In short: The Varkas (2nd) is a High Elf melee fighter who battles with bare fists and hand blades, leaning on heavy Strength and Toughness. It is the ideal class for anyone who wants to fight up close, soak up punishment and not rely on magic.

Forget the image of the fragile robed elf. The Varkas is a High Elf who chose the path of raw physical combat, facing enemies face to face and punching until they drop.

In practice, playing a Varkas (2nd) feels like constant pressure: you stick to the enemy, land blows in sequence and rarely back off. It is a direct, aggressive and very tough class — perfect for those who like simplicity with melee firepower.

Overview

Profile
Race	High Elf
Archetype	Melee combat
Playstyle	Aggressive and tough
Difficulty	Easy
Main weapon	Fists / hand blades
Position in the line	2nd Class

The Varkas (2nd) is the middle stage of your evolution line: Varkas (Starter) → Varkas (1st) (1st Class) → Varkas (2nd) (2nd Class). Here the character is already more mature, with better strikes and its own buffs, but still has professions ahead.

Strengths

Sky-high Strength (STR 41, top 2% of classes) — it means every punch hits hard. Day to day, you kill monsters faster and feel the damage make a real difference.
Excellent Toughness (CON 45, top 4%) — this translates into a lot of HP and survivability. You can stay in the middle of the fight without dying, which is essential for someone glued to the enemy.
Huge HP (3,808 at level 85) — one of the highest life pools a class can have. This gives you a margin for error: you can slip up a little and still survive.
Its own combat buffs — the Varkas carries its own boosts to attack speed, magic critical and fury, so it relies less on other players to be effective.
Simple and direct kit — few essential buttons, lots of impact. It is a class you grasp quickly and that performs well from early on.

Weaknesses

Very low Magic Power (INT 20, bottom of the table) — damage spells are weak in your hands. Tip: don't try to use offensive magic; focus 100% on physical combat, which is where you shine.
Modest Dexterity (DEX 24) — it affects critical rate and accuracy, so some blows may miss or fail to crit. Tip: compensate with jewels and gear that raise accuracy and critical.
Short range (you must close in) — being melee, you take damage from ranged attackers before you reach them. Tip: target enemies who attack from afar first and close the gap fast.
Dependent on active buffs — much of your strength comes from turning on the right buffs. Tip: build the habit of re-casting Haste, Berserker Spirit and the rest whenever they expire.

Class-defining skills

Haste — reduces the time between your attacks, meaning you attack faster. Keep it on at all times while farming; it is your most important damage buff.
Berserker Spirit — a battle fury that raises your offensive power in exchange for a little defense. Activate it when you want to drop enemies faster.
Wild Magic — increases your critical chance, making your blows land cleanly more often. Great to stack with your high Strength.
Speed Charge — a strong physical strike (PDAM = direct-damage physical attack). Use it as an opener or to slot extra damage mid-trade.
Direct Strike — another impactful physical attack, ideal to alternate with Speed Charge and keep damage constant.
Uppercut — a heavy physical blow learned later; it works as a powerful punch to finish enemies.
Recover HP — healing over time (dot_heal = life that comes back gradually). Use it between fights to recover without burning so many potions.
Wind Walk — increases your movement speed, helping you reach enemies and reposition quickly.
Magic Barrier — reinforces your magic defense, protecting you from enemies and monsters that use magic.

Attributes: what to prioritize

The Varkas (2nd) is a pure physical-beatdown class, so everything revolves around hitting hard and taking the hits. Magic attributes don't matter to you — you can ignore them without regret.

STR (Strength) — your number one priority; it is what raises your physical damage with every punch.
CON (Toughness) — second priority; it gives more HP and keeps you alive in melee.
DEX (Dexterity) — useful in the background, as it improves critical and accuracy.
INT/WIT/MEN (magic attributes) — you can set these aside; they make no difference to your physical style.

Recommended gear

Since your attack type is fists/hand blades, look for weapons of that category — they are the ones that scale with your Strength. For armor, prefer sturdy protection (heavy or intermediate), which fits your calling of absorbing damage up close.

What to upgrade first: focus on the weapon, since it defines how fast you kill. Then upgrade the armor and, finally, add jewels that raise accuracy and critical to compensate for the modest Dexterity.

Beginner step by step

Create the character — pick the High Elf race and follow the line that leads to the Varkas. Don't worry: the class change happens naturally as you level up.
Do the first starting-area quests — they teach the basics, give starter gear and a quick push through the early levels.
Turn on auto-hunt — this feature makes the character farm on its own against monsters of your level, attacking and using skills automatically. It is the main way to progress in L2 Essence.
Follow the professions in order — you go from Starter → 1st → 2nd → 3rd class. At each stage you gain new and stronger skills, so make each transition as soon as it unlocks.
Prioritize the right skills and buffs — keep Haste on at all times, stack Wild Magic and Berserker Spirit for more damage, and use Speed Charge/Direct Strike for strikes.
Get Adena and L-Coin — farm to gather Adena (the main currency) and keep an eye on L-Coin, used for special items in the server shop.
Keep weapon and armor updated — whenever possible, swap for better gear; an outdated weapon is the biggest reason for slow farming.
Re-cast buffs whenever they expire — build the habit of checking your boosts; a Varkas without buffs performs far below its potential.

Where to farm

Auto-hunt on monsters of your level — always start with targets close to your level, where you kill quickly and safely.
Move up to harder zones as you evolve — as you gain levels and gear, migrate to more dangerous areas that give more experience and better rewards.
Form a party for raids and bosses — with your high toughness, you are great on the front line; playing in a group unlocks targets that are far more worthwhile.
Use the Season Pass and daily missions — they are constant sources of reward that greatly speed up progress with no extra effort.

Common beginner mistakes

Trying to use offensive magic — your magic power is very low; insisting on it is a waste. Focus on the fist.
Playing without buffs on — forgetting Haste and the rest tanks your performance. Always re-cast.
Leaving the weapon old — an outdated weapon makes you farm slowly and die more. Prioritize swapping it.
Backing off too much — the Varkas shines glued to the enemy; running away wastes your high toughness.

It's for you if…

You like playing aggressively and in melee, always in the enemy's face.
You prefer a tough class that soaks damage over a fragile and careful one.
You want something simple and direct, without worrying about magic or complicated management.

Quick summary

Attribute	Value
Archetype	Melee combat
HP at level 85	3808
MP at level 85	1385
Base physical attack	4
Base magic attack	6
Attack type	FIST

Varkas (2nd) class guide (High Elf) — strengths, skills and step by step