Hello everyone, Ponyo here! This article is part of the “101” series, which gives an overview of each role or class in the game. Please be aware that this is not an extensive how-to guide nor does it provide optimal skill rotations. Instead, this is an introductory orientation to the class with some general hints and tips to get you started.

A Little Lore
The lancer is a master of polearms—weapons which have evolved from humble hunting tools. In former times, the longspear saw the most widespread use, due in great part to the influence of the proud lancer legions of Ala Mhigo. The lancer’s weaponry has since expanded to include other lethal implements such as the halberd and trident. While it is no easy task to wield a polearm as if it were an extension of one’s body, those who master the lancing arts come to be as a raging storm before their enemies, capable of delivering a barrage of devastating thrusts and slashes.”

Lancer’s Role
See the DPSing 101 guide for an introduction to the DPS role.

Where to Start
The lancer class can be unlocked in Gridania at the Lancer’s Guild. Ywain will give you your first spear, and then you can start gaining skills! At every 5th level, you can go back to Ywain and pick up a new quest that will give you a new skill and new armor and/or weapons.

As You Level
The skills you get as lancer may not mean much when you’re leveling in the open-world, but once you are level 16 and can enter dungeons, the mechanics of lancer become more important.

Heavy Thrust is an attack that 1) does damage, 2) has a positional bonus, and 3) increases future damage. When delivered from the side of an enemy, it does 170 damage versus 100 damage when used anywhere else. Using this skill also grants a buff that increases damage dealt by 15% for 12 seconds, so ideally every 12 seconds you want to use Heavy Thrust to maintain your damage buff. Once you have your buff up, you can move on to your primary damage-dealing skills: the True Thrust – Vorpal Thrust – Full Thrust combo and Impulse Drive.

Phlebotomize is a damage-over-time skill, and Piercing Talon is a ranged attack where you javelin-throw your lance at an enemy. Leg Sweep does damage and also stuns your enemy, which can be useful to interrupt certain boss attacks.

Life Surge makes it so that the next skill you use is a critical hit, thereby doing even more damage. And it’s not named “Life Surge” for nothing — that damage is resorbed as HP, up to 10% of your maximum health. So if you’re in a pinch and about to die, pop Life Surge to gain some health back.

All physical DPS classes use TP in order to execute their skills. When you use a bunch of skills quickly, such as during an intense boss battle, you can burn through your TP very fast. Invigorate gives you 400 TP back instantly, which allows you to keep DPSing and bring that boss down!

One last point: Limit Break. This is discussed in more detail in our DPSing 101 guide, but it is worth mentioning again here. Lancers are physical melee fighters, and their Limit Break skill is a single-target barrage of damage. For this reason, lancers are often asked to “lb” to finish off a boss quicker, so be sure to go to the Action and Traits menu and put the Limit Break button somewhere on your hotbar where you can easily access it.

Cross-Role Skills
Please see the DPSing 101 guide for more information about cross-role skills.

Acquiring Your Job
At level 30, you can evolve from lancer to dragoon. This is like getting a promotion – you become a better DPS, get new skills, new armor, and new weapons. In order to unlock dragoon, you must be a level 30 lancer and have completed the lancer questline. It is no longer necessary to level a sub-class to 15 to unlock your job, as of Stormblood.

And that’s it, an introduction to the lancer class. Happy DPSing!