I was wondering what the dps and solo capabilities are for both of them, and is it possible to change classes? im still confused about that because i have a 72 brigand.
I've betrayed my Swashbuckler to Brigand...3 times >_> It's sad. I eventually went back with Swashbuckler, because I really enjoy the AoE's. Brigand is more defensive debuffing, while Swash is more offensive debuffing. I didn't notice too much difference in DPS when switching, they both do awesome numbers. Soloing, I found Brigand to be easier, because they have like...4 stuns, or something around then. It is possible to betray. Swashbuckler's are good, where as Brigands are evil. Betraying also puts EVERYTHING back to APP1, which really sucks, especially where you're at level 72 now, and things are pricey. With how fast levelling is, I would suggest just making a Swash, you'll be 50 in probably less then a month, depending how often you play. Good luck with whatever you do.
If you're going to betray, now would be the time to do it, before you get to 80, get your epic, and start accumulating tier 8 masters. Honestly, the only thing that has stopped me from betraying to Brigand (due to a severe shortage of good Brigs on Oasis combined with a surplus of Swashbucklers) is the sheer number of Masters I'd lose, so make a decision now that you'll stick to at least until the next time the level cap is raised (or you'll pay severely). That said, as was noted, Brigands are much better soloers than Swashbucklers, easily the best soloing Scout class, due to their high burst DPS capabilities as well as numerous stuns and roots. In grouping and raiding situations, most Swashbucklers tend to out-DPS Brigands, though in my experience this is more a difference in skill level, as I have seen some Brigands put out a sick amount of DPS as well, just much less often than I see it from Swashbucklers (again though, disparity in the amounts of each class on my server could also be a major cause of this). Even with perhaps slightly lower DPS, Brigands are about as desirable in groups, and somewhat more desirable in raids due to their mitigation debuffs, which are far and away the best in the game. Comparitively, most Swashbuckler debuffs are lackluster, with only a few that shine (and certainly not as brightly as Dispatched), however being hate transfer tends to secure spots for Swash's in groups, and usually one spot in a raid (multiple Swash's don't add nearly as much as multiple Brigands can to a raid force, but some guilds do run with two). It's really a matter of preference. If you'd like to do some AoE DPS (though not as good as most mages and even some fighters can), have a spot in the MT group of a raid, and likely do a bit more overall DPS, Swashbuckler is a fine choice. If you want to solo amazingly well, debuff like crazy, and likely have a much easier time finding a raid force with a spot available for you, stick to the Brigand. I betrayed back and forth several times, and can say that both classes are a blast to play, I ended up sticking with Swash because at the time (a few expansions ago), their AoE DPS was comparitively higher than it is now and the tanks I ran with loved big pulls, but even now I still enjoy the class thuroughly, particularly with the little tricks and intricacies you can pull off to make even bad tanks look adequate, at least, thanks to hate transfer.
So, how are swashie debuffs? That is, do they make a meaningful difference in how hard mobs hit? Do you notice it when soloing? Or, will mobs in kunark still brutalize a swashy who is soloing? I respeced mine to brig at 50, had my eyes on those beautiful stuns. The single target is spectacular and all, but i'm getting irritated at AoE pulls, so now my eye is on hurricane. Do swashies have a tough time soloing in kunark? I remember as my assassin that i couldn't face the mobs in melee combat at all, i'd have to snare and kite because i wouldn't stand a chance against even a normal, no arrow mob. I can only imagine it is worse for a swashie, since they have worse range attacks and only WTP and cheap shot for stuns, so as my now brigand gets close to the kunark levels, being able to solo is a large factor in determining re-betrayal.
Rylah@Antonia Bayle wrote: Agreed. Also I do think that brigands have a higher ceiling for dps growth than a swashbuckler. Brigands cannot self haste or have temp haste buffs and their combat arts seem to hit harder. Swashbucklers have better aoe potential is all.
Untruth wrote: I don't think of a stun as a debuff, but I do think swashies can do a great job of slowing down incoming DPS, either solo or in a group, with our multiple stuns and interrupts (including the poison and buff proc interrupt). Just looking at the numbers, going up against the inflated numbers in the last two expansions, I don't think our debuffs really do anything to make mobs hit any less hard. Decreasing WIS by 86 isn't going to make *any* RoK or TSO mob hit me any less hard, I can guarantee. My two favorite debuffs are the magic debuff on Bound and the physical debuff on Kidney Stab. However, neither one of them have to do with incoming damage and both of those pale when compared to Dispatch. I did just fine in RoK until ~76 but skipped to JW/Moors way too early and had a tough time (READ: died a whole lot). Looking back if I had done more content/quests in RoK it would have provided better gear than my MC that would have made it a lot easier to solo those mobs. Also, I've never played one, but assassins are notorious for being very difficult to solo and RoK content is definitely no exception. If you are looking for a recommendation, definitely stick with Brig, since you know it, until 80 or almost 80, then think about betraying if you really want to be a swash. Hold off on your epic (which is required anyway) and masters until then. I would only betray if you raid and your raid force really wants a swash for some specific skill mentioned above. Otherwise there isn't a whole lot of difference other than the incredibly sexy hat. I run two monitors and I'm constantly watching ACT and I see little difference when I run with a comparably geared brig that knows his class. I know mine very well and it's only the extremely sharp tank that will compliment me on my skills other than DPS when things go sideways. It's kind of funny for a tank to thank the swash for *his* crowd control when there is also a illy in the group who's not doing his job but instead just along as a mana battery or trying to out-DPS everyone. Several weeks ago I was with a brig whose gear was quite a bit better than mine and was parsing a couple notches below me. A cloak dropped and he asks 'Is this better than what I have?'. He'd obviously been twinked by his guild to raid and had no clue what he was doing - fortunately or unfortunately he's not really in the position to wipe them screwing up multiple times his first few raids, but they will learn I'm sure.
