Raiding as a Swashbuckler

[ftsha]

<div>Swashbucklers bring a lot to a raid, more than most people know.  In raids I am usually in the top 3 in damage/dps.  However, I find some of my fellow raiding swashbucklers far behind me.  I have tried to figure out what they are doing different but I am having some trouble.  There is a lot of discussion on how to solo but not much on raiding.</div><div> </div><div>I would like to get some or your input on this topic.</div>

[m0ya]

<div></div><div></div><p>Ranged fight.... in raid.... HoS rocks... Frigid Throw also but it's nothing too huge... When all the raid in ranged there's no way I can be in the top 5 dps... ranger, warlock, wizard do insane damage (all the time actually).</p><p>When there's no AoE well I'm still under warlock, ranger, wizard and assassin...</p><p>Message Edited by m0ya on <span class="date_text">01-17-2006</span><span class="time_text">10:20 AM</span></p>

[-Llama-]

<div>I'm usually one of the top 3 on the DPS list on our raids, beating out warlocks and wizzys. Only class that usually beats me in DPS is Ranger.</div><div> </div><div>I'm also almost always in the MT group, as a personal hate feeder to the tank. Against orange con raid mobs, swash hate transfer almost promises the tank will keep aggro with all the DPS/debuffs we can put out. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div>

[DanaDark]

<div></div>More on the topic of swashies in raids would be appreciated. Currently Im only lvl 44 but want to become a raider... so more information is very valuable!

[Zygwen]

This is what Swashbucklers bring apart from DPS.Lung Puncture -> Mob offensive skill debuff.Gaudy Strike -> Intelligence debuffRazor Point -> Parry debuff that can only be used in frontal arc. Only really useful against brawlers class mobs.Dazzling Steel -> Slow's Mob Attack Rate.Fury of Blades -> Physical Damage mitigation debuffPillage -> Agility DebuffAdmonish -> Dispel Mental and Magic effects (Highly situational, few mobs buff themselves at the moment.)Hangman's Noose -> Magic and Divine Resist debuffDeriding Chicanery -> Defence and wisdom debuffDisheartening Guile -> Physical damage Mitigation debuffIn terms of Raw DPS, a lot depends on your choice of weapons, Str attribute, procs, poisons, quality of combat arts and how often you use em.<div></div>

[ftsha]

<div><font color="#ff0000"><strong>For mobs that don't have AoE attacks I usually use the following sequence:</strong></font></div><div> </div><div>1.  Arctic Blast - to inflict damage and slow the target</div><div>2.  Deriding Chicanery - to decrease targets defense and wisdom</div><div>3.  Hangman's Noose - to decrease targets resistance to magic, divine and slow target.</div><div>4.  Fire my 3 rear attacks</div><div>5.  Fire off Fury of Blades & Uncanny Reflexes</div><div>6.  Elude</div><div>7.  Spam all remaining CA's</div><div>8.  Repeat until mob is down to 30%</div><div>9.  Once mob is at 30% fire Ingenious Finesse and Inspired Daring then spam my CA's like mad</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><font color="#ff0000"><strong>For AoE mobs I use the following sequence:</strong></font></div><div> </div><div>1.  Arctic Blast</div><div>2.  Hail of Steel</div><div>3.  Joust in and spam off some debuffs and attacks</div><div>4.  Swap to my long bow when my ranged CA's are down.</div><div>5.  Once mob is at 30% (and It's safe to go in) fire off Ingenious Finesse and Inspired Daring then spam my CA's like mad</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><strong><font color="#ff0000">Some additional notes:</font></strong></div><div> </div><div>1.  If aggro comes my way I use Shadow Slip for instant deaggro</div><div>2.  I also use Ruthless Cunning when it is available (LVL 35 Bloodlines CA)</div><div>3.  I have mostly Adept III's and 6 Master CA's</div><div>4.  I always have my offensive stance, Avoid Censure, and Battleweaver buffed</div><div>5.  I use a Legendary STR/AGI potion</div><div>6.  I use always use 3 Poisons (1 High DD, 1 Piercing Debuff, and 1 AGI Debuff)</div><div>7.  Swarthy Diversion is on MT if he doesn't have his on me (they won't stack use which ever is better)</div>

[Belizarius]

<div></div><div></div><p>Hmm.</p><p>Our raids top DPS usually follows this order</p><p>Summoner (when you factor in all their pets)</p><p>Ranger</p><p>Swashy</p><p>Wizzy</p><p>On a good day the swashy will out-DPS some of our lazier Rangers.</p><p>Things that hurt swashy DPS the most seem to be positioning, a problem that the others don't have.</p><p>Other obvious things to check.</p><p>Their weapons, also with respect to mob resists/immunities</p><p>Their poisons.</p><p>Upgrades to abilities.</p><p>Message Edited by Belizarius on <span class="date_text">01-17-2006</span><span class="time_text">05:25 PM</span></p>

[Luk]

<div></div><p>I currently have the following at master, with pillage at master 2,</p><p>DisableInspired DaringDeriding ChicaneryFalse BravadoDisheartening GuileHail of SteelArctic BlastLung PunctureBrilliant SwatheLucky RuseIngenious FinesseRazor Point</p><p>adept 3</p><p>Brazen ThrustSwarthy DiversionHurricaneCheap ShotHangman's NooseUncanny ReflexesBattleweaverShadow SlipRuthless Cunning</p><p>and the rest adept 1</p><p>I use Epee of Embers and Blade of Center, both legendary dropped items, my STR is normally around the 420 STR cap</p><p> I have no problems with getting high on the DPS list or sticking my debuffs, all I can say to those that do have problems is upgrade, upgrade, upgrade, the minimum you should be looking at for key skills is adept 3, get out there and get better stuff, you will be surprised at the difference. Every upgrade not only gives extra damage, but also gives that extra chance for a debuff to stick and lets not only your next attack do more, but helps the other DPS too, or the tank/healers</p>

[Dark_Sun]

<div></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><strong></strong></font><div></div><blockquote><hr><div> </div><div><font color="#ff0000"><strong>For AoE mobs I use the following sequence:</strong></font></div><div> </div><div>1.  Arctic Blast</div><div>2.  Hail of Steel</div><div>3.  Joust in and spam off some debuffs and attacks</div><div>4.  Swap to my long bow when my ranged CA's are down.</div><div>5.  Once mob is at 30% (and It's safe to go in) fire off Ingenious Finesse and Inspired Daring then spam my CA's like mad</div><div> </div><hr></blockquote><div><font color="#ff0000"><strong><font color="#66ff33">Few questions here.</font></strong></font></div><div><font color="#ff0000"><strong><font color="#66ff33">How do you exactly swap to long bow? You have to carry arrows in ammo bag, dont you? And you cant put arrows in throwing bag afaik. Are you not using ammo bag/quiver and just use 1 stack of ammo? How do you switch it then? We have about 5 seconds delay before we can unequip/equip items in combat. So take off throwing weapon - take off throwing ammo - equip long bow - equip arrows. its 4 actions and with delay that would take about 15 seconds at least (im not sure on delay here). And then when ranged CA is back up you need to switch it all back to throwing weapons. Seems like a very few sense in doing all this things. Or is there some trick with this?</font></strong></font></div></div>

[Serindyl]

<div></div>Only two steps, actually... he probably drags and drops his bow over his throwing weapon, and his quiver over his sack.  I swap out piercing for slashing thrown weapons this way, or vice versa, during a fight against a resistant MOB.

[ftsha]

<div></div><div>I have a few hot bar spaces set aside for my pouch, bow, and associated ammo.  The switch is automatic when you fire the hot button.  I just click the bow and the ammo type I want and I'm ready for Auto Attack.  When my CA's are back up I click the pouch and hammer buttons then fire my ranged CA's.  I don't use a quiver, I have pleanty plenty bag space.  I use a Bow because the auto attack damage is 3x that of my pouch.</div><div> </div><div>Since LU? (not sure which #) you can link any activatible item that is in you inventory to a hot bar (I.e. poisons, potions, weapons, etc.).  When you do this with weapons it will swap your current with the one in the hot button.  Poisons and potions will be used automaticly.  The Manastone can be used this way, no more needing to equip it to use.  Carpets and horses are the same way.  There are some items that act like weapon hot buttons (all they do is swap out items).</div><p>Message Edited by ftshark on <span class="date_text">01-18-2006</span><span class="time_text">10:37 AM</span></p>

[-Llama-]

<div>Just so you know Serindyl, you can keep all the types of throwing weapons in the same ammo bag. Just switch from bandolier to sheath or whichever and start throwing! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div>

[Duhulk]

<div></div><div></div><p>Raiding as a Swashbuckler comes down to three things</p><p>1)Debuffs, and knowing what order to do them in.</p><p>2)Maximizing your DPS where possible and approrpiate while not slacking on the appproiate debuffing</p><p>3)Don't die. Have resists, known when to move out the way. You shouldn't get aggro as a Swashbuckler. If you do there's either something going wrong on the tank end, or you weren't paying attention.</p><p>Hail of Steel is nice damage when you can't be in melee range, but your primary purpose on a raid is to debuff, and you can always do more damage in melee range than you can with HoS.</p><p>A HoS Swashy is a lazy Swashy =p</p><p>Message Edited by Duhulk on <span class="date_text">01-18-2006</span><span class="time_text">01:02 PM</span></p>

[-Llama-]

<div>HoS = teh pwn for Multi-AE encounters (I.E. Keeper of City Keys, Al'Afaz, with his 2 Cold AE that overlap and stagger randomly <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> )</div>

[Duhulk]

<div>Meh, I can melee him with few problems :smileytongue:</div><div> </div>

[-Llama-]

<div>Well he is usually the first thing we take out in the zone, so I prefer to save my gear for the Black Queen. <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div><div>I let the brig do the debuffing on that one. <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div>

[Rendoir]

<div></div><div>Same I am usually pretty high up the parser. Also great debuffs and a pretty respectable randged damage on aoe mobs, scaled 20 slot pouch with 3 crush pierce slash ammo, and a pouch for each. Gaige's for str/sta, strength food and a zerker usually helpful, master hate transfer to MT 23%.. plenty of good things. As mentioned shadow slip for when things get a bit dicey. Shissar and Adiestes poisons, decent weapons needed, tho you can prep nicely for it with poets runs till you get a silverthorn and cazels til you get a whip and upgrade from there. Great dps debuff raid class.</div>