Swashbucklers: Good at solo/duo in a light tank/dps role?

[Cambi]

I just started the game this week and I am trying to get a better understanding of the classes. My favorite types of characters to play are melee - from pure tanks to light tanks to dps melee/fighters.Is the swashbuckler a class that is good at soloing and/or duoing? By that I mean able to do quests, grind out xp efficiently/quickly, etc. If I was duoing, I'd generally be duoing with a priest or mage type rather than a tank (I duo with my wife who prefers support classes - we already have a berserker/fury duo we enjoy but we like having multiple characters going). Or should I be looking at some of the other scout classes?I really appreciate any information that will help me understand this class, and how it works. I got the impression it is one of the better pure melee damage dealing classes out there.<div></div>

[Carna]

<div></div><p>There are more qualified people than myself due to the limit on my highest level character, but I play a 53rd lvl Brigand, 38th lvl Ranger, and 34th lvl Swashbuckler (and a 20th lvl Assassin I will play more at some point)... I love Scouts, so if anything I'm biased in their favour.</p><p>While a Swashbuckler would be viable for you duoing with your wife playing support, I'd personally suggest you try a Monk as you're likely to find it more suitable to the role... having said that, the Berserker/Fury combo you've got at the moment isn't going to be radically different. A Monk might give you a more Scout type feel than a Berserker though, and he's a bit more independent.... actually a lot more.</p>

[Wildfury77]

<div></div>HEHE! my favorite area <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><u><b><font color="#ffff00">Swashbucklers are very good at duoing! For a number of reasons</font></b></u>1)Great DPS2)Medium armor + high agility generally = reasonable mitigation and high avoidance3)Option to go sword + roundshield if u wish (my style) - see the stamina line of AAs4)Highest scout hitpoints5)Evac and group invis. (disarm)Its easy to set yourself up as a DPS/light tank part of the Duo with reasonable/good equipment.I recommend mystic as duo partner (wards help you not die), if not then fury for better DPS, but regenerative heals are inferior to wards for a light tank IMHO.Make sure you upgrade BOTH stances if you are going to duo, defensive stance WILL save you both. I also suggest upgrading your MEZ.<i><b><font color="#ff0000">Bottom line - a well equipped upgraded swashie/mystic pair can take on harder MOBS than the classic Monk/Fury setup - we have two guildies that own with these classes</font></b></i><div></div><p>Message Edited by Wildfury77 on <span class="date_text">04-08-2006</span><span class="time_text">06:50 AM</span></p>

[Mathe]

<div></div><p>It works quite well. I'm not even equipped or set up for duoing and I was doing quite well the other day. I was at the time a 64 Swashbuckler and I was duoing with a level 59 Warden friend of mine. We were taking down level 62-63^^^ (including a name), and the whole time I died once, and that was a fluke (first time we attacked the name, I got knocked backed over a mountain and off the island, and this was in KoS so naturally that means I died). I sat in Adept I offensive stance (Audacious Advance) the whole time, except the named when I swapped to Master I defensive stance (the one before Agile Slashing, still better than Adept 1 Agile Slashing though with less debuff).</p><p>I would imagine for two people more focused on duoing it would go even better, since they could be geared more for it than we were.</p>

[SageGaspar]

<div><span><blockquote><hr>Matheau wrote:<div></div><p>It works quite well. I'm not even equipped or set up for duoing and I was doing quite well the other day. I was at the time a 64 Swashbuckler and I was duoing with a level 59 Warden friend of mine. We were taking down level 62-63^^^ (including a name), and the whole time I died once, and that was a fluke (first time we attacked the name, I got knocked backed over a mountain and off the island, and this was in KoS so naturally that means I died). I sat in Adept I offensive stance (Audacious Advance) the whole time, except the named when I swapped to Master I defensive stance (the one before Agile Slashing, still better than Adept 1 Agile Slashing though with less debuff).</p><p>I would imagine for two people more focused on duoing it would go even better, since they could be geared more for it than we were.</p><hr></blockquote>Yeah, I did the same on Dragon Breeding Grounds with a friend to level them up. That named you were fighting, Spykrachis, drops some really nice boots uncommonly, so I camped there a fair amount of times.At 70 now, I have Master of the last defensive stance and Coule, which raises my defense and attack abilities by.. what, 16? Add that to the many piercing/slashing mods on armor and you can be fighting like an unmodified character at your level while in defensive stance for a very nice boost. The one trick is that you'll be wanting to stun and hop around heroics to land your debuffs, but I think that's all in good fun.The other day I came very close to duoing the Reclaimer Manikin, probably the toughest "contested" heroic in the overland zones, with a Fury. This is with a DPS-focused build. If I adjusted my armor resists and went back I'm pretty sure we could've had it, and I'm sure we would've done it if I had a tanking-oriented build and equipment.</span></div>

[Cambi]

Well, this is pretty encouraging. Can you all tell me a bit more about how a swashbuckler plays?By that I mean what sort of tactics do you generally use, what is their role/task in a group, what do you do when soloing and/or duoing?What should I know about this class before I create a character of this class?Also, how should I prioritize stats and similarly which races work nicely?Thanks tons! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[SageGaspar]

There's a ton of posts on this, but I'll give you a quick rundown:In a group you're going to want to be behind the mob getting in attacks and debuffing them, with the occasional move to the side for your one frontal/flanking debuff. You're going to want to be using poisons all the time. AAs might affect your choice of weaponry -- look into threads on that. However, I've heard AA is incredibly slow pre-60, so you're probably going to just be using dual wield most of your career. Perhaps a change to sword and board for tanking.For stats you're going to want AGI, STR and STA. AGI will boost your avoidance and power pool. STR boosts all your attacks. STA boosts your health pool. STR and AGI sort of come naturally together on gear, STA is probably going to be a bit tougher. WIS theoretically helps with resists but the affect is almost not noticeable unless you're pumping it by hundreds of points -- better to just carry around some resist gear (this gets much easier at 60 and is pretty unnecessary before then, for the most part). INT is of questionable utility, but I personally go this direction instead of STA or AGI on my raiding swash -- I've never been hit by an AE that an extra couple hundred health would've helped me live through, but we have had some close calls where a bit of extra DPS on everyone's part might've won the day. If you're planning on a primary light tanking role, STA would probably be a better choice than the marginal DPS INT will get you.Race doesn't really matter, though there are a couple useful traits: my human has... I don't know, 3% power, 5 defense and 5 STA that he got from traits, I think. These aren't going to make or break your character, though. Much more important is picking a race that fits your image of what your swashbuckler should be. I wouldn't trade my human in his poofy vest with his plumed hat on his goofy horse for anything <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[mayhem111]

<div></div><p>The reclaimer is the named tree in by the crash site in bonemire right?  If so hes pretty easy only a single up arrow.  Just don't let him supprise ya.   Was sneaking around there one day and was [Removed for Content] and died.  Came back buffed up hit all the oh crap buttons and he died before I hit yellow hps.   The tree and the eyeball in barren are the few single up arrow names I've seen so far.</p><p> </p><p>Nashar Spinecutter</p><p>69 swash of guk</p><p>Elements of War</p>

[SageGaspar]

Err, sorry, I meant the ghost thing on Carrion Briar. Reclaimer Manikin is, of course, an easy solo <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>