I´m a noob but my universal build is pelt2/rode3/sair1/murm.
Dmg isnt bad just the aoe till now im rank 7 now.
JR for farming Hes a good tank and for pvp i got hook.
I guess for bossing there are better cls…
Restrain is sure nice to have, but you don’t exactly need to, when you have Hook.
Spear Throw vs. Doppel is a bit of a dilemma tho, need to think about it.
Say, in current curcumstances, do people still want Peltastas at all?
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Haven’t seen any requests for taunt in grind parties since rank 8 hit. There were requests daily during rank 7. Good riddance to that!
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All monster/bosses before r8 just get blown away in seconds.
theres no need for a pelt i guess.
i go standard pel > hop3
becoz shield attribute is too good
shield make life a lot easier with huge mdef and pdef
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20% more skill damage against med-size monsters isn’t bad either.
IMO Pel is a 1-circle wonder (you can get more circles if you want to go the tank Squire or Murm route). You’re able to spend all points in that circle on skills that you’ll be using at any level so there’s no waste or throwaway points.
What makes it even better is you get all 3 shield-centric class attributes at the 1st circle. As @Planeptune said, the Shield Block attribute specifically is too good.
Like Hop3 vs Dop to you, I find Sword2/3 vs Pel1 a dilemma too. I guess it all boils down to your playstyle and the resources available/achievable to you e.g. Hop3 will need Geras until you get a decent lv.315 1h/2h spear; or you might not be using Pel1 that much if you focus on wielding 2hspear for minmaxing damage output.
If you want both Pel and Corsair in a well-rounded build, I’d go with @Fuwaro’s suggestion (Sw3 Pel1 Sair1 Fen3). I’ve seen it do well in TBL. I’ve seen a few vids of and met players with the same build running missions and dungeons solo. People in some other thread have mentioned how it’s viable for ET/Solmiki if geared well (may rely on party setup e.g. having Linker). Hands down, I almost always see them ranking #1 in WBs (if not just a little behind WB builds from other classes) since they can exploit the debuffs put out by Hoplites and Dragoons.
If I ever feel like playing this game again, I’ll definitely start with one (unless R9 comes and the meta changes hahaha).
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Well in terms of PvP I’d say it’s maybe viable but would be annoying to play and would need high skill. I guess swordsman PvP builds without cata all need immense skill and/or equip to play, imo. In terms of PvP, I’d say the deadweight in that build is the Hop2 cuz I had a lot of trouble using hoplite skills in a PvP setting, it overall doesn’t feel like a PvP class to me. Long stride was kind of annoying and didn’t really see any way to win matches with that skill.
Individual mileage may vary though.
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Agree. I still love seeing Clerics get thrown off their S. Zones though with my Long Stride. 
This build doesn’t even need Long Stride tbh, it’s just plain Hook+Dethrone combo, nothing else really matters. I can land hooks. Still, if I ever have spare hook time or need to relocate to enemy/away from enemy (like Frost Cloud at your feet right after you cast hook - happened to me a lot) - would use Long Stride. That skill is golden, really, but the best part is that the build doesn’t lose much without it.
As for Sw3-Pelt1-Cor1-Fen3, it’s obviously good, I only have 3 concerns about it:
- AoE ratio (dependant on Falc/Linker on a server where no one is playing)
- SP Consumption in PvE if I max no-cd pierce attack, which seems to be best PvP-wise
- rapiers break => need more rapiers, and trans/upgrade them
apart from that, I do realize this build is like #1 boss-killer probably and #1 boss-tanker as well
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After some thinking, I’ve realized I really need Hop3 after all. But I also want to keep Dop1, so it’s Cor1 vs Dop1 instead now, jeez.
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Doppel will give you more damage, plus a little utility in Double Pay Earn. Corsair will provide more utility, and be more PVP viable.
I recommend going Doppel personally, because Deeds of Valor is a great all round buff, and Cyclone is an amazing filler. Double Pay Earn is a nice bonus as well.
Is dethrone alone enough in PvP?
I’m going to give a hesitant yes. The build itself isn’t really going to be overly PVP focused because Cata is just so much better. Planning for the future of PVP is also incredibly difficult given how much has changed, and will change.
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Well i’d say hook makes a lot of builds viable in pvp. I can think of some cata that can benefit from hook lol.
Thank you, I’ll need to think about Dop vs Cor. A lot.
At the start, I only really wanted a PvE-focused build, because I never did any towers with my main 280 sw2-hop2-cor3 (who is now rank 1 + stat reset, waiting for rank9 PvP meta to arrive) and I though I would make my main PvP-focused anyway, BUT it will HAVE to go Cor3 with that main (Pistol Shot investments already huge and overall Hook lvl 15 godness), it’s just that I’m going to pick best Rank2, Rank8 and Rank9 according to Rank9 meta.
Hook is a great PVP skill, it’s more the circles of Hoplite that hold you back comparatively to if you went Cata. Still though you can’t really go wrong, Dragoon has a fair amount of PVP potential just through Dethrone, and kinda Dragon Soar if you land it correctly.
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With cata movement speed it it is enuf to carry you even if your gear sux bcuz u can kite and snipe. On foot you would be at a disadvantage.
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Things though seem better with hook in PVP scenarios, but Restrain + multihit skills (which most HopGoon builds have) aren’t bad at all in terms of CC.
Bash and Long Stride are decent enough to cover your KD needs, the latter even able to go through Safety Zones (just the KD effect, not the damage).
Root debuff from Spear Throw and Dethrone adds up to your CC arsenal.
As @fatedhour and @Queue pointed out though, it’s no wonder why Cata is the core for meta PVP builds besides Murm routes. Also, the block pen class bonus is too good to pass for PVP purposes.
Yea Cata is the premier PvP class swordsman has so far. Dragoon 2 is a very good complement to cata, and their synergy in PvP is beautiful.
And this is why in a typical top 100 you can expect to see around 5 catagoons. They may not even be well geared, but they are there cuz it’s just relatively little effort to do well in a PvP scenario.
Diev 3 Inquis is definately number 1.
Number 2 is cryo - kino 3 - featherfoot i’d say
Number 3 might just actually be catagoon! Ease of use, threat, how it scales etc.
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The build becomes a beast when geared well.
A friend told me the usually top-ranking catagoon in SEA would now mostly rank #1 in 2v2 and never below #3 in 5v5.
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I can believe that. Rush scales insanely with gear and you cant avoid it. Hard to avoid both a long range cruise missile and short range barrage of fists lol.
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