Thanks for the kind words, chaswolf! Glad you found my guide helpful. I'm sorry to say, however, that I'm officially canceling my account tonight. I've just experienced everything the game has to offer, and the gameplay is starting to grow stale. I might pick it up when Bioware releases some substantial content updates, but until then it just has nothing more to offer me. Bioware has asked that I let them know when I can no longer update the guide, which I am about to do. What this means for the guide, I have no idea. That is why I'm giving permission to anyone who wants it to copy and repost the entire guide or any individual piece of it. You have complete freedom to do with the guide as you wish, with no need to cite me as the author. Hopefully that way it can continue to help the Sniper community. Thanks to all who offered suggestions, constructive criticisms, and words of encouragement. Good luck, have fun, and as always, thanks for reading! -Woody

I can say with complete certainty that I am constantly knocked out of Cover while Entrench is active. It's one of the main reasons I am getting so frustrated with the class in PvP. I'll go into cover and activate Entrench and Ballistic Shields, and every single time someone just knocks me out of it within 5 seconds and I lose access to Ballistic Shields for a few minutes. That said, I have to agree with the OP (and Kink! Very well said!). Besides some fairly minor issues, the Sniper class as a whole is fine. It's only when it comes to pvp utility that you really start to see the gap between the Sniper and the other dps classes.

I honestly never had any issues leveling as an Engineer spec, though I didn't really start putting points into the Engineer talents until around level 18 (not counting Energy Tanks, which I took right at levels 11 and 12, though I'm now hearing ET might not be the best talent...). You can see my point-allocation order in the Engineer tree from the handbook. It's the exact build I played. As long as you make good use of Ballistic Dampers (i.e. exiting and re-entering cover when the 3 charges are used up), you really shouldn't have a lot of problems with most pve encounters. And once you get Lokin, your healer, things get stupid easy. By that point you should have Shield Probe, and even though you might not have been able to spec it yet, the combination of Ballistic Dampers and Shield Probe is enough to keep you safe while Lokin keeps you healed. As far as rotations go, it really depends on the encounter. For instance, if I'm up against an Elite and several normal mobs, I'll blast the Elite with my Ambush+Explosive Probe combo (which also puts the Cluster Bombs on him). Then I'll Flashbang the group, Corrosive Dart the Elite (which doesn't break the effect immediately), Shatter Shot, Debilitate, Interrogation Probe. At that point the others have probably come out of stun, so you can activate your Shield Probe and toss out a Frag Grenade and/or Suppressive Fire, and you might need to throw out a Cover Pulse/Leg Shot to get any brawlers off of you. Depending on your energy levels, it never hurts to throw out a basic attack. So there's just 1 example of the kind of rotation you can use as a Sniper. Really there are so many different situations that you're going to find yourself in that you just need to experiment and see what works. You can also download the fantastic Sniper spreadsheet (linked at the top of the handbook) and start putting together assorted rotations there. Hope that helps, and good luck!

I can say my Engineer spec never really had any issues until I hit the 50's bracket. I'm sure a lot of it is a lack of decent gear, but when you hit 50 is when you really start to see the gap between class usefulness in warzone pvp. Also, please remember that dps is one of the least important factors in the current warzone setup. Take Huttball, for instance. Many times all killing your opponent does is put him back in his starting area, between your ball-carrier and the goal...

Ha, yes, my mistake. I was trying to get the post in real quick before I had to go, and it didn't even occur to me that that was the case. The Sorcerer is still able to dish out as much damage as us while also healing and having access to massive CC. It simply can't be considered fair when 2 different classes each do, say, 150k damage in a warzone, but where 1 can heal and CC and run around while dealing damage, the other one is stuck hunkered down in 1 spot, and is at a severe disadvantage if he gets knocked out of cover or has to move from his stationary location. Anyway, I'm spending so much time defending these views that I feel like all I've been doing lately is trash-talking the Sniper. I just want to clarify that I love the class and that with a few minor adjustments (and maybe 1 or 2 major adjustments...) it will be competitive with other classes in PvP. As it stands, where other dps classes gain extra strengths, we gain nothing but a hindrance to our playability, and that is my primary concern with the class. Our damage output is fine, and our survivability is fine. It's our warzone utility and complete reliance on the unpolished cover mechanic that really sets the class back.

Well since I play an Engineer spec, my only real burst damage comes from the Ambush+Explosive Probe+Cluster Bombs combo. SoS does nice damage with Electrified Railgun, but it just never seems to be enough. My experience is typically nailing someone for a nice chunk of damage before getting knocked out of cover, stunned, and murdered...

Thanks for the input, Xtrema. I do have to say that I disagree on a few of your points, however. It's not even that they're wrong, it's just that they miss the point of my previous arguments. For instance, when I'm comparing classes, I'm only comparing like-classes, such as pure dps. As such, you really can't compare a dps Sniper to a tanking Jugg because they are just 2 completely different things. Of course a Sniper is going to out-dps a Jugg, because that's not what a Jugg is designed to do. However, when a Sniper gets out-dps'd by a Sorcerer who can heal and turn invisible, or by a Bounty Hunter who can heal and fly around the map, things start to feel pretty unfair. And it would be one thing if we were just pure dps without any of those extra features, but instead we actually get stuck with an extra weakness. As far as playing a Sniper like an actual sniper, well that went out the window as soon as they gave us a 35m maximum range and a bright red flashing shield. Like others have said, if we had some sort of cover-based Camo ability, maybe then you could play like an actual sniper. But until then, that's just wishful thinking.

I leveled a Sniper (Engineer spec) to 50, and it was a lot of fun, but if PvP is your goal then I would have to recommend another class. I rolled an Assassin, and so far am loving it. Though I'm going the tanking route, I find myself yearning to give the dps trees a shot just because it seems like so much fun. Even the tanking style of the Assassin is very offensive, so it might be something you can get into. It's also fantastic in PvP, since you can dish out damage, guard your teammates, and easily run the ball with a 20-second cool-down sprint that breaks movement-impairing effects. You can also guard cannons exceptionally easily while stealthed. Just hang out guarding a partner and you'll rack up the guard and defend medals, while also providing a fantastic service to your team. It's also one of the more complicated classes to play, so you shouldn't find yourself pressing the same 3 buttons over and over. I highly recommend getting one up to around 30 or so to see if it's for you, because I really think you'll get into it. Regardless of the choice you make, you'll need to get that class up to around 20-25 before you can really make a good decision. It's around those levels that the class will really start to take shape. For instance, the Assassin really isn't that great until you hit 20. Hope that helps.

There's no sense in coming that close to Rapid Fire and not taking it, especially for a maximum-damage build. If possible, I'd move one of the points from Sector Ranger or Heavy shot up there, especially if this is primarily a PvE build. Otherwise I'd look at redistributing those points from Explosive Engineering. Even just taking 1 point out and popping it into Rapid Fire would suffice (and would still leave you with a 10% boost to EP and AoE damage). Hope that helps, and good luck!

I'm a pure Engineer build, and so far it's not really working out for PvP. The Plasma Probe is good for placing over objectives, but AoE damage in general is really only good for getting medals, but not for helping your team. The added defense from Shield Probe is nice, but doesn't really make a difference if you're fighting more than 1 enemy. Ballistic Shields never lasts more than a few seconds, even with Entrench, because the opponent can still just knock you out of cover, ending your Entrench and Ballistic Shields. Overall I'd have to say that the more focused damage of the MM build is probably better suited to pvp than the defensive play of the Engineer, though I'm still in the process of testing it out. (On the other hand, Engineer completely destroys PvE content. Between Ballistic Dampers, Shield Probe, Ballistic Shield, Entrench, and Evade, I've been able to hold aggro on 50 champs while our tank [a companion, no less) was either recuperating or dead...)

I do have to agree that just posting a l2p thread without any tips for the players you are insulting isn't as helpful as it could be. I also don't think it addresses the primary issues players have with the Sniper class as it relates to pvp. After all, nobody's really debating the fact that the Sniper can dish out decent damage. It's the fact that we dish out as much damage as the other classes, but instead of also having access to other strengths besides pure dps, we are actually stuck with a pretty major drawback. Several of your screenshots actually prove my point. There are several where you got severely out-damaged by 1 or more Sorcerers. That shouldn't be surprising since the Sorcerer can also be specced into pure dps. However, those screenshots also show that not only did the Sorcerer dish out more damage than you (almost 100k more in 1 case!), he also dished out from 40k to 80k in healing. He was also able to do it all with the easiest energy-management system in the game and without having to hunker down into cover to access his abilities. You can also see that your team lost 3 out of the 7 games where you are in the top 3 damage bracket. That should show you exactly how important pure dps is in the current warzone designs. You can dish out all the dps you want, but if you can't score a point, or control a cannon, or hack a door, then your team will lose every time. And really, there's nothing wrong with just being a support piece for the tanks and healers. The issue, once again, as that a lot of those non-support pieces are able to do what we do, equal to or even better than we do it, while also being able to score those points, control those cannons, and hack those doors with ease. Congratulations on your ability to play a Sniper, but your post does little to help those who are having issues with the class, and thus does little to help you with your annoyance at their complaints, which was the stated purpose of this thread.

Fantastic guide! Keep up the good work!

Hey guys, thanks for the awesome feedback on Sniper pvp viability. I still have a few qualms with the class as it relates to pvp, however: 1. "Interrupts" Target Cover This should simply not be the case. You might as well call it the "Screw the Sniper" ability. No other class is as totally screwed by an interrupt as the Sniper when it negates his/her Cover for 4 seconds. 2. Mobility Other classes that are able to dish out just as much damage as us also have the ability to travel around either faster or more efficiently. From temporary speed boosts, to flying up to platforms, to invisibility, the other classes seem to have an enormous advantage when it comes to maneuverability. Instead of giving us an ability to compete, we get stuck with the opposite: a reliance on a cumbersome cover system. I could see giving us such a drawback if we were able to dish out more damage than other classes, which is our single purpose. But no, Bioware has stated that all dps classes are within 5% damage output of one another, meaning we get saddled with an enormous disadvantage but no real strengths to back it up. On a related note, it's way too easy to knock a Sniper out of cover, considering it's the basis of our entire class... 3. Lack of Utility Similar to the Mobility issue, other classes that do just as much damage as us also have access to other abilities that greatly enhance their pvp utility beyond mere dps. From heals, to crowd control, to the ability to wear heavy armor, it seems that every other class has some other skill to fall back on. Again, it would be different if we either did more damage than the other classes or also had some extra utility ability to fall back on, but no, we get the opposite, a reliance on Cover. 4. Cover-Based Abilities are Useless It is so easy to knock us out of cover that we might as well not even have prolonged cover-based abilities. I can't remember the last time my Ballistic Shield lasted longer than 5 seconds in a pvp match. Even Entrench, which is our anti-cc ability, is negated when we are knocked out of cover... If our entire class is going to be based around the cover system, it shouldn't be nearly as easy as it currently is to just knock us out of it. It would almost be acceptable if the cooldowns on those abilities were reset when we were knocked out of cover, but as it stands I might get 5 seconds of Ballistic Shield before I have to wait over 2 minutes to use it again. Well those are my current gripes with the class. I'm sure I will think of more, or better ways to express those listed above. As always, thanks for reading! -Woody

I find the knock-back from Cover Pulse to be quite unreliable. There have been times where there is no question about the direction the enemy should have been knocked back, but for some reason they flew off to the side instead of straight ahead. When it works, it's great, but it's a shame it doesn't seem to work every time.

Wow Tylerlee, very informative post! Thanks for your hard work!

Not yet, but I've been hearing mixed things about it. Some people swear by it for pvp, but others claim that any decent player can get around the effects. All I will say is that your build is going to have very little affect on the fundamental problems of the Sniper in pvp, which are versatility and maneuverability. And by "maneuverability" I don't simply mean a reliance on Cover, but the complete inability to efficiently navigate a warzone map at acceptable speeds (which is really a problem more specific to Huttball than anything else, but it's a HUGE deal in Huttball...). No matter what you're going to get in your damage, but that's just not a good measurement of your usefulness to your team.

Well I'm starting to come to the conclusion that the Sniper is purely a PvE-oriented class. I'm not going to post that exact statement in the guide until I can do some more extensive testing, but as it stands we just seem to be completely outclassed in warzones. The Engineer spec, especially, has quite a hard time, considering that AoE damage is good for getting medals but not much else. Yes, Snipers can dish out damage. I have seen many Snipers appear in the top 3 damage slots many times. The issue is that damage alone doesn't win warzones, but damage alone is all we're capable of. While other classes can heal, jump between platforms, and pull/push their enemies around (while still managing to dish out as much damage as us...), we are stuck in the background taking pot-shots at stragglers. However, in PvE environments the Sniper seems to be an exceptionally powerful class. I find myself contributing greatly to any team I'm on, and am able to solo content other classes seem to have trouble with. Even open-world PvP isn't an issue, because it all really comes down to damage with a bit of strategy. It's just when it comes to warzones that we seem to be completely gimped.

I'm finding the Sniper quite frustrating to play in PvP. It's just annoying to me that our dps is comparable to the Sorcerer and Merc, who don't have to worry about cover. If you are fighting a decent player 1v1, those are losing fights almost every time. The Sorcerer can heal and still dish out enough damage to kill the squishy Sniper (in 4 hits!!!), and the BH can completely knock out our ability to go into Cover, neutering us for the duration of the interrupt. It just seems like there should be some sort of payoff for having to depend on the Cover mechanic. I'm not saying that we can't dish out decent damage, because we most certainly can. What gets me is that our dps output is on par with these other classes that don't have such a severe limitation.

That's a very good point. I'll look at my calculations and adjust accordingly. Thanks!

I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to get very frustrated with the Sniper in PvP. It's probably a combination of my lack of fantastic pvp equipment and the fact that my machine can barely handle SWTOR so I lag a bit, but it just seems like Bounty Hunters and Sith Sorcerers outclass us in every regard. You would think that a Sniper would have the advantage in a ranged shoot-out with a Sorcerer, especially my Engineer build with all of its defense abilities in effect and my maxed-out Adrenal and Stim packs, but no. I still die in 4 hits, and am unable to get the Sorcerer below 50% health. If I do start to win, they just LoS and start healing and I'm forced to leave cover, losing my Ballistic Shield. If I'm really unlucky, the BH just takes away my ability to go into cover, completely neutering me until I'm either dead or can somehow escape. Also, due to lag, there seems to be about a 50/50 chance that Cover just decides not to activate, no matter how many times I spam the cover button. Typically by the time my Sniper enters cover, the enemy is either gone or I am dead... It's been said that all dps classes are balanced to within a 5% damage output. However, you would think that Snipers would receive some benefit to compensate for our dependance on Cover. It seems to me, based on my recent entry into the 50's pvp bracket, that the Sniper is a pve king, but merely cannon fodder when it comes to PvP. Hopefully I can report back better news when I've managed to collect some better pvp gear, but until then, I'm sad to say I am severely disappointed in the Sniper's pvp utility. P.S. It's always suspicious when 80%-90% of every single pvp team is composed of a single class. Literally the last dozen or so matches I have been in, each team has had at least 6 to 9 Sorcerers...

@Dwogger: Excellent questions! For the 1st question, I'll look around to see if I can find anything, but right now sithwarrior.com seems to have a monopoly on the accurate theorycrafting threads. For the 2nd question, that would make sense, though it's something I honestly haven't really thought about. If your abilities boost a specific stat, then it would theoretically free up some room for your equipment to boost a different stat. For the 3rd question, all I can find is conflicting information on Alacrity. Tibbel has directed me to some solid threads over at Sithwarrior.com, but even those are saturated with arguments over what exactly Alacrity does. My conclusion on Alacrity is this: exactly what it does affect is fairly unimportant. As far as attribute priority goes, Alacrity is so far down on the list that you really shouldn't ever have to worry about it. You've already got Accuracy, Crit, Surge, Power, and possible Expertise to worry about. If you somehow manage to get all of those stats to their optimum levels, then you can take a look at Alacrity. Hope that answers your questions.

Since you're asking based on Biochem, I can say that using Adrenals to boost Power and stims to boost Cunning/Power has worked wonders for me. Power is not only one of the most powerful stats in the game (having a direct affect on all of your damage and healing output), but it's also one of the hardest stats to boost, gear-wise. Biochem is one of the best ways to get your Power to an absurd level, so you might as well take advantage of that. I've got a Power-boosting Adrenal and Power-boosting Relic hotkeyed to F6 and F7 respectively. When I press both of those buttons, my Power increases by around 600+ points, and I tear through most mobs and players with ease for 15 seconds. Highly recommended! (Stack it with the Expertise-boosting power-up in Warzones for truly devastating effect...) P.S. It's been stated that while other stats start to see diminishing returns when you boost them too high, Power does not suffer from this drawback.

@Dwogger: Thanks for the info! I'll cross-reference it with info provided at Sithwarrior.com and hopefully I can get it added to the guide shortly.

@Tibbel: Wow. Just wow. That was such a fantastic post I don't even know what to say. Thank you so much for that valuable information. I'm going to sift through it and update the guide there applicable. The only issues I had were areas of conflicting information, where something you said directly contradicted something another reader had said, or contradicted something I had seen on another site. Those little tidbits I'm going to have to do some more research into before I make a final call, but most of your post is going to have a significant impact on the Sniper's Handbook. Thank you. (I'm more inclined to take your advice over others as you've proved your knowledge of the game's mechanics with your awesome spreadsheet, but I feel that wouldn't be fair to the other sources of the conflicting information, which is why I feel the need to do further research. If I can't find any solid evidence one way or the other, I'll default to your information.)

Alright, finally hit 50 today with my Engineer spec. Expect a fairly in-depth overhaul of the guide within the next few days. If there is any information you think is either incorrect or could be stated in a more understandable manner, please post your thoughts asap so I can try to get most of the necessary changes made at once. Thanks!