It’s time for another Blade & Soul Revolution Meca Ranking report. Well, my predictions from the previous chart analysis were only half right. The unlimited class change event, celebrating the Hwasan Return collaboration, has sent shockwaves through our combat power rankings. That part was expected, but the way Gunslinger has surged in popularity? That’s a proper surprise. It’s been steadily carving out its share, and this week, it climbed 2.3 percentage points to secure the 4th spot overall.

Gunslinger hasn't just overtaken the recently resurgent Warrior and Qi Master; it’s managed to leapfrog both the popular Twin Blade and the newcomer Miho Blade. While I did notice a spike in PvE performance during our weekly Monday dungeon races, seeing combat-focused power rankers jumping on the bandwagon is quite the turn of events.

As for the rest of the pack, things remain business as usual. The Warlock, a beast in PvP, has crossed the 20% mark, and the long-range stalwarts like Archer and Gunner are holding their ground. Still, having a new contender like the Gunslinger breathing down their necks is an uncomfortable prospect for the other ranged classes. In fact, Archer has seen a slight dip, while Gunslinger is now nipping at the heels of the Gunner. This is a limited-time event, so things should stabilise eventually, but until then, expect the air to remain rather tense.

When we see these sudden spikes in a particular class’s metrics, looking at the average combat power often gives us a cheeky glimpse into who’s playing them. For Gunslingers, the attack stats are slightly elevated while defensive stats remain a bit lower. Judging by the data, it seems we’ve got a real mixed bag of rankers from various backgrounds, regardless of their total combat power.

Level rankings and class preferences for the boosting servers 'Maehwagumjon' and 'Hwasansinryong'

Here are the stats for our two boosting servers. Growth has hit a bit of a wall as everyone breaks into the Hongmoon level 50 range, yet they’ve still managed to squeeze out 9 more levels compared to last week. Thanks to the 1+2 level-up event, Hongmoon 60 is the next horizon. Interestingly, while there was a noticeable gap in growth between the two servers at launch, that disparity has all but vanished once they cleared level 50. Both servers peaked at Hongmoon 57, with the 54-level rankers filling out the 10th to 20th spots.

Growth may be similar, but their class tastes are worlds apart. Maehwagumjon sticks to the familiar heavy hitters—Gunner, Warlock, and Twin Blade—while Hwasansinryong, aside from the dominant Warlock, shows a bit more appetite for the new kids on the block, namely the Miho Blade and the rising star, Gunslinger. One thing they do share, however, is the constant shifting of class rankings hour by hour. Another gift from the unlimited class change event, I suppose.

Statistics on special options for Mythic-grade Guardian Spirits

Amidst all this class-shuffling madness, the Mythic Guardian Spirit chart is the picture of stability. With no major balance patches or meta shifts, it’s been a quiet week. 'Intense Galaxy Jecheon Daeseong' remains the go-to for PvP, while 'Harsh Sun Torimwang' continues to dominate the PvE scene. As for special options, the 'Galaxy' trait—shared by both—retains its dominant lead, while 'Intense' saw a 3 percentage point boost thanks to the ongoing popularity of Jecheon Daeseong.

Guardian Spirit leader combination statistics

We’ve seen another shift at the top of the Ancient-grade Guardian Spirit chart. Even after the arrival of the 2nd reincarnation, the trend holds firm. Fleet Admiral Eun Gwang-il has reclaimed the top spot, nudging Awakened Poharan aside. Meanwhile, in the mid-tiers, Muk-hwa Witch Jin Seo-yeon and Yeok-wang Hong Seok-geun are moving in lockstep, both seeing a 1 percentage point increase. They’re so close that it came down to a single-person difference in the final count.

This week's ranker setup

Dowon-gyeolui Gunslinger attack power #1, 'Ddo-ang'

Given the Gunslinger’s recent climb, I decided to take a look at the setup used by 'Ddo-ang', the top combat power ranker on the Dowon-gyeolui server. Curiously, they appeared as a Gunner in this week’s Top 20 chart. Checking the data shortly after the cut-off, they had already switched to Gunslinger. Keep in mind that they are still using their old Gunner gear, so the setup isn't fully optimised just yet.

The overall build aims for a balance between attack and defense. Aside from the weapon and ring, which have been reforged for penetration, the rest of the kit leans into defensive stats. However, the Yeok-wang martial arts, Guardian Spirit, and Guardian Shinryeong are all laser-focused on offense. By stacking PvP attack, penetration, and damage increase, they’re clearly looking to push their DPS. Since both classes share a similar positioning, recycling the existing gear seems like a solid choice for now.

The martial arts badge setup looks like a work in progress. While they’ve equipped popular, versatile choices like Heavenly Demon, Incarnation, and Suri Jin-hyeon, the refinement levels are quite low. Given that everything is at the minimum level, it’s clear they’re still tweaking things post-class-change. They’re currently running 'Chain, Explosive Shot, and Ignition', but don't be surprised if that changes soon.

Blade & Soul Revolution User Poll

Last week, we asked which of the five Hwasan Return collaboration cosmetic masks—Cheong-myeong, Baek-cheon, Yu-i-seol, Yun-jong, or Jo-geol—you’d grab first. Cheong-myeong took the crown with a massive 62.2% of the vote—talk about popularity. Yu-i-seol, the only female character in the bunch, landed in second with 35.6%, leaving a substantial gap between her and third-place Jo-geol.

For our next poll, let’s talk about quality-of-life updates. We’ve had some big changes recently: the removal of the martial arts badge expansion, the deletion of healing potions in favour of the two-slot potion bag, and the removal of the Guardian Water function. Which of these changes have you felt the most? Cast your vote, and I’ll share the results in next week’s Meca Ranking. Best of luck out there!