The dark elegance of the Dark Nuns class in Age of Ashes makes it one of the most mysterious and deadly choices in the game. Equal parts shadowy sorceress and airborne executioner, Dark Nuns combine powerful curses with strategic aerial combat. But with their high skill ceiling and steep early-game learning curve, new players often struggle to level up effectively.

This guide is crafted specifically for those looking to master the Dark Nuns and rise through the levels with confidence, efficiency, and a deeper understanding of their strengths. Whether you’re just unlocking this class or looking to optimize your ascent, we’ve got you covered.

Understanding the Dark Nuns Class

Dark Nuns are built around disruption and decay. They excel in applying status effects, draining enemies over time, and executing surgical strikes from mid-air. While they lack the brute force of a frontline dragon or the burst damage of the Stormraisers, they make up for it with versatility, evasion, and battlefield control.

Their leveling path rewards patience and strategic thinking. Instead of diving headfirst into every conflict, Dark Nuns are better off picking apart isolated enemies, assisting teammates with debuffs, and exploiting mistakes. Success with this class means learning the map, understanding enemy tendencies, and using every cooldown with purpose.

Early Leveling

Your first ten levels as a Dark Nun are all about learning positioning, timing, and mana management. Early-game matches can feel chaotic, especially as you adjust to their slow ramp-up in damage and survivability. Focus on:

• Staying mobile and out of direct conflict
• Tagging enemies with basic abilities to secure assist XP
• Using your drain and curse mechanics in skirmishes, not full-on fights

One major mistake many players make is trying to play Dark Nuns like an aggressive damage dealer from the start. Instead, think of yourself as a flying rogue observing, waiting, and punishing. You’ll notice more consistent XP gains this way, even without top kills.

Mid-Level Climb

Once you unlock your first few ability upgrades, the Dark Nuns start to come into their own. This is the sweet spot where your toolkit becomes flexible enough to chain abilities, escape tight situations, and finish off vulnerable enemies.

Use your Soul Binding and Dread Veil abilities, tactically binding works well for denying escapes, while Dread Veil helps you disengage or set up ambushes. When leveling in team-based game modes, always look to:

• Interrupt high-priority enemies
• Support allies with debuffs
• Clean up kills when enemies fall below 30% health

XP comes steadily at this stage, especially if you stick close to skirmishes rather than isolating yourself. Positioning and cooldown timing will make or break your success, so don’t be afraid to play defensively. Every successful assist and kill pushes you closer to unlocking the higher-end gear and mobility options that take your gameplay to the next level.

Advanced Leveling

By level 20 and beyond, the game starts opening up, and so does the complexity of your build. You’ll have more access to passive talents and ability upgrades that significantly enhance how you handle engagements. This is where you start making a serious impact.

Focus on your rotational timing knowing when to curse, when to engage, and when to retreat. Dark Nuns are best at slipping behind enemy lines, applying massive pressure with chain damage over time, and then vanishing before retaliation. Try to bait out enemies’ movement abilities or cooldowns, then punish them when they’re exposed.

In free-for-all modes or 1v1 encounters, your advantage lies in sustained pressure rather than burst. The longer you stay alive, the more influence you exert on the battlefield.

This phase is also where map awareness becomes essential. Knowing where health pickups, mana restoration points, and high ground are located can be the difference between dominating and barely surviving. Don’t chase every kill; instead, control the pace of the fight.

Optimizing for Fast XP Gains

Leveling as a Dark Nun doesn’t require kill farming, you gain excellent XP from smart team play and utility contribution. Some of the most reliable ways to level quickly include:

• Queueing for Spoils of War and Carnage team-based modes where your debuff abilities shine
• Participating in Seasonal Events or XP Boosting Events which often grant extra XP for assists and damage-over-time

• Focusing on survivability and damage uptime over flashy moves

As you progress, be sure to upgrade your armor glyphs and curse damage stats to keep scaling effectively. A well-built Dark Nun is a nightmare to chase and an even worse nightmare to engage head-on.

When to Experiment with Builds

Once you’ve crossed level 25, you’ll have enough experience to understand what style suits you best. Some players prefer a defensive build with extended invisibility and status resistance. Others lean toward a more aggressive route, emphasizing mobility and damage-over-time talents.

Feel free to experiment. Age of Ashes allows reasonable flexibility, and there’s no one-size-fits-all build for Dark Nuns. What’s important is knowing how your build fits into your team’s playstyle.

If you’re still early in your journey or just getting started with the game’s broader mechanics, be sure to check out our beginner’s guide to better understand the fundamentals of class synergy and survival.

Embrace the Shadows

Leveling the Dark Nuns is about finesse, patience, and long-term payoff. While the class might feel underwhelming at first, those who stick with it are rewarded with one of the most satisfying, unique playstyles in Age of Ashes.

Learn your maps. Respect your cooldowns. And above all, embrace your role as the elegant executioner gliding just out of reach. For the best gaming experience play Age of Ashes: Dark Nuns on BlueStacks!