Gladiator

From Dragon Quest Wiki
Gladiators in Dragon Quest X.
An expert fighter who's mastered the way of the warrior and the martial artist. --Description from Dragon Quest VII

The Gladiator (バトルマスター, Batorumasutā) is a recurring, full-frontal offensive vocation in the Dragon Quest series. A gladiator is a fierce fighter who rains continuous carnage on the foes who face them, even at the cost of their own life.

Characteristics[edit]

Gladiators eschew the balance of offense and defense that warriors display for pure power. This means that a Gladiator will always be able to deal the most damage among the party, but at the cost of being deceptively frail for all their might. Thus, a Gladiator needs ample support from its party members to stay alive long enough to crush the opposition and should be the first recipient of Buff in any battle.

Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation[edit]

In addition to increases in Strength, HP, and Agility, Gladiators also gain a variety of powerful skills that allow them to deal with many different enemies. A character requires mastering both the Warrior and Martial Artist vocations to become a Gladiator. A unique trait of Gladiators is their ability to brush-off an attack, essentially being an additional evasion boost that goes up along with their rank.

Vocation trait[edit]

Rank Ignore Damage Rate
1 1/256
2 1/64
3 1/48
4 1/32
5 1/32
6 1/16
7 1/16
8 1/8

Stat Changes[edit]

Statistics Change
Battles to Master 250
Strength +15%
Agility +10%
Resilience +10%
Wisdom -20%
Max HP +20%
Max MP -40%
Trait Chance of shrugging off an attack
Mastery Bonus +20 Strength

Abilities[edit]

Level Title Learns Battles Needed Target Info MP
1 Flyweight Gust Slash 1 One enemy An attack that channels the power of a destructive whirlwind. 0
2 Featherweight Undead Undoer 15 One enemy An attack that excels at expelling the undead. 0
3 Lightweight Cop Out 35 Self Palms off an enemy attack on a random friend or foe. 0
4 Welterweight Multislice 65 All enemies A flurry of sword slashes that strike all enemies. 0
5 Middleweight Flying Knee 100 One enemy A jumping attack that delivers a bone-crunching knee. 0
6 Cruiserweight Dragon Slash 140 One enemy An attack that pierces even dragon's scales. 0
7 Heavyweight Boulder Toss 190 All enemies Showers all enemies with enormous boulders. 0
8 Champion Metal Slash 250 One enemy An attack that carves through even metal-bodied enemies. 0

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past[edit]

DQVII Gladiator male.png
DQVII Gladiator female.png

Gladiators are required to master (alongside Paladins) to unlock the Champion vocation. Though they no longer shrug-off blows, they now have the high critical hit rate of the martial artist.

Vocation trait[edit]

Rank Critical Hit Rate
1 1/64
2 1/64
3 1/64
4 1/32
5 1/16
6 1/16
7 25/256
8 1/8

Stat Changes[edit]

Statistics Change
Battles to Master 200 (PS1)
169 (3DS)
Strength +15%
Agility +10%
Resilience +10%
Wisdom -20%
Style Null
Max HP +20%
Max MP -40%
Mastery Bonus +15 Bonus to Strength.

PS1 Abilities[edit]

Level Title Learns Battles Needed Target Info MP
1 Gladiator Nothing 0
2 Fencer VacuSlash 15 One Enemy Attacks one enemy with wind damage. 0
3 Swordsman ZombieCut 35 One Enemy Does 50 percent extra damage to Zombies, regular damage to all other enemies. 0
4 Ronin 2EdgeHit 60 One Enemy Does 50 percent more damage to one enemy, 25 percent of the damage is reflected to the user. 0
5 Mercenary Massacre 90 One Enemy or Ally Instant Critical Hit to one enemy or ally. 0
6 Duelist FalconCut 120 One enemy Attacks one enemy twice with 75 percent power. 0
7 Champion Nothing 150
8 Avenger QuadHits 200 All Enemies Four attacks to random enemies at 50 percent power. 0

3DS Abilities[edit]

Level Title Learns Battles Needed Target Info MP
1 Flyweight Gust Slash 1 One enemy Deals 130% melee damage with the Woosh element. 0
2 Featherweight Undead Undoer 10 (11) One enemy Deals bonus damage on undead targets. 0
Mean Sweep One enemy Attempts to trip an enemy, also deals damage. 0
3 Lightweight Gritty Ditty 16 (27) Party Increases defense of entire party. 2
Double-Edged Slash One enemy Deals high damage but inflicts recoil on the user. 0
4 Welterweight Toxic Dagger 20 (47) One enemy Attempt to Poison an enemy, also deals damage. 2
Helm Splitter One enemy Reduces enemy Defence. 0
5 Middleweight Weird Whacker 24 (71) One group Attempt to confuse enemies, also deals damage. 0
Klepto Clobber One enemy Higher item drop chance from the hit enemy. 0
6 Cruiserweight Falcon Slash 24 (95) One enemy It attacks twice in one turn, each strike at 75% power. 2
Metal Slash One enemy Damage a metal opponent by dealing one extra point of damage. 0
7 Heavyweight Multislice 24 (119) All enemies Damages all enemies. 2
8 Undisputed Champion Multifists 50 (169) All enemies Throws four strikes at random targets for 75% damage per hit. 2

Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies[edit]

DQIX Gladiator Male.png
DQIX Gladiator Female.png

Gladiators can wield Swords, Axes, and Hammers as weapons. The main selling point of Gladiators is their extremely high Attack, allowing for powerful strikes. However, their Defense is lower than that of the other melee classes, and many of their best abilities will either lower their Defense further or deal recoil damage. Fortunately, they can equip the heavier armor that Warriors and Paladins wear, but are unable to equip a shield without investing 100 skill points into the Shield skill line while in another vocation.

Statistically, Gladiators far outstrip even Warriors in terms of raw attack power, boasting a monsterous base 500 Strength at Level 99 compared to the Warrior's 404. This is balanced by the fact that Gladiators suffer from comparatively lower HP, MP, and Resilience. However, Gladiators also have more Agility and Deftness, as well as a negligible lead in Charm (only a single point; Warriors have a base 89 Charm at Level 99 while Gladiators have 90).

In battle, Gladiators will usually be the target of initial Attack-boosting spells such as Oomph, and will typically attack every turn if able. For maximum damage, Gladiators can equip the Über Falcon Blade and repeatedly use Falcon Slash to deal immense single-target damage, which makes Sword-wielding Gladiators highly valuable in boss battles.

Gladiators have the unique skill set "Guts." Their Coup-de-Grace is "Tension Boost," which increases their Tension to at least 50 (if not 100). In other words, it is equivalent to using Psyche Up four times, but like Psyche Up, the final "use" may fail to boost the user into the 100 Tension level.

Unlock method[edit]

This vocation is unlocked by completing Quest 103 "Gladiator Graduator" at Alltrades Abbey. Afterwards, characters may change into the Gladiator vocation.

Stats[edit]

Attribute Starting Stats Maximum Stats
Level 1 99
HP 32 540
MP 2 41
Strength 30 500
Agility 7 124
Resilience 19 322
Magical Might 0 0
Magical Mending 0 0
Deftness 15 256
Charm 5 90

Guts[edit]

Accolades Required points Name Effects
Bruiser 4 Natural Max HP +10 Permanently adds 10 to Max HP.
Brawler 10 Clap Trap Strikes an enemy.
Battler 16 Natural Strength +10 Permanently adds 10 to Strength.
Challenger 22 Double Up Increases Attack by two levels, but lowers Defense by one level.
Winner 32 Natural Max HP +20 Permanently adds 20 to Max HP.
Champion 42 Double-Edged Slash Deals high damage but harms user with recoil damage.
Vanquisher 55 Natural Strength +30 Permanently adds 30 to Strength.
Conqueror 68 Blind Man's Biff Attacks one random opponent for high damage.
Decimator 82 Natural Max HP +30 Permanently adds 30 to Max HP.
Annihilator 100 Feel the Burn Increases Tension every time the user is hit.

Revocation Award[edit]

Dragon Quest X[edit]

The Gladiator was added in the version 1.3 update of the game, and gains the unique ability to wield two weapons at once. The attack power of the left hand is exactly half of the Gladiator's right hand. Beyond this, Gladiators remain the glass canons that they were in the previous game.

Dragon Quest of the Stars[edit]

In Dragon Quest of the Stars, the vocation usually translated as Gladiator (バトルマスター, "Batorumasutā") is called Battlemaster and coexists with a new vocation that is called Gladiator in Japanese (グラディエーター, "Guradiētā"). The former is a powerful yet fragile offensive vocation while the later is more well rounded, if less powerful.

Battlemaster[edit]

Battlemaster as they appear in Stars

Known as Battlemaster this game, this vocation combines the knowledge of Warriors and Martial Artists and offers one of the most aggressive vocations in the game. This vocation has the highest strength among specialist vocations, but it's Defense and HP are its main weaknesses.

The preferred weapons for battlemaster include: Swords, Axes, Spears, Fans, Clubs, and Claws.

Anger boosts the user's Attack and Critical Hit rate for two turns, highly increasing the damage output of the Battlemaster who uses it while also lowering their Defenses and barring them from defending themselves. Anger works greatly in conjunction with a Paladin's Battle Buddy, as it protects the target from all attacks.

Charge Crash is a good skill for dealing damage, reducing the enemy's charge time. It can also deal Critical Hits.

Battle masters have the lowest Defense among all specialist vocations, so it should be used alongside other vocations that can cover their low defense, be it with the selflessness-like skills of the paladins, or with the shanties sung by Pirates. Battlemasters can also somewhat compensate their low defense with their passive parry skill, which gives them a slight evasion boost.

Level Non-revocated
1-99
Revocation 1
DQotS Rev1.png1-99
Revocation 2
DQotS Rev2.png1-99
Revocation 3
DQotS Rev3.png1-99
1 Anger Lv 1
Strength +5 With Preferred Weapon
- - Angry Charge
5 Parry - - -
10 Shortens Abilities Skill Gauge by 3% with preferred weapon. Max HP +3 Max HP +3 Max HP +3
20 Anger Lvl 3 Resilience +3 Resilience +2 Resilience +2
30 Charge Crash Lvl 1 Anger Lvl 6 Anger Lvl 7 Anger Lvl 8
40 Critical Rate +1% Strength +4 Resilience +2 Strength +2
50 Anger Lvl 5 Max HP +4 Max HP +3 Max HP +3
60 Charge Crash Lvl 3 Strength +4 Resilience +2 Strength +2
70 Strength +5 Charge Crash Lvl 6 Charge Crash Lvl 7 Charge Crash Lvl 8
80 Max HP +5 Abilities Skill Gauge -1% with preferred weapon. Resilience +2 Resilience +2
90 Charge Crash Lvl 5 Max HP +3 Max HP +3 Max HP +2
99 - Luck +5 Luck +5 Luck +5

The previous skills and perks are only available while using this vocation, and only for the character who unlocked them.

Leveling up the Battlemaster's corresponding basic vocations give it the following bonuses to the character:

Level Warrior Martial Artist
50 Warrior's Essence Martial Artist's Essence
60 Max HP +10 Max HP +10
70 Shortens Charge Crash Skill Gauge by 3% with preferred weapon. Shortens Anger Skill Gauge by 3% with preferred weapon.
80 Strength +5 with preferred weapon. Critical Rate +1% with preferred weapon.
90 Shortens Charge Crash Skill Gauge by 5% with preferred weapon. Shortens Anger Skill Gauge by 5% with preferred weapon.
99 Luck +5 Luck +5

Leveling an Battlemaster unlocks the following perks for the character, even when not using this vocation:

Level Perk
60 Attack Down resistance +5%.
70 Strength +3
80 Auto Attack Critical Rate +3%.

Additionally, the following perk will be active only when using the battlemaster vocation:

Level Vocational perk
80 Auto Attack Critial Rate +3%.

Gladiator[edit]

Gladiator as they appear in Stars

Gladiator (グラディエーター) is a brand new vocation from Dragon Quest of the Stars. It was introduced around the game's first anniversary alongside Astronomer and requires leveling up a Martial Artist and a Sailor. Gladiator offers a more balanced physical attacker, with better Defenses and HP than Battlemaster and while it does have weaker might, it's still a good, more durable alternative.

Gladiator has a peculiarity: one of it's vocational skills is passive: Revenge Mode cannot be activated at will like all other vocational skills, it fills up each time the Gladiator gets hit. When the skill is fully charged, it automatically charges the ct of the user's other skills for 70% of their capacity.

Star Dragon Stance is a unique skill because it locks the player into using it. Upon activating the stance, the skill begins charging again. The longest the wait for the second activation, the most powerful the attack will be.

Due to Attack Ability Tricks, all red skills charge 15% faster than when using them on other vocations, so Gladiators can be used to rapidly unleash attacks.

This vocation's preferred weapons include: Swords, Axes, Hammers, Fans, Clubs, and Claws.

Level Non-revocated
1-99
Revocation 1
DQotS Rev1.png1-99
Revocation 2
DQotS Rev2.png1-99
Revocation 3
DQotS Rev3.png1-99
1 Star Dragon Stance Lvl 1
Resilience +10 with preferred weapon.
- - Revenge Power
5 Attack Ability Tricks 15% - - -
10 Shortens Abilities Skill Gauge by 3% with preferred weapon. Max HP +3 Max HP +3 Max HP +3
20 Star Dragon Stance Lvl 3 Resilience +3 Resilience +2 Resilience +2
30 Revenge Mode Lvl 1 Star Dragon Stance Lv6 Star Dragon Stance Lv7 Star Dragon Stance Lv8
40 Critical Rate +1% Max HP +4 Resilience +2 Strength +2
50 Star Dragon Stance Lvl 5 Max HP +3 Max HP +3 Max HP +3
60 Revenge Mode Lvl 3 Resilience +8 Resilience +2 Strength +2
70 Strength +5 Revenge Mode Lvl 6 Revenge Mode Lvl 7 Revenge Mode Lvl 8
80 Max HP +5 Abilities Skill Gauge -1% with preferred weapon. Resilience +2 Resilience} +2
90 Revenge Mode Lvl 5 Max HP +3 Max HP +5 Max HP +3
99 - Luck +5 Luck +5 Luck +5

The previous skills and perks are only available while using this vocation, and only for the character who unlocked them.

Leveling up the Gladiator’s corresponding basic vocations give it the following bonuses to the character:

Level Martial Artist Sailor
50 Martial Artist's Essence Sailor's Essence
60 Max HP +10 Max HP +10
70 Critical Rate +1% Shortens Star Dragon Stance Skill Gauge by 3% with preferred weapon.
80 Critical Rate +1% with preferred weapon. Resilience +5 with preferred weapon.
90 Critical Rate +1% Shortens Star Dragon Stance Skill Gauge by 5% with preferred weapon.
99 Luck +5 Luck +5

Leveling an Gladiator unlocks the following perks for the character, even when not using this vocation:

Level Perk
60 Blind resistance +5%
70 Max HP +5
80 Reduces Brutal Blow and Runaway Magic damage taken by 5%.

Additionally, the following perk will be active only when using the gladiator vocation:

Level Vocational perk
80 Reduces Brutal Blow and Runaway Magic damage taken by 5%.

Dragon Quest Walk[edit]

Gladiators as they appear in Walk

Gladiators were added to the game in the January 2020 update, and require that a character has already reached Level 50 in the warrior and martial artist vocations to unlock. They can equip Axes, Claws, [[Spear}}s, and Swords.

Trivia[edit]

  • The Gladiator's rank names in the remake versions of VI and VII refer to weight classes in combat sports, ranging from lightest to heaviest.

See also[edit]

Gallery[edit]