And the QQ NERF PLS threads begin.

They just need to tune the damage of non-Elite mobs so we aren't pigeon-holed into using a Tank stance. Tank stance should be balanced around Tanking, not around those simply trying to do normal solo quests. Fun game, but they made an otherwise fun adventure into an annoying and tedious affair at times.

Guardian is hard? LOL Troll much?

Thanks so much! Very helpful!

I finally realized today that Tanking just isn't my thing and I'm going back to Madness. Quick questions for you (or anyone else who leveled 30+ Madness): 1. Companions you used most frequently? 2. Did you Stealth + CC a lot, or just AOE zerg? 3. Did you feel squishy, and if not, did you stack Willpower > Endurance or an even split? Thanks!

If you're Madness and solo questing, use Dark Charge for non-Elites. Otherwise the previous poster is right.

Assuming you've talented Electrify for the Shock Damage/Threat buff: Dark Ward (always have this buff in combat) Discharge Shock Thrash/Lacerate (ST/AoE) Vicious Slash Unfortunately, until you get closer to 40, you're missing out on a substantial number of abilities that define and round out Darkness, such as Wither and Harnessed Lightning. Your ability to seamlessly tank these instances will depend on your ability to: 1. Assign Kill orders (Weak > Strong > Elite > Champion) 2. Keep your Discharge debuff up 3. Keep Dark Ward up 4. Maintain AOE threat without starving yourself via Lacerate spam, while keeping all of the above intact. I suggest heavy use of Tab -> Shock -> Thrash. Does the job well for me. When you get closer to 50, make sure you check out the Guide at the top of this forum. The people involved in that put in a lot of time.

Unless Sithwarrior has somehow bypassed the Combat Log feature being disabled, nobody has data. They have ideas based on FlyText. Sorry, but I don't trust it yet. I don't know that I'd ever give up 5% Reduced Damage as a Tank... Even for a little QoL ability or two in another tree.

Full PvE Madness atm. Really enjoy this spec for leveling.

What I've found helpful: 1: CC one. Strong mobs are... wait for it... STRONG. Take one out of the fight. The 5 seconds you spend CC'ing him from Stealth is instantly made up for in time saved from Seethe'ing after the pull. 2. When given the choice between these two items: +20 Endurance +20 Willpower and +30 Endurance +10 Willpower You should choose the latter. Why? Because you're leveling, and the more durable you are, the smoother you're going to level. There are no damage meters. There are no combat logs. There's time spent killing things, and time spent casting Seethe. Yeah, when you're 50 and working on end game stuff, Willpower > Endurance ALWAYS. But for leveling? Mix them up. 3. If you've followed step 2, make sure Mind Control is on your bar and don't make Khem do all the work. Take a few swings, big boy. These are just miscellaneous suggestions I've picked up from ~30 hours of Assassin leveling. Hope it helps in some way!

Are you trying to min/max your leveling gear? Stacking all Willpower at the expense of a ton of Endurance as a melee is just asking for problems. When I see someone in /gen saying they're having solo'ing problems, I look at their HP (if I can find them) and it's always really, really low. You can't give up 100+ Endurance on your gear and then wonder why you can't kill Elite level mobs... That's not a broken class, that's you not gearing optimally.

I had no problems. Keybind your Attack/Passive companion commands. Attack the targets your companion is tanking. Heal between pulls. I went Madness to get a little more reliable ranged damage. Try that out maybe?

I really don't understand the logic behind punishing people for trying new things or tweaking their build. If you need a money sink that bad, surely a developer could come up with a more creative one. Changing roles and really learning the ins-and-outs of your character should be encouraged, not impeded. Please reduce or remove these costs. It's seriously baffling how, after so many games have done the same thing, nobody seems to get it.

Not sure I agree with you on some of that. 3% Cunning seems like a hefty sum at 50. Is there any math to support this? Regardless, it was extremely helpful for me, a new Sniper, so I very much appreciate your work!

Bounty Hunter companion Gault uses Sniper Rifle. Not sure if it's Aim or Cunning, though.

Well, that's not really true. Assassins have it pretty rough, and I know that from experience. Bounty Hunter and Sorcerers are easier, but that should be no wonder, that's just an advantage of being ranged.

Marauders say the same thing. Is it an innate class problem or just the Juggernaut/Guardian AC? Sorry, I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything. I'm leveling my Juggernaut now, and I'd like to know what to expect.

I guess we have different definitions of broken, then. When my car broke down, I couldn't drive it until it was fixed. When your Warrior is broken, it's just not as easy as your Sorcerer, Bounty Hunter or Agent.

The first 50 on my server was a Juggernaut. I'm not saying they're fine or balanced, but that would imply that they certainly aren't as broken as this thread seems to imply, right?

I go to every Class forum and they say the same thing. Assassins, Sorcerers, Juggernauts, Marauders... All of the Force users seem to feel they've been mistreated. Difficulty of Warrior vs Inquisitor feels about on-par. Neither of them are even close to the ease of Bounty Hunter. I keep being told leveling "get more difficult at higher levels", but my BH is almost 40 and I'm still waiting.

When I'm Bodyguard spec'd? Gault. All other times, Mako in MedWatch. My frustration with Mako, though, is that her CC ability can't be toggled off the "Auto cast", so she spends more time channeling that stupid thing than healing me.

It's funny to see a thread like this, right below a thread about there not being enough people. On topic - I find the challenge refreshing. There's a lot that goes into the Quests and pre-50 content. Making it challenging keeps us on our toes and paying attention the whole way. You look back and see it as a much higher quality experience than you would if it were much faster/easier.

Heat is nothing like mana. That's stupid and shows you don't really understand how Heat works to begin with. The biggest difference is probably the regeneration gradient. Not sure how that's comparable to anything I've ever seen, but I like it.

Stigas - Arsenal and Bodyguard (Plan on focusing on Bodyguard @ 50). Arsenal is just easier to level with.

And put the points where? 1) It's an excellent AOE Heal when people are stacked up. 2) It procs Critical Reaction. A lot. 3) 5% Extra healing is clutch when you need it. Those would be my 3 reasons to keep it.