Is there a FAQ that explains what Swashbuckler gameplay is like?

[Cambi]

Some of the class forums have a FAQ that explains what playing that class is like (how the class plays, strategies, class role, gear needs/usage, etc.). Is there such a thing for Swashbucklers, or could some of the folks here explain a bit about how this class is defined and how it plays?Thanks!<div></div>

[Orionv]

<p> </p><p>Message Edited by Orionvr6 on <span class="date_text">04-08-2006</span><span class="time_text">03:41 PM</span></p>

[Orionv]

<p> </p><p>Message Edited by Orionvr6 on <span class="date_text">04-08-2006</span><span class="time_text">03:39 PM</span></p>

[Orionv]

<div></div><div>How it plays is up to the player. This is how I would describe the class, given my playing style...</div><div> </div><div>It's very fast paced. I chain cast combat arts every 1-2 seconds. In some situations I will use only autoattack, but it's not often. Typically this is only during large AE fights, where I use Hurricane and my 2 AE's to do the most damage. And of course poison procs.</div><div> </div><div>For solo situations you want to use Cheap Shot to stun the mob, then hit your fast casting stealth w/hate reduction to get into stealth fast, then use your stealth attack w/stun. The stun is 4 seconds. This allows you to land all 3 of your flank/back attacks, if you're quick. Using normal sneak also works but you have to be very quick. It's all about timing. Optionally you can use your Mez too, if Cheap Shot is not up and your flank/back attacks are refreshed (or stealth attack).</div><div> </div><div>What sets us apart from Brigands is our AE DPS. We have 2 AE's and Hurricane that lets us hit everything within melee range with autoattack, 44% of the time (Adept 3, or 50% at Master 1). There is a limit to how many target it hits, perhaps 5 or 10 max. I can't recall.</div><div> </div><div>To be the most effective you must chain your attacks ("spam&quot<img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> as fast as possible. Learn which to use first to debuff the mob prior to landing your hardest hits. Invest in the best poison you can get to maximize DPS, particularly for AE DPS. You also most upgrade the quality of your combat arts to Adept 3 or greater, ASAP...since almost all our damage is from combat arts, not autoattack. Lastly, you want to invest in STR items, as this boosts combat art damage.</div><div> </div><div>Usually on raids I'm #2 top DPS. Or #1. The best part is our hate reduction, it allows us to go all out and not get aggro (at least, for me). Whereas Warlocks and Assassins with their high burst damage will get killed, or have to use their abilities more sparingly. I would say we have the best hate reduction than any other class.</div><p>Message Edited by Orionvr6 on <span class="date_text">04-08-2006</span><span class="time_text">03:41 PM</span></p>

[Cambi]

<div></div>Thanks for the info. My main character is an alchemist, so that should help with the poisons, right? Also, if I understand correctly, the alchemist makes the combat arts for the "fighter" classes, but does that mean that the alchemist makes the combat arts upgrades for the scout classes as well? If not, which craft makes those (as I definitely want to level that up on one of my alts because supplying my own skill upgrades has been VERY convenient on my berserker). The style of fighting you describe reminds me somewhat of the rogue in WoW which was fun - but it sounds like there are even more options and more strategies for the swashbuckler (which is very attractive).A few other questions:1) (the question above about who makes the skill upgrades for swashbucklers)2) How well can swashbucklers solo3) Can swashbucklers duo well with another scout (like a troubador for example) or a mage-type class? If not, what classes duo best with a swashbuckler?4) What races work well with a swashbuckler? A side note of this is a bigger question I have about how all the stats work for swashbucklers, but that is in a specific thread <a href="http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board/message?board.id=33&message.id=10802" target="_blank">located here.</a><div></div>Thanks tons for the info!

[Decari]

<div></div><p>1. Jewelers make the skill upgrades.</p><p>2. We're not the best and we're not the worst either.  It takes tactics to get your flanking and back attacks in, which are the heavy hitters. If you are going to be solo most of the time I would try to steer you away from Swashy.  We really shine in group situations, good DPS and utility.</p><p>3.  A swashy can duo with anyone though it often takes changes in playstyle or roles, get good at aggro management, often you will need to take the aggro fom your partner or give it to him.  I personally find duoing with mages to be the hardest.  Best duoing for me has always been with a tank class that is 2 or 3 levels higher than me. </p><p>4. I personally think race is nothing more than 'flavor" at this point.  Atrribute points are easy to get for any ability, by the mid levels everything basically balances out.  Don't look at the stats, look at the racial abilities they bring to you. Some races only have a couple that are of good use to a Swash, while others have more.</p><p> </p><p>Overall whether you like the class or not can be boiled down to how it plays in group combat or solo.  The key things for me anyway are Positioning, Spam attacks, Positioning, Poison, Positioning, effective aggro control and did I mention Positioning?  To maximize your damage you will be moving around the battle and spamming attacks.  My playstyle as a Swashy is much more intense then when I play a cleric or a mage class, which now seem easy (almost too easy) as a result. </p><p>NOTE: If you duo or group with a tank that can effectively turn the mobs back to you and line them up, then targets them in order down the line this will GREATLY increase how fast you (and the rest of your group) can mow through mobs.  A good tank will effectively net you a large DPS increase, while a poor tank is effectively a DPS penalty. Running all over the battlefield for the tanks next random target bites.</p><p> </p><p>Keeri - 62 Swashbuckler - Crushbone</p>

[Cambi]

Thanks for the info.My first swash was a wood elf, but I was kindof put off by their prissy appearance and was worried about their low STR and low STAM. So I deleted it. Then I made a barbarian, but now I am worried about its average AGI (20), lack of a starting racial ability (no infravision), and their racial traditions don't seem to be as good (wood elf can get +agi as well as +3% to total power which both seem good). Would you mind sharing some of the pros and cons of races you think work well for a swash?For DUOing: How about duoing with a troubador? Would that work out well? My wife wants to make a troubador alt (she loves bard-types), but we are worried about not having any healing. If not a troubador, what other priest classes are fun to play and work well with a swash (her main is a fury so we wouldn't make another one).<div></div>

[Snarks]

it seems like with LU13 -> AA system, swashies solo ability has slowly been nerfed. What I mean is, to kill a decent heroic or blue/green named heroic, often we have to throw up all our burst spells and go crazy. So our solo ability is limited in time, and not very viable for XP imo (unlike coercers or summoners who can solo heroics with ease). With the AA line, we can spec to be the best non-fighter tanks and better at soloing, or you can spec to be the highest dps in the game. Its really up to you. What I like about swashbucklers is that their debuffs are very important in raids, and they never get boring. With positional attacks, mez and good kite spells, you are always engaged.  I found after playing my swashbuckler to 50, it was very easy for me to play any other class in the game (at lvl 50 / boxed accounts). Does this mean swashbucklers are the hardest to play? Maybe not, but it does mean that mastering a swashbuckler prepares you for anything, I think.<div></div>

[Cambi]

Is there a scout class that is more effective at soloing than the swashbuckler (preferably Qeynos/good). If so, why is it more effective at soloing?<div></div>

[lolercopter]

"Soloing" is a relative term my friend.  Rangers, for instance, can kill some tougher things than we can if they have room to kite.  We can solo groups of lower level mobs.  When it comes to heroics and yellow ^'s and the like, we're about equal.If you want relatively efficient soloing (compared to other scout classes) I'd steer away from the Swash.  Try a Ranger or even a Dirge.<div></div>

[Cambi]

One thing that I have been noticing that is a tad annoying when soloing is that the game is really iffy when it comes to positionals.Firstly, is there no way to lock on to your target so you can then use your strafe keys to circle to the side or the back? It seems like bad interface design to have to zig-zag around oddly when it would be more realistic to maintain your facing towards your opponent as you circled.Secondly, there seem to be a lot of mobs who "cheat" and turn to face you even when there's no way they could (like when they are knocked down, stunned, or they just magically turn and face you right when you use your opening attack even though they shouldn't). Is this a known bug? Is there any fix coming for this?Is this the kind of thing that if I find it annoying at low levels, I should just give up on now?<div></div>

[lolercopter]

If a mob faces you and it is stunned, that's a bug.  They're actually facing the other direction, but the game hasn't updated quick enough so they continue to face you.  It's similar to killing something then having it still standing up in combat stance. It happens; just know where you are and where your enemy is facing, and even if the stun bug happens, you'll still get your positionals off.<div></div>

[Cambi]

<div></div>Thanks.Is there any way to lock on to the mob and then use strafe keys to circle?For example, something like /stick and then you use your strafe keys to circle around while still facing it?The reason I ask is because I am finding some of the positional attacks to be a lot more annoying to fire off that they should be. I've played other games that relied on positional attacks (DAoC for one, as well as lots of single player PC and console games) and never had this much trouble.I know positionals are a big part of the swashbuckler skill set, and I know they are easier to fire off when grouping with a tank. When soloing, am I going to be significantly affected if I can't get all the positionals down perfectly?I read somewhere that swashbucklers rely on positionals the least of all the scout classes. Is this true?<div></div><p>Message Edited by Cambios on <span class="date_text">04-09-2006</span><span class="time_text">09:37 PM</span></p>

[SageGaspar]

<div><span><blockquote><hr>Cambios wrote:<div></div>I read somewhere that swashbucklers rely on positionals the least of all the scout classes. Is this true?<hr></blockquote>True and not true. We have three or four positional attacks that require you to be flanking or behind. Three of them are really nice debuffs you'll want to have on if at all possible, the fourth is very high damage.You can stun a mob using either cheap shot, the ambush line of attacks (must be used from stealth) or the Swathe line of AE attacks. On solo mobs, cheap shot will give you six seconds. You should be able to get off all your positional attacks in one cheap shot. On heroics, it'll give you two or three seconds, enough time to jump around and get off one.Jump around, I say? Yes. The easiest way to get behind any mob is to cheap shot it, then jump right over its head while mashing the flanking technique you want to use. Trust me, this is much better than trying to circle strafe around it. In time you can get it down perfectly so you're already in the air when the stun from cheap shot or knockdown from the Swathe line hits the mob.Note that depending on how low your Swash is, you might not have all the attacks I mentioned. One of the positional attacks at least doesn't come until level 58 (but it's a great one) and one of them is mob-dependant (racial strike).</span></div>

[Kharadr]

I find strafing to be extremely easy these days. Make you sure have your autoface on in combat. You can then hit Cheap Shot, press right mouse button (in my case) and just move a bit left, forward, bit right. And the bit right is not even really necessary since the last changes to the "straight behind angle".Soloing is easy when moving around in invis. Move to the back of the mob, use your sneak attack, which will stun. It gives you enough time to use at least 2 other high damage attacks. Those attacks alone will take away at least 25-35% of the mobs' HP. My problems generally arise when a mob jumps me instead of the other way around.True, soloing is a bit twitchy. But I like that. I started out with a paladin and was bored to tears.<div></div>

[Severed Ha]

<div></div><blockquote><hr>Kharadrim wrote:I find strafing to be extremely easy these days. Make you sure have your autoface on in combat. You can then hit Cheap Shot, press right mouse button (in my case) and just move a bit left, forward, bit right. And the bit right is not even really necessary since the last changes to the "straight behind angle".Soloing is easy when moving around in invis. Move to the back of the mob, use your sneak attack, which will stun. It gives you enough time to use at least 2 other high damage attacks. Those attacks alone will take away at least 25-35% of the mobs' HP. My problems generally arise when a mob jumps me instead of the other way around.True, soloing is a bit twitchy. But I like that. I started out with a paladin and was bored to tears.<div></div><hr></blockquote>I partially agree here.. For one you do need to make sure that you have your character's option set to Autoface the mob you are in combat on.  And from there right after a Cheap shot or something instead of Strafing.. Jump over the mob and begin the back attack while in mid air still.  Once you get the timing down its no problem at all.  Strafing Ive never really been good at myself.. But you can jump over giants and every thing even though you are just jumping between there legs basically.

[Geero]

<div></div><p>Hmm why would you use cheap shot? :</p><p>Mez > Stealth > Stealth attack > 3 CA > Cheap shot > behind them and use another back attack > 2 CA > swathy > 1 back attack = 75% of yellow mob's health gone before you really start to fight.</p><p>It's all about stuns and knockbacks.</p>

[lolercopter]

Mez doesn't work too well with poison.The DPS gained from using mez to get more positionals is lost by the fact that you can't use most poisons.<div></div>

[SageGaspar]

Honestly, Mezz just isn't really my style. Much more entertaining to hop around them like a monkey.Also a useful skill for if you end up tanking duos or groups, as I often do. Mezz is a bust then and you're typically not going to want to use your insta-stealth except under special circumstances, so cheapshot is really your primary method of getting crucial lung punctures in.<div></div>

[Geero]

<blockquote><hr>lolercopter wrote:Mez doesn't work too well with poison.The DPS gained from using mez to get more positionals is lost by the fact that you can't use most poisons.<div></div><hr></blockquote><p>Actually Mez does work with T7 poisons. </p><p>412 DD damage without DoT or 300something damage with 200something healing me.</p>

[Geero]

<div></div><blockquote><p></p><hr>SageGaspar wrote:Honestly, Mezz just isn't really my style. Much more entertaining to hop around them like a monkey.<hr>Hmm?  Mezing is another option for you to change your position... If anything, mezing gives you more chance to "hop around like a monkey".<p>I don't use mezing when I tank, which I do quite a bit when I'm duoing in SoS with my fury friend.  And I only use cheap shot when fury has fallen behind healing, which gives him chance to catch up a bit. </p></blockquote>

[SageGaspar]

<div><span><blockquote><hr>Geero wrote:<div></div><blockquote><p></p><hr>SageGaspar wrote:Honestly, Mezz just isn't really my style. Much more entertaining to hop around them like a monkey.<hr>Hmm?  Mezing is another option for you to change your position... If anything, mezing gives you more chance to "hop around like a monkey".<p>I don't use mezing when I tank, which I do quite a bit when I'm duoing in SoS with my fury friend.  And I only use cheap shot when fury has fallen behind healing, which gives him chance to catch up a bit. </p></blockquote><hr></blockquote>Naw, there's no hopping around like a monkey, there's sauntering around casually to the back while it stares off into space for 22 seconds. Just not my style <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />On tanking, I'm not sure if it's possible to get all your backstabs off without using cheap shot to hop behind, I don't think the in-combat stealth for brazening and swathe refresh fast enough.</span></div>

[lolercopter]

Geero, note how I said *most* poisons<span>:smileyvery-happy:</span><div></div>

[Geero]

<div><blockquote><hr>SageGaspar wrote:<div><span>Naw, there's no hopping around like a monkey, there's sauntering around casually to the back while it stares off into space for 22 seconds. Just not my style <img src="/smilies/69934afc394145350659cd7add244ca9.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></span></div><hr></blockquote>Mez wares off soon as you attack...</div><div> </div><div>I do use backside attack when there are multiple mobs.  Stealth and put 4 CAs on one mob then move onto other mob, this way I don't lose agro.  By doing this, I can keep agro from warlock, wiz, and rangers...  Only class I do lose agro to is Assassins.  I do however only have adept 1 taunt tho.</div><div> </div><div>Hehe I didn't read "most" part but still good to point out to under level people that there are poisons with out DoT effect. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div>

[Cambi]

Aha. I had no idea there was an "autoface" option. I'll have to find that. That should really improve things noticeably. That's exactly what I was hoping to do - be able to use my strafe keys to circle around whenever the mob was stunned, knocked down, etc.<div></div>