I have both, and PvP is all I do. I still like my Smuggler most, but Vanguard is fun. On my smuggler I use saboteur spec. On my Vanguard I use the shield specialist (tank) spec. Can't hurt to try something new. You can always go back. Smuggler Saboteur build Vanguard Tank Build

All three trees are pretty good for PvP thanks to recent changes. You just have to decide between healing, damage, and bleed damage. http://www.companionsclassescrewskills.com/swtor-classes/swtor-imperial-agent-class/imperial-agent-operative-specs/ Healers are pretty in-demand for PvP if that interests you.

Here's some Sage PvE specs. Probably anything but Seer, unless you want to spend hours on end killing everything.

lol. I'm not sure what you're saying about <Damage Overcharge>, but I laughed anyway.

This is exactly right. If you'll notice, every person in this thread speaking against bombers is using the example of scout versus bomber. Strikes, gunships, and other bombers should handle enemy bombers. Scouts should avoid bombers at all costs unless properly equipped. NovaDive/Spearpoint and Blackbolt/Bloodmark scouts can be good against bombers, but you need to gear them properly. Thermite torpedoes, proton torpedoes, rocket pods, EMP, etc are weapons of choice for them.

I've got a guide for the Pike Strike Fighter here, and a here. I won't debate whether Scouts or Strike Fighters are doing better, but the PT-6 Pike (Quell) does great for me. Any buffs it gets (some already announced) will only improve things. Don't let this stop you from playing the Strike Fighters.

You would have to be logged in to the site to activate the link. Otherwise anyone could just click it and tie up the server needlessly. P.S. I think your signature should read, "And since WHEN have..."

You have to unlock it with 5000 Fleet Requisition, there are two available. You can also buy the new Cartel Market one from the GTN, or get lucky in a Cartel Pack.

The daily quest hubs do grant a nice chunk of XP for leveling. They weren't all created equal though. The Black Hole dailies in Corellia are, IMO, the best to do each day at 50. Not only do they give decent XP, but some of the best credit-per-minute return of any daily quest hub (including the 55 ones). Ilum or Section X may be worthwhile too if you're looking to fill the XP gap. I would not bother with Belsavis dailies. They take a long, long time...

It sounds like you're aiming correctly, but your problem seems to be in the red/grey factor. Grey means they are out of range, red means they are in range. The little cross-stitched pattern means they are behind something, and cannot be hit. Scouts were meant for the up-close range, so you're doing that part right. I've got some Galactic Starfighter guides and videos put together you can check out as well.

Treek is a gal, not a guy! You need Legacy level 10, and 2800 Cartel Coins total. 2100 for Treek, and 700 to unlock it across your entire Legacy. OR, you can buy Treek off a vendor for 1,000,000 credits, and then pay the 700 Cartel Coins to unlock it across your entire Legacy.

I realize it's a PvE server,but I am curious as to how often PvP happens out in the open world. Is there a lot? Random? Small scale? Planned events? I'm already on a PvP server, but i'm curious as to what a PvE server is like.

I have both at 55, though my 'commando' is a 'mercenary' Sith side. I wish I had chosen Vanguard. My gunslinger still has no regrets. I play a Saboteur spec, but have tried dirty fighting too. Both are very intuitive to play. A gunslinger is all go, all the time. The only thing you wait for is your big cooldowns. The commando feels very disjointed. The abilities don't flow together for me. Throw this, wait for that, watch for this debuff, wait for that proc, and use your free attack in the meantime (which is terrible damage-wise). I feel I waste a lot of time waiting in between mediocre attacks. The story for smuggler is way better too. I've gotten an actual vanguard trooper up to 45 and so far Chapter I and II have been average. Smuggler was great for all 3 chapters.

While I do agree the 'see stealth' ability is not working as advertised, cover works fine for gunslingers. Scoundrels and Operatives are the ones that cover doesn't work for anymore. Where is this coming form all of a sudden?

That was taken away from Scoundrels (Operatives), not Gunslingers.

I upgrade weapons every 5 levels, armor every 10. Leveling is super easy. I would also recommend taking comms as a reward, unless you can choose a mod that will be an upgrade. I usually upgraded each time I hit the fleet. Spent what comms I had to upgrade my lowest level mods. This method has worked well for me so far. I would avoid the GTN as much as possible for now.

LOL. Best story ever.

No it's perfectly legit. I can confirm i've done/am doing the same thing. It has been working this way since 2.0 with the implementation of Bolster. To get 2018 expertise, you need to fill every armor slot (implants, earpiece, relics too) and wear anything but the highest 2 tiers of PvE gear (level 66+ mods I think I saw someone mention). That's exactly what bolster is supposed to do - give everyone conqueror level stats to even the playing field. Bolster also affects level 55s, not just lowbies. There are essentially 2 levels of PvP geared players - Oboroan geared players, and everyone else.

If I had a fully Obroan geared smuggler, i'd take a screenshot for you, but I don't think it's going to be quite that easy. You will need someone in all the same gear (professional / field tech), all the same type of augments as you ( power / stat ), and also someone who has the same min/maxed mods as you. You may want to clarify what gear setup you have so that someone will know if they match your specific setup.

If you want credits, and you can manage it, i'd get your Sorc up to 47 so you can start doing the Ilum or Belsavis dailies. I say 47 because i've read it before, but can't confirm it. I've got a level 40 trooper I hope to be able to put the rumor to rest with soon. The Ilum dailies are easy, and not too time consuming. Definitely worth doing, but they might start at 48. The Belsavis dailies are easy, but not quick by any definition. They're interesting enough to do once for sure, but I wouldn't even try to grind all of them out every day. Ideally you want 50 to get the Corellia Black Hole dailies, and then you'll really be sitting pretty as far as credits. All the daily hubs give a good amount of XP too, so you'll be killing two birds with one stone. That's my advice. Good luck!

I imagine a lot of this will settle out too once everyone starts maxing out their ships. RNG + Veteran vs New = A lot of crazy stuff can happen. It is nice to know it's probably not a '1 shot' per se, but knowing you can go from full to dead in the blink of an eye still makes you want to /headdesk repeatedly.

Welcome back! Again! I stopped once myself to play Guild Wars 2 for about 6 months. Came back when the shiny wore off GW2 to see what the F2P system was all about. Love it, and now I play both. I play on a PvP server as well (Jung Ma), even though there isn't a lot of world PvP, there's always hope... As for what to do, what level are your characters? Subscription or free? A lot depends on that. There are options for both. If you're lower level, you can do planetary daily heroics. I haven't really gone this route, it kind of breaks up the leveling experience and turns out not to be worthwhile. Questing should give you the base level of credits you need to get to 55. Resist buying from the GTN until you can get your first character to max level. Daily Space Missions, as well as Flashpoints, Warzones, and Galactic Starfighter battles, offer credits and experience. Good choices while leveling up. At 47+, you can work on daily quest hubs. I put together a guide for daily quest hubs. Basically you want to go for Black Hole, Czerka, and Oricon. They offer the best credit per minute ratio. There's always the option of using the GTN to make money. It's a little risky, so again, something i'd save for 55 unless you're willing to put the time in and be patient. If there's more to come, that's what these forums are for. Feel free to come back anytime and ask questions. I've also got other guides there on the site you might find helpful. Have fun!

May want to look at this thread of smuggler screenshots: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=71491 There's a ton of great looking gear for smugglers. It's not hard to find something you like.

I agree mostly with the above, especially with the cover mechanic being pretty central. Gunslinger was the first ranged class I played in any MMO. I absolutely love it. I haven't even bothered to get my first character (Guardian) to 55 yet. I would disagree partially with the description of 'immobile'. Depending on what tree you go up, you aren't necessarily immobile. I play saboteur, and am definitely not immobile. The dirty fighting tree is probably even more mobile, and the Marksman tree is probably the least mobile. I've never played a Sage, and have no interest in rolling one. The story looks terrible. My view is biased, so take from it what you will. Good luck!

This definitely happened to me at least once today as well by another scout, although I was in a Flashfire, not a strike fighter. I did notice Bypass was involved, but couldn't tell what it was that actually killed me.