High Elf, Swordmaster

It was under the Scholar-King Bel-Korhadris that the White Tower of Saphery was first designed and constructed. Gathering the foremost architests, artisans, and magicians of his age, Bel-Korhadris dedicated vast resources into building what he envisioned as a massive repository of Elven knowledge. His endeavor would take near a millennia to complete, but when finished it would stand as a gathering place for the greatest minds to share the most esoteric histories and lore. The completion of the White Tower ushered in what would later be known as the Second Golden age. It is from this glorious era that Swordmasters can trace their origins.

Tome Unlocks

Destruction Only

Task	Rewards	Destruction Text
Encounter a High Elf Swordmaster	XP: 84	N/A
Kill 25 High Elf Swordmasters	XP: 204	N/A
Victim	Title: The Maimed, XP: 336	Be Defeated by a Swordmaster
Kill 100 High Elf Swordmasters	XP: 500	N/A
Spoils of War	Pocket: Polish Kit, XP: 806	Collect a Specific Item from a Vanquished Swordmaster
Kill 1,000 High Elf Swordmasters	Title: Dirge Blade, XP: 1050	N/A
What do We Have Here?	Pocket: Broken Sword, XP: 1476	Learn about the Swordmaster by completing a specific task
Kill 10,000 High Elf Swordmasters	Title: Edge Lord, XP: 1716	N/A
Drop the Top	Trophy: Golden High Elf Eliminator, One Pip, XP: 1800	Defeat the Current Highest Ranking Swordmaster Player
Kill 100,000 High Elf Swordmasters	Trophy: Golden High Elf Eliminator, Two Pips, XP: 1974	N/A

Order Only

Task	Rewards	Order Text
What do We Have Here?	Pocket: Broken Sword, XP: 1476	Learn about the Swordmaster by completing a specific task

Class Changes

• Forceful Shock is now Raking Talons, which applies the effect of Dragon's Talon to all targets 20ft around your target. Moved to 11point Path of Vaul and replaces Vaul's Buffer (link)

• Dampening Talon is now Blinding Strike, which reduces the target's chance to block/parry by 10%. Moved to 11point Path of Hoeth in place of Blessing of Heaven (link)

• Blessing of Heaven moved to 3pt Path of Hoeth (link)

• Bolstering Enchantments is now core (link)

• Vaul's Buffer is now 7point Path of Vaul (link)

• Lingering Intimidation is now core (link)

• Protection of Hoeth now places the absorb on groupmates within 50ft (link)

• Phoenix's Wing no longer requires a target and now inflicts Spirit damage

• Redirected Force is now a medium knockback which requires Block to activate. (link)

• Crushing Advance is now again the 9pt ability in Vaul. The armor component stacks with armor potions. (link)

• Crashing Wave is now again the 13pt ability in Vaul. (link)

Builds

• Tier 1: So did you roll a Swordmaster for the feminine looks or for the elegant sword dancing?
  • Devotion to the 2h sword is how most Swordmasters play their class. It's a work of art, being able to weave in and out of stances, and you're just getting started. We're going to assume you've got two hands busy working your sword for this standard Tier 1 build. Slot Centuries of Training at level 11 for more overall damage and swap it out with Ensorcelled Agony at 15. Points in left tree will boost your Nature's Blade (which you should be running most of the time) and your Blurring Shock. If you find you normally run Phantom's Blade, then put points in Vaul instead.

• Mid Tier - Khaine: Ether Dance Party!
  • Slotting Great Weapon Mastery and Ether Dance is the core of the offensive Swordmaster setup, at least what you can afford to get at this level. Alternatively, spec for and equip Balanced Accuracy if you want more crits during Ether Dance. Ensorcelled Agony is a good second tactic, but you can play around with others like Isha's Protection, Rugged, and Unstoppable Juggernaut.

• Mid Tier - Hoeth/Vaul: "Be a real tank" and grab a shield for this mid tier defensive build.
  • Aethyric Armor from Hoeth tree is a solid enchantment to take to boost your defensive capabilities. Beware that it can be shattered! Protection of Hoeth is the bread and butter bubble (say that five times fast) for Swordmaster, and you can take either of these abilities as a 2h. But, since we've got Perfect Defenses from the Vaul tree, we should probably have a shield. Alternatively, you can put some points into Khaine instead of Vaul if you want to stay 2h, but your offense will be minimal. Centuries of Training is a decent third tactic to take as a defensive Swordmaster, as it does not scale off of Strength (while Ensorcelled Agony does increase the more Strength you have).

• Tier 4 - Me? Tank?: This Khaine build focuses primarily on dealing damage, just please remember to Guard in between Ether Dances!
  • Ensorcelled Agony and Potent Enchantments both scale with Strength, so high Strength Swordmasters running heavy Khaine builds will get more use out of them than Centuries of Training. Additionally, EA procs can crit and Potent Enchantments damages immediately upon proccing, meaning you can get five procs out of it from one Ether Dance channel. Round out the build with Balanced Accuracy and Great Weapon Mastery for a full offensive approach. Remember that Protection of Hoeth grants a bubble for all groupmates within 50ft, so use it often. You can swap EA for another tactic, like Isha's Protection, Rugged, or Unstoppable Juggernaut but PE, GWM, and BA should be core tactics for this build.

• Tier 4 - Me. Tank.: This Hoeth/Vaul build is the polar opposite of the Khaine build, focused primarily on tanking and providing utility for your group.
  • Whispering Winds is a strong ability if used in the right group setting, so this build might be for you if you want your groupmates' abilities to get that juicy 5s cooldown. Crashing Wave is also a solid pickup for its group immunity and the knockdown associated. Our tactics are defensive except for Potent Enchantments. Since it procs immediately it's a good slot for the double swings found in Whispering Winds, Crashing Wave, and Dragon's Talon. You can drop Aethyric Armor for Lingering Intimidation from the Vaul tree to really shut down an enemy mdps, or grab it at rr50.
  • April 20, 2018 update: now that Crashing Wave is 13pts in the tree, you can grab Crushing Advance instead. However, this is a pretty niche build and it's accepted that Khaine is the top build at the moment. You will certainly be tanky, but you don't provide a ton of utility outside of Dragon's Talon and Whispering Winds.

Credit: Dansarie