Do you want to rule Lost Ark with hammering justice? Then, the Lost Ark Destroyer class to play. Wielding a gravity-defying Hammer, the Destroyer can use this hammer to launch devastating AoE attacks. One of the tankiest classes, the Destroyer’s mobility is that much to write home about. However, their heavy armor, shields, and massive health bar make up for all the mobility they do not have. While this Advanced Class can deal heavy damage, a large portion of their heavy-hitting skills are Frontal Attacks and Charging Skills; hence, your position and timing are two factors you can’t ignore. If you love to be that unstoppable player, this Destroyer Class Guide is for you.
Table of Contents
Destroyer Characteristics and Identity Skill
The Destroyer is one of the four Advanced Classes under the Warrior Class. Launched during the second post-game release class launch, this class has come to rule the game with hammering rage. They wield a Gravity Hammer, which they can use to manipulate gravitational energy and the ground around them. Their attacks carry heavy damage as they can wipe out hordes in just one deadly blow. As an Advanced Class that can deal massive amounts of melee damage, you have an advantage over most other characters. If you want a tanky character that can wreak havoc everywhere you step, then the Destroyer is a perfect choice.
As mentioned earlier, this class mainly deals in Frontal Attacks and Charging Skills. So, if you want to land your skills, you need to time your attacks and position yourself well to get the maximum amount of damage. Also, the skills of the Destroyer come with long animations, which might put you at a disadvantage against quicker enemies that can quickly evade the attack.
However, they can still hold their own against these quicker enemies thanks to their Paralysis Immunity Super Armors. These Armors prevent them from getting interrupted when executing an attack. Hence, they can still deal damage even if foes try to stun them out of the attack.
Like every other Advanced Class, the Destroyer has an Identity Skill that gives it more buffs to wreak heavier damage on foes. However, the Identity Skill of the Destroyer is a bit different from that of other Advanced Classes. They have two different Identity Skills stemming from their Gravity Core and Gravity Meter bars.
The Gravity Cores are somewhat similar to the Orbs of the Deathblade. Your Concentration skills (highlighted with blue icons) fill up the Gravity Cores. There are three Gravity Cores. Once you fill one Core, you can use them to activate Gravity Release skills (highlighted with purple icons). The number of Gravity Cores you have determines the buffs you get on the Gravity Release skills. Also, once you activate a Gravity Release skill, it exhausts all-filled Gravity cores. Here are the buffs you get from each filled Gravity Core:
- One Gravity Core: 10% damage increase on damage to Gravity Release Skills and 10% increase on max. HP shield.
- Two Gravity Cores: 25% damage increase on Gravity skills and 20% increase on max. HP shield.
- Three Gravity Cores: 45% damage increase on Gravity skills and 30% increase on max. HP shield.
Having a good balance of Concentration Skills and Gravity Release Skills in your skill lineup is essential. If the Concentration Skills are not enough, filling your Gravity Cores takes longer than necessary. If the Gravity Release skills are also not enough, you might end up wasting your cores on a skill that doesn’t wreak as much damage as needed.
Using Gravity Skills fill up the Gravity Meter, which you can liken to the Berserker’s Fury Meter. Once you fill up the Gravity Meter, it gives access to the Hypergravity state. This state slows down all foes, and the Destroyer becomes immune to all crowd control and debuffs. They also gain access to a skill known as the Vortex Gravity Ability. This ability gives enormous Stagger Damage every time the Destroyer slams his Hammer into the earth and pulls nearby enemies towards him to deal a final bout of damage.
Destroyer Skills and Tripods
After Levelling, your Destroyer should have unlocked 19 skills, including Concentration skills, Gravity Skills, and Awakening Skills. Apart from unlocking these skills, you’d have also unlocked their tripods using Combat Points. With these Tripods, you can wreak more havoc, increase the AoE, or reduce the cooldown of these skills.
However, you can only have any 8 of these skills in your artillery while playing the game. This section will cover both the Concentration and Gravity Release skills for a 288-point build:
Concentration Skills
Heavy Crush – This is one of the easiest skills to use in the game, and its short cooldown period makes it a favorite. When executed, the Destroyer slams his hammer on nearby enemies, causing them Stagger Damage. This skill also immediately fills up one of your Gravity Cores. However, it would be best to position yourself well when hitting this skill as it is a Frontal Attack. The best Tripod for this skill is the Quick Hit, as it helps reduce the cooldown period.
- Power Strike – This is a Counter Skill that gives you 2 Gravity Cores once executed. This skill makes the Destroyer raise the hammer and hit the ground in front of him three times. The best Tripod for this skill is the Armor Destruction. This helps to lower the defenses of your foes.
- Jumping Smash: This skill helps you cover ground as it is a Charging Skill. Once executed, the Destroyer moves 10m towards the targeted area and hits the Hammer to inflict damage. The best Tripod here is also Armor Reduction, as it lowers the defenses of your foes. This skill is advisably the first skill to execute when playing as it gives 3 Gravity Cores. This way, you can quickly hit a Gravity Release Skill to do more damage.
- Endure Pain – Once you execute this skill, the Destroyer roars and inflicts damage on surrounding foes. The skill makes the Destroyer immune to crowd control effects and causes significant damage reduction. The best Tripods for this skill include Wide Hit, Taunt, and Hidden Pain. Wide Hit Tripod helps increase the radius of attack; Taunt helps absorb the Destroyer from taking any damage, while Hidden Pain also helps reduce incoming damage by 90%.
Alternative Concentration Skills
Just in case you want a different lineup of skills, here are some skills you could swap for some of those above:
- Dreadnaught – This skill is a popular Counter Skill choice among Lost Ark players. Once executed, the skill makes the Destroyer lift himself in the air with the hammer and deliver a devastating blow to surrounding enemies. The best Tripods for this skill include Toughened Body and Armor Destruction. Toughened Body helps to reduce the damage you take while hitting the skill, while Armor Reduction reduces the foe’s defenses. This skill gives 2 Gravity Cores when executed.
- Running Strike – This is another Charging Skill; however, it is more challenging to control than Jumping Smash. When executed, this skill makes the Destroyer charge forward, crashing into enemies in his path and dealing heavy damage. However, the difficulty with this skill is that you can’t change direction when executing this skill. The best Tripod for this skill is the Target Focus Tripod which increases the Stagger Damage of your team by 20%. This skill could replace Power Strike or Dreadnaught when playing content like Chaos Dungeon, where Counter Skills are unimportant. This skill also gives 2 Gravity Cores when executed.
- Power Shoulder – If you want a Charging Skill that gives you more control, then the Power Shoulder is the best choice. Once executed, the Destroyer charges in the specified direction and crashes into foes. When clicked on again, the Destroyer raises the Hammer and hits opponents into the air. When hitting it on your second combo, the skill allows you to change your direction. The best Tripod for this skill is the Toughened Tripod which helps reduce the damage you take. This skill grants 2 Gravity Cores.
Gravity Release Skills
- Perfect Swing – This skill is great for wreaking Burst and Weak Point Damage in foes. Once executed, the Destroyer charges into enemies and deals additional damage with the hammer. The best Tripods for this skill include Hour of Slaughter, Weak Point Detection, and Unnecessary Time. These Tripods improve the damage dealt, increase effectiveness against bosses, and increase Attack Speed, respectively.
- Earth Eater – This skill is a popular Gravity Release skill due to its massive Stagger Damage. When executed, the Destroyer hits the ground with the Hammer and starts swirling with rock boulders attached to the Hammer. The best Tripods for this skill include Earthen Rage, Enhanced Strike, and Tenacity. This combo increases the damage dealt with this skill and prevents you from getting CC’ed out of the skill. If you’re a newbie, you might want to swap out Earthen Rage for Rock Storm to gain more control over the skill.
- Seismic Hammer – When executed, this skill launches the Destroyer into the air and splits the ground with a heavy blow dealing damage to surrounding enemies. The best Tripods for this skill include Absolute Strength and Quick Prep. Absolute Strength amplifies the damage dealt against powerful enemies, and Quick Prep lowers the skill’s cooldown period.
- Full Swing – When executed, this skill makes the Destroyer swing in a full circle with the hammer while dealing damage to foes on collision. The best Tripods for this skill include Beast’s Eye, Agile Movement, and Scary Hammer. This combo improves spin damage, Attack speed and increases the damage potential of the Hammer.
Destroyer’s Engravings
Every Advanced Class in Lost Ark has specific Engravings which you can unlock after playing Endgame content, such as Guardian Raids or Chaos Dungeons. These Engravings give the Destroyer special skills which you can activate by equipping Ability Stones or reading Recipe Books.
Every Advanced Class has its Unique Engravings (peculiar to them) and General Engravings (available to other Advanced Classes). There are two types of Engravings for the Destroyer Advanced Class: the Rage Hammer and Gravity Training classes. This section will review both Unique Engravings, their characteristics and downsides, and the best General Engravings for the Destroyer Advanced Class.
Destroyer Rage Hammer
This Engraving increases the Crit Rate and Crit Damage of Gravity Release Skills depending on the number of Gravity Cores exhausted. At Level 1, it increases Crit Rate and Crit Damage by 3% and 5%. Then, at Level 2, it increases Crit Rate and Crit Damage by 4% and 10%. At Level 3, it increases Crit Rate and Crit Damage by 5% and 15%.
Combat Stats
When playing with this Engraving, you should invest your Combat Points in Crit and Swiftness. Crit helps increase crit rate and damage, while Swiftness reduces cooldown periods and boosts Attack and Movement Speed. You could assign some points to Specialization to increase the damage potential of your Gravity Release Skills.
Characteristics
- Increases Crit Rate and Crit Damage
- Depends on the number of Gravity Cores exhausted
Downsides
- N/A
Destroyer Gravity Training
This Engraving helps you accumulate Gravity Meter Energy to shorten the time needed to enter the Hypergravity Mode. Once in the Hypergravity Mode, it increases the Crit Rate of the Vortex Gravity Skill, Attack Damage, and Basic Attack. At Level 1, it causes an increase in Gravity Meter by 1% every second. It also increases Basic Attack and Vortex Gravity Skill Crit Rate by 10% and Attacks Damage by 4% during the Hypergravity Mode. At Level 2, it causes the increase of Gravity Meter to by 1.5% every second. It also increases Basic Attack and Vortex Gravity Skill Crit Rate by 20% and Attack Damage by 10% during the Hypergravity Mode. At Level 3, it causes an increase in Gravity Meter by 2% every second. It also increases Basic Attack and Vortex Gravity Skill Crit Rate by 30% and increases Attack Damage by 20% during the Hypergravity Mode.
At Level 3, the Destroyer becomes an absolute beast with this Engraving. Hence, it is advisable to get it to at least Level 2 before use.
Combat Stats
When playing the Gravity Training Engraving, you should invest Combat Points in Specialization and Crit. This combo increases the Crit Rate, the rate at which the Gravity Meter fills up, and increases Gravity Release Skills’ damage.
Characteristics
- Increases the rate of buildup of Gravity Meter.
- It increases the Crit Rate of the Hypergravity Vortex Skill, Basic Attack, and Attack Damage.
Downsides
- N/A
General Engravings
This section will review the best General Engravings to work with Destroyer’s Unique Engravings.
- Barricade: This Engraving increases the damage you can do to foes while shielded. At Level 1, it increases damage by 3%. At Level 2, it increases damage by 8% and 16% at Level 3.
- Supercharge: This Engraving increases the speed of execution of Charging Skills and the damage you can do with them. At Level 1, it increases Charging Skills’ speed by 8% and the Damage by 4%. Then, at Level 2, it increases speed by 20% and damage by 10%. At Level 3, it increases speed by 40% and damage by 20%.
- Master Brawler: This Engraving increases your Head Attack Damage. It increases the damage by 5%, 12%, and 25% at Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3, respectively.
- Cursed Doll: This Engraving increases Attack Power and decreases Healing but excludes Natural Recovery from the reduction. At Level 1, it increases Attack Power by 3% and reduces healing by 25%. Then, at Level 2, it increases Attack Power by 8% and decreases Healing by 25%. At Level 3, it increases Attack Power by 16% and reduces healing by 25%.
- Grudge: This General Engraving increases damage done to higher-ranking foes or bosses. However, it also increases the damage taken from them by 20%. Damage increases by 4% at Level 1, 10% at Level 2, and 20% at Level 3. The damage taken from them increases by 20% at all levels.
If you were to pick any three, we would advise you to go with the three listed first. If you were to use any of the last two, it is better to get them to Level 3 before using them because of their drawbacks.
Destroyer’s Awakening Skills
The Destroyer has two Awakening Skills which include Big Bang and Terra Peak. Find out which will be the best pick in this section:
- Big Bang: This skill deals the heavier damage out of the two. When executed, the Destroyer charges up the Hammer before releasing a thunderous amount of energy which wreaks a world of damage and blows enemies away. However, this skill is harder to land due to the elongated charge time.
- Terra Beak: This skill is more common among users of the Gravity Training Engraving because of its ability to fill up the Gravity Meter immediately. When executed, the Destroyer swings the Hammer down, up, and then down again to launch foes into the sky and brings them crashing down to deal heavy damage.
Destroyer PvP Build
Most times, the survivor in a PvP contest will be the team that can wreak the most damage. Having a Destroyer for PvP contest helps a lot in your quest to wreak more damage than your foes. To give yourself that competitive edge when playing with a Destroyer class, here are the tips to follow:
First, your Combat Stat Line. 70% of your combat points should be on Crit as you’ll want to maximize the amount of Crit Rate and Damage you can do. 20% should go to Swiftness to help reduce skill cooldown periods and boost Attack and Movement speeds. The last 10% should work with Specialization to help increase the damage done by Gravity Release Skills.
For instance, the best skills here would include Seismic Hammer (Tripods: Starving Strength, Absolute Strength, and Quick Prep), Endure Pain (Hidden Pain, Gravity Enhancement, and Anti-Gravity), Perfect Swing (Hours of Slaughter, Weak Point Detection, and Absolute Strength), Jumping Smash (Armor Destruction, Hour of Slaughter, and Weak Point Detection), Earth Eater (Rock Storm, Red Shards, and Perspiration), Dreadnaught (Tenacity), Running Crash (Agile Movement), and Heavy Crash (Quick Hit).
Then, the best Engravings would be Gravity Training, Supercharge, Barricade, Master Brawler, and Cursed Doll. The best Engraving Skill would be Terra Beak. Skills like Dreadnaught and Jumping Smash are your go-to skills as they have a shorter cooldown and help fill up your Gravity Cores. Then, you can hit a Gravity Release skill like Perfect Swing or Earth Eater to give massive Weak Point or Stagger Damage.
Check out this YouTube video for a meta Destroyer PvP build.
Destroyer PvE Build
In PvE, you’ll be running into the heavy traffic of enemies more times than you can count. With a class like the Destroyer, with which you can’t do much evasion, you need to use your heavy Damage potential to your advantage. If you want that indestructible PvE Destroyer, here are the tips to follow.
First, you should share Combat Points between Swiftness and Specialization. These two will help reduce skill cooldown periods and improve Attack and Movement Speed. The rest should go to Crit.
Your skillset should include Running Crash (Enhanced Advance, Agile Movement, and Elaborate Plan), Jumping Smash (Superior Charge, Time Distortion, and Gravity Inversion), Earth Eater (Rock Storm, Red Shards, and Tenacity), Seismic Hammer (Enhanced Weak Point Detection, Tenacity, and Concussion), Endure Pain (Healthy Mentality, Wide Hit, and Anti-Gravity), Perfect Swing (Hour of Slaughter, Tenacity, and Absolute Strength), Dreadnaught (Tenacity), and Power Shoulder (Express Fury, Superior Charge, and Victory Contrast).
The best Engravings would be Rage Hammer, Supercharge, Barricade, Master Brawler, and Grudge. Namely, the best Engraving Skill would be Terra Beak. You could use skills like Dreadnaught and Power Shoulder to build your Gravity Cores. Then, you could hit Gravity Release Skills like Earth Eater and Seismic Hammer to do heavy damage to foes. It is advisable to use your Engravings in the heat of battle and only when your Gravity Cores are full. So, you could get more Crit and Damage on your Gravity Release Skills.
Check out this YouTube video for an indestructible Destroyer PvE build.
Conclusion
If you’re used to playing agile classes like Deathblade, you might find it hard to get used to the Destroyer class. However, you’ll find it easy to carry your teammates in most contests with the damage they can wreak. If you want to know how to build the indestructible Lost Ark Destroyer, this guide is for you.
