Classes and skills

An ArcheAge class combines 3 skillsets. Each skillset contains active skills and passive effects.

Your class name describes the combination. It does not select every skill for you. You still choose which skills receive your available points.

Origins uses the 10 original skillsets. Later retail skillsets such as Malediction, Swiftblade, Gunslinger, and Spelldance do not belong to this set.

Choose a main role first

Start with the way you want to fight. Then choose other skillsets that support it.

Main interest	Skillset to read first	What to learn
Close combat	Battlerage	How to reach a target and use melee attacks.
Ranged weapon combat	Archery	How to keep distance and use a bow.
Spell damage	Sorcery	How to manage cast time, range, and mana.
Healing allies	Vitalism	How to select allies and use healing skills.

A healing skillset needs a different equipment plan from a melee skillset. Read the skill statistics before you mix several types of damage and healing.

For a first character, one clear role makes equipment and skill choices easier to understand. You can change the plan after you learn the basics.

What the 10 skillsets do

These descriptions give you a starting point. Read the individual skill tooltips for exact effects and requirements.

Skillset	Main uses
Battlerage	Melee attacks and tools to close the distance to a target.
Archery	Bow attacks and tools to fight from a distance.
Sorcery	Spell damage, including attacks that need time to cast.
Vitalism	Healing and support for yourself or allies.
Defense	Shields, protection, and tools to control incoming attacks.
Auramancy	Movement, protection, and tools against harmful effects.
Shadowplay	Stealth, movement, and attacks that support other skillsets.
Witchcraft	Effects that interrupt or control enemies.
Occultism	Magic attacks and effects that control an area or target.
Songcraft	Songs and other effects that support allies.

For example, Archery, Defense, and Witchcraft form Archon. The bow provides ranged attacks. The other skillsets add protection and ways to interrupt enemies.

This example shows how 3 skillsets support a combat role. Your skill choices and equipment determine how that role works in practice.

How skill points work

Your 3 skillsets use one pool of skill points. A point spent in one skillset is unavailable for another skill.

Active skills are actions that you place on the action bar and use. Passives change abilities without a separate action-bar button.

At level 55, the character has 28 total skill points. Choose skills for a purpose rather than try to buy every skill in each tree.

Skill requirements can include the skillset level or points spent in that tree. Your character level alone does not make every skill available.

Origins enables the level-55 skill in each original skillset. Your selected skillset must reach the required level before you can learn its level-55 skill.

Character level and skillset level differ

Your character has one level. Each skillset has its own experience and level.

Active skillsets gain experience as you progress. A skillset that you did not use can remain at a lower level.

If you change to a lower-level skillset, check its available skills before a difficult fight. Keep a familiar skillset active while you learn the new one.

What a combo means

A combo is an interaction between skills or effects. One skill can place an effect on a target that changes the result of another skill.

Read the combo section in the skill tooltip. It tells you which condition the next skill needs.

Some skills also have a short sequence of repeated activations. For example, the level-55 Sorcery skill Gods’ Whip has several stages.

Learn one combo at a time. Watch the target’s effects, use the next skill, and compare the result with the tooltip.

Change a skillset when your plan changes

Use a skill trainer to open the skillset change interface. Read the interface before you confirm the change.

After a change, open the skills window and check your learned skills. Then check the action bar for skills from the old skillset.

You can explore another role with the same character. Your equipment still matters, so plan the change before you spend money on a second equipment set.

Use Your first session to put these choices into a short combat sequence.