Swordsman Archive
Thread: Swordsmen in PvP?
Well, I take it that being a Swordsmen in a PvP battle is useless? Everytime I try to attack I always seem to get knocked down and remain on the ground while I get a new one riped..... 
What are you thoughts on PvP being a swordsman?
-Yoshi
No brawler class is good in PvP. It's more to do with the realities of the software than any balance issue. Even without knockdowns or other cheese attacks, you simply can't close with and keep up with a ranged weapon user. So long as they're running, you're going to find it's impossible to hit them. I believe this is mostly due to visual lag -- it looks like you're 1m behind them, in melee range while running, but the server sees them as being more like 10m ahead of you, out of melee range. This is true even if you both have a ping of 70ms. I play on two accounts at the same time and this lag effect is very evident with the monitors side by side.
Quake does a good job of staying in synch, everyone sees the same stuff, but MMORPG's, perhaps due to extra processing required (I don't know) always seem to have something like a 2000ms turnaround time on data going through the server. Your target starts to run (on his computer) and2 seconds later you see him start to run (on your computer).
Anyway, long story short, no, brawlers are not good in PvP, mostly for technical reasons that I don't think we'll ever see fixed.
Pick up a Rifle and Intermediate Range 4...I beleive it's Threaten Shot(?) that forces your target to duck, or at least run slower...or something like that. I haven't worked it out myself, I'm still working onRifle 4 (already an Expert), and don't want to waste my Combat XP on Ranged Support til I hit Finesse 1 at least (I'm a newb Swordsman, yes).
I don't think a straight Brawler of any type will make it in PvP...while I have cleaved the occassional opponent in two with my 2HCS and Head Hit 1, I can't say I "own" anybody. I beleive I've died about as many times as I've killed someone, so 50% average is good enough for me. Although, against anyone not smart enough to kite me (run while shooting me, in other words), I've dealt them very very quick deaths. (And this is just with Master 2HS from the Brawler tree...I hit Novice Swordsman a couple of nights ago...I go up slow, I'm a Master Weaponsmith.)
to my face... I understand the game needs tweakin and balance. I just hope swordsman is not a forgotten profession.
The real problem is the skill based system. If everyone was only a Swordsman or only a Pistoleer it could easily be balanced.
I'm sure the Swordsman designer said "what these guys need is KD immunity or resistance so they can close." I'm sure he put it in. And in beta all the pistoleers grabbed brawler, 2H, and got that line in Swordsmen that give KD resist and now you have Pistoleers that can't be knocked down.
Whatever good/powerful ability you give to a 2H Swordsman a Pistoleer, Rifleman, or a Chef can get as well.
The players taking out groups in PvP are not pure swordsmen or pure pistoleers. They are hybrids with the best abilities of multiple classes.
It's tough for us Swordsman Class characters but you get by...yeah PvP is way tougher..but with my 2handheadhit 2 technique..I usually do more than 1,000 pts of dmg..on any character that's usually incap. Problem is catching those runnin fools! hehe ;-) hit ur burst and follow commands! hehe
Walks....
of course someone will own you out in the open if you have to get close... but if you're in a cantina or a city... duck into a building and take em down there.