Tree of Savior Forum

[Guide] Swordsman's Battle Manual (All classes) - By Cathexis

nah i quit kTOS long ago.
but IIRC i had watch video that’s seism 3x hits
But i can’t find the video.

HL = Highlander

@Cathexis hi thanks for answering , yeah i really loved the style of the fencer gameplay what i want is a build that is good for pve and doesnt suck for pvp i’d probably be playing alot more pve than pvp tho if you know any build that will fit that purpose better than the one i posted that would be great… great guide btw helped me alot thanks cya

Oh, I got it.

This is the best option for Squire, as Support DPS in your list. All others will suffer.
Another option - Sword - Pelta - Hoplite2 - Squire3.

Nah what i mean here is this build just alternative char for AFK money making.
So when i reach rank 7 i’ll stop all activies in this char :laughing:
My Squire skills will be just level 15 Weapon Maintenance & Repair

That’s why i prefer No. 2 for fast leveling and Quest.
as we know from 1-200 all about quests.
But i also consider no. 1 for pet alternative.

Nah i think i’ll suffer with this build coz my main purpose is for fast leveling and AFK :smile:

Hi! I was at loss of what to play when the game goes live in a couple of days… Until I saw this thread, that is. I couldn’t help it but want to have a go at Fencer for my first character, as I’m most comfortable in the role of a tank in most contexts.

I’ve attached a link to what build I’m looking at right now for reference:

Planning to go 2 Dex: 1 Str. What do you guys think?

Also, I’m absolutely at loss for the last 4 skill points on Fencer C2, which I’m sure I’ll decide what to allocate with when the time comes.

You don’t need Thrust because your weapon is spear which is Pierce damage, and so are many of your skills.

You could take Steed Charge at level 1 if you want another skill on your rotation and you get to try it out. If you like it, then it is fine, but if you don’t like it, then that 1 “lost” point won’t make any difference in the overall picture of your build.


It is still there, but it is very insignificant as it only increases your damage by 5 per combo count (that is 5 total damage, so if you deal 5,000 damage then you will deal 5,005 with one combo count).

That is why the other benefits it gives are more important.


They do stack, you can read more about how damage is calculated in this thread:

They multiply each other.


Well, it depends on what you are trying to do with your build. Is it PvE? PvP? Both?

Because you want to take Peltasta with Fencer most of the time, that is why I ask what your goals are with your character.


I am not 100% sure of the formula it uses, but they are individual hits. The first one is the highest possible damage you can get (critical, modifiers, etc).

The second hit is the one that varies the most, as it is around 50~70% the damage of the first hit. While the last hit is roughly 40% of the first hit.

They are individual hits, and each one of them has a chance to critical hit.


Pierce does show multiple hits/numbers, but they are all calculated as one single source of damage.


While the damage scaling isn’t THAT good, the main reason to level it up (besides the attributes being unlocked at level 5), is the duration of the debuff it applies as it increases with each additional level. At level 5 it increases the duration to 7.5 seconds.

But yeah, at level 1 it already has 5.5 seconds of duration, so if you don’t really like the skill you can leave it at that and use your points elsewhere.


For Squire, I recommend:

And it is even better now because Cataphract skills all now deal their full amount of hits since Level 1, so you add another multi-hit skill to your kit.

And the pet is used for mounting and it also helps you attacking mobs if you are not mounting it.


If that is the case, then your build is good, just the changes I mentioned previously:

  • You might want to consider taking Level 3 Bash for the Knockdown effect.
  • You don’t need level 1 Unlock Chest to be honest, so you could use that extra point on another skill. Give that point to Jolly Roger.

Also, Iron Hook and Keel Hauling are not really used in PvE, so if you are going to be doing much more PvE, then you can use some of those points into Jolly Roger instead (from Keel Hauling for example).

It depends on which one you consider more valuable.

Also, it is usually recommended to use Peltasta whenever you choose Fencer, because of the good synergy they have. But it is fine if you prefer to have more damage from Highlander or the utlity from Corsair. Which is something to take into consideration.

In that case you could use something like:

Swordsman->Peltasta->Barbarian C2 (or Highlander C2) -> Corsair C1 (Or Barbarian C3) -> Fencer C2

But it is just a different path, your build and the other options are all equally viable. It depends on what classes and skills you like the most.


Your build looks great. The only thing I would change is giving 1 point from Umbo Blow to Rim Blow, as it is also a knock back skill.

Other than that, some people like to have level 1 of Attaque Coquille, while others like level 3. But like you said, you will be more experienced when you reach the point where you actually have to use those skill points.

For stat allocation, you can follow the “High DEX” build on the Stat Allocation section of the guide.


Looks good, just a few changes I would make:

  • Get level 1 of Rim Blow, because it is a knock back skill.
  • Keep Mordschlag at level 1, and you an use those points on Double Pay Earn instead (because the damage on Mordschlag doesn’t really matter, as it is a CC skill mostly)
  • Take at least level 1 of Dust Devil, because it is a nice CC skill for both PvE and PvP.
  • Take level 1 of Dragon Soar. It is always to get as many skills as possible, and it will also remain as a CC skill once it gets fixed.
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Thanks so much for help :> I’m so hyped to play the game now with a goal in mind!

@Cathexis Thanks for the help :3 for this build:
Swordsman->Peltasta->Barbarian C2 (or Highlander C2) -> Corsair C1 -> Fencer C2

I Should use shield and rapier for this build? and which skills i should pick and prioritaze do you have any example of this build? thank you again… take care cya

@Cathexis Looking for some advice on my swordsmen, plural. (swordy for life)

There are three main things I want to accomplish, I want a tank that is heavy on shield skills (even though I understand “true” tanks are not needed), a DPS dragoon, and I also intend to have a templar.

While I have a pretty solid build in mind for dragoon, the tank / templar part is where I’m having issues.

Originally my plan was to go pelt 3, rodel 2, templar: Link

This build should be able to generally pve (slowly), mob, and deal decent CC in pvp while satisfying my lust to beat things with my shield. “Loss” of rank 7 class doesn’t bother me much here as Fencer is the only appealing option to end this build, and I’m not super into that class. However, this build is not futureproof at all, especially if templar C2, C3, are a thing that will exist.

The more I think about templar, the more I feel like I should have that be a separate character, specifically for utility, i.e. Sword > ? > ? > ? > Squire > Squire > Templar

But the issue is figuring out what to do for rank 2-4. 2 is pretty much a given for peltasta, since I will be gaining nothing useful after rank 4 I’ll need to be carried by a group and the best way of doing that should be being a swashbuckle slave. Since this character is destined to be a disappointment in life, it will likely be full CON, maybe even INT if that’s useful like AT ALL for the squire abilities (which I think not.), so that basically gives me the option of pelt3 (which I’m already doing on my build above, so that would be hella repetitive), or pelt1, ?, cata. From all the info I’ve been told, cata 1 is largely a waste, as lvl 5 trot isn’t even worth using compared to dashing.

Meanwhile, my shielder build is free to take rodel3, fencer, or anything really. I can figure that part out later, as I know I still want him to be pelt3/rodel2 no matter what.

So I guess in summary of this block of rambling, is it worth my time to separate out the templar to it’s own character in order to generate afk cash flow to support guild costs and give my shielder build room to breathe, and if so, whats the best way to fill in those early ranks, knowing that the character will be carried by a group and thus utility is more preferable over solo viability?

Edit: Upon further research, I believe I’m settled on a Templar build that looks appealing that is none of the above: Link
Based on the good early damage of c2 barb, I feel like this build may not be as boring to wade through as another c3 pelt.

shield skills aren’t as bad as everyone says, but, i think the main thing will be having that strong job at the end. so, not templar.

@Cathexis I plan to be pure PvE With the fencer i’m making.

Dear Cathexis

Thank you very much for this guide. I have translated yours Guide into russian language, and i need you agreement to publish it (with links to the original source) at Steam.
Could you please give me your answer?

with respect.

I’ve been looking over your guide and trying to determine if when building into Corsair from Barbarian while setting Rank 7 aside for the time being; if it might be better to go for C2 Barb, C2 Corsair to take advantage of Hexen Dropper’s burst damage. Or just to go for C3 Barb, C1 Corsair to get more damage from higher ranks into Seism, Helm Chopper and possibly Cleave.

Both seem to have their merits, but I’m having a hard time deciding which of the two options is more sound when building for a character viable in both PvE and PvP.

I could, but I’ve only really extensively tested Fencer, an Doppel, and a little Corsair.
my knowledge of things like Dragoon, Templar, Cata, Rodel, Squire, and ect is very small…

Gonna try and help @Cathexis out with some of these questions when i can.

@ravash

What to prioritize is largely going to depend on your play style honestly, and i recommend that you refer to the OP for suggestions and read to see which kills have better synergy’s with each other
As for weapons If you go Highlander you may want to have a 2H sword ready in your hotkey bar.
other then that, you can switch between Rapier and Shield/ or Rapier and Dagger via the game’s weapon switch feature.
Alternatively you could make the 2H sword your weapon swap option, BUT I personally like it on the kotkey bar.

@ashtonshiken

First of all, there is no such thing as a “future proof build” plain and simple.
theirs all kinds of Nerfs/Buffs and new classes coming that he don’t even know about, which could caus us to have to re roll our characters for any given reason.

That said, Squire is C3 or none at all IMO…
So Im going to recommend that you go with a regular old fencer tank build specifically Barb/Fencer which goes like this:


(Alternatively could throw all your renaming points for fencer into Sept Etoiles instad of dividing it up between that and Esquive Toucher.
You could also level Cleave Over Helm Chopper but i pesonally like Chopper better.)

This Build is great at soloing, great at killing most Bosses, it tanks effectively and mobs like a pro.
Unless you WANT your Templar to be a useless class i think this is the best way to go.

If that’s the case then you need to determine who you are playing with.
The decision between Highlander and Barb depend on you and your party.

Highlander is better for bossing and has more utility though its few CCs.
Barb is better for content soloing and is slightly better at tanking then Highlander due to having a large AOE stun.

@CaptainJim

Im going to recommend Corsair C2 if you want to PvP and PvE.
Im also going to recommend that you C2 Hoplite over barb for a Corsair build, If your goal is an auto attack build (Assuming because thats what Corsair is best at)

actually @Cathexis made a great post on why you should pick Hoplite over Barb on a Corsair build

This said i recommend this build:

Its going to allow the use of ALL your skills, and be VERY effective in PvP AND PvE.
this build lets you tank for parties, Mob, PvP effectively and kill bosses with ease what more could you want?
You also have the option of switching to shield for more utility and survive ability.

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@xechidna

I see where you’re coming from for straight auto attack damage, although you lose the ability to use Hexen Dropper if you’re trying to also make use of spear skills, namely Finestra; so it feels like it loses some of the efficiency if you can’t freely keep both active at the same time.

I mainly liked the damage and stun from Barbarian going into Corsair, while still being able to use Hexen Dropper since none of the Barb skills are weapon specific.

Not true actually!
Finestra can be used with spear and dagger which still allows the use of Hexen Dropper, and it can be used with DWA, which is going to give you EVEN MORE extra DMG on your attacks, because you will proc your Finestra buff on BOTH the dagger and spear attack.
And even if this were the case weapon swapping is a thing, Im not sure why people try and avoid it…

Also Barb’s stuns are low duration and honestly speaking here the if the enemy is caught in the first hit of Hexon Dropper they are not getting out of it.
Its way too fast for that, and its hit stun will hold them in place.

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@xechidna

My mistake, I was originally under the impression Hexen would only work with sword/rapier in the main hand and then dagger/pistol offhand. I was only against weapon swapping off a Hoplite build due to the fact that it would cancel Finestra’s buff.

Beyond that, seems like everyone was pushing for Hoplite > Cataphract > Dragoon. Since I wasn’t able to make it into the previous betas my info has mainly been just off reading other people’s commentary in the forums; and as such I wasn’t sure that any other build with Hoplite in it would be the right choice with how hard everyone seems to push for that pathway for Hoplite builds.

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Thats perfectly alright.
But don’t believe the hype!
Everyone only pushes for that build because of Impaler and throw spear for PvP.

And true with Corsair, you are limited to being a PvP support, but a 10 second multi target hold should allow your team to dominate the other team.
Also you could always sneak around and Hexon Dropper people, its going to kill anyone who’s not a swordie… xD

But anyway TOS gives a crazy amount of freedom, although it may not always feel that way.
EVERY SINGLE BUILD is viable, while there may be some builds that do its job better you can build just about anything, there is no set paths for any class, and any build can work as long as you put the time and work into making it work for you.
This is the beauty of TOS.

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@xechidna thanks for the answer m8 just one more question i need the 2H sword for the cross guard skill right?, btw im really loving this community everyone helps everyone its so cool x)

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