Gold’s Guide to Swashbuckler

Created by Gold Zephzellian

Summary

A storm of blades. A torrent of bullets. A big blow followed by many little ones. A speed demon. The Swashbuckler is a speedy weapon striker who unleashes all their built up momentum for additional attacks, really putting the pressure on foes.

The Swashbuckler is a weapon-based attacker who builds up Momentum to then crash through foes with a flurry of attacks in a row or to get massive bursts of speed to help get around the field with relative ease. This flurry of attacks can punch through the most evasive of threats, but can struggle against more armored targets, and is a Sub-Archetype that really needs attack damage multipliers to excel, often from Path of Attack. 

If you don’t mind that, though, the Swashbuckler will smother any enemy with so many strikes, they’ll crumple!

Sub-Archetype Statistics

Ease of Use – ★★★★☆

Offensive Ability – ★★★★★*

  • Single Target – ★★★★★*
  • AOE – ★★★★☆*
  • Disabling – ★★★☆☆

Defense – ★★★☆☆

  • Passive Defense – ★★☆☆☆
  • Active Defense – ★★★☆☆
  • Healing – ★★☆☆☆

Support – ★★★☆☆

  • Offensive Support – ★★☆☆☆
  • Defensive Support – ★★☆☆☆
  • Miscellaneous Support – ★★★☆☆

Skills – ★★★☆☆

  • Social – ★★★☆☆
  • Physical – ★★★☆☆
  • Mental – ★★★☆☆

*: …with a catch. We’ll get there.

Use this Sub-Archetype if you want to…
– A means to just smother your foes in a ridiculous number of attacks. 
– You want to go fast. Like, really fast.
– You just want to roll a lot of dice. No shame…
Consider avoiding this Sub-Archetype if…
– If you don’t want Armor to absolutely deny your damage output without help.
– If you want big numbers; you’ll get a lot of little ones here.
– If you don’t want to rely heavily on Path of Attack and other damage multiplier granters; they’re kinda necessary here.

Features

Tier 1 – Attack Momentum

You gain 2 momentum charges whenever you attack during combat. Any effect that multiplies the damage also multiplies the charges gained. You can use one momentum charge to gain movement equal to your Basic Movement and four momentum charges to make an additional weapon attack with your Attack or Flash Attack action that deals half damage (this Attack does not generate momentum charges). You lose all momentum charges at the end of combat.

Gain access to Momentum Charges (henceforth Momentum). Attacks generate 2 Momentum, multiplied by any damage multipliers. 

Spend 1 Momentum to gain [Basic Movement] Movement. 

Spend 4 Momentum to make an additional weapon attack with Attack/Flash Attack at 50%, but generate no Momentum with this attack. 

Lose all Momentum at end of combat.

Hooo boy, we’re starting with the beefiest feature of Swashbuckler, and the one that makes the whole kit sing. Let’s break it down piece by piece.

First, you generate Momentum whenever you attack, regardless of the result, scaling with any damage multipliers. As a result, it doesn’t really matter how you attack with Path of Attack (which you’ll probably take to generate more Momentum), you’ll generate more charges either way! Additional sources of attacks or multipliers, like Assault and Blade Overload, do generate additional Momentum, which can make them a good way to build some extra Momentum rather quickly. It is in your best interest to generate as much Momentum as you can, as they can be used for the following two (and only) options…

The first option is to spend 1 Momentum to gain extra movement equal to your Basic Movement, as much as you want during your turn. This makes the Swashbuckler SURPRISINGLY slippery, allowing them to ZOOM around the battlefield, making them hard to escape or chase. It also has some fun synergies, which we’ll discuss in the Synergies section.

The second option, and the one that will probably draw you to this Sub-Archetype, is the one that allows you to spend 4 Momentum to gain an extra 50% damage Attack during your Attack or Flash Attack action, though it can’t generate Momentum. This is huge, as it grants Swashbuckler the ability to rush down foes and take them down far sooner than any other attacker could dream of, and at no real long-term resource cost! That’s awesome. So… what’s the catch? 

ARMOR. Even a small amount of the stuff can totally snuff out any attempt for you to use this part of Swashbuckler, as it can and will eat your extra attacks for breakfast. It can be AGONIZING!!! If you come to love this Sub-Archetype, this is a pain you will quickly learn. Fortunately… there are a wide range of remedies that I will discuss in the Synergies section. Some of your features will also help ease this issue. This is the biggest caveat to your offensive potential, and is the red star to your offense.

Despite these issues, Attack Momentum is still your most powerful and important feature. Learn to love it… and treasure it.

Tier 2 – Combo Momentum

Attacks you make by using momentum charges deal 1 additional damage for each Momentum charge you gained this turn (no multiplication).

Attacks made with Momentum deal +1 damage for each Momentum gained this turn, ignoring multipliers.

Hooo boy, Combo Momentum is a pretty sweet damage additive for Swashbuckler! This is one of your best means of punching through light amounts of Armor without any further investment (you will invest in Armor punchthrough, though… right?), and if there is none, it’s just a handful of extra free damage, completely unaffected by the multiplier of the attack!

It’s also rather fun to use during a burst if you have means to gain additional Momentum quickly during a turn. Assault is the most obvious way to do this, but there are a number of ways to make this work. Overall, Combo Momentum is a handy feature that provides you extra damage, perfect for handling one of your biggest weaknesses or just killing faster!

Tier 3 – Rushing Start

You gain 2 momentum charges at the start of each combat.

Start each combat with 2 Momentum.

An… honestly kind of underwhelming Tier 3? It’s not bad; far from it! Starting with a couple Momentum allows you to get in and start causing problems or reposition quickly, and will allow you to build up your big barrage of swings faster. The big thing more so in Tier 3 tends to be the fact that you can generate an attack’s worth of Momentum without any additional investment, which can be nice. This is more of just a stop gap until the next two features, though, which are game changing. 

Tier 4 – Onslaught

The additional weapon attack you make by using momentum charges deals full damage instead of half.

Your Momentum granted attacks are now 100% instead of 50%.

OH BABY! This is it, this is what you’ve been waiting for! I consider this to be more of Swashbuckler’s capstone than the real one (though the real one is still really good). Changing each Momentum attack to 100% is a massive boost to your damage output, and further helps turn the tide of Armor in your favor. Now, it’s very likely you’re gonna accomplish something with your Momentum attacks, even if Armor is standing in the way! A top tier Feature that really adds onto Swashbuckler’s kit.

Tier 5 – Extreme Rush Down

You can make an additional weapon attack with the Attack or Flash Attack action.

Gain an additional 100% attack for Attack or Flash Attack actions.

A simple, but rather potent capstone; this alongside Onslaught ensures you get 8 Momentum each set of Attacks, giving you two additional 100% swings each turn, guaranteed! Have fun. You’ve earned it, champ!

Synergies & Tips

Synergies

  • Path of Attack: Pretty much the defacto path for any serious Swashbuckler; it provides bigger initial attacks and gives you more Momentum over time. Yeeeeep!
  • Multi-Wielder: One of the easiest sources of additional multiplier; this grants an additional 50% for only a Lesser Talent’s worth of investment. It’s definitely possible to live without it, but I’m partial to Dual-Wield Swashbucklers… so yea, take that as you will. Gets even better with Gladiator, which can add to its strength.
  • Blade Overload: DOUBLE your damage?!? Oh boy, that is an awful lot of Momentum just waiting to happen! Energy Blades are already one of the best weapons for Swashbucklers, and this is just an even better excuse. Notably, this double damage also applies to your Momentum attacks too. AWESOME. Stealable with Spirit of the Weapon too, if that’s your jam.
  • Twin Blade Dance: A phenomenal source of extra damage and Momentum that can be stolen by everyone with Spirit of the Weapon. Definitely a bit more expensive than Multi-Wielder, but it’s a good source of extra damage and Momentum with no fuss or muss other than the 1AP cost.
  • Revolver Hero: An extra attack in the first round? A bit too similar to Rushing Start in my opinion, but extra Momentum is extra Momentum, and is stealable with Spirit of the Weapon.
  • Short Bow Barrage: If you can handle the significant decrease in accuracy, Short Bow Barrage is a top tier source of extra Momentum with very few downsides, and scales with Tier! Very fun option if you really want to roll lots of dice, and stealable with Spirit of the Weapon to boot!
  • Sword Master: You’re gonna miss sometimes. This gives you another attack, and by proxy some extra Momentum as compensation when you do! Swords are a classic Swashbuckler weapon, and even if you don’t use them, Spirit of the Weapon allows you to steal it! Also, apparently you can opt to willingly miss to trigger this, which can make it more a consistent source of Momentum or provide a bit more oomph on a 50% attack. It’s weird, but word of god says it works.
  • One Strike Style: “Bu-but rolling diiiic-” SHUSH! This little Lesser Talent that could helps deal with one of Swashbuckler’s longest standing issues: ARMOR. No amount of Armor will protect fully against a big hit, and this gives you that. It’s also fun if you want a Swashbuckler that builds up to large, single hits that deal hilarious levels of damage; this may be your huckleberry if you’re into that sort of thing.
  • Assault: I normally don’t discuss Abilities too often, but it would be a crime against humanity if I didn’t bring it up for Swashbuckler! Not only is this an extra attack, which is already pretty great, but it also builds Momentum AND Combo Momentum. One of the best pieces for Swashbuckler, and it’s available by default within Cunning! 
  • Relentless Offensive: Very similar to its brother Assault above, this provides an additional attack. While it is only a 50% attack, you get that extra attack for 5 ROUNDS by default, which is often long enough to close out a fight. A fantastic Buff, already available on Cunning to boot! Oh, and upcasting it just makes it even sillier.
  • No Multiplication Damage Additives: Normally, no multiplication isn’t a super useful keyword, but for Swashbuckler who often makes use of 50% attacks, these can be some of the most valuable. There are a lot of these, and you can get very creative with them on Swashbuckler.
  • Extra To-Hit: Swashbuckler makes lots of attacks (normally…). Being able to hit them reliably is key to getting more damage, so extra accuracy on them can help a lot.
  • Armor Hate: As much as you can reasonably get! Armor is the eternal nemesis of Swashbucklers everywhere, do whatever you can to counter it! Dissolving, Armor Piercer, and Armor Erosion are all common ways to deal with it, and are all available within Cunning in some shape or form. There are more ways than that if you know where to look, though!
  • Quick as Lightning: Allows you to convert your Momentum into incredible defenses, especially when combined with Basic Movement increases. Can arguably be even more worth it than attacks in some scenarios, which is kind of wild to say!
  • Running Momentum: More damage and attack rolls the more you move? Yes please! Swashbucklers love this, especially since they can spend Momentum to move even further than usual at no AP cost.
  • Dimachaerus: Swashbuckler just recently got a brother! And surprising absolutely no-one, these two Sub-Archetypes play off each other incredibly well. The extra firepower of Swashbuckler alongside the Dimachaerus’ improved defenses makes for a killer combo, especially with Counter Rave. Jeez louise. If they had existed when I made this guide originally, the builds would have almost certainly had this in one of ‘em.

Tips

  • Knowing when to spend your Momentum and when to hold onto it is key to playing Swashbuckler well. Is bursting on a small guy who’s probably gonna die to your friend worth it? Or should you save it for that big brute? Decisions, decisions…
  • The way you structure your Path multipliers doesn’t matter much in terms of how you gain Momentum; it all ends up the same in the end. Dual-Wielding is probably most optimal in terms of Momentum gain, though not by much.

Sub-Archetype Build Showcase

Simple Build

Ah, yes… the defacto Swashbuckler. Two Swords, Armor Piercer with discounts for an easy 8 Armor pierce, a good number of statistical bonuses, and a dream… truly the Swashbuckler in its purest form. 

In all seriousness, this Swashbuckler is highly consistent with good damage, Armor hate, and even a couple extra sources of Momentum generation in Sword Master and Assault! It also has all the traditional skill utility you’d come to expect from Cunning.

It is a bit squishy, only having Resist to help take hits, but our Willpower situation is pretty generous anyways, so it shouldn’t be a huge deal. 

Experimental Build

This unusual take on Swashbuckler focuses in on the multihit quality of Swashbuckler and squeezes it for all it is worth to apply as much Poisoned stacks as possible, allowing us to bypass Armor entirely. With a mix of a discounted Precision Attack through Infused Ability to solve accuracy, Special Forces Bolts for a free 2WP upcast, and Enhanced By Element (Poisoned), we can inflict a lot of Poisoned really quickly, especially with Poisoned Expert and Unnatural Ailment thrown in the mix to make it even scarier.

Worried about regular damage? Don’t be! Double Blight Weapon on our Crossbows helps them keep up just fine, though Armor is still a problem (Armor Erosion helps, at least!). This fella is more perceptive than hands on compared to the Basic Swashbuckler, so you’ll be able to always know what’s up, and you’ve got a handful of control utilities to help as well. It’s just as squishy, and arguably more so with Parry and Dodge Roll, so you’ve gotta make those RP uses count!

Conclusion

Swashbuckler is easily one of my favourite Sub-Archetypes in the game, and I hope this review showed that. If you want to be a speedy, multi-hitting menace, accept no substitute! Thanks for reading! If you have any fun builds that could help show off Swashbuckler more, feel free to send them to me on Discord at goldzephzellian!