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Class Showcase: Buccaneer
Buccaneers were known as Pirates in Japan, and they're kind of a unique class in Etrian Odyssey III. For one thing, they aren't exactly a class from the first two games under a different name. They pretty much operate differently than most other classes. Honestly, the closest analogue they have is a Chaser Landsknecht.
Their primary gimmick are their Chasers, which is a specific type of skill that has existed since the very first Etrian Odyssey game, and were exclusive to the Landsknecht class. How they work is that the Chaser waits for an attack to chase. The attack must be of a specific element, and when that attack connects with at least one enemy, the Chaser strikes the same enemy or enemies with their own attack. In the first game, they only activated once, and it was just kind of another way to get some extra elemental damage in, since the Chasers dealt elemental damage in the first two games. Outside of a few situations, Chasers paled in comparison with the Landsknecht's other skills. The 2nd game buffed them a bit by allowing Chasers to hit multiple times in one turn. Unfortunately, Landsknechts ended up getting nerfed to near uselessness in EO2, and elemental damage wasn't really all that great to have in that game, so Chasers ended up being useless in that game as well.
And then Chasers got a big overhaul in EO3. For one thing, they no longer deal elemental damage, all Chaser skills now deal Pierce damage. Not only that, there are now Chasers for physical damage types as well, where in the first two games they were limited to following elemental attacks. Did these changes make Chasers worth using? Unfortunately, no. The main reason Chasers skills never took off in the first two games, is that they forced you to build a party around the Chaser, and practically enforced making use of only one damage type. In the Etrian Odyssey series, you want to diversify your damage types so that you could handle any situation you come across. If you came across something that was resistant or immune to the damage type you built your Chaser party around, you were pretty much screwed. And sadly, those problems still exist in this game.
So what do Buccaneers have if their main gimmick doesn't work all that well? Unfortunately, not much. They only have one damage skill in their skillset that could be considered great, and it's only good once the late game comes around. As such, Buccaneers have the worst early and mid games out of all the classes, as they really can't do as much as some other physical attackers during those times. And to be honest, Buccaneers are one of the weakest physical attacking classes in the game. Not only do they lack damage options due to Chasers not being all that good, their class skill doesn't increase their damage output, while the Gladiator's and Arbalist's Class Skills do have such an effect. As insult to injury, their strength stat is far lower than the Gladiator's or Arbalist's.
However, it's not all bad. Buccaneers do take a while to get going, but they're perfectly usable in the early and mid games. This is because out of all the physical attackers in the game, Buccaneers have the biggest set of utility skills, so they can function as a semi-support. Which is something that is normally a bad idea when it comes to using the actual dedicated physical attackers, so that's one big advantage Buccaneers have over them. Even though the main gimmick of Buccaneers didn't work out in the end, they can still take on a distinct role in a party.
Equipment:
Weapons: Rapiers and Guns
Armor: Light Armor and Clothes.
Stats
Buccaneers have the 2nd highest AGI stat in the game (only falling behind the Ninja.) Their STR isn't on the same level as other physical attackers like Gladiators or Arbalists, but they are much faster than them, and have a decent enough TEC stat so that they don't really have any accuracy problems, which is a problem most other physical attackers do have. Buccaneers also have the largest TP pool out of all the physical attacking classes in the game, so they can last a lot longer than them in dungeon crawls. Unfortunately, their LUC isn't too great, so they're not the best at inflicting ailments.
Trickster
Skill Type: Class Skill
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A
This Class Skill passively recovers the Buccaneer's TP whenever they use an offensive skill.
Notes:
- Does not work with skills that require setup, such as counters or Chasers.
- Works with offensive Limit Skills.
- Does not work with regular attacks or offensive items.
- Stacks with other skills that restore TP.
It's not a stellar Class Skill, but it's a decent one. This skill helps the Buccaneers TP pool drain a lot slower, since offensive skills effectively have 10 less TP than normal. In fact, if their TP cost is low enough, the Buccaneer will gain TP instead. But the reason it's not that great of a class skill is because it doesn't increase the Buccaneer's damage directly. It does allow them to last a lot longer in fights and dungeon crawls because of the TP restoration, but the fact that Amritas are pretty easy to farm for kind of puts a damper on this Class Skill.
Rapier Mastery/Gun Mastery
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A
This weapon mastery skill increases the damage output of regular attacks when using a Rapier/Gun. Higher levels increase the damage output.
If the user cannot equip Rapiers/Guns normally, this skill enables them to do so.
Notes:
Like with all the other classes, only take as many points in these skills as you need. However, if you wish to make use of the Buccaneer's best damage skill, you'll have to max both of them out. As for which skill branch to invest in, people tend to prefer Rapiers due to the fact that skills in the Rapier skill branch tend to have a bit more utility than the ones in the Gun skill branch. Which can help alleviate their atrocious early and mid game power. Not only that, there's a Rapier known as the Jolly Roger that can be obtained from a mid-game Sea Quest boss with a bit of luck (Or by burning a Formaldehyde) that can really increase their offensive power tremendously.
Swashbuckling
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: Rapier Mastery – Level 8, Gun Mastery – Level 8
This passive gives the Buccaneer a chance to attack multiple times when using a regular attack. Higher levels increases the activation rate and maximum number of attacks.
If the user knows Second Sword, the number of maximum hits doubles. The attack from Second Sword is then added onto this.
Notes:
- Each Swashbuckling activation counts as a separate action.
- Any passives that apply to regular attacks and forges will apply for each hit.
- Charge and Etheric Charge will only apply to the first attack.
- Turning on auto-battle can result in Swashbuckling activations to go after different targets instead of a single target.
- If the user knows Second Sword, the number of attacks is not capped for each hand, meaning that it's possible to get up to 4/6/8 Swashbuckling activations for one hand.
- The overall chances for getting a specific number of activations and the average amount of activations for Swashbuckling are as follows:
One Weapon:
Two Weapons:
This is a nice skill for a utility oriented Buccaneer to have, because it works pretty well with Limit Boost. For offensively oriented Buccaneers, this isn't that great of a skill, because there are far more reliable ways of dealing damage. Of course for a Shogun/Buccaneer, this skill is an absolute must have, since it helps get some Warrior Might activations, and they can fill up their Limit Gauge extremely fast with this skill.
Lady Luck
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 10
Stats Used: LUC
Prerequisites: N/A
Increases the Buccaneer's critical hit rate.
Notes:
- Stacks additively with Data Mining or Night Vision.
- Without taking other critical hit rate skills into account or the user's LUC stat, this increases the average damage output with regular attacks by 2.5%/3%/3.5%/4%/5%/6%/7%/8%/9%/10%.
Well I guess if you're doing a Swashbuckling build, this could be worth it. Getting a bunch of crits on a lot of Swashbuckling procs could deal a lot of damage. Otherwise, skip it. Critical hits aren't too great by the fact that regular attacks aren't too great themselves. Besides, there are more reliable ways to deal damage.
Limit Boost
Skill Type: Passive
Maximum Level: 5
Stats Used: N/A
Prerequisites: Lady Luck – Level 3, Eagle Eye – Level 3
This skill passively increases the amount of Limit the Buccaneer can gain from performing an action.
Notes:
- Does not increase the maximum amount of Limit gained, so you can never gain more than 15 Limit per action without wearing any equipment with Limit Forges.
- Raises the minimum amount of Limit gained. Without wearing any equipment with Limit Forges, the Buccaneer can gain 7 to 15/9 to 15/11 to 15/13 to 15/15 Limit per action.
A very good passive, as it allows the Buccaneer to be one of the fastest Limit builders in the game. If you have the Swashbuckling passive maxed out, the Buccaneer could potentially make use of a Limit skill every other turn. Of course building up Limit that quickly, especially if you have a Shogun/Buccaneer handling that role, was found to be too powerful so it ended up getting nerfed in the next game.
Lights Out (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Rapier
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR, LUC, TEC
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -6
Prerequisites: Rapier Mastery – Level 1
A single target Pierce attack that has a chance to inflict Blind. Higher levels increase the damage dealt, infliction rate, and accuracy.
It's a nice utility skill to have in the early-game, since Blind can help your party's survivability. Though if you're trying to use this skill to help deal with the Great Lynxes on the first floor, don't bother. They're really resistant to Blind. Past the early-game, it's not that great at dealing damage, and Blind isn't that great of a status effect to make use of in this game. However, it does have a bit of a use in that leaving this skill at level 1 and maxing out Trickster means that the Buccaneer gains 4 TP every time they use this skill. Not really efficient, but hey, that's a little trick you can do.
Chase Saber/Chase Blow/Chase Thrust
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Rapier
Body Part: Legs
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Chaser
Action Speed: +60
Prerequisites: Rapier Mastery – Level 3
When activated, the Buccaneer prepares to perform an attack on any enemies hit with a Slash/Strike/Pierce attack. The chance of doing another follow up decreases with each chase. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output, accuracy, the likelihood that the Buccaneer will perform more chases, as well as the maximum number of chases allowed.
Notes:
- Chases do not count as separate actions.
- The maximum possible damage output is 300%/321%/342%/488%/520%/552%/730%/924%/1134%/1190%.
- Charge and Etheric Charge only affect the initial setup, which deals no damage. This means that they have absolutely no effect on the damage output.
- The properties of the weapon in the primary weapon slot, such as the weapon type in the case of Second Sword users, Elemental forges, and imbues are taken into account when using Chasers. As such, the damage type can change if this skill is used with a Shogun. Forges such as ailment forges and passives that only affect regular attacks do not affect Chasers.
- Because the initial setup isn't considered a damage skill, these skills cannot activate Trickster.
- Cannot chase other instances of Chasers.
Oh boy, the Chasers. These were supposed to be the main gimmick of the class, but they're just too underpowered. You're not gonna get up to 7 chases without very specific party setups. In fact, it's pretty impossible in most cases. I've talked about their main problems in the introduction for this class, and another big one is that if you do want to diversify your Chases, that's going to cost a lot of skill points. Not only that, Chasing is completely outclassed by Warrior Might, which is much easier to set up. If you really want to make use of the Buccaneer's chases, go with Chase Thrust. Pierce attacks are probably the easiest damage type to build a team around.
Hanging (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Rapier
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR, LUC, TEC
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -6
Prerequisites: Rapier Mastery – Level 5
A single target Pierce attack that has a chance to inflict Head Bind. Higher levels increase the damage dealt, infliction rate, and accuracy.
It's the strongest damage skill in the Rapier skill tree, and it comes with a Head bind to boot. If you're going the Rapier route for your Buccaneer, you want this maxed out so they have something for the mid game. The Head bind adds a nice bit of utility since it will seal off an opponent's magical attacks in most cases, and end up halving their TEC stat so a Zodiac can deal additional damage to them. However, if you're on the Deep City route, you really want your Buccaneer to have a different damage skill (preferably Pincushion) by the time they get to the final boss, because head binding it will not lead to a good time. On the other hand, if you don't have a Wildling in the party, you'll need this skill for the post-game, as one boss fight there will be completely impossible to win otherwise.
Quick Draw (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Gun
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Random
Action Speed: Start of the turn, -3
Prerequisites: Gun Mastery – Level 1
A random target Pierce attack that hits enemies multiple times and goes at the start of the turn. Higher levels increase the damage dealt, and the number of hits.
Notes:
- The total damage output at each level is 140%/142%/142%-213%/144%-216%/148%-222%/148%-296%/152%-304%/156%-312%/160%-320%/160%-400%.
- The average damage output is 140%/142%/177.5%/180%/185%/222%/228%/234%/240%/280%
A fairly basic early game damage skill. Though it does have its uses what with being able to potentially target multiple enemies and having priority on top of that. Like with Lights Out, you can perform the same TP recovery trick here by maxing out Trickster and leaving this at level 1. And it actually restores more TP in this case since it only costs 4 TP.
Chase Flame/Chase Ice/Chase Volt
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Gun
Body Part: Legs
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Chaser
Action Speed: +60
Prerequisites: Gun Mastery – Level 3
When activated, the Buccaneer prepares to perform an attack on any enemies hit with a Fire/Ice/Volt attack. The chance of doing another follow up decreases with each chase. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output, accuracy, the likelihood that the Buccaneer will perform more chases, as well as the maximum number of chases allowed.
Notes:
- Chases do not count as separate actions.
- The maximum possible damage output is 300%/321%/342%/488%/520%/690%/876%/1232%/1296%/1360%.
- Charge and Etheric Charge only affect the initial setup, which deals no damage. This means that they have absolutely no effect on the damage output.
- The properties of the weapon in the primary weapon slot, such as the weapon type in the case of Second Sword users, Elemental forges, and imbues are taken into account when using Chasers. As such, the damage type can change if this skill is used with a Shogun. Forges such as ailment forges and passives that only affect regular attacks do not affect Chasers.
- Because the initial setup isn't considered a damage skill, these skills cannot activate Trickster.
- Cannot chase other instances of Chasers.
And here are the elemental versions of the Chasers. They're more likely proc and you can get some more chases out of these version, but they still fall under the same problems that Chasers have. The other problem with the Chaser skills is that the physicals are limited to Rapiers, while the elemental versions are limited to Guns. Meaning that you can't mix and match physical and elemental Chasers, so that limits your options. Out of all the elemental Chasers, there's not really a best one to go with. But honestly, I would just ignore these skills. It's much harder to set up an elemental oriented Chaser party than it is to set up a physical oriented one.
Rapid Fire (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Gun
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Gun Mastery – Level 5
A single target Pierce attack that has the Buccaneer fire at one enemy 3 times. Increasing the skill level increases the damage output and accuracy.
Notes:
- The skill essentially deals the same amount of damage as one big attack that deals the same total damage output. However, there are a few differences to keep in mind:
- Only the first hit can benefit from the damage bonus on sleeping enemies.
- Each hit goes through an accuracy check, which can cause it to deal more or less damage than one big attack depending on the circumstances.
- If the user is Cursed but manages to kill an enemy on the second or third hit, they will still take Curse damage from the first hit or first two hits.
- If Double Action or Wide Effect activates, that will only cause extra hit to come out, not all 3 hits.
It's the best damage skill in the Gun skill branch, so if you're using a Gun Buccaneer, take this skill until you have enough skill points to max out Pincushion and make use of that instead.
Pincushion (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 10
Equipment Needed: Rapier or Gun
Body Part: Arm
Stats Used: STR, AGI
Target Type: Random
Action Speed: -3
Prerequisites: Rapier Mastery – Level 10, Gun Mastery – Level 10
The Buccaneer randomly strikes at all enemies, dealing Pierce damage. The damage output increases as the Buccaneer's AGI increases. The damage output for each hit is equal to Base Damage + (3 * AGI). Increasing the skill level increases the base damage, number of hits, and accuracy. However, the AGI multiplier is unaffected.
Notes:
- STR is still used to determine the base damage. AGI simply increases the damage modifier.
- To that effect, increasing AGI increases damage more than increasing STR in most cases, as increasing STR has diminishing returns.
- Since AGI cannot go past 99, the maximum value that can be added onto the base damage value is 297%.
- The total damage output at each level is 110% + (3 * AGI)-220% + (6 * AGI)/113% + (3 * AGI)-229% + (6 * AGI)/117% + (3 * AGI)-234% + (6 * AGI)/121% + (3 * AGI)-363% + (9 * AGI)/125% + (3 * AGI)-375% + (9 * AGI)/129% + (3 * AGI)-387% + (9 * AGI)/133% + (3 * AGI)-399% + (9 * AGI)/137% + (3 * AGI)-411% + (9 * AGI)/141% + (3 * AGI)-423% + (9 * AGI)/145% + (3 * AGI)-435% + (9 * AGI)
- The average damage output is 165% + (4.5 * AGI)/169.5% + (4.5 * AGI)/175.5% + (4.5 * AGI)/242% + (6 * AGI)/250% + (6 * AGI)/258% + (6 * AGI)/266% + (6 * AGI)/274% + (6 * AGI)/282% + (6 * AGI)/290% + (6 * AGI)
The Buccaneer's best damage skill. Okay it deals less damage than the Chasers could, but those need a ton of setup and luck to even reach the max damage ouput. Pincushion doesn't, so it's pretty much the best damage skill Buccaneers have by default. Like the notes said, AGI has more of an effect on its damage output than STR, so increasing that stat is much more important. With that said, going for this skill as soon as possible is a bad idea. You would need 21 skill points just to get this skill, and 30 skill points to max it out, meaning that for 19 or 28 levels, your Buccaneer is completely useless. And since the damage modifier directly scales off of AGI, which is going to be really low at that point, it's gonna deal less damage than Hanging and Rapid Fire, both of which are much cheaper in terms of TP cost. Save it for the late game once you have the skill points for it, but this is not an early or mid game skill.
Eagle Eye (Animation)
Skill Type: Active
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: Head
Stats Used: N/A
Target Type: Single
Action Speed: -6
Prerequisites: Limit Boost – Level 3
Lowers one enemy's physical defense for 4 turns. Higher levels increases the defense penalty.
Notes:
- Only affects physical damage. Does not affect elemental or Almighty damage.
One of the few defensive debuffs in the game, and it's a very good support skill. It's essentially a damage amplifier that doesn't use up your party's buff slots. However unlike Primal Drums, it's only single target while being slightly stronger. So it's not quite as useful in random battles. Still, it's certainly a must have skill.
Trouble Maker
Skill Type: Active, Field Skill
Maximum Level: 5
Equipment Needed: N/A
Body Part: N/A
Stats Used: N/A
Target Type: N/A
Action Speed: N/A
Prerequisites: N/A
This skill has the Buccaneer stir up trouble, which increases how often the party will get into encounters for a certain number of steps. Increasing the skill level increases the danger value multiplier, and the number of steps the skill lasts for.
Notes:
- The numbers do not reflect the overall increase in encounter rate. They only apply to the danger values on the tiles.
I don't really think this is a good field skill. If you want to grind for item drops, I guess it's good. But grinding on random encounters for experience points is much less efficient than just killing FOEs or Sea Quest bosses.
Subclasses:
Prince/ss:
If you're really set on emphasizing the support aspect of a Buccaneer, you could make use of this class. Most of their skills are stat independent, so they work well with a Buccaneer. Just be aware of their TP usage. Buccaneers have the highest TP pool out of all the physical attackers, but when it comes to the actual support classes, Buccaneers have less than all of them, except for the Hoplite. So they can't really support for long. If your Buccaneer is focused on offense, there are better subclasses to take.
Gladiator:
Like this one. Buccaneers are physical attackers and Gladiators are the best subclass for physical attackers, so it all works out! Berserker's Vow is the best offensive buff in the game, and Charge is just a really efficient damage boost. Though the class and subclass combination would be much better the other way around, since Trickster is a mediocre Class Skill since all it does is restore TP, while Endless Battle actually deals damage, meaning that Gladiator/Buccaneer deals more damage than Buccaneer/Gladiator. Granted the Gladiator's low AGI doesn't make them an ideal candidate for a Pincushion user, but if you're willing to farm up AGI books for them, they can beat Buccaneers at their own game. Of course if you're not willing to grind up books, Buccaneer/Gladiator is perfectly fine, as Gladiator is pretty much the best subclass for them.
Hoplite:
While Buccaneers aren't really good at tanking, they can use the Hoplite's skills far more often thanks to Trickster potentially replenishing TP. And they do have a bigger TP pool to work with than the Hoplite. The Parry skills can provide some extra survivability for the Buccaneer, and most of the Hoplite's skills are stat independent.
Ninja:
Having a pirate ninja is certainly a viable party member to have. If the class combination was the other way around. Unfortunately Buccaneers make for terrible Ninjas due to their LUC and TEC stats being mediocre so they aren't good at inflicting ailments. Now Swashbuckling does work with Kubikiri, so you could potentially have them instantly kill every single enemy in a fight if you got really lucky. But again, that strategy would better if you were using a Ninja/Buccaneer instead.
Monk:
Buccaneers have a mediocre TEC stat, so they make for terrible healers. They're faster than Monks sure, but they're only half as effective in healing capabilities. Not to mention that Monks have Form Qi and Buccaneers don't. You would honestly be better off having your Buccaneer use healing items if you want to put them on healing duty, since their AGI is high enough to ensure they at least use those in time. Ascetic Deeds is a nice passive for them to have though, since with both it and Trickster, the Buccaneer becomes a self sustaining class every time they use an offensive skill.
Zodiac:
You could have your Buccaneer subclass Zodiac for Dark Ether support. Etheric Return could be nice to have since it does stack with Trickster. Singularity can be a good passive to have if you're making use of Chasers, as those do take elemental forges into account. But their mediocre TEC stat does not make them an ideal wizard.
Wildling:
Primal Drums is all this class has to offer a Buccaneer. It's a great skill, and it stacks with Eagle Eye. But Buccaneers can't really make use of animals all that well, as they are terrible at inflicting ailments due to their low LUC and TEC stats, and animals cost way too much TP for them. The only thing Buccaneer animals have over Wildling animals is that they're faster. Which is barely a benefit when they are terrible at inflicting ailments.
Arbalist:
You would have a faster and more accurate Arbalist at the cost of having much less power. Proper Form is kind of pointless since Buccaneers don't really have accuracy problems.
Farmer:
Trickster stacks with Braveheart, so this can make your Buccaneer much less TP starved. Rotten Egg could be an okay support skill to make use of, but you'll need someone else in the party who can make use of ailments to capitalize on it, as Buccaneers aren't great at inflicting ailments. If you really want a field support, you could have your Buccaneer subclass Farmer for that purpose as well, though it's not the best use of Buccaneers.
Shogun:
Once again, a class and subclass combination that would be much better if it was the other way around. Unless you completely intend on making a Buccaneer a support, they have very little to offer them.
Buccaneers are a bit of an unusual class, and their main gimmick doesn't really work that well in practice, which leaves their early and mid game severely lacking. And on top of that, they're one of the weakest physical attacking classes in the game. However, they're strong physical attackers late game, and are decent semi-supports throughout the whole game. So they can be worth putting in your party. Just be warned that you'll really have to work around their weaknesses to make them worthwhile.