Dagger Use before level 20

[Malodar]

I have heard two different things about a thief. I have heard to carry a Dagger and a Sword, and to cap the Dagger's skill at each level and then switch to sword. That way, at level 33, you get Viper Bite, which is very powerful.

But I have also heard that it's pointless to use dagger from the beginning because it is very fast to level. This person told me to just use sword (and boomerang for pulling) until level 20, and THEN switch to dagger.

What do you suggest?

[Narru]

First approach. Keep both on you, and when you level, whip out dagger until you're skill maxed, then switch to sword/grapple for the remainder of the level.

[John Doe III]

When at level 15, use grapples and sub Monk for best results! Use combo and if your in a renkei you will notice the difference between using dagger and grapples. So, when maybe fighting worthless monsters while waiting for someone that is afk just lvl dagger then and grapples other time.

[Mithrankittycat]

Good exp parties won't let you switch to skill up dagger.

[PhoR]

I agree with Narru. It's better to keep both with you to keep dagger maxed.
Sure your dagger skill will max quickly if you just don't use it till 32 and then decide to max it, but when you finally decide to switch to it, you WILL miss alot if you have low skill, and that will hurt that party very much. whereas if you just switch to it for a couple mobs with each level in order to keep it capped, you aren't hindering your party at all.

one other piece of advice.
make sure you have the highest damage dagger for your level. Even 1 extra base damage can make a large difference in the amount of total damage you do with your dagger while you're leveling it.

as for Mithrankittycat's post, i have never even heard of, much less been a part of a party who kicked a thf because he switched to dagger for a few mobs in order to skill up his dagger.
that would be just plain ignorance :sweat:
however i CAN see this happening if you wait to skill up your dagger till you hit level 30+. because if you have low skill level with dagger at that level, chances are you will be missing a TON, and that could make party members angry.

hope that helps

[Anya]

A Thf with a dagger prior to Viper Bite is pretty low on the list of jobs I'd invite.

If you don't use swords or grapples, you're not really contributing nearly as much as you could.

A *good* xp PT won't take you. Nor will they be keen on you breaking the skillchain to mess around with dagger.

Of course, *good* xp pts (5k+ an hour) are pretty hard to come by, so you probably don't have to worry aboout it. Doubt they'd really want a thf before 30 anyhow.

[Narru]

Hehe, the advice I gave is taken from experience ... since I waited a little too long before realizing I had to level up dagger - it wasn't until level 34 that I got Viper Bite ^^ ;;; And boy was that a pain.

Another thing I might suggest is this: when you're looking for a PT and get put in a very nice, competent, experienced PT where the exp is just rolling in: by all means just use your sword/grapples all the time. Sooner or later though, you'll get stuck in a really crappy PT where everyone's a newb and you start to think soloing is faster exp, lol: use this "opportunity" to whip out your dagger and skill it up. Most likely no one will notice a difference in damage output, haha.

[Huck]

I would definately buy a "Knife" or a "Knife +1" if you can afford it at lv13. that was the first dagger i bought that actually was nice. I was actually hitting harder on basic attacks with this knife than with my sword i had been using Brass Xiphos? not sure there. but then at level 15, you get Sneak Attack, Sneak attack is SO much more efficient with a dagger than with a sword. Sneak /w Sword is like+30% damage, Sneak /w Dagger is like... +500% damage. I really suggest getting that "Knife" at level 13, by the time you hit 15, your dagger skill should be close to max, and if you're like me, you will never use anything but dagger again.

[JoeyK]

Another point of advice is tf thf is your second job (ie you have another at 30+) sub nin AFTER lvl 20 and dual a sword in your main hand and a dagger in your off hand.

On Alexander almost ALL thfs lvls 11-25 that i have encountered in the past few days (while lvling whm) use daggers ONLY. They refuse to use a sword, even when it could lead to a reasonably good distortion skillchain. As such I have kicked 3 thfs in as many parties and denied 3 more for the same reason.

[ZQM]

Since you say up to 20, I'm assuming you have /NIN?

Use dagger from level 1-14. Fast blade + Sneak Attack is too good to give up, so go sword 15-19 (since you'd have /NIN you probably already have sword capped up to 15). Then at 20 you can dual wield. The difference in dagger skill from 14 to 20 isn't much at all (20-30 if I remember correctly) and can be capped quickly in an EXP party.

[Anya]

Originally posted by Huck
but then at level 15, you get Sneak Attack, Sneak attack is SO much more efficient with a dagger than with a sword. Sneak /w Sword is like+30% damage, Sneak /w Dagger is like... +500% damage.

This is utter nonsense. Sneak attack does not play favorites with weapon types.

You will see damage variance depending on weapon vs mob type, but that's it.

The main reason you use sword or grapples before 33 is due to the fact that the only dagger weaponskills sneak will stack with before viper are complete trash.

Before lvl30 the only thing you can offer a PT is damage. By using a dagger, your damage sucks. So why would anyone take you?

[John Doe III]

If you want to PT use grapples, they have combo + sneak = better damage. Simple as that. Like Anya said most of this is BS and half of it is selfish. Dont think about yourself so much. If your in a PT ask what the renkei is and mainly rely on the better weapon for lower level which is grapples (sub mnk). You have plenty of time i'm sure, go to Batallia or Qufim and hit those easy monsters and skill it up.

[Rykin]

On the topic of subjobs nin is a great sub for a thf. But until you get to lvl 30+ you cant get it. I agree with the general consense of mnk, not only for grapple but also because of boost. Thfs hardly ever get hit in a good pt, mainly one with a drk and pal, so while your pt is regening just keep on boosting. I have had my attack at almost 230 and comboing that with Sneak Attack it can deal unreal amounts of damage.

[Spiderine]

N00B Question Here - The Weapons have a cap at each level?

Like I mean as your char. levels up theres a limit on how high your weapon Lvl. gets?

The reason I'm asking is because I am a THF wielding a Dagger.

Thanks!

[Meowmix]

I just hit 291 damage on a VT+ in quifim @25. dealing 150+ damage every minute and 250+ every 3 minutes sounds good to me @25. and that is with 19- gear.

the funniest things i have heard already are....

STOP BOOSTING!

WHY DO YOU USE A SWORD?

WHY DO YOU WANT A BRD IN THE PARTY?

I HATE MY KNIFE! /cry (parrying knife@25)

^. -