So I ditched the shield and picked up the spear. I don't want to be a meat shield. I want to give as good as I get but having your oppent blow all his attacks before you can retaliate blows. I use charging thrust more for maneuvering /evasion to set me up for piercing spear. Then I have it pressed so that I can charge after the oppent and try to connect with a shield charge and a grab.

I have a similar Gameplay
just I use charge-sheld Smash-grab- (Spinning Slash-ground Smash) X2 then i cover myself with the sheld and I wait to have the combo back, I think gladiator Need a damage improve and a grab cooldown reduction because aganist overpowered clases like legatus-raven-shai have no chace because they always have super armor and you can't stun them.

The problem with charging thrust for me is that so many classes have an evasive attacks, Super Amors, on top of that dysnc and lag. So once you use charging thrust and shield charge you're just a sitting duck holding your shield. Or you're holding your shield waiting for them to unload. Against class that have tons of super armor like titan and grand master after you charge with piercing spear you have to try to grab them. If it didn't connect shield charge and charging thrust away. All of his attack are slow wish they would do something about that. Gladiator attacks don't stun. I could understand if they evaded away but when you connect and nothing happens you're just a sitting duck.

Gladiator attacks don't stun, thats gladiator problemz gladiator grab need a cooldown reduction to a 7s to can be a good class, also damage increase, I changed into berserker because gladiator is also bad in pve, conclusion:
Gladiator need a rework.
If I had to rework gladiator:
Take down cooldown reduced to 7s.
Also a chain skill combo of
sheld Smash-take down and charging trust-take down.