[Sand Demon too strong]

This guy does it at 25.

 

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D9Df7wRBDX_A&v=9Df7wRBDX_A&gl=US

 

I did it at level 25 or 26 with my defense guardian. Just be sure to stim up, send kira first and use the defensive cooldowns early. The regen you get from call on the force is huge. It als gives you two hits of saber ward to start the fight.

 

It's a tough fight but doable. And if you can't do it at level 28-30, I think you might be doing something wrong.

[So why should we even bother play guardian in PvP?]

 

When in Warzones, tell yourself over and over that you are a support character.

 

 

This^^ I bother playing PvP as a Guardian because it's fun.

 

I have a 41 def spec guardian (not claiming to be awesome at PvP) and once I made my priority taking as much damage through guard/taunt while doing what damage I can and focusing on the objectives you end up with a very well rounded stat-line at the end.

 

And maybe I just don't play with very many good tank shadows/vanguards, but 9 times out of 10 my Protection damage is higher than any one else.

[Pommel Strike broken in 1.1.3?]

Worked fine for me last night too. I have Force Clap trained, so I usually force leap and follow up with a Pommel Strike immediately.

[Jedi Knights are underpowered **Spoilers**]

Level 37 Defense Guardian. Have had none of the OP's problems whatsoever. Kira's brother and the Sand Demon were a little tough, but nothing terrible. As others have mentioned:

 

Use your interrupts (Between Kick, Force Push and Stasis, you can pretty much interrupt till the cows come home), kill the weak guys first, and don't be afraid to use Enure and your defensive CDs to start a tough fight. I've found that if I pop Enure and Saber Ward to start, then use Warding Call when Saber Ward goes down, it works better than saving them, and if it's a long fight, it gives you a chance some of them again.

 

There are also some "worthless" abilities that people don't use that are actually pretty useful if you use them correctly, like Pommel/Opportune Strike.

 

In the Defense tree, you can get Force Clap which causes Force Leap to stun the target for 2 seconds. Jump in, pommel strike immediately (for no focus) and depending on how much health is left and the situation, Slash, Sunder or Riposte (if it's up) to finish it off. So if it's a group of a strong and two normals, have Kira attack one normal, do the above to the other normal (that 3 move rotation usually finishes it off) then just burn the last one down.

 

Finally, as a defense Guardian all the little things add up to help a lot, like Blade Barricade and Blade Barrier.

 

P.S. Needing your defensive cd's to kill an elite/champion isn't a problem. It's called playing the class as intended. And if you think Force Sweep is bad, I suggest you take another look. Also, make sure you are using the right stance for the situation.

[Any high level female trooper pics?]

Mine's in the 20s as well, but the voice acting is the best of the characters I've played. Story-wise, playing the tough, sarcastic female trooper has been more fun than any of the other stories.

[Are guardians THIS bad or am I just playing it wrong?]

If you are are in the Defense tree, you can get Force Clap which causes Force Leap to stun the target for 2 seconds. I can jump in, pommel strike immediately (for no focus) and depending on how much health is left and the situation, Slash, Sunder or Riposte (if it's up). So if it's a group of a strong and two normals, I'll have Kira attack one normal, I'll do the above to the other normal (that 3 move rotation usually finishes it off) then both of us will be able to just burn the last one down.

 

I haven't messed with the vigilance tree much, but I can see where it would not be as useful. And I don't think it works in pvp.

 

It can be tough to get in a fight, but it's still a pretty good amount of immediate damage for no focus cost.

[Are guardians THIS bad or am I just playing it wrong?]

If you're getting creamed by equal-level bad guys (that aren't champions/bosses), something is wrong. You and your companion should be able to beat an equal-level elite or a strong with several normal/weak guys handily.

 

If you are built as a tank, make sure you are using Soresu form, only wear Heavy armor, and have equipped a shield generator in your offhand. You take WAY less damage. If you are trying to use T7 as a tank, make sure he is in his tanking stance and not his DPS one. Kira is not an effective tank.

 

Timely use of interrupts (Kick) and stuns (Stasis/Push/Pommel Strike) makes fighting tough enemies WAY easier. Interrupt whenever they wind up to do something nasty. If you don't have an interrupt, stun instead. Use Hilt Strike, Opportune Strike, and Riposte whenever you can. Do not be afraid to blow cooldowns against tough enemies.

 

One good approach for a tough mob like a boss: leap in, stun repeatedly, then use both defensive cooldowns one after the other when you can't stun anymore. When they are done, your stuns should be mostly cooled down again, and the mob should be at least half-dead while you've taken almost no damage. Against very tough enemies (like class quest bosses), use Call on The Force at the start of the fight; the regen will keep you alive a lot longer. Also, a good trick to use sometimes is to send your companion in first (CTRL+1 by default while targeting something), then leap in and start beating on things. If your companion gets too close to dying, use Taunt or Challenging Call to pull mobs back to you.

 

As for gear: whenever a quest reward is an upgrade for a slot where you don't have an orange item, or they offer you an upgrade for a companion, take it. Otherwise, take commendations. Use commendations (or cash when possible; try the 'specialty goods vendor' on most worlds) to buy blue and orange gear, or upgrades for your orange gear. Appropriate-level Flashpoints also drop great stuff. As a JK you want 'Guardian' or 'Might'/'Rage' mods. (Guardian gives more endurance/survivability, Might/Rage gives more Strength/damage.) +Defense is also good.

 

One thing they do NOT make terribly clear for companions: they only really use one 'primary' attribute. For T7 this is Aim (whether you use him as a tank or DPS), and for Kira this is Willpower. They do NOT need any other attributes; the primary attribute will increase the potency of all their abilities. Do not give Kira +Strength items. (All the quest gear that drops specifically for them will have the 'right' attribute.) I recommend getting a nice orange weapon for your companion and keeping it up to date, as this will DRAMATICALLY increase their damage output.

 

If you're doing a fair number of side/bonus quests, you should have every slot for both you and your companion with something fairly close to your level, and moddable items should have mods close to your level as well. Note that for orange items, the 'Armoring' slot determines the overall level of the item and how much armor it gives you (similarly, the 'Hilt' determines DPS for a saber/sword, and the 'Barrel' determines DPS for a ranged weapon.) So make sure you upgrade those; they're much more important than the other mod slots! That's also why they cost 7 commendations instead of 2.

 

Can we just get this stickied? If you do the above, you're going to be ok. Admittedly, the margin for error with this class is much lower than others, and if you get lazy or slip up, then you won't be nearly as effective.

 

I have a 35 Defense spec (rolling with Kira) and I haven't really had too much trouble at all. Some bosses are a little tough (Valis took a few tries, and that Sand Demon thing on Tatooine is pretty tough too), but overall it's been fun. There are a lot of little things that add up to make a big difference, like the protection buffs from Riposte and Blade Storm, as well as the Armor debuff from Sunder. The times that I've had trouble is when I'm not hitting these things consistently, or if my Soresu is off for whatever reason. If you use every Riposte, Blade Storm and Sunder, along with interrupts/stuns/defensive cooldowns, you're going to be pretty effective.

 

I've started playing a Commando (level 18 now, not that far, I admit) while I wait for a friend to catch up to me in level. The margin for error is much higher, and you can wipe out normal groups way faster, but I find the Commando to be squishier, and not as strong against strongs/elites/bosses as the Guardian is.

 

Then again, maybe it's because I just haven't learned to play the Commando yet

[Guard Needs Fixing Now, or Why We Have So Many Burst Damage Whines]

Many of us were completely unaware that the tendency of bad players to stupidly focus on a guarded target (usually while also ignoring the guarding tank's taunts) was a "PVP balance" issue.

 

We've been assuming it was an L2P issue.

 

Silly us.

 

That about covers it.

[Why do guard have bad rep?]

Guardians and Sents have an immense amount of skills that pretty much ALL have to be used

 

This is pretty much it. I think a lot of the complaining is because people aren't using their interrupts or defensive cds. I know if I get lazy or am not paying attention and don't use all my skills, then I die. Not sure why people expect to have this game perfectly mastered after one month either.

 

Personally, I prefer a class that forces me to pay attention than standing 50 yards away pushing 3 buttons.

[Lvl 50 Guardian - rolled a Trooper alt]

My JG is only 24 right now, so I can't comment too much on the particular archetype, but I do have a 50 Sith Marauder and a 34 BH merc. My experience is that my BH is much better at clearing trash mobs and much worse at boss fighting than my Marauder. Maybe that will change at getting close to 50, but so far it really feels like the BH is an AoE class and the SW is a single target class. And since most fights in the game are against groups of weak mobs, the BH just feels more powerful. That doesn't mean it actually is, though.

 

This is my experience as well.