26 level Swashie needs help!

[Dragonlor]

<DIV>Recently I have noticed that my 26 wood elf swashie does not kill as efficiently as either my 26 Ranger or my now 29 Troubador.  I have no doubt that the fault is not in the swashie class, since it is known to be a well-rounded class, but with me and my tactics.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>First let me say that I am definitely not a top-line player with my techniques and tactics.  I am a very casual player and I enjoy playing a lot of alts so this limits my skill undoubetedly compared to someone who only plays one class.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Second, I am talking about <U>solo hunting</U> here since (at least for me) this is where my own skill matters.  Yes, I can stand in a group or raid and cycle through my skills in the right order and assuming I have a decent tank and healer, we are okay.  With that said here is some info that might help you help me:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- <U>What do I mean by not killing as efficiently as equal level ranger and troub:</U>  I mean that against non-heroic green^ to white^ mobs (and green heroics for that matter), I kill a bit slower with the swash than the ranger or troub, but more importantly, I finish with a bit less help whihc increases my breaks between kills.  Now, I am not down to half life or anything but I do have noticeably less health than ranger or troub after nearly every fight.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- <U>Skills:</U>  Most are adept 1 with the given M2 choices (I think I used these on bith AOEs but maybe just 1).  Anything I do not have Adept 1, I have App IV.  I would love to have all Adept 1 or 3 skills but resources (time and money) will not allow that.  Once again, my swashies skills are on par with the ranger and troub. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- My <U>armor and weapons</U> are decent (handcrafted imbued level 20ish weapons) but not stellar but this is pretty consistent across the swash, ranger, and troub so it should not be that great of factor.  For all three classes, I use dual wield slash and pierce with weapons skills max'd for my level.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- My <U>poison</U> is just a store bought level 20 poison with an immediate DD and a DOT (I would guess I could improve on this and my non-existent poiosn tactics...which consist of hitting use on my DOT poision when I notice that it has run out).  This is the same poision my ranger uses though so that keeps it even for comparisons and of course the troub has no posions.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- I have been using <U>offensive stance</U> unless I go under 50% health (I also use offensive stance on my ranger, and the troub of course does not get stances)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- I have tried <U>pulling</U> with a one-eyed bow to get some range and have also used axes/knives with cold throw to pull as well.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- <U>Tactics:</U>  I generally pull via one of the above methods (clod throw or bow) and then I will use debuffs if it looks like a long fight based on con or go right to highest damage combat arts if I can mow it down quickly (under the premise kill it before it hurts me much).  I use a couple frontal arts (including my high damage AOes if te area is conducive) and then I'll hit cheap shot, do the side attack and a back attack.  Then I finish with a moderate damage frontal art.  Once again, I kill them before I am in peril, but my down time is noticebaly greater than on my ranger and troub.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><U>Some things I am considering:</U></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>- Buy crafted poisons (but once again the ranger is fine with cheap poisons so it seems like something else should be the solution)</DIV> <DIV>- Try defensive stance more</DIV> <DIV>- Try out 1-hand weapon and shield</DIV> <DIV>- Admit that for whatever reasons the skills of a troub and ranger lend themselves more to my playstyle</DIV> <DIV>- Try a dirge, brig or assassin and see if their styles fit me better</DIV> <DIV>- Try a zerk (dual wield fighter with decent DPS as I understand it and way more mitigation)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Any advice/feedback is appreciated.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <P>Message Edited by Dragonlord1 on <SPAN class=date_text>01-20-2007</SPAN> <SPAN class=time_text>02:47 PM</SPAN></P><p>Message Edited by Dragonlord1 on <span class=date_text>01-20-2007</span> <span class=time_text>02:47 PM</span>

[Luk]

soloing as a melee class is highly dependant on your gear and skill upgrades, you really really need to be in at least mastercrafted and have a majority of skills at adept 3 or higher to be successful at soloing, otherwise kills take too long and you take too much damage. Rangers have an advantage in that regard that they can snare and kite in literally pretty crap gear, as a Swashy you need the top stuff.<div></div>

[Dragonlor]

If that is true (which I am not doubting you at all), then this is not the class for me sadly.  I will never be able to attain the coin or quest for the gear given my play time, etc.  Thanks for the input.  I guess I need to find a class that can do well in medicore gear and with adept 1 skills.  Does one exist (serious question)?

[Luk]

Sorry, didn't mean to scare you off, yes gear is important, but its pretty much important to all classes, but it only really limits what you can take on at what level, if you don't have top gear, wait a couple levels and a really really tough encounter becomes easy due to the way the game mechanics are. You can get away with adept 1 skills, but you will kill slower, and therefore level slower than someone with adept 3's and masters. Make good use of your master 2 choices and harvest for rares to make weapons, armor and upgrade skills and sell the rest, if you get rares from a lower tier than the one you are in, sell them to make money for upgrades.I think you need to look at quests, they are a good way to go, you get the following from a quest<ol><li>item reward</li><li>coin reward</li><li>exp reward</li><li>AA exp reward</li><li>discovery for following quest lines through a zone.</li></ol>Swashies are an awesome class to play, we are at home in pretty much any situation, solo, duo, group or raid.Other classes I might suggest would be, in no particular order:<ol><li>Bruiser</li><li>Necromancer</li><li>Conjurer</li><li>Warden</li></ol>Hope this helps.<div></div>

[SmCaudata]

<div></div>Caster classes are going to rely the least on gear, but all classes need good spells.  I would say that a conjuror or necro is going to be the least spell dependant of them all, because in general their spells do less damage because they have a pet, so there is a smaller difference between adept I and adept III.  That is just a guess mind you.  The other nice thing about the pet classes is that if you get an adept III pet, defensive stance, and heal it matters much less how much damage you as the caster are doing because your pet is tougher.Those are just my opinions.  You may wish to talk with some summoners to see what they think.All that said I soloed and grouped my way to 70 without much coin and I never spent time harvesting.  I bought my first set of mastercrafted gear in Teir 7.  Up until then I only bought pieces when I saw them cheap on the broker.  I had about a half set of cobalt by the time I hit 62.  My of my skills were adept I, again unless I saw a cheap master or adept III on the broker.  I also almost never used poisons.  My down time wasn't bad because I knew what I could drop fast and what I couldn't.  The key to leveling is to do soloable quests and get in good groups.  25-32 I spent almost exclusively in Ruins of Varsoon, where I got one of the best breastplates in the game until you hit T7.  I did the SSOY and SBD heratige quests as soon as possible so I had nice pair of dual wield weapons.If you like the class stick with it.  Swasbucklers are more than capable in regular cheap gear.  You won't be finishing off mobs with 90% heath, but with good player crafted food and drink you will get most of your heal back by the time you stealth up to backstab the next mob.<div></div><p>Message Edited by SmCaudata on <span class=date_text>01-21-2007</span> <span class=time_text>09:05 AM</span>

[liveja]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Licit wrote:<BR>soloing as a melee class is highly dependant on your gear and skill upgrades, you really really need to be in at least mastercrafted and have a majority of skills at adept 3 or higher to be successful at soloing<BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>At 26th level -- the OP's level -- I didn't find this to be true at all. I had no issues with soloing at that level, & I had no better gear.</P> <P>To the OP.</P> <P>1. Take yourself to the southeast Griff tower in Thundering Steppes. Run south-east, across the road, to the crater area down by the zone line. Harvest there until your eyes bleed. You will come up with the necessary rares to either have some important CAs upgraded to Ad3, or you'll make enough money to buy the ones you need. Do this even if you hate harvesting, because <STRONG>surely</STRONG> you don't hate money :smileyvery-happy:</P> <P>2. If both of your AOEs are M2 (& I think at your level, they should be) then groups of low blues & high greens are what you should be looking for. Stealth into the middle, backstab one to death, cut your AOEs loose, & mop up the survivors. You should be able to do this all day long with no trouble, even with your current gear. Whacking on single ^ mobs isn't a good recipe for easy leveling :smileywink: & chances are the loot you'll get from them isn't worth the time & effort required.</P> <P>3. Invest in the best poisons you can get. Use two -- one damaging, one debuffing. Also, get a good ranged weapon thingie, & get it imbued too, if you can; it's nice to see your thrown CA hit twice, poison the mob, & proc a Gleaming Strike as well <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></P> <P>Swashies are easy to solo, but you gotta pay attention to your surroundings, make sure you know which mobs can see through stealth & how to deal with them, where to go if things go bad & perhaps more importantly where NOT to go. For all of that, I strongly recommend taking the time to stealth-recon every new outdoor zone you can -- don't fight, don't harvest or collect unless it's a sure thing, just run about scouting the area. Not only do you get exploration events, you learn things about the area that will help you stay alive & succeed. Besides, you're a SCOUT. Be one!<BR></P>

[dasching]

Gear up.  You need great gear to be a good solo'er.Head to Stormhold and bag the named mobs for exquisite chests.  Turn off combat xp at level 28 so you can keep bagging the names there until you have the plat you need.<div></div>

[Ookami-san]

<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>GEAR</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Soloing is VERY gear dependant.  Get the best your can - buy, quest or find any upgrades.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>COMBAT ARTS</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Try to harvest and get some rares to get your main CAs up to Adept IIIs.  It makes a HUGE difference because most of our CAs are on shorter timers, so the extra damage adds up with your spam them.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>POISONS</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> <DIV>Also, store bought poisons are ok, but try to get player made and stack them - one red, one purple and one blue.  Poisons are a class feature, if you're not using them, you're not hitting your potential.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I don't remember T3 poisons, sorry.  But for soloing, use the highest DD poisons you can.  Why?  Because if the fight lasts long enough to use the DoT's full potential, you're taking a beating - which is bad.  PLUS, if you use the Mez trick below to get another stealth attack, the DoT will break the mez.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Personally, for misc poisons I like attack speed debuffs, stuns or melee debuffs against regular mobs and stifles against casters.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#ff0000>TACTICS</FONT></STRONG></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Swashys rely more on tactics when soloing than some of the other classes.  Why?  Because many of our best attacks are positional or situational (back, stealth, flank, etc.)  and it takes a little work to fully utilize them when soloing.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You mentioned opening with ranged.  While in theory it sounds good, it robs you of 3 of your best attacks, right of the bat.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>To maximize your damage, I suggest the following:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Stealth</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1) <SPAN><FONT size=3>Shanghai </FONT></SPAN> - this should stun them, so they don't turn around immediately</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>While they are stunned, try to get in your back attacks</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2) Gut Slice</DIV> <DIV>3) Unfriendly Reminder</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>By this time, they will spin around, in which case, you open up with the rest of your CAs and try to get in a HO.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>4) Poke</DIV> <DIV>5) Edged Swipe</DIV> <DIV>6) Snap of the Wrist</DIV> <DIV>7) Undercut</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Once your back attacks refresh, try the Cheap Shot to stun them, jump behind and get off a back attack or two.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For longer fights, or if you just feel like it, you can mez (you should just have gotten mez at 26), right as it ends, stop auto attack, then jump behind them, stealth and get your Shanghai and back attacks in.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Remember, the key is to use our most powerful attacks as often as possible.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Good Luck!</DIV>

[tiki-jiki]

Improve your tactics and you should have no problem soloing. The last poster gave you a lot of good tips. If you use those tactics you should be able to solo at any level.<div></div>

[Terron]

Good equipment helps, but you don't need all mastercrafted to do well soloing as a swashie. You need good weapons, but against solo mobs you should kill them before they get a chance to do you much damage so armour is not so important. Unless the mobs can see through stealth then start from stealth and behind, as has been desribed. You have better AE attacks than a troub or ranger. If they aren't master II then get them upgraded, and seek out suitable targets. Large groups of down arrow blues should be you aim. You may have more downtime between fights, but you should kill more in each fight. I almost always use offensive stance, except when facing a tough mob that I can't mow down quickly, typically heroics with up arrows. Use crafted poisons. You want as much up from damage as possible. You should be killing mobs faster than the DoT take to complete, and getting multiple activations in. Try to have at least greater caustic poison and greater warding edge on all times. If you find a rare loam and get an adept III made try to make a deal with the alchemist for the rare poisons he can make with the side product of making the adept III. Though it is possible to have three types of poison active at once, I don't think there are any of the third type available before level 40. <div></div>

[Galn]

<DIV>I tend to disagree with a few here.. I have a lvl 56 Swashy, which only recently have I started buying masters for, and even one or two adept III's. All the way through level 40 I only had Mastercrafted leather armor, looted weapons and at best adept I skills (Only M2 and had the D'Morte skill made as my only ad3.)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The character soloed VERY well, able to kill yellows as singles or even smaller groups, and could take out some green ^^^ heroics. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One thing I did different than the skills listed above is I'd hit cheapshot right after the stealth-back/flank combo. This stunned the mob a second time, only allowing them to get in one attack between the two stuns. Usually by the time cheapshot was over the mob would be almost dead and it wouldnt normally require me to get off a second set of backstabs. Now that I've maxed out Walk-the-plank I can get in a second set of backstabs when needed without using cheapshot so my sequence still works.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I too have a ranger, and the biggest difference I've seen is the ranger can kill a lot of things before they get to him, but if they do get to him he's in trouble.. the swashy can walk up to a "see stealth" mob and start attacking and come out fine, if the ranger tries he usually dies. </DIV>

[mo0rbid]

I'm a newbie, I have a lvl 28 ratonga swashi and mobs are easily killed <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> I have 7 legendary and 2 fabled if it matters