Metin2 Lycan: Complete Class Guide, Skill Build and Why It Was Controversial

5th playable class

The Lycan is Metin2's fifth playable class and by far the most divisive one. Released by Gameforge in 2014, it brought a brand new weapon type, a brand new damage channel, and a launch state so strong that years of accumulated PvP gear became useless against it overnight. Players either love it for the mounted-charge fantasy and top-tier Metin clear speed, or hate it for what it did to class balance. This guide covers the release history, the community reception, the stat point allocation, the skill build order, the on-mount and off-mount play patterns, and the standard class-vs-class comparisons every new Lycan asks.

Release and History

The Lycan launched on official Gameforge servers with patch 14.11 in 2014. It was developed by WebZen, ported into the EU client by Gameforge, and rolled out as a free expansion rather than a paid DLC. Account-wide level gating applied at launch: an existing character on the account had to clear a minimum threshold (commonly cited around level 35) before the fifth class slot opened up, so the class wasn't a fresh-account speedrun option.

The class has had several names across clients and patches. The older Korean-origin English translation, still common on developer forums and many private servers, calls the class the Wolfman. The current official English client uses Lycan. Both refer to the same class.

• Gender lock: male only. The class cannot be created on a female character.
• Race / class slot: standalone fifth class, sitting alongside Warrior, Sura, Ninja and Shaman.
• Subclass / teaching path: one and only one - Instinct. The Lycan is the only Metin2 class without a branching specialisation.
• Weapon: paired claws, worn as gauntlet-claws. Officially classed as "claw" weapons, distinct from swords, bells, fans, daggers and bows. The release added a brand new defensive bonus pool called claw defense.

Player Reception: Why the Lycan Was Controversial

The Lycan's launch is widely remembered as the most controversial update in Metin2's history. Three things happened at once:

• New damage channel, no defenses for it. Claws were a fresh weapon category, so the entire game's PvP gear pool offered zero claw defense. Sword, blade, bow and bell defenses on years-old 9 armor sets did literally nothing to mitigate a Lycan. Players who had grinded refines for months suddenly found themselves naked against the new class. This is the single most-cited reason for the post-launch player exodus.
• Stacked offensive kit at release. The class shipped with bonuses to arrow avoidance, attack speed, attack value (reportedly the highest in the game), critical % and piercing %. A level 105 Lycan could hit roughly 80,000 damage on a level 105 Metin Stone, more than any other class at comparable gear.
• 100% piercing was reachable. Forum quote from the beta board: "He was OP because of 100% piercing." Reaching 100% piercing means a fraction of every hit bypasses defense entirely. Combined with the missing claw defense pool, this trivialised PvP at launch.

Gameforge / WebZen later issued a roughly 15 to 20% damage reduction patch. The community split. Half felt it was still strong (clear speed remained top-tier). The other half felt the nerf gutted the class. WebZen did not publicly engage with the original claw-defense backlash, which left a lasting bitterness in the old-school community.

On the private-server scene the sentiment is sharper. Most popular pservers, especially the old-school 2010-era reproductions, deliberately do not include Lycan. Servers that do include it usually rebalance, either by removing the piercing scaling, normalising claw defense into existing pools, or rerouting claw damage onto STR/DEX scaling instead of INT.

What players do love about the Lycan: the cursed-virus werewolf lore, the leap-pounce and claw-storm animations, the mounted-charge fantasy, and PvE clear speed that still leads almost every server even after the nerf.

Stat Point Allocation

This is where new Lycan players burn their first ten points wrong. The Lycan's identity skill, Crimson Wolf Soul, scales primarily off INT, not STR. Auto-attacks benefit from STR and DEX, but the kills that matter (Metin breaks, PvP burst windows) come from skill damage, and skill damage rides on INT.

Rough numeric targets the community converges on (these are guideline targets, not hard rules):

• Level 90 (PvP hybrid): INT around 85 to 90, VIT around 75 to 80, DEX around 30 to 40, STR around 10 to 15.
• Level 105 (cap before Champion Levels): INT 90 (soft cap), VIT 90, DEX with the remainder, STR last.
• Soul Stones (DSS): Lycan benefits most from Red (attack value) and Blue (defense), with Rainbow stones to push skill damage further.

Skill Build and Order

Skill Push Order (the 50% to 75% to 100% pattern)

Lycan skill leveling follows the standard Metin2 pattern: every skill walks through P (perfect / 50%), M (master / 75%) and G (grand master / 100% ). The right order matters because skill books and soul stones are limited, and pushing the wrong skill to G first wastes weeks of materials.

1. Crimson Wolf Soul to M1 first. Without it, the class does not work. This is the entire identity. Push it to M1 before touching anything else.
2. Shred to M1. Your main single-target finisher. M1 Shred carries you through every PvE bracket until G is reachable.
3. Wolf Pounce to M1. The PvE AoE clear skill. Once at M1 your Metin clear speed jumps noticeably.
4. Push Crimson Wolf Soul to G1. Same priority as before. Crimson at G turns Lycan into a deletion class.
5. Push Shred to G1. Burst follow-up.
6. Push Wolf Pounce to G1 (for PvE) or Wolf's Breath to G (for PvP). Branch here based on your goal.
7. Indigo Wolf Soul kept at P or M1. Useful for the buff but never priority. Push only if you party-grind regularly.

PvE-focused build prioritises Crimson and Wolf Pounce to G first. PvP-focused build prioritises Crimson, Shred and Wolf's Breath. Wolf's Breath is the CC skill that locks down Body Warriors and Suras long enough for the burst window.

Play Guide: Strong from Mount, Weak from the Ground

Every veteran Lycan complaint and every veteran Lycan praise comes back to one truth: this class is built around a mount. On a horse, the Lycan is a top-tier 1v1 and skirmish threat. Off a horse, in dungeons that disable mounts (Hydra / Ship Defense, the upper Meley's Lair floors, Demon Tower top, several boss raids), the class loses its identity and most of its damage ceiling.

Why the Lycan Is Strong While Mounted

• Mount damage stacking. Horse charge damage plus Wolf Pounce plus Crimson Wolf Soul stack into a one-shot burst window against unprepared targets. Open-world PvP, castle sieges and capture-the-flag are where this class peaks.
• Highest attack-value ceiling in the game. Even after the nerf, Lycan's pre-skill attack value sits at the top of the chart. Pair that with 100% piercing rolls on bonuses and you bypass most defense.
• PvE Metin clear speed. Wolf Pounce plus Crimson Wolf Soul clears Metin Stones faster than any other class at equivalent gear. This is the single biggest reason Lycan players still pick it on official servers despite the controversy.
• Arrow-avoidance bonus baked in. Lycan resists bow Ninja damage natively, which makes mounted charges into ranged groups much safer than the same play on a Warrior.

Why the Lycan Is Weak From the Bottom

• No mount, no identity. Dungeons and raids that disable mounts strip the class of most of its damage stacking. You can still clear, but you go from S-tier to mid-tier the moment you dismount.
• No mobility tools. No teleport, no stealth, no dash. Wolf Pounce is your only closer, and it has a windup. A Ninja or a kiting Sura who knows the matchup will kite you all day.
• Long animation windups. Crimson Wolf Soul has a noticeable cast time. A Body Warrior who lands a stun during it gets a free burst on you while the buff fizzles.
• Single class spec. Lycan has only one path - Instinct. No second teaching path, no respec into a different playstyle. If you don't like how Lycan feels, you reroll a different class.

Gear Priorities

• Weapon path: Kyanite Claw (level 105 to 115) as the standard endgame entry, then Serpent Claw (120), then Moonshine Claw at Champion 6 . Green Wolf Fang at level 80 to 90 is the standard rush-weapon while you climb.
• Armour: Dragon-Hide / Phoenix / Dark Moon series in the INT-bias variants. The INT scaling on your skills outweighs raw STR armour gain.
• Helmet: Red Moon Helmet or Wedding Veil for the critical-hit roll.
• Jewellery: Sky Earrings, Demon Necklace, War Ring. INT and VIT bias.
• Shoulder sash: Skill damage % or average damage % rolls.
• Bonus slot priority (claw and armour): Average damage → Skill damage → Monster damage (PvE) or Piercing % (PvP) → Critical hit % → Max HP → Strong against Warrior / Strong against Half-Human.

Common Mistakes New Lycan Players Make

• Stacking STR thinking claws are a melee-warrior weapon. The Lycan's burst is in skills, and skills scale INT.
• Skipping INT armour and then wondering why Crimson Wolf Soul does no damage.
• Trying to PvP a Body Warrior at close range without mount cover. You will be stun-locked and deleted.
• Pushing Indigo Wolf Soul to G1 early. The buff is nice but it is not the identity skill.
• Not maintaining two gear sets. INT cast-gear for skill burst, VIT/HP gear for survival in raids. Same character, different slot loadouts.
• Picking Lycan on a private server that doesn't support it well. Many old-school pservers rebalance or disable the class, and Lycan-on-Lycan-rebalance can feel terrible. Check the server's class-balance changelog before you commit.

Lycan FAQ

Warrior or Lycan: which is better?

Different roles. A Body Warrior wins close-range stun trades and is the more reliable PvP duelist off-mount. A Lycan wins mounted skirmishes and clears PvE Metins faster. If you want a stable 1v1 PvP class that works in every dungeon, Body Warrior. If you want mount-based open-world dominance and the fastest PvE farmer, Lycan.

Lycan vs Sura: which wins?

Depends on the Sura subclass. Against Black Magic Sura the match is even; Sura kites, but if Lycan lands Wolf Pounce the kill window opens. Against Weapon Sura the Sura's stun chain locks the Lycan in place and the Sura usually wins. Weapon Sura is the single worst matchup for a Lycan.

Lycan vs Ninja?

Against Sword Ninja, the Ninja's dash and stealth make landing Crimson Wolf Soul difficult and the Ninja is favored. Against Bow Ninja, the Lycan's native arrow-avoidance bonus tilts it back the other way, especially if the Lycan closes mounted.

Lycan vs Shaman?

Shaman heals and buffs negate the Lycan's burst pattern. If the Lycan can't one-shot the Shaman through the heal window, Shaman wins. Bring Wolf's Breath at G to interrupt.

What's the best class for PvE farming?

Lycan. Crimson Wolf Soul plus Wolf Pounce clears Metin Stones faster than any other class at the same gear bracket. PvE clear speed is the class's main selling point post-nerf.

What's the best class for PvP duels?

Post-nerf, Body Warrior and Weapon Sura are generally considered the safer 1v1 picks. Lycan can still win, but the matchup pool is uneven and you depend heavily on landing Wolf Pounce.

What's the best class for boss raids?

Depends on the raid. Meley's Lair, Nemere and Hydra all disable mounts in their arenas, and the Lycan loses most of its damage ceiling off-mount in those fights. For mount-allowed raids like Razador or Beran-Setaou the Lycan is fine.

Why does my Lycan do no damage even though I have good claws?

Almost always one of three things: (a) you stacked STR instead of INT, (b) you haven't pushed Crimson Wolf Soul past P, or (c) your armour rolls aren't on Average Damage / Skill Damage / Piercing. Lycan damage comes from skills, skills scale INT, and bonuses do more lifting than the weapon does. Fix one of those and your numbers climb fast.

Is the Lycan worth picking in 2025 or 2026?

On official Gameforge servers: yes. The class is free, PvE clear speed is still top-tier, and the launch-era balance complaints have been addressed via the damage reduction patch and years of follow-up tweaks. On private servers: it depends. Most pservers don't include Lycan at all, and the ones that do usually rebalance it heavily. Always check the server's class list and balance changelog before committing.

Was the Lycan ever a paid class?

No. The class itself was released as a free update in 2014. Some Lycan-themed costume sets and skin packs have been sold in the Item Shop separately, but the class slot has always been free.

Why are some Metin2 communities so against the Lycan?

The 2014 launch introduced claws as a brand new weapon category with no claw-defense pool existing on any of the gear players had spent months farming. Years of accumulated PvP refines provided zero mitigation against Lycans overnight, which felt to the existing playerbase like Gameforge had invalidated their investment. Combined with the early Lycan being able to reach 100% piercing and having the highest attack value in the game, the class was perceived as both pay-to-progress-friendly (Lycan-themed item-shop costumes were prominent) and balance-breaking. Many old-school pservers still refuse to add it for exactly this reason.