I'm planning on starting this game soon, and I'm crazy enough to want to try this or Aldori Defender for my first playthrough (plus the Saint's class description gives me Sekiro vibes). Very much appreciate this guide video.
I ended up w/ an elven estoc user. It is a spectacular build, and the elven magic stacks with spell penetration. so far he is level 5, he is dex based, he runs through enemies like crazy. The only one who seems to keep up is the barbarian girl. With piranha strike his dps is even better. But human is really amazing, starting with dmg from dex at level 1 is incredible.
My bad, I just checked and the Estroc is Finesseable by itself. I couldn't understand how you were using Slashing Grace with it, given its damage type is piecing and in the weapon comparison table I was looking at, it wasn't showing as a Finesse weapon, but specifically looking at its info says that it is Finesse capable. Thanks for this, it looks like a great alternate with good damage and an excellent critical range and even saves on the extra feat selection burnt for Slashing Grace.
if you got dex build you should focus on crits meaning estoc is a way better choice with the 18-20.slashing weapons are good for str build where u use a one handed weapon as a 2hander and u dont use spell combat.
Ahh yes you are correct! I keep forgetting about the Estoc. I am used to the Estoc in Pillars of Eternity being 2 Handed I guess. So yes for a Crit build the better weapon to use is the Estoc, however if you are playing a small race (Gnomes and Halfling) I would still recommend the Bastard Sword, since it will do 1d8 dmg for a small race where as the Estoc will only do 1d6. The other reason I may be forgetting the Estoc is that I tested this build with a Halfling originally using a Bastard sword
Actually you CAN use light armor and still get the bonus AC from INT (and you must buy the skill via feat or dipping to another class as well as a feat to reduce arcane spell failure), and you CAN use any weapon you are profocient in, you just don't get the specific Sword Saint bonuses while doing so ( you can switch to light mace VS undead early on for example).
Interesting how I was randomly recommended this again (other than that I watch you), RUclips wants me to play Pathfinder Kingmaker again and I'm okay with that lol
You can also take light armor specialization and keep all of your class bonuses (not medium or heavy) later on, another weapon option is the estoc for the 18-20(x2) crit range if you want more crits (uses fencing grace instead of slashing). Also, after level 2 make sure to keep the touch of fatigue running as it is a free status attack every time you swing. Keep up the class guides! If you’re taking requests... trying to wrap my head around a death/magic cleric for an evil playthrough.
this game loves to throw a bunch of unique dueling swords pretty much every chapter that I usually have no other option than selling (and they are otherwise rather solid); same goes for monk amulets; if I'm going to use a sword saint, I'd probably go for dueling sword
I really wish that this game had Katanas.... Seems I won’t be making a Musashi build any time soon Great video, though!!! I’ve actually been a bit interested in this class for some time
I do not normally multi-class the characters that I play, however I do sometimes plan to aim for a Prestige class. The problem with PFKM is that you cannot, in game anyway, see what the requirements are to become any of the Prestige classes so it becomes hard to effectively plan for them. Thankfully there are now some wikis springing up that contain more information. I am not really sure if I personally see any benefit from either class if you are starting as Sword Saint. Eldritch Knight seems to me to be more aimed at a Mage or Fighter that wants to become a Magus type character so I do not see the benefit, but I might have missed something. You will get to keep increasing in spell levels but no faster than a regular Sword Saint and you will loose out on some of the special abilities the Sword Saint gets, mostly the Critical bonuses. The only bonus I can see if that your Basic Attack Bonus (BAB) might increase faster as a Eldritch Knight than it would as a Sword Saint. Also not sure about Duelist. While Duelist does get some nice feats and their BAB might increase quicker than a Sword Saint, but you will loose all Spell progression, i.e. no new spells per day or new spell levels until you take more Sword Saint levels. Personally I would stick with Sword Saint, but if you have ideas on how you want to try a Eldritch Knight or Duelist give it a go and let me know how it plays out.
Reason I was asking is, and I agree with going Pure classes and not dipping yet, I was wondering if you saw something in dipping into another class to get a bonus worth getting. I see a range attacker build dipping into that Paladin subclass early to get a free Feat (you get Precise shot for free at level 1). I say we give the game a few more months and check the forums. There are sure to be some sick builds out there. Anyways, thanks for all the vids. Hope to see more.
Not sure if this is something that has changed recently, but for me when I was creating my character I could never select any Prestige class and see the details. Does it only show on level up rather than character creation maybe? I have not checked there
You can't select the class (sadly) to see what you get until you unlock it, but if you hover the mouse over the class, it will at least pop up a window and tell you what the requirements are.
Great Question! There is a feat called Slashing Grace. It has a prerequisite that you have Dex 13, Weapon Finese, and Weapon Focus with the 1 handed Slashing weapon. With this feat you can treat any 1 handed Slashing weapon that you have Weapon Focus as a Piercing weapon for all feats that require a Piercing weapons. You can also add your Dex bonus to damage rather than your Str if Dex bonus is higher. This is is how you can finesse a Bastard Sword, even though Weapon Finesse does not say it is only for piercing weapons, so not sure if this is intended or a bug but I have made it work, at least on my Sword Saint. Of note there is one 2 handed weapon that is naturally able to be Finessed, the Elven Curved Sword, but unfortunately because it is 2 handed not 1 handed you cannot use Slashing Grace with it.
@@rangertony Slashing grace should not give you DEX to hit though... seems like a bug/exploit, and you should probably recommend something other than a bastard sword for this build. I'm willing to bet that 1.1 will fix a lot of these exploits.
@@darkzara77 - Slashing Grace doesn't allow you to Finesse ANY weapon. The weapon still needs to be usable as one-handed by your size and have the base damage property of slashing, which limits the range to significantly less than ANY weapon. It even restricts out many weapons that actually qualify for Weapon Finesse. For those weapons that qualify, Slashing Grace allows the use of Dex to be applied for damage, and for few within that range, it allows the properties from the base required Feat, Weapon Finesse, to be applied even if they previously didn't qualify for the Feat. Effectively it shifts the thresholds of the base Feat to increase its versatility. This is pretty much how every modifier Feat works. If you read the Feat definition link provided by Jnaathra, this is working as intended and it makes sense logically. Effectively the suggestion is that a proficient swordsperson can train to use a one-handed slashing weapon like a light piercing weapon, stabbing (piercing), rather than hacking (slashing) at enemies. Relying more on dexterity rather than brute strength.
Wow I did not notice that the Falchata is x3. However the big issue is that it is an Exotic weapon. Fine for Sword Saint, but for anyone else the extra feat cost is a bit much
But that's a One-Handed and not Light, no? So no Finesse for Dex based Damage? EDIT: Slashing Grace. Of course. I was going Elf for starters meaning no extra feat. Nevermind me :)
@@michaellawrence5436 - Actually you do get that as well. Slashing Grace allows any weapon that qualifies for it, to also qualify for Weapon Finesse as well, even if they don't normally. So any one-handed (for your size) slashing damage based weapon can retroactively get the Weapon Finesse Dex to attack bonus as well as applying Slashing Grace's Dex to damage bonus.
And both are bad choices since the single most important attribute of the Sword Saint is threat range. You need a 18-20 weapon so you can maximize threat, aka critical rate aka spell criticals.
Really? That is the comment you decide to leave on a video? I feel sorry for you. My channel is about helping people to enjoy the games that they play and celebrating a shared joy in games. I am sorry that you are unable to experience something as simple as that. I really hope one day you can appreciate that joy and I am sorry that my ugly mug somehow prevented that
Getting into this game for the first time and I was so overwhelmed. But this video really helped me out. Thanks!!!
"Lots of flowery words, doesnt really talk much about what this class does"
Yes. Thank you.
I'm planning on starting this game soon, and I'm crazy enough to want to try this or Aldori Defender for my first playthrough (plus the Saint's class description gives me Sekiro vibes). Very much appreciate this guide video.
Have fun!
I ended up w/ an elven estoc user. It is a spectacular build, and the elven magic stacks with spell penetration. so far he is level 5, he is dex based, he runs through enemies like crazy. The only one who seems to keep up is the barbarian girl. With piranha strike his dps is even better. But human is really amazing, starting with dmg from dex at level 1 is incredible.
My bad, I just checked and the Estroc is Finesseable by itself. I couldn't understand how you were using Slashing Grace with it, given its damage type is piecing and in the weapon comparison table I was looking at, it wasn't showing as a Finesse weapon, but specifically looking at its info says that it is Finesse capable. Thanks for this, it looks like a great alternate with good damage and an excellent critical range and even saves on the extra feat selection burnt for Slashing Grace.
if you got dex build you should focus on crits meaning estoc is a way better choice with the 18-20.slashing weapons are good for str build where u use a one handed weapon as a 2hander and u dont use spell combat.
Ahh yes you are correct! I keep forgetting about the Estoc. I am used to the Estoc in Pillars of Eternity being 2 Handed I guess.
So yes for a Crit build the better weapon to use is the Estoc, however if you are playing a small race (Gnomes and Halfling) I would still recommend the Bastard Sword, since it will do 1d8 dmg for a small race where as the Estoc will only do 1d6.
The other reason I may be forgetting the Estoc is that I tested this build with a Halfling originally using a Bastard sword
Actually you CAN use light armor and still get the bonus AC from INT (and you must buy the skill via feat or dipping to another class as well as a feat to reduce arcane spell failure), and you CAN use any weapon you are profocient in, you just don't get the specific Sword Saint bonuses while doing so ( you can switch to light mace VS undead early on for example).
Nice I am using light armor proficiency 👌
Interesting how I was randomly recommended this again (other than that I watch you), RUclips wants me to play Pathfinder Kingmaker again and I'm okay with that lol
You can also take light armor specialization and keep all of your class bonuses (not medium or heavy) later on, another weapon option is the estoc for the 18-20(x2) crit range if you want more crits (uses fencing grace instead of slashing). Also, after level 2 make sure to keep the touch of fatigue running as it is a free status attack every time you swing.
Keep up the class guides! If you’re taking requests... trying to wrap my head around a death/magic cleric for an evil playthrough.
But then don't you suffer from a spell failure chance?
My favorite class so far
Great to hear it :)
this game loves to throw a bunch of unique dueling swords pretty much every chapter that I usually have no other option than selling (and they are otherwise rather solid); same goes for monk amulets; if I'm going to use a sword saint, I'd probably go for dueling sword
Thank you I really appreciate your help 👍
I really wish that this game had Katanas....
Seems I won’t be making a Musashi build any time soon
Great video, though!!! I’ve actually been a bit interested in this class for some time
The Aldori Dueling sword kind of looks like a Katana....
So sad Slashing Grace doesnt work on Ele Curved Blade...
Unique scimitars really look good on sword saint
A better choice might be the Falcata, which has a 19-20 crit range, and also a x3 multiplier.
Intresting build and class for sure. Don't know if I would use it for my main character or not on another playthrough.
Wow I am glad I wasn't the only one who read that wrong lol. I did the exact same thing.
I think this will be my next PC
Hope you have fun with it :)
Would you go 20 levels Sword Saint or would you dip into another class, like Eldritch Knight or Duelist?
I do not normally multi-class the characters that I play, however I do sometimes plan to aim for a Prestige class.
The problem with PFKM is that you cannot, in game anyway, see what the requirements are to become any of the Prestige classes so it becomes hard to effectively plan for them.
Thankfully there are now some wikis springing up that contain more information.
I am not really sure if I personally see any benefit from either class if you are starting as Sword Saint. Eldritch Knight seems to me to be more aimed at a Mage or Fighter that wants to become a Magus type character so I do not see the benefit, but I might have missed something. You will get to keep increasing in spell levels but no faster than a regular Sword Saint and you will loose out on some of the special abilities the Sword Saint gets, mostly the Critical bonuses. The only bonus I can see if that your Basic Attack Bonus (BAB) might increase faster as a Eldritch Knight than it would as a Sword Saint.
Also not sure about Duelist. While Duelist does get some nice feats and their BAB might increase quicker than a Sword Saint, but you will loose all Spell progression, i.e. no new spells per day or new spell levels until you take more Sword Saint levels.
Personally I would stick with Sword Saint, but if you have ideas on how you want to try a Eldritch Knight or Duelist give it a go and let me know how it plays out.
Reason I was asking is, and I agree with going Pure classes and not dipping yet, I was wondering if you saw something in dipping into another class to get a bonus worth getting. I see a range attacker build dipping into that Paladin subclass early to get a free Feat (you get Precise shot for free at level 1). I say we give the game a few more months and check the forums. There are sure to be some sick builds out there.
Anyways, thanks for all the vids. Hope to see more.
@@rangertony You can see pretige class prereqs... Just select the prestige class, and it show you.
Not sure if this is something that has changed recently, but for me when I was creating my character I could never select any Prestige class and see the details. Does it only show on level up rather than character creation maybe? I have not checked there
You can't select the class (sadly) to see what you get until you unlock it, but if you hover the mouse over the class, it will at least pop up a window and tell you what the requirements are.
How are you finessing a bastard sword?
Great Question!
There is a feat called Slashing Grace. It has a prerequisite that you have Dex 13, Weapon Finese, and Weapon Focus with the 1 handed Slashing weapon. With this feat you can treat any 1 handed Slashing weapon that you have Weapon Focus as a Piercing weapon for all feats that require a Piercing weapons. You can also add your Dex bonus to damage rather than your Str if Dex bonus is higher.
This is is how you can finesse a Bastard Sword, even though Weapon Finesse does not say it is only for piercing weapons, so not sure if this is intended or a bug but I have made it work, at least on my Sword Saint.
Of note there is one 2 handed weapon that is naturally able to be Finessed, the Elven Curved Sword, but unfortunately because it is 2 handed not 1 handed you cannot use Slashing Grace with it.
@@rangertony Slashing grace should not give you DEX to hit though... seems like a bug/exploit, and you should probably recommend something other than a bastard sword for this build. I'm willing to bet that 1.1 will fix a lot of these exploits.
I'm not 100% sure that you can finesse any weapon using slashing grace. You might want to double confirm that.
@@darkzara77 - Slashing Grace doesn't allow you to Finesse ANY weapon. The weapon still needs to be usable as one-handed by your size and have the base damage property of slashing, which limits the range to significantly less than ANY weapon. It even restricts out many weapons that actually qualify for Weapon Finesse. For those weapons that qualify, Slashing Grace allows the use of Dex to be applied for damage, and for few within that range, it allows the properties from the base required Feat, Weapon Finesse, to be applied even if they previously didn't qualify for the Feat. Effectively it shifts the thresholds of the base Feat to increase its versatility. This is pretty much how every modifier Feat works.
If you read the Feat definition link provided by Jnaathra, this is working as intended and it makes sense logically. Effectively the suggestion is that a proficient swordsperson can train to use a one-handed slashing weapon like a light piercing weapon, stabbing (piercing), rather than hacking (slashing) at enemies. Relying more on dexterity rather than brute strength.
seems to me taking a level or 2 in monk and making your 3rd stat to make being cha or wis you would have 3 stats going to AC.your thoughts?
I guess you could do that. Personally I only work with pure single class builds unless I am working towards as Prestige class
Well, you read descriptions how important is int modifier, max int is a priority...
Also the unsung hero of weapons is the falchata, it is d8 19-20 x3
Wow I did not notice that the Falchata is x3. However the big issue is that it is an Exotic weapon. Fine for Sword Saint, but for anyone else the extra feat cost is a bit much
It works well especially with fighters, they got tons of feats, doesn't slow them down to awful much.
But that's a One-Handed and not Light, no? So no Finesse for Dex based Damage?
EDIT: Slashing Grace. Of course. I was going Elf for starters meaning no extra feat. Nevermind me :)
@@Lars_Christensen Yes but still no Weapon Finesse for a to hit bonus.
@@michaellawrence5436 - Actually you do get that as well. Slashing Grace allows any weapon that qualifies for it, to also qualify for Weapon Finesse as well, even if they don't normally. So any one-handed (for your size) slashing damage based weapon can retroactively get the Weapon Finesse Dex to attack bonus as well as applying Slashing Grace's Dex to damage bonus.
Falcata looks like a promising weapon (x3 crit) it would work the same way as the bastard s ?
Yes it works the same
And both are bad choices since the single most important attribute of the Sword Saint is threat range. You need a 18-20 weapon so you can maximize threat, aka critical rate aka spell criticals.
Agile blade +5 with slashing/fencing grace is redundant
?
Aldori Dueling Mastery (Combat)
make a warning at start for disgusting face cam
Really? That is the comment you decide to leave on a video? I feel sorry for you. My channel is about helping people to enjoy the games that they play and celebrating a shared joy in games. I am sorry that you are unable to experience something as simple as that. I really hope one day you can appreciate that joy and I am sorry that my ugly mug somehow prevented that
@@rangertony Dont feed the Troll, man.
Trolls are lonely.