Yes, it is right after ascension.
Gladiator's Defence is the elite that is cappable off the last facet of Glint (the Warrior facet).
It is the best elite for the tank warrior. And in SF, if you are a warrior and you want to join a farming team, it is easiest to be a tank.

And as for getting thumped by Glint... she keeps getting harder and harder. Every time I go back to beat her, I am defeated by another skill they have added to her.

My first time, all she cast was Crystal Hibernation (or something like that), which was easy to interrupt.

Now she has all these stances or enchantments (like Jagged Crystal Skin) with 1/4 second cast times that cause 100 damage to attacking parties, etc.

Still, she is on our side, so I don't feel so bad that she keeps kicking my ass.