Tree of savior Cataphract class guide

Tree of savior Cataphract guide 

Long gone are the days where Cataphract was the joke of the Swordsman tree. They have received a considerable amount of buffs in recent months which has made them into a good option for any build looking for mobility/mounting.

The main concept of Cataphract lies around mobility, as they are able to mount on their companions to increase their movement speed, as well as receive minor stat bonus depending on the companion's strength (+25% of it's HP, +10% of it's defense and +8% of it's evasion).

Another characteristic of this class is the use of 2-Handed Spears as early as Rank 4 (the other option is Dragoon at Rank 7), which provide a higher attack compared to it's 1H counterparts.

It is important to take into consideration, that even though they can use 2H Spears and their skills have gotten several buffs to improve them, this class is still trading damage for mobility. This means that Cataphract will move the fastest out of any Swordsman, but it won't hit the hardest (to keep it fair, of course).

Sometimes people choose Cataphract and feel that they are not dealing as much damage as they would like to, and this expected. Because of this, it is not recommended to build them for DPS, but rather for a tanky-AoE damage hybrid, which can work well by itself as well with a group. At Rank 7 Dragoon can provide more damage if that is what you are looking for, but it is also a great class to go into Templar.

Thanks to the mobility this class has, it is also one of the most efficient ways to combat against other classes in PvP, as moving quickly allows it to have an easier time closing the gap to ranged classes, as well as evading and moving quickly away from other threats.

There is also the problem that not every skill is able to be used while mounted. Luckily, a mechanism has been implemented where your character will either unmount or stand up on your mount and perform the skill, rather than being totally locked out of using it. Unmounting could be frustrating because of the AI of the companion (which could stop you from quickly riding it again), so it is something you will have to deal with until they improve it's AI.

While it is possible to mix this class with others at later ranks, I highly recommend that builds take Cataphract to Circle 3, as it is when the real potential of this class is unlocked and anything less than that, while it works, feels underwhelming.

Finally, while it is not necessary, I also recommend taking Peltasta and Hoplite previous to Cataphract, as it allows the use of 1H Spear+Shield that could provide useful during many situations where raw power alone cannot win.

This is a list of skills that cannot be used while mounted and will automatically unmount you on use:

Peltasta: Shield Lob, Butterfly
Highlander: Cartar Stroke, Cross Cut, Vertical Slash
Hoplite: Long Stride
Barbarian: Embowel, Stomping Kick, Giant Swing, Seism, Cleave
Rodelero: Targe Smash, High Kick
Squire: Weapon Maintenance, Armor Maintenance, Repair, Arrest, Base Camp, Refreshment Table
Coirsair: Jolly Roger, Dust Devil, Pistol Shot
Doppelsoeldner: Punish, Cyclone, Zornhau, Rodel, Zucken
Fencer: ALL SKILLS
Shinobi: ALL SKILLS

Any other skill not mentioned on this list can be used while mounted.

Circle 1

Skills

• Trot (Level 5): This skill temporarily increases your movement speed while mounting. It won't reach a 100% up-time until Level 15, but it is one of the most important skills to keep maxed out.
• Impaler (Level 1): Impaler is mostly used for it's CC component, which will allow you to disable someone for 9 seconds and move around with them (you cannot use any other skill but Impale to damage them).
• Earth Wave (Level 5): This is your main AoE damaging skill, so make sure to keep it always maxed.
• Steed Charge (Level 0~1): This skill isn't recommended due to it's low AoE Ratio, which makes it better to spend points elsewhere. You can get level 1 of this skill if you want an additional skill on your rotation (for the knock down), perhaps even level it up if you like it. But for now it is better to level up the rest of the Cataphract skills, as there are barely enough points to level most of them up.

Circle 2

• Trot (Level 10)
• Earth Wave (Level 10)
• Doom Spike (Level 5): Your second AoE skill, there is not much to say besides that it deals damage and knocks down enemies.

Circle 3

• Trot (Level 15)
• Earth Wave (Level 15)
• Rush (Level 5): Rush is another signature skill of Cataphract, while it is AoE it is not as big as the others, it is also a channeling skill, so it is mostly used to stay on top of your opponent while using it. It deals good damage and has a 5% chance to stun for 2 seconds (with the attribute).
• Doom Spike (Remaining points)

The contents of this guide serve as a reference for players looking to build a Swordsman character, tree of savior Cataphract class guide writen by Cathexis