Okay I just started playing about 3 days ago, but I've read up on this game for a while now. I just stopped playing WoW about 3 months ago, but when I was playing I played a paladin, but in L2 I've noticed there is a lot more diversity between classes.
So with all that being said I was just wondering what is a SK's role? They seem like a class that is very interesting but are they more melee than nuker or a blanced mix? I'm currently looking for a melee/healer that may have some damage skills in their arsenal, but not to the point that it gimps them from becoming great at any one thing. Reason I'm asking about SK's is because it seems like they have some pretty decent damage skills but how is their melee skills pan out?
You sound like a paladin to me - although I'd say the SK is 60% tank, 20% DD and 20% nuker/debuffer. :p
If you want something that can both heal and melee, I'd go Phantom Summoner, but of course, the class has its limitations (especially visually >.<).
Thanks for the replies, for the past 2 hours I've just been looking at the classes again. I want a melee character for sure, but with some kind of defensive/debuffs. It seems for the most part every class I've looked into has atleast a couple of debuffs, healing isn't a must I just see it as a plus. How good of a skill is the Drain Life? I also here alot of talk about SK's cubics what are they and are they a viable source of support to solo'ing/PvP? Thanks again in advance.
i have a sk and i love them they rock the cubies are used for soloing and pvp they do debuffes DOT spells and heal u and do damge will healing u drain life work ok can heal u for about 200 but work great on holy mobs does alot more damge and heals more u aslo get a spell called leech life which doesnt do alot of damge but heals u more they have great def and block rate with they sheilds they fast not slow they great at soloing up to about s grade really they a fun class to learn and play they good at pvp cuz people cant kill or erase ur cubies ur turn them on u like most can do with a DA's cat so go sk try it out they fun i have turn about 10 people so far to go sk and they love it so far
I love my SK, but hell this is a hard class to know... I am at lvl59 now, and with proper buffs I can even solo in Witch Catacomb... Lightening Strike rules in PvP and PvE (I have killed a lvl63 PR using this...), and cubics are life savers... Against holy creatures you get the Banish Seraph skill that has a pretty good chance of getting them down to 1hp with just one cast (this is perfect for catas) and your drains are a pain for them... I have drained 1500dmg from a lvl65 angel in Witch. Also your drain cubic works better on angels :)
There are at least two major paths for a SK, one is to tune yourself for melee, and the other is to tune yourself for magic.
In either case you will have high pdef and decent mdef and capable of tanking if necessary.
You will be lower HP than some damage dealing classes though due to the Dark Elven lack of CON.
From your description, Paladin is likely closer to what you are looking for as they are both tougher and capable of healing, but the SK has better damage output and range.
Keep in mind that ALL tanks at this point are severely underpowered in comparison to archers, daggers, or necros.
Tanks do not get groups right now as frankly no one needs them... damage and buffer classes tank just fine for most groups and thus the only time you will be tanking is when they need you for a raid boss.
This is not to say SK/Paladin or DA is not fun... its just less than optimal right now.
Oh, and yes, different race tanks do indeed have different flavor from each other... The main problem is that no one cares when archers/daggers/necros squish them in under 10 seconds...
sk suffer from the same problem as every hybrid class (except necro :P ) they kinda suck at everything they do
sure they have cool debuffs and nukes and stuff but it isnt really that impressive
techically they are the worst tank in game but not much is required from a tank in L2 so they still do quite well
lol dude ur joking right sk are not bad tanks they are just as good if not better then most other tankers.
i been tanking with my sk for years and not one party has died when i leave to go to work my party get other tankers and yeah blow they all cant aggro the raid boss or keep it as a sk can.
I tanked better then a lvl 73 DA and i was lvl 66 on a lvl 68 raid boss and u want to tell me sk arent that good are tanking lol get out of here
That may be related to the skill of the person behind the toon.
I don't see how an SK could be better than a human tank for raids (if both are well played), stats wise. And I'm personally more comfortable with human tanks in raid situations because they are that much more robust. But for everything else that requires a tank, it's a toss up. But SKs have an edge because of the cubics and hex and higher offense.
lol dude ur joking right sk are not bad tanks they are just as good if not better then most other tankers.
SK are fine tanks.... for most things they are more than durable enough. Yes, they can even tank raid bosses... but frankly, If you have two skilled tanks, and one of them is a DA/paladin or TK and the other is an SK, you will choose the other tank due to:
-More HP
-More stun resist
Note that this is all things equal... if a SK has Tatted his CON and is wearing Doom and a HP weapon and the DA is all -CON in Tallum, then by all means pick the SK.
SK pay for their hybrid nature in less HP and susceptibility to stun. This doesn't make them incapable... just lesser in this particular way.
I was very impressed with the last SK I met that was set up for magic use... still a knight... but had a nasty burst of ranged damage when they need it. Note that such a knight can focus on CON because they are counting on using magic more for offense.
Thanks for the replies, for the past 2 hours I've just been looking at the classes again. I want a melee character for sure, but with some kind of defensive/debuffs. It seems for the most part every class I've looked into has atleast a couple of debuffs, healing isn't a must I just see it as a plus. How good of a skill is the Drain Life? I also here alot of talk about SK's cubics what are they and are they a viable source of support to solo'ing/PvP? Thanks again in advance.
Hmm, how about warcryer or overlord? If SK is the best mage among fighters, then orcish mages are the best fighters among mages. They can melee, debuff and heal.
Thanks for the replies, for the past 2 hours I've just been looking at the classes again. I want a melee character for sure, but with some kind of defensive/debuffs. It seems for the most part every class I've looked into has atleast a couple of debuffs, healing isn't a must I just see it as a plus. How good of a skill is the Drain Life? I also here alot of talk about SK's cubics what are they and are they a viable source of support to solo'ing/PvP? Thanks again in advance.
Hmm, how about warcryer or overlord? If SK is the best mage among fighters, then orcish mages are the best fighters among mages. They can melee, debuff and heal.
yeah... you might want to look at overlord or warcrier. Overlords have some of the highest pdef in the game. Only problem is that they are hard to lvl due to being dependant on clan / alliance mates.
Another rarer option is to go battle prophet. You will have trouble getting parties though. Most people expect you to buff and then sit for 20 min. If you keep to small parties (2-4) you will do just fine though.
As for human tanks beeing better in tanking raidbosses than SK...beeing a tank is not about HP. It's about PDef (which is more or less equal among tanks) and - mostly - block rate (which elves have better).
Also: DA is not great for raid bosses with escort, as he doesn't block 360. Human tanks have it harder to kite (which is also one of tanking tactics). SK, due to his damage output can also easier keep aggro on himself.
Only pro of human tanks (if we talk about tanking) is few hundreds more HP, and it's not going to help you when healer is out of mana - you're going down anyway.
Back to topic :P for the thread starter, your description looks like palladin IMHO.
I'm thankful for the pro's and con's of each tank class, but tanking isn't really one of my main concerns. I'm not trying to be difficult I just rather level one class first to get a good understanding of the game instead of just creating 20 different characters and never get past my first promotion. I want a good defensive class/melee damage, healing or drain life either or just something besides sitting down, buffs are great also.
Just understand that this isn't one of those "what is the best class" posts. Like I said I want to pick on based on my description and your veteran opinions. I have a level 15 human fighter and I stopped playing him becuase I kept hearing that SK's own all tanks so on and so forth, then I hear that Humans make some pretty good melee/defensive classes. Plus with the PLY and the DA they have their own skill of gaining hp.
So I guess I really want to make a DA but I just don't know if it would be worthless leveling. In every MMO I've ever played I always no matter how many times I say I wouldn't pick a hybrid class, and then have to deal with the discouraging fact that I'll never be able to outdamage a damage dealing class. However this is not the case based on enjoyability and overall performance which is a more suitable class DA, PLY, TK, SK?
but tanking isn't really one of my main concerns. I'm not trying to be difficult I just rather level one class first to get a good understanding of the game instead of just creating 20 different characters and never get past my first promotion. I want a good defensive class/melee damage, healing or drain life either or just something besides sitting down, buffs are great also.
i say if u want to have good pdef and do some good damge healing or drain life i guess go da.
That sound more like a DA they can do heals and drain life stun is a life saver for them to and that cat is one mean kitty.
+ they do have more hp then sk i will give them that but with tattoo on a sk it will give them alot more hp and with clan passive skill it helps alot too ^_^
I'm thankful for the pro's and con's of each tank class, but tanking isn't really one of my main concerns. I'm not trying to be difficult I just rather level one class first to get a good understanding of the game instead of just creating 20 different characters and never get past my first promotion. I want a good defensive class/melee damage, healing or drain life either or just something besides sitting down, buffs are great also.
Just understand that this isn't one of those "what is the best class" posts. Like I said I want to pick on based on my description and your veteran opinions. I have a level 15 human fighter and I stopped playing him becuase I kept hearing that SK's own all tanks so on and so forth, then I hear that Humans make some pretty good melee/defensive classes. Plus with the PLY and the DA they have their own skill of gaining hp.
So I guess I really want to make a DA but I just don't know if it would be worthless leveling. In every MMO I've ever played I always no matter how many times I say I wouldn't pick a hybrid class, and then have to deal with the discouraging fact that I'll never be able to outdamage a damage dealing class. However this is not the case based on enjoyability and overall performance which is a more suitable class DA, PLY, TK, SK?
Thanks again.
I chose an SK back when it wasn't so popular to play one. Everyone kept barking about DE's low CON and avoided the class like the plague. But I turned a deaf ear. Back in the old AD&D days, my favorite class to play was the Fighter/Mage. I always liked the versatility of that class. In L2 the SK was the closest thing to that archetype, so I rolled one. I have no regrets.
It's good that you are taking the time to deliberate. After all, by the time that you'll be able to truly know and appreciate the merits of your class, you'll be 6x and have far too much time invested to turn back.
My suggestion is to narrow this process down to two classes...one with a familiar playstyle, and another one that will take you some place that you have never been before in terms of gamesmanship...and play them both. Rely on the familiar to get your feet wet. Trust in the unfamiliar to help keep this game interesting.
if you want a tank/healer class go for TK or Paladin
TK is a great pure tank class, and they have cubics, more specifically they have a heal cubic which will heal you or a party member randomly, they got great self buffs for soloing, in the past they were really over looked because of their inability to do alot of damage in pvp, but the roll of a tank in pvp has changed, now that you literally can tank other players using hate, and rooting other players helps keep them off your friends backs.
Paladin, has lots of HP/CP, a nice pdef buff that stacks with shield/greater shield (and doesnt require tons of MP like Guardstance does on SK & TK) and who could forget about their AoE root skill really makes crowd control easier, and Angelic Icon is a great skill to give them alot more DD capability and tanking ability in a pinch, also being a human knight class they get shield stun. all around a great tank class, and humans have the most forgiving stats when it comes to using tattoos, they already have decent str/con = (Patk/HP), and dex isnt really that big of a deal for a tank. of course theres also the fact that Paladin is also a part-time healer, able to sacrafice their own hp to keep a party member alive (i.e. - keep the healer from dying so you dont die), also they get toggle skills to give them holy weapon/holy armor, which is really good for leveling considering alot of mobs in this game are undead.
if you want a DD/Tank go for DA the panther really does do alot of damage (in pve) its like having a 2nd DD in party but with out losing out on alot of xp, however with the C5 nerf on summon pvp damage is pretty painfull. (DA is probably a class to avoid, like SK)
I played SK for around a year and half, and personally i got bored of it, most armors on a dark elf end up looking fruity (i.e. - NM heavy shows off your nutz) and if you get upto subclass you might go a mage class and look fruity in your halter top and skirt. they're nukes are nice while you can use em, however MP is a pain in the ***, and SK is a really MP Dependant class (between their nukes/guardstance), once your out of MP your pretty much useless, and using a blunt to get that HP SA that SK's really need, makes one of your best skills (sting) unusable, there is also the fact that you'll be stunned constantly, often resulting in death, especially if your soloing.
after playing this game for so long, if i wanted to play a tank class again, i would personally choose between Paladin/TK, i may even decide to subclass one of these classes once i hit that level
overall i think at this point in time Paladin is the best Tank class to play.
Ive noticed my Sk can never resist anything no matter what buff is on her. She needs to have more power in the cubics and less d-crystal take for them. sence the cubics sometimes never come out even at L4.
I decided to end up going through with building a SK as my first class only becuase they incorporate basically what archetype I'm looking for. The melee/nuker if you will, with little but some hp regaining skills. I'm not sure how good life leech and drain life are but hey its something I rather go that way then be awesome at healing, but get shafted on the damage section.
I really do appreciate the replies and suggestions and if anyone knows a SK inside and out, that wouldn't mind coaching me through the class. I have some questions concerning a couple of the skills that are similar yet almost exactly alike for instance aura of hate and aggression.
Well I guess thats the end of this subject unless there is anything else I should know, oh before I get another reason for choosing a SK is for PvP I know that they aren't this great class at it but like I said it mixes melee/nuker and all that other stuff plus I've seen some PvP videos with SK and they just make me want one that much more.
life leech will gain 80% of the damage dealt back in HP, so you hit for 100 damage, you'll get 80hp back
drain energy does more damage, but you only get 20% of the damage dealt back in hp, so 100 damage dealt 20hp back
SK is the first class i played in L2 from Prelude->C4, so i'll try to give you some insight.
SK is an expensive class to play, D Crystals, HP Pots, GSAP Pots, Haste Pots, Soulshot / Blessed Spirit Shot are some of the things your going to have to often buy, and you wont beable to break even on what your spending with just leveling, so try to find another way to make money when your not grinding.
20-40 was really painfull for me, took 2 weeks to grind 28-41, doing 13-26hrs a day in cruma groups ...but things are alot easier now days, leveling 20-40 your best off using dual swords to level (i.e. - crimson*bastard), and for armor you'll want brigadine. Try to do alot of raid bosses, ive known people to do 20-40 in 4 days just doing raid bosses.
once ya hit 40, get yourself Full Plate Armor w/Shield, and i'd suggest either a Sword of Delusion w/HP or a SLS w/Haste. you'll need to do some hunting to get your spellbooks for 40+ spells, though you'll probably beable to find the books you need in town for relatively cheap. leveling 40-61 your not going to rely much on your spells, as they are pretty useless, for the most part you'll probably use Hex to lower mobs pdef & Life Leech when you need some HP other then that the rest of your skills are useless. your also going to need to grab some d crystals so you can summon your cubics, which will randomly go off and attack the mob your attacking, though not as often as you'd like.
@ 43 you'll get Guardstance which is a useless skill, with how fast it drains your MP, you'll want to avoid using it.
try to find a clan ASAP, cause its hard to find a group to level in with out one at least once you pass 52 especially on a class thats not really self sufficient. *hopefully a clan will beable to help you out with things like ss/bsps if they have a clan crafter*
20-32 Necropolis of Sacrifice.
32-40 Heretics Catacomb.
40-52 you'll want to level in Branded Catacomb.
52-64 you can level in Catacomb of the Apostate. (serious grinding after 58)
64+ your going to need a clan to level, cause duoing really isnt an option.
B grade gear (52+) get yourself Doom Heavy w/Shield, and Sword of Damascus w/Focus.
once ya hit 61 you can wear a grade, which is where acctually using your spells will kick in, you'll have gotten lightning strike @ 58 which lets you paralize mobs, and dont forget about your handy rooting skills.
for A grade gear, i'd Suggest either NM Heavy or Majestic Heavy, and a Sword of Miracles w/Acumen (Mage weapon) will give ya some nice casting speed/matk, to actually make use of your nukes.
Tattoos, you'll really only have 2 choices ++++ your str to get good patk and totally gimp your HP/CP or ++++ your con so you can stay alive longer, and hopefully use your nukes to do some damage ...though dont count on it being very much damage
@ level 61 you'll have around 500 matk
a nuker class @ level 61 will have 1600matk w/same weapon.
SK is really a class that isnt good at much of anything, they're con is so low they get stunned alot, have very little HP, and their nukes are no stronger then any other dark elf melee class.
lol i have duoed with my sk and solo all the way to lvl 69 so far and i still am
sk are stronger then most people think cuz when u got those cubies out they help lvling go much faster and Lighting strike helps out alot if u got to many on u.
but with my sk i can go to wall of agros and lvl there fine
trust me if u got the right hotkey bar u be ok make sure u get tattos - ur str since dark elfs have the most str in tanker class you can - it i did its by 4 and +4 to my con so with my nm amor i got +6 to con with my hp on my sword with bless the body i got close to 7k just need to get to 70 and if u play on bartz email me on this and ill pm u in game if not i guess i can make a alt on the sever u are on and walk u thought it