You want
To unlock stigmas on time, know how many you can equip, and see which ones your class has.
This page gives you
A slot table, the shard sources in one list, and each class's stigma options from the official armory with the PvE and PvP picks player guides agree on. Korean guides written after March 2026 use 5 slots; global has 4.
Checked against: Global patch Oct 7, 2026 · reviewed Oct 12, 2026.
Slot unlock levels (global)
| Slot | Character level | Extra requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Finish the third Ascension quest, "The One Who Hears the Voice" |
| 2 | 27 | None reported |
| 3 | 32 | None reported |
| 4 (global maximum) | 37 | None reported |
Community source Two independent guides agree on these levels; one reads them from the global client (version 2.0.3.0). NCSoft has not published a slot table. The official armory data agrees that every class's stigma skills require level 22. Official source
Community source MetaBot stigma guide (global client 2.0.3.0, updated Oct 10, 2026) · observed October 12, 2026
Community source AllThingsHow stigma article (updated Oct 9, 2026) · observed October 12, 2026
Official source Official character armory (skill unlock levels, sampled) · observed October 12, 2026
Stigma shards: where they come from
- Leveling: 1 shard point per level from 23 to 39, 2 per level from 40 to 45.
- Third Ascension quest: 1 shard.
- Shops: the Abyss shop (Abyss points), the Nightmare shop and the Shugo Festival shop, each with a per-character limit.
- Other: arena and battlefield shops, achievements, the battle pass, and some party-dungeon rewards.
- Skill levels: levels 1 to 5 cost 1 shard each, 6 to 10 cost 2, 11 to 15 cost 4, 16 to 20 cost 8: 75 shards takes one stigma from 1 to 20, 300 for all four. Past 20 needs Superior Stigma Shards.
Community source Shop limits and costs change with patches; check the shop in game before you plan around them. NCSoft has not published a shard table, and the effect of each stigma level is unknown (not in the official data).
Community source MetaBot stigma guide (global client 2.0.3.0, updated Oct 10, 2026) · observed October 12, 2026
Stigma options by class
Each class has 13 stigma skills to choose from, all unlocked at level 22. You can equip up to 4 on global. The "common 4" lines are what the player guides behind our build cards pick; they are not official.
Gladiator: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Armor of Balance, Assault Strike, Blade Toss, Focused Block, Forced Restraint, Fracturing Rush, Lifestealing Blade, Lunge Stance, Rage Burst, Tenaciousness, Wave Armor, Wrath Wave, Zikel's Blessing.
Common PvE 4 (community): Lunge Stance, Rage Burst, Zikel's Blessing, Focused Block.
Common PvP 4 (community): Lunge Stance, Armor of Balance, Tenaciousness, Blade Toss.
Why these, with sources: Gladiator build.
Templar: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Armor of Balance, Assault Fury, Battlefield Banner, Comrade in Arms, Doom Shield, Empyrean Lord's Punishment, Executing Blade, Grapple, Nezekan's Shield, Noble Armor, Second Skin, Shield of Protection, Taunt.
Common PvE 4 (community): Empyrean Lord's Punishment, Battlefield Banner, Doom Shield, Taunt.
Common PvP 4 (community): Executing Blade, Empyrean Lord's Punishment, Doom Shield, Nezekan's Shield.
Why these, with sources: Templar build.
Assassin: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Aerial Bind, Assault Ambush, Evasion Contract, Evasion Stance, Illusive Clone, Savage Fang, Shadow Walk, Shadowstep, Smoke Bomb, Spiral Slice, Swift Contract, Throw Shadowblade, Triniel's Dagger.
Common PvE 4 (community): Illusive Clone, Swift Contract, Savage Fang, Triniel's Dagger.
Common PvP 4 (community): Shadow Walk, Illusive Clone, Aerial Bind, Evasion Contract.
Why these, with sources: Assassin build.
Ranger: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Ambush Kick, Arrow Storm, Assault Smite, Bow of Blessing, Ensnaring Trap, Explosive Arrow, Griffon Arrow, Illusory Arrow, Mother Nature's Breath, Sealing Arrow, Stealth, Supporting Fire, Vaizel's Authority.
Common PvE 4 (community): Vaizel's Authority, Bow of Blessing, Supporting Fire, Explosive Arrow.
Common PvP 4 (community): Vaizel's Authority, Bow of Blessing, Sealing Arrow, Ensnaring Trap.
Why these, with sources: Ranger build.
Sorcerer: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Arctic Armor, Assault Bombardment, Cold Storm, Curse: Tree, Delayed Explosion, Divine Burst, Element Enhancement, Fire Wall, Glacial Smite, Hibernation, Lumiel's Space, Soul Freeze, Steel Barrier.
Common PvE 4 (community): Element Enhancement, Fire Wall, Delayed Explosion, Cold Storm.
Common PvP 4 (community): Element Enhancement, Steel Barrier, Delayed Explosion, Curse: Tree.
Why these, with sources: Sorcerer build.
Spiritmaster: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Assault Terror, Command: Proxy, Cry of Terror, Cursed Cloud, Enhance: Spirit's Benediction, Flame Blessing, Jointstrike: Corrode, Jointstrike: Destructive Attack, Kaisinel's Power, Magic Block, Seize Magic, Siphon, Summon: Ancient Spirit.
Common PvE 4 (community): Summon: Ancient Spirit, Enhance: Spirit's Benediction, Jointstrike: Corrode, Flame Blessing.
Common PvP 4 (community): Summon: Ancient Spirit, Enhance: Spirit's Benediction, Jointstrike: Corrode, Cry of Terror.
Why these, with sources: Spiritmaster build.
Cleric: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Absolution, Assault Mark, Benevolence, Earth Punishment, Light of Protection, Noble Aura, Power Burst, Prayer of Amplification, Root, Salvation, Summon Resurrection, Voice of Doom, Yustiel's Power.
Common PvE 4 (community): Light of Protection, Earth Punishment, Noble Aura, Summon Resurrection.
Common PvP 4 (community): Light of Protection, Absolution, Salvation, Yustiel's Power.
Why these, with sources: Cleric build.
Chanter: 13 stigmas
All options (alphabetical, unlock level 22): Assault Shock, Barrier Spell, Ensnaring Mark, Focused Defense, Fracturing Blow, Guardian Blessing, Healing Touch, Impeding Authority, Marchutan's Wrath, Obliterate, Power of the Storm, Sprint Mantra, Undefeated Mantra.
Common PvE 4 (community): Undefeated Mantra, Sprint Mantra, Power of the Storm, Marchutan's Wrath.
Common PvP 4 (community): Undefeated Mantra, Sprint Mantra, Power of the Storm, Obliterate.
Why these, with sources: Chanter build.
Official source Official character armory (skill unlock levels, sampled) · observed October 12, 2026
Data patch marker: global-2026-10-07. Want to try your own four? Pick them in the build planner and share the link.
Global vs Korea
| Topic | Global (NA/EU) | Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Stigma slots | 4 Community source | 5 since Mar 25, 2026 (4 before) Official source |
| Max stigma level | Unknown; past 20 needs Superior Stigma Shards Community source | 25 since Jul 2026 Official source |
| What it means for you | A recent Korean stigma setup lists 5 skills. On global, keep the 4 that matter most for your mode and drop the fifth. | |
The Korean numbers are from NCSoft's own Korean update announcements. No NCSoft statement on the global slot count was found as of Oct 12, 2026; the global 4 comes from players reading the global client. Some guides say Korea has 6 slots; we found no official source for that. More differences: Global vs Korea.
Official source NCSoft press release, Korean update: stigma slots raised to five (Mar 25, 2026) · observed October 12, 2026
Official source NCSoft press release, Korean update: level cap 50, Brawler, stigma level 25 (Jul 6, 2026) · observed October 12, 2026
Community source MetaBot stigma guide (global client 2.0.3.0, updated Oct 10, 2026) · observed October 12, 2026