Lost Ark Warlord Balance Patch Review and Settings Guide (2024.05)

1. 🛡️ Warlord Balance Patch Introduction: Changes in Lone Knight and Combat Readiness Direction

✅ With this balance patch, the direction of the Warlord's engravings has been clearly divided.
✅ Introducing the changes and settings for the Lone Knight and Combat Readiness builds.
⚠️ Ark Grid content is not included.

2. ⚔️ Lone Knight Changes and Playstyle

✅ Spear Dash has been changed to Full Barrel Cannon, allowing Super Charge engraving application, and immunity and superior armor shields have been added.
✅ The existing Half-Angle Synergy has been changed to Backhand Synergy, making dual synergy usage impossible, but it's still good in 3-dps parties.
✅ Synergy effect has been added to E-Two, allowing for constant synergy maintenance.
✅ It's almost impossible to fill the identity gauge with skills, making Amplified Damage difficult to adopt, and the X skill has been added as a replacement.
✅ The X skill has taunt identity synergy effect and enhances the next lance skill, and also has a Combat Readiness auto-switch function.
⚠️ The ally shield amount reduction effect is embedded in the main node, making Nella's use difficult, and the taunt moved to the X skill has become a shackle.
✅ Lone Knight Warlord is now a pure dealer, not a synergy or care-type dealer.
✅ Crit rate must be matched to 100%, which lowers Swiftness, but damage output has greatly increased.
✅ Super Awakening skill damage compression has improved, and Power Bullet is also good for synergy and soaking.
✅ Weak Point and Destruction performance is still good.

Skill	Changes
Spear Dash	Changed to Full Barrel Cannon (Super Charge application, immunity/superior armor shield added)
Half-Angle Synergy	Changed to Backhand Synergy (Dual Synergy Impossible)
X Skill	Taunt Identity Synergy, Lance Skill Enhancement, Combat Readiness Auto-Switch

Operation Method:

✅ Apply synergy in Combat Readiness state and use lance skills.
✅ Use the X skill right before Super Awakening, and utilize the X skill for Burst Cannon or Charging Stinger during Super Awakening cooldown.
✅ Since the X skill itself has synergy, avoid using Power Bullet immediately after use.

3. 🛠️ Lone Knight Setting Guide

✅ All lance skills are used as fixed.
✅ The main skills are Burst Cannon, Charging Stinger, Full Barrel Cannon (Super Awakening).
✅ Use Guardian's Thunderbolt for the awakening skill, and if you include Nella, it is recommended to remove Counter.
✅ If you use Damnation, it is recommended to put it in Spear Shot and Daring Slash.
✅ Match the town crit rate to 100% with the Ark passive and invest the remaining points in Swiftness.
✅ For the Enlightenment sub-node, if you have high potential, choose the Elite Squad, and if you have manga issues, choose Efficiency Enhancement.
✅ You can freely allocate points among Tactical Maneuvers on the next-door engraving side.
✅ For engravings, it is recommended to fix Grudge, Barricade, Super Charge, and choose Keen Blunt Weapon or Mass Increase, and Cursed Doll or Adrenaline are also good.
✅ Use Elixir of Critical Hit.

Engraving	Recommendation
Fixed	Grudge, Barricade, Super Charge
Choice	Keen Blunt Weapon, Mass Increase, Cursed Doll, Adrenaline

4. 🛡️ Combat Readiness Changes and Playstyle

✅ Combat Readiness Warlord has taken the direction of a synergy dealer.
✅ The existing Half-Angle Synergy is included in the main node, allowing for constant Half-Angle, and if you combine it with skills with Packaged Synergy, you can constantly give dual synergy.
✅ The usability and judgment of most general skills have been improved.
✅ The identity recovery effect of Amplified Damage has been changed to receive the Wealth rune.
⚠️ Super Awakening is a head attack, so it is difficult to use the Hit Master engraving, and using it as a reflection damage dealer seems to be the high point.
✅ Weak Point and Destruction gimmick performance has decreased compared to before as some skill structures have changed.
✅ With the reorganization of Frontal Defense, only 50% of the identity gauge is consumed, and the shield value is also fixed.
✅ Even if you turn off Frontal Defense early, party immunity and shield remain for 2 seconds, improving practicality.
⚠️ You must be careful because Combat Readiness turns on automatically when used.

Operation Method:

✅ The basics are to turn on Combat Readiness, apply synergy, and rotate all skills on cooldown.
✅ Use head skills such as Super Awakening by matching the position, and Amplified Damage still needs to be used by turning off Combat Readiness to fill the identity gauge.
✅ Frontal Defense damage is also quite high, so you can use it once in a while when you have time.

5. 🛠️ Combat Readiness Setting Guide

✅ If you use Interest, it is recommended for Shield Bash and Shield Charge, and if Full is arguing, you can put Two-Point in place of Shield Charge.
✅ I put one remaining Self-Determination in Frontal Defense, but you can also remove one additional Shield Bash gem and put it somewhere else.
✅ The Ark passive is set to Specialization/Expertise.
✅ For Evolution Tier 2, there are cases where you invest in One-Hit or Optimization depending on the Intelligence or Cooldown Reduction situation.
✅ For the Enlightenment sub, take one Tier 4 Tactical and one Tier 3 Tactical Training each.
✅ Use Grudge, Barricade, Precise Dagger, Adrenaline, and Cursed Doll for engravings, and you can put Low Health Damage or Mass Increase instead of Cursed Doll.
✅ The Elixir is Multi-Hit.

Engraving	Recommendation
Fixed	Grudge, Barricade, Precise Dagger, Adrenaline
Choice	Cursed Doll, Low Health Damage, Mass Increase

6. 🎮 Post-Patch Gameplay Review and Warlord Recommendation

✅ After using Lone Knight and Combat Readiness alternately after the patch, both have become incredibly comfortable and stronger.
✅ The Warlord has become incredibly quick.
✅ Previously, synergy or gimmicks were better on the Lone Knight side, but this time, you can feel that the concepts are clearly divided by engraving.
✅ Personally, I enjoyed the Lone Knight side more, but I think I will do Combat Readiness a lot due to the nature of the support main character.
✅ It was nice to see the Warlord users around me having so much fun.
✅ I recommend those who are interested in Warlord to take this opportunity to feel the fun.