Swordmaster questions? Ask me!

Sornin

Since the NDA has been (mostly) lifted, and I have been in the beta for 6 months now, I figured I would offer my services and do a Q&A on my favourite career - the High Elf Swordmaster!

Here is my unofficial overview (not really a review) of Swordmasters and their Blade Dance mechanic:

The Swordmaster is an offensively-oriented tank that relies on the Blade Dance mechanic to deal out damage and a variety of short-term status effects that can positively affect the Swordmaster and his party and/or negatively affect the enemy. The Swordmaster is a competent tank and can fulfill that role as well as the role of an armored DPS career (albeit not as well as a true DPSer). Tactic and mastery choices do determine one's proficiency in tanking or DPSing to a significant degree.

A Swordmaster has several AoE damage abilities and is a competent melee AoE DPSer. The range on these abilities is typically very small, making them better in PvE where enemies cluster on you than RvR. Beyond the melee AoE specialty, Swordmasters also have blade enchantments that allow all of their attacks a 25% (50% with a tactic) to proc an effect. Procs and their resulting DoTs are another Swordmaster niche, when specialized for it, and it is possible to have a constant stream of damage on enemies due to stacked short-term DoTs. The final speciality is the fact that many of a Swordmaster's attacks do not cause physical damage, but rather cause Spiritual damage, and thus are not mitigated by physical armor. This is a great boon when trying to damage other tanks, as you completely bypass their armor. Also, Swordmasters can massively debuff Spiritual resistance to really make their attacks strong.

The Blade Dance mechanic requires a certain level of balance to use abilities; these levels are Normal, Improved, and Perfect. Most Swordmaster abilities that cause damage are part of this "chain" or "combo" system. Generally, an ability that has no balance requirement being used puts one into Improved Balance, at which point an Improved Balance ability being used puts one into Perfect Balance. When a Perfect Balance ability is used, one is put back to Normal Balance.

Normal Balance abilities have no actual balance requirements, per se, and can be used at any stage in the Blade Dance - Normal, Improved, or Perfect. However, using one when in a higher level of balance will put you back to Improved Balance. So, for example, if you use "Ensorcelled Blow", an ability with no balance requirements, while in Perfect Balance, you are put to Improved Balanced. You cannot used Improved Balance abilities in Perfect Balance, even though Perfect Balance is higher in the chain.

Perfect Balance abilities are not overtly powerful, as one might assume, but do have no AP cost, meaning a Swordmaster who does full Blade Dance chains will be quite AP efficient, which is important in long fights.

The Swordmaster's main weaknesses are mobility and ranged enemies (especially casters). A Swordmaster does not possess much in the way of mobility abilities and must plod across the battlefield to attack the enemy (one Morale ability called "Wings of Heaven" allows one to fly to a target, though). A Swordmaster also possesses, as expected, almost no ranged capabilities. In fact, the only one is "Throw", a general ability all melee players get some form of. All it can do is possibly kill a fleeing opponent. Magic damage is always an issue as nice armor does not help against that form of damage.

Anyway, with some of the basics out of the way, fire away with some questions!

P.S. I am at work and will answer when able.

jaycee2006

being lighter tanks, are they good in PQ's.

Are they good in rvr?

Are they fun to play?

Do they look cool at mid-high levels?

Do they have any big weaknesses of destruction classes?

Majinash

Originally posted by jaycee2006

being lighter tanks, are they good in PQ's.

Yes, I've had them tank for my PQs.

Are they good in rvr?

yep, nothing overpowered but just fine

Are they fun to play?

They work the same as black orcs, which I found fun.  but i never got a swordmaster past level 4.

Do they look cool at mid-high levels?

yep, cept for the helms

Do they have any big weaknesses of destruction classes?

tanks are supposed to be weak against magic classes and ranged classes, but with a healer you aren't really weak against anything.  even without a healer you can take on undefended clothies pretty well.

 

Zeroxin

Originally posted by jaycee2006


being lighter tanks, are they good in PQ's?
They are good in PQ's mainly because of their debuffing and stacking spiritual debuffs
Are they good in rvr?
They are if you have enough patience, although not as effective as a major tank.
Are they fun to play?
Definitely when you get to the mid-high levels (this is when you get some AOE powers)
Do they look cool at mid-high levels?
They look cool if you make them look cool, seeing as you can colour up your armour and stuff.
Do they have any big weaknesses of destruction classes?
Big weaknesses..hm..the only thing i see here is the fact that they are not as thick as normal tanks, nothing else has hit me so far.

 

Sornin

Originally posted by jaycee2006


being lighter tanks, are they good in PQ's.
I would actually not call them "lighter tanks", to be honest. There is nothing light at all in regards to their tanking ability. They do not possess the same tools as the other Order tank, the Ironbreaker, and do not quite have the same amount of raw crowd control, but they tank just fine and are great in PQs.
Are they good in rvr?
They are excellent in RvR. There are very few careers that can routinely beat me, and it mostly comes down to skill level. I am by no means awesome, but I win most of my battles. 1v1, which is not really RvR, I can destroy any ranged career I can get close to, no contest. Against other tanks, it is 50-50, really, and against MDPS I usually win but sometimes lose to Witch Elves. I crush Marauders.
Are they fun to play?
I think they are, but it depends on what you are looking for. The Blade Dance chain system can feel limiting, and it is, to a degree. Most other careers can use any ability at any time, cooldown aside, so ti can be frustrating to want to snare someone but not being able to do so until you chain into it.
Ultimately, they are the most fun tank I have ever played because, while their tanking is strong, they can do so much more.
Do they look cool at mid-high levels?
Well...
Opinions are mixed. Some love the look, others hate it. Many people just plain hate Elves.
A Swordmaster is always going to be stuck with the "breastplate over robe" look. The robes and breastplates do look more intricate, but a Swordmaster is never going to look "badass" and imposing. At best, they look noble, majestic, and sort of scholarly. They sort of have a Jedi vibe.
The helmets are ... interesting. They stick up very high, are cone-shaped, and sort of look strange. I am not a fan of them, but they are true to the lore. Some also have tassels or feathers.
Do they have any big weaknesses of destruction classes?
No, not particularly. I mean, they are balanced - some careers are our downfall, but that is how it should be. If a Sorceress unloads on you from a distance and you cannot close the gap and are not being healed, you will die.
In a general note, Order and Destruction are quite well balanced overall. The only imbalance may be due to us players - Destruction rules in popularity.

 

amorone

I have been playing a SM for a while too now. Which mastery path did you focus on?

Sornin

Originally posted by amorone


I have been playing a SM for a while too now. Which mastery path did you focus on?

 

I was playing Khaine for a while, simply because the concept of "Ether Dance" is cool and it does great damage. However, I find sword and shield play to be far more effective in both PvE (when not doing pure DPS) and RvR, and now play Hoeth.

Hoeth, in my opinion, is the best overall mastery path going right now. It has Aethryic Armor (I believe that is the name!) which makes one noticeably harder to kill, and Whispering Wind, the silence, which makes a Swordmaster a caster's worst nightmare. The second mastery ability, that invulnerability shield one, sucks (in my opinion).

I tend to play a "DoTmaster" build and rely on stacking DoTs. Ensorcelled Agony (adds DoT to Ensorcelled Blow), Centuries of Training (25% to proc DoT), Bolstering Enchantments (adds Spiritual and Corporeal enemy debuff / group buff), and ... Potent Enchantments? ... are the tactics I usually slot. I know  the last one is either Potent or Volatile Enchantments - the one that addss a DoT whenever an enchantment procs, at any rate. I do not slot the 50% enchantment proc tactic.

I sometimes stack so many DoTs I get kills even after I die, which is hilarious.