All true. I am so blown away that we all can see this and BW does not. Dont they play their own game?

Exactly! And the list can go on. Merc Pyro do not have quite the DPS output as PT Pyro, nor quite the rotation as Arsenals (not that arsenals rotation helps their DPS much) so we really have to make use of every DPS ability in order to compete. Power Shot was good, now its low DPS on high cast timer. Killed it for us. How do we make up for it. Aside from unnoticed attacks, we need to control the Target while it casts. DFA is a rotation ability for most Merc Pyros. Approaching melee fighter can be stunned while you channel an ability like DFA on him which would normally never be able to be pulled off in a one on one outside of using a stun. By the way, Mercs can't cast DFA on ourselves, so -10m stun kind of kills that rotation for us. That is needed DPS that becomes unusable in 1.4. Melee on you, just burned brought your rotation, jet boost stun and DFA. The options are endless prior to 1.4. It's not just a survivability thing, its a real DPS issue for Merc pyros and assault commandos.

but your not DPS. Having the option before 1.4 to stun a Target before he gap closes on you, allowing you to apply DPS at range where he cannot apply his DPS on you was a good thing. ranged DPS do not have the utility to fight at melee. Ranged needs to take advantage of the gap for as long as it exists, cause as soon as its gone, ranged dies to melee. Period. To stun a Target racing to a node in alderan was a good thing. I can go on and on. Now DPS do not have that option. Also, not all ranged classes have a burst run. Not all ranged classes have multiple stuns, multiple stuns that are instant cast. This change has huge impacts on Merc and Commandos. It is as sensless as the DFA AoE nerf.

It's still on the test center, they can still do this. Or disconnect the abilities from PT Pyro. They are going to lose subs.

Readjusting the range of a 30 meter snare down to 10 meters is what, a buff? Just wondering. Merc and commandos have how many skills which take advantage of close combat? Wait, Ranged classes aren't supposed to play melee style fighting? That's right. Ok. Sweltering heat getting adjusted down from 50% to 30% is a buff? No? So where are the buffs for Pyro Merc and assault commando? Looks like I know how to read just fine.

One can plainly see that BW is trying to nerf PT Pyro by pulling back some of their functionality to 10m. Justifying this is the argument that PT was meant to be more of a melee class. Got it. But why nerf Merc in the process?!! This makes no sense. Merc and Commando are RANGED!!!!!! Why are you pulling them in to 10m? Do you want them to be melee? Did you think they needed another nerf? Did you not listen to your community when they tell you that Merc/Commando are the worst PvP class? Please don't say because the skills are shared. You did it with TD. You've done it with other skills. Is it a time saver? Ranged classes need to keep players at range. We can barely do this in 1.3, let alone after what you will do in 1.4. Merc and Commando need buffs not nerfs.

Who wants to get face-rolled for another six months to a year until BW figures it out? I don't want to pay for this experience. OP is right, the whole community knows this, what is the problem? Why should Merc Pyro continue to get nerfs because they are related to PT Pyro?

Unfortunately I simply don't have the time to play two toons. I am active duty Marine with 4 kids, and I go to school. I could shelve this guy permanently and level another, but the gear grind would be too demoralizing. My Merc Pyro is full WH and it is just a shame to have invested so much of my time into this toon just to have Bioware piss on the class at almost every patch. Now, I am at a decision point to continue playing a class I am stuck with, and continue to be frustrated that I am performing subpar to other classes with no hope for BW recognition or fixes (another 6 months of bad PvP). Or shelve my toon for another, walk that hellacious road that is the "gear grind", knowing all along that I have a toon fully geared that BW has decided to continually wreck. Or just cancel my sub. I hate to quit, but since beta this class has performed at bottom of BH class,.and I can't continue to shovel $50.00 a month for mere hopes that the next update will fix my class.

I go to the field for 2 weeks and this is how the Devs show that they are listening to their community? At this point I all Mercenaries need to be given the option to respec to Powertech. Merc DPS is all but a joke.

I have played Merc Pyro since Beta. From day one we were the redheaded stepchild of the Merc AC. Within the BH tree we were at the bottom of the barrel with AP for a while. Compared to our PT cousins, we were sickly. This is back before 1.2 when Bodyguard could heal and supercharged gas was an awesome skill. Arsenals ruled the roost. By far the best BH AC in PvE and PvP (followed closely by PT Pyro). I knew then, even with Arsenal and Sorc DPS at its prime, that this game was geared toward melee. Then 1.2 came out and shook all that up. The entire Merc AC took an overall nerf; with Arsenal getting hit the hardest. What surprised me the most is the bottom-feeder Merc Pyro was somehow worthy of a nerf in 1.2 in the Devs eyes? Power Shot, Hired Muscle, DFA, and muzzle fluting. I am still wondering who in the world was complaining about a Merc Pyro being OP? Pretty much all ranged classes took an awful nerf in 1.2. The only good thing (if you can call it that) that came out of 1.2 is that Merc Pyro was no longer the worst AC in the BH tree. Of course DFA was fixed prior to 1.3. 1.3 came and offered the Merc AC a band-aid when we needed a tourniquet. Arsenal of course, since they were nerfed into oblivion, received the greatest attention. Bodyguards recieved none. Merc Pyro's got a 10% armor pen. Now I was appreciative of the bone, but what was taken from us was 3% crit chance, 10% damage on PS, and we lost the flexibility to invest a point by forcing us to purchase Muzzle fluting in order to get our 1.5 sec activation time back. Not exactly an even swap for 10% armor pen on two abilities but what the heck, so we are back to our original pre-1.2 status of bottom-feeding like AP. No? AP got buffed twice between 1.2 and 1.4. No, Merc Pyro and Arsenal are left side-by-side at the bottom. What was left post 1.3? The respec NPC recieved a lot of credits. Mercs would respec to Arsenals to be competitive in PvE, then spec to Pyro for PvP (not that this made them competitive in PvP across all classes, it was just slightly more competitive than Arsenals would have been). Now what was the developer’s solution to all this madness? Frustrating to whom, Melee classes? In case anyone forgot, every patch since 1.2 has nerfed ranged and buffed melee in this game (overall). The "ranged" class in this game only exists for 3-6 seconds. Then you are no longer a "ranged" class, rather you are knife in a gun fight. CC abilities have never tipped the scale to the ranged classes favor in this game. True "Kiting" is a myth. CC abilities tip it toward melee's favor. The devs don’t see this? Reading from this recent post and looking at the changes, I suspect NOT! Ranged got hit again. Madness. What does this mean for Merc Pyros in 1.4? Nerf. We get an interrupt to try to squeeze into our toolbar somewhere, and we get a nerf to one of our most NEEDED CC skills Electro Dart. Madness. Arsenals and Bodyguard got some love (rocket punch is debatable; why not just put the 2 second root at the end of pushback?), Pyros.....nothing. What did we need? Survivability, either by increasing our DPS (glass cannon style) or giving us some TTK abilities. http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=504960 At least something similar to what Arsenals received. What 1.4 did was elevate Arsenals on the totem pole but left Merc Pyro alone at the bottom. I am so tired of being neglected.

Savro, your reading Soljin wrong.

Spot on assessment. I too hope this does not fall on death ears. I have been posting "fixes" since launch. Why? Because up until now Pyro Merc has been the DPS low-boy of all BH DPS. Now were second to last thanks to Arsenals nerfs. At launch it was Arsenal, PT Pyro, AP, Merc Pyro on the DPS totempole. 1.2 - PT Pyro, AP, Merc Pyro, Arsenal 1.3 - PT Pyro, AP, Merc Pyro, Arsenal I too have tried everything. I respec back and fourth between Arsenal and Pyro. I've tried hybrids. No solution. Much to many peoples suprise, Pyro Merc shares many of the problems an Arsenals Merc has. The mobility of a Pyro is more a novelty than an advantage with all the CC and gap closers in this game. Other than that, we cast as much as an Arsenal. The duel wield is a sure indicator to opposing forces that an Merc is an easy kill and need to die first and foremost. All Merc DPS shares this problem. If they do fix Mercs, I hope they dont simply focus on the larger community of Mercs and overlook the Pyro.

^^ This guy!

Arsenal in PvE. There is no question they put out more DPS in PvE. Hell, if left alone, in PvP as well. Trust me, I run both and the numbers all the time, Full War Hero, Full Rakata/BH mix.

Not rare at all in sub-50 content. About average. Other players havent fully learned their skills or acquired the abilities yet to shut you down as easy as they can 50+. Everything changes drastically when you break into 50+ bracket.

I run a Merc Pyro (prolly should have gone PT Pyro hind-site) and I run with both a PT Pyro or an Conceal Op. Good synergy on between the Pyro classes. That poster above is right. However, I love running with the Conceal Operative better and we melt face faster. Con Op is a true "pocket" ally. People always see you as a lone merc, easy kill, (light to moth) and you draw them in then....BAM! Face plant, knife, knife, fire, fire = dead. Before they can stand up. So my suggestion is Pyro (you decide, prolly PT) and Con Op.

^ this. Gunnery played right will out perform Assault as it is now. There is no "kiting" in this game. Minor LoS applications, but nothing an experienced Gunnery can't overcome.

Agreed

I don't want this to be swept under the rug prior to 1.4 going to test.

I suggested this in OP. Swap Positions with Afterburners and Custom Envirosuit. Skill-link them. Change custom Envirosuit to an ability that grants a root after an Afterburners knock back is applied. This gives All mercs (we're all dealing with survivabilty issues) access to afterburners at a tier II level and helps us with survivabilty, while also giving Arsenals Mercs a unique Tier III ability they much need. As stated many times, with a little more survivabilty, our DPS will hold weight and we will not get face rolled in a 1 v 1 as bad.

that's all I'm asking for here bro. I tried to spell that out in my post. I don't want all these suggestions, just one would make my day.

^^ Nuff said.

Need to keep the ideas conjunction yall.

OMG this ^^^

^^ Exactly