Question about Hunter..and Shadowblade..

[EZ_ShintaroX]

Hey..I bought the game like uh, yesterday hehe, and was talking to my friend about a rogue like class.

He said I should be a hunter, but i've looked at some things and they don't look rogueish, but he also said the other kind of rogue wasn't very good(not sure why, he didn't explain or anything)..

So was wondering, what's the difference between the two, and could anyone explain some good and bad things about each? I'll have a perm group basically when I get up to level 15 or so..thanks for the info! Shintaro
Half Elf Assassin
Xegony~

[EZ_Zadok Baccarat]

Shadowblades are the closest you are going to get to an EQ rogue in Midgard (assuming that is where your interest lies). Hunters are just lonely archers who needs pets as friends because no else will talk to them.

Seriously though, SB's are the assassin class in Midgard and thus the true "rogue" class. They use poison, dual-wield (which is called Left Axe in Midgard), get Stealth ability, they backstab, etc. Coming from a rogue background in EQ as your sig suggests, I think that is what you are looking for.

[EZ_ShintaroX]

Aye, that is what I'm looking for, but my friend told me they weren't very good (exact word was 'suck,' actually, hehe)..is this true? I'd appreciate any info, and yeah, Midgard is where I'm playing, hehe sorry Shintaro
Half Elf Assassin
Xegony~

[EZ_Lord Towers]

well MIDGARD OWNZ J00
hehe
anyways

the archer classes are the snipers of all the realms

the reason we "suc" is because were a challange
true we are a little more gimped than some of the other classes
but we are playable

just remember it will be a challange


<u>Guinevere Hibernia</u>
Quixilver Level 14 NightShade (Typical) Twinkling of an Eye
Visage Level 13 NightShade (Venom Staff) Little Rascals
Spindel Level 18 Warden (Barden)

[EZ_Iriki]

suggestions? Read this forum. It is all about the class.

SBs are balanced but only with certain specs and are on the low end of the scale.

When you play keep your main weapon skill (axe or sword) high (I suggest 80% your level or so) and don't spend points in stealth for the first 20 levels or so.

If you will be playing with friends mostly you will have a fairly easy time. When you reach RvR levels (30+) you will be fairly feared.

That is the 100 word summary.

[EZ_Axterix EnObelix]

The Hunter class can attack at ranged and has some nice buffs. Spears are the melee weapon of choice, as they rock, have great styles, and are partially dex based.

The shadowblade class is melee only. The weapons (sword or axe) are strength based, a bit of an annoyance as that stat only goes up every 3 levels. No spells.

Neither class is popular in groups PvE. Hunters bring ranged so they can pull... but plenty of other classes pull every bit as well or better. So basically both classes only bring damage to groups. Neither has good armor or hp. Combine those things and you end up with classes that are only good for damage but can't afford to go full out.

Solo, the hunter is more effective as they can take off a large portion of the mob's hp before it gets to them. However, as long as the SB spends points wisely, he can solo decently.

In RvR, the SB needs to get close to melee range. The hunter can attack at ranged. The SB can punch through bladeturn with a hidden CS style. If the SB kills in one hit, he can stay stealthed after the kill. Overall, the SB takes a much greater risk to make a kill than a hunter and has a harder time choosing targets. That's solo RvR. In group fights, to be optimally effective, the SB needs to use stealth to get into position. The hunter again can reach out and touch at range.

Now, if all that makes the hunter sound better all around, well, that's because that is partially true. The hunter class is much more versatile because it has good ranged damage and good melee damage. But for just melee, the SB owns, as CS has the best opener styles, Left Axe the best all around styles, and poison can supliment either skill.

However, the SB is point starved and a lot of skills feed off each other. You need stealth to get close to your target undetected. You need weapon skill to get the best use out of CS and/or Left Axe. Envenom doesn't stack too well with CS and it's debuff line just got severely nerfed, but it can still be useful. You've got to choose what to focus on. Spreading your points out too thin, especially early, has a big impact on your ability to function.

What the choice really comes down to:
If you want pure melee, then SB. Otherwise, hunter.

[EZ_ShintaroX]

Wow, thanks for the info, really appreciate it Shintaro
Half Elf Assassin
Xegony~

[EZ_Fandango Darkdance]

Here is my advice GO WITH THE HUNTER. I had a hunter once upon a time till a friend decided to come over. Well we made a bet I lost and wound up with the Shadowblade and deleted my hunter as I knew I would be weak and insist on playing the class that can kill almost any class and walk away to tell about it.

The shadowblade is a fun class tho not nearly as effective as the hunter, and unless some one takes an asp to mythic I doubt we will be completed any time soon. As to the poisons some one mentioned they have been nerfd to hell, matter of fact saw one just go past my window here in Salt Lake.