Im soon lvl 40, and need to know which c grade weapon to buy.
Magic sword, normal sword + shield or dual?
Which is best in PvP and which in PvE, and why?
Don't get duals - they suck for you at any level. If you want better DPS, get a berserker blade and put focus on it. I personally would use SLS [Focus] or Sword of Delusion [Health].
A sword of whispering death with the magic power SA might be a nice additional investments for more powerful leeches, but only if you've got the spare cash.
A Knight is still a Knight and what ever you try SKs (knights) will never be real DDs.
A magic weapon with Acumen or Magic Power is a possible pvp version to play an SK, but in the end you are still a melee class with magic and not a real nuker. This pvp setup is only useful when your pvp in groups or for ganking.
SKs are very good with Focus weapons, it's best choice for pvp and pve. You can go for an Two-Hand Focus Sword mainly for pve and a One-Hand Sword for pvp. Don't forget SKs are still tank class and ignoring your shield specials like Shild Fortress and Shield Agis is not very wise.
The last version is using a Health sword/blunt. If you decide to go for an Health weapon than you should take several things in mind: do you have VR during pve or an Healer? If yes, go for more dmg. If you solo a lot and you only can count on herbs, than maybe Health is better. But my devision is: the faster the mob is dead, the lesser dmg I get! If you need to tank a lot meanwhile others do more dmg, go for Health.
Duals are the worst choice you can make cause you have only Sword-Blunt mastery which gives zero bonus for duals. Duals and Tanks sucks!
I also would suggest a Focus 1H sword for most encounters. 2H Focus weapon is nice, but really doesn't benefit you all that much without VR due to the slow speed.
A nuker sword is good for PvP, but not reccomended for PvE, and generally not until you are well into A Grade when that extra nuker bonus really starts getting maximum effect.
For PvE a one handed focus sword is king. Nothing compares to more crits for killing mobs.
For PvP Health is king. As Akyma said, you're a tank. In a PvP situation you'll never be able to match a true DD for damage. You will still do considerable damage between your melee and magic attacks with a health sword and the survivability that the extra 25% hp gives you when coupled with aegis and guard stance will make you a very dangerous foe. It eliminates the only weakness SKs have, a shortage of HP.
I'll just add my "looks-not-numbers" two cents :p
Although i used Duals til i was 43/44 because it looked awesome, i've now switched for a one-hand sword + shield to at least take advantage of some of the Shillien Knight specifics, and in that case, go for a Caliburs (http://www.ultimatom.com/caliburs.jpg), it looks so cool :D
The best gear for you truly depends on how much money you have, and what weapons you have access to. If funds are a non-issue, I would say that should always go for the SoWD with Magic Power.
You are a tank, first and foremost, so your role in any group is to absorb damage, and your naturally low CON doesn't give you much to work with in the way of HP. Taking a weapon with Health still puts you 1000 HP or so under your human counterparts so any weapon with Health is a wasted investment.
At lvl 40 with no tats, you should be able to literaly regain half you life with a single use of Life Leach . That is of course if you have a SoWD with Magic Power. That is far more valuable than all the HP in the world.
Focus may make the grind a slight bit faster, but no matter what sword you have focus on, you're about as frightening to a mob as the easter bunny. You are a tank, yes, but the game gives you nukes and drains to set you asside from the other tanks, you should make the most of what you have and stick the magic style of PvE.
<resisting the urge to cap and exclamation-mark-clutter>
I'm not sure what class you play, but high level SKs can reach frightening PAtk if they build for damage (a common build pre player-hate). Trying to make them out to somehow not be damage dealers is misleading at best.
<resisting the urge to cap and exclamation-mark-clutter>
I'm not sure what class you play, but high level SKs can reach frightening PAtk if they build for damage (a common build pre player-hate). Trying to make them out to somehow not be damage dealers is misleading at best.
Tallum Heavy, Tallum Blade/Haste, Elem Sword/MP, Nightmare Shield. I do considrably more damage than any other tank my level. I hold aggro far better against all classes except archers with OE bows. With full PP and SE buffs, I have over 700 atk spd and almost 1k patk, and my shield block rate is near to 90% from any direction.
My suggestion for C grade (which you won't be for very long if you play your cards right):
FP set, SLS/Focus, SoWD/MP, Shield, and possibly a Demon Robe Set if you need to get that little bit of extra nuke damage in.
If money is an issue:
A Raid, Spirit or Katana with either focus or haste works nicely and cheap at the expense of higher patk. And a Composite Set will also work well for you. And skip the nuker weapon.
I'm definitely against an acumen setup, personally, as I tried it in C Grade and got beat pretty bad using Homu/Acu and Karmian Robes. (Your Matk as an SK is going to be significantly lower than a nuker's, and your cast speed is already slow because you're a dark elf.)
I could say a lot of things, but that woul;d just waste more time. what needs to be said is that Destroyers, Gadliators, and even Bladedancers FGS, have better stats at 20 levels lower than you in every catagory but M.Atk and P.Def.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that SKs aren't dangerous, becose they are scary as hell if you play them right, but what makes them so dangerous is their magic skills. Without Life Leach and Lightening Strike SKs are just paper tanks. Focus dens't help in PvP, becouse even a crit with the added bonues isn't going to hurt 1/10 as bad as a solid lightening strike, which has a chance to win the fight outright. and your life leaches mean that you can outlast nearly any mellee class.
This all form the perspective of a buffed and buffed encounter. if you have Death whisper and Focus then you most likely have access to Concentration and either Ac 3 or Emp 3.
Perhaps your stragegy with Focus weapons plays out better at higher levels when the mobs have upwards of 15k HP, but I am not there yet on that toon so I can make no credable statement on that.
But my SK tried the SLS focus routine, and the grind was long and slow, and even dangerous when soloing, but in Branded, or Worshipers I can solo effectively non-stop while buffed without requiring heals of any sort.
but in the future, if I ever bother to level her up to a significant level, I will come back and tell if my strategy fails at higher levels, which it may.
<resisting the urge to cap and exclamation-mark-clutter>
I'm not sure what class you play, but high level SKs can reach frightening PAtk if they build for damage (a common build pre player-hate). Trying to make them out to somehow not be damage dealers is misleading at best.
LOL, my previous post is now a long speahc about almost nothing as I failed to notice that you did in fact specify that "at high levels" focus spec plays out better...
I appologize Malline and will post more once I take my foot out of my mouth.
Well, the focus SA only becomes useful once you're in group - but once you have DoF or DW, things get really disgusting really quick. Crits are a huge factor in keeping aggro, and big crits help a tank not needing to waste MP on root or hate just to keep the group safe - in the case of an SK, that means more hexes or leeches, aka better pulling and pacing opportunities and more exp or less downtime (which, in turn, means more exp).
I am firmly convinced that a tank built for damage is almost always the better choice until maybe at very high levels - and I'm sure chacky/cha0skeeper had little trouble with his 'low' HP, or he wouldn't have been one of the first Deviannans to 78.
Yeah. I don't have a problem with low HP in a group setting, and I'm using Tallum Heavy (-2 CON). While I have considerably less HP than other tanks my level, I hit a lot harder and faster than other tanks. A focus weapon is better in C and B grades IMO, but not as effective in A Grade. This is providing you have full buffs and either a BD or SWS in party. I have almost 200 crit rate with BD Dance and DW3. And with 700+ atk spd I hit many times faster than most other melee classes.
And to Fushigi:
I leveled from 40 to 52 in under two weeks playing a couple hours a day with buff support, and I did it solo. Cubics and Life Leech are impressive at lower levels, especially with a Magic Power weapon (I used SOWD in C Grade) Once you get Vamp Cubic, you can pretty much solo anywhere within your level range with ease, and higher level mobs if you have higher level VR (I had VR4 almost the entire time.)
Not everyone has access to that however, but I still believe a focus weapon at lower levels will help immensely A Grade is another story entirely as there are no focus 1H Swords yet. And I can usually not hold aggro with a health weapon without running my MP dry.
Im partying with future SK and we're actually doing plain pole parties :p. ANY heavy armor user can do it just fine and up to 45 we still plan to do that, cause up to that lvl its still mainly PVE. Works wonders for us. 2 weeks both lvl 36 (DE knight + Elven Oracle, but SO would work MUCH better) and playing in evenings 2-3 hours. IMO well spent time :)
<resisting the urge to cap and exclamation-mark-clutter>
I'm not sure what class you play, but high level SKs can reach frightening PAtk if they build for damage (a common build pre player-hate). Trying to make them out to somehow not be damage dealers is misleading at best.
Those numbers really make me want to play my SK again. :mad:
well im happy to realize that my 66lvl BD's stats aren't that different from these (maybe expept from attsp since i am currently without dyes) with the same(?) buffs.. -8con is waaay too much..
well again ur the hero m8 ;)
Yeah. I don't have a problem with low HP in a group setting, and I'm using Tallum Heavy (-2 CON). While I have considerably less HP than other tanks my level, I hit a lot harder and faster than other tanks. A focus weapon is better in C and B grades IMO, but not as effective in A Grade. This is providing you have full buffs and either a BD or SWS in party. I have almost 200 crit rate with BD Dance and DW3. And with 700+ atk spd I hit many times faster than most other melee classes.
And to Fushigi:
I leveled from 40 to 52 in under two weeks playing a couple hours a day with buff support, and I did it solo. Cubics and Life Leech are impressive at lower levels, especially with a Magic Power weapon (I used SOWD in C Grade) Once you get Vamp Cubic, you can pretty much solo anywhere within your level range with ease, and higher level mobs if you have higher level VR (I had VR4 almost the entire time.)
Not everyone has access to that however, but I still believe a focus weapon at lower levels will help immensely A Grade is another story entirely as there are no focus 1H Swords yet. And I can usually not hold aggro with a health weapon without running my MP dry.
Just my 2 cents.
What are opinions on a SLS w/Haste for Cgrade? I have access to buffs,,not 100% of the time and am curious if the Haste SA, and magic use would be effective solo.
I hope you don't wear rind leather to xp in. >.<
Well, yes, most of the time :p
Of course it takes me longer cos i have to rest more often, but, hey, it looks so cool !
But when i have a real dangerous quest to do or something, i switch to my Composite Armor, it also looks kinda cool (except for the pants, what's with those skirt-looking Dark-Elf pants ?) and i can take advantage of my Heavy Armor Mastery :)
Well Bopi, if you have access to VR, DW, and Haste 2 you should be fine with SLS/Haste. In C Grade tho, I preferred the SLS/Focus as I dealt more damage. Also, I only had DW and no access to a BD with Fire Dance. If you have a partner with DoF, then by all means try the Haste on the SLS. Otherwise, I would suggest the Focus weapon.
I think if you have Death Whisper and Dance of Fire, then Haste is a better choice. You hit a lot faster and that increases the overall number of crits. It's a tough choice tho. If you're solo a lot, then Focus is definitely the way to go.
I think if you have Death Whisper and Dance of Fire, then Haste is a better choice. You hit a lot faster and that increases the overall number of crits. It's a tough choice tho. If you're solo a lot, then Focus is definitely the way to go.
Blue6, Orvieta,
Very sound advice, thanks for the reply's, much appreciated.
Not for an SK. Health SA does not benefit SK at lower levels like it would a Paladin or DA. For an SK, damage is going to be the number one factor when purchasing new weapons. Health SA will get an SK killed, and killed fast.
Actually, haste doesn't increase the rate of crits more than focus does - but otherwise sound thinking.
Focus is, for low-med crit weapons, always the superior choice between focus and haste. For bows and daggers - meh, I guess it depends on the toon then.
Wrong... If a mob has (just throwing out figures here) 1000 HP, and you hit for 100 damage, it will take you 10 hits to kill that mob. Now, with haste you will hit that mob 10 times just as you would otherwise do, but you hit faster, so it has less time to hit you, you loose no more SS than fighting normally, unless you are in a party.
Focus is, IMO, an illusionary aid for most classes. Focus is a must for Daggers and now for S-grade Archers, oh yeah, and BD's, but tanks will get more out of playing into their existing strengths (Health for the Human Tanks, Haste for the TK, and Magic Power for the SKs, although SKs have more choices than the rest).
Focus is, IMO, an illusionary aid for most classes.
That has always been the crux of the matter. Many feel that Haste is the least efficient or lowest DPS SA of the two.
And then eventually someone will come along and say something to the effect of, "Yeah, but you don't get a crit on every mob. You DO get Haste with every mob. And the faster you swing, the faster you get to that next crit."
Sometimes perception is reality. Sometimes perception defies reality.
Today's pop quiz:
Ceteris paribus , take two BD's. Give one +4 Tsu*SLS. Give the other +4 Caliburs*SLS. Place 100 mobs in a field. Same parameters for the mobs -- ceteris paribus . Which BD clears the field the fastest and why?
Ceteris paribus , take two BD's. Give one +4 Tsu*SLS. Give the other +4 Caliburs*SLS. Place 100 mobs in a field. Same parameters for the mobs -- ceteris paribus . Which BD clears the field the fastest and why?
The Tsu*SLS will win hands down.
Why?
First, let's look at the stats for both. Base crit is around 80, Patk is 228, attack speed is going to be roughly the same base, we will say 400 for sake of argument as a base value.
end stats for TSU*SLS Patk 228, crit rate 132, attack speed 400.
end stats for Cal*SLS Patk 228, crit rate 80, attack speed 420.
Increase in crit rate for TSU*SLS is 65%, while increase in attack speed for Cal*SLS is only 5%. The equation goes to the Caliburs*SLS on the basis that while the hasted weapon will hit faster, it doesn't get anywhere near the same percentage increase in attack speed that the TSU*SLS gets in crit rate. If, however, NC Managed to balance the duals, either by giving the Caliburs 65% increase in attack speed or the TSU 5% increase in crit rate, then the Caliburs would win. As it stands the game is rigged to focus weapons at lower grades and haste weapons at higher grades due to the decrease in difference between increases.
The best gear for you truly depends on how much money you have, and what weapons you have access to. If funds are a non-issue, I would say that should always go for the SoWD with Magic Power.
You are a tank, first and foremost, so your role in any group is to absorb damage, and your naturally low CON doesn't give you much to work with in the way of HP. Taking a weapon with Health still puts you 1000 HP or so under your human counterparts so any weapon with Health is a wasted investment.
At lvl 40 with no tats, you should be able to literaly regain half you life with a single use of Life Leach . That is of course if you have a SoWD with Magic Power. That is far more valuable than all the HP in the world.
Focus may make the grind a slight bit faster, but no matter what sword you have focus on, you're about as frightening to a mob as the easter bunny. You are a tank, yes, but the game gives you nukes and drains to set you asside from the other tanks, you should make the most of what you have and stick the magic style of PvE.
couldnt u offset using say an SLS instead of SoWD by suing BSPS?
Best PvP setup I used (pre-force hate) was a DD setup Tallum Heavy with Tallum Blade with haste. +6str +5dex -11con (-2 from tallum) mind you I had No Hp. Lvl 66 DA by the way
A friend of mine played a SK and used Maj Heavy with Dragon Slayer (focus I think) +5str +4dex and no Hp. One crit from him could take all of a Nukers cp out. No joke.
And because you are a Tank you are the last target (at lest back then) So you could normally kill 2 peeps out of a gank squad before they knew you were a threat.
A friend of mine played a SK and used Maj Heavy with Dragon Slayer (focus I think) +5str +4dex and no Hp. One crit from him could take all of a Nukers cp out. No joke.