Illium Guide & FAQ
Table of Contents
- Disclaimer
- Credits
- General Class Information
- Class Overview & Boss Mule Viability
- Pros and Cons
- Crystal Battery (Gauge)
- Skill Overview
- Notable Skills (through 4th Job Advancement)
- Low Usage Skills (through 4th Job Advancement)
- Hyper Skill Passives
- Inner Ability (IA)
- Bossing IA
- Equipment
- V-Matrix (5th Job)
- HEXA Matrix (6th Job)
- Dojo & Culvert Rings
- Bossing Tips & Tricks
- Skills / Kit
- Burst Rotation
- The Illium Jiggle / Link Skill
- Sources of Critical Rate
- Link Skills for Bossing
- Legion Artifact
- Do training / farming
- FAQ
- Bosses
- Appendix: Images & Diagrams
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Disclaimer
This guide is meant to be an accurate representation of the class, but ultimately, the choice is up to you on how to play. Every player will do things a little differently, whether that be skill rotations, nodes, HEXA priorities, etc. The meta will also change as balances occur. This guide should not be taken as an end all be all. We will do our best to fill in the holes in this guide, as well as keeping it updated with major patches. If you have any suggested edits or additions, please submit them in the IlliumGang Discord under suggestion-box.
Credits
- Authors: Ibly, EminentWings, Luxuriously
- Original Google Doc Guide (2023) Illiumentary
- Crystalline
- Original FAQ in Illium Discord yameiiredux
- Icon Images: Grandis Library
- Namuwiki, MapleWiki
- Doc Template: I/L Guide & FAQ
- Creation: November 15, 2024
- Last Updated to Completion: October 2025
General Class Information
Illium is a damage-per-minute DPM oriented class with a unique micromanagement twist in the form of Crystal Battery, which acts as a gauge. Illium has one of the best mobility in the game with teleport and extended teleport, flight, float, access to portals (Crystal Gate), and up jump. It also provides one of the best party utilities: a 6.5-second party-wide iframe (Crystalline Bulwark). In terms of difficulty, Illium falls into mid-tier – not as simple as Bowmaster and Dawn Warrior, but not as hard as Cadena, Khali, and Blaster. However, uptime on Illium is absolutely essential; every second spent not charging is a lot of damage lost. As a boss mule, Illium does exceptionally well, with mobility and survivability like flying, 2 iframes, and healing. However, rolling Attack Speed +1 inner ability may require decent funding. We always encourage people to try out the class first. Getting to 200 and unlocking 5th job will give you a preview of Illium’s capabilities, but the Crystal mechanic can be a turnoff to some. If you enjoy it, Illium makes for a great main or boss mule.
Pros and Cons
PROS
- Best and most versatile mobility via flight, usable throughout burst windows. Flight lets you bypass many boss mechanics like Damien’s blue orbs and Gloom’s laser.
- Crystal Battery, Crystal Gates, and Sol Janus provide high farming efficiency; Wings of Glory act as a built-in loot timer.
- In party settings, Illium offers three major party-wide buffs: a 6.5-second iframe, +46 Attack and Magic Attack, and 10% heal per second.
CONS
- Requires a lot of inputs to function; micromanagement is needed.
- Not a one-button class; learning playstyles across bosses is necessary.
- Requires low ping; high ping can cause up to 10 FD loss due to delays in Crystal movement and Javelins. ExitLag is recommended for US West players.
- Some bugs exist; notable issue is Crystalline Bulwark not lasting full 10 seconds due to Lucent Brand stack carryover bug.
Crystal Battery (Gauge)
Illium’s Crystal Battery is a gauge and the management of Crystal drives the playstyle. This gauge is gained at 2nd job advancement and is central to gameplay. Crystal charges automatically over time (5 charges/sec → 30s to full charge).
- Deploy Crystal summons and controls the Crystal movement: default moves the Crystal forward; holding changes position to place Crystal above you.
- Radiant Javelin and Radiant Orb are main attacks that interact with the Crystal to create reactions. Orb always goes toward the Crystal; Longinus Spear provides charges toward the Crystal.
Skill Overview
Notable Skills (through 4th Job Advancement)
The sections below list notable skills through 4th job advancement with brief descriptions. Skills highlighted in yellow have party utility. Crystal Skills require crystal charges to activate; using them does not consume charges and cannot be used again until Crystal Battery resets.
Table: Notable Skills (through 4th Job Advancement)
| Skill | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| --- | --- | --- |
| Deploy Crystal | Summon | Controls Crystal movement; hold UP to move Crystal on top; hold DOWN to teleport Crystal forward |
| Crystalline Wings | Mobility | Teleport, float, fly; Wings enable 20s flight; Jump + Wings prevents upward thrust |
| Radiant Javelin II | Attack | Main attack that bounces off Crystal and Spirits; auto missiles |
| Radiant Orb | Attack | Targets Crystal regardless of facing direction |
| Ex | Summon | Attacks a single enemy near you |
| Machina | Summon | Follows Crystal and attacks enemies around it |
| Crystal Skill - Deus | Summon | Transforms Ex and Machina into one robot to attack mobs around; refreshes Ex and Machina automatically |
| Reaction - Destruction II | Proc | A blast when Javelin hits Crystal; 4s cooldown |
| Reaction - Domination II | Proc | A blast when Orb hits Crystal; 4s cooldown |
| Lucent Brand II | Buff | Displays a blue number over your head; increases ATT, M. ATT, and Radiant Javelin damage |
| Umbral Brand II | Debuff | Purple number over enemies; reduces their defense (IED) and increases damage taken |
| Crystal Skill - Wings of Glory | Mobility, Buff | Initiates 20s flight; Jump with Wings prevents being thrust upwards |
| Jump - Wings | Attack | Enhanced form of Radiant Javelin; do not mash; hold down |
| Flash Crystal Battery | N/A | Instantly charges the Crystal |
| Crystal Skill - Resonance Heal | Heal | Heals party members within range up to 10% max HP; provides permanent Status Resistance and Elemental Resistance |
| Crystalline Bulwark | I-Frame | Party iframe; lasts 2.5s + 0.4s per Lucent Brand stack (6.5s total) |
| Longinus Zone | Attack, I-Frame | I-frame on cast (2-3s) |
| Divine Wrath | Buff | Damage +10%; also applies to Flora in party |
| Longinus Spear | Attack | Provides 15 charges to Crystal; charges heavy; main charging method outside passive charge |
Low Usage Skills (through 4th Job Advancement)
| Skill | Purpose | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Skill - Vortex of Light | Attack | Spinning/windmill-like attack |
| Crystal Skill - Vortex Wings | Attack | Usable once every Wings |
Note: Some skills are left for simplicity; refer to in-game skill descriptions for full details.
Hyper Skill Passives
We boost Radiant Javelin as much as possible; Longinus Spear is used to charge faster; Deus contributes significantly to damage. Hyper Skill passives include various Javelin and Longinus boosts along with charge related enhancements.
Inner Ability (IA)
Illium IA builds focus on Attack Speed +1 Level and Boss Damage +10% with a 10% chance to skip cooldowns. The goal is to reach AS10 for maximum DPS. Rolling IA lines prioritizes Boss Damage or other useful lines before Attack Speed +1. If you are not playing Reboot, Circulators can be used but are expensive; otherwise focus on Honor for IA rolls.
Bossing IA
Illium's ideal bossing IA is Attack Speed +1 Level, Boss Damage +10%, 10% Chance to skip cooldowns. IA changes favor higher % cooldown skip due to synergy with Flash Crystal Battery and Longinus Spear. Alternative lines include Buff Duration and Magic Attack. There are recommended lines and strategies for landing the AS+1 quickly due to its importance for cap at AS10.
Equipment
Secondary Weapon
The best-in-slot secondary is Princess No's Lucent Wings; obtain by defeating PNo and collecting emblems to exchange for the secondary.
WSE Lines
End-game lines typically target 9/0/0 on weapon/secondary/emblem for max total value, with the goal of maximizing M.ATT and overall damage while maintaining mobbing potential.
Do I use a CD hat? What Special Skill Rings do we use?
CD hats are not currently used; prefer Continuous Ring 4 (Cont4) for its DPS gains and the added 5th and 6th ring synergy. RoR is rarely used except in specific Kalos or Kalos-like scenarios.
Weapon Jump (WJ)
Use WJ when ring swapping with a Ring of Restraint and time it with 90s HEXA Mortal Wingbeat.
Sources of Critical Rate
Aimed at 100% Crit Rate through multiple sources including Endless Research, Lucent Gauntlet Mastery, Focus Spirit, Decent Sharp Eyes, Legion Artifact, Night Lord Legion Block, Marksman Legion Block, Rebel/Ocean/Commerci Badges, and more. If Crit Rate is low, allocate Hyper Stats to fix it.
Link Skills for Bossing
For Beginners Illiums
- Light Wash, Time to Prepare,Hybrid Logic, Unfair Advantage, Elementalism, Noble Fire, Close Call/Spirit of Freedom, Legion Artifact, etc.
For End Game Illiums
- Similar links with additional Optimized choices and higher thresholds.
Legion Artifact
Illium gets six artifacts early; recommended order starts with Boss Damage, IED, Crit Rate; then Attack, Critical Damage, Damage; then Summon Duration, Buff Duration, All Stat; and finally Cooldown Skip. For training, replace Artifact 5 and 6 with EXP/Meso/Item Drop.
V-Matrix (5th Job)
5th job is vital; Illium is node intensive. Boost nodes mechanically after HEXA Masteries are introduced. The recommended approach is to boost all 8 skills with Hexa Mastery Core boosts. An example V-Matrix setup by Zultan includes Radiant Javelin, Winged Javelin, Reaction - Destruction II, Machina & Reaction, Umbral Brand III, Deus & Ex, Longinus Spear, Vortex Wings & Crystal Skill, Longinus Zone, etc.
Boosts & Tri-Nodes
- You need 3 sets of boost nodes (6 total). If you lack a 9th skill, duplicate any one skill as a backup.
- Suggested Tri-Nodes include: Radiant Javelin & Winged Javelin; Reaction - Destruction II; Machina & Reaction; Umbral Brand III; Deus & Ex; Longinus Spear; Vortex Wings & Crystal Skill; Longinus Zone; (third slot can be an Umbral Brand dup).
Skill Node Leveling Priority
1) Crystal Gate; 2) Crystalline Spirit; 3) Grandis Goddess Blessing; 4) Conversion Overdrive; 5) Erda Nova; 6) Crystal Ignition; 7) Templar Knight; 8) Mana Overload. The list continues in practice with other V-matrix nodes.
HEXA Matrix (6th Job)
6th job is a game changer, providing Mytocrystal Expans e which adds 10s to Wings of Glory. Highlights: hex a javelin triple attack every 30 HEXA Radiant Javelin, increases charge rate to Wings of Glory; enhances Mortal Wingbeat; improves reactions and charge speed. Below are HEXA leveling guides and milestone diagrams.
HEXA Leveling Priority
Upgrade Masteries or Sol Janus first because Sol Janus aids farming but may lag behind in Grandis mobs. Primary stat priorities: Magic Attack > Main Stat (INT) > Crit Damage > Boss Damage. An infographic outlines the HEXA milestones and leveling order.
Dojo & Culvert Rings
Rings used in Dojo include Continuous Ring 4 (Cont4), Ring of Restraint 4 (RoR4), Totaling Ring 4, and Risk Taker Ring 4 (RT4). Ring timing with Wings and HEXA thresholds matters for optimal bursts and survivability.
Bossing Tips & Tricks
Illium features strong mobility and survivability for bossing. Key tips include optimizing Wings of Glory usage, saving Wings for big buffs, using Longinus Zone for brief iframe windows, employing Crystalline Bulwark during bursts, and leveraging Resonance Heal before boss fights to maximize Lucent Brand stacks. Crystal Gate can be used for safer teleportation, while Longinus Spear should be used off cooldown to maintain crystal charges. Boss strategies cover every listed boss including Vellum, Damien, Lucid, Will, Gloom, Darknell, and Verus Hilla with specific dodging and iframe techniques.
Skills / Kit
A table outlines each skill, its class, and effects. Key notes emphasize Wings of Glory activation, Crystal attunement, and how to manage the IC ring and other buffs during burst windows.
Burst Rotation
Enter Wings of Glory, then use Mytocrystal Expanse to extend duration after Wings. Pop origin skills every six minutes and coordinate buff sequences with Divine Wrath, Conversion Overdrive, Templar Knight, Grandis Goddess Blessing, etc. Details include exact timings for sequence execution and skip timings if origin is not available.
The Illium Jiggle / Link Skill
While in Wings, Illium players perform a jiggle to keep Tide of Battle active. Tide of Battle is a passive that increases damage per movement ticks, with two levels allowing up to four stacks each for 15 seconds of uptime.
Sources of Critical Rate
A table lists base, Endless Research, Lucent Gauntlet Mastery, Focus Spirit, Decent Sharp Eyes, Legion Artifact, Night Lord Legion Block, Marksman Legion Block, Rebel/Ocean/Commerci Badges as sources for crit rate, totaling 100%. If Crit Rate is low, invest 4 Hyper Stats blocks or adjust Legion grid accordingly.
Link Skills for Bossing (continued)
Beginners and End Game Illiums share a set of link skills with varying effectiveness. The guide lists specific recommended combinations and notes on when to apply them.
Legion Artifact (continued)
Details on progressing artifacts in early game for Illium: recommended order, effects per artifact, and substitutions during training when needed.
Do training / farming
During training, Artifact 5 and 6 can be replaced by EXP, Meso, and Item Drop to optimize farming at various levels.
FAQ
- How can I get Illium’s tutorial hair? If you have foresight, save as preset; otherwise, submit a help ticket to Nexon for the preset.
- Skill(s) affected by Buff Duration? Terms and Conditions AB link.
- Skill(s) affected by Summon Duration? Deus.
Bosses
- Vellum: telecast between tails; fly high to avoid tails during Wings of Glory.
- Damien: easiest boss; save Wings for air phase; various dodging and iframe strategies suggested.
- Lucid: fly over Golems; manage lasers with O-figure; iframe through dragon sequences.
- Will: use moonlight and iframe teammates; careful on P3 webs.
- Gloom: fly high; Wings prevent laser; manage darkness mobs by circling.
- Darknell: practice; use up jump to dodge orbs; stay close and teleport behind attacks.
- Verus Hilla: iframe during burst to avoid poison; precise altar grabbing and positioning.
Appendix: Images & Diagrams
This section includes visual references such as skill charts, HEXA matrices, and V-Matrix setups used throughout the guide. Images are embedded as references and include descriptive alt text for accessibility.
Closing Notes
Illium is a complex, highly mobile class with a defined macro of micro-rotations and many optional upgrades via V-Matrix and HEXA. The community resources, maps, and rotations evolve with patches; joining the #IlliumGang Discord provides access to the latest community configurations and guides.
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Notable Images and Tables (Inline Descriptions)
- Crystal Battery (Gauge) screenshot captions describe how Gold and Blue charges relate to the gauge and actions Deploy Crystal, Radiant Javelin, Radiant Orb, and Longinus Spear. A caption notes that Crystal Battery charges in about 30 seconds for full charge.
- Skill Overview images show the Notable Skills through 4th Job Advancement with a color-coded emphasis on party utility (yellow sections).
- Healing and buffs images illustrate Resonance Heal, Crystalline Bulwark, Wings of Glory, and other synergy mechanics in a visually arranged table.
- HEXA Leveling infographic shows milestone progression for 6th Job, with emphasis on how HEXA boosts Javelin and Wing movement for faster charges.