Bd's are more needed in most groups because of their dances.
Sk's are good for tanking in groups if one is needed.
Do what makes you happy. Depends what server you are on but chances are there are a lot of high level bd's, and sk's for that matter so dunno has to be your choice. Pick which one you think will be more useful and fun to play.
As an archer, i LOVE bladedancers, they make my damage go completely insane, especially on robes (3-4k crit ftw).
Their dances last 2 minutes, and are attack-based for the most part. They have a few cool skills like, hex and sting, and duals are cool too, they do good damage. Problem is that in PVP in an archer group, you most likely won't be able to reach any target before they're dead!
SK is a tank, so you can take alot of damage, and can actually deal some decent damage too, and have some magic nukes at your disposal.
Thing is, tanks might have it kinda hard to get pickup-groups these days, since the bright minds at NC decided they aren't really that important in normal grinding, many other classes do the job just fine in most cases. BDs are always in high demand though. From my experience at least.
Wondering what the perception is out there and if people with experience can throw in thier 2 cents. I was going to go SK but not so sure.
so.... Blade Dancers.... Dicuss!!!!
While I've played around with a few alts to get away from teh grind, my main and first class choice was a BD. That was 2 years ago!
I've enjoyed being a BD and believe it was teh right choice for me. Why? Well, I've always been rather group oriented and BDs are without a doubt the one class ALL groups can benefit from.
I'm not saying other classes are less desirable. A BD simply can provide help to every class out there. We have dances for archers, tanks, mages...we have dances that can turn teh tide in a PVP or PVE battle. At our highest levels, we can toss Dance of Vampire which can save a healer mana because the group needs less heals. At 77 we can silent walk a party through the most horrific dungeons (Forge of the Gods anyone?) and live to talk about it later.
BDs are not unstoppable on their own. We get taken out rather easily in some situations (especially if an enemy BD is on the other side), but we can deal out some pain with our dances up and the right gear/tats.
BDs assist others become stronger or faster. We make our allies deadly to cross. We're valued in parties for teh dances we give, but also because we can deal some secondary damage.
If you go BD, you'll need to be okay with this role. You can solo to a certain point, but your real destiny lies in being there for others.
thank you very much for the input. I could still strive for PR at this point too as I haven't hit 1st class transfer yet. I do like to solo a bit but I like the party experience as well. It's a tough choice...I would love to be a SK but I have heard I wont get picked up that often (as some of you have mentioned). BD could be fun, I just don't want to always get stuck on the sidelines. I like some combat^^
LOL...you'll get combat, hon. Don't worry. :) If you're in a mage group at a siege, for example, expect to get target just like your comrades as without you, they dont get speed and magic attack boosts :) No you, no them. :P
I'll tell you what.....as a Gladiator, I don't think there is another class I would rather have at my side in a party. Those dances do wonders for my Gladiator with his current STR/DEX and weapon setup......
im starting to lean towards BD as opposed to SK now. Mostly since I will probably be able to pick up parties more. As I said before, I could still go for PR at this point I'm closer to class transfer every post lol. But everyone says if you do ranged do SR or HE...
Any BD videos anywhere? I would love to see them in action.
well, just for the sound of both the bells
i am a SK, not yet high level (44 at today), but i have really no problems in finding groups and can solo decently...
SK role is the front line: you have to strike before the others, get the aggro (and keep it!)
As party support sk has not buffs, but with the cubics, especially phantom - a debuffing cube - plus hex, power break, drain health/life leech, and some nukes (not to mention the lighting!) SK is a good piece in a party, and with good weapon setup it's a **** pain to the enemy (who said focus?) :P
I had a duo with a BD once... we pierce in the catacombs as a projectile :P
so, that's it in my opinion: SK is intended to be the frontline assault unit (let's hope in some "buffs" in C5, right now tank role is a bit unbalanced), BD is support damage... especially in PVP where archers can deliver crits of 1500 hp and you'll need all the heavy eq mastery, hp and shield defense you'll can get :P
apart of this: i had the same dilemma once level 40... i decided only due to my playstyle, and in second hand, not to do something all do... duals are so many! ;)
GL with you choise, have fun and make friends -they won't care your class, they want you! -
I am on Devianne if anyone wants to PM me for advice or just chat. My name is Xuul.
I'm two-handing it right now as a fighter and was looking to do so as a SK. BD only wear light armor correct? and SK get cubics?
also, i just got a wolf....i think its cool, but would i be better off using it with SK or BD later on while soloing? Or should I train it and give it to my nuker alt?
^^ good, i'm in devianne too! name is arhana ;) pm if u want... don't know if i can manage to introduce you a BD, but if you want to see a SK in action... i'm here :P (lol, NOW i feel like a salesman)
im starting to lean towards BD as opposed to SK now. Mostly since I will probably be able to pick up parties more. As I said before, I could still go for PR at this point I'm closer to class transfer every post lol. But everyone says if you do ranged do SR or HE...
As a BD, you will get parties far far more easily than as a SK. BD is wanted everywhere for the added damage - in melee, archer and nuker parties, in pvp and pve, because the BD got dances for all situations. Tank, on the other hand, is not needed everywhere. Still, SK is a pretty cool class. If your main point is finding parties very easily though, the obvious choice is the BD. I cannot say too much about archers, never played one. All I know is that they all hurt like hell when they shoot me :)
varaya says truth :P
but "easier" to get a party does not means is "hard" to find fo a tank... at least not the normal partyes.. a bit different is for raids: usually one or max 2 tanks are needed... and probably one BD only... all the others are nukers :P archers are **** good in pvp (****, a level 50+ killed me in 2 shots in a clan war!!), but mostly a solo class... a that's a pity
I'm the light counterpart of a SK, the TK. Pretty glad I went TK, cause its jsut mroe fun. (Just throwing in my adive seeing as LE's have TK/SwS, while DE ahve SK/BD) "XD
haha, ok. i see your point. heheh...is there anywhere i can see some BD video? like combat video or something?
L2girl you are all over the place...i have seen your name at every site lol. you rock
ty
Why thanks, hon. I enjoy helping out when and where I can hence writing guides for the community and such. :D
There are videos of BDs in action but I don't have any links.
And to the person who posted, BDs actually wear Heavy armor not light by majority. Depends on your style of play, but for most it's:
C grade -- Full Plate
B grade -- Blue Wolf
A grade -- Tallum (for speed) or Majestic
S grade -- no one bothers as the armors are blah at the moment for BDs. SO stick with A.
As a Bladedancer you are pretty free in your armor choice since we only get Heavy Armor Masteries til lvl 15. So you can actually wear whatever you want as a BD.
Most BDs just go with heavy armor though because higher level groups use them as tanks frequently.
Well yes... but unless you are willing to spend lots of adena in heal potions or have SE/EE/BP friends that really like you, you’r leveling time will be more smooth with the Heavy ones...
My BD is still relatively low level (58) but I did give a try on light armor in the beginning of B Grade… (I used doom light from lvl 53 to 54). I won't say it wasn't fun... +5 dex tats and +4 SLS*Tsu = lots of crits... but it was as I was made of glass... and at a point I found myself almost monopolizing the party bishop... so I changed to bw heavy loose the +dex tats and got +str ones... I'm having the same fun dieing a lot less and VR is mostly doing the trick for me now...
Yeah like I said if you play the tank in groups get heavy :) With a real tank that hates mobs you could stay with light. But who parties a tank in this sad times? =/
I know that. But most people don't care :P Since they just get their vr7 (dance+buff) and are fine. An archer or mage group don't need a tank too (we all know why...). The Hero Rift and the Forge of Gods are the only places where you really need one. I love it to have a tank in party though... cos then I can be lazy =)
But back to topic: BD imo is one of the most flexible classes. You can actually do what you want as BD. Means you can be everything, but nothing good :P Get light armor and a bow and you'll be a wannabe PR, use your Dance of Vampire to be a wannabe SE (I often have no healer in grp since the grp doesn't need heals at all if you got an SwS too), get in heavy armor and play the tank or just /assist and be a lazy DD :P
BD=tank,DD,buffer,debuffer,healer in one package. Like I said you are everything but nothing really o.o Except a dancer :P
Xuul ! :)
gl with the wolf dont let it die again. as for SK versus BD i have known one SK and three BDs very well, they all loved their classes, and if you get into a good clan you will always have a praty no matter what class you are. pm me on coinforkingdom if you need party or have more questions with the manor system :)
hey, coinforkingdom!!! Yeah, manor system is still a little wierd for me...although I have been harvesting my seeds. My wolf...i haven't taken it out since it died lol. Would i be better off pairing it up with a caster or tank? See you on Devianne!!!!
I'm the light counterpart of a SK, the TK. Pretty glad I went TK, cause its jsut mroe fun. (Just throwing in my adive seeing as LE's have TK/SwS, while DE ahve SK/BD) "XD
learn how to spell please :)
as to BD or SK....being an archer, I love having a BD in group for PvP or PvE, makes me a true Damage Dealer. BD dances increases my atk speed, and my Patk and most importantly crit power, with dances my damage on dark red mobs(which are pink to lvl 74's) is about 3k per crit,
and in the arena once a HE and myself took on 3 nukers, we droped them in 5 seconds. on the flip side, tanks are needed. I like having a tank in my party because it easier on the healer, and easier on me...i can't be kiting in the catas and risk argoing more. i have duoed with an SK lots of times, I really enjoy it, although he is good at his class, makes it that much better. anyway, like others have said, play the class you like to play.
Beause it is a game, you're supposed to have fun.
A correctly set up SK will do as much (or close to it) damage as a Str BD. On the plus side of that he has more armour. So the only real difference between a BD and a SK is armour or dances. SK is the best PvE tank, as they do lots of damage, and take none if partying with a WC/SE.
Actually, in my alliance everyone is looking for a tank when they party :p
When you get to high levels, parties go so much better with tanks (TOI, the 60+ and 70+ rifts, some of the new areas...)
Not to mention that if you have an archer in a party, a same level tank can hold the aggro much better than a class without the hate skill
This is very true. As a WS, I am called to tank when our SK is not around. If our group includes nukers or archers we have to stay out of places where they will die without someone hating the mobs.
An interesting thing I've seen was Taraza's grind video, where he was simply moving off a dying mob slightly before the rest of her party to pull a new one with a bow - maybe two shots or so before it got to him - and then swapped to sword and shield to tank, just as the second mob arrived and the first one died (I guess such pacing takes some practice also).
Aggro stayed mostly on him without using any hate. I think it would be interesting to experiment with more forms of tanking that don't involve a party blindly clicking assist before the tank has a chance to establish aggro.
I think it would be interesting to experiment with more forms of tanking that don't involve a party blindly clicking assist before the tank has a chance to establish aggro.
It will never happen. All dds are lazy as hell. The only theing they are capable of doing is clicking assist macros or blindly right clicking the person't name. This is why when I tank on my bd I click on som mob on the other side of the room and watch the party blindly train themsleves and die while I laugh and bsoe. (ok only did that once, but it was hella fun.)
I miss my old clan - being a summoner clan, we usually had a summoner tank, and as you might guess that requires some delicacy from the DDs. We never really had problems with anyone doing the wrong thing.
And yet, in pick up groups, I find people assisting off me when I'm trying to sleep, not moving off their targets to hit the high priority ones so the low priority ones can be slept etc.
On the other side, there are also tanks that take ages to move off a dead mob and onto the next.
I had a pick-up groups with a tank that could pace well and DDs that new how to assist - we took the 50+ rift with an eight man group without a single proper DD and mostly in C Grade with ease like this, all because of how well it played together.
I certainly agree that tanks need better aggro management (if only enough not to have mobs 'slip off' to an archer crit), but I do wonder how much is already possible right now.
I think it would be interesting to experiment with more forms of tanking that don't involve a party blindly clicking assist before the tank has a chance to establish aggro.
Cha0skeeper (my clan leader) tanks without using hate. A SK with a DD setup never needs to use Aggression, simply take the first hit and use Hex.