The
Blade Dancer


alt="rift" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/99867"
style="width: 250px; height: 380px;">
style="width: 200px; height: 60px; text-align: left; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 45px;"
border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2">
style="font-weight: bold;">Blade
Dancer
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/93781/"> style="font-weight: bold;">Calling: Rogue

Role: DPS

Primary
Attribute:
Dex


style="font-style: italic;">Rift
is known for its ability to tweak
conventional thought on what MMOG classes should entail, and the Blade
Dancer is a subtle example.  Utilizing swords, quick attacks
and
avoidance the Blade Dancer is a whirling bundle of frenetically paced
action. 

 


Pros

  • Diverse playstyle
  • Extremely fast paced combat
  • Little to no down time
  • Can go toe to toe with foes
  • Isn't locked into repetitive
    ability spamming to build combo points that many rogue souls are.

Cons

  • Not as strong against
    multiple mobs
  • Doesn't work well in groups
    as primary soul
  • Burns through energy quickly
    and can get overwhelmed




Overview



The
Blade Dancer is most notable for being the prime secondary
soul in a strong
rogue tanking build, but it doesn’t always have to play
second fiddle.  Utilizing quick attacks and gaining power by
dodging and avoiding incoming attacks, the Blade Dancer challenges the
Bard for
the most unique playstyle in the calling. Players who are looking for
something
to keep them on their toes and thinking will appreciate the variety in
the
Blade Dancer’s attacks. Most rogue souls, and most dps souls
for that matter,
evolve into a succession of repetitive attacks that build toward a
strong
finishing move but the Blade Dancer rarely falls into that trap as
openers and
combo-building moves vary wildly depending on the situation.


Solo Play



Solo play is where the Blade Dancer truly shines. With a strong
dependency on avoidance, the Blade Dancer thrives on toe-to-toe combat,
which is in stark contrast to many other rogue souls. Blade Dancers can
chew through a single opponent with dizzying speed and two to three
foes at a time are also no problem, but pile on many more than that and
trouble can arise. All rogues, other than the bard, can feel energy
starved at times – but the Blade Dancer can feel downright
exhausted.


Group Play



The vast majority of style="font-style: italic;">Rift souls
have places in groups as main souls; the Blade Dancer however is not
one of them.  The avoidance portion of the souls attack
repertoire is simply snuffed out by in a group situation since tanks
will always want and need to maintain threat. The Blade Dancer has
prime potency as the secondary soul to a rogue tanking build though, so
die-hard fans of this soul can still get their fix if they choose to go
that route.

Pairs
Best With


Assassin



Pairing a Blade Dancer with an Assassin in a DPS build adds a powerful
layer of diversity to the soul. Assassins are the prototypical rogue,
skulking through the shadows and unleashing powerful surprise attacks.
While it may seem counter-intuitive to pair a hack and slash brawler
with a backstabbing marauder, it works well here. Point investment can
range anywhere from 8 points – which gives a substantial
increase to crit and provides a poisoned weapon enchantment, 
to 18-20 points which grants some huge gains in damage output and
survivability.


Rift Stalker



The soul mate of the Blade Dancer is the Riftstalker, the rouge
callings tanking soul. Going together like chocolate and peanut butter,
the cohesion formed with these two souls among the best in the
game.  Typically the Blade Dancer will take on the secondary
role in the build, but it is possible to create a hybrid DPS build that
can serve as an emergency or raid off-tank. As a secondary
soul the Riftstalker quickly shores up the holes in the Blade Dancer
weak defenses by adding increased armor, endurance and granting a
stackable buff to help with damage mitigation.


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our RIFT Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

Comments