Just in case someone else is looking for the same info: Go with a BD.
At level 74 we did 40% in one 8 hour span in a duo in Hot Springs with OOP SE and Prophet. That's pretty hard to beat at that level. Fire/Fury/Warrior just make an insane boost to an archer.
I love SwS, but they are mostly defensive in nature, aside from song of hunter. This will make the leveling slower, but still isn't a bad choice to be honest.
don't think archers can take the punches...so between those two, i'd say BD. def buffs don't do you much good, if you arent going to go up and punch at the mobs.
so how I don't totally disagree with you both. (the poster right under this one)
A sws is a very good duo choise. how ever it would depend on which archer that your going to play as.
If your a HE I's go with SwS because of SwS's ability that makes a HE alot stronger.
Song of hunter for crt rate, HE has the lower crt rate of the 3.
Song of wind for run speed, HE is the slowest of the 3.
song of P df (I forget the name), HE has decent P df, but more don't hurt specially if you do -9 con set up (and armor).
Song for HP regen.
Song for M df.
Song to boost max HP.
Song of invocation to protect you from dark atk's, really nice for all of those C3/4 Necro reolls and subclasses.
Song of Evation, HE has lowest evation of the 3 archers.
I personal play a BD, SwS is a hard class to lvl because they don't get good till they atlest hit 46 and get song of wind. but it's not till 49 when they get hunter, and 55 when they get P df songs that they truly start to excel.
BD gets good from the start, fire for crt dmg at lvl 40.
insperation at 46 for accuracy, dance of light at 43 for holy weapon, 49 is M atk, 52 is cast speed, 55- P atk, 58- atk speed. then BD never needs to lvl if hes boxed.
after 58 BD don't get anything really worth wild till 74 when they get vamp dance, which cause way too late to be all that much of a help.
One of the Best things that BDs have is arrest, but SwS also get that. and SwS is getting new skills in interlude while only SD will get a new passive skill at 78, that the sws will also get to.
BD is awesome, but I think atlest for a HE that SwS is better suited for them.(and I would know, I newest to play a HE)
While a BD would immensely help a SR.
I know this from personal experience. SR crts alot, with a BD they crt very hard. Arrest makes it possible to hold argo for a archer as a BD.
if ranged classes cant kill mobs before they reach em they hunt wrong mobs (in theory)
some ppl like to kite and choose harder mobs tho
BD is 100% better than a SwS in archer party
only useful buff sws has, is the crit buff, while bd got 3
BD can also be useful in nuker groups
BD + SwS is UBER tho
as i said.
I don't 100% disagree.
your over looking what I said, that for a hawkeye a SwS would better befit his class then a BD. Because the SwS would boost the stats that HE is missing the most, unless you'd like to argue the acc dance BD gets.
however, I pointed out that a BD best befits a SR cause of the high crt rate that SR 's have, that a BD would boost their atk dmg by alot!
I would bet that a SwS mite be better for a PR to. but sense they are mad gimp I wouldn't know. I rarely see them and don't usely party with them.
I'm talking about using what would boost the areas where they are weakest and try to make it all around good, then to boost the only the best attribute.
IE: PR's high P atk.. so add a BD to boost that higher.
HE's have low eva and low acc. So ether or can work. but I'd like to boost alot of the other things.
Don't forget that a SwS can sing with any weapon and that makes them much stronger for duo play cause they can pick up a bow and nail mobs right beside an archer. and have arrest so they can root and nail mobs from a distance.
BD really excel with mages and close combat meele.
while SwS is slightly better suited for archers.
SwS would also be better suited with a tank in Raids.
It's about killing speed. BD >> SWS for that. I'd rather have an SWS than a BD for PVP, if I had to choose though.
when will you ever find a SwS to PvP with you if you will never party them for XP?
same goes for healers and buffers. Who cares about tanks. you don't need them for lvlng. but you do need healers and buffers.
any how, so for that lil rant.
But I'd rather have a SwS for crt rate, run speed and eva, arrest/ assist play then; a BD whos mp regens slower. can only use duals and has to switch out every 2 minutes wasting a shot in between.
Sure, I always want a SwS in a siege/pvp situation, and we have 2 in our clan, love having them in party strictly because I know we need them come crunch time.
But if a guy is making a support class (supposedly boxed) for an archer, and only choosing between SwS and a BD, there is *no* way a SwS is better, with *any* archer. You will level faster with a BD hands down.
Mob density is such that if you need song of wind just to hunt efficiently, you are in the wrong place. I can see great value in song of warding, especially in spots like FotD, but I partied with both in that area, and the BD always meant less healing, cause dead mobs don't hit/nuke back ;)
I am not saying that there aren't alternate playstyles, and that some archers won't *want* to have a SwS in duo for various reasons, but if you are after pure leveling speed, a BD is your best bet.
But if a guy is making a support class (supposedly boxed) for an archer, and only choosing between SwS and a BD, there is *no* way a SwS is better, with *any* archer. You will level faster with a BD hands down.