How does a SK do solo-wise? With and without boofies? I realize it's not as good as a nuker/archer but anyway, is it impossible or actually pretty decent?
SK can solo at not so shabby rate:
you have drain and hex, use them. Get a focused sword and if you can afford SoES w/ focus (target urself when you selfbuff auras).
So you end up w/: might2, shield2, focus3, haste2(potions),ww1 or ww2. Quite decent for no buffer. Nice defense, fantastic debuff (hex) and repleshing HP skills that do dmg.
Just dont wear doom if you solo. You need DD setup to solo, so I think avadon is best bet.
Life Leech with BSPS to drain back HP, than Drain Health without BSPS (as long as you have enough HP). So you can manage your HP during soloing.
If you are rich enough use the Vampiric Cube (Drain Health cube) and most of the time you will be fine.
Another option is to use Freezing Strike and Poison and simple kite the mob with bow or drains. If you use BSPS with Freezing Strike it makes a nice dmg also.
Hex is one of the most importants skills an SK has, cause of it's short casting speed you can combine it with all other spells. If you want it to lend more often use BSPS.
Sting is nice but most of the time you need the MP more for Drains, Hex and so on. Sting can help with Poison and Freezing Strike. In my opinion Sting isn't that powerful and the bleeding doesn't lend very often it seems. Esp. when you enemy is lvl 76 or has a nice A armor.
After LvL 65 I would suggest that you better use cubes (Phantom Cube) it helps a lot, for harder mobs Viper and Vampiric Cube both or one of it.
On the other hand, it's much harder to solo without buffs than with it. So make things much easier for you when you use a buffer or at least the Selfbuffs+pots (Acumen, Haste, WW pot).
Focus sword is a must at the SK and don't forget SS.
Armor sets:
Fullplate, Doom (it's great at a SK also for soloing, cause of it's shild block rate and bonus HP), Nightmare or Majestic Armor.
For better pvp use also a bow.
Two buffs are very important for an SK:
Empower and Vampiric Rage
(many peeps don't know this and gave SKs only Melee buffs)
Lightningstrike is a very nice skill and one can use it for different tactis. First of all never use it without BSPS. I use LS in that way, if I pullted to much mobs I try to paralyze one. In pvp I'll try to paralyze my oponent until it's a nuker or something else in DC armor. Sometimes I try to paralyze a mob and than drain back all HP from it, if there's no NPC around. :p LS can make a nice dmg, but take into mind that paralyze have a chance to fail, to often in my opinion.
The benefit of an SK is his flexibility so play a bit with your skills and try out different tactics for pvp or pve.
>>Fullplate, Doom (it's great at a SK also for soloing, cause of it's shild block rate and bonus HP)
I will say it again: Doom is not good for solo; you lose around 10-11% damage just wearing it. Avadon has the same bonus (+block rate), almost the same HP boost (-con boost ofc) but doesnt whack your damage.
You want to kill mobs not to tank them for longer.
The pdef increase cant make up for the increased costs (both time, adena) for leveling at all.
Doom gives +3 CON wich is very good esp. one fight against stunning mobs.
The 10% dmg one is loosing can be ignored with a focus weapon, cubes and hex.
I soloed up to LvL 70/72 with my Doom and did very fine.
But the playstile of an SK is different like the skills he has. One say this is better another one say something else. I just tried to generelly things.
I saw SKs with -4 CON +4 STR tatoos and Greatsword in Blue Wolfe armor and they did well.
The main question is what party do you have, which main role do you play often and how can one combine that with a still good solo ability. The SK above will never gone be a raid Tank or main Tank in party, but will surprise the enemy in pvp :)
Befor you say you will never choose an SK as an Raid Tank... I think I make a very good job :)
Even w/ doom you will be lacking in CON to effectively resist mob stuns. More dmg = less chance to get stunned (i.e faster kills). Either way avadon is generally better for solo [and cheaper too].
SK is indeed a flexible class, both as skills and cubics.
>>Befor you say you will never choose an SK as an Raid Tank...
It's just not a primary choice. W/ the lack of tanks nowadays even SK is good enough. Still not a primary choice.