Swordfighting on Swashbuckler

[The Spartan<TWM>]

Is anyone able to pull it off? I've been playing a non fighter class, and while Rogue is easy enough, Swashbuckler regularly kicks my aｓｓ just taking on generic captains. Baron Raymondo is nearly unbeatable, nevermind the Marquis...the ｇoｄaｍneｄ Marquis. So is Swashbuckler impossible, or do I just have a bad case of the git guds?

[CHE]

Originally posted by The Spartan<TWM>:

Is anyone able to pull it off? I've been playing a non fighter class, and while Rogue is easy enough, Swashbuckler regularly kicks my aｓｓ just taking on generic captains. Baron Raymondo is nearly unbeatable, nevermind the Marquis...the ｇoｄaｍneｄ Marquis. So is Swashbuckler impossible, or do I just have a bad case of the git guds?

Wow, I don't know. The highest level I recall playing as is "Adventurer". Did you grab all of the swordfighting gear (swords, armour and guns) ASAP, and then try to get those health items ASAP? I guess this would involve lots of visiting taverns and dancing with governors' daughters....

[The Spartan<TWM>]

Yep, I have the best balanced swords, an arsenal of flintlocks, a steel cuirass, and only the puffiest of shirts, and I started with all of them because I began on adventurer and gradually ranked up to swashbuckler.

[RossDBrown]

At Swashbucker your crew really makes a difference. Your crew should equal or exceed the enemy in number and be high morale, that'll slow the enemy captain's attacks a little. Make sure to throw out a few taunts when possible - again, that'll slow him down and tip the balance in your favour.

Swashbuckler is brutal...

[The Spartan<TWM>]

What exactly do taunts do?

[Ihlbit]

Honestly, i just use good timing. I'm not very good at playing on the hardest difficulty, but it takes a few captains fights to get me. Crew deffinately makes a difference, but if you can get used to the timing of attacks depending on what sword you have, you can beat anyone.

[RossDBrown]

Taunts swing the balance bar in your favour, which effectively slows down the enemy captain's attacks, and makes your attacks faster.

[Adam]

It's best to avoid fighting as much as possible on Swashbuckler, I found. Cut their crew down with grapeshot before boarding, or take off their mast with chainshot.

That said, sometimes you have to fight. One thing that helps a lot is practice, practice, practice. To get practice, you can download the "fencing academy", which is a set of saved games that let you immediately get into fights under various conditions. Once you've gotten good enough in the academy, you'll find battles at sea to be much easier. It's here: http://hookedonpirates.com/mods/index.php?&direction=0&order=&directory=Scenarios

Finally, there's a somewhat lame trick you can use (suggested by Captain Teague on those same forums). Choose the long sword and parry. No matter the enemy's move, parry. You move back at most one step and won't be stunned. Immediately slash at the enemy's legs. It hits about 2/3rds of the time, and you'll gain 0.33 or 0.67 steps per iteration on average. I don't like to resort to it, but I have used it to beat Monty on Swashbuckler...

[The Spartan<TWM>]

Thanks for the info!

[M E G A D E T H]

Originally posted by Adam:

I
That said, sometimes you have to fight. One thing that helps a lot is practice, practice, practice. To get practice, you can download the "fencing academy", which is a set of saved games that let you immediately get into fights under various conditions. Once you've gotten good enough in the academy, you'll find battles at sea to be much easier. It's here: http://hookedonpirates.com/mods/index.php?&direction=0&order=&directory=Scenarios

i put those save files in my saved game folder, but it doesn't show up at all when i try to load it in the game... i noticed the file was dated 2005, are those save files compatible with the steam version for this game?