Elyx
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So, decided to roll a gunslinger so I could experience the smuggler story. I've leveled quite a few different classes, including a sage, shadow, juggernaut, merc, and Operative. the gunslinger will be new to me, and i was looking at companion selection and specs and had a few questions:
1) looking at the trees, they remind me in ways of my operative trees, but obviously different. I like the idea of a nice balance between mobility and prone damage, but i hear sharpshooter really is the choice for PvE DPS (I do no PvP whatsoever).I hear that dirty fighting has the best mobility, but is it comparable enough for damage compared to SS?
2) I also noticed that the smuggler gets their healer last out of all the other classes. seems almost painful from the perspective of a DPS only class (as a comparison, my jugg got her healer at lvl 20). for those playing the GS, what were your preferred comps for leveling?
3) What were the hardest levels for your GS, and how did you adjust your approach/performance to compensate? an example would be my Shadow was getting his behind handed to him on Alderaan. I was still using Qyzen with notably bad gear....once I switched to tharan (healing) with a solid DPS spec I was fine. how did you manage to adapt to those "gear check" points in the leveling process with yourself or your companion?
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Thanks all for the help in making my decision. SWTOR is difficult because all the classes are appealing to me. My main is a Sent only 45 but I keep "needing" to get backed to my ranged roots. I think GS/Sniper is where its at for me. I cant stand the look of the commando's big cannon... Doesnt seem to be any other class that is "physical" damage ranged...
If your looking at both repub and imp, merc (the imp version of the commando) is an option. swings 2 blasters much like the GS, but is a healing/DPS class like the commando. Don't let they hybrid fool ya...a full fledged DPS merc puts out numbers that only a few classes can compete with.
Not sure if you knew (and hasn't been brought up yet), but the GS and the Sniper are identical classes with different look, gear, and story (and of course diff fractions). So performance is the same.looks and story/background are going to be the real deal maker, along with fraction of course. what made the choice for me was im just a fan of the dual guns. i ran merc on imp side instead of a commando for that reason, and just couldn't get into my sniper for the same reason. so for me it's gunslinger (plus i've already ran the Agent story on sith side with my Operative).
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but id make it pvp flagged players (on pve servers of course) simply cant group up with unflagged players!
So they have the choice of going and removing THEIR FLAG if they want to join group or staying flagged and looking for other like minded players who they can group with!
I klnow a few guildies have accidently buffed a PUG they in with out looking for flagged players and ended up flagging themselves because of it. They were non to impressed about having to goto a cantina and sit for 5 minutes cause some kid didnt do it first out of common curtisy and respect for others.
Or at least put a option in the client that person only groups with same flagged/unflagged players to avoid all the nonsense!
Course I expect buddy above will call us selfish again cause you know, its our job to play his prefference setting! Lord forbid he think of someone but himself.
I agree. It's not the job of PvE players to contend with the decisions or choices of PvP players. this is a PvE game with PvP elements. PvP players will usually have no problems playing PvE (they just prefer PvP), whereas PvE players who do not want to PvP are vehemently against it. the burden of that choice is then on the PvP'er, since it's his choice to do it anyways (this would be different in a game that was designed to be PvP first....such as Aion. the inverse would then be in effect).
So I agree with the above idea....people who are PvP flagged should have to wait out the timer. It was their choice from the beginning....if the timer should be inflicted on anyone, it should be the PvP player. PvE players who group up in a PvE setting should not be held responsible for the decisions of a PvP player.
Blaming a healer for the choice of a PvP player who then wants to push himself into the PvE world is simply silly. a real life comparison (it is extreme, ill give you that...but it proves the point), is someone who gets drunk and drives, and then blames the person they run into because it was "their choice to be on the road with me". laughable at best. The person who is on the road has a reasonable expectation that the other drivers are trained and not impaired. likewise, the PvE player is grouping in PvE with a reasonable expectation that he will not have to deal with being exposed to hostile player elements or people who would expose them in that way through lack of planning.
EDIT: Just to note: I have nothing against PvP. I did it for many years in PvE games, and PvP oriented games as well. Im just at a point in my gaming career where overall the environment is something I don't enjoy (mostly the immature attitudes). I get enough of that dealing with raising 3 teenage boys. But I know many mature, decent people who enjoy it. There's nothing wrong with it, but those who make the choice should deal with the consequences of those choices. If I choose to PvP, then I go back to town, sit there for 5m, and take a Bio break. it's as simply as that. it was my choice, and it is my responsibility. not the responsibility of those who would group up with me 5 minutes later.
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In all honesty, I can understand why solo players feel grief about this. while I have no problems running social event's, the idea of having to deal with the "perfect griefing" environment...well...gives me no end to my grief! I quit playing PvP due to the attitudes that it created, and griefing IMO was one of the biggest and most perfect example of this predatory, sociopathicly justified behavior. non consensual PvP goes against the idea of having separate PvP and PvE worlds. even if they are trying to "get more attention" to the open PvP aspects of the game, this is the worst way to do it.
I don't understand why a company thinks its a good idea to take an element of one aspect of gaming, and shove it onto another aspect of gaming, forcing those who preferred the former to do that latter just to be able to accomplish the former. it's simply silly.
So....if anyone who normally does not wish to group wants HK-51, then I'm offering my services to assist you. if your on shadowlands, send a whisper or email to my characters, and we can arrange a time that perhaps a group can run the required heroics or FP's to get the required items. I can't guarantee that we will be able to get the one from the Pvp vendor, but it's worth a shot. the toons i regularly play are;
Empire:
Yldriss (juggernaut)
Kulthoen (mercenary)
Republic:
Arkannon (consular)
Akiema (sage)
from the sounds of it, i have toons well geared enough to handle the PvE portion of it, and im usually online wed through Saturday throughout the day. Im open to help anyone interested. Perhaps we can get a list going of those who are willing to help out our solo bretheren in this arduous undertaking. if people are interested in helping form group PvP setups so we can all safely grab our items from the vendor on tatooine, you can list that as well.
If Bio doesn't step up to the plate, we can. Good opportunity for server events here (player ran of course). of course, if Bio changes it, then disregard...
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I think those that come in expecting an end game with 10 instances, 6 raids, fully fleshed out PvP and a score of non combat min games are the result of the "WoW-boxer" genre.
People who had wrath or cat era WoW define "MMO's" for them, and their Xbox defined game releases. they expect first person shooter fluidity, and ten years of game refinement on release.
in an era where WoW has has many years and billiions of dollars per year to tinker and refine what they do. And btw...companies don't just hand off their secrets to others so the science of MMO's can improve...most MMO's have to start off at square one. and if their lucky, they have people that have developed other MMO's before, and can use their ideas without violating trade laws (this happens more then you think it does). so no...just because wow can do it now doesn't mean other MMO's can just pick up the torch.
Now this doesn't justify a company selling a product worthy of 2002....don't get me wrong. improvements in technology, and the increased volume of experienced developers in the marketplace means a company is much better of doing an MMO now then they were 10 yrs ago...and they SHOULD be better then WoW was back then. But like it was said before...they are. wow was full of bugs, as mentioned before.
even blizzard currently isn't free from new game-itis. look at the development of diablo 3. look at all the online parodys of the outages and error based events from their initial release. I remember the servers being down for almost 48 hours....on one of the most developed games in MMO history, by one of the biggest names in MMO development. compared to their diable 3 release....ToR was brilliantly smooth.
Their choices for release did have their downfalls though. medicore server technology, and too many servers released at launch meant an inevitable merger, when they didn't really have that technology in place yet...and were all still feeling the shockwaves from that. the graphics engine was well known in the industry for NOT being designed to do what Bio had wanted to do with it. were still dealing with them trying to make adjustments to it so average joe with average system can play it....at a time when games like aion have breathtaking worlds that run on simple machines:
Bio certainly has allot to learn about MMO's and some of their decisions will impact them the life of the game. but its not dead...and it's not any worse off then other MMO's in it's category. I think it was the expectations built by the company, fueled by a huge (and feverish) fan base, that was the source of the intensive retaliation. that and the WoW-boxers.
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At this point I like healing more than DPS. It stil CHALENGES me in ways playing DPS never did. I'd like to level a commando at some point to see how that healing is.
they can be fun. the heat mechanic is very different then the force mechanic. the burst potential for a commando/merc is insane...but if you let it all out then you are done within about 15 seconds, period. so healing is about heat management. on my sage, its the long term outlook.
other then that, the heals are faster on a Commando, and your instants are actually pretty impressive. I heal most HM's on my merc with nothing but my kolto bomb and auto shot (it heals party members when in healing form). but if a party member takes a ton of damage, i have nothing like my sages bubble to get me those few extra precious seconds to lob in a huge heal. i have to hope that my instant cast is on CD, and that i have enough time to get another heal or two out.
On my sage, i have to watch force usage over the course of the fight. I know that if i use too much early on, I wont have resources later on. whereas with my merc, i have to make sure that my healing doesn't get my heat too high....but if i do that, keep my regular heat under 20%, and never spike past 50 or so, I can pretty much heal indefinitely. Its nice to be minutes into a boss fight and see the sorcs at 10% of their pool, and my heat is still dancing around 15-20%. but one big burst and im capped, and if my heat release is on CD....im on autoshot for the next 20 seconds until it cools down...so if i burst, I'd better have a backup plan. or i just moderate my healing, and i never run out.
both are a blast with very different mechanics and resource management.
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something else I'll point out OP:
you probably already know this as you've probably already gotten past 16, but for the benefit of those who don't, at level 16 you get Soresu form, and if you run in that, your threat worries are over.
By the way, vette pulls sick amounts of threat early on, cause she is a sick bag of leetsauce dps. with witty comebacks to boot. unless you use Soresu she will pull aggro. i think it's her comments, they really piss mobs off. I have found that early on gearing her better then me provides a better DPS return then gearing myself more then her. sad but true. once you hit the 20's your in the lead by far.
You don't need any points in tank spec. if you actually read the early talents, none of them really buff your ability to hold threat. in your second tier, there's some minor damage reduction, but thats it. the first two tiers are more about rage conservation, because in all honesty, early on, rage generation sucks for soresu form. It sucks goat dandy-lions.
I've found the best pre-20 to be a mix of all 3 trees. warcry, single saber mastery, enraged sunder, and decimate are all fantastic for saving rage, generating rage, and dealing more damage. after 20 I'd respec into pure vengeance and level that way until 40 or so. you can tank most the instances prior to that in vengeance spec if you know what you are doing. if you really want to go the immortal route, it's best at around 30, where backhand and your insta-choke make mob control far easier.
But with the 1.3 nerfs to damage for immortal builds, its really slow to level that way. the upside is you can run any companion you want, and not feel as squishy. but if you could care less about which comanion, post 20 vengeance with quinn healing is simply the fastest overall. after leveling 3 juggs one of each spec, it was the fastest. rage may also be good now with the 1.4 changes, but I never liked it's rotation. and the vengeance skill are very cool animations.
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Yes I am sure it's only juggernaut being neglected.
Let those Sorcs/Sins/PTs/Mercs/Operatives to pop something for the raid... oh wait...
Only two (2) AC has raid wide buff. Marauder has the best of them, and sniper has a 20% DR shield. That's it. Be glad at least they buffed your derpa tree so everyone can derpalolsmash now.
It's also interesting to point out that those are also the only two AC's that have NO other role then DPS.
Things that make you go hmmmmm....
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I've been demolishing crowds of mobs with improved smash. I'm going to just goo all over the place (shash, sunder) until later then respec at like 20.
that's what I usually do. early on I pick the stats that yield the most bang for my buck. so far they seem to be (pre-20):
Enraged sunder - more rage gen
Decimate - extra smash damage ftw. lower CD also translates to more damage
Single saber mastry - extra damage or defense, take your pick
battle cry - saves you 4 rage every time you leap...and its immediately available. nice damage boost early on.
Rage isn't bad pre-40...it's just not as smooth as Vengeance. most of its damage is pre-loaded into smash...and until 40 you don't have enough skill options to reliably use it every pull. so you end up having one awesome pull...then one or two mediocre ones...then an awesome one...then mediocre....
With vengeance rage is almost unlimited, and even if there's no other specials to hit, you have enough rage to vicious slash pound them into the ground. and it's dots are always going with a good rotation, and those DoT seem small, but they add up...and they tick while you are doing other stuff. It all just works into a smoother rotation early on.
this changes at 40 when rage gets force crush....it turns a spec that rotates entirely around force choke (a channeled spell) into a flexible viable DPS spec. I'ts doable prior to that, but it will feel very cyclical, with the downcycles not too fun. Whereas vengeance feels strong from 20 on, and just gets stronger. but it will never have the cool smash numbers that rage does....the first time you crit smash or 5k+ on 5 mobs you will chuckle in a way only a sith could
. but thats what rage is about. I just prefer the smooth and regular approach of vengeance in PvE. -
28 Def? Is that definitly the def u want to aim for?
I thought it capped at 27....
I've seen it go as high as 30% or more. the softcap is only a threshold. it simply means that past that point, you can gain more of the stat, but due to diminishing returns, you will get more from the other stats point for point. But the high end gear is getting to the point were most of this stuff will simply start hitting the softcaps and grow past. which isn't a bad thing as long as your other stats are also up to par. but if your higher then 25-30% defense, and your shield/absorb mits are good, then id probably go endurance over more defense...if you can mod for it of course.
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In PvE both can put out enough damage to do anything needed in PvE, even up to NM ops. there is nothing in this game that requires DPS that a jugg cannot do that a maurader can.
in long fights, the DSP Jugg's defensive abilities outshine the mauraders when played effectively. the mauraders CD's are shorter on their defensive skills, but in the long term the juggernaut pulls ahead. biggest difference is we have to sacrifice a bit of rage production to maximize our defensive skills as a jugg (rage = DPS), whereas the marauder does not. Plus, if you look at total numbers, the maurader does pull ahead. but in a shootout where a .22 will do the job, bringing a .454 is a waste of time. unless you simply prefer bigger guns. me, ill take the .22 and save myself about $2.50 per cartridge
who does more? by a little bit it's the maurader. Does it matter? only if the rest of your raid sucks and doesn't do their jobs. does it matter to you? hope not, and I hope your playing what you enjoy, no matter which one it is.
and I hope this will end this silly thread, and it will die.
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what type of gear specs should a tank look for? strength and endurance? im learning lol
Endurance should be last on the list of important stats. not last on the list period
...but on the stats you specifically want to gear for, endurance is last but not least.no matter what you pick as gear or mods....they will have endurance on them. so you will get it, no need to go out of your way. different MMO's have different priorities, but here you will want to prioritize mitigation stats over endurance. those stats are:
Defense
Shield
Absorption
Notice I didn't put Endurance on there. not ignored, but its simply already there. once your stats in those areas are up to par (current accepted standards for those iirc are 30/50/50 at high level gear), then you start to add endurance. power is a possible option to increase damage and thus threat, but it tends to share a stat slot with at least one of the three above, so it's always preferrable to pick those over power if your under the thresholds.
For the OP, here's a brief description of your role as a tank in PvE. Your job is to hold aggro on as many mobs as possible so the DPS and healers dont get pummeled. in PvP, damage is moderated by PvP stats. but in PvE the mobs, especially boss mobs, can hit hard enough that most DPS or healers will go down in one or two hits easily. with higher mitigations like I mentioned above, and timely use of your CD's, you can surprise yourself at how long you can stay alive against hits that would crush a light armor wearing healer. but that's because it's your job. you really are a meatshield for the rest the group. your tank stance gives you extra threat solely for this reason.
Now, on your own, without the aid of a healer, you can eventually go down, simply because damage, no matter how much is mitigated, is still damage. without healing, you will eventually get worn down. But inall honesty, most boss fights, a healer cannot even keep a DPS ALIVE when a boss is turning them into swiss cheese paste. whereas I have as a tank killed a boss with no one but a healer left alive. you and healer = Bonny and Clyde. When Im tanking, my top priority is keeping my healing partner alive...even to my own death. because if they die....I will. as will everyone else. but with a good healer you really are a juggernaut.
If you didn't know (and I'm just being complete here....please disregard if you already know), Threat is a hidden PvE mechanic that determines who the mob wants to pound on the most. for Damage classes, one point of damage = one point of threat. for healers, one point of healing is 1/2 a point of threat. for you, in your TANKING stance, one point of damage is 2 points of threat. in your other stances, it's equal to DPS classes. So you can see why they expect you to hold threat and take the hits. you can take more hits then they can, and you have far more ability to keep the mobs attention (a.k.a piss them off).
now...there are a TON of dynamics in a group that you can't equate to a graph or a mechanic. DPS who attack the mob you aren't attacking....AoE caster who break Crowd Control...etc. but in a neutral setting, your job involves getting hit so they don't. and if your not doing that regularly (or as regular as other tanks to), then yes, they will probably get frustrated and kick you.
So make sure you are maximizing your mitigation skills like i mentioned above. columi levels of gear, having 25/35/35 isn't a bad place to be. that's 25% defense, 35% shield, and 35% absorb. 30/40/40 is doable with some rakata and BH pieces, and 30/50/50 is what your shooting for with campaign level gear. so if your not there at those gear levels (this includes class skill btw...so you need to be in soresu form to compare), then you need to sharpen up your gear.
By the way....not sure you knew this, but a properly traited immortal jugg increases his defenses allot by being in soresu (tank) form...so if you were in something else you were also taking more damage then you should have been, which is harder on healers. so gear needs to be good. then you need to be in soresu. and then you need to hold aggro on as many mobs as possible. you won't get them all...especially with juggs, we are not the AoE threat kings, so you will have to prioirtize the mobs you hold threat on. it should look like this:
Boss > ranged champs > mele champs > ranged elite > melee elite > silvers if needed (DPS can actually hold those, but if ones pounding on your healer....read my above statement about bonnie and clyde). ranged before melee, simply because melee can be managed eaiser through the "threat juggle", whereas range often will immediately focus on the healer, as they aren't taking any damage (hence no threat), but they are getting the healers threat from heals (it's a healing mechanic...very irritating, but its' there. heals build threat on all mobs in the fight....damage only builds threat on those that are damaged). i could go into detail on good strategies for a Jugg dealing with mob situations, but i think I'm already putting most of the readers to sleep
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yep. remember when darth vader hacked off luke's hand by repeatedly beating him down. no finesse there.
Not to mention Luke's (unplanned) revenge when he fought Vader in RotJ. in a fit of rage (no pun intended!) he hammered Vader until he was a wet noodle on the ground. That fight scene still sends shivers up my spine. the first time my martial arts instructor talked about Zanshin, I thought of that scene...where he had Vader right there, all he needed was one more stroke. and he chose not to. Zowie!
I just can't get into my maurader. the juggernaut feels like they are pummeling their opponent. Very visceral, very cool. If i want finesse, id go repub side with the guardian. they have some very traditional Kendo style movements and more finesse in their application. Sith should be raw rage translated into efficient sword strikes. and The jugg fits that perfectly IMO. each hit I feel like I'm pounding the opponent into the ground. and my top animations in the game to this day are still impale and shatter. both spinning attacks....one a brutal overhead smash (with a wicked laugh too...the female chuckle is just awesome), the other your spearing your opponents head with your saber. just awesomely vicious.
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I've leveled 3 juggs so far, working on a guardian atm as well. played other classes too, merc....shadow consular...operative....sage...
Leveled each one as individual specs: vengeance, immortal, and rage.
I honestly think there is no "best" option. It seems that each person has a preferred leveling style, and the companion that fits for them is based on that play-style. So what I'll give you is based on observation of comparing the leveling process between the 3 specs.
note: My rage jugg also substituted for a time as an immortal jugg after 1.3, I really wanted to try out the changes in immortal as to their impact. so rage hasn't been a complete process of 1-50 for me like immortal and vengeance were pre-1.3. but I'll include both. But to start with, any conversation that discusses companion choice without including spec choice is a waste of time. our specs differ tremendously in their results with different companions.
Hands down, the fastest and most efficient combination is vengeance with quinn. bar none. the times that i ran overall time tests (no data, sorry, not that analytical. it was timed on watches). Vengeance/quinn has the best kill speed COMBINED with least downtime. Vengeance with a DPS companion certain kills mobs faster, but it's downtime directly impacts the overall leveling curve more. It's slower overall. can you do it? sure. many have. but at this point im discussing optimal leveling speed, not personal preference.
Immortal, especially post 1.3, is also slower for a similar reason. lack of DPS means more up-time on mobs which translates to more incoming damage. Prior to 1.3 I would have considered it a close race, with vengeance winning by only a bit, but immortal allowing you to pick and choose your companion. post 1.3 Immortal/DPS simply cant kill fast enough to make up for the discrepancy. It is still the best choice though if you want flexibility with your companions...a DPS spec with a DPS companion simply has too much downtime until you hit a certain gear level (post columi...rakata level really) which means that pre-50, the least optimal is DPS spec with a DPS companion.
now...that doesn't mean that's what everyone prefers. My second jugg (pre 1.3, not sure id do it now) I ran immortal specifically because i wanted to play with my DPS companions and still make it a smooth leveling experience that I like. post 1.3 it's more difficult. I didn't think i'd feel the DPS hit as much as I did. but its definitely noticeable as early as the 30's in immortal spec. but if you want to switch em up, and try out companions, Immortal is the best choice....if you want to reduce your downtime.
On a different note, rage has gotten much better after 1.4, and I would consider it a viable and equivalent leveling spec to vengeance at this point. Vengeance has a much smoother cycle pre 40 then rage though...up to 40 rage feels more lacking, like it could use an extra ability, or a bit more rage. It feels very burst oriented...most of your rage generation needs to be built up and saved for your smash volleys.
now, given all that spam above, if i had my choice of companions independant of their impact on my overal enjoyment of the leveling experience, I'd pick vette. I find her witty comments far more enjoyable then jaesa's comments. jaesa's dark side ones are just....dark. the light side ones feel very empty...like shes saying them just cause we are making her do it. Vette, on the other hand, still cracks me up
"that was BRUTAL. better check to see I have all my parts...."
"WOO-YEAH !!"
to this day my top 2 companion comments of all
shes a blast, shes a cutie with a quick wit...what more could you ask for? jaesa wins in the hotness competition...but if i really want something to look at, there's far better in real life....I'm just sayin....Please keep in mind that I'm not harping on any specific spec, nor companion. I've played them all, and even in immortal I'd rather play a jugg then anything else. But these are the results I've gotten from leveling 3 different juggs in a PvE setting. take what you will...ultimately, you can do anything you want with your jugg and still level. My signature proves this....lager didn't choose an AC (Juggernaut or marauder) until he was 50. You can level solely as a "Sith Warrior" and still do it. Since you didn't specify your preference and ideal approach to leveling, all my thoughts above are purely from the perspective of efficient leveling with minimum downtime from a class perspective.
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I have a fresh 50 in all recruit gear, are Hard Mode flashpoints the first step in gear progression? I'm afraid I'm not very good at flashpoints due to my subpar graphics card causing lag. Where do dailies fit in? I've only tried them a couple times but the vendors I saw didn't have any armor sets that I noticed. They only had things like Relics that would take me months to farm the commendations for at the rate I play.
Yes and No. they originally weren't. Normal FP's were the starting point. they dropped tionese comms and had drops that were slight under that. even when the HM's started dropping columi gear, the normals were still a good source for the tionese gear that would allow you to run the HM's.
flash forward to Bio's broken solution for a broken PvP mechanic. with the new entry Blue gear (that actually has purple level stats on them), the normal modes aren't really relevant for gear. They ARE relevant if you don't know how to play your class or how to gear your toon though....and this is important.
ran Kaon Under siege the other day with a scoundrel healer (very good healing class, but not the easiest to heal with). not sure what his gear was, but he was about 2-3k under what I would consider the nominal starting point for HM's (he was at about 13k health...something you surpass even with the entry PvP set. He wasn't familiar with the demand of Hm mode healing at all...it was his first real FP run aside from a few while leveling.
Great guy, but what he really needed were a few (dozen? ) or more low intensity flashpoints to learn the ins- and outs of scoundrel healing, plus some research in specs and such. jumping headfirst into a hard mode without the right gear, without the right training, will net you and your team nasty results very fast. a few HM's like taral V / Black Talon, are very easy to do as HM's, but there is still a gearing/learning curve. but with all that said and if you have all that, then you can grab the blue PvP start stuff and hop right into Hm's with no problems.
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healed on all 3 classes (a few on both fractions). They all have their benefits and disadvantages.
merc/commando - Not sure why people don't think they have AoE heals. yeah, they're not an AoE-bot like the sorc/sage, but the kolto bomb has advantages the sorc could only dream of having. an instant AoE is pretty amazing when used in the right situations, and every 30s or so, it also can apply a DR shield on all targets. sucks that it's only 4 targets tho. but i like their combination of DR shields and auto-heal from their baseline shot. their heat mechanic is very different then the traditional power mechanic...it makes it more fun IMO. a Merc is more about managing resource output then managing static resources. I like that difference.
Sage/Sorc - if you've played WoW, this is much more like your traditional healer type. static power resource means you have to watch power use over the whole fight, rather then balancing regeneration vs output. but with their "Bubble" and long cast times on big heals, they are more traditional in that aspect. the bubbles make spot/emergency healing much easier then on my merc and operative.
Operative/Scoundrel. - probably the most interactive of the bunch. But i think allot of people are coming to realize the potential of a well played Op/Sc. they're baseline DoT is amazing...I've healed entire runs with just that. but they have to manage energy much more closely then the sage/sorc or merc/comm, and the key to surviving long fights rests in effective use of the CD's you have to enhance your energy recovery. But a very dynaimc and interesting class to heal with. downside is they can feel complex, and sometimes they really don't feel very smooth for me outside of healing (their DPS process feels weird to me, but that's just me).
Tl - DR:
If i were to simplify the 3 in short statements (hard for me hehe), I'd put them this way. all of them are a blast, but they feel like this:
Merc/Commando - huge throughput capability, great single target, lots of DR options.
Sage/Sorc - great for fast damage management, traditional feel, AoE Kings.
Op/Scoundrel - amazing pro-active healers, tons of utility. very busy.
this is personal opinion, please take with grain of salt.
pick your poison. I like them all.
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Very much so OP. I think I enjoy getting my comps geared up as much as the toon itself. It's sheer pleasure to watch a companion you nurtured from lvl 10 on (or higher) rip up mobs on corellia like sandpaper
or to watch your healing companion solo heal a team through a 4 man lvl 50 heroic. I have to 50's right now that have comps in a mixture of columi and rakata. only one comp each at this point (don't have enough gear for more then that), but both of them have at lest 2 comps that are columi and higher. My juggernaut has almost 3 toons in columi, and the reast are slowly filling with tionese simply because i have nothing else to do with the gear. my weird furry dude I got on hoth could probably solo tank HM BT on his own simply due to all the extra tank pieces I've gotten that I don't use...
but yeah. I still enjoy the daily runs on torvix when i can pull out mako or Quinn and they can heal 3 of us though the entire thing. did that run with 3 juggernaut the other day....NO CC whatsoever, and quinn healing. it was a blast.
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Alright...a more substantive change? How about revamping the combat system to be Tera-style? I think the Tera combat system would work amazingly well in SWTOR and make even grinding dailies that much more fun.
I think you have a great point. I'm not a big fan of the strict approach to player interaction Tera has (it feels weird to me how they set up movement vs, actions and keyboard use), but moving in the direction of more involved combat would make it multiple times more enjoyable for me too.
And example of a combat system that I liked was Aion. attack chains leading up to powerful finishers, positioning and reach very detailed and critical, real time targeting...it was more engaging and enjoyable for me then the 10 year old system Bio mashed together for this game.
also included in that would be more effective client-server relationships as it pertains to character and mob positioning. I'm getting tired of attacks not executing because the said mob was 20 ft away when he looked like he was right next to me....or me aggroing a mob even though he's far enough away from me that my range skills show he's out of range...In Aion if someone was close enough to hit them....you hit them. if they were one meter outside of your range, you couldn't..and you could see that distance clearly. half the time in ToR I guestimate my range based on which skills are greyed out...
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There comes a time when you are simply done with a game. It happens to all of us at one point or another. I remember when I sat down to play WoW one day, and just stared at the screen for about 10m when I realized I couldn't find any reason to log into my toons.
the game certainly had its advantages, but at that point (for me), they simply weren't enough motivation for me to keep playing. iwas was pushing myself for a long time to get certain things done. I had gotten them done, and there wasn't much left in the game for me at that point (had played from vanilla - cat). I think i was just....done.
you may be at this point with SWtOR. it's not a crime, though it's prtobably sad for you. I still enjoyed certain aspects of WoW...just couldn't log in and get past everythign else to do them. have yet to hit that threshold with this game. but it will probably happen. I don't think it's a bad thing either.....someone who never gets tired of a game even after years is probably needing to re-evaluate their life
But I don't think its anything specific that kills the vibe. Their may be a few straws that break the camels back....but usually it's just a buildup of issues combined with completing your desired objectives...and no new ones on the horizon. this game has enough bugs I could see that threshold being lower for many people though...
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Helps keeping factions apart....this way just from looking at someone you can say if he's rep or imp....just like in the real world, states etc like to show that they belong together...
QFT. I think a Dev or CSR had actually stated that they had specific "ideas" about themes for each side, and they didn't want those themes crossing. I'd prefer it myself, as i have some looks on repub side that I love, and some on Imp side, and vice versa. I actually play classes based allot on this.
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Honestly the most widely requested items since the launch of this website have been
Paazak / swoop racing
DAoC style RVR/PVP.
I have no clue what forums you read man. Been on this site since a year before it launched...those are certainly requested, but the the most common. But i believe there's a small group of people who regularly request it. if your one of them, I can see why you think its the most common...but just because a small group repeats the request 10 dozen items doesn't mean its the most "common". it just means that the niche group is the most "vocal" about their wants.
though pazaak and swoop racing I do see, but those simply fall under the idea of "mini-games" more then anything else. they are just your flavor of the mini-game you like.
generally, I see the expanded planet and space combat as the most common wants game-wide. they're not my two tops (although planet expansion is high for me), but they are usually the biggest by number of people requesting them.
i also think that though that site has good content (i read it too), it's not specific to SWtOR, so any poll there should be taken as extremely biased against the game....people who don't want to play it browse there allot more often then people who do. the best place for a poll like that should be here. on that note, why not create one?
EDIT: also just did the poll. I think that the first one is most popular because it's too generic. I'd love space exploration and mini-games based on that exploration (daily quests added into that mix that require space exploration as an example)....but don't really care for PvP/RvR stuff. but it's all in one option
should be broken up more. -
dromund kaas..
/thread
no other planet even comes close to it in terms of epicness.....
i miss kashyyk and manaan from kotor 1...then again i miss everything from kotor 1...
I agree. DK is by far my favorite. I've leveled just about every class combo possible on sith side up through that planet. Out of all the other planets it has the best original feel to it. very jungle like (like Kass city is constantly fighting the jungle back kinda feel). the rain and gloom add to the spookyness. and the old sith temple is awesome! Every time i hear mako say "I can still hear the voices i my head....if I lose it here please don't leave me..." it sends shivers up my spine...
Every other planet has a very "normal" feel to it. plus Kass has such a clean polished look to it...and all the banners leave you feeling like you walked into communist era central. Not that I like the idea
but its a very ominous, brooding feeling. It really sets the tone for the empire far more then coruscant sets the tone for the republic. I almost would have preferred something like Alderaan for the repub starter planet. I know, Cor is the "center" of the republic, but Alderaan has a much better feel to it that speaks to me openness and freedom. Tython does too, but it's a starter planet, so can't really use that.other then DK, I'd say tatooine is a close second (repub side...I too like the cowboy feel to it), with Nar shaddaa 3rd. I've always enjoyed heading out into the dune sea on Tat...it has a huge, epic feeling to it. I wish I could actually try to get to the other side of it! it just needs to drop the exhaustion barrier and go on forever. Nar Shadaa has always been a place of excitement and danger for me in the KoTOR series, and it's the one that feels best out of all the "city-planet" planets.
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I don't think that it's feasible based on the current game mechanics. Which means that it will never happen...they can't eve get the staffing to keep up with current bugs or expand on the basic areas that most MMO's already have, why would they want to remake the entire engine just to spruce things up a bit?
Not that I don't like the idea. but to keep it within the current structure would be a necessity....and they could still give us allot more interesting things to do with this. some examples are:
1) allow for more customization with comp skills. let us pick and choose from a variety of skills for the comps. like if i want Vette to be more single target focused, i could drop her AoE skills, but pick up a vicious bleed, and perhaps a finisher that does more damage with the amount of bleeds on the target (this would work great with my vengeance jugg, that has up to 3 bleeds at one time on the target). or what if i wanted theran to be more of a DPS powerhouse with only one healing skill or so I could sub out the other heals for more potent damage skills...that would be a perfect comp setup for my tank, whereas the DPS comps can't kill fast enough to keep up with my incoming damage, a Theran that could throw out a basic heal, then rip apart the adds would be perfect.
2) give us a "companion view" camera setting...so we can stand back and watch us kill stuff from our companions point of view. That could give us the feeling that were really "playing" our comp if nothing else
3) along the lines of #1, make the comp skills more involved with each other like the player skills are. with the ability to move things around like in #1, we could modify the comp skills so they work in tandem with ours, and using them like another skill bar would add to the overall feeling of our comp being "part of our team" rather then just a silent automated entity.
4) and of course, more cosmetic options. the whole "skin" thing is really sort of crude IMO. It almost reminds me that my companions are very "basic". i want my vett to be body style #3, as an example....or have different feature combinations then whats available. Or nadia grell....man, all of her custom skins make her look like a goth partier after a few too many years of living wild. how about a normal "country" girl look? or perhaps just give me a customization screen like we have at character creation....then each comp will be different. it's sort of weird feeling to stand next a a group of consulars with 5 identical Theran's standing there. It would be nice to see a theran that was a huge hulk, as an example...or perhaps the tubby scientist with an overinflated ego...
5) One last note....please give our tank comps a real tank stance. give them a way to survive that would make running them without a healing style class a realistic option. If your class doesn't have heals, then going without a healing comp is more trouble then it's worth.
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Another thank you thread? Can you post some things that may improve the game for example?
Yeah lol...because the forums are so full of them you know....the threads whining about the game issues are so sparse....we really need more of those...
It's a sad day when people can't just accept a thread about something people really enjoyed about the game. we have PLENTY of whine threads, and even positive threads about "how to fix the game". personally, I'd like to see less of that, and more of this.
after being a forum user in this game since pre-launch, I've had my fill of the doom and gloom and griping (done my fair share as well...not pointing fingers just making a statement). When I see posts like this is reminds me of many of the things I really like about the game, and reminds me in the midst of all the frustration and negativity on these forums that there are really solid reasons why I still play this game. Maelstrom is a great example.
To the OP: It is encouraging to see you had that great experience in maelstrom. it is still one of the best runs for me in the game. the end boss is an NPC that to this day still intrigues me. he has a very strong plot role on sith side (where I started), and his congenial nature that hides the truer severe and punitive personality make him very interesting. He is actually one of the NPC's that define the evil empire. I wish I had more involvement in him on republic side.
I was almost sad that I had to end it like it did in Maelstrom...but the Followup end scene is worth it. I still like to watch it even in HM's ( I ignore the perps whining about spacebar on that one....you can have your spacebar, im going to have a tender moment with two of my most favorite KoTOR characters, TYVM)
If you liked that one OP, you'll love the False emperor. My first experience with that one was on Imp side. As a "good" sith (secretly working to improve the Empire through hidden facets and helping other grow stronger), I had a real hard time doing what I had to do at the end there. if that last part whets your appetite, good ! enjoy every aspect of it your first time through, it's worth it.
. but thats what rage is about. I just prefer the smooth and regular approach of vengeance in PvE.
should be broken up more.
DPS Sage still viable?
in Combat Styles
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