Swashy small group tank?

[Romit]

I was wondering if Swashies are able to tank for a small group of 3 consisting of a templar and enchanter? ***sorry for the first post i accedently pressed enter before i added any thing to body*** <div></div>

[Teaff]

yep we can tank most of the times... <div></div>

[Karath Morningst]

Absolutely. Our standard group is 2 swashies, 1 templar, and 1 warlock. We can do pretty much everything non-epic including Cazel.

[Romit]

I'm stuck between a berzerker and a Swashie for my class, i know a berzerker will be the best choice for tanking since he is a plate wearing killing machine but i kind of hate the idea of just being a tank which is all the warrior classes are. If i were to go swashie will i be forcing the Templar to burn all his mana healing me every 3 mob pull? I heard that swashies only get a few frontal attacks and are mainly side or back positional attackers, is this true? If ^ is true will i be consantly stuning (with how ever many stuns swashies get) trying to get around the mob to backstab it?

[Cyber_Cowb]

I've always (even pre-LU13) called Swashies light tanks.  We can take some hits, do damage (sure some of our hits are back only, but you can do a steady stream of spells from front w/o waiting.)  If you have high enough AGI you will avoid a number of hits a Tank would take so you may actually need LESS healing than a tank. <div></div>

[Ghartan]

<P>Definitely !</P> <P>I tank all the time ... just have to make sure everyone knows you have limited taunting ability.</P> <P> </P>

[Hamervelder]

<DIV>I don't have much trouble at all tanking with my swashbuckler.  I taunt as much as I can, and go full-on DPS to keep the encounter mad at me.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[KinzuNig]

Swashie has 1 backstab, 1 flanking, and 1 stealth attack.  We can use everything else from the front.<div></div>

[Luk]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>KinzuNight wrote:Swashie has 1 backstab, 1 flanking, and 1 stealth attack.  We can use everything else from the front.<div></div><hr></blockquote><p>at level 58+</p><blockquote dir="ltr"><p>2 x Flanking - Disheartening Guile and Lung Puncture</p><p>1 x Backstab - Pillage</p><p>1 x Stealth Attack - Brazen Thrust (this is non positional)</p></blockquote>

[Delow]

<div>Depending on the mob you are fighting you can still use your back attacks. I do it when I tank as my swashbuckler on a lot of mobs, just cheap shot it and then run behind an Backstab and use your flanking attack then run back infront. The biggest headache I have about tanking is trying to keep my Parry and Defense maxed. I spend so much time behind the mob and since i'm 31 leveling is fast keeping those skills maxed can be tedious.</div>

[Carna]

<div>I play a Brigand so while not exactly the same it's very close. I also can't speak about higher levels as I'm only level 36... that said... I keep my armour in tip top condition by scouring the broker and fence each day when I log on and before I log off. The result of which is I can take damage better than a fair chunk of the tank populace that simply don't keep their gear up to scratch.</div><div> </div><div>What I don't have, nor will I ever have is the array of tank orientated taunts and short term buffs.</div><div> </div><div>I am a half decent player though, and so I can keep a handful of mobs locked down.... I wont ever (nor should I be) up to a properly equiped competent tank. I can serve for a lot of regular xp type activity.</div><div> </div><div>Have you considered a Monk? They're kinda flashy. They do ok damage, and they're very good tanks for most adventuring activity. They have invis, feign death, and a heal so they're reasonably versatile.</div>

[SageGaspar]

<div>A swash can certainly tank reasonable content. I have a 59 bruiser and I'm pretty competent at tanking, so sometimes while levelling and getting frustrated at incompetent tanks, I'll just form my own group and tank it. What it comes down to is that 90% of group content is simply having someone who is capable of getting aggro (no problem whatsoever, turn those hate reducers off), taking a few hits (defensive stance, naturally high agility and chainmail), and knowing how to tank. It's that last part that most groups have problems with.</div>

[Mathe]

<div></div><p>A big mistake people make is thinking that Taunts have magical properties that make them more effective then anything else for holding hate. Only Guardians, as tanks, totally rely on Taunts for hate (part of the misconception that Guardians are the only good tank class that some people have). Damage is just as good as threat. It is possible to get Ambush line attacks off when being attacked and they generate a disproportionate amount of hate.</p><p>Swashbucklers are far more useful at being a damage dealer than a tank though. It is possible and can work if the player and group know what they are doing, but really a Fighter can do the job more effectively. Swashbuckler also gets far better abilities to lose hate than to gain it and doesn't get Rescue, probably the best taunt in the game, which all Fighters get.</p>

[DanaDark]

<div>Swashy can tank. We not the best but we can do it. I'd suggest you have two duel weild weapons,a 1hander, and a shield and switch between them depending on the mob and what is comfortable. Work agility and mitigation gear too.</div>