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[Guide] In-Depth Explanation and Discussion of Swordsman Builds - by Autentist

Alright, as promised, here is some guide made by me, Autentist, for those who want to explore every crook and nanny of your base class… Swordsman.

This guide will serve as some kind of an addendum to what @Cathexis is currently doing. It will describe every skill, how do they interlink with each other and what synergy do they provide. In other words, MECHANICS.

So, let’s get started on this. First class we discuss is Dragoon.


So, what builds are usually done for this class? Since Dragoon is a Spear user. he will obviously have good interactions with Hoplite and Cata… or is it so?

So, we are actually choosing Highlander here. Many of you will ask - why? High is a Sword user and has even a skill with 2H only, right? Yeah, but let’s look into the matters further. First, skills.

Swordsman

  • Level 3 Bash for Knockdown
  • Gung Ho and Concentrate on maximum since they are basically your only buffs for this build
  • Rest in Pain Barrier. Can be invested further, explanation below

Highlander

  • Cartar for three for Knockback and Collision
  • Crown for at least three contributes to magical mobs debuffing
  • Cross Guard for five, since this is your only way to defend yourself from physical attacks
  • Skyliner + Crosscut combo, even after nerf provides huge damage for Bleeding enemies
  • Skull Swing for reducing enemy’s defence to zero
  • Moulinet for multihit with 50% more Crit Rate
  • One point in Vertical Slash as additional damage after all debuffs

Hoplite

  • Finestra 10 is uptimed and can be casted over and over
  • Pierce and Stabbing as your main source of damage in-late game with Dragoon’s skills
  • Lunge for Pierce debuff

Dragoon

  • Dragoon’s skill selection includes every skill except Gae

Now, let’s exlain this build in-depth.

  1. First, this build is a heavy DPS single-target nuker oriented. It has tons of multihit skills, great utility and debuffs.

  2. It also provides you with every source of damage available - Slash, Pierce, Strike and not only that, with Weapon Swap you will be using the most damaging weapons in the game - 2H Swords and Spears.

  3. Highlander contributes greatly to this build because of its utility, which will be very useful late game. Some of the best debuffs, including Bleed, Armor Break and Shock (which is one of very limited ways to deal with magic mobs for Swordsman, beside Rodelero tanking) are here.

  4. In earlier game, it can serve as a great DPS dealer and later it still won’t fall off, because it will provide Dragoon with a variety of skills for enemy weakening specialization, needed for singe-target nuking.

  5. Even for mob crowds this build has a great selection of CC skills.

  6. Pain Barrier enables you to prevent interruption of Stabbing Attack, so you can probably put more points into this, if you want.

  7. We don’t want Thrust, since we will get a lot of Pierce attack later

  8. Wagon Wheel is a one point wonder, can be used for PvP purposes.

  9. Vertical Slash scales off badly, but still useful, cosidering our number of debuffs and orientation.

  10. Gae is much more useful in PvP, especially for Cata.

Hidden Synergy section of this build includes the following:

If you use Cross Guard for Staggering the enemy and immediately after that Lunge, their bonuses will stack, providing a lot more damage.
Moulinet, actually not being 2H Sword skill by demand can stack with Finestra if you are using 2H Spear, boosting your Crit Rate through the roof.

Cons are pretty obvious, though

Lack of AoE. But since this is a specialized build, it’s debatable.
The only way to defend yourself from physical attacks is Cross Guard.

Stats

4:1:2 with STR - CON - DEX


Next build is the most common one, very popular and will be used as the standard Dragoon build for OBT mostly.

And what do we have here? Let’s start with skills as usual.

Swordsman

  • The same way as the above build, literally no brainer.

Peltasta

  • One point in Guardian to get that 18% Evasion attribute, you don’t need more
  • Max Swashbuckling since this is the best aggro in the game
  • Max Umbo Blow for CC and as the main source of damage at early levels
  • Rest goes in Rim Blow

Hoplite

  • Again, the same as above, but…
  • On Circle 3 we get Spear Throw maxed. Reasons below

Doppel

  • 5 points in Deeds as the best buff Swordsman currently has
  • Max Cyclone as the best AoE Swordsman currently has
  • 2 points in DPE, reasons below
  • Rest goes in Mordshlag

So, let’s analyze this build from within.

  1. Again, you can get more points to Pain Barrier for Stabbing prevention and this is more important than above, because you go Hoplite all 3 Circles here.
  2. We don’t want Thrust for the same reasons as above.
  3. You don’t need more points in Guardian, it only offers flat numbers, which will fall off hard in late game, so get that Evasion. Besides, you are a DPS, not tank, right?
  4. Reasons we get Spear Throw now instead of maxing Pierce is because it has zero cooldown. With recent nerfs left and right, this is basically the only skill on Swordsman tree, which offers decent damage constantly.
  5. You can get one point in Long Stride, if you are going in PvP, it’s a great gap closing skill.
  6. If you are going to play more defensive party role, you can invest in Synchro Thrusting. It was buffed, now offering Overheat and low cooldown on top of having two types of Attack. However, be wise, as it’s animation is slow and it hits not as hard as you may think.
  7. Doppel is obvious too, Cyclone and Deeds are the best skills it can offer on Circle 1.
  8. Mordshlag always crits on Cloth enemies, so it may be somewhat an alternative, albeit poorer, to Crown.
  9. DPE is bugged. You can cast it and watch your team killing stuff for the entire duration, getting all rewards. Two points for solo playing.
  10. Vertical Slash is a great addition to Dragoon, because it adds to his damage for MIddle and large enemies, besides providing nice debuff bonus.

So in the end of the day you have great AoE, excellent buffs and nice boss-killing skills. On top of having an off-tank party role and good Block and Defence.

Cons

Lack of debuffs, which will show on later levels. Still, Deeds will provide you with sufficient damage, while Cyclone takes care of the rest.

Stats

4:2:1 with STR - CON - DEX


Next we are browsing somewhat rare, dual-wielding Dragoon builds. Right now there are basically three of them, so I will review both of them at the same time.


Let’s start with the skills as usual. I’ll browse over each build sinultaneously, while providing insight on every skill.

Swordsman

  • Oh, we actually put points in Thrust here, at least in two other builds, including Highlander. One point can be taken out of Gung Ho

Hoplite

  • Pretty standard skill choice

Peltasta

  • Again, the skill choice is standard, first Circle is obvious

Highlander

  • Some changes here in the third build. Since we don’t have access to the third Circle, that allows us to put more points in some skills including Cartar and Crown.

Corsair

  • Maxing Jolly Roger is a must, not only it increases your attack, it also provides more drop
  • Hexen Dropper is the strongest Corsair skill
  • Double Weapon Assault allows us to attack with off-hand weapon and main weapon at the same time
  • Rest can be put in Dust Devil, maxing it too

Dragoon

  • Same skill choice too

Now let’s look into the depths of these builds.

  1. Why taking Thrust in this case? Unlike the first build, we won’t be having access to good Pierce skills until later, so this skill provides it, albeit not for long. Since Concentration is a pure buff, one point taken from Gung Ho. It still has zero cooldown too.

  2. Only two Circles of Highlander allows us to maximize it’s DPS potential through adding more points to skills like Cartar and Crown. The alternative includes more defensive role, by adding more points to Cross Guard, at least one or two, rest can be dumped in Cartar or Crown again.

  3. Unlock Chest is pretty useless, considering the number of chests in the game.

  4. Jolly Roger is your best Attack buff in this case. The bonus it provides is very distinct as it’s level rises, so is loot you gain from it.

  5. Hexen Dropper is the best skill Corsair has. It hits like a truck, the animation is quick and ruthless. Simply devastating.

  6. Dust Devil and DWA may fall off later, keep that in mind, however, Hexen Dropper will always provide you with great damage.

  7. Vertical Slash is a great addition to Dragoon, because it adds to his damage for MIddle and large enemies, besides providing nice debuff bonus.

  8. The first build has Hoplite in mind. It synergizes incredibly well with Corsair, using 1H Spears + Dagger. Those crits on Hexen will look very tasty in time. Furthermore, it directly increases the number of your multihit skills, so your arsenal will never deplete.

  9. The second build utilizes Highlander’s debuffs, which still won’t fall off in late game. It also gives great boos to Corsair’s skills with Skull Swing and a variety of enemy-weakening skills, adding to the Attack power.

  10. Finally, the third build gives more Defence options to play it safe. It won’t be as devastation as the first two, but you still can have an off-tank party role, while providing good support DPS.

PvP and how it can be done:

Corsair is a great PvP class. Mainly because of the Hook, which bypasses CC defence of Plague Doctor. So, your options in this case are pretty obvious.

  • Max Iron Hook for whopping 14 seconds of duration

  • Max Jolly Roger for Attack buff

  • Rest can be put between Keel Hauling and Hexen Dropper

  • You can also max Keel for pure PvP goodness

  • In Hoplite case, as always, Long Stride is a good Gap closing skill

  • In Highlander’s case, at least one point in Wheel is a good addition

  • In Dragoon’s case, you can put points in Gae

Cons

Again, lack of good AoE skills. It’s still a single-target nuker.
You trade Crits and damage for debuffs and vise versa, likewise you trade Defence for more damage. Your playstyle - your choice.

Stats

4:2:1 for the fist build and 4:1:2 for the second and third with STR - CON - DEX


Alright, ladies and gentlemen, time for Cataphract builds. In this section there will be three of them - for pure PvP, for pure PvE and all-rounder build, which everyone and their mother will use, I bet.



As usual, starting with skills and providing insight to every build at the same time.

Swordsman

  • We are again getting Thrust for the first build, while the second and the third one don’t have it
  • Getting Pain Barrier to 10 for the third, for PvP purposes
  • Maxing Restrain for PvP
  • Getting Double Slash, also in the third build
  • Gung Ho to level 3 just for attributes, again for the third build
  • And finally mixing all above with almost maxed Concentration

Peltasta

  • First Circle without any changes for all builds
  • Upping High Guard to 3 for attributes
  • Maxing Swashbuckling
  • Maxing Umbo Blow
  • And rest in Rim Blow, all for the second build. Why exactly 6, reasons below

Hoplite

  • Without any changes, this one is obvious

Cataphract

  • Impaler with only 1 point, for practical reasons, you don’t need it for damage
  • Doom Spike, Earthwave are the best damage skills Cataphract can offer outside of it’s third Circle
  • Trot is uptimed on C3, which is what Cata is actually famous for
  • Rush is simply the best, excellent AoE, powerful hits.

Dragoon

  • Maxing Gae for PvP purposes for the third build
  • Anything else should already be obvious

Analyzing this builds in-depth we see the next thing…

PvE format:

  1. In the fist build Swordsman once again, gets Thrust, since we don’t have many Pirce skills until later in our disposal.
  2. We get High Guard up to level 3 for attributes —> Defence enhancing and UmboRim Multiplier combo. We don’t need more, since it only offers flat numbers and harms you more than offers. Very crappy skill.
  3. Maxing Swashbuckling nets you 16 aggro targets on the spot. This is the biggest aggro in the game. Everyone will love you in dungeons.
  4. Since Umbo is far better than Rim, we max it for CC and damage again.
  5. Rest is put in Rim for achieving that Multiplier Combo with High Guard status, that’s why we needed exactly six.
  6. Now, for Cata Impaler with only one point is enough and here’s why. It’s essentially a PvP heavy skill, which is used for impaling enemy units and bringing them to your team.
  7. As was said, outside of Rush, which IS he best Cata skill, offering AoE and good damage, Doom Spike and Earthwave are the best Cata skills around, even despite the long charge.
  8. Trot is ridiculously good. At C3 it adds a gigantic speed boost to you AND is uptimed. It’s the most famous Cata skill.
  9. Dragoon is basically the same.

PvP format:

  1. Now here’s something different. This is what is considered the best PvP build by many for Swordsman, who go Cata way. Here we max Restrain, a 40% Stun chance skill, which is the entire backbone of this build.
  2. Then we get Double Slash, which gets 35% Crit rate in attack and adds to the damage aspect of the build.
  3. Pain Barrier is another backbone, which often can provide all team with Knockback, Knockdown and Stagger immunity for a time.
  4. Bash 3 for another CC.
  5. And finally, rest is put into Concentration, because it offers more than Gung Ho at late levels, without gimping your Defence. It also adds those 25 hits to your Cata skills and damage.
  6. Gung Ho at level 3, because, you guessed it, attributes.
  7. Cataphract is the same no matter what. It’s generally a PvP class, as I said.
  8. Dragoon gets Gae maxed. For PvP AND for Cata it’s a must have choice. Not only it gives very high burst damage, it also provides your team with buff zone, which can be crucial during confrontations. Cata also can throw it, then grab it very quickly due to it’s enormous mobility.
  9. Restrain also works with any of your skills, so can be very useful.
  10. Concentrate adds damage on hits, that’s why it works greatly with many Dragoon skills, which are multihits.

Cons and pros

Summary for the first build - pure mobile tanker. Very strong and quick defence force, excellent mob pulling. However, it can be a pain to level it at earlier levels, so watch out for the team. It’s damage until later levels is also quite average.

Summary for the second build - All-rounder attacker, can be used in either PvE or PvP, with little skills allocations to your liking. Off-tank party role. Again, excellent mobility and Hoplite contributes to damage more. However, due to Hop only being at Circle1, it provides very little bonuses.

Summary for the third build - pure PvP. Restrain your enemies with Stun, Impale them with your Spear and get them to your team, you are fast, so hard to catch, you have great AoE like Gae, which can affect the entire enemy team and give you bonuses. However, Swordsman3 sucks at PvE due to it’s skills falling off hard later. It’s also hard to level.

Stats

4:2:2 or 4:1:2 with STR - CON - DEX.


Okay, people, time for some 2H Sword goodness, which is Doppel! Some say pure Swordsman sucks. Well, they didn’t see this guy yet. Today, I present you Doppelsoeldner.

It’s builds are pretty straightforward, since it concentrates on pure damage, utilizing 2H Sword. Today I will review three builds of this class, Highlander and Barbarian variations.



Starting with skills.

Swordsman

  • Is extremely the same, we don’t even need Thrust here

Peltasta

  • Same, all obvous choices for the first Circle

Highlander

  • Maxing all needed skills for the second build, since we don’t need more Circles of this class
  • For the first build Highlander goes as usual, however, 1 more point in Crown is highly advisable in this case

Barbarian

  • Getting skills like Helm’s Chopper and Cleave is basically mandatory for this class
  • Seism is the best Barbarian skill, offering great damage and good AoE.
  • Frenzy for stacking more damage
  • War Cry for the same + Defence lowering

Doppel

  • First Circle is pretty standard with exception of not touching Mordshlag, since we will get much better skills later
  • Here we go. Getting Zornhau maxed. Reasons below
  • Redel is a great multihit
  • Zucken, despite it’s astronomical SP cost, offers comparable damage, while being a great multihit skill too. Also more damage on Shocked enemies

Now let’s look in-depth of each of these builds.

  1. We don’t even get Thrust here, because all next Circles are so heavy damage-wise, if will fall off almost instantly.
  2. We are getting Cleave and Helm’s Chopper not only because of great damage, but also because of incredible synergy between them. More on this later.
  3. We don’t need to max War Cry, since in terms of lowering Defence it’s only flat little numbers, which will soon become irrelevant. However, it’s Taunting effect and Damage increase are still much needed.
  4. Frenzy is maxed again, becayse of great synergy with both War Cry and Doppel’s skills, more about that below.
  5. We are not touching Mordshlag here. We will soon have much greater skill synergy to deal with magic enemies.
  6. As I said, Zucken and Redel are both multihit skills, so they scale better with level, on top of offering very good damage.
  7. Zorhnau has extremely high Burst and again, good synergy with Crown, ibfo below.
  8. BE ADVISED, HOWEVER, that I’m not sure, if stack on Deeds need to be replenished after recasting it. I will add to this, once it will be shown or tested on OBT.

PvP aspect of these builds:

  1. You can probably add one point to Wagon Wheel.
  2. Then it’s nice to have things like Giant Swing in Barbarian Tree.
  3. In this case, despite having better skills to deal with mages, it’s never nad to amplify this further, by adding at least one point to Mordshlag, which constantly crits on Cloth enemies.

And here we go, Synergy aspects of this build:

  • Cleave does TRIPLE DAMAGE on Stunned enemies, that’s why we are getting it + Helm’s Chopper, it’s a very powerful combination
  • Barbarian has the best skillset together with Doppel for stacking loads of damage. Frenzy + War Cry + Deeds of Valor can net you over 2000 damage right from the bat
  • Zornhau and Crown synergize with each other well, offering at least two rounds of constant Shock duration for magic enemies, lowering their INT and SPR continuously

Cons and pros

First build - very good utility with debuffs. Off-tank party role. Great way to deal with magic enemies. Tons of CC. But unfortunately, lack of AoE until later. Zucken also costs much, not really sure, if it’s a bug.

Second build - Some CC and utility with Crown and Zornhau for magic mobs. Here it’s even more uptimed. Barbarian offers very high damage with constant Stuns and Overheats, which have low CD. Tons of AoE skills from the beginning. Doppel will amplify this even further. Unfortunately, since Barb can give only flat numbers, it starts to fall off, unless you build him heavy STR-wise. Highlander will definitely fall off quick, because he lacks utility and debuffs of later Circles. He also can protect himself with Cross Guard only.

Third build - Basically, same as the second, except this might be more useful instead of Highlander, because we gain off-tank role and more Defence.

Stats

First build - 4:2:2 or 4:1:2
Second build - 4:1:2
Third build - 4:2:2


Sorry for the delay, people. It’s time to observe some PvP Doppel builds. As I said, it’s a limited class, thus, we are limited with two good options here only, making these two final builds for Doppel.

[size=20]Thanks to my friend @Lenny for providing a big insight and help for these two builds, especially the first one![/size]


Starting with skills first.

Swordsman

  • Almost the same as above options. The difference here is…
  • Maxing Pain Barrier for maximum duration against CC
  • And instead of Concentration we max Gung Ho. Reasons below

Highlander

  • Taking Wagon Wheel 1 point for CC during PvP
  • Maxing everything else except Cartar, used only for attributes

Peltasta

  • Absolutely-the-same-why-won’t-anyone-do-something-else-for-this-circle

Corsair

  • Maxing Jolly Roger fot that good old Attack buff and dat money
  • Maxing both Hook and Keel Hauling, two BEST skills for PvP Swordsman has in his arsenal

Doppel

  • A little different this time. Getting DOV to 8 for Attack stack in PvP and uptime
  • 1 point in Mordshlag for dealing with Cloth type players, i.e. Mages
  • Zornhau is only one point because this time we won’t be using it for damage, but for actual Shock debuff
  • Zucken is maxed here. Again, this time we need it for actual damage on shocked enemies during PvP
  • Rest as usual

Now, let’s dwelve to the depths of these two builds.

Okay, why did we take Gung Ho? Because it can be used with DOV, amplifying your damage further. Unlike Concentrate, which gives HITS for damage, Gung Ho gives flat number, thus, strengthening DOV.
Wagon Wheel can be very useful for CC. It upwards enemies and knocks them out.
Now the most delicious part of this build - Corsair. THE BANE OF DOCTORS IN PvP. Why? Because all that good CC immunity gets completely ignored by Hook and Keel. You can get any Doctor, then pull it towards you, dealing damage, despite Bloodletting being active.
Mordshalg constantly crits on Cloth-type enemies, so we get at least one point in it, adding to your anti-mage arsenal.
As explained above, we get Zornhau on level 1 only, because we only need that debuff from it. The actual damage comes from Zucken, which will deal up to +50% damage on Shocked enemies, on top of being multihit.

Synergy section:

  • Gung Ho goes well with DOV, amplifying it’s damage further. This plus constant uptime of DOV will give you a tremendous amount of damage
  • Restrain works with every skill, not just autoattacks. Thus, it can proc with things like Cyclone, Zucken and even Hook, giving you the edge in battle
  • Once again, Zornhau + Crown + Zucken come to the scene, this time even more uptimed and more deadly with maxed Zucken

Cons and pros:

First build - pure damage. You have Stun, you have huge Crit Attack, great number of CC skills… Pain Barrier takes care of a number CC inconveniences. Hook and Keel Hauling are used against obnoxious Clerics and Mages, giving you yet another advantage, on top of constantly shocking them with another powerful good combo. Basically, this whole build is THE BANE OF MAGES, adding Mordshlag to the list. Unfortunately, since it concentrates on pure damage it lacks Defensive skills. Your AoE also come only at later levels and leveling Swordsman is a pain itself. Corsair also is built for PvP only, so Hook and Keel don’t work on bosses.

Second build - Basically the same, excepth this time we get Peltasta. But this also means we trade Defence and Evasion for things like Crown, Wagon Wheel, etc, which redices your overall damage. More like a Hybrid PvE-PvP build, actually.

Stats

First build - 4:1:2
Second build - 4:2:2


Alright, time for the elegant Class, you all have been waiting for! Fencer comes right now. It all comes down to a few builds, concentrating on one thing or another.
You may also notice that there is no Hoplite in these. This is due bad synergy between Fencer’s and Hoplte’s skills.

I want to thank @xechidna for the great help she provided me with this class, since I’m not that familiar with it.









Few, so many builds to choose from! Starting with skills as usual.

Swordsman

  • Pain Barrier only 1 point this time
  • Getting Thrust again

Peltasta

  • All the same as usual

Highlander

  • Sometimes we only have 4 level of Cross Guard
  • Always 1 point Wagon Wheel

Barbarian

  • Greatly differs from build to build. 1 points on Pouncing and Swing for PvP purposes
  • Again, Helm only one for PvP only, needed for Stun effect maximization
  • War Cry is max in this case to gain the most for Attack and Defence loss during matches
  • Rest as usual

Corsair

  • Differs too. But it’s easier in this case. For PvE we need one set of skills, for PvP - another.
  • Hexen, DWA, Dust - all PvE skills
  • Hook, Keel - PvP
  • Jolly Roger helps in either case

Fencer

  • Has the most variations, each built for different purposes. For example, if we have high Flancon, it’s to balance for low Block in previous classes.
  • If we have things like Sept, that’s for DPS maximizing potential and so on
  • Lunge should always be maxed
  • Coquille should always have at least 2 points in it for Defence ignoring and high burst damage

Analyzing these in-depth…

  1. Okay, Pain Barrier is level one because we don’t need it as much as Dragoons and Hoplites need. There it was used for certain skills, so mobs wouldn’t be able to prevent them.
  2. Thrust is used as a Pierce damage source, since we won’t be able to get it later, it will also compliment Fencer’s skills somewhat.
  3. We don’t need Vertical Slash as Dragoon needs, and we have a variety of protection skills in Fencer’s sleeve, so we can get Wagon Wheel here for PvP and general DPS purposes.
  4. As was said above, Pouncing and Swing are used for PvP. Getting these to 1 points is enough for utility. We sacrifice Helm in this case, but it will be used mainly for stunlocking.
  5. Lunge is very good. It will give you 100% Evasion on max level, besides lowering enemy’s defence to Slash-type attacks.
  6. Coquille is a very nice skill to have, as I said above, at least two points are needed for this. It completely ignores Defence for Pierce-type attacks, which Fencer has many.
  7. Flancon gets points only when previous classes lack in Block of in Defence in general. Useful utility protection skill.
  8. Sept is basically used for further amplifying your damage.
  9. Preparation works nice with other defencsive skills and with Coquille, so you can prepare a powerful combo.
  10. Composee, again, used for that DPS potential with all skills above.

PvP aspects:

  • Corsair is great for these purposes. Just toss in some Hook and Keel and you are set. This is also a reason behind all Corsair1 builds in Fencer guide being PvP-oriented.
  • Pouncing and Swing offer great utility.
  • Wagon Wheel is always 1 point skill here, so it helps.
  • Fencer can be built in different ways for PvP, most common one maximizing his DPS potential, while still providing defence mechanics. Basically, skills like Coquille, Sept, Preparation are very useful.

PvE aspects:

  • Despite Rode being generally a DPS class, it still can do magic tanking with Slithering while offering tons of CC skills.
  • We get Pelta2 for High Guard and multiplier combo with UmboRim.
  • Fencer compliments them both in Evasion and Block, while still doing a considerable damage.
  • Highlander works great with Fencer, weakening enemy with various debuffs before attacking.
  • Barbarian is a prime source of damage in this case. It still adds in Slash-type attacks for Lunge, for example.
  • This was untested by me, but DWA should work with Fencer’s skills at full potential, not hindering it’s Agression passive, since it requires a Shield, not a Dagger.

Synergy aspect:

  1. Lunge works great with both Highlander and Barbarian, adding to their Slash-type attacks.
  2. Cross Guard provides staggering which will enhance Fencer’s Coquille further. Preparation too.
  3. Fencer’s skills basically synergize with each other all the time, rotating constantly. So you can hit enemy with Coquille, then do Preparation and unleash some Composee on it.

General summary:

Fencer is a great class, offering lots of utility and damage, which can complemetn previous classes in various ways. Depending on the build, you can have lots of weakening skills, AoE, different types of damage and do good in PvP too. Not mentioning the fact that Fencer also gives you ton of Evasion and Block, while further enhancing the damage.
However, again, depending on the build you sacrifice either damage (Fencertank because of Shield + Agression) or AoE (Highlander builds which focus on single enemies). It’s a very specialized class which can’t really work on it’s own, but if you build it right, you gain lots of good synergy.

Stats

  • Under construction, need to think it over

[size=18]Made it in the last hours! Few. Next we will review Shinobi class![/size]

Q & A Section ====> [Guide] In-Depth Explanation and Discussion of Swordsman Builds - by Autentist

50 Likes

Hi may i ask about fencer class build ? If want gvg and pve what build you would recommend?

1 Like

Don’t worry, every build will be highlighted in this guide. I just need to get to my computer and continue the guide.

Sword - Pelta2 - Rode2 - Fencer2 is the best Fencertank build.
Sword - High3 - Corsair - Fencer2 OR Sword - High3 - Corsair2 - Fencer is a dual-wield Fencer build.
Sword - Pelta - Barb3 - Fencer2 is a defensive Fencer Barb build OR Sword - High - Barb3 - Fencer2 for Highlander variation
Sword - Pelta2 - Rode2 - Fencer - Templar is a Templar off-spring of the Fencertank build

For PvP everything is good that includes Corsair with Hook. For PvE - tankish builds are fine.

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So I’ve read your build, since you have a highlander why would you invest in bash over thrust? Even if it’s just something you could do on cooldown on other skills, couldn’t you trigger the stagger and thrust with that 0 cd for some additional damage in your rotation?

Edit: and yes, I do realize you will switch to 2h spears on dragoon, but it’s a long time until then so that thrust could provide a bit of damage here and there or am I wrong?

Thrust scales off extremely badly. It’s a one point skill, because it’s damage is VERY low on high levels despite the 0CD cooldown.
Bash stays useful till lategame because it has Knockback for CC.

Since we take Hoplite already on Rank 4, we already have access to two Pierce skills already thus, Thrust with it’s low damage will definitely fall off completely.

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Alright.

What do you think about swordie - pelt - barb 3 - hoplite 2 and later on dragoon or doppel as ranks are opened up?

Basically the idea would be to cash in on cleave / helm chopper combo that provides x3 damage while stunned, with finestra providing +100 crit ( 150 with cleave’s base +50 crit ), hoping for a big aoe crit with some dex and zalcai mixxed in there.

So basically something like this.

Viable. As futuproof only, though, thus, very risky.

However, that AoE damage, even with 1H Spear, backed by Hoplite should suffice for the time being.

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Thanks, thought so as I cant see anything obviously bad in the build. I like the synergy between barb and hoplite.

One thing I am worried about, do mobs get high resists vs statutes, namely stun as they go beyond 200 lvl? Or is stun a tier 3 debuff and it doesn’t get resisted?

Edit: One more question, would there be a point in going into synchro thrusting with barb cooldowns being so low already or would I not have the time to even put that into rotation, making pierce a much better choice?

Stun gets resisted, yes. However, STR heavy Barb is still viable.

In my personal opinion, Pierce is better. You will need more Pierce oriented skills with Lunge, while Synchro’s animation is indeed slow and it divides the damage.

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If nothing else, those overkills will help me level immensively.

Thanks for the tips, after theorycrafting for a week I am at last content with a build so you have me off your back for now :grin::grin:

how much block penetration do you need for pvp ?

You don’t. First, to have a decent Block Penetration, you must choose Cata as a class because they gain up to 40% Block Penetration with 2H Spears.

And then Priest casts Stone Skin. That’s all, your Block Pen instantly becomes useless, because Stone Skin basically makes all team on Priest’s side immune to any physical damage.

Basically, you gain 10 or 20 points of this Block Pen in comparison to Stone Skin. It’s laughable. This is the sad truth, unfortunately.
You want more? Level up SPR. But for Cata it’s not needed.

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ty for the reply, even with Cata will it be enough to break thru the stone skin ?

There’s a build for PvP that doesn’t include Cata or this class is really a must for this game mode?
Also, i heard that generally, swords are pretty week in PvP. Truth?

Think about it number wise. Minimum that stone skin lvl 5 gives is 1600. How much can your cata get block penetration? Assuming you have some spirit, brandish or other weapons with block penetration attribute, if you get to 500 you can count yourself somebody with a very high block penetration. That’s 140 ( 280 levels /2 ) + spr + modifiers.


is this build good for hybrid gvg and pve ?

Not really, since PvP Swordsman shines only on C3 with 40% Stun duration on Restrain. 20% is too low,
Better invest in another Pelta and be an excellent tank.

[size=25]SORRY FOR THE DELAY, UPDATED THE OP.[/size]

I will try to add 3-4 builds every day, so by the beginning of OBT I will get you covered, guys!

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There are builds that can PvP without Cata… one of my friends is going with it, I will provide sufficient info on that later.
But generally yeah, Cata’s the best Swordsman class, outside of Corsair, for PvP.

Not really weak, but… Bloodletting and Stone Skin are just too OP at this point.

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I’m relatively sure stone skin will be either disabled for pvp eventually or simply have it add the +400 at level 5, without the multiplier. Either that or they need to add a class that cleanses off buffs from your opponents :grin:

That or we run around for 35 seconds and try to kill them in-between when it’s inactive.

what about Sw c2 or Sw c3 before the Catha/Dragon path?