Quick Build
- Recommended Build
- Spear + Shield, Holy Cross/Grand Cross
- Playstyle
- Durable solo melee with genuine self-sustain
- Difficulty
- Easy — the most self-sufficient Swordman-branch pick
- Primary Stats
- STR, VIT, INT, DEX
- Primary Weapon
- Spear + Shield
- Best For
- Players who want to solo confidently without relying on potions alone
- Strengths: a real self-heal chain (Cure → Divine Protection → Demon Bane → Heal) on its own tree, high HP, Holy Cross and Grand Cross for burst damage.
- Weaknesses: unlike Knight, Crusader does not get Pierce, Spear Stab, or Brandish Spear — your spear-skill damage options are limited, so Holy Cross/Grand Cross and Mastery-boosted auto-attacks carry most of your damage.
Why This Build?
Crusader shares Knight's Spear Mastery and Cavalier Mastery (the mounted damage bonus), but its own skill tree branches into Faith-gated support and burst skills instead of Knight's spear-attack chain. That trade is worth it: Crusader is the only class in the Swordman branch with its own Heal spell, reachable through Cure → Divine Protection → Demon Bane → Heal, no Priest required. Combined with Holy Cross (a solid mid-game nuke) and Grand Cross (heavy burst that also damages you, so use it carefully), Crusader can sustain itself through fights other melee classes would need to disengage from.
A Shield is worth carrying alongside your Spear — Guard, Shield Charge, Shield Boomerang, and Shield Reflect all key off it, and Guard itself is a real defensive layer this build leans on.
Stat Progression
| Stage | STR | AGI | VIT | INT | DEX | LUK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice → Swordman | 30 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Early Crusader | 40 | 1 | 40 | 15 | 15 | 1 |
| Mid Crusader | 55 | 1 | 55 | 25 | 30 | 1 |
| Late Crusader | 70 | 1 | 65 | 30 | 40 | 1 |
| Endgame (Lv.99) | 90 | 1 | 70 | 30 | 50 | 1+ |
- Fresh Swordman: STR and VIT together, same as Knight.
- Early Crusader: unlike Knight, start adding INT early — it strengthens your Heal chain, not just a caster's nuke.
- Through your 40s–90s: keep pushing STR and VIT, with INT and DEX climbing steadily behind them.
- At the top: STR high for Holy/Grand Cross damage, VIT for survivability, INT for meaningful self-heals, DEX for accuracy. AGI and LUK are dump stats.
Skill Progression
Max First
- Spear Mastery — flat ATK per level, your main damage lever since Crusader doesn't get Knight's spear-attack skills.
- Faith — gates both Holy Cross and (eventually) Grand Cross; max it early.
Core
- Holy Cross (requires Faith 7) — your mid-game nuke.
- Cure → Divine Protection → Demon Bane → Heal — this exact chain is what unlocks your self-heal. Demon Bane needs Divine Protection 3; Heal needs Demon Bane 5 and Faith 10.
- Peco Peco Riding & Cavalier Mastery — same mounted-damage bonus as Knight, worth taking for the same reason.
Useful Later
- Grand Cross (requires Holy Cross 6 and Faith 10) — heavy burst that damages you too; use it as a cooldown-style burst, not a spam skill.
- Guard, Shield Charge/Boomerang/Reflect Shield — a real defensive/utility kit if you're carrying a Shield, which this build recommends.
- Spear Quicken (requires Spear Mastery 10) — an ASPD buff, worth picking up once your core kit is online.
Optional
- Devotion (Sacrifice) & Resistant Souls — party-support options if you're regularly grouping, not required for solo play.
Not Available to Crusader
- Pierce, Spear Stab, Brandish Spear, Spear Boomerang, Two-Hand Sword Mastery, Bowling Bash — all Knight-exclusive, despite Crusader sharing Spear Mastery itself.
Equipment Progression
Starter: a Spear from your job-change quest's free weapon choice if offered, plus a basic Shield; starting armor is fine.
Early Game: the shop-bought Halberd (ATK 165, 1 slot, 54,000z) from Einbech's Two Hand Weapon Dealer — its open slot is valuable for this build.
Mid Game: card your Halberd (see below); basic plate armor and a Shield with a small elemental-resistance bonus if you can find one.
Late Game: refine your Spear as budget allows; accessories that round out INT/DEX help both your damage and your self-heal.
Endgame: a fully refined, carded Spear plus your best available armor and Shield — polish, not a wholesale gear swap.
Weapon Progression & Cards
The same Einbech Two Hand Weapon Dealer that sells Knight's Lance and Halberd sells them to Crusader too — no separate shop. Since Crusader's spear-skill options are limited, the Halberd's ATK and open slot make it the more efficient pick over the pricier Lance.
- Skeleton Worker Card: +15% damage against Medium-sized enemies plus +5 base ATK — the same strong first pick as Knight's.
- Kobold Card: +1 STR, +4 Critical Hit rate.
- Zerom Card: +3 DEX flat, useful if accuracy is your bottleneck.
Leveling Guide
| Level Range | Where to Go | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| 1–20 | Early open fields around the starting towns | Low-danger monsters, easy for a durable frontline class |
| 20–40 | Slightly tougher fields and early dungeons | Your self-heal chain is coming online here, easing sustain |
| 40–55 | Early dungeon monsters, including Kobold-type spawns | Worth farming deliberately for Kobold Card |
| 55–70 | Mid-tier dungeon monsters | Holy Cross should be online, adding real burst on top of your sustain |
| 65–80 | Tougher dungeon monsters | Grand Cross available — use it carefully, it damages you too |
| 75–99 | Late-game hunting grounds | Full self-sustain kit online — among the safest solo picks at this stage |
What Should I Farm?
- Skeleton Worker Card — your bread-and-butter Medium-race damage card.
- Kobold Card — a solid secondary STR/Critical card.
- Zerom Card — if accuracy is your bottleneck.
Party Play
Crusader's Devotion and Resistant Souls give it real party-support tools if you want them, but nothing about this build requires a group — the self-heal chain is what makes Crusader one of the most comfortable solo picks in the Swordman branch.
Final Lv.99 Build
- Stats
- STR 90 · AGI 1 · VIT 70 · INT 30 · DEX 50 · LUK 1+
- Weapon
- Refined Halberd with Skeleton Worker + Kobold cards, plus a Shield
- Armor
- Refined plate armor, elemental-resistance garment, stat-rounding accessories
- Skills
- Spear Mastery and Faith maxed, full Heal chain unlocked, Holy Cross and Grand Cross both learned
- Playstyle
- Sustain through auto-attacks and Heal, burst with Holy Cross/Grand Cross when it counts
Second Job
This build's next tier — reached through Rebirth.