bluebeard1995 on Jun 26, 2022 wrote:

So I made a couple of pirates with the free membership trial, a Swashbuckler and Witchdoctor, and enjoyed the game well enough to subscribe and play.
My question is ... Do I start a new Buccaneer or continue on with the two I have? My reasoning behind this is it seems everything I've read since starting points to the Buccaneer being the best to start with.
TBH, I'm really enjoying the playstyles of the two I already have and think I'll be ok late game. I'm more casual than hardcore, so I don't envision having 5 different pirates, so I want to concentrate on a couple and go from there. Its the same approach I've used in Wiz. After playing all wizards, I concentrated on 2 different styles, Fire and Balance, and I'm working my way through the Spiral with them.
Thanks for any advice or help.

If you're liking the playstyle, keep those characters going! The game is fun how you're playing it, why change?

bluebeard1995 on Jun 27, 2022 wrote:

Well, that was my intention, but wanted to see if I might have a "better experience" with the often suggested Buccaneer.
I started off with my 'Buckler and got him to I think 10, then started my Witchdoctor and I'm now a 16 with him. I really like the feel and playstyle of him, I'm trying to decide on keeping an all witchy crew or using several different crewmen to round out my options.
I'm really enjoying the game so far, thanks for responding.

There are a dozen reasons to play each class -- have fun being witchy!

bluebeard1995 on Jun 27, 2022 wrote:

Well, that was my intention, but wanted to see if I might have a "better experience" with the often suggested Buccaneer.
I started off with my 'Buckler and got him to I think 10, then started my Witchdoctor and I'm now a 16 with him. I really like the feel and playstyle of him, I'm trying to decide on keeping an all witchy crew or using several different crewmen to round out my options.
I'm really enjoying the game so far, thanks for responding.

I have created multiple pirates of ALL classes over the years. I have to say that I personally gravitate toward the ranged classes of Witchdoctor and Musketeer, but I also have fun - if albeit slower going - with the melee classes. My favorite part of the game is Companions, and the different classes recruit different Companions, so creating each of them leads to the unique promotion quests that only they experience.

I'd encourage you to go ahead and dip your toes into the Buccaneer pool, even if you then decide to stay in the shallow end. Take all of your pirates up through promoting their main story companions at least once. Creating different crews is a lot of fun -- my Swashbuckler tried to have an all-Monquistan team for a while. Once you get to know what they can do, formulating a winning strategy can be thrilling.

jacobquon on Jun 29, 2022 wrote:

I'll chime in here and say that as a long-time player (long enough to have bought the coveted Boochbeard Bundle) It's perfectly fine to find a couple classes that you really like and go with those. If you like Swash and Witch, give those a try, and if you find that you're struggling by, oh, level 30 or so and want a change, give another class a shot. By level 30 you should be near the end of Cool Ranch if you do all sides (I recommend doing all sides, by the way) so you'll have a good chunk of time invested and you'll know if you love that class or hate it. But all classes are good. Personally, I like Privateer and Musketeer, but also Buccaneer. It's just whatever you like, really. For Witch, though, keep in mind they do best at a range, like Musketeers, so don't rush right up to enemies unless you want to kill off a companion fast. Let the enemies come to you! Overall, just find something that YOU like and works for YOU. If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid. Hope you enjoy the game, and welcome to the Pirate side!

Thanks for the advice. Its appreciated.
Funny, yesterday I saved a post you commented on over a year ago where you were giving advice on setting up a pirate both in general and specific for a Swash. I've been trying to get in as much reading as I can.
As for doing all sides, thats been the game plan so far, as in Wiz, I figured it was better to get as much XP as possible as I went along. I'm actually enjoying the SB more than the WD right now, I reset all companion talents this weekend and got my SB up to the WD level and just kept going, almost to 20 on both now.
If you dont mind, why do you like the Privateer and Muskateer more than the others? I havent made either yet but I dont think the Privateer would be for me, I'm not a support type of player.
Thanks again. I am definitely enjoying the game, wish I had tried harder to play when I first made my account on here.

bluebeard1995 on Jul 6, 2022 wrote:

Thanks for the advice. Its appreciated.
Funny, yesterday I saved a post you commented on over a year ago where you were giving advice on setting up a pirate both in general and specific for a Swash. I've been trying to get in as much reading as I can.
As for doing all sides, thats been the game plan so far, as in Wiz, I figured it was better to get as much XP as possible as I went along. I'm actually enjoying the SB more than the WD right now, I reset all companion talents this weekend and got my SB up to the WD level and just kept going, almost to 20 on both now.
If you dont mind, why do you like the Privateer and Muskateer more than the others? I havent made either yet but I dont think the Privateer would be for me, I'm not a support type of player.
Thanks again. I am definitely enjoying the game, wish I had tried harder to play when I first made my account on here.

Ha! Yeah I do lurk on the forums, with frequent breaks, so I'm not surprised I forgot about that post from a year ago. As for doing all sides, great! I like doing it for the XP and other rewards, but mainly because I love the KI games because of the stories. Pirate101 has so many great stories, at least to me.

As to why I like Privateer, two reasons. One, that was my first pirate that I maxed out. Once you play through 65 levels (originally, that was before Valencia 2) on a class it kinda sticks with you. Second, I like that I can sit back and let my companions do most of the hitting. I buff, heal, and occasionally drop bombs from behind. Rarely do I need to get close up on my privvy, he's the staffy kind as well. When it comes to this game, I like support over direct hitter, though I've tried all 5 classes.

I like musket because I'm working on mine now, and because, like Privateer, I don't have to get CLOSE to hit. I've discovered that if you make the enemies come to you, your companions don't die quite so fast. This has largely held true for all my pirates lately, even the melee. When I first started, I would charge at the enemy without hesitation. This would often lead to sever damage to my companions. Now, I hang back and let them come to me. I still take damage, but at least I have time to buff myself and companions first. Plus, as a musket, that Overwatch/Double Tap/Burst Fire combo with three companions and you can be rather lethal!

That said, there's something good about all the classes. Witchdoctor is ranged, but those spells can bypass armor because it does magic damage. Buccaneers and swash are damage dealers, and buccs have the ability to tank. It's all about what your playstyle is. Hope that helps!

Note: if you make a buccaneer or privateer, there is a talent called "Loud". Buccaneers have three levels, Privateers have 2. This talent is actually optional and is something you will want to SKIP training. That's because it adds threat to you. Rank 1 adds 20%, and Rank 2 and 3 add an additional 10% each. That means Buccaneers have an additional 40% threat on them, and Privateers an extra 30%. Not good if you want to not be a target. Just a suggestion. And no, it's not required for anything, so not training it will not affect anything else.

Thanks again for all the advice and help, its appreciated. I had a computer meltdown, so I'm just getting back to the game after a couple of weeks away, but I'm enjoying the game and story.