*Bracing this guide for coming rework, I'll put out the updated version ASAP after the rework is released*

Disclaimer: Damage values are calculated using Project Accurate Skill Data, found here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XB0NuCu0bXVe69KqWxinPq7l1Z1hZOyosCbF1GU_ggM/edit#gid=534405146

However, these stats could not be used to calculate firing speed increase for Run and Gun (ultimate).

 

Chance to trigger passive was calculated against lone enemies in U5.

Table of Contents

~Use the find tool (ctrl+f) and input the number with a period afterward to jump to a section.~

1. Basics: Know Your Role
2. Stats
3. Abilities: When, Where, and Why
4. Flasks and Emblems
5. Multimeta - Adapt to Survive (Conclusion)

 

*Information is repeated commonly! Information regarding one topic may also pertain to others.*

In other words, if you know about one section already, you don’t have to read about it because related information will also appear in other sections.

 

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1. Basics: Know Your Role

At their core, gunslingers are a damage class, and will almost always be a damage class. Playing tank is not an option for them due to a lack of health and AoE autoattack, and playing support is only possible through emblems and not skills. Your job as a gunslinger is to provide a reliable damage source, and when needed, pull aggro away from the team if the tank (or tanks) dies in a shadow tower by pulling aggro and jumping over enemies while dodging projectiles until the rest of the team can get reaquainted. Good aim is required to keep damage applied, and knowledge of your skills is necessary for good DPS.

Gunslingers are commonly thought to be a weak class because they are hard to master and can even die in 2-3 hits. A good gunslinger, however, will avoid as much damage as possible while styling with their very strong movement options and two AoE skills.

In general, follow the rule “Donacdum”. Know what you should be doing, survive, and be a help to yourself and the team.

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2. Stats

 

Gunslingers use, in order of importance:

-Magic Damage

-Critical Hit

-Energy Regeneration

-Critical Damage

-Jump (Debatable, may be lower or higher)

-Attack Speed

-Max Energy

-Flask Capacity (Only possible through Mastery, and is why this stat is at the bottom)

 

A gunslinger should never use Stability, as this leads to the possibility of taking many hits at once instead of being knocked away from a group of enemies.

All gear, if possible, should use magic damage. Allies should have +% Magic Damage, with few exceptions (such as the Fiesty Flamedancer if one prefers to blast jump often). The Elder and Monarch Dragonlings are extremely effective, but are topped by Chronomancer Qubesly, due to  +20% added damage, chance for fire damage upon attack, and reduced cooldown for Run and Gun. Higher attack speed increases how often one may use the Lucky Shot passive against bosses or single enemies. Jump is a both a failsafe and positioning tool which will allow one to both avoid and deal more damage in the correct circumstances. Energy Regeneration and Max Energy are useful for staying in the air while dealing damage using blast jumps. Flask Capacity increases how many times one may take damage as well as how many emblem uses are possible.

 

IMPORTANT: Jumping interrupts energy regeneration for about 3 seconds. A gunslinger must balance regular and blast jump usage to achieve a safe vertical distance and/or maximum blast jumping DPS!

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3.  Abilities: When, Where, and Why

 

Concise list below full explanation!

 

Passive: Lucky Shot- On dealing damage, the player has a chance to instantly charge their M2 ability, Charged Shot. This chance increases with damage dealt in one attack, as well as how many enemies were hit at once. Hitting around ten enemies at once with M2 or A1 provides an almost guaranteed chance to charge this. Having a charge saved will not impede movement speed or interrupt other attacks, but landing this has no chance to recharge itself. Has an estimated, but not confirmed six second cooldown on charging shots.

*Also provides a short (about three second) glide effect when one hits an enemy with any attack - Very critical in sustaining vertical height over enemies in order to avoid melee and position shots.

M1: Gunfire (No official name)- Fires your guns in alternating fashion. Costs no energy. Every shot deals 100% of your magic damage stat, plus your mastery damage bonuses. It is more useful to use only this than charge shots when facing 1-3 enemies, or focusing one powerful enemy!

M2: Charged Shot- Charges, then fires an energy blast. Costs about 40 energy, assuming the default energy pool is 100. Takes about two seconds to charge fully, and impairs horizontal movement when held. When fully charged, two blue energy rings resonate from your gun. Uncharged, deals 150% of your magic damage, but fires more slowly than M1 while costing energy. Fully charged, deals 350% magic damage and a large AoE effect (7x7 area) that does not diminish in damage the further enemies are away from where a shot landed. Has a high (about 80%) chance to activate Lucky Shot when fired on a large number of enemies, effectively leading into two total charged shots in rapid succession, or 700% damage to a large group. Spamming charge shots is not a good idea, as there is assumed to be a five second invisible cooldown on how often Lucky Shot may be activated.

A1: Blast Jump- Aims both guns downward, and fires with intense recoil in order to launch the player upward 7 blocks while dealing AoE (4x5 area) damage to the ground below. Costs about 50 energy, can be used three times in rapid succession with the default energy pool. Deals 350% magic damage, but in a smaller area than a full Charged Shot. This ability has a smaller chance to trigger Lucky Shot, an approximate 20%. Extremely useful in soloing because it keeps you out of enemy melee range, makes aiming easier if you stay still, and does not interrupt energy regen. In groups, this is very useful for lining up a Lucky Shot if already charged, and is the best way to deal damage to bosses if Run and Gun (A2) is not cooled down. Also useful for a quick escape.

A2: Run and Gun- Summons two circling orbs of energy around you, which increases firing speed to an estimated 170% and allow you to run full speed (temporary +20 movement speed and negated movement slowdown) while attacking. Costs around 50 energy. Duration is 8 seconds. Increases damage dealt to 340% if paired with Arcane emblem, and much higher with Surestrike (no final value as crit damage is a variable stat). Has a cooldown of an estimated two minutes unless paired with allies or other players that reduce cooldown. Also useful for charging Lucky Shot faster without interrupting fire.

Concise version:

Passive - Lucky Shot - Glide in the air when you deal damage while airborne. Also grants free charged shots occasionally without slowing the player. Hitting more often increases how much you will get free charges (limit one per every five seconds)! Free charges cannot generate more free charges.

M1 - Gunfire - Shoot basic shots.

-Deal 100% of magic damage per hit

-Small chance to trigger passive charges.

-No cooldown

M2 - Charge Shot - Charge your gun before you unleash a very powerful shot.

-40 Energy Cost

-150-350% Magic Damage (Uncharged to fully charged)

-2 Second charge time

-No cooldown

-7x7 Non-diminishing AoE

-A1 - Blast Jump - Launch yourself high into the air while dealing AoE to the ground.

-50 Energy Cost

-350% Magic Damage

-No cooldown

-4x5 Non-diminishing  AoE

-Higher chance to activate Lucky Shot passive (about 20 percent)

-Provides a 7 block high jump

A2 - Run and Gun - Channel your focus toward firing really fast and moving the same.

-50 Energy Cost

-+70% Firing Speed

-+20 Movement Speed

-Movement is not hindered by M1

-Movement is returned to normal speed if charging M2

-2 minute cooldown

 

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4. Flasks and Emblems

 

A gunslinger’s flask+emblem combo is an integral part of their play. Some combos that work very well are:

-Arcane, Unyielding with any Flask style (Better for solo play)

-Arcane, Sorcerous/Evil Eye with Bandolier/Valorous

-Used best as a filler emblem loadout for pure damage gunslingers until surestrike is unlocked.

-Arcane, Zealous/Energetic with Bandolier/Valorous

-After using a flask charge, spamming A1 is very effective.

-Arcane, Surestrike with Valorous

-”Best” emblem combination for damage builds, is made to be ridiculously effective when using it on top of A2.

Using Rain emblems is also acceptable when a team lacks support, but it is much more effective to find another player using a support class (Barbarian/Revenant), rather than crippling a player’s capabilities to slightly help others.

Sorcerous Servant/Evil Eye, while not capable of dealing much damage for a Gunslinger, will still be able to deal some damage. This is great to use as a filler emblem until Surestrike is unlocked.

The Trailblazing emblem seems like an effective choice at first, but when considering a Gunslinger’s already superb reach and movement options, this emblem is unneeded overkill for most situations. (Side note: Equip movement speed gear, use A2 and this emblem if you really feel like Shadow the Hedgehog should be playable.)

Berserker is not mentioned above because of a standing bug that causes the Gunslinger to not deal damage at all when using it in combination with A2. However, this can be very useful in creating an alternate form of A2 that costs more to use, but ultimately deals more damage if also using Arcane. Use with caution!

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5. Multimeta - Adapt to Survive (Conclusion)

 

Because of the Gunslinger’s utility in movement, damage, and diverse emblem potential, a “good” Gunslinger will constantly analyse the situation at hand and adapt to it. The Gunslinger is a jack of all trades, but master of none, making their roles adapt as needed in group play.

 

Movement - The Gunslinger has the ability to effectively move where they are needed, and are paired with far reach in order to allow them to affect the entire battlefield. A Gunslinger’s superior movement ability should be abused in order to:

-Avoid pulling aggro when the tanks are alive

-Avoid projectile fire

-Escape low-space environments

-Reach vantage points higher than or out of enemy reach

-Quickly pull aggro away from other DPS/Support allies

-Lead aggroed enemies into environmental hazards without taking significant damage

Damage - A Gunslinger without damage can do almost nothing. Without damage, a Gunslinger has no purpose in their movement and emblem options (besides quickly pulling aggro as support). In order to keep damage applied, a Gunslinger should:

-Use AoE to hit as many enemies as possible

-Use flasks sparingly with Arcane emblems (paired with Sorcerous or other effective emblems) to raise total DPS greatly for when most effective. Remember that Arcane and Surestrike with valorous is arguably the best flask/emblem combo, and should be used on top of A2. If one has the bandolier/valorous and Chronomatic emblem, it is wise to consider swapping between Surestrike and Chrono while A2 is on cooldown in order to use it much more often.

-Know how to aim at distance

-Observe the energy meter in order to conserve abilities for appropriate burst damage situations

-Refrain from regular jumps if possible (living with low damage is better than being dead) in order to allow energy regeneration

-Build stats with lots of magic damage, critical hit/damage, and energy regen

-Blast jump and M1 over bosses or 1-2 enemies, and charge shot when there are multiple grouped enemies.

-Always hold M1 in fights. If one needs to move quickly, a mount or wings are both faster and auto-cancel M1 until dismount, allowing for a smaller amount of time wasted when letting up fire.

 

Emblem Diversity - Any class is very weak at high levels without emblems. A gunslinger can make use of more emblems than most classes, but should almost always use Arcane unless attempting to create a tank build.

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Here's my reccommended Gunslinger build: [Build]