Aura Kingdom Guardian/Bard Tank Guide

Aura Kingdom Guardian/Bard Tank Guide by xzpwnz24

More will be added/edited later, feel free to ask questions and/or comment

This guide will focus purely on how to optimize the best end game pve tank

Why bard is the best subclass for a pve guardian tank: 
(Explanation will be added later)

Attack rotations vs bosses 

Before battle:

Buffs:
Mirrored shield > phalanx

During battle:

(Battles with bosses can be initiated with any of the 3 sets preferred, when aggro can’t be maintained repeat with set 1)

Set 1 rotation:

Terrifying roar > shield bash > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating) > thundercut > phalanx > thundercut > mirrored shield > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating)

(Repeat from the beginning when aggro can’t be kept)
The mirrored shield rebuff can wait a few thundercuts and sword slashes inbetween because of it’s longer duration after it’s cool down, but phalanx should be kept up whenever possible to survive boss attacks

Set 2 rotation:

Windfury > shield bash > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating) > thundercut > phalanx > thundercut > mirrored shield > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating)

Set 3 rotation:

Windfury > terrifying roar > shield bash > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating) > thundercut > phalanx > thundercut > mirrored shield > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating)

Stun rotation:

Shield bash > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating)

(Used when the boss can be stunned again, can also be used at the start of the battle)

Evasion rotation:

Windfury > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating)

(Used to dodge boss attacks)

Low health rotation:

Emergency healing skill as needed > thundercut > sword slash (thundercut and sword slash repeating)

(Used if bard is busy)

Stat allocation 

Note that it’s possible to reach the 75% defense cap and have a decent crit rate (50%~) with equipment alone at end game, when that happens the remainder of the points should go into hp and damage (if you have both 50% speed and around 50% crit)

Offense points:

Points should be put into speed until it reaches the 50% cap, afterwards all points should go into crit. The reason for maximizing speed is reducing cool down to be able to keep the guardian’s signature buff skill “Phalanx” activated at all times and to be able to alternate spam attacks between the malice-holding attack skills Sword slash and Thundercut(these will be your end game boss malice-holders, in the case that you still can’t hold aggro while using only both these skills, occasionally use Terrifying Roar to reattract aggro and repeat with thundercut and sword slash) while reducing the cool down of the emergency subclass healing skills of the bard. The rest of your points should go into crit after capping speed because the damage increase by putting points into dmg is so negligible that crit would be the better option for critical heals and attacks. (Crit-based gear will be introduced later which will bring your crit rate to around 50% crit with 200% crit dmg +15% crit dmg from the secret stones)

TL;DR – Speed until 50%, rest into crit

Defense points:

Points should be put into defense until it reaches the 75% cap, afterwards all points should go into hp. The reason (Explanation will be added later)

TL;DR – Defense until 75%, rest into hp

Envoy’s path 

Before reaching the 75% defense cap:

After reaching the 75% defense cap:

Your priority passives in the envoy’s path should be:

The Will to Live (Damage taken -50% for 8 seconds when your hp drops below 25%) – Very useful for fighting bosses (highlighted because I forgot to add this in the pictures, it should be to the right of the first prickliness)

Intimidating shout (Damage -10% for 10 seconds to nearby enemies) – Used to reduce the damage of monsters attacking you – this skill is not yet available until the envoy’s path extension

Fleet Footed (Movement speed +5%) – Movement speed needed to dodge boss attacks and lure mobs

Malicious Stance (Malice +50%) – Used to help hold aggro

Taunt (Every attack generates a huge amount of malice) – Used to help hold aggro – this skill is not yet available until the envoy’s path extension

Prickliness (Reflect 10% of damage received when attacked) – Deals damage to mobs and boss attacking you and helps hold minuscule aggro

Reflective shield mastery (Reflective shield skill level +5 and duration increased by 3 seconds) – Increases damage dealt to mobs and boss attacking you and helps hold aggro – this skill is not yet available until the envoy’s path extension

Ultimate Skills 

Common: Burning Air Cut (Fortifies the sword slash skill, target’s damage -8%) – Reduces the damage of the boss attacking you

Offensive: Focus (Speed +5%) – Self explanatory

Advanced: Revitalizing Wall (Fortifies phalanx, recovers hp for the first 10 seconds of the skill while being attacked) – Increases sustainability when keeping aggro of mobs and boss

Defensive: Extreme Speed (Evasion +3%, Movement speed +5%) – Movement speed needed to dodge boss attacks and lure mobs

Tactical: Organized Sabotage (Every attack has a 25% chance to decrease the target’s damage by 10% for 8 seconds) – Reduces the damage of the boss attacking you

Special: Omniscience (1% of defense added to speed) – Self explanatory

Eidolons 

Aelius (Party members are healed and a negative status is removed)

Bahadur (Reduces damage taken by 20% for 10 seconds)

Kotonoha (Party members gain a leech life of 10% of damage dealt recovered as hp for 10 seconds)

Tsubaki (Party members gain a leech life of 10% of damage dealt recovered as hp for 10 seconds)

Secret Stones 

These secret stones can be purchased at the class trainers in navea (X: 885, Y: 680)
It’s recommended that secret stones be repeatedly purchased until one with the ideal bonuses appear (bonuses are random upon purchase)

(+5-7% damage to targets with the flame attribute is also recommended because the current end game pve is infernal abyss)

Sword and shield: Golden sword slash secret stone (Crit damage +15%)

Harp: (insertwhateveryouwanthere) storm song secret stone (this skill won’t be used, so any secret stone with the best bonus stats work)

Helmet: Indigo ambient drone secret stone (Range +5m)

Armor: Sunrise windfury secret stone (Crit rate +4%)

Belt: Azure holy notes secret stone (Cooldown -10%)

Gloves: Golden shield bash secret stone (Crit damage +15%)

Boots: Azure thundercut secret stone (Cooldown -10%)

Recommended secret stone bonuses: Max hp +2%, damage taken -2%

Equipment 

Recommended weapon prefix: Nocturnal (leech life, heals 3% of damage dealt) at level 60

(incomplete)