Advice for Swash/Templer combo.

[Diggen]

<p>I've been two-boxing a swash/templer combo with great enjoyment. The swashy seems to be a perfect mate for the cleric because of the DPS and group invis. I have quite a few AA's built up and have not assigned them because I am not sure about long term strategy. My thoughts, which may be wrong, is to let them split tanking with the swash doing it most of the time. The steps for battle would be...</p><p>Pull with templar with swash invis.</p><p>Use invis and behind the back moves for the swash which usually gives him aggro.</p><p>Start HO's with the cleric.</p><p>The cleric would always target through the swash to make it easy to heal him, and the swash should always take aggro before the cleric takes much damage. Now the questions.</p><p>1. As I get to upper levels can I expect the swash to tank or will the plate cleric need to take over?</p><p>2. Can I avoid aggro management trees for the swash and the cleric while depending on high DPS to keep aggro on the swashy?</p><p>3. What line should my swashy follow if feign death and aggro management are not needed?</p><p>4. Should my templer focus on damage or healing when using AA's?</p>

[Arielle Nightshade]

<cite>Diggen wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I've been two-boxing a swash/templer combo with great enjoyment. The swashy seems to be a perfect mate for the cleric because of the DPS and group invis. I have quite a few AA's built up and have not assigned them because I am not sure about long term strategy. My thoughts, which may be wrong, is to let them split tanking with the swash doing it most of the time. The steps for battle would be...</p><p>Pull with templar with swash invis.</p><p>Use invis and behind the back moves for the swash which usually gives him aggro.</p><p>Start HO's with the cleric.</p><p><i><b>I suggest you start the HO's with the Swash.  Scout- started HO's are easier and give a bigger variety.  A Priest-started HO almost always is a damage, not some of the very nice heals and buffs that HO's can give you.</b></i></p><p>The cleric would always target through the swash to make it easy to heal him, and the swash should always take aggro before the cleric takes much damage. Now the questions.</p><p>1. As I get to upper levels can I expect the swash to tank or will the plate cleric need to take over?</p><p><i><b>I have both classes - but don't 2 box them.   The Templar is able to tank, leaving the swash able to do the higher damage back and flanking moves.   If you are going to make the Templar tank, make sure that every time you have a chance to get gear that has plusses to Focus - you take it.   The reason that fighter tanks have taunts is because caster types (healers and mages) can't cast while they are getting hit unless Focus is high.</b></i></p><p><i><b>That said, the Swash can tank well too, I think better at higher levels than lower ones (but that's my own opinion).  </b></i></p><p>2. Can I avoid aggro management trees for the swash and the cleric while depending on high DPS to keep aggro on the swashy?</p><p><i><b>As long as you get both classes' aggro avoidance/reduction spells in Master or as high as you possibly can - you might be able to avoid taking these AAs, especially if you mostly duo.  If you are intending to 2 box and group - I'd think you'd want to put some AA into at least the Templar's deaggro spell.  That reduces the reuse timer for their deaggro - which can really come in handy for any healer, but especially for a Cleric.</b></i></p><p>3. What line should my swashy follow if feign death and aggro management are not needed?</p><p><i><b>Reach, Style and Potency are the ones I've tried and liked for DPS - and have seen recommended here.  I bow to the more experienced Swashes, however.</b></i></p><p>4. Should my templer focus on damage or healing when using AA's?</p><p><i><b>This depends on what play style you are going to have.  However, I'm a firm believer that any healer class, regardless of what else they can do or what AA's they might have - should be as prepared for Healing as they possibly can be.    In the duo of Templar/Swash, Templar DPS is kind of an oxymoron.   Sure you can spec them that way, but that's not really their forte, and for a 2 boxed healer, I'd think you'd want the biggest, easiest heals that are possible from whatever class is in that healer spot.  Again, this is my 2 from playing both classes, and not a hard and fast rule.   I'm very interested in seeing what others have to say about the duo.  It's unorthodox (the duo), for sure - but the possibilities are very interesting.  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></b></i></p></blockquote>Hope this helps!  (I have 70 Warden, Defiler, Templar and Swash...of all the Swash/healer combos...this'd be the last one I'd try, but it's got to be very interesting..LOL)

[Umbriel]

<p>I don't box, but I play a Swashbuckler and my wife a Templar. At the higher levels you will want the swashy to do all the tanking, pulling and damage, the templar just need to be able to heal, which is what they are best at anyway <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>I think it's a good duo, I guess other healers might work even better, but it's good enough to do lots of fun stuff.</p><p>My Swashy is all damage speced at the moment and the wifes templar is all for healing (since we do some groups and raids, not just duo). That works very well. I also tried to tank spec the swashy a while ago, could take on some even tougher oponents then, but fights are a bit slower.</p><p>A damage speced swashy don't have any trouble holding aggro from a templar (or most other classes for that matter), just remember to turn offyour deaggro skills hehe...</p><p>Good swashy AA lines are STR+AGI for dual wield or WIS + (STR or AGI) for the fencer line with one hand empty.</p><p>Typical tank speced swashy is STR + STA, with a shield in offhand.</p><p>I don't know much about the templar AA's but the faster casting one is probably good...</p>

[Arielle Nightshade]

Oo good point ^^....about faster casting for the Templar.   The Legendary EoF set adds a casting speed bonus, and is worth having (unless it is eclipsed completely by some other bits of armor in RoK).