Fencer Archive

Hey folks. I'm in my first week or so back since before the CU, and I've been playing around with the /respecs a bit, but I'm having a hard time making a decision, so I thought I'd ask for some feedback.

Basically, I'm a strictly PvE player who also does some crafting, so my combat skill allotment is limited. Master Fencer is certain, but beyond that I only have a couple of options: Master Brawler, or one branch of either Swordsman or TKA. From what I gather from the CU documentation, we're not quite the defensive specialists we once were. In that vein I was thinking the Swordsman Defense line, which also gives Advanced Armor Break (is that very effective?). Or would I be better off with the TKA Balance line, sacrificing some Defense stats for Improved CoB (and some innate armor when I'm in streetclothes)? Or... none of the above?

Suggestions appreciated.

Ah, interesting. Forgot I had a couple of crates of stun batons buried in my bankbox. Would these serve relatively well as a general purpose weapon? Honestly I'd prefer a blade for aesthetic reasons, but for now I'll take what I can get.

Unsliced, unpowered-up:

Damage: 263-669

Speed: 2.32

Special Attack Cost: 84

Ok, I'll have to play around with it some before my respec is up.

I also have a few questions regarding weapons... is the speed cap still a major issue for Master Fencers? In other words, is it pretty much a waste to have any experimentation points put into speed for the core or the final weapon? Just wondering, as I'm trying to get some new blades made.