First off i just started playing a few days ago and i have got my Dark Elf fighter to level 18. I plan to go Palus Knight @ 20, but i do not know what direction to go after that.
I want to be a decent DD either way i go i just cannot gather if Shillien knight is more powerful then Bladedancer. Also is Power Strike usable with duel swords?
Along with me i have brought 3-4 friends to play this game with me and i am wondering, what is a good level to start partying? Also do you fight higher levels mobs in a party, or do you just kill weak ones fast for more exp?
generally BD functions as support/DD and SK functions as offtank/DD when you are in groups. as far as solo i wanna say SK does better, but i haven't played one myself... only heard the complainings of a few particularly lazy clanmates :p so you may want a 2nd opinion on that one
I havent played a SK, but with buffs, I cant belive SK kills faster or smother then BD. unbuffer, SK is better for sure.
Both are good for grouping, even tho blade dancers are more needed later in game.
at lvl20 is a good lvl to start grouping. you can group anywhere with much mobs, or you can get to dungeons or catacombs/necropolises, where you have to sign up for entering (priest of dawn/dusk in town) very good places to exp. you would want a healer/buffer for those places tho.
No, you can not use Power Strike with duals. You can use Sting which you get at 24. And I strongly discourage people from using duals in Dgrade. You will get better DPS with a Claymore because sword/blunt masteries also affect 2h swords.
Welcome to Lineage II!
I can solo a catacomb (mobs with lots of resists and 4x the amount of HP than on a normal mob) with out any problems on my BD.
Have no comment on an SK since I don't have one, but... a BD has everything that SK has upto lvl 35 and has Dance buffs after 40, starting with Critical dance Dance of Fire. I honestly can't see how an SK can outdamage a BD, but then again that's just me.
I honestly can't see how an SK can outdamage a BD, but then again that's just me.
A BD will kill faster because of his dances. Fury, Fire, Warrior will help you tear through mobs in no time at all. Hunt in a place that drops mana pots and you'll be able to dance and use hexes without watching your mp bar.
You can tweak an SK to kill quickly, but in doing so, you'll have to sacrifice some tanking ability. If you are just trying to powerlevel an SK to high levels, going -9 CON may not be a bad idea for the first 60+ levels. But if you intend to tank or pvp, -5 CON is probably as low as you'd want to go.
Thank you guys for the info, i still do not know which way to go :).
I ended up making it to 20 and got my first class change. To bad i did some PvP without knowing how it works and got 7 PK's and was killed by some high levels and lost 2 levels. :(
Lost some gear and 'am pretty frustrated, wish the PvP info on the main page told me about karma! Though some of the issue was me not reading before i ran in to battle.
Thank you guys for the info, i still do not know which way to go :).
I ended up making it to 20 and got my first class change. To bad i did some PvP without knowing how it works and got 7 PK's and was killed by some high levels and lost 2 levels. :(
Lost some gear and 'am pretty frustrated, wish the PvP info on the main page told me about karma! Though some of the issue was me not reading before i ran in to battle.
At the least you had the guts to try the system out.
Well, I started on the quest to loose PK points. I am lvl 18, and they made this quest so a lowbie cannot finish it. I am at my wits end, i will be farming money for 1 month so i do not loose all my gear when i die. There really should be level based quests for this.
Well, I started on the quest to loose PK points. I am lvl 18, and they made this quest so a lowbie cannot finish it. I am at my wits end, i will be farming money for 1 month so i do not loose all my gear when i die. There really should be level based quests for this.
Well you aren't supposed to go red that much at lower levels, they try to say I guess.
Personally, the sin eater quest will cost you a lot of money, so might as well keep your points for now.
I have never done that quest, and on 1 char I have about 26 pk points by now. I don't really care.
I am trying not to laugh at your plight--and failing. I assure you it is good natured laughing!
Killing a bunch of lowbies is generally a bad idea--as is indescriminate pk'ing when you are so low.
Although it appears those other toons are easy pickings--they are probably low alts (at this point) of established players making either academy toons or leveling a type their clan is missing. Meaning when you kill some low person--they or their friends show up in a display of support you can't handle.
You got karma, by the way, because your choice to kill the toons of other players interfered with what they were trying to accomplish. If they would have wanted pvp they would have flagged you back and both of you would have gone 'purple'...since they remained passive you pk'd them instead of pvp. Karma is the consequence to you of that choice. When you are new and learning the game and trying to level it might be a good idea to leave others alone---just a thought. My own rule of thumb on my low alts is to respond to all flags unless the attacker is clearly too high (which they usually are)--in which case I'll give them the karma. I don't attack anyone when I am trying to level or accomplish other goals on a toon though.
In your shoes I would considering starting a new toon! You can level from 1-20 in a day or two so you really don't lose much--and you will have that much more adena for your trouble.
As for BD vs. tank-light...I only know the palus knight side of your question. This toon is a killing machine at low levels (as a melee). Don't waste time or money on duals without the masteries to use them (which don't come till 40 for a BD). Get an ELS (sword of revolution plus 480k aa at BS/Merchant of Mammon) and a brig set....don't bother with buying a brig helm--once you get to 20. That set with elven jewels will EASILY get you to 40.
You asked which is 'better'---that's like asking if a shovel is 'better' than a hammer. When you need a shovel--a hammer is useless and vice versa.
A BD deals damage. It supports groups with dances as well but its function is to kill mobs as a melee toon. The SK is a tank--IT'S function is to hold aggro and take a pounding while others kill the mobs. The BD and SK do different things!
The right question is whether you want to be a support damage dealer for a long time or whether you want to be the tank in groups for a long time? Answer in terms of which you want to PLAY and I think you'll be able to choose.
Why?
Because BD is one of the classes which matches up with archer parties that make up the fastest XP in the game.
(you will be welcome in any party as a BD, but the archer parties will rake in multiple times more XP than any other kind of party.)
BDs are more welcome in more types of parties.
SK (and all classes besides archers and archer buffer classes or healing support) are second-class citizens in endgame.
This is not to say SK is a bad class... its just that buff stacking for archers i so massively overpowered that nothing in the game even compares.
SK (and all classes besides archers and archer buffer classes or healing support) are second-class citizens in endgame.
haha! and exactly "how long" would your vaunted archers last at a raid without a tank?
Raiding isn't part of the 'end game'?
To the OP, archers are the darlings of PvP (griefing) and seiges. That's what they do. Eventually they will be nerfed and we'll hear whining of epic proportions! (lol)
I personally think the next nerf should have to do with real-world laws of science---an arrow shot at distance has LESS penetrating power than one that strikes closer to the bow. As archers move beyond a distance of about 1200, the EFFECT and power of their shot should begin to fall exponentially--not to mention ACCURACY. At their max range they should be hitting for about 15% of the damage they do--they should be missing upwards of 50% of the time as well.
I'm a bowhunter in RL and as much as I'd like my compound bow to hit as hard at 100 yards as it does at 30 yards--it simply isn't possible. I get clean pass-throughs on a deer at 30 yards--at 100+ I'd first of all be lucky to hit it and second of all be lucky to get penetration even into the vital organs. An arrow is a heavy thing--given its speed and characteristics, friction and gravity do awful things to it in flight!
Your question is about tank vs. BD. The ANSWER to your question depends upon what you like to play.
<whispers to OP> "never listen to an archer---they aren't quite 'right in the head' if you know what i mean...."
haha! and exactly "how long" would your vaunted archers last at a raid without a tank?
One tank, and many archers.
Odds are that tank will be Paladin or Dark Avenger as well.
(not that a SK cannot do it, just that ANY of the others will be chosen first)
Note, please, the BD is still not only welcome but necessary at the raid too... and they will want more BDs than SKs.
Raiding isn't part of the 'end game'?
It is, but it is a much smaller part of your Lin2 time than XP.
Note that BD is still used on raids as well...
To the OP, archers are the darlings of PvP (griefing) and seiges. That's what they do. Eventually they will be nerfed and we'll hear whining of epic proportions! (lol)
People keep saying that... but it hasn't happened yet.
Truthfully, archers aren't broken.... buff stacking is.
Interlude supposedly changes part of that, but archer parties will remain the fastest XP in the game bar none.
Your question is about tank vs. BD. The ANSWER to your question depends upon what you like to play.
<whispers to OP> "never listen to an archer---they aren't quite 'right in the head' if you know what i mean...."
BD = powerful now, desired now, and will stay that way
SK = semi-decent, but not desired now, no indication of any change next chronicle.
I REALLY wish SK had a place at the table... I really do.
First of all, I would like to point out that since C5 came out there is much more call for SK than ever before. My SK gets asked to tank on a regular basis. And while there is still the debate over which is better for raiding, it actually comes down to player skill more than class in a raid. A good tank, no matter which race they are, is going to get invited to parties far more often than a bad tank.
On to the question of BD vs. SK. There are a couple of things to look at. What type of play-style do you have? Do you enjoy PvP? Do you want to be able to solo? And many more.
If you enjoy parties, both classes will be welcome, especially if you have rl friends playing with you. Also, if you wish to raid a lot, I would suggest the SK before the BD. The reason for this is that there are a lot of BD's out there right now, as they are one of the most used classes in the game. Dances are imperative at higher levels if you wish to have good exp in a time period.
If you enjoy PvP, I would go with SK. This topic has been covered numerous times on these boards, so I won't go into detail. Suffice to say, that I have never lost to a BD within 5 levels of my SK in 1v1.
BD's can do exceptionaly damage when soloing, but generally only if they haev a buffer available to them. SK on the other hand, truly shine in solo hunting without buffs. I would venture to say that unbuffed solo, SK has about 15% more DPS than a BD of similar level. On the same note, with buffs, a BD will generally have about 5-8% more DPS than an SK. These figures are not exact, but based on my experiences playing both types of character.
In the end it is going to come down to personal choice, and what feels better for you. You have 15 levels to begin your decision, after which point you will need an answer in order to do the quests. Good luck in whatever you decide.