HE Swordmaster Tank / DPS?

[BlackMagic0]

I am new. I was looking into the SM since I like Loremasters, elves, and such.

How are they tanking? DPS? What's the deal T4? What I got forward to look into?

I used to play a SW/AM back in the day. Not sure how they are either. I am first time return.
I keep getting told only Knight and WP are viable from people in game.

[blaqwar]

Swordmasters are primarily tanks, they peform the role of guarding melee DPS and disrupting the enemy lines, either by applying pressure through damage or debuffing/displacing them. A secondary role would be that of a buffer/debuffer by way of Whispering Wind and Nature's Blade.

The choices are either going a tanky tank route or a tanky dps route, the latter is probably what they are best at among the order tanks.

Archmages recently received a lot of changes that turned them from not only decent healer and support dpsers but also into decent hybrids (damage and healing at the same time).

Of course people that take this game very seriously and try to squeeze every amount of power from the available careers will tell you that to be the most efficient tank you should roll a Knight and that the most efficient healer is a Warrior Priest. It's really up to you to decide how much time/interest you want to invest into the game and what kind of a player you are.

I'd play whatever most appeals to you. And don't get discouraged by people telling you that your career isn't the best at what it does. Keep in mind that this iteration of the game is in alpha stage, career balancing changes are happening gradually.