Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Ten Ton Hammer: What kind of skills and/or abilities will Gladiator's have access to? Is there one particular area - DPS, debuffing, aggro management, etc - that Gladiators will excel in?

NCsoft: Gladiators excel in brute force combat. Their skills are straight to the point and have a devastating effect on their opponents. They have an array of knock backs, stunning blows, and powerful area attack skills. Off tanking and knocking down their opponents through sheer force are the things the gladiator excels at while still being powerful DPS and an overall asset to any group.

Ten Ton Hammer: In previous games, Gladiators are typically known as off-tanks and/or DPS tanks. Would this assumption be true in Aion? If not, what role does a Gladiator play in a group?

NCsoft: The Gladiator can fill either the tank role or the DPS role in a group.  While their defensive abilities are weaker than the Templar class, they make up for it by having superior attack abilities. Gladiators specialize in close combat and have powerful brute attacks making them excellent DPS tanks.  While the templar is focused on defending himself from oncoming attacks, the gladiator can do some DPS, protect the healers and casters from flank attacks, and knock back approaching opponents to protect their group.

Ten Ton Hammer: What kind of flight abilities do Gladiators have? Will they be able to use their abilities while in flight?

NCsoft: Every class has unique and specific skills that are possible with flight, and the Gladiator is no exception.  One particularly cool skill that Gladiators have is called “Forced Landing” which allows them to literally knock people from the sky.  Aside from the specialized flight skills, most, but not all skills work both in air and on the ground.

Ten Ton Hammer: The graphics in Aion are absolutely stunning, and it seems reasonable to assume that each specialty class will have their own particular "look". Is this true? What does the Gladiator look like?

NCsoft: The Gladiator is quite possibly one of the most stunning classes to watch in action.  Swinging a powerful blade around and bringing it crashing down on their opponent will make any passer by stop and stare at the power they wield. The Gladiator is also the only class that is able to use a polearm. Once you see a Gladiator in action with this powerful two handed weapon, you may never wish to play any other class!