I personally feel that all the player classes are about equal. What makes a pirate character better than another during a fight is not the class, but the person controlling the pirate. I play mainly as a swashbuckler and have lost just as many PVP fights as I have won. Outside of PVP I have hardly ever lost a fight. Actually I have lost exactly five fights. I have several friends who play as the other classes who are able to make a very similar claim, if not the exact same claim.

On another note, where exactly do you get this Leviathen's call?

Red Scarlet

In the close quarter combat game, we swashbucklers are pretty squishy when compared to Buccaneers or Privateers. We are in the same boat as Musketeers and Witchdoctors, because we have to do tons of damage in a short period of time in order to win.

We tend to lose long, drawn out battles of attrition.

Our ability to dodge is no more effective than a Privateer or Buccaneer's ability to block.

Like with any class, the difference maker is usually gear. I hate item farming, but a swashbuckler that bothers to farm for the best gear available is obviously going to do better in a fight. I try to balance my gear stat bonuses between giving myself more Dodge, Armor, and Resistance, but Agility is still king.

We don't get Leviathan's Call; that is a Buccaneer ability. The Swashbuckler you met spent a Practice Point to get it. That was a good choice, if I say so myself.

I personally prefer to spend my PP's on weapon-damage boosts so that I am pretty much dangerous with Slashy and Shooty weapons in addition to my own bread and butter weapons (Stabby Weapons), since all Slashy / Shooty, Slashy / Stabby, and Shooty / Stabby weapon sets benefit from high agility.