Force Master

The Force Master (aka FM) is a ranged class that excels in dealing strong, continuous damage while offering moderate amounts of crowd control and utility. Using bangles to cast elemental projectiles, FMs effectively function as mobile "gunners" by relying on movement and positioning in order to kite around their enemies without compromising DPS. Within the lore of Blade and Soul, FMs epitomize the nature of duality, owing to their distinct fire and ice stances; which they use for damage and defense/utility, respectively. To walk the path of a Force Master, one must be wary of using the two stances together, lest they should accidentally cast the wrong spell at the wrong moment. In choosing a FM, you will find versatility and great damage potential, making you both an excellent party member and a capable solo player.

Compared to other classes, especially melee characters, Force Masters have a rather modest learning curve. Their fire attacks follow a fairly simple and straightforward pattern while their ice abilities only come into play when the situation calls for it. Although FMs can render themselves virtually immune to ranged attacks, they lack a repeatable block/counter at lower levels. Thus, most FMs prefer to outmaneuver their enemies either by freezing them in place or using a well-timed dodge to re-position themselves. Overall, FMs are typically considered to have an intermediate difficulty level of gameplay.

## Races

This class can be played as three races: the Yun, the Gon, and the Lyn. The Jin are the only race unable to choose Force Master as a class.

## Resource Mechanic

Force Masters use a resource called Focus to use their skills, represented by a series of circles beneath the HP bar. A Force Master has 10 units of Focus to spend. These will recover over time or by using certain skills that refill one's Focus.

## Stances

Force Masters have two stances depending on what skills they use: Fire Mode or Frost Mode. Each stance has its own minor benefit to being in it, as well as skills that they can only use while in one or the other. For example, using Blazing Palm will switch you to Fire Mode, thus allowing you access to skills such as Blazing Wall and Short Fuse. Stances last ten seconds and are refreshed by using a skill that places you in a stance. The benefits are as follows:

* **Fire Mode**: Automatically apply a stack of Ember to any enemy that delivers a critical hit to you.
* **Frost Mode**: Automatically gain a five second buff that increases Defense by 10%. Using any Frost Mode skill will apply the buff again (including the skill that brought the Force Master into Frost Mode).

## Orbits

Later, Force Masters will need to familiarize themselves with the concept of Orbits. After gaining the Fire Fury and Frost Fury skills, the Force Master has a chance to generate Fire Orbits and Frost Orbits, which manifest as small, glowing red or blue orbs that float around the character. Each can be stacked up to three times and grant bonus effects to the character.

Fire Fury and Frost Fury are activated by scoring a critical hit with a Fire Mode or Frost Mode skill, respectively. Upon successfully landing a hit with either, it will generate the appropriate Orbit. Later on, other skills and upgrades for skills also generate Orbits.

Each Orbit lasts 30 seconds upon activation, and the timer is reset when you stack another one. For example, if you have 12 seconds left on a Frost Orbit, you can stack it again to go back to 30 seconds (with double the beneficial effects). However, once three Orbits of one element are stacked, you cannot reset the timer even by using Fire Fury or Frost Fury again, and thus must let it run out.

You can have both elements active at once for a max of simultaneous three Fire Orbits and three Frost Orbits. Benefits:

* **Fire Orbit**: When hit, inflicts 3%/6%/10% damage and 1 Ember on enemy.
* **Frost Orbit**: Recovers 1/2/3 Focus on hit. At 3 stacks, inflicts Chill on enemy when hit.

## Skills

The following list is incomplete.

 Shoots a bolt of fire at the targeted enemy from a distance.
This ability stacks the Ember effect debuff on the enemy target, which you can stack up to five times. Ember lasts for 10 seconds, and its timer is reset each time you reapply the effect. These stacks can essentially be consumed by other skills such as Impact and Short Fuse to increase the damage those skills do.
**Stance Change:** Changes to Fire Mode
**Upgrades:**
* Stage 1: Detonates on five Ember stacks. *Secret*: Creates one Flame Orbit on critical hits.
* Stage 2: Does additional damage to Burning enemies and stacks more Ember on them.
 **Barrage** | 10
 Fires three bolts that deal damage to a targeted enemy.

 Shoots an ice bolt at the targeted enemy from a distance.
This ability stacks the Chill effect debuff on the enemy target, which slows their movement speed for ten seconds. If you stack the Chill debuff three times, the stacks are removed and the enemy is afflicted with the Frozen status. You can stack two additional Chill debuffs after that.
**Stance Change**: Changes to Frost Mode
**Upgrades**:
* Stage 1: Additional damage and increased Chill duration. *Secret*: Chill pierces Defense.
* Stage 2: Generates Frost Orbit on critical hit, doesn't increase Threat. *Secret*: Always critical hit Frozen enemies.

 This skill deals direct damage to an area in front of you and has additional effects based on stacking debuffs already placed on the target.
For reach Ember stack on the target, this ability deals an additional flat amount of Explosion damage. After this is added, it does additional Flame damage based on how many Ember stacks are on the target past the first: 75% additional for 2 stacks, 100% additional for 3, 125% for 4, and 150% for 5. This is despite the tooltip claiming it does 75% additional damage.
If the enemy is currently in the Frozen state, Impact will knock them back five meters and stun them for one second. It then removes the Freeze state from the enemy. Using Impact in this way deals about five times the damage it normally would.
Both the additional damage from Ember stacks and the knockback/stun from the Frozen debuff can happen at the same time if the enemy has both.
**Upgrades**:
* Stage 1: Synergy with Frozen enemies (Focus recovery and HP absorption), short block to ranged attacks with Focus gains on block. *Secret*: Counters as well as blocks, does knockback on countered enemies.
* Stage 2: Synergy with Ember stacks (Burn and explosion on 5), larger attack area. *Secret*: Additional damage.
 **Bolt Bash** | 4
 Deals a large amount of damage to a Phantom Gripped enemy. If the enemy is currently airborne, this doesn't cost any Focus.
Bolt Bash deals more damage the more Ember stacks the enemy has. (need more details: how? does it remove Ember stacks?)

 Deals Cold damage in a rectangular area in front of you. Any enemies hit by it are Frozen for five seconds.
If an ally is in the area you use this skill on, heat-related status effects such as Ember and Burn will be removed from them. (Unconfirmed: does it still deal damage to allies?)
Upon upgrading, Dragonwhorl (and its other forms) will always generate a Frost Orbit on hit.
**Stance Change**: Changes to Frost Mode
**Upgrades**:
* Stage 1: Absorbs all damage as HP and recovers Focus for each enemy hit, wider area. *Undiscovered*: Healing over time on critical hits.
* Stage 2: See Frost Nova.
* Stage 3: See Glacial Beam.

 Pulls a target in from a range and paralyzes them in the air in front of you for 4 seconds. It deals initial damage on use and more damage over time. The damage pierces the enemy's Defense.
**Upgrades**:
* Stage 1: Longer range and duration for longer cooldown, decreases Phantom Gripped enemy's Defense. *Secret*: Prevents enemies from using defense skills during Phantom Grip-related techniques.
* Stage 2: Target a knocked-out ally to pull enemies, decreases Chi Recovery time needed for knocked-out allies. *Secret*: Creates a shield around allies using Chi Recovery.
* Stage 3: See Shadow Grasp, Chi Bomb.
* Stage 4: See Shadow Grasp, Multiple Blaze.

 Creates a fire wall on the ground that lasts five seconds and damages any enemy that steps into it.
If the enemy is farther away than 5 meters, Blazing Wall materializes two meters ahead of you; otherwise it comes right up on the enemy's current position. Using it during Phantom Grip puts it on top of the enemy as well.
Upon upgrading, Blazing Wall will stack Ember on every hit.
**Upgrades**:
* Stage 1: Detonates Ember stacks at 5, does additional damage on Phantom Gripped enemies.
 File:FrostPrison.png**Frost Prison** | 10
 A 1.5 second channel skill that afflicts a targeted enemy with Frost Prison. While affected by Frost Prison, the enemy cannot take any action, but they cannot be damaged. Lasts 8 seconds.
Frost Prison costs no Focus upon upgrading.
**Upgrades:**
* Stage 1: Chills after Frost Prison ends, affects area around target as well for longer cooldown.
* Stage 2: See Frost Sheath.

 Deals Cold damage to an enemy and an area around it. Upon upgrading, this skill deals additional damage to Frozen enemies.
**Upgrades**:
* Stage 1: Additional damage and Chill for 6 seconds.
* Stage 2: See Frost Burst.
* Stage 3: See Cold Snap.

 Fires five bolts of fire at the enemy, piercing Parry and generating one Flame Orbit.
 File:FireFury.png**Frost Fury** |  | 0
 Fires five bolts of ice at the enemy, recovering Focus on each hit and generating one Ice Orbit.
**Upgrades**:
* Stage 1: Deals bonus damage to Frozen enemies and recovers additional Focus on critical hits. *Undiscovered*: Always critical hits Frozen enemies.
* Stage 2: Inflicts Chill which pierces Defense. *Undiscovered*: Deals 10% Focus damage on each hit.
* Stage 3: Absorbs damage as HP, doubling on critical hits. *Undiscovered*: Decreases incoming damage by 50% while using the skill.

## Skill Usage Tree

This list is to make it easier to visualize the general skill setup of Force Masters.

* Blazing Palm (LMB), Dragonchar (2) [enters Fire Mode]
	+ Blazing Wall (V), Short Fuse (C), Fire Fury (F, upon critical hit)
* Frost Palm (RMB), Dragonwhorl (3) [enters Frost Mode]
	+ Frost Prison (V), Frost Fury (F, upon critical hit)
* Phantom Grip (4)
	+ Bolt Bash (1), Phantom Push (2), Blackout (3), Blazing Wall (V)
* while Dashing, Gliding, or Jumping
	+ Barrage (LMB)

## PvP Combos

**Abbreviation:**

* T = Tier. S = Stage. T1S1 means Tier 1, Stage 1 of a skill.
* [Hotkey] is the default hotkey of a skill. [LB] means left mouse button or left click. [RB] means right mouse button or right click.

**Basic Combos:**

* 1. 4 Second Stun Combo - Fire Version
	+ [3] T3S3 Artic Blast -> [RB] -> [LB] -> [X] Blaze Palm -> [RB] -> [LB] -> [1] -> [RB] -> [LB] -> [1]
* 2. 4 Second Stun Combo: Ice Version
	+ [3] T3S3 Artic Blast -> [LB] -> [RB] -> [X] Glacial Palm -> [LB] -> [RB] -> [1] -> [LB] -> [RB] -> [1]
* 3. Aerial Combo - Tab Version
	+ [Stun] or [Daze] -> [RB] -> [LB] -> [Tab]
* 4. Aerial Combo - Z Version
	+ [2 Chill] -> [Z] T2C2 Rising Flame -> [4] Phantom Grip -> [4] Drain OR [1] Flick -> [RB] -> [1]
* 5. Stun Phantom Grip Combo
	+ [2 Chill] -> [4] Phantom Grip -> [4] Drain OR [1] Flick -> [RB] -> [1]
* 6. SS Stun Phantom Grip Combo
	+ [4] Phantom Grip -> [SS] -> [4] Drain OR [1] Flick -> [RB] -> [1]
* 7. Meteor Grip Combo
	+ [V] T2C2 Firewall -> [RB] -> [LB] -> [4] Phantom Grip
* 8. Firewall Grip Combo
	+ [4] Phantom Grip -> [V] or [E] to change to fire stance, then [V]

**Advanced Combos:**

Combining these basic combos can create an advance combo. The most common advanced combo is the Double Aerial Combo.

* Double Aerial Combo
	+ [4 Second Stun Combo] -> [Aerial Combo - Tab Version] -> [Z] -> [RB] -> [4] Aerial Grip -> [Wait 2 ticks] -> [1] Flick -> [LB] -> [C] -> [RB] -> [F] -> [F] -> [F]

## Media

### Screenshots

The following screenshots were taken from the character creation screen at NA launch in 2016.

* Gon Force Master Female
* Gon Force Master Male
* Lyn Force Master Female
* Lyn Force Master Male
* Yun Force Master Female

### Trivia

* Jin were able to be Force Masters until the second closed beta test in Korea.

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