Souleater Community Guide

Souleater
Community Guide

THIS GUIDE IS UP TO DATE WITH THE 2026 January Patch (FM)

                  Last Edit: 27 Jan 2026

Editors

Ciel, Stein

T3 Archive

Top Secret Version (Includes NE Ark Grid)

General FAQ

This document is a community driven full breakdown of the respective class. This is a live document where we actively change it based on feedback and changes to the game to provide the best information to the community. The majority of us hang around in the Community Lost Ark Discord in our respective class channels. If you would like to give us feedback or ask questions contact us there.

Souleater Identity

Souleater’s identity is a combined gauge system consisting of two distinct yet seemingly interdependent gauges.

The first identity gauge (Soul Stone Meter) comprises three (3) Soul Stones and can be filled on each use of Basic Attack, Ghast Skills and Stygian Skills. Deathlord Skills consume one (1) Soul Stone on use and cannot be cast without at least one (1) Soul Stone.

The second identity gauge (Possession Meter) is unsegmented and can be gradually filled with Basic Attacks, Deathlord Skills, and Stygian Skills. Upon reaching full Possession Meter, Deathlord Mode can be activated and lasts for 13 seconds or until all Soul Stones are consumed.

Upon Deathlord Mode activation,  Damage Amplification is applied to nearby enemies for 10 seconds and you’re granted 10% Attack Speed, 20% Move Speed, and +20% Crit Rate for the duration of Deathlord Mode. While inside Deathlord Mode any Deathlord Skills used by consuming Soul Stones gain 20% increased damage in addition to damage bonuses from specialization.

Each specific Souleater class engraving choice slightly modifies how these gauges generally function. In order to learn more about how your identity is affected by these modifications please refer to the Night's Edge and Full Moon Harvester detailed engraving descriptions.

Build Comparison

It’s mainly a matter of personal preference. Below is a short summary of the class engravings and their general strengths and weaknesses. For more detailed information, please refer to each build's respective sections below.

Night's Edge

Full Moon Harvester

Summary

Tempo-switching build alternating between a builder-spender playstyle and a faster-paced, rotation-free identity state.

Active builder-spender playstyle where you can unleash major burst damage with Deathlord Skills during Deathlord Mode.

Pros

  • Consistent/Stable damage profile.
  • Skill build diversity.
  • High burst damage.
  • Evolution, Engraving & Tripod diversity.
  • Cheaper gem setup.

Cons

  • Cannot fully control state switching.
  • Punishing to miss skills.

Party Synergies

Synergies are a buff your party benefits from. These only apply to your party and not the entire raid. Consistent synergies are up for most of the fight while Burst synergies are much more infrequent.

Damage

Amplification

Consistent

On hit, Damage to foes from all party members +6%

Skill

Death Yard (12s)

Thrashing (10s)

Lunatic Edge (10s)

Deathlord Mode Activation (10s)

Please note: The activation of Deathlord Mode (Z) provides the same party-wide synergy as all of the other skills listed above. The duration of this synergy should not be confused with the self-buffs or duration of Deathlord Mode.

What are the skill setup numbers?

Souleater builds can have a multitude of skills for various different reasons. Each skill setup is frequently described with a simple format that consists of a combined set of 3 numbers:

ABC (ex. 413)

A = Number of Ghast Skills

B = Number of Stygian Skills

C = Number of Deathlord Skills

Chaos Dungeon

Select Any 8 Depending On Class Engraving

Skill

Tripods

Runes

Skill

Tripods

Runes

Astaros

3

2/3

1/2

Wealth

Death Slash

3

3

1

Galewind

Death Order

2

3

2

Wealth

Vestige

1

2

1

Galewind

Soul Drain

1

1/3

2

Wealth

Guillotine Swing

3

3

1

Galewind

Spectral Coffin

2

3

2

Galewind

Gluttony

3

2

1

Quick Recharge

Lethal Spinning

2/3

2/3

1

Galewind

Thrashing

3

3

1/2

Galewind

Harvest

3

1

2

Quick Recharge


Reaper’s Scythe

2

2

1

Galewind

Awakening

Engravings

The End

Paradise

There’s no Night’s Edge you’re just stuck with scuffed Full Moon build

Skill

Lvl

Tripods

Skill

Lvl

Tripods

Astaros

14

3

3

2

Reaper’s Scythe

14

3

3

2

Death Order

10

1

3

2

Vestige

    14

1

2

1

Lunatic Edge

10

1

1

1

Guillotine Swing

   14

3

2

2

Spectral Coffin

10

2

3

2

Gluttony

10

1

1

2

     

Note: This class is so ass at paradise bro you just stuck with scuffed FM with no resets/cdr in burst and need to fish for T resets and crits. All Deathlord Mode  does here is make your Deathlord Skills Enhanced (~20% dmg increase) and some attack speed and synergy. Early stages will need gauge builders but you can swap them out for Lethal Spinning or Death Slash  as you get Specialty meter lines. Swap Gluttony  out for Soul Drain if you don’t need a counter but later bosses need a counter if you want them to stay still.

By Mid/Late Stages you should be in Deathlord Mode form permanently with how much gauge you get instantly but sitting there twiddling your thumbs waiting for pink skills.

Full Moon

Ark Passives

Standard Build

Evolution

Enlightenment

Leap

Critical
(10/30)

Specialization
(30/30)

Soul Affinity
(3/3)

Unleashed Power

(5/5)

Instant

Spell

(2/3)

Transcendent Power

(4/5)

Keen Sense
(2/2)

Illicit Spell
(1/2)

Full Moon Harvester
(3/3)

Death March of Darkness

(3/3)

Zealous

Smite
(1/2)

Unlimited Magick
(1/2)

Execution Enhancement
(3/3)

MP Furnace
(2/2)

Soul Guide
(5/5)

Soul Resonance
(2/3)

Notes

  • T1 Line: Full Spec/Crit Sub is still standard.
  • T2 Line: If you are only Legendary Adrenaline with Critical Elixir, the above setup will give you 71% Crit Base/91% Crit Burst. Feel free to move points into  Illicit Spell  and Limit Break as you get more crit.
  •  T3 Line: 2 in  Unlimited Magick can also be an option, as 2 pts can lower your gauge rota from about 16s to 14s, but this will tank your crit to about 58%/78%. Feel free to be flexible with this line with this in mind.
  • T4 Line:  MP Furnace should be the go-to option as you’re running -20% Mana Consumption and all your skills use mana. You can also default to  Standing Striker if you don’t want to potentially deal with mana problems. Generally don’t recommend Blunt Thorn.
  • Leap: Feel free to move the 2 pts from Instant Spell to Transcendent Power if you don’t have mp problems and don’t mind the slightly slower skill.
  • Enlightenment Note: 2 in Soul Guide is also the general minimum to skip 3rd vestige.

      Ark Grid

FM currently has 3 options:

311: Footsteps Sun Core, Otherworldly Power Moon Core, Otherworldly Monarch Star Core

Build that revolves around fast gauge building (about 12s) and using skills quickly

313: Footsteps Sun Core, Otherworldly Power Moon Core, Possession Star Core

Similar to 311 but uses Astaros/Gluttony in DLM

221: Swift Demise Sun Core, Eternal Power Moon Core, Otherworldly Monarch Star Core

Pre-ark grid style build that has a lot of QoL and very high floor

Engravings

Core Engravings

Pick One

Grudge

Adrenaline

Keen Blunt Weapon

Raid Captain

MP Efficiency

Cursed Doll

Stabilized Status

Notes

  • MP Efficiency provides 16% dmg while losing efficiency for normal Awakening and Bleed, but also covers any MP problems you might have specially if you run Mana Forge. Cursed Doll and Stabilized Status are also good alternatives if you want to min max damage while having different downsides.

Skills

Core Skills

Death Order

7

1

1

Wealth

Highest Meter Generation

  • Decently ranged point skill, but meter is generated over a short period of time rather than instant.

Astaros

14

3

2

2

Wealth

Secondary Meter Generator & Weak Point

  • Has decent damage compared to other Stygian Skills.
  • Wealth can be Rare (blue) quality, it won’t affect your building cycle by much.
  • Can flex Astaros DMG gem or Reaper’s Scythe CDR Gem as the final gem. Both aren’t that important.

Soul Drain

10

1

3

2

Wealth

Secondary Meter Generator

  • Decent meter generation.
  • Fast animation.
  • Mid-range.

Gluttony

10

1

3

2

Quick Recharge

Secondary Meter Generator & Weak Point

  • *Can be dropped to Level 7 if lacking skill points.
  • Misery is recommended due to lower cooldown, allowing better flexibility.
  • Onyx Moon Energy  can be taken to avoid the debuff from using Misery.
  • Can flex runes: Wealth, Purify, or Quick Recharge.
  • Note: Running Purify with Misery will mean you will only cleanse the misery debuff, as opposed to other debuffs.

Guillotine Swing

14

2

2

2

Focus

Main Damage Skill & Weak Point

  • Concussion  can be changed to Weak Point Enhancement  if more destruction points are needed.
  • Weak Point Detection  can be used to make the skill easier to land at the slight cost of damage (-2.94%).
  • Can flex runes: Galewind or Overwhelm.

Reaper's Scythe

14

2

1

2

Galewind

Main Damage Skill

  • Weak Point Detection  can be considered to convert the skill to normal mode at the cost of damage (-10.53%).
  • Can flex Astaros DMG gem or Reaper’s Scythe CDR Gem as the final gem. Both aren’t that important.

Vestige

14

1

3

1

Galewind

Main Damage Skill & Weak Point

  • Powerful Blow  is an option which converts the skill to normal mode at the cost of damage (-11.11%).

Lunatic Edge

10

1

1

1

Purify

Party Synergy Skill & Movement Speed Self Buff

  • Enhances Raid Captain as an engraving option due to ~19% Movement Speed buff for 8 seconds. This, in tandem with the movement speed bonus from identity (20%) allows capping bonus movement speed with ease.
  • Purify can be swapped to Quick Recharge or Focus.

T Skill and Awakening

Fatal Finale

Scales with spec, and use during Deathlord mode. Does about 44% more damage than Guillotine. Usually up every other Deathlord mode.

The End

Gradually deals damage around you, ending in a high-damage explosion.

Does NOT increase any form of gauge.

The Fatality

Gem Priority

Gems are listed in order of most to least important from left to right. Grayed out icons are optional gems.

DMG

CDR

                                                

Rotations

Tier 4

What’s changed for FM in tier 4?

TL;DR Faster Gauge Rotation (20s to 14-16s) , 4th Soulstone Skill (Use on T skill or 2nd Vestige)

Gauge rotation previously was 2 sets of Stygian Skills, 1 Guillotine, 1 Reaper Scythe, 3 Vestige. With the addition of  Soul Guide in Ark Passive, you can skip the 3rd Vestige, which lowers your gauge rotation by a good ~4 seconds. Typical gauge rotation would be:

(Set of Stygian skills) -> (Set of Reaper skills)-> (Set of Stygian skills)-> Burst

Deathlord Mode burst is changed slightly with the new T skill  Fatal Finale. Simply use it when it’s available during Deathlord mode at any order. A preferable rotation would be to use       Guillotine first, Vestige and/or Reaper Scythe, then end on  Fatal Finale as the third.

If you have Deathlord mode with 4 stones and  Fatal Finale is on cooldown, you can still freestyle your rotation as  Soul Guide covers the 3rd Vestige, though a preferable rotation would be:

Vestige->  Guillotine -> Reaper Scythe->

(Wait for Vestige stack to recover to 1-2s left) -> Vestige 

as this would allow you to recover with 3rd Vestige  if you were to miss any skills.

DPS Distribution (T4)

Based on Mordum G3 parses. Numbers can move around a bit

FAQ

What Elixirs should I use?

Critical.

Master/Critical for Blunt Thorn Build.

Night’s Edge

Ark Passives

If you have 60 leap points, refer to this FAQ

For karma progression tips, head here.

Master/Critical elixir can be used with both builds since they have very close performance (without considering party synergies). Critical is recommended for the most flexibility and benefits the most from crit rate party synergies and no reliance on maintaining stacks by casting/not getting hit.

Unlimited Magic Build

Evolution

Enlightenment

Leap

Critical
(30/30)

Swiftness
(10/30)

Night’s Edge
(3/3)

Unleashed Power

(5/5)

Release

Potential

(5/5)

Limit Break
(3/3)

Death Refinement
(3/3)

Judgment

(3/3)

Unlimited Magick
(2/2)

Broken

Edge
(3/3)

Soul Enhancement
(1/5)

Standing Striker
(2/2)

Soul Decapitation
(3/3)

Soul

Control
(1/5)

Notes

  •  Unlimited Magick 2 is one of the main reasons to run this build by sacrificing some damage-per-cast in favor of cooldown reduction. If you’re not exiting Soul Snatch early/often for bursts, consider  Transcendent Power over  Release Potential.
  • A point into  Destruction Charger (over 1 in  Unlimited Magick) is an option (usually in the presence of crit synergy/for more damage-per-cast by sacrificing some cooldown reduction (not recommended). Zealous Smite Lvl. 1 can also be considered for more consistency in crit rate. To maintain the same amount of cooldown reduction but gain more crit rate, consider points in Keen Sense .
  •  MP Furnace is not recommended over  Standing Striker due to Soul Decapitation not being classified as a mana consuming skill. However, it can be used if  Soul Decapitation has not been unlocked.
  • When choosing between Soul Enhancement and Soul Control, prioritize Soul Enhancement.
  • Recommended Elixir - Critical

Blunt Thorn Build

Evolution

Enlightenment

Leap

Critical
(30/30)

Swiftness
(10/30)

Night’s Edge
(3/3)

Unleashed Power

(5/5)

Release

Potential

(5/5)

Keen Sense
(2/2)

Limit Break
(1/3)

Death Refinement
(3/3)

Judgment

(3/3)

Unlimited Magick
(1/2)

Zealous

Smite
(1/2)

Broken

Edge
(3/3)

Soul Enhancement
(1/5)

Blunt
Thorn
(2/2)

Soul Decapitation
(3/3)

Soul

Control
(1/5)

  • Slightly longer skill cooldowns relative to the aforementioned in favor of higher damage-per-cast.
  • Even if  Blunt Thorn maximum threshold (119%) isn’t met, damage-per-cast is still comparable and relatively strong (on expected crit rate: 80%). The reason for not tunneling on reaching the  Blunt Thorn’s maximum threshold is: cooldown is extremely valuable for Night’s Edge.
  • Both elixir choices can be used, but as a general guideline:
  • With no crit synergies, master set is recommended.
  • With 1 crit synergy, consider critical elixir (master starts to lose value but remains a solid choice).
  • With 2 crit synergies, consider 2 points in  Unlimited Magick.
  • In cases where crit rate is above 119% crit rate, adjust second row to  Limit Break Lvl. 2-3.
  • When choosing between Soul Enhancement and Soul Control, prioritize Soul Enhancement.

Engravings

Core Engravings

Pick One

Grudge

Adrenaline

Keen Blunt Weapon

Raid Captain

Cursed Doll

Stabilized Status

Notes

  • MP efficiency is not recommended due to  Soul Decapitation not being classified as a mana skill.

Skills

Core Skills

Lunatic Edge

10

1

1

1

Conviction

Synergy Skill, Paralysis Immunity, Back Attack

  • Damage Amplifier - Synergy Skill
  • Shadow Snatch - Move Speed Buff
  • Deathlord’s Apprentice - Additional Hit
  • Alternative rune(s): Judgment,Quick Recharge

Harvest

14

3

1/3

1

Bleed

Damage Skill, Weak Point Lv.1, Low Stagger

  • Quick Prep - Cooldown Decrease
  • Day of Anguish - Crit Rate and Damage Increase
  • Deathlord’s Apprentice - Additional Hit
  • Alternative rune(s): Poison, Quick Recharge

Choose  Crossover when reaching (close to) crit rate cap depending on build: 100% for non-Blunt Thorn, 119% for Blunt Thorn.  Crossover offers a faster animation for the same amount of gauge.

Lethal Spinning

14

3

1

1

Galewind

Damage Skill, Mid Stagger, Paralysis Immunity

  • Keen Strike - Crit Damage Increase
  • Weak Point Detection - Damage Increase
  • Deathlord’s Apprentice -  Additional Hit
  • Alternative rune(s): Focus

Rusted Nail

7

3

1/3

Quick Recharge

Counter, Low Stagger, Paralysis Immunity, Back Attack

  • Quick Prep - Cooldown Decrease
  • Smite Location - First Hit Dash and Damage Increase
  • Tenacity - Push Immunity during skill
  • Alternative rune(s): Purify, Bleed, Poison

Soul Drain

10

3

3

2

Judgment

Meter Gen Skill, Mid Stagger, Paralysis Immunity

  • Mind Enhancement - MP Cost Decrease
  • Gravedigger - Skill is now a Normal Skill and Damage Increase
  • Death Grudge - Meter and Crit Damage Increase
  • Alternative rune(s): Conviction,Quick Recharge

Guillotine Swing

14

1/2

3

1

Vision

Damage Skill, Weak Point Level 1, High Stagger, Paralysis Immunity

  • Weak Point Enhancement - Weak Point Level +1
  • Concussion - Stagger is now High
  • Cross Swing - Damage Increase and Cooldown Decrease
  • Feiton’s Red Moon - Damage Increase
  • Alternative rune(s): Focus

Vestige

14

1/2

3

1

Galewind

Damage Skill, Weak Point Lv.1, Mid Stagger, Paralysis Immunity

  • Mind Enhancement - MP Cost Decrease
  • Weak Point Enhancement - Weak Point Level +1
  • Concentrated Attack  - Skill is now a Charge Skill and Damage Increase
  • Two Souls - Damage Increase and Skill stacks to two

Reaper's Scythe

14

2

3

1

Galewind

Damage Skill, Mid-High Stagger, Push Immunity

  • Tenacity - Grant’s Push Immunity on Skill use
  • Weak Point Detection - Damage Increase
  • Feiton’s Red Moon - Damage Increase

T Skill and Awakening

Frenzy Scythe

Hyper Awakening Skill (T Skill)

Classified as a Ghast Skill, hence it’s almost imperative to only use in Soul Snatch.

Generated three (3) Soul Stones in normal state which might be useful in rare cases.

Deathbringer

Deals a high amount of damage by continuously slashing forward and ends with a final massive strike.

This awakening is capable of generating three (3) Soul Stones.

Hyper form generates two (2) sets of three (3) Soul Stones allowing you to cast 2 enhanced Deathlord Skills.

Death Combination

Gem Priority

Gems are listed in order of most to least important from left to right. Grayed out icons are optional gems.

DMG

CDR

  Guillotine Swing and  Reaper’s Scythe cooldown gems are on a much higher priority than other cooldown gems. They can be viewed as the cooldown reduction of Soul Snatch state as well; faster cycling through Normal State results in faster transition to Soul Snatch state. Whenever possible, upgrade both gems equally.

 Vestige, Lethal Spinning and  Harvest cooldown gems share similar importance and can be upgraded later.

  • Vestige cooldown helps with better control of edge meter, especially in abnormal cases/pacing.
  • Significance of landing  Soul Decapitation places importance on how early you cast the second Lethal Spinning in Soul Snatch; giving you more room to look for a safe window.
  • Similar reason for the above applies to harvest, although less common to land a third cast of  Harvest.

Rotations

Standard

  • Back attack with  Reaper’s Scythe  and  Lethal Spinning  when convenient and take advantage of  Vestige  to reposition appropriately if needed.
  • It is good practice to use unenhanced  Vestige when sitting on 2 stacks early in case you might need a 3rd cast due to raid interruptions.

  • Although you can cast  Soul Decapitation  at any time to leave Soul Snatch, the next cycle is still bottlenecked by  Guillotine Swing’s  (in some other cases, any other Deathlord Skill) availability due to cooldown constraints. Use this judgement to decide when to leave soul snatch by casting  Soul Decapitation .

10-Second Burst Examples

If possible, always remember to pre-stack  Adrenaline and apply Synergy before starting any burst sequence. Some of these examples will require advanced preparation of edge meter, soul stone gauge and  available cooldowns. Setup images indicate a ballpark of where your gauge should be to execute these bursts. Some order of skills may not be strict; improvise where necessary.

All examples listed allow continuation of the regular rotation at the end.

Setup: 

  • Easier to set up during raid mechanics which allow you to hit objects for gauge.
  • Can be used as an opener in some cases.
  • A variation that requires less setup would be to cycle normally and delay  Frenzy Scythe to the latter portion of Soul Snatch.
  • Having both  Vestige stacks available is optional.

Setup:  & 3 Deathlord Skills off cooldown

  • When using Atropine potion, activate it just right before the first skill hits to be able to fit all skills. Hyper Awakening is not affected by Atropine, however, you have enough time to fit all other skills even with this sequence.
  • Cast the 2nd Enhanced Deathlord Skill right after coming out of the Hyper Awakening cinematic. Lingering AOE on the ground explodes to generate the final set of soul stones for the 3rd Enhanced Deathlord Skill.
  • If the window is too small, prioritize fitting  Frenzy Scythe in Atropine window (if used).

Setup:   & at least 2 Deathlord Skills off cooldown

  • Minimal setup required. Typical occurrence after some raid mechanics.
  • Amount of  Vestige to use depends on the remaining amount of edge meter to enter Soul Snatch (requires >10%) .

  • Least setup required. Perform in the latter section of regular rotation.
  • Just like before, when using Atropine potion, activate it just right before the first skill hits to be able to fit all skills and prioritize fitting  Frenzy Scythe in Atropine window.

DPS Distribution

NOTE: Do not aim to ‘fit’ your distribution to this distribution in every scenario. The optimal play at various raid scenarios may cause slight deviations from these charts. It is better to understand why these deviations may happen and if your decisions that caused deviations were optimal.

For example, with lower Soul Snatch uptime/use, Deathlord Skills will gain more DPS share. Expect  Guillotine Swing or  Vestige to have a bigger share occasionally. Some raids/group pacing might force such outcomes.

This distribution is end game focused and assumes Level 8 Damage Gems on all damage skills, Enlightenment 3/3 on Soul Decapitation and Leap 3/3 on Judgment. Awakenings and Bleed not considered.

FAQ

Can I use Fatale Finale ?

Absolutely.  Fatale Finale offers easier management and response to burst phases which can be beneficial in fast pushing raid groups. You would typically use it in place of the enhanced   Vestige in the regular rotation. Don’t restrict yourself to this order as the benefit mentioned previously can allow you to use it at other points for the benefit of bursting and pacing.

However, when you gain access to   Soul Decapitation, there is more incentive to hover close to Soul Snatch during downtime occasionally based on pacing. Since you already gravitate to this playstyle of managing edge meter to make good use of   Soul Decapitation, there is slightly less merit to using  Fatale Finale. The presence of an extra deathlord skill still helps in getting casts of   Soul Decapitation with easier management and potentially fast buildup.

Ark Passive Progression Recommendation

As a general guideline, you can follow this to know how to distribute your points.

Progression Step

Notes

Soul Decapitation Lvl. 1

Unlocking the ability to exit Soul Snatch + Getting a new damage skill is paramount

Soul Decapitation Lvl. 1 +

  Soul Enhancement

Keep adding points to  Soul Enhancement until next level of Soul Decapitation.

 Judgment Lvl. 1 or

  Soul Harvester Lvl. 1 or

 Soul Searching Lvl. 1

 Fatal Finale has a lower base cooldown and is much easier to get more casts off in general gameplay at Lvl. 1 Leap.

 Soul Decapitation Lvl. 2

Remove points from  Soul Enhancement once this is available.

 Judgment Lvl. 2 or

  Soul Harvester Lvl. 2

Although not perfect,  Frenzy Scythe is easier to cast once every Soul Snatch.

 Soul Decapitation Lvl. 3

Remove points from  Soul Enhancement once this is available.

 Judgment Lvl. 3

Skip last 2 levels of Enlightenment upgrade and work on getting  Judgment Lvl. 3 which makes   Frenzy Scythe casts per Soul Snatch consistent even with no  Unlimited Magick nodes.

 Soul Decapitation Lvl. 3 +   Soul Enhancement

Return to upgrading Enlightenment tree to gain more points for   Soul Enhancement.

 

How Do I Allocate My Points With 60 Leap Points?

With access to level 2 Judgment, there is a higher possibility of achieving one cast of  Frenzy Scythe per Soul Snatch. When parsing in Trixion, it will eventually ‘fall out’. However, in most raid cases, you will still achieve close to, if not, 1:1 casts of Frenzy Scythe per Soul Snatch.

The build that can reliably achieve this is below:

Unlimited Magic Build

Evolution

Enlightenment

Leap

Critical
(30/30)

Swiftness
(10/30)

Night’s Edge
(3/3)

Unleashed

Power

(5/5)

Release

Potential

(5/5)

Limit Break
(3/3)

Death Refinement
(3/3)

Judgment

(2/3)

Unlimited Magick
(2/2)

Broken

Edge
(3/3)

Soul Enhancement
(2/5)

Standing Striker
(2/2)

Soul Decapitation
(2/3)

You can still run  Unlimited Magick 1 and  Zealous Smite/Destruction Charger 1 if you want slightly more crit rate/evolution damage but it might cost you consistent 1:1 if the raid allows long periods of constant uptime.

However if you’re going the above mentioned path with only one point in  Unlimited Magick, the  Blunt Thorn equivalent can be used. You’re not reaching  Blunt Thorn crit rate cap with this, however, it is comparable to the  Unlimited Magick 1 +  Standing Striker alternative.

 

Running  Blunt Thorn build without any CDR node in enlightenment tree with  Judgment Level 2 makes it harder to achieve the possibility of 1:1 without lucky quick recharge procs and is only consistent once you have access to  Level 3  Judgment. You can conditionally activate Conviction+Judgment later in your cycle (2nd cast of Guillotine Swing) to include  Frenzy Scythe for a lower cooldown.  Guillotine Swing and  Reaper’s Scythe still benefit from the cooldown since you can exit Soul Snatch with  Soul Decapitation as soon as they’re available.

As a closing remark, builds with lower cooldowns only have a clear edge over other builds if you gain more skill casts, especially of your Hyper Awakening Technique (T) skill. For example, if you’re running  Unlimited Magick 2 +  Standing Striker and have the same (or less) casts per minute (CPM) as if you would on  Blunt Thorn with/without cooldown nodes, you are better off running  Blunt Thorn.

Is 422 Back?

TLDR: It’s better than it was before but still not better than 413. Not worth considering until higher levels of karma.

Evolution Tree

  Unlimited Magick 2 +  Standing Striker

  Soul Harvester Lvl. 3

Main Skill Differences

Lunatic Edge

10

1

1

1

Judgment

Synergy Skill, Paralysis Immunity, Back Attack

  • Damage Amplifier - Synergy Skill
  • Shadow Snatch - Move Speed Buff
  • Deathlord’s Apprentice - Additional Hit
  • Alternative rune(s):Quick Recharge

Soul Drain

10

3

3

2

Conviction

Meter Gen Skill, Mid Stagger, Paralysis Immunity

  • Mind Enhancement - MP Cost Decrease
  • Gravedigger - Skill is now a Normal Skill and Damage Increase
  • Death Grudge - Meter and Crit Damage Increase

Death Order

10

2

1

1

Conviction

Meter Gen Skill, Mid-Range Skill, No Paralysis Immunity

  • Decently ranged point skill, but meter is generated over a short period of time rather than instant.
  • Alternative rune(s):Quick Recharge

2nd Conviction is optional but advised

Rotation

  • Generally, prioritize casting the highest damage Deathlord skill available.
  • Order of builders is not strict.
  • Cast  Fatale Finale in judgment window if possible.

Before tier 4, 422 was a known option which fell short in a number of ways which did not suit content at the time and on the release of tier 4:

  • Lower general DPS
  • Less capable burst

In tier 4, there are new skills which soften the weakness of said build:  Fatale Finale and  Soul Decapitation.

The main goal of this new iteration of 422 is to attempt to keep up in DPS by having slightly more  Soul Decapitation casts per minute.

There are a few misconceptions about this build when the above statement is mentioned:

  • This does not mean it gets to Soul Snatch faster. On the contrary, the same evolution tree (mainly  Unlimited Magick 2) with 413 reaches Soul Snatch faster. The only reason you gain more  Soul Decapitation over time is because you exit Soul Snatch almost immediately.
  • It still has a weaker burst potential compared to 413.
  • It is not exactly fit as a beginner build: Requires maxed  Soul Decapitation and   Soul Harvester nodes to be anywhere near good enough. Content at lower levels generally has less time spent in-combat.

To understand the above points a little better, the table and chart below should help:

Skills Per Cycle

422

413

Notes

Enhanced

Enhanced

Typically similar value. 422 might enhance 2 Vestige instead in some cases.

/

In uninterrupted cycling, 422 might have to skip a cast of Fatale Finale.

422 casts Soul Decapitation earlier.

Unenhanced

Unenhanced

413 will have more unenhanced casts of Deathlord Skills.

422 does not often cast an extra unenhanced Skill.

For the same Deathlord Skill: 2 Unenhanced > 1 Enhanced

Enhanced

Enhanced

413 will occasionally skip 3rd Harvest and sometimes 2nd Lethal in favor of landing Soul Decapitcation.

Rotation Timeline

Average cycle on 413 (with no Unlimited Magick nodes) takes about 30 seconds while 422 takes about 22 seconds. As a general overview of how 422 can gain more Soul Decapitation casts per minute:

Long period in-combat is a double-edged sword for 422, other skill cooldowns can start to spread out and may result in some short pauses even though you’re still gaining more  Soul Decapitation casts.

        

Why does 413 outperform 422?

  • Despite more  Soul Decapitation casts, the extra skill casts from 413, even in a longer cycle result in more DPS.
  • Deathlord Skill availability in 413 is more compact, favoring its burst potential. On top of that, more available Deathlord Skills help in managing Edge meter, especially during raid mechanics.
  • 413 has higher efficiency with extra soul stones (from awakening or prior building) and in essence, even more potent burst.
  • 413 +  Unlimited Magick 2 still gets to Soul Snatch faster if that is your goal.
  • For a scenario where  Soul Decapitation has to be cast earlier just like in 422, 413 does not lose much and still wins in damage for that cycle.
  • General pacing in raids hardly allow 422’s  Soul Decapitation advantage to shine.
  • 422 is almost restricted to running  Unlimited Magick 2. 413 has more flexible build options.

Why you might still consider 422:

  • Change of pace/Slight change in gameplay.
  • Requires one less damage gem.
  • More intuitive playstyle.

Frenzy Scythe Cooldown with Judgment 3

Ark Passive Nodes

Approximate Cooldown

 Unlimited Magick 2

 Release Potential 5

30 seconds

 Unlimited Magick 1

 Release Potential 5

33 seconds

 Unlimited Magick 2

35 seconds

 Release Potential 5

36 seconds

 Unlimited Magick 1

39 seconds

No cooldown nodes

42 seconds

What to consider:

  • Time spent in Normal State:

About 2 seconds + Guillotine/Reaper’s Scythe cooldown.

  • Time spent in Soul Snatch:

Maximum 13 seconds but allow room to cast Soul Decapitation.

  • Early Soul Decapitation:

More common in faster raids which typically demand some form of bursting.

Revision History

Date

Change

Sep 2, 2025

  • Small adjustments and added Paradise Build

Mar 3, 2025

  • Guide is updated for post-Brel and small adjustments to descriptions

Oct 6, 2024

  • 2.0
  • Base Doc Completed