Got a question for you other endgame sin tanks. Any of you guys number crunched whether the 2 and 4 piece rakata bonus are better than getting the 5 aug slots from the critted orange gear? I'm wondering if slotting the critted orange with defense/shield/absorb augs would net more of a "defense" gain for tanking.

Play each one to around 20 and see what fits you better. no rush in this game imo. For the record i got a 50 merc with dual champ pistols and let me tell you, if you slip under the radar and are allowed to dps unmolested, you can seriously tear stuff up fast. Heatseeker+tracer+unload+explosive dart and most guys are close to 50% if not below. Now if people start figuring out that you are a threat in pvp, well you're gonna get focused and then it kinda sucks . Altho PT does seem kinda fun too. Been thinking of leveling up one of those too since my merc is pretty well full champ gear and pvp level 50 so really not much to look forward to atm other than level 65 for the speeder. In the end it really just boils down to how you interpret what a BH or Trooper should seem like....as well as their roles. PT is a tank/melee dps, merc is ranged dps/healer.

Also dont forget that even if you trinket out of it, they can insta stealth and re open with the hidden strike chain again if they really want you....and your trinket will be on cooldown

First off, i say 5 secs cause of the get up animation. 2nd maybe my CC break is on cooldown everytime but all the times i've tried to use it on that hidden strike knockdown, it was greyed out. not sure if you are talking about the stun or the actual knockdown(im talking about the knockdown from hidden strike). As for it happening all the time, no it doesnt but of course everytime i meet an OP its from that combo chain. 3rd, no the OP takes me down to like 50% by the end of that opening chain(if not lower). Now im only wearing 2 pieces of champ gear and the rest is the level 40 moddable orange pvp stuff. So never really inspected em or know the details but regardless, they drop me faster than any single class ive seen. Oh and to theravenzone, maybe i guess. I'm a merc so im alittle bit squishier i guess with no offhand shield generator. No idea in all honesty but regardless i think they need to tone em down on the topend dmg they do, not completely neuter em.

Also to the poster who said BH/trooper is more OP than operatives/scoundrels, i disagree. BH/trooper gets alot of of that dmg from aoe stuff like DFA, explosive dart and fusion missile. There is no way a BH/trooper could ever burst down 10k+ in 3-5 secs while completely making the target immobile. Thats my biggest argument about OP/scoundrel.

Well im sure other classes use consumables too and i havent seen any other class lay down the dmg with or without consumables that an OP/scoundrel does in those 5 secs on being on my face. Now whether it is the consumables or not i think is kind of a moot point cause if pretty much everyone is getting facerolled by em, it cant be only that.

Well all the ones i've ran into then must have been fully "juiced" or the RNG loves them cause i go from like 14kish HP to about 5-6k in about 5 secs and then i get up, backup, knock em forward and they grenade me, close quarter shot and shiv and pretty well done and they wander off with like 70% life left... The mirror class to OP is scoundrel and they pretty much do the samething. Mirror to BH is Trooper. Oh and 1 other thing, if you are doing that kinda damage to level 50s at level 12, you are prolly fighting 50s with no expertise gear cause with it, i just wreck lower levels.

Hell i got lucky then....about 8 champ bags and got 2 MH weapons, 1 OH weapon, 1 chest, 1 boots, 1 earring. Of course i think my luck dried up cause on my 4th bag now and nada.

Well 1 cure for it if you dont like the premades is if you see its one at the start, just log out and log back in and requeue. Simple as that.

I guess i got really lucky then, in about 8 champ bags, i got 2 MH weapons, 1 OH weapon, 1 chest, 1 boot, 1 earring. Now after another 3 bags, i got jack

BH/troopers do crazy dmg as well but once a melee closes in on em, they can wreck em. Plus you can at least run from them vs OPs/scoundrels where there is nothing you can do once they hit hidden blade or whatever the scoundrel one is except take it and pray you knock em back, stun em and run. Having weak out of combat dmg doesnt matter when you can open on someone and pretty well take em to half life or less in 1 chain. And on sorcs/sages, that dmg bubble they got absorbs a pretty good amount of dmg

They need to lower the opening dmg or put hidden strike on like a 2 min cooldown cause i dont know how anyone can argue the point that its ridiculous that 1 class can pretty well 3-4 shot a heavy. And before you OPs/scoundrels cry QQ and blah blah, realize that the 100% knockdown chance that says like 3 secs is really 5 secs with the getting up animation time factored in. Also unless im missing something, the last time i was knocked down by one, i wasn't able to CC break out of it. Now if the trinket does it, great.....so OPs/scoundrels are the only class that you NEED a specific item to counter one of their biggest openers... Also for those that are gonna cry that assassins can do the same, thats fine as long as i at least can get a chance to fight back instead of being flat on my face for 5 secs while 1/2-3/4 of my life is instantly taken.

I agree, we need just 2 brackets. 1 for 40-50 and the other for the rest. As it sits now, if i queue into a full group of 50s, i just log out and requeue because i already know the outcome...a wasted 15 mins.