Well if this thread's about obsurd ideas, let me pitch this one: Orbital Strike is instant cast, applies all its damage in a single blow and is on a 45-second cooldown. Rework the first tier of the left tree to reduce the cooldown by 15/30/45 seconds. On the third point in the talent, the Sniper has the ability to transform into their ship when they cast Orbital Strike.

What the hell is this ****?! Stupid thug music mixed to extreme close-ups of what? Health bars? Buffs? What is this I don't even... Dueling? Standing in the same spot while fighting? SW:TOR, hands down, if this is anything what SWG PvP was like. I'd rather be moving, jumping and using the terrain during a fight than fighting in an alley with my feet firmly rooted into the dirt.

Didn't you get the memo? This isn't in the future. It was "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..." This is a broken, dumb idea. If you want "realism," you shouldn't be playing MMOs.

BWAAA-HA HA HA!! HAHAHA!! HAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAAA!! #3: Anyone can buy the grenades cheap on the GTN. Mk-1 and Mk-3 are among the cheapest to make, Mk-2 depending on server (Phobium is pricey because everyone is competing for it at that level). #2: People like this will only be happy with PvP if they're the ones with the advantage over the players. They're not looking for "balance," they're looking for easy mode; and, for some people, that means taking away from others. Spoiled brats. #1: This is a pure "learn to play" thread spawned because gofortheko up there got owned. Watch out guys...

People will get over it. No one likes it when one person gets something new and they don't. When I was a kid, my grandparents gave myself and my siblings presents on our other sibling's birthday, just so we didn't feel left out! Looking back, I hated them for doing that because when I became an adult I realized how pitiful that was. Why do I bring that up? Because that's how I see people who don't play the class. They pitchfork for Powertechs/Vanguards to be nerfed into the ground and all because they had bad experiences. They want nothing but revenge. At this point, if Powertechs get any sort of perceived buff, the kiddies will throw a tantrum regardless of how large or how small the buff is. So I say to hell with them! Give Powertechs the tools we need to be the intended "melee" class BioWare thinks we are! Everyone else can suck it up and ask to be just as powerful as we, the Marauders and the Assassins are. Why should we be the ones nerfed when we're already an excellent class? Give them buffs so they can be as awesome as we are!

How do you figure? You know what would make this thread interesting? If Kitru posted here. I like it when Kitru posts walls of text.

Essentially making it a sprint. I've heard this idea pop up around the forums. While I'm not against it (its a sound idea) I feel like it needs some zest. I also feel the cooldown should be 30 seconds or below. Hell, Shadows and Assassins are going to be able to spec into 20 second CD sprints, for kriff sake.

Yes? I don't give BioWare the benefit of the doubt anymore. Their track record is shoddy right now.

He don't know, Jerc. He don't know! Oh, Wilsu, if only we had cross-server PvP, then you'd eat those words. I have issue with this thread. The average Dick and Jane seem to think that to make this game "balanced" one needs to either nerf damage, nerf abilities or swap existing abilities. There is very little outside-the-box thinking. One can either have or have not. Give Powertech both a pull and a leap (or something to get into the 10 meter range quickly). The two abilities are not interchangeable. Moving a target around verses moving to a target are two different mechanics. With either, the Powertech is still a glass cannon with no escape utility.

That's the mechanics of the Smuggler stealth class: they're at a disadvantage when caught out of stealth. If one is running at a Powertech head-on, the Smuggler deserves to die. Cleanse and get back into stealth ASAP, then reengage!

The Scrapper is complaining about high burst damage from "out of nowhere." I am amused. I guess there can be only one burst DPS class in the game, am I right? No one else can wind up a serious amount of damage... like Scrappers and Operatives can do. Am I reading your post correctly, sir? Pyro Powertechs and Assault Vanguards are over hyped by players who are not understanding how these two Advanced Classes work. They burst to survive. Other than the shield, they are defenseless and have no way to escape combat – unlike you, Mr. Scoundrel, who has a way to escape back into stealth and will soon be getting a sprint. You're in Battlemaster. If you're getting hit with "5k" shots (which are likely 4600-4800 hits after the exaggeration is taken away) then you are facing War Hero geared Powertechs. Everyone will have a harder time going head-to-head with a full War Hero geared player if you are wearing lesser gear, regardless of the class. If you are crying over "5k" hits, you've never faced a Focus Guardian/Rage Juggernaut who can hit you with a 5600-6000. (As a fully optimized War Hero Vanguard, my highest record hit was 5436 on a full Recruit geared Sentinel) I'm insulted that a whiny thread like this was featured over at Darth Hater.

Wait, hold on... going off topic here: How?

/sunglasses Mother of God...

According to the TORHead link, its Bind on Equip, so I'd keep an eye out on the GTN or farm champion NPCs in level 1-15 areas (starting and capital worlds).

Well you know that's going to get fixed right quick.

In the movies, they also stood up about as well as a paper doll in a hurricane. However, when I think of a Vanguard punching someone with the butt of their blaster, I think of another supersoldier who was known to

Comedy should have a beginning, a middle and an end.

Meanwhile: Everyone is laughing at you. Vanguards and Powertechs who use Harpoon as a opening "gap closer" are laughed at by those I PvP with. My server's top Sentinel goes into a laughing fit whenever that happens to him. The Sages and Commandos giggle when it happens to them. The Guardians shrug it off and proceed the beat the ever-living poodoo out of them. I feel pity for those who use harpoon and grapple in such a fashion; its such an ineffective means to begin DPS, even in 1.4. In 1.4, the rotation should be Ion Pulse, High Impact Bolt, Stockstrike or Ion Pulse again, Assault Plastique, procced High Impact Bolt. Harpoon to Stockstrike is a sad joke and you should be ashamed of yourself!

I'm a heavy PvPer myself, but we can't forget that any changes that affect us also affect those among us who prefer PvE or both. If you want to have a debate on topics like this, you need to see clearly from both perspectives.

"Finally start"? How do any of these changes affect whether a Powertech player uses taunts or not? If they're not taunting now, like they should be, they won't taunt in 1.4. Non sequitur point there, CharterMonk. Despite my petition to have both Grapple and Jet Charge, even if we don't get both, I still plan to roll Assault... I mean "Pyro" despite the haters. FeralPug is correct, the main reason people complain is for the Grapple and the insane burst –*but its that burst that keeps us alive. We don't have very many defensive cooldowns to boast about nor do we have an execute.

I've got two! One is an entertaining digest, the other is the EA Quarterly Report (hope you like text). Have fun!

L2use paragraphs!

What Djiin said and this: Pyro tree requires that you use CGC to be effective. To activate your shield, you must use Ion Cells. While you would have more defense and armor you would never have your shield activate while using CGC. In PvP as a Pyro, damage output is your primary defense.

Kitru, have I mentioned how much I love you? I think I have, but it bears repeating. Thanks to you and everyone else for your continued feedback to this thread. Hopefully a developer or two has seen the posts here and have considered the proposed ideas! Keep discussing!

Thanks, Jerc! I'm entertained that my one momentary lapse of sanity (forgetting crits can't be shielded) has caused someone so much rage and anger. Or perhaps its because I'm a Vanguard on the Powertech forums here to learn and discuss what is essentially the same class. /trollface I still see it as viable for PvE content, especially for any progressive ops groups willing to keep their PTs come 1.4... unless they give us a gap closer.