Why Knight Is the Default Tank in Week Six
Knight is the Swordsman second job that still holds Monday Siege War stairs and Time Corridor pulls while Crusader rolls out under Prelude to the Peak. Job Freedom means you do not reroll — switch from Swordsman into Knight on the same character, then park a shield refine that Crusader can inherit later. First-job overview: Swordsman Build.
As of August 20, 2026 (day 36), community tank sheets still treat Knight as the general-purpose physical frontliner and Crusader as the Holy specialist. If your guild already has a VIT 90 Champion, Knight is the cheaper castle stand-in — compare Champion Tank Build.
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Stat Split — Level Fast, Then Full VIT
While leveling: dump Strength, or run a 2 STR : 1 VIT split so daily Energy maps still die before the session timer. For Time Corridor, MVP, Siege, and Arena: respec to full VIT. ROW resets stats for free on job change, so the leveling split is disposable.
Full VIT exists to survive one telegraph and keep Provoke on the boss. Damage while tanking comes from skill multipliers and cards, not from racing Gunslinger numbers. Plan ASPD with the ASPD Calculator after Sword ASPD Boost is maxed.
Skill Build and Rotation
Swordsman ranks to keep: Bash 10, Magnum Break 5, Berserk 5, Increase HP Recovery 5, Endure 5, Provoke 5, Fatal Blow 5.
Knight ranks: Cavalry Training 5, Sword ASPD Boost 10, Heroic Strike 10, Burning Blood 10, Auto Counter 5.
Auto bar: Sword ASPD Boost → Endure → Heroic Strike → Bash → auto-attacks. Manual: Provoke to steal or refresh aggro, Burning Blood when the boss is planted. Do not waste Burning Blood while the tank is kiting a parade mechanic in Time Echoes.
Gear, Affixes, Pets, and Cards
Community tank lists for August 2026: weapon Ruber, element-resist shield, Gale armor set, Bison Horn accessories. Weapon and accessory affixes to chase: Boiling Blood, Balanced Strike, Thorned Body. Armor and cape: Elite Guard / Fortified Guard for PvE, Unshakable Guard / Duelist Guard for Arena.
Pets that actually help a tank: Poring, Bigfoot, Rock Mammoth, Garm Baby, Alice. Capture extras through World Catch instead of spending Starstones on combat pets you will replace.
Card slots worth locking first: Peco Peco (armor), Martin (mouth), Orc Baby (cape), Stalactic Golem (face), Marduk or Ice Ghost (head), Zombie Prisoner (shoes), Horn or Sting (shield), Giant Spider or Majoruros (back), Obeaune or Alligator (accessories). Weapon shop cards: Hydra (Arena), Minorous (Assist), Skeleton Worker (Guild).
Push the main weapon to +12 and all other pieces toward +10 Resonance before chasing +15 vanity — Refinement Resonance and Safe Refinement +15.
When to Stay Knight vs Switch Crusader
Stay Knight if your guild needs a physical hold for Siege emb and you have not finished a Holy weapon. Switch to Crusader when the party already has a second tank or the boss is Holy-weak. Keep one shield refined; do not split stones across two off-hands until Resonance 2 is online.
Party seat next to Knight: Priest healer, Gunslinger or Champion burst, optional Druid utility. Role sheet: Party Roles.