Bulkan Guide

My thanks to the author of this guide: [GM]Karma
(I just added the skill icons and made some small comments in italic)

To start, bulkan is a tanking machine, hard to take down, and also delivers strong damage.
A bulkan can use either a Sword or an Axe to attack their foe. Sword is faster than Axe, but also weaker in damage. Most go Axe Bulkan, since damage from skills is based on damage of weapon.

Skills

More details about the bulkan skills: Skills->Bulkan and Skills->Bulkan (Details)

 Sword Mastery  Axe Mastery

Level 5/Maximum Skill Level 25/10%-200% Damage – Max it
This skill is very important for a bulkan. It will increase the damage that they deal with normal attack. When adding points to the skill, only chose 1 skill, either Sword or Axe. There are no benefits to adding points into both of these.

 Recovery Boost

Level 25/Maximum Skill Level 5/5%-25% recovery – Max it.
This skill use to be good. But since cash shop potions are so cheap, it isnt worth getting this skill. It will make the potions that the bulkan uses a lot better. If a bulkan uses a potion that recovers 1000 hp, it will now recover 1250 hp.

 Whirlwind Slash  OverHead Blow

Level 45/Maximum Skill Level 25/10% - 200% - Max it 
This is the 1st bulkan skill that will consume stamina. It will also be the 1st skill that will need to be set as a skill. Only stat the skill based on what weapon you will use, either whirlwind slash for sword, or overhead blow for axe.

 Iron Skin

Level 80/Maximum Skill Level 5/1%-20% damage absorb – Max it
This is a very good defensive skill for the bulkan. It increases damage received by 20% when maxed. Furthermore, it absorbs an extra 1% for every 40 points in strain. Based on this, 880 strain will give the bulkan 42% absorb from damage.

 Protection Shields

Level 100/Maximum Skill Level 25/3%-75% chance to avoid all damage – Leave it or max it
I don’t have any experience in this skill. I am told by Arez that the skill gives 3% - 75% chance to avoid an attack, so that it deals 0 damage. There is still ¼ chance the skill will succeed, however.
He also said it isn’t worth having at lower levels, but it’s good to have at 35x + for pvp. Sucks in pve.
So either fully stat the skill, or leave it alone.
If you decide to stat it, it is very good vs bulkans, kaili’s and hybriders. It is good vs other bulkans since bulkan attacks slow, it can block the skills often. If used early, it can block bulkans normal attack which is used to charge up a slayer. When the bulkan attacks with an uncharged slayer, the damage will deal next to nothing. Vs Kaili : Kaili 275 can OS most bulkans. This is a long charging skill, and will deal 0 if the bulkan uses protection shield. Like-wise with hybriders, dual assault can OS bulkan, but is a very quick skill.

 Body of Steel

Level 120/Maximum Skill level 5/ Damage Absorb 15%-75% - Max it
This is a very good skill in pvp and for boss killing. It will take a very long time to take the bulkan down when in this mode, but it lowers the bulkans attack by 30%. When duelling against a human, never use this skill. The human can use green aura, which penetrates through the bulkans yellow aura. This skill does not stack with Iron Skin. It would mean bulkan would absorb 100% damage based on the stats it gives. It will just do the normal 75%.

 Exploding Rage

Level 140/Maximum Skill Level 10/16%-50% damage increase – Max it
This skill will increase the bulkans damage, but also decrease his defence. When used, the bulkans defence will drop substantially; it will be like not wearing armour at all. The effect lasts for 50 seconds, with a 40 second interval before it can be used again. Also, if the bulkans weapon has been stoned to have critical and fatal blow, this skill will increase the chance of this by 10%.
Cannot be used with Body of Steel.

 Secondary Attack

Level 150/Maximum Skill Level 25/ 20%-500% - Max it
This is the passive skill needed to hold a Chakurum or a slayer/demolition. The higher the skill level, the higher level slayer/demolition the bulkan can hold. Both Slayers and Demos use memory damage. This means when the bulkan uses an axe to use a normal skill, then uses the slayer or demo, the damage will be higher. It is best to get a critical/fatal hit on axe with level 45 skill (or later Force Attack,) then use the slayer/demo. The difference between a slayer and a demo is that a demo has demolition hit, meaning it has a % to deal even more damage. This is with the exception of Dragon Slayer, which also has demolition hit on it. Chakuram is pretty lame imo. If you want to use it, it's best used in pve, not pvp. In pvp, it will do so little, and only last a couple of seconds. The Chakuram has different effects on it, depending on which 1 you have. It can make a monster have cold or petrification status. Remember, when a mob has cold or petri, it means more % for critical/demo hit, but since the chakuram isn't 100% chance to deal the status effect, it's best off just to attack normally.

 Eye of Insight

Level 170/Maximum Skill level 10/ (4 - 13) % - (4 - 40) % magic attack absorb – Max it
This is another passive skill. This skill absorbs magic damage when attacked by a magic user.

 Flying Crash

Level 175/Maximum Skill Level 25/ Damage bonus: 20% - 140% Attack distance: 1 – 16 - Optional
Hmm, this is a skill that lets you jump at the monster to attack it. Upon using this skill, you will be next to the enemy to attack it with normal skills. Some bulkans like this skill as a way of getting close to enemy, or even to finish off a running enemy in pvp. It deals average damage, so it isn’t used as a killing skill, more of a 1st attack or finisher.

 Concentrated Attack

Level 180/Maximum Skill Level 5/Monster Defence rating drops 10%,Chance to break hard barrier 90% - Max it
Hard barrier is the blue aura placed on certain neoprogmare monsters. Other classes will have damage vs these monsters, where as a bulkan can remove this aura with this passive ability. I don’t think this skill works in pvp against other people.

 Hell Cry

Level 200/Maximum Skill Level 20/25%-50%. – Max it
The main target takes 100% of the damage, while the monsters surrounding take 80%. The number of targets this skill hits raises by 1 every 2 levels of this skill. This is the bulkans 1st and only AoE skill. This skill can be used in conjunction with Slayer for a combo. 1st the bulkan will use hell cry, then as the bulkan is at peak height in the air, use slayer. This will result in a combo message coming up on screen. This combo has about the same damage as Force Attack and Slayer.
I would say to start statting this at level 210, since that is when you start to see the damage from it.

 Hell Cry Control

Level 210/Maximum Skill level 10/10%-100%? – Max it
This further increases the damage of Hell Cry. Hell Cry doesn’t start to deal much damage until the bulkan obtains this skill.

 Force Attack

Level 250/Maximum Skill level 20/60% - 250% attacking power – Max it
This is a very strong attacking skill. It will be used in place of level 45 skill, but will still need the level 45 skill skilled to get this attack stronger. Using this skill then slayer will deal very strong damage. Once used, it will have around 5 second cooldown. When in cooldown, you will automatically use level 45 skill instead.
Not worth getting until 26x or so, since it can miss.

 Force Control

Level 255/Maximum Skill Level 20/ 56%-95% chance to hit – Max it
This skill doesn’t affect the damage of Force Attack, but it makes the attack have more chance to hit.
Again, it’s probably best to stat at around 26x.

 Burning Crash

Level 275/Maximum Skill Level 30/ Damage bonus: 250% - 573% (6 stages) – Max it
Probably the best skill for a bulkan to level up with. This skill can be maxed at level 275 with 30 points. It doesn’t need skill scrolls, but it does need lime. When in use, you will not be able to use potions, so be careful before you use it.

 Stamina-Up

Level 275/Maximum Skill Level 20/5%-80% more stamina – Max it
This is a very good skill for bulkans, since most bulkans will be low on stamina statted as strain. It will provide the bulkan with extra stamina. Once high enough level, around 340 i think, you can remove this skill, and add the points recovered from it into strength.

 Wild Smash

Level 300/Maximum Skill Level 30/ Damage bonus: 12 - 360% Attack distance: 1 – 3 – Max it
This is currently the last skill for a bulkan to acquire. In pve, this is probably the strongest, quickest attack a bulkan can do. This skill cannot be maxed from 300, you will need level 329 to max this skill. This skill doesn't deal much damage at the lower levels. I used skill level 21 on a level 343 bulkan, and it 1/2 killed him when i used green. Maybe best getting 1 point in it at level 300 just to show off, but then start statting it at level 310 or so. 310 does around the same as Hell cry.

Stats

(Strain = Constitution)

Thai Version (before you got Life/Level):

As for stats, I usually go sword and strength till 152, then I restat to Axe and Strain. Sword is easier to level up with at the lower levels I find, and damage is stronger when using skills with bulkan. I choose 152 because that is when a bulkan can use the 1st slayer. If you don’t want to restat, but want strain, just stat enough points to use the next level item, and put the rest into strain. At higher levels or when/if you restat, a bulkan should have maximum strain, with the rest in strength.

Korea Version (width Life/Level):

Damage Formula: Level / 6 + Strength / 4 + Constitution / 5 + Dexterity / 4, and you get 45 Life/Level
I'm not a bulkan expert but i would now max strength first, constitution second and dexterity at last.

Max strength needed

Vampire Axe - 150
Expulsion Sword - 109
Scream Axe - 165
Cyclone Sword - 133
Crash Axe/Jin Crash - 171
Teurus Sword/ Jin Teurus Sword - 140
Havoc/Jin Havoc - 177
Defeat Blade/ Jin Defeat Blade - 150
320 Sword - 190
320 Axe - 240
25x pants - 161
28x pants - 225
32x pants - 268
34x pants - 311

Evolution Bracelet

Since a bulkan has the highest hp, it will benefit the most from adding this into an evo bracelet.
Stamina + isn’t needed, it doesn’t benefit the bulkan much, and they get a skill that increases stamina anyway.
I like to have 5% hp increase, 15% absorb. I don’t use hp recovery much, because when you have good armour, you won’t lose much hp from being hit anyway. The Reflect option I see no use for, since it doesn’t reflect much back anyway. Confuse can be good, but since bulkan attacks slow, it doesn’t get the confuse status often.
I would also chose to go for 3% vitality, 15% absorb, 10% magical defence.

Ancient Ring

AR4 which is from 221-300, i would say Counter +5%, Critical +5%, Skill Duration +40%, and Pot Effect +10%. All are 1 option in the ring, except skill duration, which is 2 options. You could also go for 2 potion effects, which works as 11%, not 20%, and skill duration on 20%.
Not sure how to work out recovery on potions if using recovery skill, recovery on evo bracelet, and recovery on AR o.O I guess a 100k hp potion would be 1250 from passive skill, 1375 hp restored afterwards from 10% on evo brace, then 1526 from the 11% on ring. With the 10% potion recovery on AR, it would make is 1512 hp recovered. It seems as though 10% will be good enough.

On AR 5, i would say to have Avoid Damage +5%, Critical Attack, Counter Attack +5%, Skill Duration +20% and Potion recovery +10%.

Bulkan combo

Bulkan combo usually consists of Force Attack/Slayer/Attack/Hellcrycombo/ and repeat ^^ ofc when you have 275 and 300 skills, it's best to use them to fill the gaps.