Two Classes, One Body
Sub-Stack 1+1
Stack your main class with a donor subclass and play both skill trees at once. Here is how it works, what is banned, and why.
What it is
You stack your main class with one donor subclass of your choice. The donor's whole skill tree, plus its weapon and armor proficiencies, is added on top of your main class while you play it.
- 1
Pick your donor subclass
Take an ordinary subclass the usual way. It can serve as your donor if the pairing with your main class is legal (same race, not on the banned list below).
- 2
Select it at the Class Master
Talk to the Class Master and choose which of your subclasses is your donor. By default no donor is selected, and with no donor there is no stack.
- 3
Play your main class
While your main class is active, the donor's whole skill tree and its weapon and armor proficiencies are added on top. Switch to a subclass and you play it pure, with no stack.
The rules
Changing your donor
Changing the donor costs 10,000,000 adena and starts a 72 hours cooldown before you can change it again. You cannot change it while PvP-flagged.
The stack rides your main class
The donor's skills are active only while your main class is the active class. On any subclass you are a pure single class.
Same race only
No mutants: the donor must be the same race as your main class. The single exception is the curated cross-race pairing below.
Olympiad
You enter the Olympiad with your main class, but the donor stack is stripped for the match. You fight as your pure main class.
Bans follow the class line
Bans are matched by class line. A subclass that has not yet done its 3rd class transfer counts as its 3rd class, so a Paladin subclass is treated as a Phoenix Knight for ban purposes.
Overlord and Warsmith
Both Overlord and Warsmith can be taken as subclasses.
Einhasad's Sanction: the one cross-race pairing
The Twilight Bard — Spectral Dancer+Sword Muse
Dark Elf dances plus Elf songs on one body. A Spectral Dancer (or Bladedancer) main can take Swordsinger as a subclass; a Sword Muse (or Swordsinger) main can take Bladedancer.
Banned combinations
These pairings cannot be stacked. Every banned pair is tagged with the reason it is banned; the tags are explained in the philosophy below.
Human
- Cardinal+Phoenix KnightUnkillable tank
- Cardinal+Hell KnightUnkillable tankHeal + resurrection
- Cardinal+AdventurerHealer on a damage dealer
- Cardinal+HierophantHeal + resurrectionBuffer that also kills
- Hierophant+SagittariusBuffer that also kills
- Hierophant+DuelistBuffer that also kills
- Hierophant+DreadnoughtBuffer that also kills
- Hierophant+AdventurerBuffer that also kills
- Archmage+SoultakerDouble burst
- Phoenix Knight+Hell KnightStacked defence
- Arcana Lord+SoultakerSummoner stackingDouble burst
Elf
- Eva Saint+Eva TemplarUnkillable tank
- Eva Saint+Moonlight SentinelHealer on a damage dealer
- Mystic Muse+Eva SaintHeal + resurrection
- Elemental Master+Eva SaintSummoner stackingHeal + resurrection
- Sword Muse+Moonlight SentinelBuffer that also kills
Dark Elf
- Shillien Saint+Shillien TemplarUnkillable tank
- Shillien Saint+Ghost HunterHealer on a damage dealer
- Shillien Saint+Storm ScreamerHeal + resurrection
- Storm Screamer+Spectral MasterSummoner stackingDouble burst
- Spectral Dancer+Ghost SentinelBuffer that also kills
Orc
- Doomcryer+TitanBuffer that also kills
- Doomcryer+Grand KhavatariBuffer that also kills
Kamael
- Judicator+DoombringerHealer on a damage dealer
The philosophy
Sub-Stack is meant to be expressive: most pairings are open, and the flavourful ones are exactly what we want you to play. The bans target stacks that are broken by construction, where two classes combine into something neither was designed to be. They fall into a few families.
A full healer's heal-and-resurrect tree on a heavy-armor tank frame. Between the healing and the defence there is nothing left to trade against: the character simply does not die.
Two healing or resurrection kits on one body, or a full heal-and-resurrect tree on a caster. One player ends up replacing both a healer and a damage dealer.
A full healer kit on an assassin, archer or heavy damage dealer gives a damage class self-sufficiency it was designed to lack. Part of a damage dealer's cost is needing a healer next to them.
A full party-buff tree (prophet, warcryer, song or dance) on a damage dealer. A support is meant to make the party strong; here the same body also deals the damage, and buffs itself while doing it.
Two independent nuke trees stacked together. The opening burst can exceed what a target's HP can absorb, leaving no window to react.
Two tank passive stacks on one body: a crit-resistant bruiser with no offensive trade-off for being that durable.
A summoner tree combined with another summoner or with a nuker. Summons body-block while the nukes land, so one player does the work of a small group.
Under review: may return
The day-one ban list is deliberately conservative. We would rather open with a stack that is too tight and loosen it than launch a meta defined by broken stacks and spend months pulling it back. Bans are reviewed against real play data after launch, and some combinations will likely be unlocked. Changing a ban is a server configuration change: no wipe, no character reset.
Cross-race candidates being playtested
These cross-race pairings are balance-vetted but currently held back. They are candidates being playtested, not promises. Each one is only activated if play shows it is healthy.
- Moonlight Sentinel+Ghost Sentinel
- Sagittarius+Moonlight Sentinel
- Duelist+Grand Khavatari
- Fortune Seeker+Adventurer
- Maestro+Dreadnought
FAQ
Can I change my donor subclass?
Yes, at the Class Master. It costs 10,000,000 adena, has a 72 hours cooldown between changes, and is blocked while you are PvP-flagged.
What happens if my combination gets banned later?
A banned pairing does not stack. You keep your subclass (it is never deleted) and simply play your plain main class until you select a legal donor.
What happens if a ban is lifted?
Bans live in server configuration, so a lifted ban takes effect without a wipe. The pairing becomes selectable at the Class Master like any other legal combination, and the usual change cost and cooldown apply.
Does the stack work in the Olympiad?
No. You enter with your main class, but the donor stack is stripped for the match, so you fight as your pure main class.
Can I stack a class from another race?
Only the curated exception: the Twilight Bard, Spectral Dancer with Sword Muse. Every other cross-race pairing is closed for now. Several more are being playtested, with no promises.
Does it matter if my subclass has not done its 3rd class transfer yet?
For bans, a subclass that has not yet done its 3rd class transfer counts as its 3rd class. A Paladin subclass is treated as a Phoenix Knight, so it cannot sidestep a ban by staying a class behind.