Any reason to play SW over BW or WL?

[Tanski]

Have 65 wl and bw, but there is something appealing about sw to me even though I hear nothing but negativity about the class. Im talking about the class in context of roam, I know they have a niche place morale draining in wbs . As for their scout spec, bw also has ranged kd and snare while having enormous crit, and for melee does asw offer anything over wl? I know they don’t have sprint or snare removal.

[Aethilmar]

My $0.02 with a 7x Invader SW. The rdps is meh and I strongly suspect (but don't have a 7x BW to compare against) does significantly less damage. I do know it is horrible in comparison to my 8x AM.

The assault version is better at that gear level with split (4 inv/3 vanq gear) but not as good as my 7x Hunter/Axeman WL in 4/3 split gear. The only real positive I have about aSW is they are excellent at surprising and/or killing WE expecting an easy kill.

So, in summary, SW is a hybrid tweener class that can do okay but never excels at anything. If you like that, then it is for you. If it bugs you that you can't be "the best" at your role, then it will drive you crazy.

[Indianajones]

SW is not in a good spot right now. If you really want to play one then go for it and try till level 40 and you will see how you like it. Make sure you go to orvr while you are around 30 and have bolster.

But honestly, Id wait to see what the next balance patch gonna bring before wasting time on this class. There are much better and easier to play options, like Marauder, Sorc and dps Shaman or if you want to stick with order then BW, Slayer, WL or dps Archmage are your next best options.

[Farrul]

Im talking about the class in context of roam,

As in ''solo roam'' ? Assault spec is viable for solo roaming , good singletarget burst and decent parry /armor. You still have to use ranged attacks and learn when to engange/disengage from melee(shadowstep).

If you like the concept it can be fun once you're geared up a bit. Be warned that the hybrid thing isn't really working as not everything is converting, i.e crit ranged renown etc.

Assault isn't viable outside of small scale duels, no proper aoe standard attack cripples it. Split arrow can be used with an assault build but you're just gimping yourself, better spec a proper Skirmisher build with barrage and powerful draw /pierce defences, semi- useful to a warband this way even though it's still the weakest ranged dps by far.

Overall it can be fun for roaming, but the class is a ''shadow'' of its former self, the nerf to broadhead arrow was unfortunately the final nail in the coffin.

[anarchypark]

average alt players won't find fun in SW.
if you really like class, put extra effort to be good at it.
scout sniper, rain arrow skirmish, surprise asw.
you need to learn range. 100ft, 65ft, back and forth.
stance dance, pre kite, stun+silence healers, disarm+punt escape, VoN timing, detaunt etc

it's not plain boring BW or WL that rotations are simple.
SW maybe weak, but make it work is fun challenge.

[messerjockel]

SW range damage is compared to other range dps classes low.
You have to give up all tool to get average/low range dps.
Wait until you see the double digit damage on tanks with 10k health.

There was a funny comment I read somewhere.
Evertime somebody rolls a SW, Sigmar sacrifice a cute kitten.

BR
Messerjockel.

[normanis]

sw aoe stuck with ather sw aoe. byt bw rain of fire dont stuck. i would say sw in some situations is better for fights . somwhere is bw better.
u need to wait ather bw finish rain of fire before cast yours

[Omegus]

sw aoe stuck with ather sw aoe. byt bw rain of fire dont stuck. i would say sw in some situations is better for fights . somwhere is bw better.
u need to wait ather bw finish rain of fire before cast yours

Rain of Fire doesn't stack because it targets the ground and if it stacked then you could - and people did - turn areas of the map into instant death zones. The BW has more AOE than just Rain of Fire.

[Adelmar]

Have 65 wl and bw, but there is something appealing about sw to me even though I hear nothing but negativity about the class. Im talking about the class in context of roam, I know they have a niche place morale draining in wbs . As for their scout spec, bw also has ranged kd and snare while having enormous crit, and for melee does asw offer anything over wl? I know they don’t have sprint or snare removal.

Scout spec, you can do some serious burst with VoN up, but compared to an equally geared BW, you'll be behind a bit in terms of "timestamping". As for Skirmish spec, I found the old skirmish tree to be superior to what it is now (having 98 foot range snare/shadow sting) but now you at least contribute a bit better in warbands I guess. Assault spec is very viable in terms of roaming (I mostly always solo roam with assault with good outcomes most of the time). I'd say that compared to an equally geared single target WL, it is VERY close as far as damage/burst goes, though the SW misses out on some very nice utility that the WL has. Also, assault spec doesn't really feel complete until RR60, imo.

Ultimately, if you enjoy the hybrid playstyle of the SW, just go for it. All specs have their strengths and weaknesses but if solo roaming or smallscale is what you're after, you can do fine.

[Indianajones]

As for Skirmish spec, I found the old skirmish tree to be superior to what it is now (having 98 foot range snare/shadow sting) but now you at least contribute a bit better in warbands I guess.

Before the BHA nerf you could predot 3x BHA and Flame Arrow, then fire VoN and do direct damage for pressure. Now the predotting is pretty much gone. 1x BHA does waaay less damage, especially the crits are a lot lower without the 3x stacking and the flame arrow damage was always low, even with the Smoldering Arrow tactic slotted - which is basically a waste.

Even before the nerf the SW had to struggle with the high mitigation of the attacks (BHA, Spiral, Barrage and Lileaths are all physical damage), the short range (40-65), the squishy stance you have to be in, the high dodge rate of the enemies (dodge is usually 10% higher than disrupt) and the random pulls and melee dps you have to get close to. As someone said already, the BHA stacking nerf was the final nail in the coffin.

With the current ability set they would need a 50% armor pierce tactic (like maras have), 80ft range on split arrow (instead of 65), more BHA/FA base damage and less AP costs to make it somehow viable again.