Swordsinger (Freya) guide — Sword Muse

Swordsinger class guide for Lineage 2 Freya: how to get the class, which skills to take, what to wear and where to level.

Contents 1 What is SwordSinger? 2 Skills 2.1 Songs (Songs) 2.2 Active 2.3 Passive 2.4 Hive Five skills 2.5 Useless 3 Gear (weapons and armor) 4 Tattoo 5 Leveling theory 6 Disco 7 PvP 8 Skill enchanting 8.1 When to start enchanting skills? 9 Subclass skills 10 Olympiad 11 Additional items 12 Class gameplay videos 13 Sources

What is SwordSinger?

Since the days of free servers, many have had the impression that SwordSinger is a wonderful elf (more often a female elf) whose lovely songs make everyone squeal with joy. Alas, the reality of official servers is far from these dreams. So what kind of class do we have?

• SwordSinger (hereafter SwS) is a support class clad in heavy armor. Unlike its dark brother, it counts as a semi-tank and boldly takes damage in mass PvP. Increased survivability gives you a great opportunity to die last.
• You should know and understand that playing a support is hard. At first SwS brings only dull emotions and irritation. All that's available to you at first is the ability to support the party with songs. You won't be able to establish yourself as either a DD or a tank.
• It would seem that, given the large choice of defensive songs, SwS should be a mandatory party member. Not at all. On the one hand, we don't increase the party's damage that much; on the other, at these lvlax increasing the party's defense isn't that critical yet, since there's no special need for it.
• In most cases SwS is taken only on raids. You can count on party leveling only at high levels. In PvE the situation is far from rosy. We're compared to Blade Dancer. We simply can't compete with him; I won't list how many party-damage-boosting dances the Korean devs gave them. Get used to the fact that up to level 76 you'll mostly have to level solo.
• And yet we have a wonderful plus. SwS can do considerable harm to the enemy party, and sometimes even turn the tide of battle with its nasty debuffs. More on them a bit later. I'll add that with a smart build SwS can be turned into a passable DD with increased survivability.

If you don't mind the role of a mostly weak, but no less complex and interesting class, let's take SwS apart piece by piece.

Skills

Songs (Songs)

Lv. 40

Lv. 43

Lv. 46

Lv. 49

Lv. 52

Lv. 55

Lv. 58

Lv. 62

Lv. 66

Lv. 70

Lv. 74

Lv. 76

Lv. 77

Here it is, the joy of any SwS. Mage parties simply adore and cherish us, while we blink innocently and get XP.

Lv. 78

Lv. 79

Lv. 83

Active

First class:

Increases P. Def. by 1800, M. Def. by 1620, and resistance to buff removal by 80%. You can't move. Duration: 30 sec. One of the useful skills. Use it together with a bow, continuing to deal damage to enemy robe wearers.

Second class:

Third class:

Lv. 80

Lv. 81

Passive

First class:

Increases shield defense by 40% and shield block chance by 70%. Once we get this skill, a shield becomes a necessary part of our gear.

Second class:

Third class:

Lv. 76

Lv. 78

Lv. 81

Chance-based skills:

• Archer's Will (Archer's Will) - When using a bow or crossbow, increases Accuracy by 8 and range by 50. During attacks, physical skill power and critical rate increase.

• Warrior's Will (Fighter's Will) - When using melee weapons, increases P. Atk. by 100 and Atk. Spd. by 10%. During attacks, physical skill power and critical rate increase.

Lv. 82

Chance-based skills:

Hive Five skills

Attacks the enemy and deals extra damage. Power 833. Can't be used with a bow, crossbow or fists. Overhit. The only attack skill that will liven up tedious leveling and PvP a bit. Learned from level 40 up to 85.

Useless

We've already found that SwS has a few useless songs, but the Koreans didn't leave us without useless skills either. So:

Gear (weapons and armor)

Please note that SwS is a very expensive character. The options I suggest aren't mandatory, but in my opinion they're ideal.

Lv. 1+

• Heavy armor and a dagger. Look at your finances. There's no point wearing a shield yet; you only lose evasion.

Lv. 20+

• Heavy armor and, oddly enough, a dagger. Again, it all depends on your finances, but practice shows anyone can afford top common gear. It's cheap and weighs less. Forget about set bonuses.

Lv. 40+

Start carrying a two-handed sword for solo leveling or leveling in a melee party. Though you can get by with just a dagger.

Max HP +270. shield defense +5,26%

Lv. 52+

Speed +7, HP Recovery Rate +5.24%, STR+3, CON-1, and DEX-2.

Lv. 61+

STR +2; CON -2; Atk. Spd. +8%; Weight Limit +5759; Resistance to Poison/Bleed +80%.

Lv. 76+

Time to forget the two-handed sword and replace it with a bow. We could have carried it earlier, but unfortunately we don't have that much room.

DEX-2, STR+2, P. Def. +8%, Max HP +445. chance of Sleep/Magic Hold -70%. Chance of Poison/Bleeding -80%.

Lv. 80+

Con-2, Str+2, P. Def. +5.4%, MaxHP +492. Increase Darkness Resistance +8, reduces cost of song/dance skills, increases P. Atk.

STR +2, CON -2; when equipped, P. Atk. +4.26%, Atk. Spd. +4%, magic damage resistance +2%, stun resistance +50%, Fire/Water/Wind/Earth defense +3. Increases shield block chance

Lv. 84+

When used: STR+2, DEX-2, P. Atk./P. Def. +5,57%, Max HP +531, Sleep/Hold defense +70%. Increases shield defense.

STR +3, CON -2; when equipped, P. Atk. +6,59%, Critical Rate +127, bleed/hold/sleep resistance +50%, magic damage resistance +2%, Max HP +550, Fire/Water/Wind/Earth defense +5, restores part of HP from damage dealt to the enemy. Increases shield block chance.

Tattoo

Swordsingers have 3 tattoo options:

• +4 CON/-4 STR (for a SwS tank)
• +4str\-4con
• Some SwS use +4 CON/-4 dex, +4 STR/-4 DEX for the Olympiad, and win.

I'm sure with experience you'll figure out what's best for you.

Leveling theory

1-20

Level like a regular fighter. I always take the shadow daggers from the Newbie Helper and the No-Grade set quest from Markela in the Kamael Village. Then just run the suggested quests. From level 17 the first class quest becomes available.

20-40

After the class we get passive skills for wearing heavy armor and shields. From D grade I buy common items: armor with the highest P. Def., jewelry, and as a weapon I take a "common item" dagger and don't bother — it's convenient for me. In general you can choose anything to your taste and budget; there's no point showing off at these levels.

Also, right after getting the class, I recommend doing the wolf quest. In solo leveling the wolf will help nicely with damage.

40-51

• Ant Nest – XP goes very well
• Alligator Island
• Enchanted Valley – but it's already hard solo there; find a partner
• Catacomb of the Branded – look for or gather a party yourself
• Abandoned Workshop – a decent quest/leveling spot, but without a partner there's nothing to do there

52-60

At these levels you'd better have a static party (if you started solo) or 2-3 DD friends and a buffing support (a mini party). Naturally you should already have a wolf — it gives good DPS; without a wolf it's simply suicide. Everywhere.

• Catacombs of your level
• Bandit Stronghold forest (Outlaw Forest)

61-76

• Level C 61: catacombs again, with the wolf, in a party or a mini party.
• At the exit from Goddard. You can go solo with the wolf. The mobs there are small, levels 68-70, weak
• The Swamp of Screams is a divine place for any melee player (solo leveling, lots of mobs, they have a weakness, it's easy to find a free spot + good adena drops and a resource quest from 66). However, if a person is clumsy, fleeing mobs and their constant bleed and slow will annoy him. With a wolf I leveled there on mobs 10-15 levels above me without straining.
• The Forest of the Dead. A location for true Satanists. There shouldn't be any among the pointy-eared elves, but if you have long ears and still love extremes, the location is special for you.
• The pit under the Giant's Cave.

The class quest starts at level 73, and to me it's easier than the second class quest, especially if you have helpers

Disco

The most important thing a SwS must know is how to work with each other in a party.

Since SwS usually sings more songs, they go first to save as much MP as possible. Then take turns, i.e.:

song/dance/song/dance and so on. But you mustn't doze off; watch that everything is on time.

I know from experience that after cancels and mass cancels it's very rare to land song/dance/song, but you should try)

In a mage party, start with the song: Song of Renewal, then Song of Meditation, and then the ones needed: vitality, P. Def., M. Def.

In a physical party everyone has their own way, but usually you start with the song: Song of Champion, then Song of Renewal — many don't buff it since there's not enough room, but when leveling, why not — and then the usual songs: vitality, P. Def., M. Def., critical attack.

PvP

What does the party expect from us? Timely songs and debuffs when possible. After you've successfully put songs on the party, it's your turn to deal damage to the enemy. Our main targets will be enemy healers. It's best to stand between them and use our wonderful skill Song of Silence (Sonf of Silens). If the "silence" landed, you can safely forget about those annoying healers for the next two minutes. Otherwise give them Arrest and use Sword Symphony (Sword Symphony). Don't overdo the debuffs; first of all the party expects songs from you, and you must have enough mana for them. Try to keep assist on the healers, watch their state and give them no life at all. When the healers aren't bothering you, you can try handing out roots to the enemy DDs or fight the SwS of the enemy party in a fair duel. In narrow corridors, on bridges, in small rooms use Noise (Symbol of Noise). At the very least the enemies will have to recast their songs\dances.

In mage and archer parties I don't recommend running far from your party; deal only with enemies approaching you. There's practically no class that could go on comfortably after the Song of Silence (Sonf of Silens). Use this skill wisely; it has a long reuse.

If you're attacked, you can always use UD, pull out a bow and keep shooting the enemy.

This is just one of many tactics. You'll work out your own through many victories and defeats. But I'm sure this option will help you get your bearings at first.

Skill enchanting

Don't neglect skill enchanting. It's what lets you greatly strengthen both your character and your usefulness to the party. And if you don't want to run low on MP, think about enchanting as early as possible.

Active:

All the main songs are enchanted for cost. Their order depends on your needs and, in the end, on how much money is left. Keep in mind that in mass PvP you and your dark brother will have to perform 12 songs, 8 of which rest on your fragile shoulders in a melee party. Those are the ones to pay attention to:

Each party has its own list, of course, but I hope this option helps you choose the ideal singing lineup. A song enchanted to +10 cuts its cost by 21%, to +20 by 41%, and enchanted to +30 by as much as 63%. A serious bonus, isn't it?

Passive:

• defense against mental attacks (any kind of mental attack)
• Sleep Resistance
• Hold Resistance

How to enchant Wisdom depends on what your character focuses on more. If the Olympiad, choose either Sleep Defense or Hold Defense; if you don't really like the Olympiad (like me), then Mental Attack Defense)

When to start enchanting skills?

It's best to reach level 80 first and learn all the skills, and only then start enchanting. But you can start from level 78.

2 class skills:

78	79	80	81	82	83	84	85
+3	+6	+9	+12	+15	+18	+21	+24

At +24 the chance will still be 51%; with each further enchant the chance drops rapidly. And the chance to enchant a skill to +30 at level 85 is 24%.

3 class skills:

83	84	85
+3	+6	+15

Having reached level 85, enchanting the 3 class skills is more fun, since enchanting to +15 has a 54% chance, much more than the maximum enchant of second-class skills.

And, of course, remember that up to and including the Gracia Final update, skill enchanting requires SP and XP (Exp).

Subclass skills

• 1. counter-haste (from a Tyrant, Gladiator, Destroyer, Warlord)
• 2. counter-UD (any tank)
• 3. Celestial (Warcryer, BD, SwS, but for us only the Warcryer) / or, if you don't need Celestial and you're not an Olympiad hero, an extra 700 CP (CP boost - Warlord, Gladiator, Tyrant)

Olympiad

The SwS's Olympiad is simple. Very few classes we can beat. The most important skill is song of silence, the Song of Silence, so pay attention to enchanting it.

• Against mages, EEs, Bishops, Shillien Elders - you made it to them and threw Silence. Did it land? Great. Pull out the dagger and hit, hit, hit; you managed to kill them before Silence ended. Excellent. Silence didn't land - we have no chance.
• Against tanks: if the tank is good - no chance; if you won, either the tank is unskilled or he lagged and you got lucky.
• Against crafters/spoilers: here it's also 50 for 50. They can even stun you.
• Against a BD: if Medusa lands, you have no chance); if your Silence lands, you might get lucky) it all depends on the gear, level and enchants of your character and the opponent.
• Against Gladiators: sometimes (read: very rarely) you can kill one, but it's hard; we're unlikely to kill good opponents.
• Summoners: while we hit the summoner, the beast picks us apart, and vice versa, so for us this is one of the hardest classes to kill..
• Archers: here it's twofold; you have arrow defense, but.. if a stun lands, you'll most likely be killed, but there's a good chance to win) throw Silence, then cancel with the dagger) and pick him apart.
• Against daggers - you're unlikely to beat well-geared level 85 daggers. Our lot is only level 79-80 daggers in a Draconic set (but if Silence lands, we may manage to kill them)
• Destroyer - little chance, almost none. Under limits, literally a couple of crits on us and that's it
• Berserker - almost no chance; again, the only hope is that his disarm and stun don't land and our Silence does; then we may manage to pick him apart)
• Soul Breaker - no chance, but if the bird turns out to be stupid and our Silence lands, you can kill it.

For weapons, I recommend having:

and in the backpack carry:

In the main weapon, boldly aim for an active stun skill, in the dagger a vampiric passive. Even so, the Olympiad is a sore subject for a SwS, and you can count more on class-based fights.

Additional items

• Fenrir - a very good helper for solo leveling. Act like a tank, with the main DPS on the wolf. This scheme also strengthens the SwS as a DD in PvP. One downside - because of the wolves, it's hard to target enemies in mass PvP.

You'll master all the other skills in PvP/PvE yourself; it takes only experience: fight and die, fight and win - only then will you learn something.

In short, good luck to you on this hard road!!!

Class gameplay videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caYdZtf4aqY

Sources

The article uses data from http://danieldefo.ru/forum/showthread.php?t=21849.