Rune Knight

Rune Knight
Job Base(s):	Knight Lord Knight
Job Type:	3-1
Race:	Human
Changes At:	Glast Heim
Number of Skills:	11
Total Skill Points:	90
Total Quest Skills:	0
Job Bonuses
STR AGI VIT INT DEX LUK +5 +4 +6 +10 +8 +4

Overview

Rune Knights are the final evolution of the Knight classes. Their name is often abbreviated and referred to as "RK". They have traded in their Pecos for new dragon mounts and are ready to do some serious damage with an arsenal of new powerful attacks while also having the highest HP pool compared to other classes.

Rune Knights have a slower startup leveling-wise, but they can become one of the most versatile and powerful classes in the game. Unfortunately, they suffer from a poor skill tree layout, forcing players to have to get 22 job points to max a basic AOE leveling skill (Ignition Break), or going with a Dragon Breath build early on, which may not be very strong in the first 20-30 levels. Rune Knights aspiring to have a Dragon Breath end-game build but do not want to use a skill/stat reset may resort to being mainly a party tank for 20-30 base levels until their HP and SP pools are higher for better damage, as that is how the Dragon Breath skill formula is calculated. The upside is that Bowling Bash is one of the most powerful non-third class AOEs and can be used until level 110-120 or so, but does require a good weapon and some practice with the gutter lines. Dragon Breath ignores reductions in PVP / WoE and is one of the main killing skills, but depends on party buffs such as Magic Strings and Sacrament.

Finally, there are the the runes themselves. Players who choose the Rune Knight class are introduced to a new system of buffs and attacks in the form of rune stones. These consumables provide the user with immensely powerful buffs that range anywhere from a large increase in DEF/MDEF, potting ability, and massive damage increase. Unfortunately, creating runes consumes materials, but their sheer power makes them worth their cost. It is highly recommended that every Rune Knight should get the maximum level of Rune Mastery.

Job Change Guide

See Rune Knight Job Change Guide for detailed information.

This test is very easy, but it is strongly recommended to have high DEX (70 DEX is recommended) or use a high level of Spear Dynamo for the final part due to the mobs having such high flee rate. You will be pitted up against three very powerful minibosses. You must time the use of your runes accordingly to allow yourself time to heal/get in hits.

Builds

Dragon Breath Build

Stat	Amount	Notes
STR	1, 30-50, 90-100	1 point for pure Dragon Breath only. More or carrying capacity and masq resist in WoE. 90 and on if getting Hundred Spears or IB.
AGI	1-60	60 only to get rid of animation delay, but not recommended for early on.
VIT	105-125	Extremely important for every Rune Knight build.
INT	90-110
DEX	120	120 base DEX for eliminating Dragon Breath fixed cast time with Temporal Dex Boots.
LUK	1-30

Dragon Breath damage depends on Max SP and CURRENT HP. Most Rune Knights have their builds centered around the Dragon Breath skill. Dragon Breath builds are versatile - Tanking, Mobbing, MVP, WOE, PvP. Dragon Breath is a powerful AoE attack that scales with level/HP/SP.

Unfortunately, it is mediocre until around level 130+ due to requiring the player to have a high HP/SP pool and the lack of available monsters weak to the fire or water element before level 120-130. Players around level 100 will find themselves only doing 4-6k damage in poor/basic gear and 6-10k with excellent gear, and will most likely have to rely on tanking for parties until lvl 130+ to level up. At lower levels, flat SP bonuses (Ex: +250 SP) provide much more damage than gears that give a % of SP (Ex. +10% SP).

Players may find themselves having to keybind multiple weapons in order to play this build effectively. For example, switching between a weapon for damage output or one for survivability with HP regen.

While this Build is not consumable intensive, having items that boost Max HP and Max SP will differentiate the Great from the Good.

The 25% Max HP and Max SP bonus from Transcendence is a must for this build. While leveling as a Lord Knight, if the player chooses to level with 1 STR, having a sufficiently heavy spear for Clashing Spiral is crucial.

Due to Dragon Breath being locked to the Fire and Water elements, it is recommended to either learn Hundred Spears (which requires a light spear for improved damage) or Ignition Break, and have 90+ STR (for HBP bonus) for an endgame build as Hundred Spears and Ignition Break cover different elements, offering more flexibility. Dragon Breath is weak against monsters resistant / immune to the fire and water elements, or to players wearing the appropriate elemental armor in PVP / WOE.

Note: Dragon Breath and Clashing Spiral cannot be interrupted and does not require a Phen Card (or other equipment / cards that provide the effect).

Skills: Dragon Training 5 / Dragon Breath 10 / Dragon Water Breath 10 / Rune Mastery 10

• optional: Phantom Thrust 3 / Hundred Spears 10 / Ignition Break 5
  • Prereqs: Cavalier Mastery 1 / Brandish Spear 2 + Clashing Spiral 5 (if getting Hundred Spears) / Counter Attack 1 (if getting Ignition Break)

Ignition Break Build

Stat	Amount	Notes
STR	90-120+	Base damage.
AGI	1+
VIT	50-94+	100 total recommended for stun immunity.
INT	1-50	This build requires a lot of SP use but can be remedied with SP leech effects.
DEX	50-90	Spear Dynamo and LUK provide good accuracy, DEX provides cast time reduction.
LUK	1+	3 points of Luk = 1 ATK, 1 HIT. Putting points here once STR starts costing a lot can conserve points to get more ATK.

Rune Knights requires job level 23 to reach Ignition Break 5.

The Ignition Break build tends to have higher DPS than Dragon Breath builds for leveling, especially at lower levels (100-130) when an RK's HP / SP pool is not high. Ignition Break's 2 second cooldown is cancelled when using certain skills, such as Bowling Bash. Which is why this build is often referred to as the IB+BB build. Although Ignition Break receives a 50% bonus damage when the caster is using a fire weapon, it uses the caster's weapon element. This can be advantageous when fighting mobs resistant to fire attacks, where Dragon Breath suffers. However, it is recommended to take advantage of the extra power from using a fire weapon for leveling purposes. Rune Knights can get both Dragon Breath AND Ignition Break if they wish (although they will need to gear accordingly to get the full effect of Dragon Breath), while still maxing Rune Mastery.

Chaining Bowling Bash with Ignition Break can produce high AOE DPS, but take note that Ignition Break does more damage to targets closer to the RK, which can make positioning tricky due to Bowling Bash's complicated mechanics. Using IB + BB to MVP is possible and effective as well.

Note: Although this build is viable without a heavy investment, True Seyren Windsor Card provides an important increase in damage, and therefore this build relies on approximately 3 billion zeny to unlock its potential.

Skills: Ignition Break 5

• optional: Dragon Training 5 / Dragon Breath 10 / Sonic Wave 5 / Hundred Spears 10 / Enchant Blade 5
  • Prereqs: Cavalier Mastery 1 / Counter Attack 1 / Bowling Bash 10
    • Recommended LK skills: Twohand Quicken 10 / Parry 10 / Spear Dynamo 5 / Aura Blade 5

ASPD/Frenzy Crit Build

Stat	Amount	Notes
STR	90-100	Base damage.
AGI	80+	Depending on gear, weapon of choice and how much you're willing to spend on consumables.
VIT	80-94	100 total recommended for stun immunity.
INT	1+	Enchant Blade adds intelligence to your auto attack damage.
DEX	1+	Doesn't need to be too high because crits don't miss, and Spear Dynamo 5 adds 50 HIT
LUK	72~126	120 LUK to gain the full benefits of Temporal Luck Boots, or multiple of 18 (72/90/108/126) to gain defense bypass effects from Perverse Demon Mask.

With Twohand Quicken or Frenzy and the addition of the Rune Knight's Asir Rune, Rune Knights are capable of reaching maxed out ASPD quite easily. Two handed Swords are the preferred weapon of choice due to the Twohand Quicken buffs, although other weapons can be used with Frenzy. This build is HEAVILY gear dependent and benefits greatly from expensive Auto-Cast gear like 'CD In Mouth' and 'Ring of Flame Lord'.

WARNING: This build is difficult to level. This build is specialized for single target DPS (leveling post 99 is all about mob leveling). This build is also very expensive to level and is not recommended for new players.

This build is often considered a 'for fun' build, although it can reach respectable DPS with high investment. Many ASPD RKs will depend on Ignition Break as their main AOE and leveling skill. This build depends on expensive gear to limit the stat point investment in AGI. Even without the Alca Bringer, the RK class is capable of hitting 193 ASPD with even lower than 90 AGI, leaving you more points to sink into other stats. There are many Lord Knight skills which are key to maximizing your auto-attack DPS, which is why it is mandatory to rebirth into Lord Knight for this build.

Skills: Enchant Blade 5 / Rune Mastery 10

• optional: Dragon Training 5 (if Riding a Dragon) / Sonic Wave 5 / Ignition Break 5
  • Prereqs: Aura Blade 5 / Frenzy 1 / Parry 10 / Spear Dynamo 5 / Twohand Quicken / Two-Handed Sword Mastery 10

Equipment

General Equipment

These gears are suitable for any Rune Knight build. They won't be mentioned for the specific RK builds, but are sometimes the best option.

Weapon

• +9 Tae Goo Lyeon [2] Offers after cast delay reduction. Can be enchanted accordingly to any build. Reduces the SP cost of skills.
• Hunting Spear [1] Among the best options for Clashing Spiral damage.
• +9 Gelerdria [3] combined with Storm Stone [1]

Cards for weapons

• Hunter Fly Card For HP leech

Armor

• Glorious Suit Offers neutral & demi-human resist and max HP.
• Valkyrian Armor [1]
• Ur's Plate Offers neutral & demi-human resist and max HP. Can be enchanted.
• Evil Dragon Armor [1] Offers HP & SP leech.
• Hero Plate [1]

Shield

• Rosa Shield [1] (DEF)
• Bradium Shield [1] (+HP)
• Round Buckler [1] (Lightweight, decent DEF)
• Valkyrja's Shield [1] (elemental resist, decent DEF)
• Immune Shield [1] Only if overupgraded
• Platinum Shield
• White Gold Shield [1]

with each of the common racial resist cards.

For MVPing:

• Valkyrja's Shield [1] with Alice Card

Headgear

• Abysmal Knight Helm [1]
• Mob Scarf

• Leech

• Rideword Hat [1]
• Vanargand Helm [1]

• Mid Headgear with slot

• Black Devil's Mask [1]
• Black Frame Glasses [1]
• Mini Glasses [1]
• Sunglasses [1]
• Glasses [1]

Cards for Headgear

• Elemental resist cards based on the resist needed.

Garment

• Heroic Backpack [1]

Card option for Garment

• Raydric Card (-20% damage from attacks with Neutral property)
• Deviling Card (-50% damage from attacks with Neutral property but +50% damage from attacks of any other element)

Hundred Spears Set

This set is mandatory for maximum damage with Hundred Spears (and all four pieces must be worn to get the bonus damage). Can be obtained for FREE by doing Mora Village quests and earning coins. This set also compliments the Dragon Breath skills nicely due to the HP increases and possible SP enchants on it.

Ur's Plate Ur's Seal [1] Ur's Greaves [1] Ur's Manteau

Goibne's Set

This set is good for players who have a lower budget but still wish to enjoy the Dragon Breath build or to have higher HP. It's a tank set to get a player started until they can make a more customized set. Recommended to wear all set pieces for the HP and SP bonus. Only downside to this set is the lack of reductions and slots to card any of the pieces. Replace the set with Variant Shoes once able to afford it.

Goibne's Armor Goibne's Helm Goibne's Greaves Goibne's Spaulders

Dragon Breath Build

Weapon

For Dragon Breath:

• Mace [4]
• Moonlight Dagger (max SP +10%, can be enchanted at Malangdo for SP+200; moot after December 10, 2014 update that changed Dragon Breath formula)
• Valkyrie Hammer [4]

For Hundred Spears:

• Gungnir [2] (good vs. MVPs due to increased HIT and chance for Perfect Hit)
• Eden Group Spear I
• Battle Hook [1]
• Long Horn [1] (Holy element)

For Clashing Spiral damage:

• Cardo [1] (least expensive option available)
• Hellfire

Cards to use with weapon:

• Archer Skeleton Card For damage
• Powerful Archer Skeleton Card For damage

Shield

• Excelion Shield [1]
• Scutum [1]

Headgear

Anything that adds HP/SP, reduces after cast delay, provides leech or reduces cast time. Some options include:

Upper:

• Turkey On Your Head [1]
• Crown of Deceit [1]
• Heart Wing Hairband [1]
• Old Rune Circlet [1] enchanted with Magic Essence or Adamantine
• Red Baby Dragon Hat [1]

Middle:

• Baron's Evil Eye
• Eyes of Illusion
• New Wave Sunglasses
• Diabolus Wing [1]

Lower:

• Long Octopus Balloon
• Umbala Spirit
• Strawberry Mouth Guard
• Banshee Master Kiss
• Tengu Scroll

With these cards depending on the situation:

• Kiel-D-01 Card (luxury card; for upper and mid headgear with Dragon Breath; a non-card alternative is to be under the effect of Magic Strings from a Maestro)
• Carat Card (for upper headgear at +9 or higher)
• Incubus Card (for mid headgear)
• Kathryne Keyron Card (for upper headgear; a non-card alternative is to be under the effect of Magic Strings from a Maestro)
• Bungisngis Card (for high upgrade headgear)

Armor

• Diabolus Armor [1]
• Assaulter Plate [1]
• Medical Scrubs [1]
• Fafnir Scale
• Consultation Robe [1] (with Vit enchants)
• Abusive Robe [1] (with Vit enchants)

Cards to use with armor:

• Tao Gunka Card (luxury card)
• Pecopeco Card

Garment

• Fallen Angel Wing [1] w/ max Expert Archer enchants (EA3, EA3, EA4)
• Nidhoggur's Shadow Garb [1]
• Diabolus Manteau [1]
• Flame Manteau of Naght Sieger [1]
• Skin of Gwiber [1]
• Mysterious Muffler [1]

Card options for Garment:

• Menblatt Card (increase DPS: +1% ranged damage per 10 base DEX)
• Rune Knight Seyren Card

Shoes

• Temporal Dex Boots [1] w/ Firelock Soldier Card at +9 and 120 base DEX (in a future update, slotted Temporal Boots can be enchanted)
• Temporal Dex Boots at 120 base DEX w/ Expert Archer 4 enchant and:
  • Muscle Fool enchant for chance to proc damage reduction (in a future update, Muscle Fool increases VIT instead of DEF)
  • Speed of Light enchant for 30% reduction in global delay of skills (set bonus with Temporal Ring)
  • Runaway Magic enchant for higher Max SP (set bonus with Temporal Ring)
• Enhanced Variant Shoes [1] w/ Firelock Soldier Card at +9
• Variant Shoes
• Pororoca Shoes

Card options for Shoes:

• Firelock Soldier Card
• Toxic Enhancement Chimera Card

Accessories

• RWC Pendant with double Spell enchants
• Ur's Seal [1] with +250 SP enchant
• Medal of Honor
• Waterdrop Brooch [1]
• Sprint Ring (reduces variable cast time but increases after cast delay)
• Expert Ring (reduces after cast delay by 5%)
• Fairy Leaf Powder [1]
• Sarah's Left Earring with Expert Archer enchant
• Sarah's Right Earring with Expert Archer enchant
• Recovery Ring [1]
• Temporal Ring [1]
• Fenrir Chain [1]
• Ring of Jupiter [1]

Card options for Accessory:

• Faceworm & Faceworm Dark Card Set:
  • Faceworm Card
  • Faceworm Dark Card
• Humanoid Chimera Card & Material Type Chimera Card Set:
  • Humanoid Chimera Card
  • Material Type Chimera Card

Recommended Items (Luxury):

• Tao Gunka Card
• Kiel-D-01 Card (x2, top/mid)
• Beelzebub Card
• Brynhild
• Sleipnir

Ignition Break Build

Weapon

The best weapon is probably a level 4 weapon with as many slots as possible for True Seyren Windsor Cards.

• Thanatos Great Sword [1]
• Twin Edge of Naght Sieger (red) [3]
• Violet Fear [2]
• Lindy Hop [2]
• Hellfire

Cards to use with weapon:

• True Seyren Windsor Card For Ignition Break damage
• Sword Guardian Card For Bowling Bash damage
• Abysmal Knight Card For MVPing

Upper Headgear

• Old Rune Circlet [1]
• Black Ribbon [1]

Middle Headgear

• Crow Tengu Mask
• Mob Scarf Set

Lower Headgear

• Pirate Dagger
• Tengu Scroll
• Mob Scarf

Armor

Other options aside from set pieces are:

• Diabolus Armor [1]
• Assaulter Plate [1]
• Abusive Robe [1]
• Abyss Dress
• Nature Dress
• Icefall Dress
• Fire Dragon Armor [1]
• Mighty Black Threaded Armor [1]

Cards to use with armor:

• Porcellio Card
• Pecopeco Card

Shield

• Royal Guard Shield [1]
• Mad Bunny Special
• Mad Bunny Special [1]

Garment

• Fallen Angel Wing [1]
• Diabolus Manteau [1]
• Nidhoggur's Shadow Garb [1]

Card options for Garment:

• Raydric Card (mandatory for being able to handle large mobs and mvps)
• Wakwak Card
• Rune Knight Seyren Card

Shoes

• Temporal Str Boots
• Variant Shoes

Card options for shoes

• Darklord Essence Force3 Or of a lower value if on a budget. (iRO database doesn't have this item yet, but it is obtainable in-game. Divine-pride link)

Accessories

• Medal of Honor
• Peuz Seal [1]
• Bakonawa Agimat Tattoo
• Giant's Protection [1]
• Blacksmith's Glove [1]
• Perverse Demon Mask [1]
• Verus Core [1]

Card options for Accessories:

• Gold Scaraba Card
• Mantis Card
• Darklord Essence Force3 Or of a lower value if on a budget. (iRO database doesn't have this item yet, but it is obtainable in-game. Divine-pride link)

Agi/Frenzy Build

Weapon It Is recommended to enchant these weapons with 2x Crit to free up other slots for more ASPD boost

• Alca Bringer
• Violet Fear [2]
• Lindy Hop [2]

Cards options to use with weapon:

• Aunoe Card
• The Paper Card

(better if using the full card set)

• Atroce Card
• Gryphon Card
• Soldier Skeleton Card

For fun cards:

• Bloody Knight Card
• Mutant Dragonoid Card

Headgear

• Evil Marching Hat [1]
• White Drooping Eddga Hat
• Mercury Riser (only if overupgraded)
• Old Rune Circlet [1] enchanted with Acute
• CD In Mouth
• Mob Scarf Set

Armor

• Dragon Vest [1]
• Pantie [1]
• Peuz's Plate (obtained for free by doing Mora Village quests)
• Abyss Dress
• Nature Dress
• Icefall Dress
• Fire Dragon Armor [1]
• Mighty Black Threaded Armor [1]

Card options for Armor:

• Alicel Card
• Ancient Mimic Card
• Porcellio Card

Garment

• Dragon Manteau [1]
• Undershirt [1]
• Fallen Angel Wing [1] with Fighting Spirit/Fatal/ASPD enchants

Card options for Garment:

• Whisper Card
• Bapho Jr. Card
• Petal Card
• Rune Knight Seyren Card

Shoes

• Black Leather Boots
• Sprint Shoes
• Temporal Luk Boots

Card Options for Shoes:

• Thief Bug Card
• Matyr Card
• Chonchon Card

Accessories

• Bakonawa Agimat Tattoo
• Bradium Brooch [1]
• Bloodied Shackle Ball + Shackles
• Giant's Protection [1]
• Blacksmith's Glove [1]
• Perverse Demon Mask [1]
• Verus Core [1]
• Immortal Dog Tag [1]
• Ring of Jupiter [1] on right accessory slot

Card options for Accessories:

• Zhu Po Long Card
• Heater Card
• Kobold Card

For more damage output:

• Ring of Flame Lord
• Ring Of Resonance

Class Data

Skills

Skill	Description	Levels	Type
Enchant Blade	Enchants your weapon with magic, allowing you to deal additional magic damage with your physical attacks..	5	Supportive
Sonic Wave	Slam your weapon into the ground to unleash a shockwave that strikes an opponent at a distance. Has a range of 11 cells.	5	Offensive
Death Bound	The damage you receive is amplified and used against the attacker. However, you still receive half of the amplified damage.	10	Active
Hundred Spears	Spear exclusive skill. A skill that strikes a single target rapidly in quick succession to deal high damage.	10	Offensive
Wind Cutter	Creates a huge pressure that throws enemies away. There is a chance to inflict Fear status on those affected.	5	Offensive
Ignition Break	The rune knight makes their weapon incredibly hot, triggering an explosion that deals damage to all targets nearby. Targets closer to the player receive higher damage.	5	Offensive
Phantom Thrust	Spear Exclusive Skill. The rune knight strikes a target from far away, pulling that target towards the user.	5	Offensive
Dragon Training	Allows the user to use a dragon mount. Increasing the skill level recovers your lost attack speed when using the mount, and also slightly increases the damage of Dragon Breath.	5	Passive
Dragon Breath	Commands the dragon to breathe fire. Targets within range will receive Fire Element damage with a chance of causing Burning status, which deals damage over time.	10	Offensive
Dragon Water Breath	Deal water-elemental damage with your dragon's breath. Targets within range will receive Water Element damage with a chance of causing Freezing status.	10	Offensive
Dragon Howling	The dragon lets out a terrible howl, causing Fear status to those within range.	5	Active
Rune Mastery	Allows the Rune Knight to craft Runes.	10	Passive
Full Throttle	Fully restores HP when cast and increases movement speed increases for the skill's duration. All stats +20%.	5	Active

Job Bonuses

Stat\Amount	+1	+2	+3	+4	+5	+6	+7	+8	+9	+10
STR	10	11	33	51	60
AGI	20	21	41	53
VIT	4	14	23	32	45	59
INT	1	2	5	12	13	22	30	39	46	50
DEX	3	15	19	24	31	40	44	55
LUK	47	48	49	57

ASPD

Equip Attack Speed From 2nd Class Bare Handed 156 0 Shield -5 0 Dagger -10 −1 Sword (One Handed) -12 −7 Sword (Two Handed) -15 −3 Axe (One Handed) -18 −8 Axe (Two Handed) -20 −5 Mace -5 0 Spear (One Handed) -8 +7 Spear (Two Handed) -12 +13

ASPD Potions Usable Concentration ✔ Awakening ✔ Berserk ✔