I'm only level 24, but I'm wondering which direction to go. I'm hearing a lot of good things about BD, but another thread reports they have paper skin.
Is it really a question of preference between the two or does one class have a clear advantage over the other?
Yea, I checked the library out. Truth is, they both look cool. SK seems more the tank while BD seems more the DPS/buffer, unless I've read into it wrong.
Pretty much. Tanks are killer in the high levels, but until you get there they can be tough to level. Bladedancers are awesome at any level and everyone wants them around. A tank can kill a BD any day of the week without breaking a sweat. Yeah, it's all preference. If you're a loner and a rebel, SK is a serious option. If you're a social person then a Bladedancer will give you more chance to be social.
Whatever you pick, pick it because you want to play it, not because you think it will help your clan or someone else. At the end of the day you're the one grinding it and enjoying it, no one else.
And personally, I love my Bladedancer. I found the SK boring. You may not though. Good luck.
mine 2 adenas about BD. Never leveled SK.
At end levels you will lack damage output or damage skills.
And yes, it is true, you are brekfeast for any tank in pvp.
Some times in some parties you will need to keep 5dances up (of course with 4-5 songs) so yours main job will be to dance and sit->regen mp.
cmon yall make the bd sound like a snooze. its just like any other class, with the right gear u do insane damage. when im fully geared i crit for 5k on most robe and light armor users with a bow so its not so bad compared to other classes.
bd vs tank however it is most likely the tanks that will triumph if both of them r equally lvled and geared. its not to say it impossible for a bd to kill a tank but its really **** hard.
in a lot of pvps i see bd's just dance and just run around like the vid above but if u have the right buffs, ie clarity, you really wouldnt have an mp problem if you know how to share the dances/songs properly giving you the chance to kill a few people of your own. if u relaly wanna take it to the extreme u can enchant all your dances, focus mind, and inner rythm to conserve as much mp as possible but thats not for everyone.
cmon yall make the bd sound like a snooze. its just like any other class, with the right gear u do insane damage. when im fully geared i crit for 5k on most robe and light armor users with a bow so its not so bad compared to other classes.
In a party, a BD can be snooze or is can be exciting, depends on what the party make-up is and how you choose to play. But, there are more ways to be lazy then there are to be active.
bd vs tank however it is most likely the tanks that will triumph if both of them r equally lvled and geared. its not to say it impossible for a bd to kill a tank but its really **** hard.
Yes, it is possible to kill a tank of equal level, you're right, a BD can win... if the tank is AFK.
in a lot of pvps i see bd's just dance and just run around like the vid above but if u have the right buffs, ie clarity, you really wouldnt have an mp problem if you know how to share the dances/songs properly giving you the chance to kill a few people of your own.
In a PVP the main point of the BD is to buff the party with dances. People rely on these dances. If the BD dies, you have to rez that PVP ASAP because their dances will soon fade leaving the rest of the party at an extreme disadvantage. In a PVP the BD's job is to dance and stay alive. If you can do that while pumping out damage, more power to you. Remember though, the more damamge you pump out, the more of a target you will be. Since BD's get no armor masteries past 40, BD's are made of glass.
This thread was about a lowbie SK looking forward to later on. I'm pretty sure that any suggestion that would include the Clarity buff isn't relevant to that discussion.
if u relaly wanna take it to the extreme u can enchant all your dances, focus mind, and inner rythm to conserve as much mp as possible but thats not for everyone.Same thing with enchanting skills. The starter is 28! Enchanting skills is 48 levels away. Enchanting Innter Rhythm is 50 levels away.
All that said, of course a 76+ BD is quite different from a 40 BD. I don't think anyone would disagree. I also don't think that discussion applies to the current topic.
i was responding to the last 2 replies prior to mine but thanks for your opinion.
Yes, it is possible to kill a tank of equal level, you're right, a BD can win... if the tank is AFK.
not all tanks dish out enough damage to kill but rather relay on tanking and protecting their party members. ive been in a fight with the hero tk and he won cus he had more cp pots than me... and his other clannies kept porting back after i killed em but thats be side the point. im saying that fight was just up to who ran out of pots first. my cp stayed steady and im sure so was his but it all came down to who ran out of pots.
In a PVP the main point of the BD is to buff the party with dances. People rely on these dances. If the BD dies, you have to rez that PVP ASAP because their dances will soon fade leaving the rest of the party at an extreme disadvantage. In a PVP the BD's job is to dance and stay alive. If you can do that while pumping out damage, more power to you. Remember though, the more damamge you pump out, the more of a target you will be. Since BD's get no armor masteries past 40, BD's are made of glass.
omg.. this glass reference is laughable but not gonna argue it.
ofcourse i know bd's job is to keep dances up but when u can 2 shot that bishop or ee when the chance is there... i sure hope u do it. so yes more power to whoever is smart enough to do that. and when the enemy rather hit a bd rather than the dagger, archer, mage, titan, tyrant, bishops, ee's and so on then u r fighting scrubs that dont know how to pvp.
All that said, of course a 76+ BD is quite different from a 40 BD. I don't think anyone would disagree. I also don't think that discussion applies to the current topic.
i believe the title of this thread is called SK versus BD. so whats the problem of talking and explaining about endgame bd? for all you know the op might want to know about the classes and how hell fare against other classes. god forbid anyone might voice their opinion on the subject lols
Calm down. Let's not get defensive. I didn't flame you or get sarcastic. If you're willing to have an adult conversation with opposing points of view, then I'm in. If you're itching for a forum fight then I'm gone.
It is true that tanks are bad in the damage output department, but what they lack they make up for with their stunning abilities, summons and self heals. I have never beaten a tank 1v1 in similar levels no matter what my gear is. A tank's pathetic damage is only rivaled by a BD's pathetic Heavy Armor Masteries which end at level 35.
Yes, BD's are glass. This is nearly universally accepted. CP Pots should not be considered in a class's PVP ability because CP Pots apply equally to all classes therefore the effect cancels out. You talked about 2 shotting a Bishop. The bishop must have been much lower than you, because with my +++ S duals I cannot 2 shot a bishop of my level. Unless naked, it is highly unlikey that I will pump out 2k damage in each hand. That's on the order of nuker damage. If you have somehow setup your BD to do that much damage then I'd be interested in knowing what your setup is.
I have gone after a BD before, espically when they start to dance. It's a perfect chance to lower the fighting capability of your opponet(s) especially if you can kill them before they finish their dances. There are perfectly acceptable ways to PVP with a BD that do allow you to win often, it is notable, though, that these tactics are based mostly on the use of debuffs since, as dark elves, we like debuffs.
As far as the comprison, I agree that SK vs. BD applies to all levels, however, the high-level information is less applicable to the thread starter. In all likelyhood you are talking about things that they may or may not understand. To put it literally: BD's are 40 to 75, SK's are 40 to 75. When I begin a new toon or subclass I'm not looking at the skill I will get in 8 months, I look at the skills I will get in a few weeks. The skills that I can use soon are what interest me. I have never started a new class because of something I can get at 78. While your comments are viable they are not particularly applicable.
You say my comment about BD's being glass is laughable but you're not going to argue it. I am curious as to why you argue every other point but this one. You made a point to be as condescending as possible in your reply, yet you did not take an opproutunity to do so on one subject. I find it a particularly interesting point of the human psyche that arguments that are not responded to are the ones that the arguer cannot respond to.
Yes, BD's are glass. This is nearly universally accepted. CP Pots should not be considered in a class's PVP ability because CP Pots apply equally to all classes therefore the effect cancels out. You talked about 2 shotting a Bishop. The bishop must have been much lower than you, because with my +++ S duals I cannot 2 shot a bishop of my level. Unless naked, it is highly unlikey that I will pump out 2k damage in each hand. That's on the order of nuker damage. If you have somehow setup your BD to do that much damage then I'd be interested in knowing what your setup is.
its called a bow. u should get one. i heard they r quite nice. ill load the fraps when i get home since u sound so eager to see.
You say my comment about BD's being glass is laughable but you're not going to argue it. I am curious as to why you argue every other point but this one. You made a point to be as condescending as possible in your reply, yet you did not take an opproutunity to do so on one subject. I find it a particularly interesting point of the human psyche that arguments that are not responded to are the ones that the arguer cannot respond to.
take a look at my filefront and see why i dont agree with ur glass comment. silvydebie's videos too http://hosted.filefront.com/Flowtation
Hello, this is my very 1st post on this forum, although i read it quite a lot time :p
Im a SK with a BD sub,and honestly i love them both.
the truth is that in 1 vs 1 fights even if the bd has epic gear he cannot match with a tank,sooner or later he will be oom, until he takes the tank down...but thats never gonna happen.
and i've seen that from personal tests i've made even i dont have epic gear :p
i am kinda curius to ask tho(not by opening a new thread,if u excuse me :o) what kind of dyes should a high lvl bd use? presuming he has IC set dual S and access to a drac bow? both in pve-pvp-mass pvp.
on my SK i use +5 str -5 con,without using a maj set,or epic jewels,i know it sounds kinda weird,but from this setup im kinda happy in all pve-pvp-mass pvp aspects and full buffed i deal nice dmg on robes and light armors(if i manage to hit them).
but what should be a nice setup for a BD? to deal all this kind of dmg u guys describe in dye setup aspects?
sry for the long post i hope u guys dont get tired reading my 1st post :)
It all depends on your play style. Everything else everyone said is very good advice but they left out 1 thing. My main was a BD before I switched to a Warsmith. The reason I did this was mostly due to the way the game changed (for me atleast) when I got to the mid 60's.
Soloing becomes annoying due to your low hp. In a group situation no one but casters want you..and even then all you do is dance and then afk for a little comeback and dance again. I had 0 problems finding a group full of mages or archers but that got so boring.
Now As far as leveling goes BD im sure level much faster due to groups always wanting them.. But is it possible to Solo with SK to 62 using newbie buffs, not having an outside buffer as fast as a BD could level?
both of these classes can be fun. but neither of them are major killers (damage dealers). SK is tough in high level pvp but will still need backup to kill most people. However, our clan SK's lightning strike para lands a lot and is very nice in pvp. BD can be good DD in pvp also but to most classes isn't a real threat either. BD can also be tiresome because if you aren't happy in a support role watching other people make the kills, you will probably just get DD-envy. And for many parties and raids your biggest task will be to always watch and manage the dances and your mp, so your usage of other skills is limited.
I tried -dex on bd before, only problem was greatly reduced accuracy with a bow, so you will end up missing hits on evasion classes a lot.