Unless the Sniper/Gunslinger has perfect cover positioning, you can use LOS to get really close to them without being in their field of fire. You can essentially bunny hop from LOS to LOS while they are in a cast and eventually end up right on top of them. Then again, this might be because all the Snipers I've seen are complete garbage

It's not that you don't want to adhere to a strict game plan, it's that you CAN'T. Everything, from optimal range to heat dissipation changes constantly. To some, that can get frustrating. To others, it's the reason why we play Pyrotech (or Assault Specialist - For the Republic!).

I remember beating Swifty's RBG teams multiple times with trade chat pugs. We were laughing about how bad their Holy Paladin was, then we realized it was Douglas, their GM. I've already faced a few Dara Mactire "premades" in Warzones today. They were definitely on vent, which gave them a big advantage over the random people that were queueing from Republic side. The sad thing was, a lot of us were in Ruin/Ruin Gaming, but we didn't even know we were guildies until half way through the match. I guess that's what happens you invite everybody that apps We still managed to scrape through 2 Alderaan wins, one of which was 5 points to 0 points at the end, Republic win!

TL;DR at the very bottom! I played as a Pyrotech in PvP all through Beta, but I decided to switch to Assault Spec Vanguard in EA (they are the exact same thing). It's a very fun AC, but how it plays depends entirely on you. It's strengths: 1) Flexibility - good mix of both melee and ranged abilities 2) Peels - spam Flameburst/Rapid shots to proc slow + 2 taunts + Grapple 3) Burst Potential - The more Flame Bursts/Rocket Punches you cast, the more likely it is that you will proc a free Rail Shot that will also dissipate 8 heat, which leads you to more Flame Bursts, which leads you to more . . . you get the idea. Going balls to the walls during Explosive Fuel (25% extra crit chance) while also using Vent Heat + Thermal Sensor Override can lead to some pretty silly amounts of damage. It's weaknesses: 1) Not tanky - you won't really have any super awesome abilities that allows you to keep spamming damage while being focused. Energy shield is great, but it doesn't really keep you alive if you get focused. Sure, you have talents that allow your defensive CDs to be come back up much faster, but defensive CDs aren't measured by the number of times you can use it per match, but rather how many times it actually saves your life. 2) Easily Kited - you don't have any gap closers other than Grapple. In fact, you are the only melee with only one gap closer and no other way of increasing your speed. Your slow isn't as great as Sith Warrior's free AoE slow, and it's short duration means that any type of CC/bad luck with procs means that your opponent will not be slowed. 3) Bad Heat Dissipation - you will have to use your Rapid Shots a lot more than with Advanced Prototype. Your heat dissipation talents are all random, so you often have to do some on the fly math to make sure you don't go over your most efficient heat threshold. That said, if a Pyrotech is played right, none of these weaknesses really come into play. You don't have to be tanky since you can always engage on your terms. Always position yourself so that the other team can't effectively switch to you, ever. Kiting you is a matter of interpretation, since your range is completely dynamic. If Rocket Punch is about to come off CD, you want to be in melee range. If you have the spare heat to spam Flame Burst, then you want to be within 10 meters. If none of these two things are true, you are free to sit at 30 meters. Bad Heat Dissipation only matters if you actually care about having a super smooth rotation. As long as you are able to kill your target during your burst, then what heat you end up at really doesn't matter. :wea_02:TL;DR - Pyrotech Powertech is an extremely fun class in PvP. However, it is not a "brute force" class that will allow you to spam abilities and win. The differences between being a good Pyro and a bad Pyro are extremely subtle, and entirely based on the player.

Assault Vanguards are definitely more melee than ranged. Your ammo regen is smoothed out being able to proc free High Impact Shots that generate 1 cell. This doesn't mean that you should play a Vanguard like a Jedi Guardian and charge into every single melee pile. I normally only close to melee range when I know I can win the fight (ie 1v1/I have more teammates around), when I need to kill someone asap (ie ball carrier in Huttball, Gunslingers/Snipers in cover, Sith Inquisitor/Merc free casting), or when I need to interrupt people from capping objectives. Even when you close to melee range, you can constantly adjust your positioning based on what abilities you have available. After using Rocket Punch, I immediately kite back out vs. any melee since that's my only ability that is at 4 yards. Unless I'm spamming Immolate to proc the slow or to burst, I'll constantly kite right at the edge of the 10 meter range. Vanguards don't have gap closers like Force Charge/Sprint or Hold the Line, but I think we more than make up for that by being extremely flexible with our positioning. Survivability isn't merely measured by how much damage you can tank. If you can assure that you will never be in a position where the other team can effectively switch to you, then you have all the survivability you need. P.S. Find yourself a friend who is skilled with a Gun Slinger. The amount of peels you can set up for him while he just spams damage from cover is disgusting.

Planned on rolling Pyrotech BH at launch, but the server imbalances changed my mind. I guess I'll be going Assault Vanguard.