: every point of base damage written on a skill is worth twice as much in the Dark Knight's final math.
Starting stats and points
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Starting strength | 28 |
| Starting agility | 20 |
| Starting vitality | 25 |
| Starting energy | 10 |
| Starting health | 110 |
| Starting mana | 20 |
| Points per level | 5 (6 after the Gain Hero Status quest) |
The formulas that matter
| What | Formula |
|---|---|
| Minimum physical damage | Strength / 6 |
| Maximum physical damage | Strength / 4 |
| Maximum health | 35 + (2 × level) + (3 × vitality) |
| Maximum mana | 10 + energy + (0.5 × level) |
| Base defense | Agility / 3 |
| Final defense | half the base defense |
| Hit rate (PvM) | (5 × total level) + (1.5 × agility) + (0.25 × strength) |
| Attack speed | Agility / 15 |
| Maximum Ability Gauge | energy + (0.2 × agility) + (0.15 × strength) |
| Maximum shield (SD) | 1.2 × (strength + agility + vitality + energy) + final defense + (total level² / 30) |
| Combo bonus | (0.7 × strength) + (0.3 × agility) + (0.4 × energy) |
The evolution chain
| Generation | Name | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dark Knight | free creation |
| 2nd | Blade Knight | level 150, Treasures of MU quest (Sebina, Devias) |
| 3rd | Blade Master | level 400, Into the 'Darkness' Zone quest (Priest Devin) |
| 4th | Dragon Knight | total level 800, the three Cent trials in the Trial Area map |
| 5th | Ignition Knight | total level 1200, Eunice in Devias |
Attack skills
Damage is the base damage written on the skill, which goes into the math on top of the weapon and character damage. Range is in tiles. Skills with no damage listed only add the normal hit damage.
| No. | Skill | Damage | Range | Mana | AG | How you learn it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Falling Slash | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | Lent by the equipped sword |
| 20 | Lunge | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | Lent by the equipped sword |
| 21 | Uppercut | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | Lent by the equipped sword |
| 22 | Cyclone | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | Lent by the equipped sword |
| 23 | Slash | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | Lent by the equipped sword |
| 44 | Crescent Moon Slash | 90 | 4 | 22 | 15 | Comes with the character at creation |
| 47 | Impale | 15 | 3 | 8 | 0 | Orb of Impale, level 28, 10,000 zen |
| 41 | Twisting Slash | 0 | 2 | 10 | 10 | Orb of Twisting Slash, level 80, 29,000 zen |
| 49 | Fire Breath | 30 | 3 | 9 | 0 | Horn of Dinorant equipped, level 110 |
| 76 | Plasma Storm | 60 | 6 | 50 | 20 | Horn of Fenrir equipped, level 110 |
| 43 | Death Stab | 70 | 2 | 15 | 12 | Orb of Death Stab, level 160, 85,000 zen |
| 42 | Rageful Blow | 60 | 3 | 25 | 20 | Orb of Rageful Blow, level 170, 150,000 zen |
| 232 | Strike of Destruction | 110 | 5 | 30 | 24 | Crystal of Destruction, level 220, requires the Gain Hero Status quest, 380,000 zen |
The three Season 20 skills
These only exist from Blade Master on. The orbs cost 500,000 or 600,000 zen at the Skill Master and require level 400 and third class to be consumed.
| No. | Skill | Damage | Range | Mana | AG | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 813 | Rush | 178 | 5 | 60 | 30 | Pushes you into the target before hitting. Has a 10 second cooldown |
| 723 | Fire Blow | 120 | 5 | 45 | 24 | Area centered on the target, radius 2, fire element |
| 1501 | Sword Blow | 30 | 5 | 40 | 22 | Area centered on the target with radius 5, the widest coverage in the class |
Buffs
| No. | Buff | Target | Duration | Effect | Mana | AG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Defense | self | 4 s | Cuts incoming damage by 50% | 30 | 0 |
| 48 | Swell Life | party | 60 s + energy/5 | Multiplies maximum health by 1.12, plus 1% for every 20 energy and 1% for every 100 vitality | 22 | 24 |
| 1500 | Sword's Fury | self | 60 s | +30 skill damage | 60 | 20 |
| 1502 | Strong Belief | self | 60 s | +50 base defense | 80 | 22 |
| 1503 | Solid Protection | party, range 6 | 60 s | +20 base damage, +30 defense, +100 maximum health and +10 skill damage | 100 | 25 |
Defense comes from the equipped sword, not from an orb. Swell Life comes from the Orb of Greater Fortitude (level 120, 43,000 zen). The last three are the third class skills: you get all three for free on the evolution quest, and they also exist as orbs at the Skill Master.
In the master skill tree
The Blade Master third class tree has 69 nodes and 400 points to spend. The server rule is that the evolved version of a skill replaces the old one on the bar and adds up the bonuses, so you never end up with Death Stab and Death Stab Strengthener taking two slots: only the tip stays, and it already counts for everything you invested in the chain.
- The nodes that change your day to day the most are the Twisting Slash, Rageful Blow and Death Stab ones, because those are the three skills you use all the time.
- Combo Strengthener exists and feeds the combo bonus. It is the only node that interacts with the class exclusive mechanic.
- The Greater Defense, Greater Damage, Swell Life, Expansion of Wizardry, Triple Shot and Increase Block chains were collapsed: the mastery node points at the strengthener instead of the base, and only the tip shows up on the bar.
Gear
| Category | How many pieces the Blade Master can use |
|---|---|
| Swords | 28 |
| Axes | 8 |
| Maces and hammers | 7 |
| Spears | 12 |
| Shields | 19 |
| Helms, armor, pants, gloves and boots | 20 to 21 of each |
| Wings and back items | 18 |
The Dark Knight is the class with the widest variety of physical damage weapons in the game. He is also the only one who gets real value out of a shield, because his defense comes from agility and the shield adds straight into defense. In the Season 20 mastery weapons he has four lines of his own: one handed sword, magic sword, claw and two handed magic sword.
Strengths and weaknesses
- More health than any class: 2 per level and 3 per vitality, on a base of 35.
- Skill damage multiplier of 2, the same as the Magic Gladiator and the Dark Lord, twice the magic classes.
- Exclusive combo, with three steps and its own bonus in the tree.
- Rush gives mobility no other melee class has.
- It forgives a bad build: strength and vitality solve almost everything.
- Short range: most skills stop at 2 or 3 tiles, so you take damage to deal damage.
- 5 points per level until you do Gain Hero Status.
- Depends on a good weapon more than the magic classes, because skill damage adds onto weapon damage.
- Without wings and a decent set, he is slow to clear big packs compared to the Wizard.
- Energy does almost nothing for him beyond mana and AG.