1.0 - Swashbuckler Basics

Questions and halfway-intelligent answers designed to give you a better feel for the class.

Why choose swashbuckler?

A jack of all trades, the swashbuckler can do many things for a soloer and groups. The swashy can deal a great amount of damage per second (DPS) through dual wielding weapons and poisons. There are some minor mezzes available and they have the ability to wield ranged weapons. Swashbucklers can evacuate themselves and a group to the beginning of a zone, and also cast invisibility to an entire group. If you like more action oriented control, then this may be the class for you.

Are swashbucklers the best soloers in the game?

No, probably not the best, but they definitely aren't the worst. Their armor and hitpoints won't be as high as the regular tank classes, but the amount of damage they can dish out, more than even's this out. I still recommend staying away from most triple up mobs.

The answer to this question partially depends on how well you are able to play the class though.

What's the best race for swashbuckling?

The most fun race for you is always the best race. Agility is the main attribute used in scout classes. Some of the smaller, more nimble classes might be the best choice as far as starting with a high amount of agility like the halfling, half elf, Fae, and kerra, but remember you can always make up for a lack of stats with gear later.

What should I look for in terms of equipment?

Generally you'll want to look for dual wield weapons. A one handed weapon and shield will work too, but dual wielding
should give you more damage at a higher rate. Make sure both weapons say dual wield, or you may end up with a toy you can't play with. If you plan on doing a lot of tanking you might want to carry a shield as well.

You will only be able to wear cloth and leather armor until you reach
level 20. At that point you should be able to find some heavier chain armor. The more agility you have, the higher your avoidance is. Your avoidance is the percentage chance you have to dodge an attackt. A high AGI+ item might make up for the lack of damage mitigation in many cases.

What's the single most important thing to remember as a swashbuckler?

I'm sort of torn with the answer to this question between character control and poisons. I think it is very important to master keyboard control when using the swashbuckler because of the positioning needed for certain CAs to work, but I'm going to go with...

Poisons. Don't leave home without your poisons. This is a great way to get in extra damage during a battle soloing
or grouping. You can buy poisons from certain NPC merchants, but the best poisons are player made. Check out the broker to
see what's available on your server.

Another thing to keep in mind is damage control. Button happy swashbucklers who like showing off how much damage they can do, will end up with more aggro than they can shake their poofy pirate hat at.

Got more Swashy basic questions for my undead brain to take a whack at? Email me or start a new thread in the TTH forums!