It is time for our [Meca Ranking] dungeon race, where we dissect the latest speedrun records for 'Blade & Soul Revolution'. With the 2025 seasonal dust settled, the year's first ranking dungeon opened its gates—and the competitive spirit hit the ground running. The top-tier veterans were back in the 13-second bracket before the ink had even dried, while merely scraping into the Top 20 required a sub-20-second effort. Here is how the new year’s opening race looks.

The 'Ppakguya-nolja & LupinOl' duo from the Dowon-gyeoli server takes a flying start in 1st place!

※ Dungeon ranking totals are based on data retrieved at 9:00 AM on January 12th from each server.
※ Stats are based on the 'Monthly Ranking' tab for the dungeon, tracking records under 1 minute and 30 seconds.
※ Please note that current in-game server data may vary slightly from this report.

The team taking the top spot in this year's first race is 'Ppakguya-nolja & LupinOl'. If my memory serves me right, 'Ddalgiya-nolja' has simply had a bit of a rebrand. Sticking to the tried-and-tested Gunslinger and Warden combination, they clocked in at 13.143 seconds, proving they haven't lost their touch for the new year.

In 2nd place, we have the 2025 grand champions, 'Nevada & Dokjaeja'. It appears 'Dokjaeja' is the new moniker for the player formerly known as 'Cheongyang-gochu'. They put up a 13.269-second run—a mere 0.126 seconds behind the leaders. A tight margin, indeed.

Rounding out the Top 20 is the pair of 'Jeoksaek-baram & Dokjaeja'. They managed 19.419 seconds with a rather eccentric Warrior and Warden build. While we suspect the heavy lifting is being done by the skilled Dokjaeja, seeing a Warrior make it onto the leaderboard is a refreshing sight.

Dungeon Race: 'Warlock' takes a nosedive to 9th place

Following the latest skill balance tweaks, the popularity of the 'Blade Dancer' has absolutely skyrocketed. It’s no different in the ranking dungeons, where their share jumped 6.1 percentage points to reach 25.9%, landing them in 1st place. Interestingly, this growth didn't cannibalise the existing popularity of Gunslingers or Wardens; rather, it seems to have syphoned players from the lower tiers.

The biggest casualty in this shift is arguably the Warlock. Two weeks ago, they commanded a 9.5% share, but this week’s tally shows them at a measly 2.9%. That is a 6.6 percentage point drop in just a fortnight—suggesting a mass migration to the Blade Dancer.

The 'Free Job Change Ticket' acting as a catalyst

As this is the first report of the year, we are working with a smaller sample size of 347 ranked players. Consequently, the Top 3 by Class chart has more empty slots than I’d like to see. Notably, the Force Master and Blade Master have yet to post any times under 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Furthermore, classes like the Summoner, Warlock, Destroyer, and Miho Blade Master are hanging by a thread, with only one player each managing to get on the board. The Destroyer and Miho Blade Master are in particularly precarious positions; 'Hood' (Destroyer) finished at 1 minute 17 seconds, and 'Sunja-ssi' (Miho Blade Master) at 1 minute 12 seconds—hardly a safe cushion.

These shifts are the direct result of the 'Free Job Change Ticket' handed out alongside the skill rebalancing. It’s also worth noting the rise of the Kung Fu Master, with players like 'Akaja', 'Toktok-e', and 'Pureun-ugi' sweeping the Top 3 slots. Expect these charts to become much more competitive as the weeks roll on.